It’s not everyday that you see a teenager take down a giant whale and post the achievement on social media. However, one teen named Chris in an Alaskan island did all of that, but not everyone was happy with what occurred.
The documentary sees Chris and his family living in St. Lawrence which is along the Bering Sea in Alaska. Chris is a whale hunter along with his family and they need the whale meat as sustenance to survive, which is very disturbing and trifling when people on the internet, who know nothing about the Apassingoks culture, espouse their grief after he and his family take down a giant whale.
The film is truly and beautifully shot with such a fervor for the craft of documentaries. Working on this “whale” of a project is certainly a herculean task but the filmmakers easily pull it off with the finesse of telling a story respectfully.
Looking at this film from a poetic and emotional lens, it tells the tale of a family that is just trying to get by and is a little bit anxious about their future. They are just trying to make it and take it day by day which is something that everyone can relate to.
One thing that sticks out about this movie is the fact that it truly understands the themes of family and togetherness and why community is so important.
All in all, this movie has heart, sentiment and really proves to be a must-watch for all ages.
Classic Film Review: Ulysses (1967) – A Clever Adaptation. By Christopher Patterson.
A Day in the Life of Absurd, Chaotic, Simple Mundanity
Ulysses (1967) is an adaptation of the much-loved novel of the same name. While love may be an exaggeration, it is still that book every professor makes you read that you want to forget. And with good cause. The book is a spectacular eruption of what writing is capable of, both in terms of prose and literary forms. This rendered the adaptation almost unfeasible. Although the plot of Ulysses is highly interesting, the book succeeds because of the multitude of themes, styles, and influences Joyce demonstrates through his engrossing prose. In other words, Ulysses is a book to be read, not seen. So to hear that an adaptation actually got it right seems impossible. Well, never say never.
This film not only mainly accomplishes adapting the book but also makes it work for cinema. In a sense impossible, but also the most Joyceian thing to hear. One of the main reasons why this film works so well is in how it adapts the book. So many parts of the novel’s stream of consciousness are, in other words, a person’s thoughts bursting out. Ulysses (1967) adapts this cleverly through the use of voice-over, which the actors powerfully use to truly capture the stream of consciousness Joyce was going for.
A wonderful example of this occurs in the latter third of the movie, when we adopt Molly’s viewpoint while she falls into a stream of consciousness in bed. Her narration and the thoughts she conjures up are brought to life by real-world images in unique styles. Given that it can be challenging to understand Joyce’s references at times, it is admirable how much was deciphered and so well, not just for adapting but for the big screen. Despite the fact that many of the novel’s passages seem nearly impossible to fully imagine, filmmaker Joseph Strick painted an understandable picture of many of the engrossing passages of the novel with an amount of precision that reflects in the film’s immense quality.
With all of this, there is one thing that truly makes this film such a masterclass, which is the screenplay, due in large part to lines, and just the film itself, which is based on one of the greatest novels of the last millennium. From the ways we shift to three different people’s lives in Dublin and how it is all weaved together, this script is truly one that feels planned to the bone with precision for everything that occurs and the many ideas it represents.
Even more, this story offers one of the most interesting love stories I have seen, and in the most epic, non-epic fashion, thanks to the book being almost like a reimagining of The Odyssey, a Greek epic with one aspect being love. Ulysses is a representation and, in my eyes, a celebration of life, love, and the human mind. It’s a celebration of humanity and just existing in it. The film captures the feeling given by the book, though albeit a bit less so thanks to its screen time, making some aspects feel rushed thanks to having a comparison to help illustrate the flaws in this adaptation.
An extra cherry on top is the acting. The acting truly from everyone feels standout here, as it is clear all the casts are truly giving it their all. Especially Milo O’Shea and Barbara Jefford, who give two of the most powerful performances in the film. Milo O’Shea, through his performance, almost seemed born to play this role with how perfectly he embodies the character and his personality. Barbara Jefford, on the other hand, stands out for her striking voice-over in the last third of the film, where she truly gives Molly a voice.
In nearly every sense of the word, this film is a true masterclass in every sense of the word, and similar to the book, it should be studied in colleges as required viewing.
VERDICT
Ulysses helps to remind all of us how beautiful life is, with some of the best writing and genius ideas to back it up.
Fallout TV Show Has Iconic Elements in Store for Season Two
Amazon’s new Fallout TV show has been a monumental hit with fans. While it covered a lot of the game’s basics across eight episodes, from Power Armour to Pip-Boys and Vault-Tec, not everything made the cut. It seems that directors have purposely been holding back iconic elements so that they can do them better justice going into Season Two. Graham Wagner, the co-showrunner has said that they wanted to introduce Deathclaws, but didn’t want it to be a throw-away moment. Deathclaws are a monumental piece of the mythology surrounding the Fallout story, which is why they went against their instincts to incorporate them in the very first season.
What Makes Fallout Such a Huge Draw with Fans?
One of the biggest draws of Fallout is the exploration theme. Not knowing what’s to come makes games all the more exciting. Fallout: New Vegas’ gambling theme of luck and chance, when combined with the undiscovered toxic threats of the wasteland helped cement the game’s legacy. Fans of Fallout: New Vegas can also try Temple Tumble Megaways slot game variants, including Temple of Treasure Megaways, as they have an Indiana Jones-esque theme while still being based on luck, chance, and exploring the unknown. Adventure games like this tend to be a hit as they transport gamers to a world far different from the one they’re living in, whether it’s exploring the wasteland or hidden depths of the Aztec Empire. When combined with the gambling theme of luck and chance, they provide an all-round immersive experience that has served as the foundation for many more games since.
There are Still Things to be Explored
Although the show has yet to feature many elements from Fallout: New Vegas, it’s said that this could be a premise for the second season. A new location would certainly help to take the story in a new direction while allowing for even more incorporation of various game elements. Even people who aren’t gamers have heard about Fallout, and this is why the directors are making it their priority to do the whole story justice. The directors wanted to bring deeper cuts to the show, saving things for Season Two so that they could do it properly. The team has been talking for quite some time about how they are going to take their viewers on a journey, and that the things that they have in store will bring some long-awaited easter eggs to the screen once more. Even though Amazon is yet to announce a second season for the Fallout show, Season 2 has been spotted in the tax breakdown by the California Film Commission. Between this and the reviews for Season 1, it seems that a renewal is all but guaranteed.
Fans of the show will rejoice in hearing that the directors have touched on the idea of including Deathclaws, especially when combined with the fact that they have covered many iconic monsters so far. Some of them include Radroaches, Brahmin, Gulpers, and Yao Guai. Saving Deathclaws for the second season could prove to be a wise choice, as they are known for being some of the most terrifying creatures in the wasteland. They have an aggressive and fearsome demeanour that strikes fear into the hearts of even the most experienced wasteland explorers. If the show can do this monster justice, that could well cement Fallout as being one of the best game-to-series adaptations of the century.
“One Life,” which stars Anthony Hopkins in 1988, is a moving and heartwarming account of a retired banker named Nicholas Winton who 50 years prior, worked with others to secretly transport Jewish children to safety via trains in Prague.
As seen through flashbacks, the younger version of Winton is played by Johnny Flynn, an idealistic British man who has a close bond with his mom, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Upon visiting Prague, he is horrified to discover the dire conditions that Jewish children and families find themselves in pre-WWII. With Nazi Germany closing in, Winton realizes that he must act fast. He joins the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia to get the process going.
While British officials are initially skeptical of his plan, largely because of the cost and logistics involved, Winton is able to persuade those in charge to make it worth their while by emphasizing the urgency of the situation and by making detailed plans for the foster parents who would be there to take in the children. (Due to the cost, only children were allowed to make the journey, while their parents had to stay behind.) The suspense is palpable because no one knows when Nazi Germany will discover the operation. So it becomes a matter of staying on top of every detail and trying to outsmart them. (In the film, there are some harrowing close calls and obstacles.)
In his younger days, Winton is sympathetically portrayed by Flynn, who brings a charm and likability to the part. Bonham Carter as the mom brings a fierce determination to her role, as she does whatever she can to help her son in what he is trying to accomplish. The rapport between them is believable.
In old age, Hopkins plays a married Winton, whose daughter is soon to have a child. He still has a solid memory of his younger days. Winton, though, still feels like there is unfinished business, something that needs to be taken care of, and still seems to carry deep remorse about the children he wasn’t able to save. We see him rummaging through things and he comes across an old briefcase that may hold the answers. Hopkins gives a reflective, subtle performance that is quietly powerful.
The details of pre-WWII are vividly rendered and the flashbacks, flash-forwards are effectively done. A perhaps forgotten chapter in history is recreated with much power.
Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson’s latest horror/crime flick ‘Damaged’ follows detectives Glen Boyd (Gianni Capaldi) and Dan Lawson (Samuel L. Jackson) on a manhunt for a sadistic, seemingly satanic, Scottish serial killer who may just require more than a standard prison sentence. Everyone knows the name Samuel L. Jackson, the man, the myth, the legend that has defined Hollywood since the 1970s from Pulp Fiction to Django Unchained but can this legend save an entire film production?
Unfortunately, all streaks have to end as it pains to say that ‘Damaged’ is simply not going to appeal to most. Even a movie star such as Jackson cannot retain the quality of a film that simply doesn’t have any sense of self identity, or that for that matter, a film which seems to craft hardly an ounce of quality. The film sadly presents the looming presence of a half baked picture full of obvious deleted and incomplete scenes, downright bizarre musical choices and worst of all, shockingly noticeable reflections of the film’s camera crew.
Suffice to say, ‘Damaged’ presents one of the most frustrating experiences ever put to film due to the trying fact that writer and star of the film Gianni Capaldi blatantly had a clear creative vision with the utmost potential to craft a unique, suspenseful and star infused film. Regrettably Capaldi was simply incapable this time round as the film continuously shoots itself in the foot through being simply obsessed with the looming mystery of the killer’s identity it almost forgets to develop all other aspects of the film as each character has little to any personality creating a harmful void between character and audience.
This causes the audience to not only dismiss each character but it conjures the ultimate cinema sin of boredom, thus making the story at hand lackluster, dull and repetitive. Thus leaving the central character of Boid to simply be a void of underdeveloped and downright uninteresting as the character has virtually no personality and is simply used as a plot device to spew exposition to the audience.
To the surprise of no one, the film’s one saving grace is of course Samuel L. Jackson who by the end of the film crafts a character right up Jackson’s alley. He quite clearly has fun with the role, crafting a character that may not be full of depth or development but certainly possesses the classic Samuel L. Jackson, charismatic wit and charm that has time and time again worked in Jackson’s favor as he and he alone creates a tolerable viewing experience.
Though the ending twist of Jackson’s character may be baffling and narratively destroys all previously announced continuity throughout the film, there is no doubt that it provides Jackson with a fun, entertaining and tension filled performance, albeit through a lackluster character Jackson shines above his fellow co-stars.
Overall, while there’s a clear effort put into the film ‘Damaged’ is painfully and regrettably not worth your time as it’s filled with atrocious dialogue, sinful music choices and an ending that will surely create anger in most.
