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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The 12th Man (2019) in Movies
May 18, 2019
A true story of survival
What a film! What a story! And it's based on real events! I was absolutely mesmerised.
This is a film about survival, strength, extreme bravery, selflessness, the sheer will to stay alive and the risks "normal" people will take to save one man in the face of the brutality of not only the terrain and weather but also of the Nazi's hunting him.
Excellent acting, stunning visuals and cinematography; this film had my bum firmly planted for all of its 135 minutes.
I know some people don't like watching films with subtitles, but please, please don't let that put you off; there isn't a massive amount of dialogue as what is spoken is not the draw of this film.
How accurate it really is, I don't know but if only half of it is close to the truth then I would still be in awe.
Definitely recommended viewing.
This is a film about survival, strength, extreme bravery, selflessness, the sheer will to stay alive and the risks "normal" people will take to save one man in the face of the brutality of not only the terrain and weather but also of the Nazi's hunting him.
Excellent acting, stunning visuals and cinematography; this film had my bum firmly planted for all of its 135 minutes.
I know some people don't like watching films with subtitles, but please, please don't let that put you off; there isn't a massive amount of dialogue as what is spoken is not the draw of this film.
How accurate it really is, I don't know but if only half of it is close to the truth then I would still be in awe.
Definitely recommended viewing.
Heathere' (25 KP) rated Drunk History in TV
Mar 21, 2018
Learn about history from drunk people
The premise is that the host, Derek Waters goes to the house of various comedians and they drink copious amounts of alcohol. The guest comedian then narrates a true account of an historical figure that they are familiar with but they are inebriated while telling the story. Meanwhile, actors, comedians and Derek Waters play the roles of the historical figures and 'lip sync' whatever the guest narrator says. This can be very comical as the narrator slurs, burps, stutters or messes up the story in some way. Each episode has 2 or 3 guest comedians and there is usually a theme to each episode, i.e. civil rights, the west, etc. Everything the narrator says is obviously not 100% accurate, however, the basis is. I have actually learned a lot about historical figures because of Drunk History because I look up things about interesting characters I didn't know about.
Awix (3310 KP) rated I, Tonya (2017) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018 (Updated Feb 20, 2018)
The most bad-assed ice skating movie in history blows the lid off the vicious, cut-throat world of people who whizz about on a rink all day wearing tulle. Reasonably true story of how Tonya Harding rose from wrong-side-of-the-tracks background to become top US ice dancer, suffered through various horrible relationships, briefly became infamous for (possible) involvement in an assault on her rival.
A smart movie that has fun with the grotesque outrageousness of much of the story, manages to avoid most sports movie clichés too. There's an extent to which serious issues are (wait for it) skated over in favour of very funny black comedy, but great performances and moments mean that doesn't feel like much of an issue. In the end, it manages to feel genuinely sympathetic to Harding as a person; the viewer likely will, as well. Movie is a contender; makes Margot Robbie look like one, too.
A smart movie that has fun with the grotesque outrageousness of much of the story, manages to avoid most sports movie clichés too. There's an extent to which serious issues are (wait for it) skated over in favour of very funny black comedy, but great performances and moments mean that doesn't feel like much of an issue. In the end, it manages to feel genuinely sympathetic to Harding as a person; the viewer likely will, as well. Movie is a contender; makes Margot Robbie look like one, too.
I am 16% through this book and I am going to have to dnf (did not finish) it. I had very high hopes for this book. When I read the description I knew I needed to read it. Charles Manson has always fascinated me. I've always had a morbid obsession with true crime so I was ecstatic when I was approved for this book. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I found the timeline in the book to be weird and a little hard to follow. I've only read Helter Skelter so maybe I needed to have more of a background on Charles Manson to be able to fully follow the story. The other thing that I didn't like was how graphic the details were. Lis Wiehl & Caitlin Rother have a way with putting you in the story. Unfortunately with how graphic this book was, I had to put it down.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Keepers - Season 1 in TV
Sep 10, 2018
This was a decent, interesting yet harrowing series. It initially looked at the disappearance and then death of a young nun teacher, and another young woman within days if each other in 1960s Baltimore. Thereafter the story unfolded covering abuse in the catholic school, repressed memories and a cast of very unusual characters from the city, all of whom appear to have been involved.
While the series is interesting, and the stories being told are truly horrific, the series itself seems to get distracted and is at times all over the place. The first few episodes were quite focused, but the last 2 episodes were a frantic rush to close off aspects of the story, but a number of other avenues suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leading to quite a confusing, tiring conclusion.
One of these days there will be a true crime series on Netflix that ends with all questions answered.
While the series is interesting, and the stories being told are truly horrific, the series itself seems to get distracted and is at times all over the place. The first few episodes were quite focused, but the last 2 episodes were a frantic rush to close off aspects of the story, but a number of other avenues suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leading to quite a confusing, tiring conclusion.
One of these days there will be a true crime series on Netflix that ends with all questions answered.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) in Movies
Oct 18, 2018
An interesting true story
Like many I know the stories of Winnie the Pooh, but until now I've never known the story behind the writing of the books and the real Christopher Robin.
This is a fascinating, if not slightly disturbing, tale of the creation of Winnie the Pooh and a large part of the life of A.A Milne. It's disturbing mainly for how badly Christopher Robin was treated and used by his parents, and I found this a little difficult to watch and at such a contrast with the happier scenes around the creation of the characters. Domnhall Gleeson is very good and convincing as the very prim and proper author, but I think my only issue is that this film takes the British stiff upper lip much too far. Whilst I don't doubt that this is how people were during this period of time, the stiff English accents really got on my nerves - especially Margot Robbie's, which was a little too proper and English.
This is a fascinating, if not slightly disturbing, tale of the creation of Winnie the Pooh and a large part of the life of A.A Milne. It's disturbing mainly for how badly Christopher Robin was treated and used by his parents, and I found this a little difficult to watch and at such a contrast with the happier scenes around the creation of the characters. Domnhall Gleeson is very good and convincing as the very prim and proper author, but I think my only issue is that this film takes the British stiff upper lip much too far. Whilst I don't doubt that this is how people were during this period of time, the stiff English accents really got on my nerves - especially Margot Robbie's, which was a little too proper and English.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Aug 10, 2019
Zero to Hero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Disney's take on the Greek mythological Hero.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Nun (2018) in Movies
Jul 1, 2019
Another unnecessary origin film
I have to be honest, I've never been a fan of the Conjuring or Annabelle type films so there was no real interest in watching this film other than it's one of the latest releases on Sky Cinema. And to be frank, after seeing it I'm still completely disinterested.
The film really isnt scary, and relies on obvious jump scares that are ridiculously predictable. The story itself is meh and gets so silly in parts that I didnt have a clue what was going on. I mean blood of christ, really? And then theres the effects which are pretty poor in some scenes, to the point where the nun doesn't look scary and instead looks laughable. With many origin/prequel films they're telling us a backstory of a character that we didnt need to know and this is true of the nun. Do we really benefit from a origin story about the nun? I'm afraid the answer is definitely not!
The film really isnt scary, and relies on obvious jump scares that are ridiculously predictable. The story itself is meh and gets so silly in parts that I didnt have a clue what was going on. I mean blood of christ, really? And then theres the effects which are pretty poor in some scenes, to the point where the nun doesn't look scary and instead looks laughable. With many origin/prequel films they're telling us a backstory of a character that we didnt need to know and this is true of the nun. Do we really benefit from a origin story about the nun? I'm afraid the answer is definitely not!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Aeronauts (2019) in Movies
Nov 21, 2019
The truth would've been better
I didn't know much about this film, and made the mistake of reading a little about it before going in and I'm regretting doing so as it made me spend the entire film with a look of sheer disbelief.
My major issue with this film is that Amelia Rennes is a completely fictional character, and she's a very cliched and irritating one at that. They've obviously put her in for a little more excitement and romance, rather than actually concentrate on the true real story. There was no real depth or interest in the entire story either and I find it so dull and boring. I love Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne but I felt like even they couldn't save this film. It's a complete "Hollywoodised" film, which tried to focus on the drama and adventure rather than the real science behind it all. Such a disappointment.
My major issue with this film is that Amelia Rennes is a completely fictional character, and she's a very cliched and irritating one at that. They've obviously put her in for a little more excitement and romance, rather than actually concentrate on the true real story. There was no real depth or interest in the entire story either and I find it so dull and boring. I love Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne but I felt like even they couldn't save this film. It's a complete "Hollywoodised" film, which tried to focus on the drama and adventure rather than the real science behind it all. Such a disappointment.
Andrew Sinclair (25 KP) rated War Cry in Books
Nov 24, 2019
This is a fascinating story that follows the lives of two characters who finally meet about 3 quarters of the way through the book. Despite their circumstances they can't resist each other hurting close friends in the process. Meanwhile World War 2 is brewing and both are caught up in the action on opposing sides. At this point the story becomes a kind of global Romeo and Juliet where they must endeavour to keep their relationship secret as there are those who would seek to tear it apart. When you follow their journey as a reader and get to know both characters you can't help but route for them even though some of their actions make you question their morality. This gives it a true sense of realism as the heroes of the book don't always do the right thing. It's an engrossing read and I can't wait to read the sequel which I have already bought.