The Little Hours [Blu-ray]

Where to begin. This was an utterly sublime film from a talented cast and crew. At first I was concerned that this might turn out to be just another farce set loosely somewhere in mediaeval times. Instead what we have are surprisingly touching and complex human portraits of people doing their best to eke out a living within the confines of a rigid moral religious system. The performances are genius, genuine, and seemingly well-researched, which adds a feeling of timelessness to the whole film. Women were often abandoned by their families to a religious order because they were considered opinionated, unattractive, headstrong, or burdensome, and that felt like it came through here. It challenges the notion that nuns in a convent were wholly devoted to a quiet life of contemplation and prayer—or even to celibacy. The scene where the sisters are drunkenly singing organum added a sense of subtle reality to the proceedings; one might imagine that such a scene could have occurred 650 years ago. And that is ultimately what one might take away from this film: that people living in 14th century Europe were perhaps not all that different from people living today. We dress differently, practice what we view as a more progressive stance on human rights and morality, and sing different songs when intoxicated, but ultimately what unites the human race across time and space is our fundamental desire for love and connection with each other. We sometimes like to imagine humans of centuries past as somehow loftier and more dignified, when in reality they were as filthy-minded and hedonistic as your average millennial today. And that is one of the true gifts of this film: that they didn't labour to replicate or set the film in medieval times. Rather, these were touchingly brilliant, authentic, and moving performances from an ensemble cast that manages to transcend time and setting.

From the preface to the story that the main plotline is adapted from (slightly abridged, but you get the point): 'there are a great many men and women who are so dense as to be firmly convinced that when a girl takes the white veil...she ceases to...experience feminine longings, as though the...act of making her a nun had caused her to turn into stone. And if they...happen to hear of anything to suggest their conviction is ill-founded, they become quite distressed, as though some enormous and diabolical evil had been perpetrated against nature.' I think Filostrato's on the right track, given the complaints in many of the 1 star reviews I've read.This is a beautifully crafted comedy with a very talented cast, artfully adapted from a work that I love and set in a period that my degrees are relevant for. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble here, but medieval religious houses were full of young people who didn't choose that life for themselves. These wayward nuns and monks are stock figures in Boccaccio's work, and they are translated hilariously onto a modern screen.The first story of the third day of the Decameron (quoted above) also does mention the 'devilish' nuns driving one gardener away with their constant pestering, and then teasing and harassing the new deaf gardener with 'the foulest language imaginable'. So, I found those f-bombs not only funny but also supported by the source material. Swear away, reluctant medieval nuns!

After over 200 Blu rays and dvd ‘s ordered this arrived intact and not loose inside nf the case wasn’t shattered like it had been stomped on.That’s a win in my book! Disk case does look suspect though like some do,it doesn’t have Blu-Ray stamped on the heading like it should. Will update if anything else is wrong. Movie is awesome,cast is brilliant and you should most definitely buy this one! It’s worth watching more than once!

Written/directed by the guy who brought you Life After Beth, a zombie comedy you've probably never heard of, this film is what happens when a 14th-century novella and a few 21st-century porn search words love each other very much.It has everything: witches, sexually-confused nuns, merkins, blood, Fred Armisen in a pageboy wig...and, if you liked seeing James Franco topless on Instagram that one time (2 times? 9 times? 400 times?), you are going to LOVE seeing Dave Franco and, like, half the women in this film topless!There are even appearances by hilarious actors like Molly Shannon! And Jemima Kirke! And Nick Offerman! And probably your mom! And probably my mom! And they're probably topless! Woah. That got weird. Yikes. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, doing a really bad Stefon from SNL impression...With a script inspired by The Decameron, an overall "vibe" inspired by Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and a drunken make-out scene inspired by every college party ever, this movie is perfect for anyone with amazing taste in comedy (or divorced parents).In fact, if you're not tweeting Aubrey Plaza about when "The Little Hours 2: Back in the Habit" is coming out after watching it, then perhaps you simply don't have a sense of humor, SETH*.*That's right, in this scenario I had Stefon stand up for himself. Because those clubs actually sound like fun, and who is Seth to constantly undermine Stefon's eclectic taste in nightlife?