
Awix (3310 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.

Martha Raye: Film and Television Clown
Book
As a child on stage, Martha Raye (1916-1994) proudly embraced the role of the clown, her gift for...

Film in Five Seconds: Over 150 Great Movie Moments - In Moments!
Matteo Civaschi, Gianmarco Milesi and H-57
Book
In today's jet-fuelled, caffeine-charged, celebrity-a-minute world, who actually has the time to...

The Awful Truth (1937)
Movie
In this Oscar-winning farce, Cary Grant (in the role that first defined the Cary Grant persona) and...

Charlie Chaplin, Director
Book
Charlie Chaplin was one of the cinema s consummate comic performers, yet he has long been criticized...

Once Upon a Marigold (Upon a Marigold, #1)
Book
Who knew love could be so amazing—and stupefying? Not Christian. He was clueless when he started...

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Meet the Fockers (2004) in Movies
Mar 9, 2022
Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman are welcome additions as the Focker parents, and their liberal lifestyle works at odds with Jack Byrne's uptight nature. It provides the bulk of the funny moments this time around.
The plot is essentially the same as the first film, just set in Miami, and as such follows a predictable beat, but it's a safe one that provides an easy watch, backed by some reliably pleasant Randy Newman music.
An inferior sequel then, but one that serves its purpose. An easy re-watch option for when you've been scrolling through Netflix for far too long.

Dean (6927 KP) rated Ghostbusters (2016) in Movies
Jul 29, 2017

Awix (3310 KP) rated A Chump at Oxford (1940) in Movies
Mar 24, 2019 (Updated Mar 24, 2019)
The individual sections are not too bad, but the episodic nature of the film means it feels longer than an hour; there are some good bits, but also a sense of the boys having run out of ideas and either repeating themselves or trying too hard. Spotting Peter Cushing (this is possibly the best-known of the films he made while in Hollywood for a couple of years as a young man) adds to the fun, though.

Lexi (8 KP) rated The Death of Downton Tabby in Books
Aug 15, 2018
I spent a good half of the book just trying to figure out the logistics in my mind of how cats could ride motorcycles or have a profession like a Baker. After getting through that, it was time for the murders to start.
I will say, for a slapstick take on a murder mystery it was a lot more gory than I had predicted. So if you don't like descriptions of gore then this is not the book for you.
Although I read it to the end, it was more because I had gotten this far rather than enjoying it. It was good. I really enjoyed the puns scattered through the book but I didn't really enjoy the plot. However, it is an entertaining summer read.