Category: movies

The Warded Man (2009) – a review

On By Rick McIn books, movies1 Comment

The Painted Man (titled The Warded Man in the US) is a fantasy novel written by American writer Peter V. Brett. It is the first part of the Demon Cycle. …

… a world plagued by the attacks of demons known as corelings, which rise from the planet’s core each night to feast upon humans. …

The ongoing attrition of these attacks have reduced humanity from an advanced state of technology to a ‘dark age’. The only defense against the corelings are wards (magical runes) that can be drawn, painted, or inscribed to form protective barriers …

As the novel progresses, the protagonists each embark upon their own “hero’s journey” in an effort to save humanity. …

As of now the series is planned to be 5 books long. …

It has been confirmed that the Demon Cycle has been optioned for film production by director Paul W. S. Anderson …

thepaintedman

Ambitious.

I can’t really compare it to anything else I’ve read.

There are many things you could complain about in book 1. But I’ll be downloading book 2 – The Desert Spear. The main characters have got me interested. And the plot of book 2 sounds fascinating. Almost something out of Dune.

EX_MACHINA

On By Rick McIn books, internet, movies, things getting worseLeave a comment

There’s much talk of when the first computer will gain consciousness. And supersede mankind.

EX_MACHINA is a 2015 British science fiction thriller film written and directed by author and screenwriter Alex Garland, making his directorial debut. The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac. …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Ex Machina has received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 91%, based on 174 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. …

On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.

Garland is the guy who wrote that terrible 1996 novel – The Beach. 😦

Here’s the state of the art in 2015, a Toshiba humanoid named Aiko Chihira.Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Humans have a few years left, obviously. 🙂

related – Uncanny valley

Philip Seymour Hoffman – A Most Wanted Man

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

A Most Wanted Man is a 2014 British espionage thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré …

The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright …

It is the last of Hoffman’s films released in his lifetime. …

A Most Wanted Man received positive reviews and has a … score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

I was reminded just how terrific Hoffman was as an actor. Very believable. Never cliché. This film is recommended, if only as a tribute to his memory.

Philip Seymour Hoffman died of combined drug intoxication. Age-46. 😦

Hoffmann

related – NY Times obituary

He appeared in more than 50 films over 25 years.

Kalyan Studios, Victoria B.C.

On By Rick McIn friends, moviesLeave a comment

My friend Dean Kalyan and his family are really into sport, music, photography and videography.

A collection of images shot and produced by Kalyan Studios in the past year.

Click PLAY or watch some of their quirky, personal work on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/112979182

If you need a video made contact info (a) kalyanstudios.com

Only Lovers Left Alive

On By Rick McIn Islam, movies, musicLeave a comment

Only Lovers Left Alive is a 2013 vampire film … starring Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi, and John Hurt. A co-production of the United Kingdom and Germany, the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. …

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 85% based on 158 reviews. The critical consensus states that “Worth watching for Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton’s performances alone …”

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Tim Grierson of Paste noted that “Hiddleston and Swinton play their characters not as blasé hipsters but, rather, deeply reflective, almost regretful old souls who seem to have decided that love is about the only thing you can count on.”

Tilda Swinton is fantastic. Can you believe she’s age 54?

Tom Hiddleston, her romantic partner, is is 20 years younger.

Music and vintage instruments are an important theme. Click PLAY or watch a performance by Yasmine Hamdan on YouTube.

Taken 3 – a review

On By Rick McIn firearms, movies1 Comment

Taken 3 (stylized as TAK3N) is a 2014 French action thriller … the third and final installment in the Taken trilogy, and the sequel to the 2008 film Taken and the 2012 film Taken 2. The film stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Forest Whitaker. …

Despite being largely panned by critics, the film was a box office success, grossing over $289 million.

OK, I’m a sucker for Liam Neeson. That must be it. The film is weak.

Liam’s fight scenes are the most unrealistic since 1960s TV, but I still enjoyed this pic.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Neeson is a critic of the proliferation of firearms in the US and has made calls for gun control. In January 2015, he repeated his views, calling US gun laws a “disgrace” in an interview with Dubai newspaper Gulf News when replying to a question about the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris earlier that month.

Gone Girl – a review

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

I’ve not yet read the book. But the film is excellent.

Gone Girl is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and adapted by Gillian Flynn from her 2012 novel of the same name. It stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. …

Affleck can only play Affleck. He’s OK. But there’s not much acting there.

Rosamund Pike is fantastic.

… she received nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. …

What a freak.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

The Theory of Everything

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

The Theory of Everything is a 2014 British biographical romantic drama … from the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, his diagnosis of motor neuron disease, and his success in physics. …

Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 214 reviews with an average score of 7.3/10. …

At the 87th Academy Awards, it has been nominated in the categories of Best Picture, Best Actor for Redmayne, Best Actress for Jones, …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) would be a far more worthy winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor than is Michael Keaton (“Birdman”)

Redmayne spent six months researching Hawking’s life, watching every interview footage he could find on him. …

… Hawking gave him his blessing and also revealed that, “[Hawking’s] response was very positive, so much so that he offered to lend his voice, the real voice that he uses. The voice you hear in the latter part of the story is in fact Stephen’s actual electronic voice as he uses it” …

Selma – a review

On By Rick McIn education, ethics, GOP USA, government, Islam, movies, things getting betterLeave a comment

Selma is a 2014 American historical drama film …

It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches …

Selma has received universal acclaim from film critics. Praise has gone particularly to the film’s acting, cinematography, screenplay, and direction. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a rating of 98% …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

It’s an important movie. A good history lesson.

Martin Luther King Jr. emulated my personal hero Gandhi. Non-violent resistance. The best way for an oppressed minority to challenge a privileged majority.

It worked.

But as a film I found Selma average. Too preachy. The dialogue often not believable. The good guys too good, the bad guys too evil.

It might have been better as a documentary.

Instead it’s a Hollywood fiction based on a true story. I know not all the facts are exactly right. But John Lewis, being bludgeoned in this photo March 7, 1965, feels the film gets enough right. To him the film is true to the story.

DAVIS

Alabama Governor George Wallace was a prototype segregationist. During his final years, Wallace recanted his racist views and asked for forgiveness from African Americans.

I visited Alabama for the first time last year. Surprised and pleased to see no outward signs of overt racism.

Sooner or later the echos of American slavery will be entirely forgotten.

In the meantime, Selma is a reminder of how far we’ve come. And how far we have not come.

related – Neil Young – Southern Man