Venturous1 Reviews

Poor Things (2023)

A perverse and magical fairytale

[8/10 · 9 March 2024]

If you can get through the first half, the story begins to come into focus and makes some kind of sense. Bella has quite a journey to discover who she is. She is relentlessly curious and analytical, asking all the questions we are trained to politely avoid. While I struggled to find anyone sympathetic in the first half, Bella completes her education during her Paris whorehouse days. Suddenly I understood her, she transforms from a peculiar freak to a becoming-worldly-wise woman.

The sets, performances and characters are vivid and surprising. The design is a kind of hallucinogenic art deco that suits this trippy film.

Death in Paradise (2011– )

Clever, sweet, pretty to look at and a big heart

[8/10 · 18 July 2023]

Although the stories adhere to a strict formula, and they are over fond of cyanide and locked room mysteries, this show has a generous heart.

One ingredient that makes this show work is that love that always plays a central part. Every story delves into the relationships among the suspects and victim in meaningful ways.

The relationships among police colleagues and their friends is warm and believable. And the local culture is a joy to take in. Oh. And I want the inspector's cottage.

I'll admit that cast changes over time are bittersweet. The cast are skilled at balancing of drama and comedy, and newcomers step in and make their own mark while maintaining the ensemble work.

Asteroid City (2023)

Definitely Fan Service

[8/10 · 5 July 2023]

If you enjoy spotting the stellar cast, grooving on the peculiar atmosphere, collecting the nods to other pop culture sources, and picking up on clever details, you will love this film.

If you're looking for dramatic action, give it a pass.

Some details worth noting: the license plate slogans on the bus, the artwork in the playwright' ranch home, all the little period details. Nothing is placed by accident.

Maybe that's why I like it so much: it's DESIGN. Every scene, every experience is cleverly crafted.

Anderson's films are like live action cartoons. They riff on old movies, vaudeville, and early tv.

Totems (2021– )

Suspenseful, Stylish spies

[9/10 · 3 July 2022]

Good performances and great cinematography make this very watchable. Tense Cold War hi jinx and some cross-border UST help make this riveting television.

Manhattan (2014–2015)

Criminally underrated

[9/10 · 19 June 2022]

Terrific drama, riveting history, intense inter-relationships, great performances. Why is this show so unrecognized?

Why haven't many of these actors I love here gone on to greater things? (Rachel Brosnahan is the one exception.) I wish the writers director & cast would make something again.

Night Sky (2022)

Well acted drama with a s I do twist

[8/10 · 31 May 2022]

When I was younger my taste in entertainment ran to space operas and magical realms. Movies about people and their feelings bored me to tears.

Among the reviews here are many complaints that it's "too slow," "a soap opera," and worse. Maybe they expected more whiz-bang cgi, chase sequences and violence.

This series explores the impact of mystery and uncertainty on close relationships. An older couple, a mother/daughter, and the impact of off screen characters like a dead son and a missing father. The sci-fi elements enhance the human stories rather than outshine them.

Around the World in 80 Days (2021– )

Full disclosure I'm a big David Tennant fan

[8/10 · 8 May 2022]

I'm adoring this series.the idealism and imagination of Jules Verne is well served by this wonderful cast, splendid sets, and sweeping vistas. Allow yourself to be swept off on the winds of adventure.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Best of three: Exceptional villain, compelling drama, great adventure

[8/10 · 27 April 2022]

Wow, a Wizarding movie for grownups. While I adore the HP series I'm thrilled to get a story with the backstory of Dumbledore & Grindelwald, plus more insight into Albus' family.

Mads Mikkelsen is a huge improvement as Grindlevald! He's a worthy adversary to Jude Law's better-than-last time Dumbledore.

The international wizarding world was an ambitious cinematic task carried off pretty well, considering the epic scope of such a political story. Yes, more on the candidates would have been interesting, but I just enjoyed the atmosphere of Berlin, the Bayerische Alpen & Bhutan. Wish there was more Minerva.

Julia (2022–2023)

Delicious

[8/10 · 2 April 2022]

So much to love here. It's pretty to look at, clever, andfunny. Delightful characters, like "Team Julia," and David Hyde Pierce is perfection as Paul Child's.

V for Vendetta (2005)

Still amazing after all these years

[10/10 · 6 November 2021]

Pay attention to the details: reflections, parallels, every song & its lyrics, V's & Gordon's art collections, the Shakespeare quotes, everything is deliberate.

The Outsider (2020)

Mostly faithful telling; Holly's casting takes it over the top

[8/10 · 7 October 2021]

Cynthia Erivo steals the show as investigator Holly Gibney. Her connection with Ralph (Ben Mendelsohn) holds this series together. Some say that it drags, but I loved the slow burn that let the other characters develop to the point that I cared about each of them.

Ammonite (2020)

A portrait

[7/10 · 17 March 2021]

We forget how quiet the world was, before motorists, refrigerators, all the humming, buzzing and blaring we live with today. When birds and wind provided the soundtrack. The tender quiet of this film lets us feel the austere life of Marry Anning, her alienation and loneliness.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Home of the Free

[8/10 · 4 March 2021]

I almost went this route a few years ago when I was broke and not able to get a job. Too old but not old enough for SS. I follow quite a few of these folks, and think Bob Wells is a hero for helping people live well when good fortune seems scarce. Those who gave this low ratings were expecting more drama and polish. This is a real American story.

First Cow (2019)

Meditative gem with a Wry Moral Tale

[7/10 · 29 January 2021]

Sweet, curious film, revealing grace and grime of Oregon frontier life. Poignant fable complete with a magic cow. Celebration of the bounty of the land and the sweetness of friendship.

I'm surprised how many reviewers missed the careful bookending from the opening discovery to the closing of Lu's weary eyes; I wonder, was the cash still there?

The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

Superb old-school spooky stuff!

[8/10 · 10 January 2021]

Peter Lorre is perfectly creepy. The old house is the perfect setting. The story is mysterious enough. Beautiful black & white film making- watch for the dramatic shadows

The Goldfinch (2019)

Only halfway through but omg

[8/10 · 16 December 2020]

What a great adaptation. The performances are incredible. Wolf hard as Boris is beyond perfect.

A Dark Place (2018)

Gripping performance by Andrew Scott

[7/10 · 13 December 2020]

Worthwhile dark mystery, set in a sad and grimy depressed Midwestern suburb, with an unlikely hero. Andrew Scott plays Donny, an impaired garbage man who is far more aware of the world than the people around him.

Code of a Killer (2015)

Terrific True Crime & Science Drama

[8/10 · 29 November 2020]

Worthwhile 3-episode true story drama with wonderful performances all around. I've always loved John SIMM, and he's great as the scientist-hero Dr. Jeffreys. It's easy to forget how difficult forensic crime fighting was before the first application of 'genetic fingerprinting' in 1986. So the tension is heightened by the very newness of the technology. Will it work?

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

Like an early Van Gogh, dark dreams

[7/10 · 6 November 2020]

A beautiful black and white fever dream, stark and striking light against the coal black of misery. One scene of the two keepers at the table was like Vincent's Potato Eaters.

Joker (I) (2019)

How much pain in there in our world?

[8/10 · 9 July 2020]

If you've ever experienced mental or physical illness, failed creative ambition, and/or financial hardship,I suspect you can find a thread of empathy for Arthur. This film is a beautiful, terrible indictment of our sinking civilization, where stress and isolation grind us down. If you can't see why this movie gets so many raves, or worse, are bored by it, you must be missing the empathy gene. a condition that makes our world a tough place to live in.

Unbelievable: Episode 1 (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

Almost unbearable to watch...

[7 January 2020]

Those detectives badger that fragile young woman. I have my own experience, and dissociation & memory loss are very real. The moment where she sees the beach picture and escapes into it is classic dissociation. I've done it myself. I B hope this kid gets some real allies and soon.

First Man (2018)

Not an action movie. This is not a bad thing.

[7/10 · 4 January 2020]

From the tight POV of Neil Armstrong we experience the march to the moon. Despite the rah-rah we observers got from official news media, this movie focuses on the disorienting & often terrifying moments Armstrong endured during the run-up to the first moon landing. This movie is about fear, persistence, the consequences of taking risks. To fault it for lack of thrills you had to have missed the very human drama.

The Shipping News (2001)

Rewards rewatching, fabulous cast, incredible setting

[8/10 · 3 January 2020]

I love this film AND the book. I can see this every few years and get something new each time. Deep and mysterious, tragic & beautiful, horror and hope.

Another Earth (2011)

Unexpected

[7/10 · 29 March 2018]

I've gone to see sci-fi films to escape into space and cool CGI. But this is not that movie. I think about the science fiction I've loved the most- stories that take me somewhere I never expected to be. And those are the stories where the characters are challenged, rattled to the core, by the deepest questions of our lives. The big discovery of Another Earth isn't just a copy of our planet. It's about how that stunning fact rearranges our reality. Unless you want a bang-bang shoot em up space opera, stay away. To appreciate this one-of-a-kind movie, leave all your preconceived ideas the door.

Counterpart (2017–2019)

Slow burn, worth the wait

[8/10 · 12 March 2018]

If you love character development, and the patient unraveling of motives of LeCarre and his genre, this will please you. I find the languid pace adds a dreamlike quality, yet the dreary palette of Berlin grounds it in realism. I love the contrast the JKS aceives between the two Howards, and how they are still so distinct even as they melt into each other's lives. Great casting with Lloyd, Williams & Schiff I'm hooked.