#the gentlemen review

[agentnico]

The Gentlemen - season 1 (2024) review

Alright, alright, alright….. wait, McConaughey is not in this one? Oh, well that’s not alright, alright, alright…

Plot: When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire, and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.

Guy Ritchie is honestly great. Since way back when he made Lock, Stock and Snatch, he’s consistently churned out top quality entertainment, except maybe the Aladdin remake. I mean I totally get he probably got a superb pay check out of it, but honestly what in the heavens did Guy Ritchie have to do with blue genies I will never know. Regardless, where the man really excels at is when it comes to the British gangster genre. The guy can make swearing sound so poetic and melodic - it’s honestly mad how something so otherwise rude can come off utterly beautiful and delightful like a song. Especially in his 2019 film The Gentlemen, the writing in that movie was so good!! Naturally Netflix caught onto this too as we now how a spin-off series.

Going into the show I was looking forward to it but also cautious, as I was aware this new show was missing the star power of the original film. I mean can you blame me? The movie had the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant to name a few. That’s a solid load of A-listers huddled together. As for the show, the names like Theo James or Kaya Scodelario didn’t instil heavy excitement, especially with James as honestly, I always thought he was a bit of a prick. Granted this may be due to when he played the dickhead in The Inbetweeners movie, and gosh do I feel old with that reference, but he just has that face of a guy that’s so full up his own arse. Again, I’ve never met the chap, he’s probably a lovely human being, but I’ve made this prejudgment in my head and as such when I found out he was the lead of this series I naturally rolled my eyes. That being said I give Netflix props as they hired the original film director Guy Ritchie to create this spin-off and even direct some of the episodes and do a lot of the writing, so of course I was going to check this show out.

Never doubt the Guy should be a new cinematic rule. I’m proud to report that the new The Gentlemen series is a fantastic watch. It’s not the most original show, yet it plays out more-so like a Guy Ritchie’s greatest hits, as it’s got his visual flare and style, with the super cool and smooth fashion choices - honestly Scodelario has a wardrobe change every other scene and each time it felt like she was walking out of a Tom Ford fashion exhibit, and then also all the men wearing their gentlemanly suits dripping with swagger and smoking their cigars and drinking their whiskeys - the whole thing is simply infused with that signature upper-class British gangster feel. Ritchie’s signature syllable-heavy dialogue that just rolls of the tongue is also more than ever present here, and whoever decided to cast Giancarlo Esposito in this show deserves a pay rise, as Esposito’s soft-spoken melodic tone proclaiming the colourful lines of Ritchie’s rich exposition was music to the ears.

The cast here too are super game. Theo James was actually solid as the lead young duke, as he had that manly prowess and was very believable as someone who gets shit done. Kaya Scodelario I thought at first was trying too hard to mimic Michelle Dockery from the original movie, but eventually she made the role her own, and she gave enough mystery to her performance to make us feel uncertain of her true motivations. Daniel Ings as the duke loser-cocaine-addicted-brother Freddy was a lot of fun, however I would say his character became a bit overbearing and annoying in the end, as he constantly made so many mistakes throughout that I honestly kind of wanted him to get killed. It’s as if whenever the show needed an excuse for something bad to happen, they’d just get Freddy to fuck up again. Apologies for my language, I don’t usually swear in my reviews, but also this is a Guy Ritchie project we’re talking about, and he uses the F word every other sentence. So fuck it. In regards to other notable cast members, Pearce Quigley as Gospel John, a leader of a religious gang was oddly creepy yet entertaining, especially when he’d randomly scream certain lines for absolutely no reason. Pure psycho. Peter Serafinowicz and Guz Khan have amusing turns. Lastly we have two British gangster alumni Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone. These two of course were on a different level to everyone else. Of course Vinnie Jones can be quite cheesy when it comes to acting. One can fondly remember his delivery of the line “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!”. But when it comes to Guy Ritchie, Jones and him have always been a great pairing. Here as the duke estates’ caretaker, Vinnie is super reserved yet again super cool. I think cool is a word that can be used and abused when it comes to this show. It’s all so cool! Then Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family… I mean it’s Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family! He got that Godfather-level gravitas, only more Cockney, and it was great watching him do his thing.

When it comes to the story, this show is standalone to the original film. You can definitely see the inspiration though with certain narrative beats and story choices being very reflective/similar to what occurred in the film, and then the hidden weed farm under the estate looked like exactly the same set as from the film. But overall this is completely its own thing, and each episode brings more fun crime shenanigans for the characters to deal and navigate through, and it was consistently entertaining. My only complaint is that I’d say the finale a tad anti-climactic. I think with all the roughness and toughness that the characters go through, the ending tied everything up a bit too conveniently and neatly. I get I’m not to expect the most realistic thing as this is Guy Ritchie’s world, but I did want things to get a bit more messy, especially due to the build up. That being said this is a major win for Netflix, and I’m expecting a season 2 to be green-lit soon, as this is a winning package.

Overall score: 7/10

[afabstract]

The Gentlemen Review - Guy Ritchie's Slick Rehash Of His Own Oeuvre

Cartel wars, illegal boxing matches, bizarre Catholic cultist mafia gangs, thieving gypsies, and deranged scions, Guy Ritchie's 2024 series "The Gentlemen" is a wide range of crazy. Read our spoiler-free review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) The 2024 Netflix series “The Gentlemen” by Guy Ritchie is like a wild stylish re-hash of his own movies, including the 2019 flick “The Gentlemen” in which Matthew McConaughey played a cannabis mogul looking to sell off his marijuana empire to the highest bidder. This eight-episode show follows young British aristocrat Eddie…

[fumifooms]

<3

[unreesonable]

Review of The League of Gentlemen at the Canal Café, May 1997, from The Independent

The journalist? None other than James Rampton, whose pronunciation of "prawn toast" was later used in the TLOG Christmas special

[reya4k]

[incognito2252]

The Gentlemen 2024

Do you think there is ever a limit to how much you should think about characters from a fandom?

I can't get Suise and Eddie out of my head, and every time I read or see something about them, I smile my head off. I don't think I even get that when I read a cute romance book with people kicking their feet in the air and blushing and smiling.

But I mean, it is not just them; it is the whole story that has me down. I want to watch the show again. Don't get me wrong; I love the movie, but this show, I just can't stop. I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Will it die down, maybe, but is it bad to say that I don't want it to?

I hope the show gets a second season because I need more of Eddie being a posh gangsta, and I need more of Susies and their interactions and more of this story and show. It is just so good, I think it has probably been one of the best shows that I have watched in recent years, and I have watched a lot of shows; it is the kind of feeling that I have had with older shows that I absolutely love also some of my favourite movies that I have watched. In my opinion, it is also the best thing that guy Richie has made since The Gentlemen in 2019, but that might just be me.

Why is it that I can write something like this but struggle to finish my essay for my uni course? It baffles me but anyway.

I think of this as my next peaky Blinders or Roman Empire, if you will.

[hungry-skeleton]

Now that I've had time to process the game properly I've got some Thoughts™ about Into The Hive.. Spoilers under cut for the 2 people on tumblr that play Chicken Police

First things first, I cannot say with a sound mind that this was a bad game because it wasn't. Into The Hive was a fucking blast up until the final act. The gameplay itself was very fun and the visuals were a huge upgrade from Paint It Red. To get it out of the way, yes I understand that it had a rough development due to covid and publisher changes so I can't be too mad about some jank details. However, some of the writing choices were just. Baffling honestly.

For the Hive itself, I was so hyped to finally see it from all the buildup it had in the first game. Unfortunately I don't think this game really delivered? It wasn't an outright disappointment it was just... Eh? The original game made it seem like a lawless wasteland with corpses and cannibals everywhere but all it really turned out to be was a dirtier city with even more depressed people. I was expecting to walk into a purge movie honestly, but maybe that's my fault. For the Hive being the name of the game we barely did any exploring, I feel like we only scratched the surface of the place and didn't even get to see the worst of it.

The exploration of this game in general just felt less in depth than the first. There's no real optional characters to speak to unlike the first game (which makes the Talkative Breed achievement kinda pointless) and it overall felt more cramped and railroaded. There wasn't any limited time events for special dialogue like in the first game unless you count like.. The Bloodboyle birthday thing that's super easy to miss.

While the characters were fantastic as always the only real problem with them was the seemingly shoehorned "romance" between Sonny and Monica. I know haha I'm the "sonny and marty are super gay" guy but speaking entirely about canon, this just doesn't work. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Monica. She and Sonny's one on one interactions in the later half of the game were great, but there's literally nothing about their relationship that is romantic to me. They're good friends, they have been since the first game, and literally nothing about the way they interacted changed. Yet every character was acting as if there was suddenly sparks flying and unmistakable chemistry. They acted the same towards each other as they always have?? I get that the games theme is moving on but I don't think a new relationship is necessary for Sonny to do that, especially not in the way that it was handled.

The final act is where the issues really become prevalent. This games biggest problem is how obviously rushed the conclusion is. Everything was smooth sailing and really enjoyable until the climax. We didn't get to understand the villains and their motivations the way we did Wessler in Paint It Red. In fact we barely got any time with them. Mick was there for a grand total of 2 minutes before fucking vanishing and all we really got out of him was a half baked backstory that he admitted to way too quickly. Everything culminated in the villains being 3 steps ahead of us the entire time and the grand victory just being shooting the bitch (which Sonny once again couldn't do himself). All this did was make me feel like everything I had done was for jack shit. Every clue and lead a trap that was ended with a single bullet. So unbelievably unfulfilling, even if it was still a victory.

Lastly, of course, the elephant in the room. Marty's death was stupid, plain and simple. Writing out of the way, the logistics just didn't make sense? Did Mick only have one bullet or something? Why'd he drive away after a single shot? Marty's death added literally nothing to the story. It was abrupt, thrown in at the last few minutes of the game, and almost felt sort of... passive aggressive in a way? I don't know how else to put it.. There was an air of insincerity to the entire sequence. If you're going to permanently kill a main character there had better be a good reason and there just wasn't one. I literally cannot fathom why this choice was made. So they didn't have to make anymore games? Okay then just don't? Why'd you have to do that? Marty had a family to return to and Sonny had already made up his mind on leaving Clawville, the end of the Chicken Police was already set in stone.. This just felt like an unnecessary jab at no-one in particular.

Some smaller things that bothered me, rather than answering some older questions the last game set up like the shooting incident they instead chose to not answer anything and throw in a few more questions about Sonny's past that will likely never be answered now. Unless they intend on making prequels of some kind? But even that just doesn't feel right now. You see what needlessly killing a main character does? Lmao. Also for the combining feature in the inventory being added we barely got to use it, I wish there was more use in that.

Characters and voice acting were fantastic as always. But otherwise yeah, that's what was on my mind. It's a solid 6/10. I had a great time but the final act really soils so much of the full experience. Lmk what you few other Chicken Police fans on Tumblr think

OK I'm done yapping now, I'm gonna draw Sonny and Marty kissing sloppy style

[pricelessreviews]

[annafromuni]

High Fantasy Mastery in Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies

Another Scott Lynch read under my belt with Red Seas Under Red Skies, though it wasn’t so easily accomplished as The Lies of Locke Lamora. That is through no fault of the writing or plot and purely my time management and multiple focuses tearing attention away from my reading. What a read Red Seas Under Red Skies is! There’s thievery, treachery, double-crossing, assassination attempts, convoluted…

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Review: The Gentlemen. Exciting, intriguing crime rollercoaster.

It’s a very masculine, British movie. Cleverly written, good at building anticipation, baiting each scene. Full of tension and twists. I enjoyed it a lot. MUST WATCH!

The Gentlemen is a 2019 action comedy film written, directed and produced by Guy Ritchie, who developed the story along with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant. 

[spouseoftherisingsun]

20 and 21 for the film ask! ✨

Hello 🫂 These two specifically were so hard, offering three picks for each: one Nostalgic, one Niche, one Obvious but Nonetheless True. This is actually me exhibiting so much restraint you have no idea

20. A film where the vibes are immaculate:

Krysar: La Joueur de Flúte d'Hamelin (1986) - The first weird film my best friend brought to me like, "I've never seen this but I read the description and saw some screencaps and this is a You film". It's a Czech stop motion feature adapting The Pied Piper of Hamelin, it really elevates the original folklore into something special imo

Blood Tea and Red String (2006) - Another film my best friend brought to me, essentially a poem as a film. Highly suggest going in blind, just know that there's no dialogue and it has slowburn pacing

The Fall (2006) - Obvious but very, very good pick. Can't recommend highly enough, can recommend to anyone

21. Films with a great needledrop/score/soundtrack:

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) - Joe Strummer from the Clash is one of my favorite Guys of all time and he was the music guy for this and I love it, it's about a high school reunion and you can tell he had so much fun finding places to drop his favorite throwbacks

The Phantom of the Paradise (1976) - Yet another film my best friend and I found together, also very heavy influence over Guillermo del Toro in terms of style and subject matter, Paul Walker did the music and also cameos as a music producer who's done a deal with the devil, also Jessica Harper from Suspiria (1977) is in it, and um who knew she could sing? God, I love her

Moonlight (2016) - Gorgeous score by Nicholas Brittell, almost picked this for the previous number as well. Same as The Fall, can't recommend highly enough and will recommend to anyone

Also, I almost picked Troy (2004) for this one because it brought us together and also I included it among a bunch of movies the scores of which I studied for a science project in middle school <3 she's always been like this actually 🤔

[theadamantium]

Harri's Picks for 2024

Anora

Dune: Part Two

Challengers

Nosferatu

Wicked

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Alien: Romulus

Civil War

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The Wild Robot

House of the Dragon - Season 02

The Gentlemen - Season 01

Fargo - Season 05

Shrinking - Season 02

Shogun - Season 01

Linkin Park - From Zero

The Black Keys - Ohio Players

Post Malone - F-1 Trillion

Dead Poet Society - Fission

Fontaines D.C. - Romance

Bayside - There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive

Coldplay - Moon Music

Imagine Dragons - LOOM

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

HARDY - Quit!!

Noah Kahan - We'll All Be Here Forever Tour

Creed - Are You Ready? Tour

Queens of the Stone Age - The End is Nero Tour

Kings of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun Tour

Limp Bizkit - Loserville Tour

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Black Myth: Wukong

Astro Bot

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Stellar Blade

[whatkindofnameisella]

obsessed with this review of the gentlemen i saw on letterboxd

[unreesonable]

Review and listings for The League of Gentlemen at the Edinburgh Fringe, 1996.

[brodingles]

Animatic Year in Review (2023)

I actually did a ton of thumbnailing and storyboarding exercises this year, so I compiled the most notable ones into one video!

Check the description for timestamps and links to finished videos, since I included in this video the sketch stages of these things.

I'll post a regular artist summary as well, but I'm proud to have at least attempted so much this year!

[lilareviewsbooks]

June Rapid-Fire Reading Wrap-Up: 15 SFF/Romance Books

Hey guys! Happy June (boooo no more pride month!!)! Last month I read a whopping 15 books (do not ask me how) and so I thought I'd do a quick little monthly wrap up for you guys :)

Mortal Follies, by Alexis Hall

416 pages | 2.5 stars | WLW rep!

I reviewed this in my Queer Bridgerton Post, so I'll be brief! This one follows Maelys, as she finds out she's cursed by a magical entity and recruits a grumpy Ducchess to help her break it. The gimmick is that the whole story is narrated by a member of the fae, who has been exiled and is reminiscing on their Regency adventures!

I thought the gimmick was pretty cool, but the plot lost itself in the second half. The main conflict is resolved way too soon and it spirals from there. But I loved the first half and thought it had a strong point about women's bodily autonomy in Regency England. Since I loved the narrative voice so much, I think I'll continue with the series!

The Navigating Fox, by Christopher Rowe

160 pages | 4 stars | no queer rep on page

I'm finally getting back into novellas! I was excited to read this one: in a world where animals speak and act like humans, the world's only sentient fox begins a journey with a rag tag group to the doors of Hell...

I thought the premise was really interesting and so was the world-building. There's a lot to love here as it really does build a very interesting world that's immersive. But I thought the ending was rushed and that kinda soured it for me. Though overall, I would recommend!

Squire, by Nadia Shammas & Sara Alfageeh

305 pages | 2.5 stars | no queer rep on page

Squire is a graphic novel that I had started once in a bookstore and had really wanted to finish! We follow Aiza, who's part of a minority under Imperial rule, as she trains to achieve her dream of becoming a Knight.

The art for this is absolutely beautiful, and the themes are also very important and well thought-out, as you can clearly tell with the authors' reflections at the end of the book. But I found myself enjoying those more than the graphic novel itself. The TLDR is that I think the graphic novel does not communicate visually. Instead, it communicates via dialogue, which makes it all feel rushed. Plus, I feel like this could've been a book: although the art absolutely has its merits, nothing convinces me that this story had to be told in graphic novel format. In the end, I wasn't that impressed by the story-telling!

The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin

410 pages | 4.5 stars | transfem side character!

Oh my God, The Obelisk Gate! This one is hard to review because it's the second book in the Broken Earth Trilogy. In the first book, we follow Essun, who has magical powers related to the Earth, and two other perspectives, as new "Season" begins, and the world turns desolate again.

This one picks up right where we left off, and I had a really good time! Jemisin's writing style is addicting, and I feel like I know Essun so intimately! It's definitely a middle book in the sense that I was only given more questions and didn't really get any answers, but I'm happy with that hahahah I'm halfway through the third book and loving it, as well! Highly recommend, especially for fans of The Locked Tomb!

The Memoirs of Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan (vols. 2 - 5)

350ish pages | 5 stars | genderqueer character in vol. 3!

The highlight of my month was definitely The Memoirs of Lady Trent! I listened to the audiobook of 4 volumes this month, and was absolutely addicted. The narration by Kate Reading is amazing!!

The series follows Isabella, who lives in a fantastical version of Victorian England, and rebels against societal implications by being obsessed with the study of dragons, and fucking off whenever possible to study them! Each book is one of her adventures, but they all culminate beautifully in the last volume with one hell of a reveal!

I couldn't pick a favorite, but it's between 2 and 3, and for a least favorite, I'd have to give it to book 4. But I had fun with all of them regardless, and was so charmed by the cast of characters! My only qualms were with the endings, which I always felt were a little rushed. But even that didn't hinder my excitement and my love for these books - they are amazing! Definitely new favorites!

(I have a more detailed review of book 2 here.)

The Justice of Kings, by Richard Swan

496 pages | 3.5 stars | no queer rep on page

Next up, The Justice of Kings! It follows Helena, the assistant to Sir Vonvalt, who is detective, judge and executioner of a sprawling Empire, as she and her boss uncover a conspiracy in a smalltown.

I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't what I expected. This is more of a mystery than anything else, and I was expecting a little more than that (not that there's anything wrong with mystery!). I also feel like the characters didn't really change from the beginning to the end of the book, and that the ending doesn't entice you into reading the second book. But I've heard great things about the second book, and so I'll be reading it this month for sure!

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, by K.J. Charles

331 pages | 4 stars | MLM main couple!

I also reviewed this one for the Queer Bridgerton Post, so I'll be brief once again! This one follows Gareth, who runs into his old lover when he comes to Romney Marsh to claim his inheritance from a father he didn't know - and ends up with a sister and a step-mother!

I really enjoyed this! It's very sweet! I thought Gareth's trauma was dealt with expertly, and that his love interest is very charming. The side plot deals with smuggling, so it's very exciting - if a little ridiculous at times! But I had fun regardless! Definitely recommend!

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, by Olivia Waite

219 pages | 5 stars | WLW main couple!

Another one that I reviewed for the Queer Bridgerton Post! This was definitely my favorite of the bunch. It follows Lucy, an astronomer, who takes up residence with the Countess of Moth in order to translate a particularly tricky piece of French mathematics. It deals with the trials of women to get scientific and artistic recognition in Regency England, and also explores abusive relationships and other pressures put on women at the time.

Despite the heavy topics, it manages to stay very sweet and compelling! I found the discussion of embroidery in particular to be very refreshing and impactful - I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Highly recommend!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, by Lex Croucher

416 pages | 4 stars | WLW and MLM main couples!

The last of the Queer Bridgerton Post books! This one takes place in medieval England, where the princess Gwen and her bethrothed Art find out they are very much gay - and hijincks ensue!

I thought this was witty and charming - but it's definitely take it or leave it when it comes to the humor. If it's not your style, put this down, because it won't stop hahaha But because of the humor, I was having a lot of fun, and so ended up rating it highly even though I see plenty of flaws. In specific, I think the romances are barely developed - it's more the friendships that end up being the focus. And the ending... It's quite bad. Atrocious, even. I couldn't get specific without spoilers, sorry, but it didn't really ruin it for me. I still would recommend!

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan

864 pages | 3 stars | no queer rep on page

This month I also began my Wheel of Time journey, by reading The Eye of the World. To be honest, guys, this read like a gigantic, 800-page prologue to something. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it! I did! But I couldn't really tell you where we're going - which honestly, is fine. This series has 13 books, after all.

I'm excited to continue! I've heard things pick up in the second book and so I'll definitely pick it up this month. But this was a little too slow for me, which is why I gave it a 3! I still had fun though! And I'll definitely do a more in-depth review in the future!

The Fireborne Blade, by Charlotte Bond

176 pages | 2.5 stars | WLW rep!

I was very excited to read The Fireborne Blade! It follows a female knight as she ventures into the cavern of a dragon with her squire, which is quite an exciting premise for me! But I found the writing to be too tell-y instead of show-y, and even though the world was awesome, this made me feel less immersed. The twists are also no properly established beforehand, which makes them all come out of nowhere, making the story very weak. Unfortunately I just didn't enjoy myself too much :(

Half A Soul, by Olivia Atwater

304 pages | 4 stars | no queer rep on page!

Listen, I was only going to read this because the third book is sapphic, but I ended up falling in love! I was so pleasantly surprised! This story follows Dora, who was cursed as a child to only have half a soul, and struggles with social cues and her emotions because of this. When her beloved cousin decides to spend the season in London, in search of a husband, Dora trails along, and is soon dropped into a world of magic!

Although intellectually I know the romance is underdeveloped and the social critique is rather lukewarm, I found this to be so charming that I couldn't put it down. It's absolutely delightful and makes you feel warm inside! Dora and her love interest are very sweet together, and it's excellent to see representation for autistic people done so well - and magically! However, I will say I thought the epilogue kind of ruined it. I felt it was absolutely unnecessary!

Regardless, I highly, highly recommend!

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A bunch of books this time hahaha but thank you for sticking with me :) I'm excited for what next month brings and would love to hear from you! What did you read this month? Any stand-outs?