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Andy K (10823 KP) rated First Reformed (2018) in Movies
Jul 6, 2019
Emotionless emotion takes its toll
Father Toller is a troubled man. Every day his convictions are being tested in the world all around him. His marriage failed due to the death of a child. A couple comes to him for help only to have that end in tragedy. The 250th anniversary of his home base church is coming up bringing with it all sorts of planning and the forced inclusion of one of the sponsors; a large company who is a leading contributor of pollution to the Earth. Then, his health deteriorates and he won't let others in to help or console him.
How can he stand by and let these things happen? He sits in on group therapy sessions at the church and is confronted by those who don't believe or are conflicted by what they see happening around them as well.
He is approached by a grieving woman and is torn by his own emotional reactions to her and her needs.
First Reformed is a character study of this troubled, religious man and his actions and reactions to his crumbling encounters with the world. He wants to say more, but feels he can't while staying true to his convictions.
Ethan Hawke has a great resume and is performance here is breathtaking and should've received at least an Oscar nomination. It seems he is often overlooked and has given great performances for years in films like Training Day, Dead Poets Society and Alive. His role here is complex and I would imagine difficult to portray someone who has to lead a muffled existence.
I am still digesting the ending of the film, so I am not sure how I feel about that yet.
Ask me again in a couple days. Unique for sure.
How can he stand by and let these things happen? He sits in on group therapy sessions at the church and is confronted by those who don't believe or are conflicted by what they see happening around them as well.
He is approached by a grieving woman and is torn by his own emotional reactions to her and her needs.
First Reformed is a character study of this troubled, religious man and his actions and reactions to his crumbling encounters with the world. He wants to say more, but feels he can't while staying true to his convictions.
Ethan Hawke has a great resume and is performance here is breathtaking and should've received at least an Oscar nomination. It seems he is often overlooked and has given great performances for years in films like Training Day, Dead Poets Society and Alive. His role here is complex and I would imagine difficult to portray someone who has to lead a muffled existence.
I am still digesting the ending of the film, so I am not sure how I feel about that yet.
Ask me again in a couple days. Unique for sure.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Children of Hurin in Books
Nov 11, 2019
One of the key things that makes The Lord of the Rings so enduring is that it sits on thousands of years of history and stories all plotted in detail by Tolkien before he even conceived of his epic trilogy. This is one of those stories, an outline of which appears in the Silmarillion, and familiarity with that book is advised before reading this one.
Set in Beleriand at a time when Morgoth ruled over the land from his fortress of Angband, this is a tragedy on the scale of Hamlet. Principally telling the tale of Túrun son of Húrin it follows his life as he becomes the leader of an outlaw band leading the fight back against Morgoth, the elves and dwarves having essentially retreated to their core lands and given up. His actions motivate the races into action and give hope that Morgoth can be defeated.
But this comes at a cost. Túrin is cursed and doomed to ultimate failure. The last third of the book is pretty grim as everything he has worked for and everything he holds dear is destroyed by his own actions, taken in good faith at the time. There can be no happy ending.
The tone, therefore, is a shade darker than the darkest passages of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's deep knowledge of his invented folklore is still to the fore and it is good to see how the world of elves looked in its prime rather than the faded and jaded view we get in the tales of the War of the Ring. It is not an easy read by any means, but it is a worthwhile one for anyone who wants to know more about the tales of Beleriand.
Set in Beleriand at a time when Morgoth ruled over the land from his fortress of Angband, this is a tragedy on the scale of Hamlet. Principally telling the tale of Túrun son of Húrin it follows his life as he becomes the leader of an outlaw band leading the fight back against Morgoth, the elves and dwarves having essentially retreated to their core lands and given up. His actions motivate the races into action and give hope that Morgoth can be defeated.
But this comes at a cost. Túrin is cursed and doomed to ultimate failure. The last third of the book is pretty grim as everything he has worked for and everything he holds dear is destroyed by his own actions, taken in good faith at the time. There can be no happy ending.
The tone, therefore, is a shade darker than the darkest passages of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's deep knowledge of his invented folklore is still to the fore and it is good to see how the world of elves looked in its prime rather than the faded and jaded view we get in the tales of the War of the Ring. It is not an easy read by any means, but it is a worthwhile one for anyone who wants to know more about the tales of Beleriand.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Descent (2005) in Movies
Nov 23, 2019 (Updated Nov 23, 2019)
I remember first watching The Descent not long after it came out. I was in my late teens and it was smack bang in the middle of a weird time for horror, where there was just a lot of dross being fired out every other week.
The Descent was a breath of fresh air in that respect. The set up hooks you in almost immediately, with an familiar yet effective tragedy strikes Sarah, one of our heroines. A while later, a group of friends manage convince Sarah to join them on a vacation in North Carolina, where they plan to explore an underground cave system.
You know how these things go by now - everything goes wrong and before long, the group are fighting to survive.
The thing is, it takes a while for the Descent to show it's true hand when it comes to anything other worldly. It's effectively scary before any monsters show up, using extreme claustrophobia, and low visibility to throw the viewer into the tense unknown.
The first time you see a monster made me jump out of my seat, and jump scares don't get me very often. From there in out, the movie shifts from subtle horror, to all out terror and panic. It's all pretty thrilling.
The all female cast are great. They feel real and relatable, and sell the situation perfectly.
It's Neil Marshall showing that he does know what he's doing in his otherwise mixed bag of a back catalogue.
Some of the effects used are looking pretty dated by this point, but it's not enough to detract from an otherwise positive horror experience, and of course, that ending... (I believe it was changed for US audiences). It's bleak and ballsy and adds a cherry on top. Definitely worth seeking out the unchanged version if you like horror!
The Descent was a breath of fresh air in that respect. The set up hooks you in almost immediately, with an familiar yet effective tragedy strikes Sarah, one of our heroines. A while later, a group of friends manage convince Sarah to join them on a vacation in North Carolina, where they plan to explore an underground cave system.
You know how these things go by now - everything goes wrong and before long, the group are fighting to survive.
The thing is, it takes a while for the Descent to show it's true hand when it comes to anything other worldly. It's effectively scary before any monsters show up, using extreme claustrophobia, and low visibility to throw the viewer into the tense unknown.
The first time you see a monster made me jump out of my seat, and jump scares don't get me very often. From there in out, the movie shifts from subtle horror, to all out terror and panic. It's all pretty thrilling.
The all female cast are great. They feel real and relatable, and sell the situation perfectly.
It's Neil Marshall showing that he does know what he's doing in his otherwise mixed bag of a back catalogue.
Some of the effects used are looking pretty dated by this point, but it's not enough to detract from an otherwise positive horror experience, and of course, that ending... (I believe it was changed for US audiences). It's bleak and ballsy and adds a cherry on top. Definitely worth seeking out the unchanged version if you like horror!
JT (287 KP) rated Charlie and Boots (2012) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
For anyone affiliated with Australia and those who have a soft spot for Paul Hogan, should enjoy this heartwarming tale set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful countries. When Charlie (Hogan) loses his wife to whom he was married to for forty-five years he struggles to fill an empty void that she leaves behind.
Content to shut himself off from the world he is rescued by his son Boots (Jacobson) who decides to take him on a very impromptu trip to fish off of Australia’s Northern most point, Cape York.
It’s a road trip, a buddy film about dealing with death and the start of new beginnings. Along the way the pair pick up Jess (Morgan Griffin), a young female hitchhiker with boyfriend trouble, and whose happy go lucky outlook on life seem to rub off on the duo.
It’s clear to see from the outset that these two have not had the closest of father son relationships, with a particular family tragedy revealed mid way through, and both have put up strong boundaries. But the trip is a chance to put all that behind them and start a fresh.
Of course amongst all the emotional turmoil there are some funny moments, with Charlie trying to avoid the affections of a female trucker, an altercation with a car load of lawn bowls enthusiasts and a bull!
The film could be seen as a promotional tourist video and some of the landscape and scenery is breathtaking, but this film is about Hogan and Jacobson beginning to feel comfortable in each others company once again.
Hogan is very much an Aussie icon, he’s way short of the Crocodile larrikin he once was but here he still manages to ooze the charm and charisma that everyone will still remember.
Content to shut himself off from the world he is rescued by his son Boots (Jacobson) who decides to take him on a very impromptu trip to fish off of Australia’s Northern most point, Cape York.
It’s a road trip, a buddy film about dealing with death and the start of new beginnings. Along the way the pair pick up Jess (Morgan Griffin), a young female hitchhiker with boyfriend trouble, and whose happy go lucky outlook on life seem to rub off on the duo.
It’s clear to see from the outset that these two have not had the closest of father son relationships, with a particular family tragedy revealed mid way through, and both have put up strong boundaries. But the trip is a chance to put all that behind them and start a fresh.
Of course amongst all the emotional turmoil there are some funny moments, with Charlie trying to avoid the affections of a female trucker, an altercation with a car load of lawn bowls enthusiasts and a bull!
The film could be seen as a promotional tourist video and some of the landscape and scenery is breathtaking, but this film is about Hogan and Jacobson beginning to feel comfortable in each others company once again.
Hogan is very much an Aussie icon, he’s way short of the Crocodile larrikin he once was but here he still manages to ooze the charm and charisma that everyone will still remember.
AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated The Last Kingdom - Season 1 in TV
Apr 24, 2020
Great start!
Contains spoilers, click to show
When Anglo-Saxons are attacked by Viking forces, Uhtred, born a Saxon but raised by Vikings, finds his loyalties tested as he tries to claim his birthright and help create a new nation.
The first episode: Abducted by a Viking warlord after his father is slain in battle, young Uhtred adopts the Norse way of life until tragedy befalls his new family.
Episode 2: Caught between his scheming uncle Ælfric and pitiless Viking warlord Ubba, Uhtred goes on the run and seeks out Alfred, the man who would be king.
Episode 3: Uhtred allies himself with newly crowned Alfred, but his commitment to the nascent king jeopardizes his bond with Brida.
Episode 4: After Uhtred faces betrayal and falls into hostile hands, his Danish brother, Ragnar the Young, scrambles to save his life.
Episode 5: After rescuing Mildrith, Uhtred joins the fierce battle of Cynuit and vanquishes a forbidding foe, only to have Odda the Younger claim the victory.
Episode 6: Uhtred catches the eye of a lovely pagan queen, and his band of raiders becomes mercenaries for a Cornish king. But he soon faces the fury of Alfred.
Episode 7: Driven to hiding in the marshes after the Vikings invade Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred finally make amends and devise a plan for retaking the kingdom.
Episode 8: Calling upon Saxon forces to rally and drive the Vikings out of Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred gird for a decisive battle, but treachery awaits.
Season one of The Last Kingdom introduces us to a great cast, lots of action scenes and full on drama from the start. It is very well scripted with moments of humour, battle scenes, moments of heartbreak and drama. The great casting ensures that the actors and actresses are well suited to their roles.
The first episode: Abducted by a Viking warlord after his father is slain in battle, young Uhtred adopts the Norse way of life until tragedy befalls his new family.
Episode 2: Caught between his scheming uncle Ælfric and pitiless Viking warlord Ubba, Uhtred goes on the run and seeks out Alfred, the man who would be king.
Episode 3: Uhtred allies himself with newly crowned Alfred, but his commitment to the nascent king jeopardizes his bond with Brida.
Episode 4: After Uhtred faces betrayal and falls into hostile hands, his Danish brother, Ragnar the Young, scrambles to save his life.
Episode 5: After rescuing Mildrith, Uhtred joins the fierce battle of Cynuit and vanquishes a forbidding foe, only to have Odda the Younger claim the victory.
Episode 6: Uhtred catches the eye of a lovely pagan queen, and his band of raiders becomes mercenaries for a Cornish king. But he soon faces the fury of Alfred.
Episode 7: Driven to hiding in the marshes after the Vikings invade Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred finally make amends and devise a plan for retaking the kingdom.
Episode 8: Calling upon Saxon forces to rally and drive the Vikings out of Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred gird for a decisive battle, but treachery awaits.
Season one of The Last Kingdom introduces us to a great cast, lots of action scenes and full on drama from the start. It is very well scripted with moments of humour, battle scenes, moments of heartbreak and drama. The great casting ensures that the actors and actresses are well suited to their roles.
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