What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a brilliant mockumentary about vampire who share a house in New Zealand.  It’s hard to choose a favourite among the flatmates of – the sexy Vladislav, the mum of the group Viago, bad boy Deacon or the ‘I just want more friends’ Peter.  The vampires make an unlikely human friend ‘Stu’ who they agree not to eat.

I could go on but I think it’s important for comedies not to give too much away, the most important thing is to watch it. Stay around for the closing credits – there are some funny moments.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - review

Well I was one the first people to see The Hobbit and I have to say I was underwhelmed by it. There were some really good scenes with the dragon but I felt it was moving slowly, of course we all know The Hobbit could've been done in one three hour movie.

There was no real story arc for the second movie, I guess after Lord of the Rings one would expect to have a complete story arc for each of The Hobbit movies. Making movies with 3D viewing in mind also complicates the story - scenes you know were only placed in the movie for the 3D effect with little relevance to plot - although this is a criticism of all movies that have a 3D equivalent.

Hopefully the third instalment won't suffer from further degradation (remember the Godfather 3 - it was just the wrong feel for the franchise).

In the end you know you are going to see it because of the dragon and because it is The Hobbit - the scenic views are inspiring but I did not feel the 3D version was worth it, I am tempted to go to IMAX to see how it fairs there.

My Private Idaho

My Private Idaho on occasions feels so real, some of the dialogue (note I said some) gives you the impression that you are overhearing private conversations while sitting at a coffee shop. You feel like you are at the next table while they talk about first dates (not what you think), other confessions and talking over each other makes this feel like you are there in the thick of it.

This acting could not be completely different, with some fantastic acting from River Phoenix and not so great acting from Keanu Reeves. However Keanu I think has one of the best pieces of monologues in the film.
        SCOTT
               (under his breath)
               When I turn twenty-one, I don't want
               any more of this life. My mother and
               father will be surprised at the
               incredible change. It will impress
               them more when such a fuck up like
               me turns good than if I had been a
               good son all along. All the past
               years I will think of as one big

               vacation. At least it wasn't as
               boring as schoolwork. All my bad
               behavior I'm going to throw away to
               pay my debt. I will change when
               everybody expects it the least.

Phoenix is at his best in the camp scene.  Some of the sex scenes are weird but it was nice not to have everything in front of your face for a change. Subtly is a whole another art form. Worth seeing again.

Hermitage Revealed

I had no expectations when I went to see this documentary. What I found was a fantastic journey of Russian history through the life of the Hermitage.

The collection is huge and is kept in a architecturally beautiful and historic building. This film is a visual feast that continued to amaze.

What is really amazing is the way the curators at the Hermitage kept the collection safe during such a volatile history. It is a credit to those who looked after the collections at the Hermitage that the collection survived many revolutions, world wars and various leaders such as Stain etc and was not pillaged to pay for ideologies.

It is definitely worth seeing this film but I imagine there is nothing like the real thing, I for one has put it on my bucket list.

Wicked the musical

I had front row seats to wicked, which is not as bad as it seems as the orchestra pit was between me and stage.

The story and perfoamnce of was exceptional, everyone who has seen it, love its and its easy to tell why. 

The story a common one is - person not fitting in etc but what I found spectacular were the costumes. Sitting up close gave a great view of the costumes. The were fabulous. Seeing the tiny details on the clothes just made the show more amazing.

The singing and acting was great, with strong female and male leads. 

Again I come back to the costumes, they are amazing and deserve a closer look.

Hello world

 I am an avid movie, theatre and really any event kind of person. So I decided that I would review each of these events. I named this blog 'Questionable Reviews' because I do not just follow the crowd in my opinion of these events. I will be honest and fair in my appraisal.

If you would like me to review anything in particular please leave a comment and I will try my hardest to review it.

Cheers

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