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adamwatchesmovies · 4 years

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Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

If period piece romantic dramas are your thing, you will eat up Far from the Madding Crowd and be eager for more. It also has an audience beyond genre fans. You don't need to be familiar with the source material to enjoy the film - I'll attest to it.

In 1870s Victorian England, independent, beautiful Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) inherits her uncle’s large farm. Now well-to-do and living a life of comfort, she finds herself pursued by three different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a farmer from her days as an ordinary girl; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) a fiery Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), her mature and prosperous neighbor. As she deals with the difficulties and dangers of owning a farm in the 19th-Century, everyone wonders who she will finally choose.

Films set in this era often deal with fragility. The times were difficult and dangerous even if you lived comfortably. Insurance was non-existent. Communication over long distances was spotty. Men and women's roles in society differed greatly from today. People had different views and expectations of medicine, poverty, and life overall. Even with a strong woman at its center, the film always maintains a certain tension. One bad harvest and she could be homeless. One mistake with a man and she could be ostracized forever.

Amid these delicate times, emotional defences are being lowered. We're most vulnerable during that first stage of dating when you’ve been seeing that special someone for just long enough to get attached to them but not so long that where things will go is clearly defined. This movie is all about the risk of disaster: financial, societal, emotional.

Seeing ladies and gentlemen in the clothing of this period is always a treat. While we aren't dealing with huge, elaborate balls, the garments are nice to see precisely for that reason. It's a different view of what things were like back then - a way to time travel without leaving your chair. If costumes aren't your thing Far From the Maddening Crowd still has plenty to offer. Carey Mulligan in a meaty role for instance. All of the performers are given roles that allow them to show off a wide range of emotions, moments of strength, and vulnerability alike. Among the talented cast, she reigns supreme.

My issues with the movie come from the fact that the novel wouldn't have been one that I'd pick up for fun. The romance is enticing. The people involved in it too. It's an old-fashioned story which feels modern because of our heroine who has to prove herself in a world run by men. This aspect engaged me less than the other material at first but once it got going I wanted to see how it would play out. In fact, I wish we'd gotten more of Tom Sturridge, more of this story in general as the conclusion feels rushed. These are minor complaints. Fans of these types of films will absolutely love this adaptation of the 1874 novel. I just have a passing interest (if that) and found it a nice change of pace.

If you have an interest in classic literature or costume dramas, or you like romance stories, it'll be worth your time to track down Far From the Madding Crowd. The ones I'll try to appeal to now are those who wouldn't typically check out something based on a novel by an author who's been dead for 200 years. If you have a girlfriend/significant other whom this might please it'd make for a great date night and you'll find things to like in it as well. Give it a shot. (Theatrical version on DVD, June 10, 2015)

#FarFromtheMaddingCrowd #movies #films #reviews #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #ThomasVinterberg #DavidNicholls #ThomasHardy #carey mulligan #MatthiasSchoenaerts #MichaelSheen #TomSturridge #JunoTemple #2015Movies #2015Films

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grimmauldplaceirregular · 4 years

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I just have a lot of questions for the Underworld film. I have been on a binge of Michael Sheen movies, and was holding off on Underworld because it’s not really my scene (I was kinda right), and watching two of them has led me to a lot of questions.

I watched Rise of the Lycans first because I knew it was a prequel and I knew he would be in most of it, as I was aware he was a lycan. I’m a genius. I really liked it. I think my affinity for period pieces worked for it because I’m not one for big action films (unless Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in them and even then it’s touch and go). I liked it enough to give the actual first Underworld film a go. I didn’t like it as much, which has led me here -- to my questions:

1. Why does Selene wear a catsuit AND a corset? Style, I assume, but I just thought a lot of thoughts every time I saw her.

2. Did they film Rise of the Lycans at the same time as this and then release it years later? A lot of the flashbacks are EXACTLY the same. I understand that’s easy enough to do, but it just seems like a lot of effort and could lead to a lot of issues with consistency. And it doesn’t seem like the actors aged -- I know that it wasn’t that long in between the films and they are adults and wouldn’t age so maybe it just comes down to that.

3. If I hadn’t read the description of the movie on Netflix, I never would have realized that Selene and Michael were supposed to be in love. Like what? How? When? Just cuz they are both pretty? They did not speak more than 10 words to each other and most of those were “you’re going to die.”

4. When did Lucian realize that Viktor wasn’t dead? Like it seemed as if Lucian was pretty sure he killed Viktor at the end of Rise of the Lycans but then Viktor is just happily in his coffin off to dreamland ?

5. Why are there no lady lycans? Is lycanthropy only given by bite other than Lucian (not even sure that’s how that worked -- confused by his origin and there was a baby penis that seemed unnecessary and distracted me from the narrator)? Like why do they not think to turn some ladies and have some babies? I get that they need “strength” but I can only assume that lycans of any gender would be powerful. And on that thought, why not like impregnate some humans ? Can they do that? I understand that they don’t age normally but they can die so still need to keep the species going right? Or everybody gay and just wanna bone some dudes ???

6. Why don’t the lycans just take over? The vampires can’t go into the sun and lycans can ?? It’s very sweet that the lycans “choose” (I know it’s not much of a choice) to live underground and only fight at night/when it’s raining so that the vampires need not worry about death in that way. Does this come down to Lucian’s feelings about Sonja and her death? But the lycans could just barricade the vampires’ houses/etc. and take over during the daytime when they can’t leave. I just don’t get it.

7. They never fully explained this, but like why do the vampires assume the lycans are stupid and can’t create weapons to destroy them? The vampire weapon’s maker was like “Nah lycans got those from the military” about the UV bullets. Why? You are capable of creating lycan killing things, why aren’t they capable of the same? Is it just a thing about still thinking they are dumb animals? I assume so but I was just confused by a throwaway plot point.

I’m not sure these movies are meant to make me think this much, but they did. I told myself that if I liked the first one, I’d watch the second even though I know Michael Sheen isn’t in it -- I probably won’t be doing that, but the first one was worth it.

#I just needed to get my thoughts out because my roommates won't care #Underworld films #Underworld #I just have a problem with obsessing over certain actors and watching everything I can #it wasn't this bad the first time I watched Good Omens #but I blame Masters of Sex for that #Staged really just helped this problem continue and then I've enjoyed all of his biopics #I know too much about Tony Blair now

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shairoon · 7 months

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Different POI on movies

Earlier I found a lot of movies are pretty boring and/or bad.

Now i have another perspective on it!

I think a movie can be incredibly good when I can see kinda development in the minds of the characters. how they think and behave and how the situations changes their mind and behaviour. I think that's absolutey underrated. I really like the effect of thinking about the characters and whats going on inside. It opens up my own mind to different people.

And here comes another point on a long list of how Michael Sheen has changed my life and still do. I just found out that movies I usually wouldn't like are good in a different way. I never would have watched "Dead Long Enough", "Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!" or "Last Train to Christmas" or series like "Prodigal Son" or "Masters of Sex". But every single one is really interesting in it's own way. So I love that I love Good Omens and how it catched me to find out more about the series and then to find out more about the Actors especially Michael Sheen. Not many people have an impact in my life and even less have a completely life-changing impact. I really appreciate it!

#mindset #point of view #pov #self improvement #michael sheen #movies #films #tv shows #good omens

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themachiavellianpig · 5 years

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Prodigal Son, Episode 2: Complicated Families as Far As the Eye Can See

Episode two of Prodigal Son, and Malcolm’s family continues to be way, way weirder than any imaginable crime scene - no matter what delightful twists you add to a corpse. Having wondered last week if we were heading towards a weekly procedural with the world’s weirdest family dinners, I am delighted to say that that might genuinely be what we’re going to get.

Spoilers below, mainly for the interesting bits!

We begin the episode with an extended look at Malcolm’s morning routine, restraints and all: angry yoga has made it on the list, although the crowning moment was definitely the look on Malcolm’s face when he read that day’s affirmation: I’m thankful for my past and its many lessons. This reminder of his seemingly quite fragile mental health make the following scene with his mother all the more bizarre: this is a woman who asks about restraints as matter-of-factly as she might ask someone to pick up milk on the way home. I’m currently very tron over this character - does she want Malcolm to seem more ‘normal’ so that the family can move on from what the Surgeon did, or does genuinely want her child not to have been irreparably broken by having a monster for a father? While most of her actions would seem to imply that this is a woman who is very, very concerned with appearances, her description of her young son discovering evidence of his father’s crimes in his “hobbies room” is suitably unsettling.

The crime of the week was serviceable enough, with the crime scene itself being greatly livened up by the inclusion of Dani, who’s still not over Malcolm chopping off a hand last week, Dr Tanaka, who’s still not over Malcolm’s weird compliments, and a trio of snakes, who climbed out of a corpse’s mouth because it’s going to be one of those days. We also found time for some decent snark between Malcolm and JT (“I had a few snakes as a kid”/”Of course you did”), and the discovery of what will take the wind out of Malcolm’s manic sails at a crime scene (the aforementioned snakes-in-a-dead-man going after a team member).

The particular choice of murderer - a family annihilator - did also allow the episode to continue playing around the question of love, and what loves looks like from a person capable of terrible acts. Malcolm discounts a suspect because he “didn’t love” the victims enough to have killed them, and later seems to try to apply a similar logic to his father. Was being spared by a serial killer an act of love or an act of indifference? Neither answer would be particularly reassuring.

And, while the crime itself is hardly world-shattering, it does give us the greatest gift of the entire episode: a montage of Michael-Sheen-The-Surgeon-Serial-Killer losing his mind over voicemail. This entire premise was excellent enough to distract me completely from the question of why a convicted serial killer usually used his phone time to give medical consultations, what the heck. I am also still greatly amused by the things at which the Surgeon chooses to be outraged: yes, he may have murdered more than twenty minutes, but he would simply never have drugged his son. Michael Sheen’s delivery of “They make it look so easy in the movies, but it’s tricky stuff, you know. The wrong dose can easily kill you, which is a long way of saying no of course I didn’t drug you!” was delightful.

The Surgeon’s puppy-dog eagerness to maintain some lines of communication and help Malcolm solve the case also leads to a terrifying contrast when Malcolm pushes the question of the girl in the box - and suddenly the eccentric, almost affable former-doctor is replaced by a chillingly focused predator, who goes straight for his son’s weakest point: the fear that he might be much more like his father than he can admit. It’s an interesting line for the Surgeon to take; despite his blatant eagerness to maintain a relationship with his son, he refuses to speak about the one topic which would - at least temporarily - keep Malcolm in the room with him. The choice to shut down the conversation entirely, rather than string Malcolm along with half-truths or fragments of the mystery, makes me wonder if the truth is something so terrible that Martin knows it would genuinely cost him his son, or if he’s simply exerting control over his situation in any way that he can.

It’s also worth noting that, while still being clearly troubled, Malcolm doesn’t hit the same levels of worrying energy that he did last week, and his numbers of really stupid, self-harming actions was significantly down - he still loses points for ignoring police orders, but what else would we expect from a NYPD consultant in this day and age?

The character interactions also feel a lot more genuine this week, with significantly fewer ‘cool one-liners’ and far more actual communication, which is absolutely one of my weak spots. The conversation between JT and Malcolm about growing up with a serial killer for a father was brief but entirely believable - JT finally asking “was it weird?” and Malcolm’s response of “Super weird” was strangely honest, especially considering Malcolm’s habit of very obviously lying to people who ask his questions which he doesn’t feel like answering.

Ultimately, while episode one was happy to play its hand and walk away, episode two seems much more keen to establish some ongoing threads: the question of the girl in the box, and the potentially far more unsettling question of exactly who knew what when back in the days of the Surgeon. The final reveal at the very end of the episode was fascinating but not surprising, as it fitted perfectly with all the information that the audience already had, but still managed to offer a new dimension to the whole matter of just what the hell was going on in Malcolm’s early childhood.

#prodigal son #episode review #michael sheen #tom payne #fox #themachiavellianpig watches #episode recap

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brokehorrorfan · 6 years

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Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Winter 2018

There’s an overwhelming amount of horror films and TV shows to sift through on Netflix, so I’ve decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season’s best new genre titles available on Netflix’s instant streaming service.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.

1. The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House is, quite simply, some of the best long-form horror storytelling of all time. Based on - but not a strict adaptation of - Shirley Jackson's influential gothic horror novel of the same name, the series is created and directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil). Told through two timelines, with clever transitions between the past and present, the story concerns five siblings and how an alleged haunting they experienced as kids affects them as adults. The cast includes Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Carla Gugino (Watchmen), Michiel Huisman (Treme), Elizabeth Reaser (Ouija: Origin of Evil), Kate Siegel (Hush), Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), and Lulu Wilson (Annabelle: Creation). It is admirably character-driven, which makes the horror elements hit even harder, and a spooky atmosphere is present throughout all 10 episodes.

2. Green Room

Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier achieves the impossible by matching - and perhaps even surpassing - the unbridled intensity of his previous film, Blue Ruin, with Green Room. The exercise in white-knuckle suspense finds a scrappy punk band trapped in a skinhead club after unwittingly walking in on a crime. The late Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) delivers one of the best performances of his tragically short career as the de facto leader of the band. In a bit of inspired casting, Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) is chilling as the conniving, white supremacist venue owner. Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Joe Cole (Skins), and Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) round out the band, while Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) is also wrapped up in the brutal fight for survival. Akin to Don't Breathe, the tension on screen is enough to induce anxiety, and Saulnier nails the punk rock DIY spirit to boot.

3. Cam

Cam stars Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid's Tale) as a cam girl - one who performs pornographic acts live on camera for paying viewers - who is desperate to gain popularity. Produced by Blumhouse, this is not your typical "seedy underbelly of the sex industry" movie, although there is some of that; instead, it goes in a refreshing, unpredictable direction. Reminiscent of a neon-soaked episode of Black Mirror, Cam is a suspenseful and compelling mystery-thriller with a sci-fi twist and horror undertones. Brewer is spectacular in her fearless performance, while director Daniel Goldhaber makes a powerful feature debut.

4. The Night Comes for Us

The Night Comes for Us is an unrelenting action thriller in the vein of The Raid, John Wick, and Dredd. In fact, the Indonesian film reunites The Raid's Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais. Taslim leads as a man who goes rogue from a dangerous crime syndicate. A variety of deadly individuals (Uwais among them) are out to get him, but he has some tough allies as well. It all culminates in an incredible final battle in which the viewer feels every blow. The blend of brutal, graphic violence and impressively choreographed fight scenes is written and directed by by Timo Tjahjanto (whose V/H/S/2 segment is a highlight of the franchise).

5. Apostle

Forget that Nicolas Cage abomination; Apostle is the Wicker Man reboot we deserve. The Netflix original film is reminiscent of the 1973 occult horror classic not only in plot but also in tone, style, and pacing. Set in 1905 London, a feral Dan Stevens (The Guest) stars as a man whose sister is kidnapped by a religious cult on a secluded island, which he must infiltrate to save her. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) serves as the cult's charismatic leader, while Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) plays his daughter. The slow-burn is quite a change of pace for writer-director Gareth Evans (The Raid franchise) and his regular cinematographer, Matt Flannery, but they handle it beautifully.

6. May the Devil Take You

May the Devil Take You feels like The Evil Dead's Sam Raimi directing an installment in The Conjuring universe. The Indonesian horror film is not a scrappy splatterfest; it's elegantly directed by Timo Tjahjanto (V/H/S/2). He culls from modern supernatural tropes to craft fine horror set pieces, spooky imagery, a good atmosphere, and strong production value. Chelsea Islan (Headshot) earns to be mentioned in the same breath as Bruce Campbell in her lead role as a daughter who investigates her estranged father's past to uncover the truth behind his coma and her haunting visions. It's a tad overlong at 110 minutes, which is particularly felt during the last act, but there's enough kinetic energy to keep it moving forward.

7. Hold the Dark

Hold the Dark is not quite as strong as Jeremy Saulnier's previous efforts (Green Room, Blue Ruin), but his mastery of tension remains unparalleled. Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) stars as a wolf expert who's convinced by an Alaskan woman (Riley Keough, Max Mad: Fury Road) to hunt a wolf that took her young son, only to get wrapped up in a murder plot. Meanwhile, the boy's soldier father (Alexander Skarsgård, True Blood) returns home from duty in the Middle East unhinged. The screenplay is written by Macon Blair (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore), based on the book of the same name by William Giraldi. As viewers have come to expect from Saulnier, the violence is as unrelenting as the suspense.

8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale), Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is not your TGIF version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Its aesthetically similar to the Archie Comics title on which its based, embracing the rich Gothic horror atmosphere, but the story veers more into teen drama territory. The result is like a mash-up of Riverdale, The Witch, and Harry Potter. It may take a few episodes to become invested, plus to get used to the distracting shallow depth of field style (which is thankfully used less as the season progresses), but it's eventually rather addicting. The midsection becomes something of a monster-of-the-week series, but it never loses sight of the overall story arc. Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men) is charming as the titular witch, and the main cast also includes Ross Lynch (My Friend Dahmer), Lucy Davis (Shaun of the Dead), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), and Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who).

9. Into the Forest

Into the Forest is a post-apocalyptic tale of sorts, but it's a grounded take on the subject matter that largely functions as a drama. Ellen Page (Inception) and Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) star as sisters who live with their father (Callum Keith Rennie, Battlestar Galactica) in a secluded, woodland home. Directed by Patricia Rozema (Mansfield Park), the movie follows the family in their fight for survival in the months after electricity is lost throughout the world. Although it drags in spots, Page, who produced the film after falling in love with Jean Hegland's novel on which it's based, is in top form.

10. In Darkness

In Darkness stars Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) as a blind pianist who hears her upstairs neighbor (Emily Ratajkowski, Gone Girl) get murdered, drawing her into London's seedy underworld, where she meets Ed Skrein (Deadpool) and Joely Richardson (Event Horizon). With shades of Wait Until Dark, the thriller offers some solid suspense and tension, plus superb sound design and cinematography. The setup is gripping, though the plot later becomes too convoluted for its own good. Dormer is fantastic in the lead, and she also produced and co-wrote the script with director Anthony Byrne (Peaky Blinders).

11. Don't Watch This

Don't Watch This is listed on Netflix as a season, but it's simply five unrelated horror shorts, ranging between 2 and 9 minutes in length. There's body horror, killer kids, urban explorers, and Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski parodying American Psycho. In addition to a few clever setups and strong horror set pieces, they boast quality production value, cinematography, and special features (both practical and digital). Shorts usually struggle to find an audience on YouTube, so it's great to see them showcased on a platform as powerful as Netflix.

Bonus: De Palma

De Palma is a documentary on filmmaker Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface, Mission: Impossible, Blow Out, Phantom of the Paradise, et al.). The septuagenarian himself - with no other talking heads - discusses and reflects on his oeuvre, going movie by movie (plus a handful of unmade projects) in chronological order, accompanied by clips and stills. Co-directed by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) and Jake Paltrow (Young Ones), the candid nature of the interviews prevent the film from feeling like a mere DVD special feature. It moves briskly, leaving you wanting more even at 110 minutes.

#netflix #the haunting of hill house #chilling adventures of sabrina #green room #cam #may the devil take you #apostle #the night comes for us #hold the dark #into the forest #best of netflix #article #list #haunting of hill house #sabrina #in darkness #don't watch this #de palma #bent neck lady

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