Saturday, August 2, 2014

Movie Review ... Guardians Of The Galaxy

 

Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-PosterOver the last few years, Marvel comics have had a cinematic bonanza. Their characters of Spider-man, Iron Man and Thor have enjoyed massive big screen success.  With those accolades comes the temptation to rest on laurels and churn out the same type of dollar-making movie.  ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ provides evidence that taking a risk can work.  Capturing what has made previous Marvel films so good, this wacky and exciting caper does the trick in bringing new heroes to viewer’s universe.

When space pilot Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) steals a powerful Orb, he becomes a moving target.  On the run from various parties determined to obtain it, including the evil warrior Ronan (Lee Pace), Peter figures he needs help. This arrives in the form of a bunch of shady people willing to do anything for a buck.  Realizing the Orb’s awesome power and what it means for the galaxy, the motley-crew aim to protect their territory by any foul means possible.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is an excellent example of how strong characters make stories work.  From the antics of Peter and his gang to Ronan’s hiss-able escapades, each contribute to an enjoyable experience.  This is helped by a simple plot allowing for genuine character engagement.  You truly believe in their actions and of the dazzling world in which they live.  Under James Gunn’s energetic direction, the performers bring their roles to colourful life.

This colour and movement mirrors the film’s ethos in providing pure fun.  There’s no room for insular darkness, just a thrill-ride from start to finish.  The CGI and action scenes are amazingly rendered and the script tightly structured.  Pleasingly for a Marvel –based movie, it mostly discards any cumbersome references to other films.  Right from the beginning it goes full-throttle into its own space-opera full of humour, danger and sparkling excitement.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is a film anyone can enjoy as it’s full of vigour, exhilaration and most importantly fun.  Easily the best of Marvel’s recent output, fans of pure escapism will have a blast spending time with this peculiar but entertaining crew.

Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy

Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista)

Ph: Film Frame

©Marvel 2014

Movie Review Rating out of 10:  9

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick's Movie Review? Then please use the comment box.

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.

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AWESOME MIX

BOOKS

Movie Review ... Lucy

 

Lucy posterLuc Besson has never done anything by halves.  Director of ‘Nikita’ and ‘The Fifth Element’ among others, his ‘in-your-face’ story-telling style has garnered much attention.  His ability to effectively marry action with comedy has worked wonders with many memorable scenes.  ‘Lucy’ should add to his cinematic mystique.  Although his films aren’t generally high-art, Besson is good at what he does and has evolved into a reliable mainstay of commercial cinema.

Living in Taiwan as a drug mule, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is having trouble with her latest assignment.  A drug satchel implanted in her body suddenly breaks free and her world changes.  Morphing into a superhuman who can quickly absorb new skills, her abilities stun those around her.  Among them is Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) who tries to protect her from mobsters after their drug stash.  As Lucy becomes more powerful her enemies face little chance against her quest for vengeance.

Despite quickly going off the narrative rails, ‘Lucy’ is fun.  It isn’t the dumb kind Besson has previously filmed but has more intelligence amongst its mayhem.  As Lucy gradually becomes hyper-smart, her skills adapt to any situation.  This creates an unpredictable edge with scenes never quite developing as expected.  Whilst the indestructible nature of her powers occasionally feel contrived, the energy and rapid-fire cinematography works in mostly covering any ludicrous plot-holes.

Ridiculous ‘Lucy’ certainly is and it’s saved from silliness overload by the performances. Johansson makes for a fine heroine with her character’s determination something at which anyone can cheer.  Freeman provides his usual commanding presence giving ‘Lucy’ much needed respectability.  Aided by some dazzling action sequences the cast are well served by Besson’s eccentric directorial style.  It doesn’t always work but when it does it shows why he has remained an interesting craftsman of Euro-action epics.

‘Lucy’ is clever popcorn fluff never out-staying its welcome.  Although moments detract from it being an overall amazing experience, it should satisfy thrill seekers of all persuasions.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick's Movie Review? Then please use the comment box.

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.

Official HomePage click HERE

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Movie Review ... These Final Hours

 

these_final_hours_posterMovies making you think aren’t always dull.  Using brain matter whilst viewing an informative or entertaining slice of cinema unearths the messages it conveys.  Australian film ‘These Final Hours’ ensures its apocalyptic thriller-leanings engage due to some tight direction and believable performances.  Hopefully it enables viewers to decipher the questions raised which are a skill for which any good movie aims.

James (Nathan Phillips) is on his way to a party.  It isn’t any ordinary party as the increasingly lawless world looks down the barrel of a shattering cataclysm.  With only 12 hours to go until earth’s last gasp, James determines to see out his final hours partying.  On his way he meets Rose (Angourie Rice), a small girl looking for her father.  Deciding whether to attend the party or help her, his decision changes the remainder of their lives as the final countdown looms.

‘These Final Hours’ is an interesting essay on selfish needs vs. self-sacrifice.  The moment of truth arrives when a true person’s nature is exposed.  This mantra over-shadows the movie like a looming spectre.  Everywhere he goes James sees the best and worst of humanity.  His interaction with Rose forces him to question his past behaviour and make peace with it.  In James, Rose finds a father figure and stabilising influence amongst an increasingly frayed world.

Zac Hilditch’s direction ensures the drama and tension are well blended.  There’s no room for melodrama or over-use of musical cues – he lets the visuals and performances express the story’s power.  Phillips and Rice make a good duo with their characters running a believable emotional gamut.  You feel their anger and despair and yet see a sense of hope.  The striking cinematography effectively creates the rough, desolate and hazy world in which they amble along until the final fadeout.

Succeeding in its’ quest to engage whilst telling a stirring tale, ‘These Final Hours’ is a fine movie.  Having a focus missing from other recent Australian productions, it makes one look forward to seeing what its director does next.

These Final Hours

Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick's Movie Review? Then please use the comment box.

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.

Official HomePage click HERE

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Movie Review ... The Hundred-Foot Journey

 

hundred-foot-journey-posterIn a case of ‘the tail wagging the dog’, reality TV shows have seeped themselves into movies.  Several recent films have dealt with chefs and cooking mirroring the plethora of popular kitchen-based small-screen fare.  Thankfully big screen foodies have been far more palatable.  Exploring how food binds cultures, ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ is a fine cinematic delicacy.  Based on a novel by Richard C. Morais, it should appeal to anyone interested in an assortment of culinary delights.

After leaving their home in India, chef Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) and his family settle in France.  Moving to a small village, his brood set up a family-run Indian restaurant.  Trouble brews from a French restaurant directly opposite run by the icy Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren).  Determined to ruin this new interloper Mallory stops at nothing to achieve her goal.  What follows is a clash of wills bringing unexpected changes to their lives and delectable pallets.

‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ is a cinematic version of comfort-food.  Safe, slightly predictable but full of warmth, it doesn’t particularly break new ground.  What it does is entertain in a consistently amusing manner with top quality performances.  Exploring issues of culture, family and maintaining creative passion is expertly handled by Director Lasse Hallstrom.  An old hand at this type of light character-driven drama, Hallstrom makes the most out of a story full of charm and genuine whimsy.

None of this would matter unless if the performances weren’t up to scratch. Along with her co-stars, Mirren conveys many intriguing layers to her potentially one-dimensional role.  They are well served by the beautiful scenery and displays of very mouth-watering food.  Budding chefs may learn a thing or two as the visual delights match the enjoyable screenplay.

A very pleasurable experience ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ should make the book’s fans happy.  Engaging to its final frame it proves the language of good food is something we can all share no matter our background.

The Hundred Foot Journey 98u

Movie Review Rating out of 10:  8

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick's Movie Review? Then please use the comment box.

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.

Official HomePage click HERE

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BOOK

A Dorothy Wilson Moment

 

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Trivia Bits 02 August

 

The first country in the world to ban aerosol cans was Sweden on June 30, 1979.

American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22 Abercrombie & Fitch was founded in 1892 in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra H. Fitch and originally sold hunting, camping and fishing gear.

The Crusaders under Bohemond I of Antioch exacted a large tribute from the Muslim residents of al-Muslimiyah following their capture of the village in 1103.

The European football club Ajax is based in Amsterdam.

The famed Uffizi Gallery is in the Italian city of Florence and is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public.

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City is the largest Orthodox Christian church in the Western Hemisphere.

Internationally known wine growing area, the Barossa Valley in South Australia, had the first winery start operations in 1847.

In 1894, Roman Catholic St. Mary’s was the first church in Albany, New York, to have electric lighting.

Mary Browne married the Earl of Southampton at the age of thirteen in 1565 and after the Earl's death in 1581 married twice more before her death in 1607.

American television host, comedian and late-night talk-show host Johnny Carson was once a writer for The Red Skelton Show in 1953.

Quotables 02 August

 

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Friday, August 1, 2014

A Dorothy Stone Moment

 

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Trivia Bits 01 August

 

In the Monegros Desert in Spain, the Aregon Steppes are home for many endangered bird species including the Great Bustard with a Special Protection Area being launched to conserve the birds and plants.

Halite is more commonly known as rock salt.

Hedgehog is not only an animal but is also an uncooked slice made from chocolate, biscuits, nuts and coconut.

Anemonefish are also known as Clownfish and are native to warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea.

In the 19th century the Wörthersee, an alpine lake in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia, became an exclusive summer retreat for Vienna's nobility.

Constructed in 105 AD and for over a thousand years Trajan's bridge, a Roman segmental arch bridge, the first to be built over the lower Danube, was the longest bridge ever built at 1,135 m (3,724 ft) long.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet the letter U is represented by Uniform.

Tasting and collecting Burgundy wine, the hobby of violinist David Chan, concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, led to the Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot in the Burgundy region of France that brings together music and wine enthusiasts.

Yukon is a province in Canada and is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. Whitehorse is the territorial capital.

A hare less than one year old is called a leveret.

Quotables 01 August

 

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Thursday, July 31, 2014

A Dorothy Sebastian Moment

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Trivia Bits 31 July

 

Founded in 1863, Broadmoor Hospital is the most famous mental institution in England a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England previously known as the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

Gouger Street in Adelaide South Australia is named after Robert Gouger who was one of the founders of South Australia and colonial secretary.

The US Open tennis tournament is played at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, a public park in New York City.

The Manhattan Project in World War II produced the atomic bomb and was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada.

The term caveat emptor means “let the buyer beware”. Under the principle of caveat emptor, the buyer could not recover damages from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes. The only exception was if the seller actively concealed latent defects or otherwise made material misrepresentations amounting to fraud.

In Cricket, a googly is a delivery bowled by a wrist spinner which looks as if it will break one way but in fact goes the other.

The Remarkable Rocks are located in the Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

The yobidashi serves as a Japanese sumo wrestler's handyman, promoter and assistant and the one who calls a professional sumo wrestler to the wrestling ring immediately prior to his bout.

An epee is a weapon similar to the dueling sword, the smallsword, itself descended from the rapier, used in sport fencing. Épée is French for "sword".

The longest nerve in the human body is the Sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limbs.

Quotables 31 July

 

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

A Dorothy Revier Moment

 

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Trivia Bits 30 July

 

Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera.

The two Hindu fasting days Putrada Ekadashi and Putrada Ekadashi are both devoted to the goal of acquiring a son.

Australian lawyer, judge and South Australian Governor from 1991–1996, Dame Roma Mitchell, was the first female governor of an Australian State.

It was under the pseudonym of Acton Bell that Anne Bronte’s 1848 novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published.

American thoroughbred racehorse named Cigar won the 1996 inaugural Dubai World Cup by less than 1 length taking the world's richest horse race with a $5,000,000 purse.

At 4,892 metres (16,050 ft), the highest point in Antarctica is Mount Vinson Massif lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains.

US President Lyndon Johnson announced his hiring of Gerri Whittington, the first African-American White House secretary, by arranging for her to appear on the TV game show What's My Line on January 19, 1964.

A male bee is called a drone which develops from eggs that have not been fertilized and they cannot sting.

The subject of the 2012 musical Viva Forever is the 1990’s female group The Spice Girls.

The Olympic Games have been held in Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984.

Quotables 30 July

 

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A Dorothy Provine Moment

 

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Trivia Bits 29 July

 

DCI John Barnaby is the lead character in the English television drama series Midsomer Murders and is played by English actor Neil Dudgeon.

Spanish is the main language spoken in the South American country of Bolivia.

Matthew Flinders mapped the South Australian coastline from the ship HMS Investigator in 1802 and was the first ship to circumnavigate Australia.

The chemical found in chili’s that causes a burning sensation when eaten is Capsaicin.

The visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 led to the reinvigoration of the kilt and tartan as symbols of Scottish national identity as George IV wore the kilt and tartan during the first visit of a reigning monarch to Scotland since 1650.

Numerically, there are twenty items in a score.

The C60 molecule is better known as Buckminsterfullerene or buckyball. It has a cage-like fused-ring structure (Truncated icosahedron) which resembles a soccer ball, made of twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons, with a carbon atom at each vertex of each polygon and a bond along each polygon edge.

The Galilean moons orbit the planet of Jupiter.

A lagerphone is a type of homemade traditional English percussion instrument, widely used in folk music. This instrument is constructed from a stout pole with metal "jingles", commonly beer-bottle tops, are fastened at intervals along the shaft.

The British band Oasis released the 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory.

Quotables 29 July

 

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Monday, July 28, 2014

A Dorothy McGuire Moment

 

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And The World Goes 'Round: Original Off Broadway Cast 2011

 

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If you like show tunes performed by some of the finest singers to ever give voice to them, this CD is an absolute must have!

There are so many songs on this CD, and everyone a show stopper.

If you are not a Kander and Ebb aficionado, you will find yourself asking "did they do THIS ONE, TOO"?

The duet by Bob Cuccioli and Jim Walton of "I Don't Remember You" and "Sometimes a Day Goes By" is absolutely fabulous. Every song is done with perfect styling. The arrangements are fabulous and the order of the music is just right.

CD's in the past have claimed that "this is the only Broadway CD you'll ever need". Don't believe it. This CD is one that contains the most popular music from some of the most famous and more current shows ever heard.

If you love show music, even if you don't know what show these songs are from, you'll love this CD.

Track Listing:
1. The World Goes ‘Round
2. Coffee In A Cardboard Cup
3. Colored Lights
4. Sara Lee
5. Arthur In The Afternoon
6. The World Goes ‘Round (Reprise)/My Coloring Book
7. I Don’t Remeber You/Sometimes A Day Goes By
8. All That Jazz
9. Mr. Celophane
10. There Goes The Ball Game/How Lucky Can You Get
11. Marry Me/A Quiet Thing
12. Kiss Of The Spider Woman
13. The Grass Is Always Greener
14. The World Goes ‘Round (Reprise)/We Can Make It/Maybe This Time
15. Isn’t This Better/Trio
16. The World Goes ‘Round (Reprise)/Money, Money
17. Cabaret
18. Theme From ‘New York, New York’/The World Goes ‘Round (Reprise)

Trivia Bits 28 July

 

The Vietnam Women's Memorial, located on National Mall in Washington D.C., is a memorial dedicated to the women who served in the Vietnam War, was designed by Glenna Goodacre and dedicated on November 11, 1993.

The nearest known star to our sun is Proxima Centauri.

Polish Communists forbade the use of Wymysojer, a West Germanic language spoken in the small town of Wilamowice (Wymysoj in Wymysorys) near Bielsko-Biała, shortly after World War II, and now less than 100 native speakers remain.

If using an oast, you would be drying hops or malt.

Much like Anne Frank's diary, the letters of Philip Slier, a Jewish Dutch typesetter who lived in Amsterdam during the German occupation and discovered more than fifty years after his death, reveal the history of Nazi-controlled Netherlands through a personal perspective. They have been published in a book called Hidden Letters.

Botany is the study of plants with the word coming from the Ancient Greek word βοτάνη (botane) meaning "pasture", "grass", or "fodder"; βοτάνη is in turn derived from βόσκειν (boskein), "to feed" or "to graze".

In 1169 Denny Abbey, near Waterbeach, six miles (10 km) north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England, was handed over to the Knights Templar and became a hospital for sick members of the Order in the mid-13th century.

The European country that is known as the Emerald Isle is Ireland.

The Roman-era temple in al-Sanamayn, originally dedicated to the Greek goddess Tyche in the 2nd century CE and later converted into a mosque, is one of the best preserved edifices in Syria.

The Cryolophosaurus, excavated in Antarctica in 1991, is informally referred to as the Elvisaurus because the bizarre crest running across its head resembles Elvis Presley's 1950s pompadour haircut.

Quotables 28 July

 

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

A Dorothy Malone Moment

 

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Trivia Bits 27 July

 

The Japanese Snow Monkeys belong to the primate genus Macaque.

The camel with two humps is the Bactrian Camel which lives in the rocky Gobi desert and the grasslands (steppes) of Asia.

The alter egos of Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson belong to Australian comedian, satirist, artist, and author Barry Humphries.

At age 19 after Barry Watson lost his job as a soap opera child star in Days of our Lives, he used to park cars at the House of Blues night club in Los Angeles.

In Dante Alighieri’s epic poem Inferno, there are nine circles of Hell.

The Snellen chart, named after the Dutch ophthalmologist Hermann Snellen who developed the chart in 1862, is used to measure visual acuity.

The largest island in the Channel Islands is Jersey – the other island being Guernsey.

The Almanach de Gotha is a directory of European nobility first published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, however, when Soviet troops entered Gotha in 1945, they systematically destroyed all archives of the Almanach de Gotha.

The Pontipines are characters from the 2007 TV series In the Night Garden - a BBC children's television series, aimed at children aged from one to four years old.

American actress, singer, and dancer Sutton Foster was pulled from the chorus to replace the leading lady during the 2001 pre-Broadway tryout of Thoroughly Modern Millie revival going on to win the 2002 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Millie Dillmount.

In 1984 the Premier of New South Wales in Australia decided to ban a bout between two women kickboxers citing the Theater and Public Halls Act 1908 relating to preservation of good manners and decorum.

In nautical terms, a jib is a triangular forward staysail.

British writer of both nautical fiction and history, Dudley Pope wrote many of his books aboard a 54-foot wooden yacht named Ramage and is noted for his Lord Ramage series of historical novels.

The song Send in the Clowns comes from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler.

Parliament is a collective noun for Owls.

A v-shaped point in the hairline at the centre of the forehead is known as a Widow’s Peak.

The dystopic novel Ape and Essence was written by Aldous Huxley and published in 1948 by Chatto & Windus in the UK and Harper & Brothers in the US.

Green and red are the two colours that feature on the flag of Bangladesh.

The northern Syrian village of Zarzur has been identified as the Bronze Age town of Zuzzura of the Alalakh kingdom.

Zoomusicology studies sounds, vocalizations and the organization of the noisy communications of animals.

Burt, Dusty, Juliet and Mireille

 

 

This Beatles medley was arranged by Burt Bacharach and aired on his own TV special July 29, 1970 performed by Dusty Springfield, Juliet Prowse and French singer Mireille Mathieu.

Enjoy!

Quotables 27 July

 

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