Everything posted by Michael*
- Supergirl
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Ruth Negga
Ruth Negga (born 7 January 1982) is an Ethiopian-Irish actress, who has appeared in the films Capital Letters (also released as Trafficked in some countries), Isolation, Breakfast on Pluto, Warcraft and Loving. She has also played roles in television, such as in the BBC's mini-series Criminal Justice, RTÉ's Love/Hate, E4's Misfits, and ABC's Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. In 2016, she began a starring role as Tulip O'Hare in AMC's Preacher. For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in Loving, Negga was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, and a BAFTA Rising Star Award.
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Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Superbowl spot.
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The Young Pope
It certainly isn't the sort of thing that I would expect to be everyone's cup of tea, but it is more or less everything you could reasonably expect from ten hours of Sorrentino. At times bizarre and surreal, at times slow and frustrating, funnier than you might imagine and looks incredible. Performance wise, it's probably the best work Jude Law has ever done, although I guess one could argue that it's a relatively low bar to clear.
- Trumpland U.S.A
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The Young Pope
This didn't seem to gain much traction in the UK, not too surprising I suppose since it sits a bit awkwardly alongside the episodic storytelling that we now tend to see as the norm for our dramas. It's going to interesting though to see how it plays in the States, both critically and with the HBO crowd.
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Trumpland U.S.A
Bearing in mind what an inauspicious start Trump has made to his presidency in those two weeks, I don't know if you could consider the reaction to be entirely overblown. He may yet confound some of our expectations, but as things stand, it's pretty hard to say there’s nothing at all to be concerned about.
- Gotham
- Gotham
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Gotham
Some of the recent episodes tested my patience a bit, but I managed to muddle through. For some reason, the writing in an already pretty wacky show suddenly became very erratic and rushed, particularly in terms of character motivations (Leslie's flip-flop on having Jim murdered, Falcone's nonchalance about his son's death etc). The handling of Jerome has been my highlight so far, Monaghan is doing an excellent job.
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Trumpland U.S.A
Well, it's not a story the Democrats would tell you, it's a Republican legend. Darth Trump was a dark lord of the right, and had such a knowledge of alternative facts that he could even keep the more conventional candidates who he campaigned against, from winning. He became so powerful that the only thing he was afraid of was finding a reputable recording artist to perform at his inauguration, which eventually of course, he did (ish). Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice Darth Bannon everything he knew, and the apprentice took over the government while he slept. It's ironic, he could save others from extreme vetting, but not himself. Sad.
- Trumpland U.S.A
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The "What Are You Thinking About Right Now?" PIP
With respect, the kind of 'whataboutery' put forth by people like Watson (whose delivery is atrocious by the way, he sounds like he's reading an instruction manual out loud and switching between sarcasm and needless aggro whenever he turns a page) is the sort of thing we really need to start moving away from at this point. The world has to find a way of rationally discussing this stuff without simply pointing the finger at the lunatic fringe of the opposite side, or the flaws of the other guy. All politicians are flawed, in the same way that all people are flawed, but it doesn’t mean they’re all the same, there’s still a question of extent. No other president has refused to release their tax returns or categorically stated that they’re not bound by any real obligations regarding conflicts of interest (arguably no other president has ever had potential conflicts of interest on this scale). No other president has refused to be interviewed by CNN or the BBC and then immediately afterwards fielded questions from his own pet media organisation about what steps he wants to take in order to silence the press. Clinton had all manner of issues too of course, but she’s not in the race any more, and nothing she's done excuses Trump’s behaviour. Doubly so after he campaigned so hard on the basis of being an alternative to her crookedness. None of this is a partisan thing for me, I couldn't give anything approaching a monkeys about him being a Republican, and it's irrelevant who I agree with on US economic policy. This is about the integrity of the political system, and if any candidate had said and done half of this stuff it would still worry the hell out of me. I sincerely hope he calms down as the months start to slip by and does all the good things it’s possible he may do, but it’s not been an auspicious start.
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Supergirl
Musicals just really aren't my cup of tea in any way, shape or form, but it's a Supergirl-Flash crossover and I still fondly recall the ice cream moment on a virtual daily basis, therefore I'm willing to give this a shot. I'm glad David Harewood is going to be in it, too. You just know he’ll have the best reactions to everyone else suddenly bursting into song.
- Trumpland U.S.A
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Trumpland U.S.A
It certainly couldn't have been done in response to nationals from those seven countries committing acts of terrorism on American soil, because they haven’t. Although many of the countries listed have either been bombed, invaded or overthrown by the USA. The order seems to be based on two basic principles. That Muslims are guilty until proven innocent, which is blatant discrimination and xenophobia dressed up as policy, and that terrorism correlates only with foreign-born people, which is very obviously wide of the mark.
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The "What Are You Thinking About Right Now?" PIP
If I were you, I'd do myself a favour and quit while I was behind. You know exactly why you were given the warning point and your only argument for having it removed is "I've been here for a long time and deserve special treatment".
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Suicide Squad (2016)
Mixed feelings when I read this one. Yes, if Joker had been the main antagonist, it would certainly have made the movie more grounded in reality. But that would have also meant more Joker, and I didn't really care much for Leto's take on the character. http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/22/suicide-squad-director-david-ayer-wishes-hed-made-joker-the-main-villain
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Bellazon's Top 100 Sexiest Women of 2016
Very welcome everyone. Same time next year?
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
I think I'm going to go with 'Ewok Finale' from now on. I do like that they've gone for a kind of Last Samurai vibe with the new title, where Jedi could refer to either a singular or plural noun. Adds a dash of mystery to the proceedings, which is never a bad thing.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Love it. Wait, does this mean we can't refer to Return of the Jedi as simply 'Jedi' any more?
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Arrow
Overall, I think the show is very much a case of peaks and troughs. The second season was decent to good, the third wasn't quite as good. Fourth season wasn't good at all, although Neal McDonough gave a fun, scenery-chewing performance as Damien Darkh. This season has been a real refresh from the direction of the previous one, with a couple of episodes that I would go so far as to say were genuinely excellent. Do you watch The Flash at all? When it gets dour, it can be a bit of a yawn at times, but when it's having fun with the material, I generally enjoy it more than Arrow. Jesse L. Martin, Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh are all pretty terrific.
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Bellazon's Top 100 Sexiest Women of 2016
As ever, thanks a million to everyone who took the time to cast votes, leave comments and generally play a part in the proceedings. Commence celebrations or gnashing of teeth now.
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Bellazon's Top 100 Sexiest Women of 2016
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Bellazon's Top 100 Sexiest Women of 2016