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Reviews
Shardlake (2024)
As a lover of the books, well done!
I thought it impossible for TV to capture the essence of C. J. Sansom's Shardlake book series. I am happily surprised by the spirit and quality of the TV series so far. The casting, especially Arthur Hughes and Anthony Boyle (the man is currently in 3 series I am watching!) is near perfect based on the books. Episode 4 is a bit muddled when it comes to tieing up all the loose ends (Norfolk and his man) but still consider the series off to a good start. And for those who have criticized the "the historical accuracy" of people of color in Tudor England, I refer you both to the novels and to the British Library. Africans had important roles in Tudor times, including in religious communities. It wasn't until later they were relegated to lower status due to the slave trade.
Damsel (2024)
Amateurish, unsure what it wants to be
The premise sounded interesting but the special effects were straight out of the 1950s. Actors bobbing on fake horses for closeups, ships with no wake, and waaaaay too much gold paint. Add to that the stilted acting, awkward plotting, histrionic speeches-somehow the pieces did not fit together for me. The feminist theme came late and seemed tacked on so it was difficult for this viewer to work up any enthusiasm. Sorry but I was really excited to see this film, being a fan of Millie Bobby Brown. I perhaps expected too much and was disappointed. That griffon-like dragon was exceptional, however.