Period Drama: The Queen's Gambit

 

denofgeek.com

I feel like I need to just write this at the beginning of half of my reviews, but, "I originally avoided this one." I really enjoy chess, and used to play it a lot in my youth, but haven't really had too many opportunities to pick it up again since I was a teenager. Although I was interested in the concept of this Netflix Original, it got a lot of hype, and quickly. I worried that it would be either: too glossy and not truly focused on chess at all, or too much of a stereotype. I am thrilled to report that I didn't find either of these things to be true.

Trouble with Lichen (John Wyndham)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk.

abebooks.co.uk

What it's about:

Diana Brackley is unusual. She doesn't think about marriage or babies, and wants to go to university. She asks uncomfortable questions and seems to be able to look right through you. Upon graduating from school, she decides to become a biochemist, and soon is hired at the prestigious Darr House, owned and operated by Francis Saxover. Upon working with different strains of lichen, Diana discovers something she never could have foreseen - a lichen species with a property that, if know, will change the course of human history forever.

Favourite Five: Movie Musicals as an Adult

A while back I did a list of my favourite movie musicals as a child, however some people were interested in also hearing what my favourites were now. So, I will oblige. The truth is that I've had this post in my drafts since about...forever? I had the hardest time limiting it to just five. If I had to pick musical on their own, and not just movie musicals, I have no idea what I would do. These are my current five favourites (in no particular order)...well, at least the best I can compile them:

variety.com

1) Gigi

filmcomment.com

   2) Yentl

Mini-Reviews: On Chesil Beach, Juliet, Naked, Midnight Sun

If you could see the notes posted on my computer, you'd discover that I watch a lot of movies, and review...perhaps two thirds of them. What does that mean? Well, those notes contain all of the movies I've seen that I don't really want to write a full-length review for. I've been a bit lazy recently (i.e. too busy with other things that make blogging hard), so the list has been piling up, and up, and...up. Some of the movies on that list I watched back in the summer! Regardless, I will be starting to post a few mini-reviews again to get rid of the backlog...and to give you just a brief summary of what I thought. If you'd like a more in-depth review of any of these, please leave me a comment below or send me a message in the sidebar and let me know, and I will be more than happy to provide one. These ones are all recent ones first, and then I will be moving backwards to some older ones.

Here we go!

time.com

On Chesil Beach
I was going to do an in-depth review here, but then I realized I didn't have too much to say about it. I'm also planning on reading the book (by Ian McEwan), so I might do a Read vs. Reel post on that in the future. But, I digress. On Chesil Beach is sad. It's entirely about character development, and about two people who are unable to communicate properly, especially in the midst of a difficult situation, and this changes their relationship forever. It's told through present moments interspersed with flashbacks so you can fully understand where each person is coming from. I did think it was well done, but I'm not sure it's one that will appeal to a lot of people. If you want a lot of action, or a neat and tidy resolution with all of the answers, then this isn't really your type of film. If you like character-driven plots, where you get a resolution that comes full circle as an end but doesn't give you all the bits that happened in between, then you'll be good with this one. Saorise Ronan, Billy Howe and Anne-Marie Duff (whom I adore) are all great.

Period Drama: Hidden Figures

Based on real events, and the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, this film was nominated for three academy awards.

hollywoodreporter.com

What It's About:

In 1961, before the public use of computers, men and women were employed at NASA to calculate by hand the delicate math required for space travel. Three of these "human computers", Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, struggle to be heard and treated fairly amongst their colleagues, as they are not only women in a men's world, but African American. Fighting gender inequality and racial prejudice, these three women pave the way for women in STEM, and are invaluable in NASA's success during the Space Race.

The Shape of Water

Winning the Oscar for Best Picture (Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale), Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Best Director (Guillermo del Toro), and Best Production Design/Set Decoration (Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau, Jeff Melvin), The Shape of Water has received lots of accolades, so I was very interested in seeing what all the hype was about.

digitaltrends.com

What It's About:

Orphan Elisa Esposito is very different than those around her - empathetic, passionate, and mute. As one of the women responsible for cleaning in a government facility, she is rarely given the time of day except by her friend and co-worker Zelda and neighbour Giles. When a top-secret specimen is rushed into the lab under the supervision of army personnel, Elisa is curious about this creature, who resembles both a human and an amphibian. The more Elisa learns about him, the closer of a bond that grows between them, through food, music, and sign language. So when sadistic Colonel Strickland decides that the best way to study the creature is to cut him open, Elisa has a choice to make - a choice that might not only risk her heart, but also her life.