The Burying Place (Jonathan Stride, #5)
10.0
Rate It
Book
A stunning, clever and unputdownable thriller for fans of Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly ...
The Heron's Cry
9.0
Rate It
Book
The number one Sunday Times bestselling series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, from author and...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) in Movies
May 3, 2019
So: Joan of Arc, an iconic, legendary, complex figure, is brought to the screen by Milla Jovovich, whose performance mostly consists of her rolling her eyes a lot and squeaking. No matter how distinguished the rest of the cast, or how well staged the various massed battle scenes, this is a problem which any film would struggle to overcome. Some other odd creative choices don't help much (Dustin Hoffman turns up as the embodiment of Joan's self-doubt). Still, there is a genuine sense of the medieval grotesque, and Besson is very much in his comfort zone during the battles. Certainly a brave and imaginative take on history, but the end result is too close to Monty Python and the Holy Grail for comfort.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Captain America: Civil War (2016) in Movies
Mar 30, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2020)
Despite the title, this is basically the third Avengers movie, and possibly the best one yet, with great performances and superbly staged action built around a solid script. The directors marshal a big story with lots and lots of characters and make it look very easy; no wonder they were signed up for the next (proper) Avengers film. On the other hand, despite the exhilarating thrills of sequences like the stunning airport battle, this is ultimately quite a dark and introspective film about guilt, loyalty, responsibility, and friendships stretched to breaking point, and this and the fact it is so dependent on having seen many of the previous films in the series means it is probably not the most accessible of Marvel pictures. For those who've been following along, however, this is one of the best film in what's currently the most consistently impressive film franchise in the world. Plus, Black Panther's in it, too.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dead Don't Die (2019) in Movies
Jul 20, 2019 (Updated Jul 20, 2019)
Sounds like a knowing pastiche of B-movie tropes (there indeed appears to be a nod to Plan Nine from Outer Space at one point), and indeed it is, but if this is really a comedy they forgot to add any jokes. There are some amusing moments and the zombie-pocalypse is certainly well staged, but the film seems more concerned with cultivating a baffling, deadpan weirdness than actually telling a coherent story. For instance: Tilda Swinton plays the town's undertaker, a sword-swinging eccentric with a Highland Scots accent. The punchline? Tilda Swinton's character is called Zelda Winston! Oh, my sides. Various other bits of self-aware cleverness also intrude. Characters appear, don't do much, and then exit; Romero is referenced without any new angles being taken on his ideas; there is no conclusion worthy of the name. If the film is trying to send a message about pointlessness and futility, it needn't have taken it quite so much to heart.
Tatiana Leskova: A Ballerina at Large
Suzana Braga and Donald E. Scrimgeour
Book
Tatiana Leskova is one of last surviving pupils of dancers from the golden world of the Imperial...
Silent Comedy
Book
On the surface it may seem slightly surprising that a master of verbal humour should also be a...
Three Queens: One Magnificent City
Book
More than a million people came to witness one of the most important moments in maritime history...
Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955-1980
Glenn D. Lowry, Barry Bergdoll, Carlos Eduardo Comas and Jorge Francisco Liernur
Book
In 1955 The Museum of Modern Art staged Latin American Architecture, since 1945, a landmark survey...
Rebellious Spirits: The Illicit History of Booze in Britain
Book
For as long as spirits have existed, there has been someone doing something really naughty with...