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Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens

This is Dickens at his best - fantastic. This is a move away from the boy hard done by in the world to that of a young man.The story is mainly Nicholas' but Kate and his mother are also heroes in their own right.The story is so long because all the main characters have full arcs and we see the ends of many secondary character's arcs as well.Mrs. Nickleby is one of Dickens' best characters. She thinks she understands exactly what is happening and relates this in unending tales to anyone who will listen.Then when she is wrong - as she often is - she makes a big deal about being hard done by and no one should ever listen to her.

This would be very sad and distressing if it was so funny. It is all delivered to Kate and Nicholas who love her very much and listen and placate her views while not contradicting unless they must.

All of the characters are on point - very funny.It is very long so if you aren't up for a Dickens' epic then it isn't for you. My copy is 934 pages.You have to go into reading some material knowing what you are in for so I wouldn't start my journey with Dickens here but if you are a fan you will love this. Read the full article

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Betrayal At Baldur's Gate

Betrayal At Baldur's Gate - Chris Dupuis & Mike Mearls

This game is a reskin of Betrayal at House on the Hill. The reskin works fine and game play is similar. It is a group co-op game until the haunt begins. At this point, a player generally becomes the bad guy.The triggering of the haunt can take a while to figure out what exactly has changed. Generally, this is fine because the game pauses at this point and the good guys and the bad guys have to read their new rules.

In my last game, we got a haunt where there was no bad guy. This was not great as it wasn't a simple pause of the two groups reading their rules it was a bad break in play where everyone but the people reading the rules had to sit around and wait.

If you focus on your character alone rather than what the group is doing you will have a very boring game.It is a game on rails. Your decisions don't matter until the haunt begins.Before this, you are just moving your pieces around the board to a pre-generated story.It's a beer and pretzels game where you don't have to pay much attention if you are familiar with the rules. So if a hands-off game where not much is happening until the haunt is your cup of tea then you will love this. Otherwise, it will be terrible.I enjoy the story and the setting so that helps a lot. Just make sure your group enjoys it or you could be in for some groans when you take it off the shelf.I think it is better than the original as I enjoy the setting more and I think that the tiles are more interesting as is the framing story.

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Ugetso

Ugetsu - Kenji Mizoguchi

An allegorical tale that tells two interwoven stories of two heroes. The takeaways are clear but the way these messages are delivered is very alien to Western audiences.Our two heroes are neighbors in a small village in feudal Japan. Genjuro is a potter and Tobei is a farmer and sometimes assistant to Genjuro.Tobei dreams of fame as a mighty samurai and Genjuro wants to become an extremely wealthy pot merchant.We move back and forth between the two heroes but do end up spending long periods with one and then the other. There are also long sections where they are together.This in itself makes it quite different from many multi-story films we see today as there is generally a lot more moving back and forth between the two heroes.

The whole film from start to finish feels foreign. There is very odd music over the titles to set the scene and then we are slap bang in 16th century Japan. this is all the setup we are given.

The film allows us to enter this world and understand what is happening through the actions of the characters.We quickly learn that we are in the middle of a war but our heroes are poor peasants so the war is just a backdrop and a hindrance in their stories.Genjuro decides to risk a journey to a larger city to get a better price on his pottery. He returns successful and this fills him with dreams of wealth. He quickly sets to work doggedly making a giant batch of pots. We quickly see this loving husband and father turn into a greed-driven jerk. His wife does her best to support him but he will not listen to her warnings of the coming army.Tobei joins Genjuro in aiding to make the biggest set of pottery that Genjuro has ever fired. They just get it in the kiln and the army arrives.

Our heroes and their families just manage to escape but Genjuro quickly wants to return to check that the fire hasn't gone out and save the pots.

The fire is out and Genjuro is initially beside himself, thinking that they have lost everything. But he quickly realizes that the pots have finished firing.The two families decide to take a boat to an even bigger city to sell the goods.On the journey they meet another boatman who warns them of pirates so Genjuro decides to put his wife and son ashore. They keep Tobei's wife on board as she is a boatman's daughter and can navigate well.

The pots sell extremely well and Genjuro is rich. During the market, a lady approaches him and asks him to deliver some pots to a fort.Miyagi, Genjuro's wife is killed by soldiers on the road back to their village. His son, Genichi escapes. This is brutal because we know what his greed has cost him but he has no idea.Genjuro takes the order of pots to the fort which has lots of damage to it. It isn't until they reach the inner sanctum that things look ok. The only people are the lady who bought the pots and her servant.We quickly learn that things are wrong when the lady's dead father starts singing the song they are singing. But Genjuro has deep lust for the lady.He goes into town and wants to buy things for her but the storekeepers will not take his money after they hear where the goods are to be delivered. Genjuro refuses to see the truth of the situation.

A priest senses the evil surrounding him and tries to turn him from his path but he will not listen. The priest convinces him to let him ward the pot maker with holy writings on his body.

The wards break the spell and the servant reveals that they are both dead and they returned so the lady could fall in love.Genjuro awakes to find the whole fort in ruin. Some guards take all his money and the sword that he took from the lady's father during his escape - proving his guilt as a thief to the guards and the nightmare of the spirits to us and Genjuro.Genjuro returns home and has dinner with his wife, yes the dead one, and son and they fall asleep. In the morning he learns the truth.Throughout the early part of the film Tobei keeps trying to join up with the army but they will not have him without armour and a weapon.So when they have made their money in the big city he immediately abandons Genjuro and his wife Ohama.

With Tobei and Genjuro gone Ohama tries to return home but she is captured a raped by the soldiers.

After buying his armour Tobei is lucky enough to come across a fleeing general who has one of his vassals cut his head off to save him the dishonour of the defeat.Tobei then stabs the vassal in the back and takes the general's head to the other camp for his reward.They don't believe that Tobei killed him but reward the peasants all the same. Tobei heads home at the head of an army.He and his men are convinced to stop at a brothel on the way home and he finds that his wife is the main attraction there.He sees the error of his ways gives up his samurai status and returns home with Ohama.I think that the stories are really interesting and the film looks great. But I am still left feeling that Genjuro is hard done by. Sure he is super greedy but he does it for his family.

The action that he took to put his wife and child ashore was to protect them from the pirates. It just feels a bit rough. While Tobei is much more reckless and doesn't work as hard towards his goal as Genjuro his punishment isn't as bad. It's a good film but a little disappointing in its resolution. Read the full article

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Near Dark

Near Dark - Kathryn Bigelow

This is the most authentic and original vampire film I have ever seen. While you immediately think that this is a vampire film you keep waiting for the expected story beats to happen and they never do.The story opens with the tried and tested - human lured into darkness by lust for one of the vampires. But that is where the familiarity ends.Caleb is a cowboy somewhere in rural America who tries his luck on the wrong girl who turns him into a vampire. We immediately expect the next steps to be inculcation into this world's vampire mythos.But that doesn't happen. We are even left guessing that Mae is a vampire. We are only given clues - animals are frightened of her and she is terrified of daylight. Oh yeah, and she bit his jugular.He is then collected by Mae and her fellow creatures of the night. All he is told is that he has to kill or they are going to kill him.Then we follow Caleb coming to grips with what has happened through normal mundane things - like the fact he can't eat food anymore.

The pressure for Caleb to move across and join the coterie as a fully-fledged member and his desire to return to his family is the underlying struggle. Tied to this is his wish not to die - whatever that means for what he has become.

The lack of explanation and just seeing what happens is great storytelling. The justification is also great. You get the impression that the others do not want to tell him anything about his new state of being OR they don't know much themselves.Mae definitely would have told Caleb but I don't think she gets a chance with all the pressure that both she and him are under for him to become a killer.Caleb wants to be part of the group - for what looks like Mae's sake but maybe he also is intrigued. So he helps them out of some tight spots - especially during the crisis when they are surrounded by cops in daylight.

Looking more into the film it was interesting to see many familiar faces from Aliens & the nod to the film with it showing in one of the towns the group passes through.

In the background to the main story is the story of Caleb's family and the cops trying to find him and his kidnappers. This is also done well in that it is believable. The cops couldn't care less and they don't think he has been kidnapped. His family do and work very hard to get him back.By not including any of the usual exposition about being a vampire we just get to see the night-to-night lives in action. Great storytelling and the bar scene after they give Caleb his ultimatum is truly something to behold. Read the full article

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Dark Victory

Dark Victory - Edmund Goulding

A headstrong lady is cured of a brain tumour but during the treatment, her doctor learns that she only has months to live.The doctor and her best friend decide to keep the secret to themselves hoping to give her a happy last few months.This backfires and almost costs them all their relationships.This is an interesting concept for a film but many of the steps along the way have left it very dated.The biggest problem is taking away the agency from the great character that Davis plays. She is not just a two-dimensional wealthy lady used to getting her way - though she is also all of this.The is a complex character - clearly used to making her own decisions. This is proved true as soon as she finds out about her diagnosis and lets the doctor and her friend have it.She comes around to their view shortly and decides to live out the rest of her time in happiness.

The real issue for her here is that while she has been duped by them she has married the doctor and it is only by mistake that she finds out.

Story this means that she isn't the driving force for the catalyst - the decision to hide the true outcome of the operation from her.Through the film from this point up until she finds out the truth about the crisis she is a passenger in her own story.Apart from this section the rest of the plot is well constructed and has reasonable points. None of it is exciting and is all just fine.All of the intros to the characters are succinct and well handled. I found it disconcerting that before the operation the doctor wouldn't tell her anything about what was going to happen.

It's just so out of place for today. It is also very odd to see Bogart in such a tiny support role. The lead - Brent - is completely forgettable even with all the time on the screen. Bogart has two maybe three scenes but is so great in all.

Watch Bogart in almost anything else - Maltese Falcon would be my suggestion. Even though Davis won the Oscar here for her performance she was just as good in All About Eve - and the film is better.The pacing is good throughout - a big problem with other films of the time - apart from the end. Judith's death seems to take FOREVER. Read the full article

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Mr Robot

Mr Robot - Sam Esmail

Season Four (This is my rating for all four seasons. I'll add my notes on seasons 1-3 when I find them)Overall this season was good but it was really just the post script to the brilliance that led up to this point. We learn about the Deus Group - the organization that Whiterose controls. All this added detail was unnecessary - this could have been the ruling council of the dark army.So the plot for the start of the season is to take down the Deus Group so that Elliot can survive post the shipping of Whiterose's project to the Congo.So we are just here to see the end of all the plots with all the characters that have emerged throughout the rest of the story and to be honest most of them are not very interesting. Once Angela lost her mind she ceased to be an exciting part of the story.

We learn, but not clearly, that Whiterose plans to merge two parallel universes. Somehow this is supposed to make everything better.

And then bam it looks like it has worked. But the new world is too good to be true and it quickly unravels when Elliot tries to take the place of his counterpart.Then we see the intrusion of Elliot's other personalities that we have seen waiting in the wings and we know there are more.Elliot learns the true nature of this world - it is in his mind and he is a prisoner. What I hated about the whole reveal of Whiterose's plan was that everything has been explained to us throughout the seasons.We begin to see her plan revealed but the explanation leaves a lot to be desired. The reveal that Elliot himself was a personality was interesting but kinda unnecessary.Like Mr. Robot's creation makes complete sense.

But the creation of another Elliot? The only explanation that we get from the real Elliot in the prison-fantasy world is that his life is too boring so he creates Elliot because being a super hacker would be fun. Come on.

One sequence that I did enjoy was the return of Fernando. His return doesn't make a lot of sense but the sequence that follows is spectacular. His dialogue is crisp and refreshing and the secrets he forces Krista to get out of Elliot are amazing.Overall they just spent too long on everything this season. It did feel like the end and the only reason it was made was because it was so popular. Read the full article

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - John Frances Daley & Johnathan Goldstein

This film has a well-constructed non-linear plot. It is super fun and has lots of nods to fans as well.I did not expect much going into this given the last movie crossover attempt - so I was pleasantly surprised.From the get the film is in its element. It knows what it is and pulls no punches. It is a fun and engaging adventure with likable characters with understandable and believable motives.Our party's leader is a charismatic bard, Edgin, played by Chris Pine. His too-trusting companion, Holga, played by Michelle Rodriguez, is ever present as the stalwart fighter.These are the main two characters and we meet them well into the story.

The film opens with them captured in an icy fortress and we waste no time getting our introductions to the glib-tongued Edgin and the ferocious Holga.

This leads us into the first telling of their backstory - as they plead for release from jail. We get all caught up and meet all the rest of the party members.Hugh Grant as Forge, the hapless rogue, and Justice Smith as Simon, the even worse sorcerer.This is great as we can skim over the adventures and the years that led to this point.We learn of how Edgin and Holga ended up in jail and we meet the villain - an evil sorceress. If we had gone through the story linearly and actually watched all of the rather than Egdin telling it to us it would have taken forever.

Egdin and Holga escape and we are all caught up. Eight or so years and multiple adventures backstory told in a few minutes. Brilliant writing.

We soon learn that Forge was in league with the sorceress leaving them to be caught. Simon leads them to a stalwart druid, Doric played by Sophia Lillis.The plan to take down Forge and rescue his daughter is put into action. A funny and at times poignant adventure takes place with all the expected tropes.Doric wild shaping through the castle to learn about their plans is a brilliant sequence of events. So much fun to watch.The Paladin is hilarious. Played to a tee by Rege-Jean Page.The literal way he takes everything is so on point. The hither thither staff is just excellent as well.

The scenes where they use it to get into the treasure carriage had me laughing out loud.

There is a big reveal very near the end that Edgin is actually to cause for everything that has happened. He stole some treasure from the original red wizard's horde leading them to his doorstep. This is the catalyst of the story and why he is doing what he is doing.He is trying to atone for bringing death to his wife and leading everyone down this path.Apart from the fabulous story structure and the really fun moments there is sincerity and believability with all the characters. Holga may be a little dumb but not comically so and she is true and sincere.Simon's failing as a sorcerer is rooted in his lack of belief in himself - which we see throughout the film.

Even Forge who might appear to be a charismatic fool looking to make a quick buck from the sorceress is no fool. He has an exit plan and doesn't plan to die, even though he is happy for everyone else to. I highly recommend this for fans of the game and newcomers alike! Read the full article

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Spider-Man: Across The Spider-verse

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse - Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson

9/10 Miles Morales returns as Spider-Man from an alternate dimension but this is much more than his story this time around. The overall premise of this story is that there are cannon events in every Spider-Man life that must happen - if they don't then the multi-verse can be destroyed. In order to illustrate this the story starts with Gwen. The opening is extremely well written and we get here entire back story in a few minutes. She is quickly unmasked in her world and her dad goes to arrest her. This whole situation is devastating.

Something I absolutely love about this film is the way they change the animation to show the movement between universes. Such a neat and easy visual clue that we have moved.

The washed out water colours of Gwen's world contrasted with the haphazard almost scribbled backgrounds of Pavitr's is great. By starting the story with Gwen it allows the writers to portray Miles as a jerk in the opening of the film - which they do with aplomb The desires of the individual characters are contrasted with the overall premise to save the spider-verse by removing anomalies and ensuring cannon events occur is interesting. We get to see both views of this contrast through Miles and Gwen. Miles sees it from the outside as he and we are inculcated into the spider-verse. We also see it from Gwen's perspective as someone who has already gone through this.

We are shown things that give good examples that if anomalies are allowed to occur and cannon events are interrupted it can wipe out entire worlds.

Given all of this Miles is still keen to fight against what he sees is wrong. Gwen is torn between what she sees as the right thing to do - save the worlds - and what she individually wants - Miles and a return to her world and a relationship with her father. Because of the way these things are portreyed to us we end up on Miles' side. This is very strange because logically we are supporting the destruction of the spider-verse. I really enjoyed the villain - spot - learning his powers throughout the film. This was very funny to watch. Miles' mum's speech to him about going out into the world to do what he wants is amazing - just stellar writing. Every aspect of India-Spiderman (Pavitr) is brilliant. The chai-tea bit links brilliantly to Miles ATM bit from the start.

They do some great references to the comics with little boxes of descriptions etc coming up on the screen - the film opens with an animated 'Cough' on the black screen before the titles.

The boxes allow them to introduce a brit punk rock Spider-Man that speaks in his local lingo and we get translations through the boxes - also just a great character in general. We learn that the whole reason that all these anomalies are happening is because of Miles - the spider that bit him is from another earth so he is an anomaly. The film ends with a rebellion group of the spider-men who join together to fight the main group of spider-men who are protecting the spider-verse from destruction. I have a problem with how this all came together. The punk rock spider-man is stealling stuff constantly from the spider-man HQ and he builds all there own portal devices. But he destroys his original one when he quits. My question is why? All the others do need him to make one for them because they no longer have one.

Miles ends up in the wrong dimension because he is sent back to where the spider that bit him came from. And in this dimension he has become the ripper from the first film.

Big BOOOO to the ending finishing on a cliff hanger. So this film has some serious issues with the narrative structure because the climax doesn't answer the central question - obviously because this is part one of the story. The film still manages to score 9 out of 10 for me because of how brilliant the rest of the pieces are. Read the full article

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Skyrim

Skryim - Bethesda Game Studios

8/10 I only finished playing this recently after playing on and off since release. The time I spent playing this game verges on the ridiculous. More ridiculous was my fixation on completing every facet of the game. Reflecting back on the game as a whole I must say that overall I found it good, great even in parts but not the fantastic game that it was lorded (and still is) to be. The main plot follows the return of dragons to the world as well as the Dragonborn (you) who are here to defeat them. This takes place on the backdrop of the civil war in Skyrim as the xenophobic Nords, seek to retake take their land, and leave the empire.

As you navigate your way through these two main storylines you meet many other people of note throughout Skyrim and also run across a number of the Daedric gods.

You have the opportunity to end up leading the Wizard's College; the Thieves Guild; the Dark Brotherhood assassin guild; and the Companions. And this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the people you meet and aid across the country. With so much to sink your teeth into it felt like this was a no-brainer 10/10. The problem was that it all felt a bit bland. I found that I ended up not being able to identify with any of the groups. So you end up as a lone wanderer, who can be a member or even leader of a group that they don't identify with. Even if you lean into the group's goals I felt that you either ended up having to do something that didn't sit right or it was a bit lack-luster.

The main quip I always hear is about the civil war - this is low-hanging fruit because the Nords are racist and you are encouraged to support them without knowing this at the start. You escape from execution by the empire - so why would you side with them?

The companions were a group I felt was much more interesting. While they do have the same - we love nords attitude - theirs is rooted in history. While their history does see them participate in wars they stand apart now and are more interested in personal choice and honor. What makes them very interesting is that they have a dark secret. They are infected with lycanthropy. Their story sees you join the head of their group in his quest to rid himself of the curse so he can enter the Nordic afterlife. What is great about this story is the player gets to choose whether they end up following this example or join others in the group who relish the hunt. Great stuff. But the problem I found is that it was a very quick quest line compared to the others. Gameplay itself was fun and allowed you to play whatever sort of character you liked. I enjoyed the skill development, especially the crafting skills. Allowed you to tinker and develop the types of items that you wanted to create. After all these years something still made me want to come back and finish it properly. And when I did I felt more relief than accomplishment.

So while there were some great parts and the gameplay worked well the thing I have to thank Skyrim for is making me realise that there is no need to 100% complete a game. Read the full article

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David Copperfield

David Copperfield - George Cukor

This is part of my unedited thoughts series 6/10 The film felt pretty true to the source material. The problem was that lots of the characters seemed to have forgotten that they were in a Charles Dickens adaptation. Dickens' characters are larger than life and if you don't lean into that the acting will be awful. There is a great contrast in the opening scenes between David's aunt and his mother. The aunt gets it and she is brilliant to watch throughout the film. His mum comes across as a melodramatic fop.

When I was reading the novel I felt that a lot of the plot centered around the machinations of Uriah Heep. This is because his ploys affect both the true target of David's affection and his lodger - David. It was happening throughout the book as David was lodged with this family from fairly early on. Without this, there doesn't seem to be any real antagonist.

I also felt that the whole Emily plot could have been cut. This is a great look into the world in which David lives it holds no baring on the central plot. That is unless we see Emily as a potential love interest. For this to happen David needs to give us a sign. All the early setup is there and until he is asked outright we could believe that it was a possibility. I hate the way this film opens with a quotation from Dickens about how much he loves David Copperfield. Then we see the first page of the book. Yeah, we get it. This is an adaptation. The fact that it is an adaptation and Dickens liked the story has no bearing on the story itself. The three girls are central to holding the disparate parts of this story together. Emily, Agnes, and Dora. Emily the early remembrance of his early life and represents simple poor folk.

Agnes, his lifelong friend during his days at school. Who loves him dearly. She is also key to being fought over by David and Uriah, even if David cannot see it. Then we have Dora. Dora is David's idea of what he should be aiming for. Some sort of phantasmical beauty well above his station.

The thing that David doesn't seem to understand - despite it being thrown in his face the entire story - is that happiness is all that matters. The money the status that he seems to (only really half-heatedly) long for is unimportant. His blindness to this leads Emily to ruin and breaks Agnes' heart when he chooses Dora. I just happened to be reading Nicholas Nickleby at the time when I watched this and it got me thinking about some other Dickens that I had read. I haven't read these books recently but I have read Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and Hard Times. The last was so long ago I barely remember it at all. I feel that Dickens has a well-worn troupe. There is a young boy left in destitution. Generally, his family or relatives are horrible to him and he has to leave to make his way in the world. He is generally naive and blind to the love of a girl (or girls). This is fine because I do feel that the lead in these stories is more of a window in the world of fantastic larger-than-life characters that Dickens creates.

Read the full article

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The Great

The Great - Tony McNamara

Season One This is part of my unedited thoughts series 10/10 This show is just fantastic. The casting is great as are the performances in all the key roles. This first season follows Catherine The Great from her arrival in Russia to her attempt to take the throne from Peter. I feel overall the story is super tragic. This is because of how flawed Peter is. At his heart, I feel he is a good man but is a product of his terrible upbringing. All the characters are interesting and have different goals on the court. They are different and flawed and the script explores these things well.

The best part about the show is its ability to handle its monumental tonal shifts with aplomb. The show is hilarious in a ludicrous almost theatre of the absurd way. This is because of the absolute nonsense that is happening around the court - generally just to keep Peter happy.

This absurdity is also because of the period it is set in. Serfdom is the norm in Russia and ideas a flourishing in Paris and across western Europe. This is where the tonal shift comes in cause some of the things that are happening are truly horrible and Catherine is seriously trying to do something about it. The marrying of the comedy and tragedy could easily be a disaster but it is done so well that it makes this show magic. When Peter is poisoned in a fit of anger by one of his friends Catherine is thrust into the spotlight as it looks like she will get the power she has been dreaming of. Unfortunately, she turns out to be terrible. This drives her to be ready for the next time she has an opportunity. We see some truly wild takes on some great historical characters from Voltaire to the King and Queen of Sweden.

The season ends with the coup beginning. I am extremely excited to see where the story goes next because at this point this is one of the best tv shows I have ever seen. Read the full article

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Power

Power - Courtney A. Kemp

Season Two This is part of my unedited thoughts series 6/10 I'll add season one here as well once I find my notes. All of the dramatic irony that was set up in season one comes to a head here. Ghost's marriage is dust and Angela leaves him in the end as well. Kayne blows up lots of the cartel's arrangements as well. The cops end up losing their case against Tommy because of Angela's super dodginess. Tommy's relationship with Holly is on and off, but surprisingly, it seems to be the most stable thing throughout this. Because of the ongoing issues further up the supply chain and double shipment is sent and then the money needs to be back in quicker than agreed. They all pull together and make it happen even with all the other shit going on.

In the end Ghost is angling to get out so ends up killing everyone apart from Ruiz who he warns to leave.

Ghost wins back his night club and he even manages to have his supplier killed in jail. Looking like he wants out of the game. This feels like the end for me or there is going to be a completely new story. They spent season one building up all these plots and then ended them all here. The characters feel a little bit like cardboard cut-out, nothing to them. There is also way too much sex in this season. It kind of felt that they needed to do something to up the viewers because they only had half a season with the plot they had. I mean sex is fine we just don't need to see all of it. Though Tommy and the puppy after kicking the one-night stands out is great! Read the full article

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What We Do In The Shadows

What We Do In The Shadows - Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi

This is part of my unedited thoughts series 9/10 What could be more normal than a documentary about a coven of vampires? When the film opens with archaic titles for: "New Zealand Documentary Board", you know you are in for something unique. The complete deadpan way in which the film is presented is brilliant. A documentary crew is following a group of vampire housemates in the lead-up to this year's Unholy masquerade. Viago (Waititi) is the narrator. Our in-shot guide into their world. He isn't the story's hero as this character has no arc.

The hero of the story is Nick. A guy who is going to be their dinner but he escapes and is turned by the ancient vampire Peter. He then stuffs everything up by telling everyone that he is a vampire.

This leads to a vampire hunter coming after them and the death of Peter. Eventually, Nick accepts what he has become. Bringing his human friend Stu to the masquerade at the end saves the day. There are a lot of sub-plots and backstories to cover as well. It does feel like a reality TV show in the way these stories are told. We get one-on-ones with all the characters explaining their origins. The rest of the show is vignettes of life as a vampire. There is some great stuff here. The two young girl vampires that kill pedophiles - great stuff.

The introduction to technology is fantastic as well. They also make a lot of references to other vampire myths. Vladislav (Clement) is Vlad the Impaler himself. There are also visual references to other vampire films which are great little easter eggs.

Overall it is a fantastic piece of cinema that gives you exactly what you want, just in ways that you didn't expect. All the performances are good. Underplayed but fantastic. Highly recommended!!! Read the full article

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Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre - Guy Ritchie

This is part of my unedited thoughts series 8/10 This had some great Guy Ritchie vibes. Reminiscent of Snatch and Lock Stock. Dialogue was key to achieving this. Aubrey Plaza as Sara, the new communications operative was brilliant. She owned her role and dominated the screen. Hugh Grant as the villain was also fantastic. We know he is mean - he is nasty - but comes across as charming when we meet him so is almost a caricature of a villain - until the very end. It's a pretty basic plot. Something important gets stolen right at the start and no one knows what it is. We just know that it is bad. Then we are watching the team get put together. The group is led by Carey Elwes, lead from The Princess Bride.

The thing that sets this apart from other spy films like Mission Impossible and Bond is that there is a competing agency team on every operation. So not only are they fighting the bad guys they are also fighting the other good guys.

This starts silly and then shifts to ridiculous until we and the characters learn that the opposing team is trying to steal the McGuffin. This parallels Hugh's seeming caricature of a villain until near the end. The finale is fantastic where Hugh turns villainy up to ten and all the other newbie baddies get shown up. The agents we have been following are great as well. Pitty it was a bit humdrum getting there. Still a very entertaining romp. Read the full article

[thewritermuses]

Louis C.K.: Oh My God

Louis C.K.: Oh My God

This is part of my unedited thoughts series 5/10 I don't think I'm a huge fan of Louis C.K. I'll try to explain why. Most of his gag lines start funny enough but he keeps going and going and going until the joke is dead. Then he flogs it some more. The opening joke line in this movie is an excellent example of this. He talks about this old lady in New York and her and her blind dog. The perspective humor is great - emulating what it is like to be them. Then he talks about them dying and who it would be better to go first. The end of the joke line is the lady shitting on the dead dog's head forever in her toilet. I mean I get that no critic is the authority on what is funny but the silence that followed this joke sent a clear message.

The only other show I've seen by Louis C.K. is Chewed Up. This is much better than that. What perplexes me by these shows is that people find them funny. It may be a contagious thing - like everyone else is laughing so I have to laugh.

The funniest part of this is the animals at the zoo jokes. Like a good story it's all in the way it's told. So if you can find those they are well worth a watch. The whole line about getting old and having a loose leaking butt was just gross. I thoroughly enjoyed the pretending not to live in the building joke. The dating jokes were ok. Tits jokes were ok but getting pretty perverted. The of course and maybe joke that the show ends on is just a cop-out. An excuse for him to say whatever he wants and get away with it - which he obviously cannot do as the slavery joke gets called out by the audience. Read the full article