socrates99

I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got which was better. I imagined a story about two women battling for a Queen's attention, and it is that, but it's also a portrait of women vying for power in a very unbridled way while the Queen is barely able to cope. Lesbianism is involved though not really graphically.

The story is quite good though dark in the end. I'd hate to have to sort out who should be singled out for their acting. I'd have to proclaim cowardice and give it to the three female leads equally. Clearly Olivia Colman had the worst of it, her Queen Anne is not a very admirable woman, but Olivia gives her depth and breadth that is very impressive. Emma Stone has the most conventional role in that her character is engaged in a struggle against misfortune. But Ms. Stone has an unusual ability to make her roles seem somehow pure human nature and I was always a little happier whenever the camera focused on her.

Rachel Weisz does her best work that I'm aware of. Her strength of character comes through very clearly and is really the center piece of the movie. There's no way it would have reached the heights it does without her and Nicholas Hoult who somehow make the 18th century come alive in a very engaging way.

Not a movie for everyone, because of its hard imaginings, but a wonderful piece of work that is sure to garner an avalanche of awards despite its director's daring spirit. The skill in display is a very rare treat.

I'm not a horror fan. When I do watch them I like movies like The Shining and and Hellraiser where there's an imaginative take on evil. This movie fits in very well in that group but on a level all its own. There's something very intelligent in the director's approach though I can't describe it well. Maybe students of cinema will have more to say about it. I do know it didn't have me feeling nervous or jumpy when it was done despite some truly harrowing scenes.

The plot is not very complicated, Nicholas Cage, as a happily married man, finds himself and his wife the victims of some truly psychotic killers. He then proceeds to hunt them down. It's an old familiar story, but the director, Panos Cosmatos, makes it seem fresh again. The scenes with the bad guys are memorably intense. And though there's a touch of the supernatural here, it's clearly just a way of expressing the depravity being contemplated, and not really an element of the plot.

I wondered for a second when it was done whether perhaps someone like Bruce Willis might not have been a better choice for Nicholas Cage's part, but after a brief moment I was sure Mr. Cage was the better choice for this part. He does a wonderful job. Kudos to him for being willing to do this movie, though it is reminiscent of Ghost Rider, it is far more emotionally engaging.

My wife and I were anxious to see this film because we've spent most of our lives around rare books and manuscripts. We were not disappointed but were surprised at the high quality of the production. Melissa McCarthy was the perfect choice for the lead role. She made this woman's bad choices look natural and even inevitable for her. If possible, Richard E Grant, her partner in crime, was an even more inspired choice. The two together ran true in every respect, but especially the dialogue, and I can't remember the last time I thought that of another screen couple.

My wife spent years trying to guard valuable collections from pilfering and it was a joy to see a story that touched on that scholarly but risky world.