money; as well as his son (Osment) who seemingly is trying to sabotage the film at all costs. The plot seems to be well known in the Entourage series, with some of the stuff having been seen in the past (financial and relationship difficulties) and the unknown of where these careers are going to land down the road. What this film caters to well is the fans of the show. It is safe to say that if you have not seen the show at all, you really won't have any interest in the movie or even really know what is going on. That is what I think the main problem with the critical reviews are is that most of the critics did not care for the show in general and did not understand who these characters are. The plot is pretty straight forward so it is not like they were confused at all, but from their general consensus, they just did not seem to really care. That is a shame because there is a good movie here with great characters.
However, if you have seen the show then this film will easily fit right into your liking. The humor and tone that made it so memorable continues to reside within the characters and shows just how they really have become a family. The two standouts, like in the show, are Johnny Drama (Dillion) and Ari Gold (Piven). They really drive most of the scenes and humor within the film, as well as continue to develop even more as the film progresses. There are also plenty of celebrity cameos, which allows Entourage to feel like a real life depiction of the lifestyle that most celebrities live. Those cameos include Mark Wahlberg, Emily Ratajkowski (who actually plays a bigger role than the trailers lead on), Piers Morgan, Bob Saget, Liam Neeson, Kelsey Grammar, Jessica Alba, Rob Gronkowski, as well as a countless number of others. The bottom line is, if you have seen the show and love the characters, then you will enjoy this film. If you have not seen the show, you won't have much interest in what this movie has to offer. I love the series (probably one of my favorites of all time) so I enjoyed the film quite a bit. If you do decide to give Entourage a shot, I would recommend watching the show beforehand so you can get the flow and tone of what is happening, as well as an understanding of each of the characters.
0 Comments
The plot is centered around how Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) attempt to create a peacekeeping program by the name of Ultron (Spader), but things don't end up going according to plan. Ultron realizes the strength that he posses and uses that strength to inflict evil and try to take over the world. The Avengers must band together to stop Ultron before he ultimately destroys the world. It tends at times to follow the same story arc as the first film, but the action is most certainly escalated with this installment.
However, there were some flaws that made the film not as marvelous as the first one. The first being when the film opens, the Avengers are already together and are fighting as if they had been for a while. From looking back at the past films of "Phase 2" it seemed a little rushed to me how all of a sudden they were all back together again, considering some of the characters were in different parts of the world. One other problem was there at times seemed to be too many characters to put on the screen (Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver for instance), which made their characters feel rushed; but to me this was only a small problem. This film was about the action and bringing these characters together again to ultimately get ready for the climactic fight against Thanos in Avengers Infinity War. I did enjoy the further character development of Hawkeye (Renner) in that we get to see that he has a family and has something that makes him essential to the group. He knows what it is like to be a part of a family and work together as a unit, which makes him in my eyes, become one of the leaders of the Avengers. It is great to see Whedon exploring the characters of the Avengers that are often overlooked for the bigger characters, like Iron Man and Captain America, and show why they are important in maintaining the chemistry of the group. That is not to say that I am getting tired of Iron Man or Captain America (they have the best solo films in my opinion), it is just great to see the other characters develop and see new ones added into the franchise like Scarlett Witch or the Vision. By looking back at the other films in Marvel's "Phase 2", it is easy to put Avengers: Age of Ultron as one of the best of the current phase (behind Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Although it falls just short of what made the first Avengers so fantastic, it most certainly escalates the action to a whole new level. Whedon, and the rest of the cast and team, show just how they have the ability to make this great franchise the best to ever grace the screen. They continue to provide us with a universe that does not to let up or stop phasing. I am highly looking forward to the conclusion of "Phase 2" with Ant-Man and am excited to see what Marvel does with the future epic films of "Phase 3". Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan Miracle (2004) Rating: 3.5/4 Director: Gavin O'Connor Writer: Eric Guggenheim Cast: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Kenneth Welsh, Eddie Cahill ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Beauty and the Beast (1991) Rating: 4/4 Directors: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise Writer: Lina Woolverton Cast (voice): Robby Benson, Rex Everhart, Angela Lansbury, Paige O'Hara, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Bradley Pierce - Arguably one of the greatest Disney animated films of all time (second to The Lion King), Beauty and the Beast shows how an animated feature film can aspire to become something that will stand the test of time. If you do not know the story by now, which I don't know how you wouldn't, it is about a Prince who becomes transformed into a Beast and has to find true love in order to break the spell, or he risks being trapped inside the Beast's body for the rest of his life. What this film draws on well are strong themes about becoming an adult. One aspect is to not judge someone by the way they look or act. Everyone is quick to judge the Beast because of his looks. Belle starts to do this, but slowly is able to break away at who the Beast is on the inside and the real person he is. She is the only one who really gives him a chance and does not judge him by the way he looks. Another theme that this film draws on, is to be an independent thinker and stand out by talking against society when you sense that something is wrong. Become an independent person and stick up for something you believe in or love; in this case it is Belle's feelings towards the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is more than just a children's film. It allows audiences of all different generations and backgrounds to be drawn into the story and relate to it in a way that they might have never noticed before. It will always be considered as one of the greatest and most influential animated films of all time. ——————————————– Let's Be Cops (2014) Rating: 3/4 Director: Luke Greenfield Writers: Luke Greenfield & Nicholas Thomas Cast: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D'Arcy, Keegan-Michael Key, Andy Garcia ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Rating: 4/4 Director: Doug Liman Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brenden Gleeson, Bill Paxton - Probably one of the more overlooked films of 2014, Edge of Tomorrow is able to rise to the occasion and deliver one of the best action stories we have seen in quite some time. Tom Cruise is one of the masters of the action genre and delivers again on the thrills we have come to know from him. Liman is able to deliver a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat with non-stop action and even some comedic moments. I thought that having the day repeat over and over again would get boring and lose me, but it most certainly did not. Emily Blunt also delivers a great performance and shows how strong of a female figure she is. She becomes the centralized character of the story and keeps the audience wanting more and more of her. Although it was released in early summer and sort of forgotten about towards the end of the year, it should not be overlooked. I don't want to delve too deep into the story without giving away any of the plot, so if you have not seen this film go check it out now! ——————————————–
The story takes place in Detroit where a young girl named Jay (Maika Monroe) ends up being followed by a supernatural presence after having a sexual encounter with a man. By having that sexual encounter, she becomes stuck with this supernatural force following her wherever she goes. By creating this idea of the unknown following the main characters throughout the course of the story, David Robert Mitchell is able to also bring the audience along and have them question really what this supernatural force is. There is always this fear that most people have of someone watching you or chasing you, even though when you turn around, there is nothing there. That is what made this film so strong in my opinion. The fact that it draws on the theme of the unknown and relates it to something we have all felt before. When the film is over, you will not be able to shake the feeling of someone always being behind you; wondering if someone is about to creep up and scare the living hell out of you.
One other aspect that drew me into the film was the way Mitchell was able to draw back and connect the film with some of the horror classics like The Shining, Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The soundtrack was very much an homage to The Shining. There were moments where I almost thought that it was the actual soundtrack that was being mixed in. By incorporating elements from The Shining and blending them with other elements like the fear of being followed or watched (Halloween) and also showing the gruesome elements that make up the horror genre (A Nightmare on Elm Street), It Follows is able to become a modern-day, classic horror film. Overtime, it will be mentioned up with the greats as the films that helps define the horror genre. It Follows is certainly a film to check out. It is a throwback to the films of the 70's and 80's and shows just how great the genre can be. Mitchell seems to be trying to convey a message of Hollywood moving away from the found footage ideas and bringing it back to what made the genre great. This film is certainly a step towards that direction. It will make you want to go back and watch those classic films again. Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan The Wedding Ringer (2015) Rating: 2.5/4 Director: Jeremy Garelick Writers: Jeremy Garelick & Jay Lavender Cast: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Olivia Thirlby ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Rating: 4/4 Director: Matt Reeves Writers: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the story of Caesar from the first film (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), but this time the world has completely changed. Government and society ceases to exist. It is Man vs Ape and in this case, it becomes hard to choose a side. Director Matt Reeves does a superb job in exploring this apocalyptic world by showing how both species, Man and Ape, interact differently within the environment. The Apes are on the rise and are slowly taking over the landscape; starting with the forest. Man seems to be hiding in the abandoned cities, seeking any hope in order to survive in a world which they are struggling. Andy Serkis, once again, shows why he is the master of motion capture and delivers an outstanding performance as Caesar. It is a shame that the Academy continues to overlook is motion capture work. I hope someday he gets his recognition. The interactions between Caesar and Jason Clarke's character, Malcolm, are what drive the film forward because they both seem to want peace between the two species. What made an impression on me about this film was the fact that it became hard to pick a side on who is right. The lines between Man and Ape become blurred and it delivers a powerful theme that sits with you after the film has ended. That theme being who are we really when it comes down to surviving? With an extremely detailed environment, an excellent cast and a theme of man interacting with nature, it is safe to say that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best films of 2014. ——————————————– The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Rating: 3.5/4 Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen Writers: Joel & Ethan Coen Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz, Tony Shalhoub, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Jenkins ——————————————– Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Rating: 1.5/4 Director: Michael Bay Writer: Ehran Kruger Cast: Mark Whalberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor - I still have yet to figure out why Michael Bay keeps making almost three hour long Transformer films. It just seems completely unnecessary for a plot that is already all over the place. Clocking in at 165 minutes, Transformers: Age of Extinction is another entry in the blockbuster series, which really hasn't made a good film since the first one. Although this is not as bad as Revenge of the Fallen, it still is nothing that is worthy of watching again. The plot often doesn't make any sense and it often relies on the heavy action to keep the audience interested. I just had a hard time believing the relationships between the characters. Nicola Peltz's love interest in the film, Jack Reynor, has an Australian accent and is a racecar driver in the middle of Texas (essentially the middle of nowhere). Seemed like a really odd character choice that just did not seem believable. One moment in the film that really made a bad impression on me was during a battle scene in China, when a Bud Light truck comes out of nowhere, crashes and spills Bud Light bottles everywhere. Wahlberg picks one up, cracks it open against the car and drinks it; in the middle of fighting alien robots. I honestly felt like someone slapped me in the face. Terrible product placement. This is just one moment in what was a dull attempt to try and rejuvenate the Transformers franchise. It did however gross 1 billion dollars worldwide, so it is safe to say we will see a fifth entry sometime soon. Let's hope that one will be better than the last three. ——————————————– Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan Pitch Perfect (2012) Rating: 3.5/4 Director: Jason Moore Writer: Kay Cannon Cast: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Elizabeth Banks - In honor of Pitch Perfect 2 being released this Friday, I thought I would give my rating on the first film. Going into the film I remember thinking that this was going to be another "teen" flick that was trying to attract a younger generation. Boy, was I dead wrong. This is probably the ultimate guilty pleasure film, in that it is hard not to enjoy every minute of it. Although Anna Kendrick had already made a name for herself in Hollywood at the time (Oscar nominee for Up in the Air, as well as appeared in the Twilight films), this is when she really became known to everyone. She clearly shows that she has the ability to tackle any genre thrown at her. What this film does tremendously well in my opinion, is that it does not take itself too seriously and often pokes fun at the premise of an entire film being portrayed around A Cappella. With a great script, excellent music and simply having Anna Kendrick being awesome as usual, it is hard not to love Pitch Perfect. ——————————————– The Spectacular Now (2013) Rating: 3/4 Director: James Ponsoldt Writer: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh ——————————————– The Square (2013) Rating: 3/4 Director: Jehane Noujaim Cast: Ahmed Hassan, Khalid Abdalla, Magdy Ashour ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM*** Walk the Line (2005)
Rating: 4/4 Director: James Mangold Writers: Gill Dennis & James Mangold Cast: Joaquin Pheonix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts - Walk the Line depicts the life of one of music's most controversial artists, Johnny Cash. Joaquin Pheonix, who plays Cash, delivers probably his best performance of his career and makes it hard to separate him from the real Johnny Cash. It is clear that Pheonix took time to study Cash and his behavior in order to generate a performance that should not be forgotten. Paired along side a phenomenal performance from Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter Cash, they both are able to escalate the film into one of the great biopics of our generation. ——————————————–
With an excellent cast in Jonah Hill (Finkel), James Franco (Longo) and Felicity Jones (Jill), it was pretty easy for me to be intrigued by this drama. All three have proven over the years that they have the ability to give fantastic performances and going into this film I thought this could be another home-run for each of them. Needless to say, I was disappointed in the outcome. For me, the acting throughout seemed quite forced and did not often fit the scenes. I think the main problem I had, was that I had a hard time believing Jonah Hill as he was portraying Mike Finkel. Now I am not saying he did a bad job or his acting was terrible, it is just for me he did not seem to dive deep into who Finkel was. I had a hard time caring for what was happening to his character and just overall had a hard time trying to relate to the things he was going through. Felicity Jones, to me, was completely underutilized. Her character of Jill often seemed completely forced in order to create some sort of conflict, whether it being with Finkel or when she randomly started to talk to Longo. Her interactions with Longo seemed to strictly be in there in order to advance what was happening and did not fit the story at all.
For me the standout performance in the film was James Franco. His portrayal of Christian Longo gave me this sense of unease and had me questioning what his real motives were. He kept you guessing as to what really happened that night his family was killed and drew you in to show how he can change your opinion on Longo as the film moves along. He kept the story flowing smoothly and I continued to want to see more of his character to try and understand who he was as a person. There are good moments in the film that do make it worth seeing. Masanobu Takayanagi provides beautiful cinematography throughout. The opening shots of the film completely drew me in and reminded me of the look Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners had. The story itself is also intriguing enough to keep you tied into the plot to see the ultimate outcome of each character. True Story is not a bad movie in any sense, it just had the potential to be a great film and for me it started off strong then slowly started to fall flat. ***GREAT FILM***
which doubles as a research facility, secluded high in the mountains where there is almost no human contact. By shooting almost the entire film in one location, it can be hard to create a compelling story. Garland is able to go above and beyond that to create an environment that blends Sci-fi with reality. By creating that strong environment and allowing the story to unfold before the audience, Garland is able to place the audience at the center of the story themselves to test the robot and change the way that Sci-fi films can ultimately be looked at.
One major element for a story like this to be successful is the acting. If the acting does not seem right or feels out of place, than the story will feel disconnected. The three main leads are perfectly chosen for their roles. Gleeson plays, Caleb, who was sent there to test the A.I., Ava. What separates him from the other characters is that he is essentially an audience member. He too has no idea what is going to happen next. Gleeson is able to express his character’s emotions through his facial expressions (especially in his eyes), which in turn reflects back on how the audience is viewing Ava. We see him feeling more and more connected to Ava which in turn causes us to become more connected with her. Vikander plays Ava, the A.I. created to change the world, and in my opinion gives the best performance of the film. What makes this the best performance is the fact that there are moments when we cannot separate her from either being a robot or a human. By not being able to separate her from who she really is, shows the depth that Vikander is able to achieve in making the audience almost love Ava. We in turn want her to become part of our world. That brings us to Oscar Isaac who always gives a phenomenal performance no matter what he is in. By playing Nathan, the “villain” in the film, he is able to express his emotions in a physical and intimidating manner. Whenever he is on screen, you almost feel uncomfortable watching him and never know if he is going to snap or not. By giving the audience this sense of confusion and unease he is able to make you question who he is all together. With these amazing performances, along with beautiful cinematography by Rob Hardy and an excellent score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Garland is able to bring all of these elements together to create a Sci-fi masterpiece. By bringing us into a world that seems like reality, he is able to tell a story of not only love and understanding, but also a glimpse into possibly the future of the human race. By allowing the audience to test Ava, we are able to place her in reality and see her as one of us. ——————————————–——————————————–——————————————– An Audience Perspective (Mike Welsch): How many times have you checked Facebook today? Instagram? Twitter? Snapchat? If you are anything like me then I would suspect the answer to be similar: too many times already. There is no denying that technology has and continues to progress at an exponential rate, not only from a technical perspective, but socially as well. From iPhones to MRI machines, technology has sparked a worldly evolution within the past decade that will change the way humans think, interact, and communicate for the remainder of our species' existence. We are creatures drawn to creation and innovation, enthralled by discovery and the unknown, and possessed with intelligence. We have always asked ourselves how we can reach that next technological breakthrough and such has instigated our culture of ignorance to the real question: at what cost do we reach it? Ex Machina paints a vivid and disturbing picture of Man's obsession with advancement and the role that artificial intelligence plays in the evolution of our species. The film dances around a key theme to the story: what is alive? Does being alive mean being able to speak and to communicate? Does it mean being able to feel and sense pain? Perhaps it means being able to employ logic? Or to know fear? Empathy? Love? I say the film is disturbing because it forces us to dissect what makes us human and what truly makes us alive. The film's primary specimen of artificial intelligence, Ava, may be made of glass and metal hardware functioning by means of computer logic and electrical circuitry, but what if "she" can do and feel the things mentioned above? At what point does something meet the requirements for what it means to be alive and conscious? It is oddly fascinating as well as terrifying to consider the possibility that we as a species have reached a technological level in our intellect that allows us to mimic, or otherwise create, a functioning replica of a human being. "To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between men and gods." There is plenty of speculation regarding the current progress of artificial intelligence as it exists in today's world, but the very concept alone signifies that we are indeed striving for the power of gods. And when we finally realize that power and create a machine that thinks and talks and feels...where will human beings fall on the evolutionary scale? Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan A Serious Man (2009) Rating: 3/4 Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen Writers: Joel & Ethan Coen Cast: Michael Stuhlburg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Aaron Wolff ——————————————– Saving Mr. Banks (2013) Rating: 3/4 Director: John Lee Hancock Writers: Kelly Marcel & Sue Smith Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman - Probably one of the more underrated films of 2013, Saving Mr. Banks is not just any old Disney film. This film explores the relationship between P.L. Travers and Walt Disney as they work together in order to adapt the story of Mary Poppins into a feature film. When I decided to watch this I thought it was just going to be a musical about the background of Mary Poppins and more of a glamorized version of the behind the scenes at Disney. It is safe to say, that I was completely wrong. This film has deeper themes and issues that can relate to almost everyone. By exploring the childhood of P.L. Travers and contrasting it with the person that she has become, it shows how she is not easily able to just give away the story she has created. By exploring the effects of alcoholism and the idea of having to become an adult at such a young age, Hancock is able to show how Disney films can become something more than just glitz and glamor. I highly recommend checking this one out. ——————————————– Divergent (2014) Rating: 2/4 Director: Neil Burger Writers: Evan Daugherty & Vanessa Taylor Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Kate Winslet, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Andel Elgort, Maggie Q - This is another one of those teenage post-apocalyptic films that seems to come twice a year. This film had potential from the start as it established the characters well and explored the world that it was trying to create, so that we as the audience became familiar with the path that the characters were going to take. After about 20 minutes or so, the film seemed to fall apart. I would say that the overall main problem was the editing. I just felt that action sequences did not fit right and would cut at moments that did not seem necessary. With a rushed story and a very predictable plot, Divergent is just one of those stories that we have seen over and over again. ——————————————– That Awkward Moment (2014)
Rating: 2/4 Director: Tom Gormican Writer: Tom Gormican Cast: Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, Jessica Lucas ——————————————– ***GREAT FILM***
Death. That is the underlying theme that the Coen's are trying to express. Death is everywhere and it is the most evil thing of all. The one moment in the film that I wanted to examine in particular is the ending because I feel that this sums up what has just been shown to us. The Coen's always have a way of making you think during the final scene and in this moment in particular, they exceed in doing that extremely well. Below is the final scene in the film. I MUST CAUTION IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS FILM DO NOT WATCH THE CLIP AND STOP READING THIS REVIEW NOW. Instead go and watch the film. Here is the clip: This is my interpretation of this memorable scene above. The first dream he is talking about represents the values that his father had taught him throughout his life. He can't really seem to remember the dream. The roles are switched where he is the older man, while his father is the younger man. "He gave me some money.....I think I lost it". This simple sentence represents not just losing money, but losing the values that his father had taught him. His father is younger than he is but is still much older and wiser in the sense that he obtains those older values.
In the second dream, both he and his father are back in "older times", meaning that they are back at a time where evil was not as strong or present in society. He was going through a pass in the mountains at night by himself; darkness all around him. Cold and alone. His father would ride past him with his head down not saying anything to him or acknowledging him at all. His father was carrying fire with him, which represents the warmth and light of hope in a place full of darkness. Hope for the future. Hope that the evil in the world would not always win and would be destroyed by that beacon of light. His father was going ahead to secure a path that would enable his son to get there and one day join him in a place where there was no evil (Anton's actions throughout the film would represent the evil he is talking about). He would make a fire out in the dark and cold world and wait. Wait for his son to join him when he dies himself. A clock can be heard ticking towards the end of his explanation of this second dream. This is his mind giving a countdown until ultimately he can join his father in the afterlife, away from all this evil. And then, he wakes up. To me this is one of the greatest endings in cinematic history. Not only does it sum up the story in a sense, but it also tells the audience how evil has escalated over the years and continues to become more and more aggressive with each passing generation. Anton's actions of killing Moss, as well as many others throughout the film, show how evil continues to rise and progress and become stronger and stronger. His sense of hope being there with his father, and the light to guide him, will never be present in his world. It will only be in the afterlife. No Country for Old Men is easily in my top ten films ever made. It draws on the theme of death and the effects it has on the human mind. There is no changing the fact that there will always be evil in the world. It is just a matter of how to try and stop that evil from taking over. The film is also shot by, in my opinion the greatest cinematographer of all time Roger Deakins, who often gets greatly overlooked by the work he has done. He helps create that empty environment that gives the story its character. The emptiness becomes the character that drives the story and sets the dark, somber tone and setting for the film. If you haven't yet had a chance to watch this masterpiece of a film, you are certainly missing out. Please go and check it out. You will not be disappointed. |
AuthorPat Brennan: Recent Film grad from Temple University with a love for all aspects of film. David Fincher for life.
Archives
November 2016
Categories |