This episode is pure gold, and the way the actors play Don and Peggy against each other is nothing short of genius.
Reviews
9 Reviews
The Haunting of Hill House
(2018)
Intelligent horror for the soul
7 December 2020
'The Haunting of Hill House' is a psychological terror tale packed as a puzzling Americana. At least that's how it felt to me. The show seems to be over-stretched, as I think that the story could have been told in less than 10 episodes.
When watching this try not to puzzle it out, or to spot the jump scares, instead enjoy the emotional ride. I wish I did. The ending was emotional, rather than scary. I wish i was prepared for that.
When watching this try not to puzzle it out, or to spot the jump scares, instead enjoy the emotional ride. I wish I did. The ending was emotional, rather than scary. I wish i was prepared for that.
Manhattan Murder Mystery
(1993)
An exciting, albeit a bit stale film.
13 January 2020
I think this is a really good film, it has all the necessary ingredients to be fun, yet intellectual. However, from a contemporary perspective I felt like the film lacked 'a little something'. I might be mistaken, or I might be right, it depends on your taste and expectations.
The acting is great, especially by the leads, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely Anjelica Huston, who stole every scene she was in. Quite suspenseful in a very neat way, and although exciting it did feel a bit 'middle-aged' and stale.
I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a nice and exciting trip to New York City or a golden gem of Allen's vast filmography.
The acting is great, especially by the leads, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely Anjelica Huston, who stole every scene she was in. Quite suspenseful in a very neat way, and although exciting it did feel a bit 'middle-aged' and stale.
I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a nice and exciting trip to New York City or a golden gem of Allen's vast filmography.
McMafia
(2018)
Under the Radar, but binge-worthy.
7 January 2020
Pretty entertaining show, largely neglected, and somehow under the radar. It looks sleek and expensive, the writing is sharp and smart, and the acting is great. The show feels like a rouge James Bond, where Bond slowly becomes a villain himself. Sort of like Breaking Bad, but more traditional in its storytelling.
James Norton is magnetic as the charismatic Alex, and the supporting cast is stellar as well. His family is fun to follow, and his girlfriend seems compelling.
Although fun, the show is missing a little something. Maybe a firmer sense of momentum and less reliance on mafia tropes. It needs to pave its own way, and future seasons might enable that.
James Norton is magnetic as the charismatic Alex, and the supporting cast is stellar as well. His family is fun to follow, and his girlfriend seems compelling.
Although fun, the show is missing a little something. Maybe a firmer sense of momentum and less reliance on mafia tropes. It needs to pave its own way, and future seasons might enable that.
Magnolia
(2018)
A dream-like tale of loneliness
5 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This film is so simple and short, and yet so deeply touching. Ana truly captures the essence of loneliness and despair using moving pictures. The film resembles Franco-Italian cinema with a spice of Balkan sentiments. It is a character study of a middle aged woman, trapped in a vicious circle of isolation and fear, who in order to break free needs to face her deepest fears.
In a simple, serpentine fashion, the pictures move and blend into each other with sweet, summertime melodies as in a Rohmer film. The absence of dialogue and additional characters add up to the feeling of despair and loneliness.
The film is a beautiful debut film, and an entree into a hopefully fruitful career of the young director! A female voice European cinema desperately needs!
In a simple, serpentine fashion, the pictures move and blend into each other with sweet, summertime melodies as in a Rohmer film. The absence of dialogue and additional characters add up to the feeling of despair and loneliness.
The film is a beautiful debut film, and an entree into a hopefully fruitful career of the young director! A female voice European cinema desperately needs!
Argo
(2012)
Clichéd Thriller - fun but not great
29 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I can't say this is a bad movie. The acting was great, the story was engaging, the cinematography visually striking. But I guess the Oscars attest to that.
What I didn't like about this film was that it pretty much resembled any other clichéd Hollywood film. The Americans were the heroic characters, while the Muslims were not that sympathetic; it involved "last moment" reversals, a character is about to put down the phone when he finally gets a connection, the characters are about to board a plane in the last moment before getting captured - this can be seen in any other American thriller; enter Tony Mendez, your all- American 007, he is muscular and manly, he is white and charming, he is divorced, and has a cute blonde young son, he is ready to sacrifice his life for the good of the American people, and he is rewarded for his actions but not publicly, he is the unsung hero, the silent guardian; the music was generic and only used to pump up certain emotional moments; the film follows an old and over-used story arc: the reluctant hero goes on a suicide mission, but before completing the mission his boss calls it off (because hierarchy), but the hero goes against the orders and succeeds nonetheless - how many times have we seen in an American film the detective/spy/agent being told "they should not pursue the case" by their dominant boss, but they do it anyway.
I find these moments cringe-worthy, predictable, sensationalized. But the film is fun, very engaging and interesting. But that does not change the fact that this film possess only entertainment value, and it certainly isn't the piece of art or the political satire it is said to be.
What I didn't like about this film was that it pretty much resembled any other clichéd Hollywood film. The Americans were the heroic characters, while the Muslims were not that sympathetic; it involved "last moment" reversals, a character is about to put down the phone when he finally gets a connection, the characters are about to board a plane in the last moment before getting captured - this can be seen in any other American thriller; enter Tony Mendez, your all- American 007, he is muscular and manly, he is white and charming, he is divorced, and has a cute blonde young son, he is ready to sacrifice his life for the good of the American people, and he is rewarded for his actions but not publicly, he is the unsung hero, the silent guardian; the music was generic and only used to pump up certain emotional moments; the film follows an old and over-used story arc: the reluctant hero goes on a suicide mission, but before completing the mission his boss calls it off (because hierarchy), but the hero goes against the orders and succeeds nonetheless - how many times have we seen in an American film the detective/spy/agent being told "they should not pursue the case" by their dominant boss, but they do it anyway.
I find these moments cringe-worthy, predictable, sensationalized. But the film is fun, very engaging and interesting. But that does not change the fact that this film possess only entertainment value, and it certainly isn't the piece of art or the political satire it is said to be.
Kill Your Darlings
(2013)
A clichéd, stylish, romanticized coming-of-age story...
28 August 2016
This is one of those movies that really is what you think it is. One of those generic Hollywood coming-of-age stories that masquerades under the guise of a true story.
We can't know how the real poets looked like and behaved during their time in Columbia, but they certainly didn't looked so damn stylish and polished as they look in this movie. Everything is very very fake, the hairstyles, the lavish rooms, the flamboyant clothes, the exorbitant lifestyle, and the characters dancing on modern rock songs.
The film is a mess.
It starts very stylishly with poetic quotes, and posh aesthetics. The scenes are really glossed and polished, everything seems to be working well, up to the point when the film realizes that beneath the facade there has to be some substance, a plot that drives the action. And suddenly in the third act, so to speak, a murder takes place, one as messy as the film. Suddenly characters start to show motivations and characteristics that weren't previously established.
The film focuses on Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr, but somewhere in between William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac are thrown in, and the viewers are supposed to react to them based on their knowledge on the people they are based on.
Daniel Radcliffe's performance is as wooden as his Harry Potter's, at least his American accent is decent. If one is knowledgeable about films in general, one would realize that the direction and editing do the job for Daniel, the director knew where to cut and where to move the camera from Daniel. Ben Foster shines, while Michael C. Hall is not given the material he needs. Funny enough, Hall portrays a gay character named David, just as his character in Six Feet Under.
The film is a giant chaos of a mess. This is something that can be seen a lot in Hollywood: a lot of colors and cool music, but no substance what-so-ever.
We can't know how the real poets looked like and behaved during their time in Columbia, but they certainly didn't looked so damn stylish and polished as they look in this movie. Everything is very very fake, the hairstyles, the lavish rooms, the flamboyant clothes, the exorbitant lifestyle, and the characters dancing on modern rock songs.
The film is a mess.
It starts very stylishly with poetic quotes, and posh aesthetics. The scenes are really glossed and polished, everything seems to be working well, up to the point when the film realizes that beneath the facade there has to be some substance, a plot that drives the action. And suddenly in the third act, so to speak, a murder takes place, one as messy as the film. Suddenly characters start to show motivations and characteristics that weren't previously established.
The film focuses on Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr, but somewhere in between William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac are thrown in, and the viewers are supposed to react to them based on their knowledge on the people they are based on.
Daniel Radcliffe's performance is as wooden as his Harry Potter's, at least his American accent is decent. If one is knowledgeable about films in general, one would realize that the direction and editing do the job for Daniel, the director knew where to cut and where to move the camera from Daniel. Ben Foster shines, while Michael C. Hall is not given the material he needs. Funny enough, Hall portrays a gay character named David, just as his character in Six Feet Under.
The film is a giant chaos of a mess. This is something that can be seen a lot in Hollywood: a lot of colors and cool music, but no substance what-so-ever.
X-Men: Apocalypse
(2016)
Entertaining, but inconsistent sequel in the X-Men series...
8 June 2016
The first X-Men trilogy was weirdly obsessed with Wolverine, and by extension Rouge. I never understood why... This new trilogy is obsessed with Mystique just because America's sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence is portraying her. I don't mind it, but Mystique is no hero, she is a devious villain! And Beast should be well a Beast, but a handsome Nicholas Hoult is better to look at I presume. Storm is not a villain, she is a beloved X-Men character that has never been done justice. These are things that enrage fans over and over again.
It is not about being a purist, but about honoring the original. In an age where superheros are invading our cinemas, one could do worse if one watches a film about hope and freedom, about homophobia, racism, bigotry, immigration and all sort of other social issues. And somehow none of the X-men films so far have successfully brought these themes to the screen.
This film suffers from having to focus on thousands of characters and locations. Some characters like Mystique and Magneto are given substantial screen time, while others such as Psylocke are given only a few scenes. The film also tries to fit into the overall X-Men continuity, while trying to stand up on its own.
A great film for a pop-corn viewing with your friends, but a sub-par X-Men film in general... It is sad that the most substantial superheroes of our age, that really have something to say about the world we live in, are treated as badly as this...
Mutant and proud? Unfortunately there is nothing to be proud of except the money the film is about to make.
It is not about being a purist, but about honoring the original. In an age where superheros are invading our cinemas, one could do worse if one watches a film about hope and freedom, about homophobia, racism, bigotry, immigration and all sort of other social issues. And somehow none of the X-men films so far have successfully brought these themes to the screen.
This film suffers from having to focus on thousands of characters and locations. Some characters like Mystique and Magneto are given substantial screen time, while others such as Psylocke are given only a few scenes. The film also tries to fit into the overall X-Men continuity, while trying to stand up on its own.
A great film for a pop-corn viewing with your friends, but a sub-par X-Men film in general... It is sad that the most substantial superheroes of our age, that really have something to say about the world we live in, are treated as badly as this...
Mutant and proud? Unfortunately there is nothing to be proud of except the money the film is about to make.
Wolf Hall
(2015)
A magnificent character study of Thomas Cromwell, and a grandiose portrayal of the Tudor era.
1 April 2016
There are many shows and films about the Tudors. The dashing king Henry VIII, the mysteriously alluring Anne Boleyn, the Machiavellian Cromwell and the wise Thomas More. There are so many great characters from that era that one can choose any of them and tell a magnificent story. That was done in these books and it is done impeccably on the screen as well. This story focuses on Thomas Cromwell, who is portrayed as less Machiavellian and more sympathetic, but incredibly clever nonetheless.
As far as history is concerned, and my knowledge thereof, I think this is the most faithful portrayal of the early Tudors period. This version surpasses the lackluster, soapy The Tudors series. One should keep in mind that although the story retells historical events, it is still a piece of art, and it based on two historical fiction books. As such there is always a point of view that the author/director takes, which is part of the artistic process. Having that in mind, certain inaccuracies can be seen in this adaptation, but they do not influence the viewing experience. Actually, this is the most accurate portrayal of Anne Boleyn seen on screen so far. Although Natalie Dormer's portrayal is regarded as the best, this one is even better.
Clever dialogues, intrigues, breath-taking scenery and amazing acting can all be found in this period piece. There is no warfare, nor any especially violent scenes in this adaptation, which opts for the internal struggles of the main characters, and the intrigues of the court.
If you are looking to satisfy your Game of Thrones hunger, or a history lesson on the Tudors, then this adaptation will exceed your expectations.
As far as history is concerned, and my knowledge thereof, I think this is the most faithful portrayal of the early Tudors period. This version surpasses the lackluster, soapy The Tudors series. One should keep in mind that although the story retells historical events, it is still a piece of art, and it based on two historical fiction books. As such there is always a point of view that the author/director takes, which is part of the artistic process. Having that in mind, certain inaccuracies can be seen in this adaptation, but they do not influence the viewing experience. Actually, this is the most accurate portrayal of Anne Boleyn seen on screen so far. Although Natalie Dormer's portrayal is regarded as the best, this one is even better.
Clever dialogues, intrigues, breath-taking scenery and amazing acting can all be found in this period piece. There is no warfare, nor any especially violent scenes in this adaptation, which opts for the internal struggles of the main characters, and the intrigues of the court.
If you are looking to satisfy your Game of Thrones hunger, or a history lesson on the Tudors, then this adaptation will exceed your expectations.
Tell Your Friends