Knives Out

2019-11-30 ntbadmin

Knives Out is a 2019 American whodunit mystery film written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi)

It’s a murder mystery film. At family gathering the family patriarch’s death leads a master detective to investigate.

Described as part comedy, it’s not that funny however it is very good, with lots of twisty plot and very sharp dialogue.

Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey the guy that dies.
Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc.
Chris Evans as Hugh Drysdale: Harlan’s grandson.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale: Harlan’s eldest daughter.
Michael Shannon as Walter Thrombey: Harlan’s youngest son and George Westinghouse.
Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale: Harlan’s son-in-law and Linda’s husband.
Toni Collette as Joni Thrombey: Harlan’s daughter-in-law.
Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera: Harlan’s caretaker and main character in the film.
Frank Oz as Alan Stevens: Harlan’s lawyer who I did not recognize.

Television

Brokenwood 6.2

2019-11-29 ntbadmin

The Brokenwood Mysteries – A Real Page Turner

World-renowned crime-writing author Jack Rudd visits Brokenwood to give a reading at the local book club from his latest novel – but never leaves, falling victim to a method of murder portrayed in his own book.

Director: Aidee Walker
Producer: Sally Campbell

Cast:
Mike NEILL REA
Kristin FERN SUTHERLAND
D.C. Breen NIC SAMPSON
Gina CRISTINA IONDA
Mrs Marlowe ELIZABETH MCRAE
Jared PANA HEMA-TAYLOR
Petra LUCY WIGMORE
Reverend Greene ROY WARD
Maxine ANNA BAIRD
Toni TONI POTTER
Lindy LILY POWELL
Hamish BLAIR STRANG

Written by Fiona Samuel

Narratives

Inevitable Ascension

2019-11-28 ntbadmin

Inevitable Ascension
(Inevitable Ascension #1)
by V.K. McAllister (2016)

Violina had been burned and betrayed by mankind ever since she sprang into existence. They named her a heretic and condemned her to a pit to live and die in agony. Though she sat stranded, starved and bloodied, she would not submit. Violina, the girl who had been mocked and hunted for rejecting the warped ideals of artificial authority, would lay down her own law.

This has got to be one of the strangest books I have read. It features two female protagonists, but you don’t get to know who their characters are.

It has time-travel, but it’s always difficult to tell where in time you are. Things are never really explained well. Just what is going on and how things fit together is not clear.

But fundamentally it is never established what the goal or central conflict of the story is. So it’s surprising that I finished it. The words seemed to flow together in some kind of semi-readable narrative.

Was it good, NO. While competently written, I can’t recommend this to anyone. It’s a very strange experience.

Television

Good Place 48

2019-11-27 ntbadmin

Chapter 48: The Answer

Michael “resets” Chidi, causing Chidi to instantaneously re-experience his memories.

The whole of the episode takes place, in Chidi’s head in the micro-second it takes for Michael to snap his fingers.

During his childhood, his arguing parents reconcile after he lectures them against divorce, only to later find out they went to counselling.

As an adult, his girlfriend Allesandra breaks up with him over this obsession and his thesis adviser drops him over his lack of emotional perspective and inability to address a single meaningful question.

When he wakes and learns of the situation, he is at peace with the idea that many or zero answers may exist. He reads his note: “There is no ‘answer.’ But Eleanor is the answer.”

Events

Tutankhamun

2019-11-26 ntbadmin

One of the best-known works of art in the world

On this day in 1922, Howard Carter (not of Mars) and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.

Movies

Ford Ferrari

2019-11-25 ntbadmin

Ford v Ferrari (titled Le Mans ’66 in other territories) is a 2019 American sports drama film directed by James Mangold, and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller.

It stars Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby

and Christian Bale as Ken Miles.

The plot follows a team of American engineers and designers who are dispatched by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca with the mission of building the Ford GT40, a new racing car with the potential to finally defeat the perennially dominant Ferrari racing team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.

A great film that does not flag during it’s 2.5 hours.

Here is the Kermode Review…

Television

Good Place 47

2019-11-24 ntbadmin

Chapter 47: The Funeral To End All Funerals

The group awaits the judge’s final decision on the fate of human existence.

The humans go into Mindy St. Clair’s home and ask Matt (the accountant in charge of counting the points of the subjects) for the point totals.

He cannot reveal them until the experiment is over. To distract themselves, the humans throw themselves afterlife funerals. The test subjects aren’t allowed to be woken up until the ruling is given.

It’s at this point I realized that there were 14 episodes and a lot more to go. So while the experiment has ended, I’m sure there will be more revelations.

Television

Brokenwood 6.1

2019-11-23 ntbadmin

The Brokenwood Mysteries Season 6 Episode 1
The Power of Steam

Mike and his team are taken into a world of Victorian dress-up and escapism when they investigate a murder at the Brokenwood Steampunk event.

Movies

Edison & Westinghouse

2019-11-22 ntbadmin

The Current War

The Current War is a 2017 American historical drama film inspired by the 19th century competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery system would be used in the United States.

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Michael Mitnick, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse, and Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla.

A rather by-the numbers film of this historical drama. In the first half, it meanders a bit before the narrative focuses on the rivalry in the second half. Westinghouse comes off as a more sympathetic character. Why Cumberbatch was used (apart from name recognition) is not clear. He does seem to be a generic American.

It’s Shannon’s portrayal of Westinghouse that is better and he has a clear character path.