westyrcp Reviews

A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day (2013)

Well Done - Not for Everyone

[9/10 · 5 June 2019]

Based on a noted event, the Anglo-Saxon Abbey on Lindisfarne Is. off the coast of Northumbria, England is attacked and ransacked by Scandinavian marauders. It reflects the Norse transition from the Vendel era to the Viking era. The case cover depicts a horned helmeted, leather strapped, bulked up warrior -- none of that is actually true.

The cinematography is really quite good, the period dress and appearances quite accurate, and the absence of any real bling for modern viewers is understandable in a film where realism is intended. Real Vikings, after long ocean voyages, were quite filthy with mostly poor diets and just not always the clean blondes people have been raised to expect.

A point that another mentioned is doubt the Vikings wore chain-mail as depicted but actually they did, even before the Viking era, and it's always been a point of contention between historians as to how that came to be. Possibilities including contact with remote people like the Romans or Sarmatians who were already wearing it.

The film is more of a human interest story as we follow the few actors almost like a documentary. I don't recall hardly any special effects and the military action people might expect from the cover is limited.

Before you view or purchase perhaps have a look at some of the trailers on YouTube. As a history nut I really enjoyed it

The Americans (1961– )

Very, Very Memorable

[10/10 · 24 May 2019]

I had already developed an interest in the US Civil War - my family was on both sides of the conflict - and my family often visited Civil War battlefields from our home in Western Pennsylvania. I was 9 years old and immediately latched on to this brief TV show which I thought was fantastic. I was very disappointed that it was gone after a season and was my first introduction into how fickle the networks could be -- up until then I though TV shows always lasted for years. To this day I never understood why they cancelled the program. For some odd reason I remember the artwork always portrayed in the opening of each show plus the theme song -- both lost to time and memory I suppose.

The Revenant (I) (2015)

Very Questionable

[2/10 · 20 December 2018]

Historically extraordinarily inaccurate - it is honestly not representative of the real Hugh Glass, the mountain men and the Indians. Even the landscapes are inaccurate based on where the real Hugh Glass was. As an fictional action-adventure piece for the masses I think it does pretty well even though it stretches incredibility to impossibility in many of the scenes.

My greatest worry is it sets up for the next generation silly Indian/trapper stereotypes. For example, the depiction of mountain men and/or trappers as being totally helpless and defenseless in the great outdoors - nothing could be further from the truth. A muzzle loading single shot hand gun cannot be fired several times in rapid succession from horseback. And in that era the Indians never attacked a trapper camp of that size - they didn't have the manpower and they couldn't afford the casualties. Otherwise -- enjoy the movie.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018)

So-so

[5/10 · 20 December 2018]

This latest six hour version is mostly bling for the millennials but doesn't really measure up to the original. There are so many things to criticize that I'll just point out several. The film moves back in forth in time disrupting the flow - this was tried in some other recent movies that flopped. The two actresses for the lead roles of Miranda and Irma should have been reversed - actress Weaving should have been Miranda. And I think some others have mentioned that having an aboriginal girl and a Jewess at an exclusive Anglo-girls school in year 1900 was highly unlikely, even if big money was involved. The parents of the other girls would have pulled them out of the school lickity-split.

One would expect the cinematography to be superior to that in the early '70's and in some ways it was but the build up to the picnic and what followed was mundane and the music, elementary. In fact most of the movie didn't focus on what happened after the picnic as much as background histories for the main characters and the various psycho-erotica going on.

Natalie Dormer does a good job and compares favorably to the original Mrs. Appleyard. Most of the rest of the character's dialogue suffered from a subpar script. Lola Bessis as the Mademoiselle also gave a good performance as did Nicholas Hope as Colonel Fitzhurbert.

I wish it had been better, more revealing, less choppy and pretentious, and had a more satisfying ending.

Lizzie (2018)

Future Cult Classic

[8/10 · 14 December 2018]

Based on real events, this movie is a plausible alternative to other earlier filmed representations of the topic. This was a double murder case which was never solved or more correctly preferred not to be solved back in 1892. A great ensemble cast, good cinematography, excellent props, etc. Because it was made for theater, time limitations dictated elimination of several possible side-stories and etc. but the movie moved along well setting up possible reasons for the crimes and by whom.

Before watching, recommend a short read about Elizabeth Borden on wiki to help put things in perspective. Also, while gore is limited, it still can briefly be a little strong for the squeamish.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

A Little on the Flat Side

[5/10 · 29 December 2017]

A couple of great actors try to make this 'survival in the wilderness' film work but it didn't have the 'bling' I'd hope for. The fundamental premise is an old one - people trapped in the great outdoors and trying to get back to civilization alive. You could even extrapolate that out to people getting trapped anywhere in film and trying to get home. I couldn't begin to count the number of movies ever made about this in all those permutations but to me this particular film was more of a TV drama than a cinematic blockbuster. The cinematography and special effects were good, and the dog happily wagged it's tail throughout its scenes regardless of calm or peril ;-) I'll leave the storyline detail to the others who have already written about it.

The Driftless Area (2015)

Intrigue with a Great Ensemble Cast

[9/10 · 29 December 2017]

A small human interest story in a small town in the geographic area in the title that involves, as a few others have already mentioned, questions and philosophies of life, death, fate, etc. I think the cast was great as is the cinematography and script.