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Get ready for the mobile platformer that literally plays like a dream. Bean Dreams is an...
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Pauser Pro is a backing tracks player with the additional convenient features. Auto pause,...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Father (2020) in Movies
Jun 12, 2021
Dementia twists the strands of Anthony’s personal multiverse
Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is elderly and living in his flat. His daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) keeps dropping by to check he is OK. But is this right? Strange things keep happening to him, from losing his watch to having strange people turn up at the flat. For Anthony is battling against dementia, and reality and fantasy are not quite as distinct as they once were.
Positives:
- I was one of those disappointed that Chadwick Boseman didn’t posthumously win the Best Actor Oscar for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. But, boy oh boy, after seeing this I am fully supportive of the Academy’s position. Anthony Hopkins has delivered some astonishingly powerful performances during his career – from the tortured ventriloquist in “Magic”, to Hannibal Lector to the elderly pope in “The Two Popes”. But he really excels himself here, tapping both your emotions and your sympathies as the confused and terrified old man.
- The Oscar- and BAFTA-winning screenplay by Florian Zeller, based on his stage play, is devastating, subtly twisting the knife. It will be particularly telling/upsetting for those who are getting on in years and/or have/had elderly parents affected by dementia. I would personally not have included (being deliberately vague) the “Williams entry” scene in the trailer, since it is a jolt of a twist in the film. But there are so many other clever devices in the screenplay that you don’t see coming. The ending in particular is brutal on the emotions.
- The production design (an Oscar nomination for Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone) is ingenious, as the set subtly and progressively transforms. Almost a ‘spot the difference’ in movie form.
- The score by Ludovico Einaudi uses atonal strings to great effect, as Anthony’s reality keeps shifting from under him.
Negatives:
- I’ve nothing here, hence my 10-bomb rating. I’ve seen some reviews that have thought that the movie was too “stagey” (which is a criticism I have levelled before at a bunch of “stage to screen” adaptations such as “Fences” and – more recently – “One Night in Miami” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom“). But I really didn’t feel that way about “The Father”. The claustrophobic nature of the plot was well served I thought by the (largely) single set location.
Summary Thoughts on “The Father”: Dementia is a cruel and heartless disease that robs any affected elderly person of their memories, logic and – ultimately – their dignity. I thought the movie was extremely clever in reflecting this decline, anchored by the astonishing career-best performance from Sir Anthony Hopkins. But this in turns makes this a very hard watch indeed!
(For the full graphical review, check out the One Mann's Movies post here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/12/the-father-dementia-twists-the-strands-of-anthonys-personal-multiverse/ . Thanks.
Positives:
- I was one of those disappointed that Chadwick Boseman didn’t posthumously win the Best Actor Oscar for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. But, boy oh boy, after seeing this I am fully supportive of the Academy’s position. Anthony Hopkins has delivered some astonishingly powerful performances during his career – from the tortured ventriloquist in “Magic”, to Hannibal Lector to the elderly pope in “The Two Popes”. But he really excels himself here, tapping both your emotions and your sympathies as the confused and terrified old man.
- The Oscar- and BAFTA-winning screenplay by Florian Zeller, based on his stage play, is devastating, subtly twisting the knife. It will be particularly telling/upsetting for those who are getting on in years and/or have/had elderly parents affected by dementia. I would personally not have included (being deliberately vague) the “Williams entry” scene in the trailer, since it is a jolt of a twist in the film. But there are so many other clever devices in the screenplay that you don’t see coming. The ending in particular is brutal on the emotions.
- The production design (an Oscar nomination for Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone) is ingenious, as the set subtly and progressively transforms. Almost a ‘spot the difference’ in movie form.
- The score by Ludovico Einaudi uses atonal strings to great effect, as Anthony’s reality keeps shifting from under him.
Negatives:
- I’ve nothing here, hence my 10-bomb rating. I’ve seen some reviews that have thought that the movie was too “stagey” (which is a criticism I have levelled before at a bunch of “stage to screen” adaptations such as “Fences” and – more recently – “One Night in Miami” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom“). But I really didn’t feel that way about “The Father”. The claustrophobic nature of the plot was well served I thought by the (largely) single set location.
Summary Thoughts on “The Father”: Dementia is a cruel and heartless disease that robs any affected elderly person of their memories, logic and – ultimately – their dignity. I thought the movie was extremely clever in reflecting this decline, anchored by the astonishing career-best performance from Sir Anthony Hopkins. But this in turns makes this a very hard watch indeed!
(For the full graphical review, check out the One Mann's Movies post here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/12/the-father-dementia-twists-the-strands-of-anthonys-personal-multiverse/ . Thanks.
Dance Clash: Ballet vs Hip Hop
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~~> Get ready for the biggest dance battle competition of the year and show the world which dancers...
Violet Magazine for Female Entrepreneurs And Women In Business.
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Welcome to Violet! Enjoy a FREE Trial! Violet Magazine is for female entrepreneurs and women in...
Dan sellwood (1 KP) rated The Name of the Wind in Books
Feb 2, 2018 (Updated Feb 2, 2018)
Read. It. Now.
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Name of the Wind begins to tell the story of Kvothe, a fiery-haired arcanist on a lifelong journey to understand a tragedy that befalls his family. Kvothe is a born performer, both on the stage and off. He has a natural charisma and sheer brilliance that seem to be his ticket out of a poor childhood into a wonderful world of adventure.
The story is told from a grown up kvothe's point of view and while when he talks about his childhood and adolescence the story is filled with this lighthearted and magical energy, you soon learn that on his journey something terrible has happened to kvothe to change his adult self into someone much more reserved. It's clear he carries a terrible secret but of course in true Rothfuss style this is yet to be revealed.
This book does what many fail to do. It creates another world that's dazzling and something you want to be part of while also creating characters with such depth and personality that by the end you feel you truly know them.
All I can say is that this book was the first fantasy book I decided to read and now as a result it is all I want to read. Therfore if you haven't read it, read it! - but be warned, it is part of a triology and we are still eagerly awaiting a third book which as of yet has no release date.
The story is told from a grown up kvothe's point of view and while when he talks about his childhood and adolescence the story is filled with this lighthearted and magical energy, you soon learn that on his journey something terrible has happened to kvothe to change his adult self into someone much more reserved. It's clear he carries a terrible secret but of course in true Rothfuss style this is yet to be revealed.
This book does what many fail to do. It creates another world that's dazzling and something you want to be part of while also creating characters with such depth and personality that by the end you feel you truly know them.
All I can say is that this book was the first fantasy book I decided to read and now as a result it is all I want to read. Therfore if you haven't read it, read it! - but be warned, it is part of a triology and we are still eagerly awaiting a third book which as of yet has no release date.
Lindsay (1793 KP) rated A Heart's Danger (A Journey of the Heart, #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
A Heart's Danger by Colleen Coble Things get even more strange as the story continues. Ben and Jessica both want Sarah away from Rand for their own reason. Ben has a little bit of a different plan for his himself. There seems to be something going on and Sarah hear a part of the plan that Ben is talking with Jessica. She could not figure out what they are talking about. Ben wants to get back at Sarah for what she did to save a friend. He got a plan to get rid of Rand for good. Jessica finds Sarah and invites her and Amelia with her and her mother to a picnic. Sarah feels like something is up with Jessica but needs to get out of camp for a bit. There a stage while Rand is out for a few days to get wood for the fort. What do the Indians want with him? Rands see an Indian that looks like his younger brother and he does not shoot. What do they want with Sarah when they got her. Will they save Sarah and Rand or what will they do with them? A Heart's Danger is quite an adventure and Colleen put it together quite well. Will Rand and Sarah see that their love is still strong? Will Rand goes on with his wedding with Jessica? Will Ben and Jessica's plan work?
'Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job'
An extremely early entry (#4) in [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]'s now-complete Discworld series (which spans 41 full length-novels), and the first in which the character of DEATH - HE WHO TALKS LIKE THIS - takes centre stage.
As this is an early novel, this is even before the introduction of DEATH's grand-daughter Susan Sto-Helit, even before the City Watch and (possibly) even before the introduction of The Witches - I say possibly as, although Granny Weatherwax has already put in an appearance in [b:Equal Rites|34507|Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches #1)|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407706800s/34507.jpg|583611] there's a strong argument to be made that she is not the 'real' Granny Weatherwax.
This one does, however, introduce us to DEATHs flesh-and-blood horse Binky ('He'd tried skeletal steeds, but had got tired of constantly having to stop to wire bits back together'), as well as to some of the more memorable ancillary characters who continue to appear in his later novels, such as Albert, with a large part of that character's back-story filled in here.
It may not yet be up to the standard of the mid-series Discworld novels, but you can definitely see Pratchett's style continuing to evolve, with this an improvement on those that had come before.
An extremely early entry (#4) in [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]'s now-complete Discworld series (which spans 41 full length-novels), and the first in which the character of DEATH - HE WHO TALKS LIKE THIS - takes centre stage.
As this is an early novel, this is even before the introduction of DEATH's grand-daughter Susan Sto-Helit, even before the City Watch and (possibly) even before the introduction of The Witches - I say possibly as, although Granny Weatherwax has already put in an appearance in [b:Equal Rites|34507|Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches #1)|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407706800s/34507.jpg|583611] there's a strong argument to be made that she is not the 'real' Granny Weatherwax.
This one does, however, introduce us to DEATHs flesh-and-blood horse Binky ('He'd tried skeletal steeds, but had got tired of constantly having to stop to wire bits back together'), as well as to some of the more memorable ancillary characters who continue to appear in his later novels, such as Albert, with a large part of that character's back-story filled in here.
It may not yet be up to the standard of the mid-series Discworld novels, but you can definitely see Pratchett's style continuing to evolve, with this an improvement on those that had come before.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Please Send Help (I Hate Everyone But You #2) in Books
Jul 31, 2019 (Updated Aug 1, 2019)
Sequel to I Hate Everyone But You
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
The story of Ava and Gen continues. In I Hate Everyone But You, the friends are in high school. Please Send Help follows the girls and their friendship after they graduate. They move on with their lives but remain committed to always being there for each other.
The authors, Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin, "perfectly capture the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world, proving no matter how desperate things seem, your best friend is always there to reboot your life and send help." This quote might sound familiar because it is the description used to promote the book. It describes the book perfectly and, if you read my reviews, know I do not like to copy and paste. In this case, it did not make sense to reinvent the wheel.
The format of the book is similar to reading a play. However, there are no stage directions or aside descriptions, The book relies completely on the dialogue and is written as an email conversation between the two friends. I hope to see Ava and Gen's friendship to continue in future books.
FYI, if you listen to the audiobook, the authors are also the narrators.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/01/19.
The story of Ava and Gen continues. In I Hate Everyone But You, the friends are in high school. Please Send Help follows the girls and their friendship after they graduate. They move on with their lives but remain committed to always being there for each other.
The authors, Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin, "perfectly capture the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world, proving no matter how desperate things seem, your best friend is always there to reboot your life and send help." This quote might sound familiar because it is the description used to promote the book. It describes the book perfectly and, if you read my reviews, know I do not like to copy and paste. In this case, it did not make sense to reinvent the wheel.
The format of the book is similar to reading a play. However, there are no stage directions or aside descriptions, The book relies completely on the dialogue and is written as an email conversation between the two friends. I hope to see Ava and Gen's friendship to continue in future books.
FYI, if you listen to the audiobook, the authors are also the narrators.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/01/19.