Enough people have gone over the plot so I won't touch on that. I did not read the book, but was excited for this movie when I saw the trailer. It's obvious from the trailer that we are not to expect a history lesson or music by Thomas Moore. The entire cast is wonderful and Bella Ramsey is a joy in this role. Do I think a young woman of that time would get away with acting the way she does, NO! Were girls forced to marry men they didn't want to, pretty much always. RELAX, It's a dreamy movie of "what if a girl could actually take control of her destiny, rather than be treated like a sheep?" Because, let's face it, women were nothing but pawns back in those days, and we haven't come a great deal farther since. Sit back and enjoy it.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Hunters
(2020–2023)
Waste of time and talent...
19 April 2020
I really wanted to like this. I didn't think it was horrible, to begin with. I didn't mind the tasteless interstitial's or the weird breaking out into song and dance. But jeesh, the plot holes in this story, the red herring's, the AGES & physical characteristics of people do not jive at all (IF you make it till the end, you will see what I mean.) Plausibility be damned. Really OVER the top bad acting and loaded with cliche's. Don't waste your time......
Genius
(2016)
Beautiful, but definitely for a niche audience
19 June 2016
Colin Firth and Jude Law Portray editor Max Perkins and his newest client, Tomas Wolfe. Perkins is a tight wound package of seriousness, work being his life. Wolfe is a frenetic writer, eating up everything around him with voracity. The polar opposites take on Wolfe's first novel, "Look Homeward, Angel." I admit, Law's Wolfe is energizer- bunny out-of-control frenetic at times, but it's that kind of mind that gave us one of the greatest (if not the greatest) American novels of all time. Having read "Angel," I completely bought into it. The relationship between editor and writer becomes extremely close, at times casting aside the women in their lives. Laura Linney is Louise Perkins, devoted wife to Max and their 5 daughters. She is also trying to keep her own writing career alive, with little help from her work obsessed husband. Nicole Kidman is Aline Bernstein, a married woman currently shacking up with Wolfe. She was his inspiration in writing "Angel" and is over zealously jealous of Tom's relationship with Max. Like, seriously, wack-job crazy. This role was the weak link for me, didn't like her from her second appearance on screen. The movie moves through their lives, another published book, and on to Wolfe's untimely death. (I am pretty sure that isn't a spoiler.) I don't want to go in to the plot anymore, except to say that I agree with another reviewer about the scene in the jazz club. A really great way to show how minds, and the streaming of thought, can be so different between people.
The cinematography is beautiful, sepia tones bring you back to the years right before and during the depression. Extravagance and soup kitchens, back-to-back. The music bangs out with Wolfe's bombastic behavior, and mellows with Max.
This movie is a movie about writers and readers, for what editor isn't a closet writer? It's also for the same audience, with several nods to a few other greats of that period; Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but mostly, to Wolfe. When Max is reading "Angel" through for the first time, his daughter walks in. She looks at the page and says, "Wow, that's a really long paragraph" and Max answers "It started four pages ago..." THAT is Wolfe. That book was the most difficult book I have ever read. This movie is also about, who exactly is the genius? Wolfe is, obviously. But does that make Max, who edited, made these books marketable, and made Wolfe a celebrity of his day, any less of a genius? That is left for the viewer.
The cinematography is beautiful, sepia tones bring you back to the years right before and during the depression. Extravagance and soup kitchens, back-to-back. The music bangs out with Wolfe's bombastic behavior, and mellows with Max.
This movie is a movie about writers and readers, for what editor isn't a closet writer? It's also for the same audience, with several nods to a few other greats of that period; Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but mostly, to Wolfe. When Max is reading "Angel" through for the first time, his daughter walks in. She looks at the page and says, "Wow, that's a really long paragraph" and Max answers "It started four pages ago..." THAT is Wolfe. That book was the most difficult book I have ever read. This movie is also about, who exactly is the genius? Wolfe is, obviously. But does that make Max, who edited, made these books marketable, and made Wolfe a celebrity of his day, any less of a genius? That is left for the viewer.
The Debt
(I) (2010)
Edgy Post WW 2 Thriller
3 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Many people think that this movie is a copy of "Munich" and while it is a revenge movie that is about all there is in common. Helen Mirren's "Rachel" looks back on a time when she and 2 men, all young Israeli Moussad agents, are sent to kidnap and kill an infamous Nazi war criminal. The man is currently working as a doctor. The beginning revolves around the 3 agents, complete strangers living and working together, getting to know each other and infiltrating the Doctors chilly office. The trio become very close as their task at hand becomes more dangerous. After the assignment, the 3 agents are hailed as hero's, but none of them leave without their own scars to bear. Now Rachel, 30 years later, looks to come to terms with what really happened, between her and her 2 co-conspirators, and with the man who everyone believed to be dead all these years. Really excellent performances by all, especially Jesper Christensen who plays the Dr. Every scene in his office leaves you queasy. Very dark and brooding, and a nice little plot twist that was not expected. The very end was the only petite disappointment,to me. Overall a really good, smart film. This is the kind of movie that made Miramax a powerhouse.
Dead Cert
(1974)
More like a made for TV movie
8 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I have never heard of this flick but rented it out of interest, being a fan of Dame Judi Dench, Tony Richardson and horses. It's deals with horse tampering and throwing the books in the world of British horse racing. I didn't read the book so I don't have that insight. The acting is good, I have not heard of any of the other in the cast besides Dench. It gives a fairly light look into the actual sport and the physical and mental exertions of it, and the whole "bad guy taxi mob" and what they get away with is, well, totally implausible. That being said, I wasn't bored, it was nice to see the very "dated" fashion and lingo and the "shots" on horseback. I did figure out who the head bad person was early on, but it kept my attention. I do get the comment above about the end but it was just kind of an unfinished thing for me, didn't ruin it for me. It certainly wasn't award winning film-making, it reminded me more of a made for TV movie. I am curious about the lead actor, Scott Antony, who apparently has disappeared off the face of the earth after doing this film and "Savage Messiah" in the same year. He was really good and apparently very good in that movie as well.
The Fall
(I) (2006)
Visually Stunning!
16 May 2008
Because "The Fall" is out in very limited release, and because it has not had any type of marketing or promotion that I have seen I feel it is my duty to get people out there to see this lovely, but injured, film.
This film was apparently first released in 2006, won a few awards and just kind of disappeared. This was not going to be a blockbuster by any means, with a virtually unknown cast and a somewhat skewed genre. It is not a kid's flick by any means. It is a bit fantasy, a bit reality and a bit sci-fi. The story circulates around a young immigrant girl, Alexandria, (Cantinca Untaru) who is in a Los Angeles hospital with a broken arm. She befriends another patient, Roy, (Lee Pace; "Pushing Daisy's", "Soldiers Girl") who is bedridden after attempting a stunt for a Hollywood western movie that went terribly wrong. There is no actual time given but it appears to be early 1920's. Roy begins to tell Alexandria a twisted tale about 5 heroes and their plot for revenge against the evil Govenor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone) who has wronged each of them in one way or another. The girl is immediately submerged in the strange tale and her imagination begins to lend to it's characters via the residents of the hospital. Now that Roy has the girl drawn in to his story, he will only continue it if she provides him with Morphine from the dispensary. At first she's not sold on the idea but is eventually convinced that it would be best for the sake of the "epic tale". The story continues, influenced by the severely depressed Roy's drug usage and various observations on Alexandria's part which changes her opinions of both the people around her in real life, but the outcome of those in the story as well. When Roy put's himself into peril, Alexandria becomes a part of the epic as well, and the lines of the story and reality began to blur. The tale is spiraling to a morbid ending, reflecting Roy's own plot of self-destruction, with Alexandria pleading with him to save himself, in and out of the story.
First the Good: The cinematography in this film is beautiful. The contrast in stark landscapes and color is breathtaking. The go between of the very neutral "reality" and the bright, colorful and over-the-top "fantasy" mix well, and keep the movie going at a good pace. The plethora of locations is like a best-of for National Geographic. The wardrobe was great for each of our five heroes, especially The Indian (Jeetu Verma), Charles Darwin (Leo Bill) and Otta Benga (Marcus Wesley). This is sensory overload in a good way! The Best: The work between Pace & Untaru is magical. You can tell that there was a lot of improvising on his part, to keep the girl focused and yet the finished product is so natural and sweet. This isn't a girl just repeating lines. He kept her in the now, let her wander off a little, as kids do, and brought her back seamlessly. There is not a scene between them that doesn't ring true. Seriously, hats off to Pace! And he's hot, which is like an added bonus! The Notsogood: As much as I loved this movie, I thought the end was just too violent. I understand we are supposed to feel Roy's hatred of himself and his life and wanting to bring everyone down the hole with him. What I didn't understand was why there was a scene that intimated 2 people having sex simply by sounds earlier in the pic, which was fine, but the blatant morbid killing off of people in the end was so over the top. If anything, I would have preferred half blatant sex and half morbid killing, if we needed to see that much of any of it. But that's my POV. Also, using the name of one's production company as a key-word in your movie is a big no-no in my book.
Overall, a great flick. I really wish more people would go and enjoy this in the theatre, where it should be seen in and really appreciated.
This film was apparently first released in 2006, won a few awards and just kind of disappeared. This was not going to be a blockbuster by any means, with a virtually unknown cast and a somewhat skewed genre. It is not a kid's flick by any means. It is a bit fantasy, a bit reality and a bit sci-fi. The story circulates around a young immigrant girl, Alexandria, (Cantinca Untaru) who is in a Los Angeles hospital with a broken arm. She befriends another patient, Roy, (Lee Pace; "Pushing Daisy's", "Soldiers Girl") who is bedridden after attempting a stunt for a Hollywood western movie that went terribly wrong. There is no actual time given but it appears to be early 1920's. Roy begins to tell Alexandria a twisted tale about 5 heroes and their plot for revenge against the evil Govenor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone) who has wronged each of them in one way or another. The girl is immediately submerged in the strange tale and her imagination begins to lend to it's characters via the residents of the hospital. Now that Roy has the girl drawn in to his story, he will only continue it if she provides him with Morphine from the dispensary. At first she's not sold on the idea but is eventually convinced that it would be best for the sake of the "epic tale". The story continues, influenced by the severely depressed Roy's drug usage and various observations on Alexandria's part which changes her opinions of both the people around her in real life, but the outcome of those in the story as well. When Roy put's himself into peril, Alexandria becomes a part of the epic as well, and the lines of the story and reality began to blur. The tale is spiraling to a morbid ending, reflecting Roy's own plot of self-destruction, with Alexandria pleading with him to save himself, in and out of the story.
First the Good: The cinematography in this film is beautiful. The contrast in stark landscapes and color is breathtaking. The go between of the very neutral "reality" and the bright, colorful and over-the-top "fantasy" mix well, and keep the movie going at a good pace. The plethora of locations is like a best-of for National Geographic. The wardrobe was great for each of our five heroes, especially The Indian (Jeetu Verma), Charles Darwin (Leo Bill) and Otta Benga (Marcus Wesley). This is sensory overload in a good way! The Best: The work between Pace & Untaru is magical. You can tell that there was a lot of improvising on his part, to keep the girl focused and yet the finished product is so natural and sweet. This isn't a girl just repeating lines. He kept her in the now, let her wander off a little, as kids do, and brought her back seamlessly. There is not a scene between them that doesn't ring true. Seriously, hats off to Pace! And he's hot, which is like an added bonus! The Notsogood: As much as I loved this movie, I thought the end was just too violent. I understand we are supposed to feel Roy's hatred of himself and his life and wanting to bring everyone down the hole with him. What I didn't understand was why there was a scene that intimated 2 people having sex simply by sounds earlier in the pic, which was fine, but the blatant morbid killing off of people in the end was so over the top. If anything, I would have preferred half blatant sex and half morbid killing, if we needed to see that much of any of it. But that's my POV. Also, using the name of one's production company as a key-word in your movie is a big no-no in my book.
Overall, a great flick. I really wish more people would go and enjoy this in the theatre, where it should be seen in and really appreciated.
Children of Men
(2006)
A Wonderful Surprise
5 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie at a screening a few months ago. I admit I wouldn't normally buy a ticket based on the premise, but I love Alfonso Cuarons work and I covet Clive Owen. Here was a review I posted at the time.
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a screening of "Children of Men" which I jumped at. Although I love Alfonso Cuaron's work, the driving force in getting me to see this film is Clive Owen. I didn't read the book, but I knew a little going in. It is a Sci-fi piece that takes place in the near future, and the world is infertile. This is not something that I would normally buy a ticket for but again, my boyfriend was in it, so I was there. Firstly I can say that though this piece is touted as Sci-fi, it is a far cry from it. The whole movie had a very realistic feel to it. The time is 2027 and the settings are almost post-apocalyptic. There is a huge crack down on immigrants, who at this day and age, are treated with disdain, hatred and violence. There are key scenes in the movie that are reminiscent of Nazi Germany. The movie takes place between London and the English countryside. There is filth, trash, rot, decay and death everywhere. The attention to detail in this stark life is prominent in every scene, it's brilliant. I loved this movie!
The movie opens with the death of the worlds youngest citizen, who was just 18. This kid was a celebrity simply for being the last human being ever born, and the world goes into mourning, the inevitability of becoming extinct has just become even more apparent to all. Clive Owen's reluctant Theo is pulled into a plot by his activist Ex-wife, Julianne Moore, to save a girl who has a little secret. This girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) is pregnant and an immigrant. Theo is pulled in different directions, not knowing whom to trust in a world which would embrace having a baby, but wouldn't acknowledge (and probably kill) the baby's mother because of her immigrant status. Theo is not a hero type, and would rather just take slugs off his Scotch Whiskey than save the world. He never even picks up a gun. Theo is aided by his friend Jasper, the Patriarch of pot, played to the hilt by Michael Caine. I couldn't help but smile every time Caine was on the screen, he was such a pleasure to watch, and you could tell he was having a hell of a good time with this part. Jasper lives in a house out in the woods with his sick wife and his pot plants. This house is the only place in the movie that translates to any type of peace or light, as are the scenes between Owen & Caine. Theo's ultimate plan is to get Kee and her baby to a boat that will lead them to safety and freedom. Along the way they learn that the people they should be able to trust, can't be trusted, and the ones who look a bit on the dicey side turn out to be OK, just a bit insane.
I don't want to go much more into the storyline, having been abused here before for including too much of the story. One thing I did notice early on, which became a main stay in the movie, was the presence of animals. Having not read the book, I am guessing that animals are more prevalent in families, to take the place of children. There are very few scenes in this movie where you won't see or hear a dog or cat. Also, this movie is a very visual one. I didn't expect as much violence as there was and some of it sneaks up on you and hits you on the head. There is a lot of hand held camera action, which can tend to get kinda shaky. And the use of sound in this movie is key. There is a scene towards the end of the movie done in long-shot where one sound literally stops the world, for a minute, it's literally breathtaking. It was also interesting to see how the immigrants were set-up in the camps. There was some segregation, but for the most part you had all different types of people from all over the world living together in these hovels; in the halls, on the stairs, every race and religion, crammed together, for survival sake. I guess some people might say the movie is slow, but Owen was on the screen the whole time and I AM biased, so I think at about 1 hour 35 minutes, it moved fine and overall I think it was a great film. I don't know how Universal is going to market this, but I think if they do it right they could have a sleeper hit on their hands.
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a screening of "Children of Men" which I jumped at. Although I love Alfonso Cuaron's work, the driving force in getting me to see this film is Clive Owen. I didn't read the book, but I knew a little going in. It is a Sci-fi piece that takes place in the near future, and the world is infertile. This is not something that I would normally buy a ticket for but again, my boyfriend was in it, so I was there. Firstly I can say that though this piece is touted as Sci-fi, it is a far cry from it. The whole movie had a very realistic feel to it. The time is 2027 and the settings are almost post-apocalyptic. There is a huge crack down on immigrants, who at this day and age, are treated with disdain, hatred and violence. There are key scenes in the movie that are reminiscent of Nazi Germany. The movie takes place between London and the English countryside. There is filth, trash, rot, decay and death everywhere. The attention to detail in this stark life is prominent in every scene, it's brilliant. I loved this movie!
The movie opens with the death of the worlds youngest citizen, who was just 18. This kid was a celebrity simply for being the last human being ever born, and the world goes into mourning, the inevitability of becoming extinct has just become even more apparent to all. Clive Owen's reluctant Theo is pulled into a plot by his activist Ex-wife, Julianne Moore, to save a girl who has a little secret. This girl, Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) is pregnant and an immigrant. Theo is pulled in different directions, not knowing whom to trust in a world which would embrace having a baby, but wouldn't acknowledge (and probably kill) the baby's mother because of her immigrant status. Theo is not a hero type, and would rather just take slugs off his Scotch Whiskey than save the world. He never even picks up a gun. Theo is aided by his friend Jasper, the Patriarch of pot, played to the hilt by Michael Caine. I couldn't help but smile every time Caine was on the screen, he was such a pleasure to watch, and you could tell he was having a hell of a good time with this part. Jasper lives in a house out in the woods with his sick wife and his pot plants. This house is the only place in the movie that translates to any type of peace or light, as are the scenes between Owen & Caine. Theo's ultimate plan is to get Kee and her baby to a boat that will lead them to safety and freedom. Along the way they learn that the people they should be able to trust, can't be trusted, and the ones who look a bit on the dicey side turn out to be OK, just a bit insane.
I don't want to go much more into the storyline, having been abused here before for including too much of the story. One thing I did notice early on, which became a main stay in the movie, was the presence of animals. Having not read the book, I am guessing that animals are more prevalent in families, to take the place of children. There are very few scenes in this movie where you won't see or hear a dog or cat. Also, this movie is a very visual one. I didn't expect as much violence as there was and some of it sneaks up on you and hits you on the head. There is a lot of hand held camera action, which can tend to get kinda shaky. And the use of sound in this movie is key. There is a scene towards the end of the movie done in long-shot where one sound literally stops the world, for a minute, it's literally breathtaking. It was also interesting to see how the immigrants were set-up in the camps. There was some segregation, but for the most part you had all different types of people from all over the world living together in these hovels; in the halls, on the stairs, every race and religion, crammed together, for survival sake. I guess some people might say the movie is slow, but Owen was on the screen the whole time and I AM biased, so I think at about 1 hour 35 minutes, it moved fine and overall I think it was a great film. I don't know how Universal is going to market this, but I think if they do it right they could have a sleeper hit on their hands.
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