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Sawyer (231 KP) rated Shadowman in Books

Dec 19, 2017  
Shadowman
Shadowman
Jim shooter | 1992 | Comics & Graphic Novels
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great characterizations and Showcases of Southern Louisiana life (0 more)
The hero of The Big Easy
Shadow Man is a classic 1990's comic book about a man who gets possessed by ancient Voodoo God in must fight against the evils of the supernatural world
  
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Eri (1 KP) rated Seinfeld in Books

Dec 11, 2017  
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Nicholas Mirzoeff | 2007 | Film & TV
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Seinfeld is a sitcom from the 1990's about 4 friends living life in New York city one of them is stand up comedian Jerry Seinfeld who is the core of the group and his life around him and his friends top notch acting and comedy executive produced by Larry David of curb your enthusiasm
  
It: Chapter Two (2019)
It: Chapter Two (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
IT 1990 - enough said
If you haven't seen the original 1990's TV series then where have you been??
And more importantly, why this?
After reading the book a dozen or more times, binge watching the original then watching Part 1 and 2 of the remake I am hopefully qualified to give this review.

The actors, amazing. The acting a spot on. And that is the best thing about this remake.

I mean. It mimics the original in most ways but the expectations I had for this movie were sky high.

Tim curry in a clown suit - where are you?
  
Crimson Tide (1995)
Crimson Tide (1995)
1995 | Action, Drama
9
8.5 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Personally I find the roles of Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman interesting in this movie for a different reason that I think was intended. Hackman made his career and became a household name throughout the 60's, 70,s and 80's, while maintaining a level of relevance and definitely a level of respect through today. Denzel came into prominence in the 1990's and has become a beloved and highly regarded figure in his field. Watching their respective roles in Crimson Tides almost felt like a kind of "passing of the guard" in more ways than one.

That aside, the movie itself is loosely based on actual events aboard a Russian Submarine wherein a stubborn second in command defied the orders of his superiors and saved the world from certain disaster and preventing World War III. Brilliantly portrayed by all involved, Directed through the lens of genius. One of the greatest underwater films of all time that is still being used as a basis for films being made today (I'm talking to you Hunter Killer).
  
Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClellan is the first book I've read about North Korea. The author's voice is genuine and emotional as it relates to the personal story of his adolescent years in North Korea during the 1990's. It is about a young man's awakening from naive child who believes his country is perfectly fine to realizing that not all people are treated equally. This is a memoir. The reader learns what it's truly like to grow up in North Korea

The most fascinating thing about North Korea and this memoir is the way the cult of personality works. It is deeply ingrained that Kim Jong-un is an almost magical being, someone to be revered, a perfect specimen of humanity leading the best country on Earth. It is actually illegal to mishandle any images of the Supreme Leader, never mind speak out against the regime.

Sungju Lee recounts his childhood through the 1990's famine. He begins in Pyongyang, a naive child with blind faith in his leader. This later changes as his family is forced to move to a poorer area of the country where the locals are starving and executions happen regularly. The reader learns about the complete lack of awareness that is characteristic of the more fortunate North Koreans. This is especially children. Their belief is that everyone is provided for and no one goes hungry.

This book is every eye-opening and terrifying.
  
Aladdin (1992)
Aladdin (1992)
1992 | Action, Animation, Comedy
Robin Williams is fantastic in Aladdin during the 1990's Disney Renaissance
This film just makes me melancholic now watching the sheer genius Robin Williams as the Genie. To improvise the character to such an extent just goes to show Williams' incredible talent.

The animation itself is the first time to feature a non-white Disney princess, hence it is important to show the significance of characters from BAME backgrounds. It's disappointing to hear that the movie version is going to be whitewashed.

It is funny, clever, and is part of the 'Disney Renaissance' - a hip new sensibility to animated features and which still stands up in the age of Pixar and DreamWorks thanks largely to RW.
  
Rent: Filmed Live On  Broadway (2008)
Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway (2008)
2008 | Drama, Musical, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brings the power of being in the theater
Every decade, it seems, Broadway produces a transcendent musical. In the 1970's, it was A CHORUS LINE, in the 1980's, it was LES MISERABLES. Jump to the 2000's, you have WICKED and, of course, the 2010's brought us HAMILTON.

The 1990's brought us a "rock musical" that focused on a global pandemic set against the backdrop of social protesting and racial injustices (sound familiar), this musical is Jonathan Larson's RENT.

Following (loosely) the plot of the 1896 opera LA BOHEME, RENT tells the tale of disaffected artists trying to live and love (and make rent) while living their lives the way they wish to live it. Writer Jonathan Larson (who passed, suddenly, the day before previews began) created a powerful, rock driven, story that is poignant, sad and hopeful all at the same time. The original Broadway production Iwhich I am bragging that I saw 2x with the original cast) brought such talent as Jesse L. Martin, Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel to the forefront.

But...skip the film version of this musical (starring most of the original cast) that came out in 2005. It is purfunctuary and lifeless. Instead, seek out the 2008 RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY. Like Hamilton, this is a filmed version of the stage show and is able to capture the power and emotion that only live theater can provide.

The cast in this production is outstanding - with the standout being (no surprise) a young Renee Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schulyer in Hamilton) who shines brightly as Mimi.

Like Hamilton, Rent showcases the power - and purpose - of live theater. A place that I cannot wait to go to again in 2021.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
  
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Rob Halford recommended Dirt by Alice In Chains in Music (curated)

 
Dirt by Alice In Chains
Dirt by Alice In Chains
1992 | Rock
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Around the time that this album was released I was driving my car and I heard 'Man In The Box' [from 1990's Facelift] playing on the radio. To me it sounded like another style of music that was completely out of the leftfield. The incredible combination of Layne [Staley]'s voice and Jerry [Cantrell, guitarist] is just so cool. They were making music like a lot of these bands that was getting played on the radio, and even today in America you need to have songs that can make it onto the radio. They knew that, and they got played all the time. Their vibe was entirely different to KoЯn, and KoЯn's was entirely different to Nirvana, who were in turn different to Pantera. All of these bands were coming out at the same time but they were all making their own unique impressions. It's incredible really. If you look at the history of rock & roll, the beginning of that decade was one of the most exciting times. There was never really anyone with a similar vocal style to Layne though, and that's important too. I think a lot of it is always down to the singer to some extent."

Source
  
Johnny and the Dead (Johnny Maxwell #2)
Johnny and the Dead (Johnny Maxwell #2)
Terry Pratchett | 1993 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The late, great, Sir Terry Pratchett is probably better known for his Discworld novels.

Which, primarily albeit not exclusively, are aimed towards a more adult audience.

However, during the 1990's, he also wrote a trilogy of novels that were aimed at the younger audience, starting with Only You Can Save Mankind and ending with Johnny and the Bomb, with this one tucked away nicely in the middle. These novels have become known as the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, following the same core characters as Johnny Maxwell (obviously) and his friends Yo-less, Wobbler and Big Mac.

In this one, Johnny learns that the local cemetery is about to be demolished, which comes as news to the residents of said cemetery (who only Johnny is able to see - I kept waiting for the 'I see dead people' gag, before realising this was released before the movie 'The Sixth Sense'), and leading to a local outcry over the same.

It hits different now, 30 years on from when I first read it (due to life events).
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated China Room in Books

Aug 13, 2021  
China Room
China Room
Sunjeev Sahota | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
China Room was a beautifully written, emotional novel set in rural Punjab in 1929 and the 1990’s. The unnamed male protagonist in the 90’s has travelled to stay with family mainly to kick a drug habit before he starts at university back in the UK. His addiction could well have been caused by the racist taunts and violence he has experienced at home in Britain - these things are addressed in the book.

He ends up staying on the abandoned family farm: a ramshackle building that needs a lot of work. One room is locked: the China Room. This is where his grandmother, Mehar, would have lived away from the prying eyes of men, working with the wives of the other two brothers to her husband. None of the women know who their husband is - they never see them in daylight. They cook and clean for them, and then have sex with them when their mother-in-law, Mai, allows. Their main function is to bear sons.

It’s a hard way of life, but the women accept their roles. As a 21st century women, living in the West, I found this very difficult to read. It’s an oppressive, claustrophobic life - even down to the veils that they had to wear when out in public which gave the impression of suffocation. I don’t know whether any of the girls actually looked another human in the face, other than each other and their mother-in-law.

But I found this timeline fascinating, and it was a huge contrast to that of Mehar’s grandson. It’s a compelling read - I read it in one sitting, and was a bit sad when I turned the last page, to leave the world of Mehar in particular.

Many thanks to Harvill Secker and Viking for my copy of this book to read and review.