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The Sandman (2022)
Gaiman at his best
I've never read these graphic novels, but I am in general a big fan of Neil Gaiman. He is a magnificent storyteller and this series is classic Gaiman. I love how he works within traditional mythology (Classical, Christian, and English), creating new stories while respecting the tradition. And I love the emotional effect his stories have on me. At least three times in the first episode he built up this little flame of hope inside me and then snatched it away.
This series is visually beautiful. Morpheus communicates so much with a shift of his gaze or turn of his head. Lucienne and Death are perfectly cast. From the shifting stained glass and sweeping vistas of the dreaming to the subtle shadow of her wings. It's one of those rare occasions where the dialogue and the visuals have equally strong roles to play in the storytelling.
I Think We're Alone Now (2018)
What a twist!
This starts out feeling so much like so many other films and books in this genre. One person is dealing with having survived the apocalypsis with strict routines. One person is dealing by expressing all the feels all the time. Then..... well I won't spoil it, but there's a big twist that I didn't see coming at all.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
Gratuitously Violent - unlike the books
I love the books and in general I don't care if movie or tv adaptations of my favorite books are different than the book. Different genres, different visions. I'm fine with it. Also, I love the two main actors. Their chemistry is perfect for these two characters.
All that being said, this show is gratuitously violent. And it's not just violent in a bloody way, it's slow psychological torture violent. I couldn't make it past the second episode, which is such a shame, because the books are fun. The violence in this completely overshadows everything else though.
Sin-gwa ham-kke: Jwi-wa beol (2017)
Fun fantasy with a serious look at human motiviation
First, this movie is just fun visually. Each "hell" has it's vibe - unique landscape and architecture and costumes. The gods and goddesses that pass judgement in each hell are each unique too, ranging in age and gender. The goddess of the hell of liars is a ten-year-old girl who spends the whole trial licking a lollipop. Fantastic.
Second, within all that eye candy and fun fantasy-style fighting, is a beautiful story about human motivation.
Why do people do what they do? A decision that can appear pure might not look so when the person's motivation is uncovered and vice versa. We are complicated creatures.
Like others have written, this can even be a bit of a tear-jerker. I've watched it three times now and there's one scene that always leaves me blubbering. Also, while this is one of two movies, this one does stand on its own. I also love the second movie, but if you're hesitating because you don't want to commit to a two-parter, you can watch this on its own and then decide.
My library has it for free through hoopla.
The Village (2004)
Beautiful and underrated film
This should never have been marketed as a horror film. That's where all the bad press is from. This is a beautiful film about human pain and how we can't hide from it. The monsters won't scare the audience itself, but the fear of the villagers is real and palpable and heartbreaking. The music is gorgeous and the filming interesting. The dialogue feels awkward, but it's intentional and by the end makes sense. I'm so glad I watched this.
The Lightkeepers (2009)
Sweet parallel stories of finding oneself and love
I don't normally watch movies like this. I watched it because I liked Tom Wisdom in Dominion. This is a sweet story of two men (one older, one younger) who have lost themselves and lost love and find it all again. The costumes are beautiful, especially the women's dresses, and the setting is beautiful and the various accents are well done.
Dominion (2014)
Epic mix of post-apocalypse and supernatural
I'm not normally into post-apocalypse stories, but this one kept coming up on recommended lists for me. It's very well done, a nice blend of action adventure, political drama, and supernatural. The political drama focuses on very human characters that are deeply traumatized survivors of the initial apocalypse event. The supernatural aspect focuses on several archangels and angels mixing old testament stories with book of revelations stories. I wonder if this is why SyFy in the end decided not to finish it with a third season, which is a shame. I could see viewers who were looking for straight up post-apocalypse, weren't into this aspect. The writers were doing really interesting things with the supernatural characters though. The acting overall is well done too. Anthony Head with an American accent took a few episodes for me to get into, but he's Anthony Head, so of course he was great. Tom Wisdom comes across as "not human" just by the way he stands. I love that in an actor.
Pinocchio (2019)
True to the book
Yes, it's dark at times, but so is the book. One of the most interesting things that I read about this movie is that when it was first screened some adults complained about the poverty and violence, but the kids didn't. Kids know there is tough stuff in the world. That being said, this isn't for really little kids. In the US it's rated pg-13. So take that into consideration.
The acting is all around very good. It's worth watching in the original Italian with subtitles.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
Run with it
So I went into this knowing nothing about the director and the fabled back story behind the movie's making. I went into it only knowing a bit about the book and liking Adam Driver.
This movie is whackadoodle. In a totally fun and beautiful way. It's a movie of broken hearts and dreams, of blurred lines between reality and fantasy, of hubris and humility. It's a story about story-telling, which I love. I really think it's worth putting it on and just running with it.
Risen (2016)
Confronting the inexplicable
This was very well done. I can understand why it hasn't gotten much attention. It's definitely combines two genres - the standard action ancient roman genre and the standard Easter story genre - making it probably less appealing to people aho are fans of one and not the other. This is definitely worth a watch though, even if you aren't a fan of the Easter story genre. It's not at all preachy. It's ultimately a story of what happens when people encounter the inexplicable. One of the common soldiers tasked with guarding the tomb can't handle it and wants to drink it away. Pilate is bothered, but just wants it all to go away so he can resume his carefully controlled life. Clavius, a Roman tribune and the main character, opens himself up to the inexplicable and experiences transformation.
On the other side, if you do like the Easter story genre, I also think you should give it a try. While the writers took some liberties, the story in its essence is very true to Jesus's message.
Jie you za huo dian (2017)
Beautiful story with nice twist on time-bending theme
This is one of those stories where you just have to go along for the ride. The three young characters don't know what's going on any more than we do and so we get to discover with them this strange place where time is folded a bit. They are three teens on the cusp of adulthood learning about how others faced that moment in their lives.
All the acting is well-done. From the three main characters to all the smaller parts. Jackie Chan as the old man is wonderful. I wish people who love him for his action abilities would let him have these quieter moments.
Merlin (2008)
This generation's Arthurian tale
I am a fan of Arthurian tales, and this is one of my favorites. The story is well-written and well-acted. Merlin and Morgana's parallel stories highlights what happens when people are treated differently because of their gender and class. There is a great deal in here about what happens when a person has to keep a significant aspect of themselves a secret. Arthur's development from a spoiled prince to honourable king involves learning humility and learning to differentiate himself from his father. Gwen is dignity personified, but entirely real at the same time. There is so much good storyteling here that is well-rooted in the Arthurian tradition, but also very relatable to today.
LOL - Chi ride è fuori (2021)
There are the jokes, then there's the squirming
This is hysterically funny. First there are the jokes and the joking around, but almost funnier is watching them all squirm desperately trying not to laugh. If you need a good laugh yourself I definitely recommend this.
I speak English and Italian, but my Italian isn't always strong enough so I had the subtitles on. The subtitles are well done and there aren't so many words that you can't read them and watch what's going on at the same time.
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Solid overall fantasy that gets better as it goes
Couple of things to know going into this. It's an indie production without a huge budget. So the special effects and fight scenes aren't the best. Also from what I've read it's a bit of a dungeons and dragons fan piece, and once you know that the fight scenes, especially when they include magic, make more sense. Now, put all that aside.
The main characters get increasingly interesting as the 5-movie story progresses. They end up very real and human, not just fantasy "types," which is how they start out. Also, the acting gets better. Each movie has a slightly different feel. They worked a little steam punk and zombie action in there, which is fun. The scenery is gorgeous and the costumes well done.
Five movies feels like a big time commitment. I almost didn't watch this because of that, but then I thought of it as a 10-episode, single season series, which it is totally worth.
Anime e sangue (2017)
"Souls and Blood" (not anime in the English sense)
I really enjoyed this. The acting and writing were very well done. It's confusing at first, but the back story gets filled in a little at a time. The story mixes book characters (Peter Pan, Cyrano de Bergerac, etc) and the archangels and Creator from Biblical stories. A little like Good Omens, it's an exploration of the original fall from grace story and how it gets played out over and over again through time, but in a fun fantasy movie format.
It was never finished, so you need to be good with that, but it's worth watching what's here. And it looks like the creators are trying to raise more movie to finish it.
Olympus (2015)
Good ideas, small budget
The production value on this is low, not gonna lie. I wish the creators had had more money to work with, because there are some interesting ideas. They collapse time in order to deal with multiple issues - the ruins reflect us looking back from today, the Magi reflect a time when Christians would destroy the earlier polytheism - and the concept of how we experience time eventually comes into the plot. I'm a couple of episodes from the end and our Hero is in a downward spiral towards anti-Hero status which is painful and real feeling.
My one hugh issue is that once again Anglo writers felt the need to make the bad guys in a fantasy story vaguely Arabic. That really needs to stop.
On - drakon (2015)
Beautiful fantasy film
This seems like it is going to be a basic "beauty and the beast" story until one of the characters talks about seeing the wind. That's when I realized there was going to be something more meaningful to the story. It's also a visually beautiful movie, from the costumes to the settings. I watched it in the original Russian with English subtitles, which I recommend. If you're looking for it, it's sometimes titled I Am Dragon.
Agora (2009)
Details and angles and questions
I loved this movie. The acting and costumes and sets and aerial shots were beautiful. More than that though, there were so many intentional details and so many different angles to the story that my mind keeps coming back to it. Some other reviewers didn't like this movie because there are so many threads, but I find it one of the movie's main strengths. The director wrote that he doesn't write movies that offer answers. He writes movies that ask questions. And this movie certainly does that.
Flora & Ulysses (2021)
Emotional depth of the book lost
The writers removed most of the emotional depth of the book and replaced it with action scenes and a happy ending. My family loves the book for its depth and found the movie highly disappointing.
Black Panther (2018)
Fantasy more than superhero
I am not a fan of most superhero movies. I really enjoyed this though. The plot felt more like a fantasy story to me. The melding of present day with traditional and futuristic elements was well done. It's visually gorgeous and the use of language and accents is beautiful. T'Chala and Shuri have a great sibling relationship. It might be overlooked amongst all the fight scenes, but it's significant that the main battle doesn't end, because one side beats the other into the ground. It ends because one leader rethinks his actions and yields.
Julius Caesar (2012)
Dignity and despair
This was beautifully well-done. Adapted for the screen, there are reminders throughout that you are watching what was originally a play. It could have been jarring, but instead I found it meaningful.
Paterson Joseph's emotional range gives so much depth to Brutus's internal conflict. Portia can very easily become "the hysterical woman," but Adjoa Andoh gave her strength and dignity amidst her frustration and despair. Giving the final scene with Brutus to Lucius, elevated their relationship to something very meaningful. Simon Manyonda won a much-deserved award for his role as Lucius.
I watched this twice, once before and after reading the book "The Racial Contract." It wasn't until the second time that I really began to understand the significance of Black actors speaking Shakespeare's words about what it means to be a citizen and free.
King Lear (2018)
Tragedy at its best.
There are so many heart-breaking moments in this story and all of them beautifully acted. I alternately loved and hated almost all the characters at different points. Casting John Macmillan as Edmund was brilliant. From a 21st-century perspective illegitimacy doesn't seem that big a deal, but I know biracial people who have suffered within their families. I felt for Macmillan's Edmund from the first moment he had to stand there and "take it," and because of my feelng for him his dissent was so painful to watch.