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Book
There was a time not too long ago when if you were to stand by a busy main road in Britain the...
Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919
Book
Published in 1998 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History, GOTHAM: A History of New York to 1898...
history geography
Me Cheeta
Book
The incredible, moving and hilarious story of Cheeta the Chimp, simian star of the big screen, on a...
Let The Bad Times Rolls by The Offspring
Album
The Offspring is a punk rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. The band's current...
NetDocuments for EMM
Business and Productivity
10.0
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App
NetDocuments is a cloud content management service for businesses of all sizes to securely create,...
A book that will stay with you.
This book is amazing! I have literally spent over a decade trying to find it, it is that good! I have a mysterious and interesting bond with this book I can't explain. I bought this book around 10 to 15 years ago at my local Dollar General for a couple bucks. I read it and fell in love with it. I was in my teens and liked to write stories and began to name some of my characters Naomi after the character. However, shortly after finishing it, it mysteriously disappeared. I looked behind furniture, under furniture, and tore apart my house, nothing. I tried to find another copy, but there were no more at the store. I tried other places, but found that I could not remember the authors name to save my life and when I described it no one had heard of it. I then moved and was hoping that packing everything I own would help me find it again, but I didn't. And so began a decade long obsession with this book. I typed it in search engines, including details I could remember. I did try goodreads at one point a long time ago and nothing. I had begun to think I was crazy and imagined this book. I would periodically think about it and wish I could find it so I could read it again. Tonight there was a big thunderstorm and I couldn't sleep. For some reason I thought of the book as I was scrolling through some kindle books. My goodreads app was there and I just typed it in. I was disappointed when it didn't immediately pop up. I was going to give up and then decided to scroll all the books. I was scrolling and suddenly I saw a cover I recognized. I've finally found it. I read the synopsis and confirmed this is it. Would I recommend it yes. This book has haunted me for years and I never forgot it. Not many books can do that. I'll admit it's not for everyone, but if you like a good suspense, you will.
Please note this review is for an earlier publication of this book (1998-2001ish) which is why I've been looking for it for over 10 years and the current publication is 2012 (new publisher).
Please note this review is for an earlier publication of this book (1998-2001ish) which is why I've been looking for it for over 10 years and the current publication is 2012 (new publisher).
Hellraid: The Escape
Games
App
IMPORTANT: Due to the high-quality graphics, Hellraid: The Escape is compatible only with iPad 2 &...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Mulan (2020) in Movies
Dec 6, 2020
I'll start by saying that the original 1998 Mulan is quite possibly my favourite Disney animation, and I personally think it represents the pinnacle of the company's renaissance. With that in mind, I was initially looking forward to seeing the live action adaption when it was first announced, but after last year's re-do of The Lion King, any anticipation I had quickly started to dwindle.
Predictably, the finished result is underwhelming. It's not an inherently bad movie, it's entertaining in parts, and has some decent action scenes, but it's nothing more than a padded out re-tread, and it's hard not to think "what's the point?"
The new material implemented literally adds nothing to the plot, and just draws out the experience, verging on boring more than once, and the familiar stuff just lacks the charm of the original. The decision to ground it more in realism is understandable to a degree - the music would have felt out of place in what is essentially a war film - but the lack of the more outlandish characters such as Mushu impacts the films potential, and the side characters we do get aren't memorable. Honestly? There's just not a lot of fun to be found here.
I did think that Yifei Liu was good in the lead role, and I actually also enjoyed Li Hing, who plays a new character who is probably the most interesting part of the whole thing, and is the only addition that has any worth. It was also a nice touch to see Ming-Na Wen appear for a brief cameo.
As I said, it's not necessarily a bad film, it's just feels pointless and kind of dull. It carries a positive message about being true to yourself and not hiding away. I can always appreciate a movie that gives young girls a hero to look up to, and kids will no doubt have a blast, but the overall experience is a wash out otherwise.
Final thought - obviously, no songs in this one, but I'll Make a Man out of You is a banger and should be present, and replacing it with Donnie Yen doing some cool-as-fuck sword tricks isn't going to distract me from that fact. I see through your mind games Disney...
Predictably, the finished result is underwhelming. It's not an inherently bad movie, it's entertaining in parts, and has some decent action scenes, but it's nothing more than a padded out re-tread, and it's hard not to think "what's the point?"
The new material implemented literally adds nothing to the plot, and just draws out the experience, verging on boring more than once, and the familiar stuff just lacks the charm of the original. The decision to ground it more in realism is understandable to a degree - the music would have felt out of place in what is essentially a war film - but the lack of the more outlandish characters such as Mushu impacts the films potential, and the side characters we do get aren't memorable. Honestly? There's just not a lot of fun to be found here.
I did think that Yifei Liu was good in the lead role, and I actually also enjoyed Li Hing, who plays a new character who is probably the most interesting part of the whole thing, and is the only addition that has any worth. It was also a nice touch to see Ming-Na Wen appear for a brief cameo.
As I said, it's not necessarily a bad film, it's just feels pointless and kind of dull. It carries a positive message about being true to yourself and not hiding away. I can always appreciate a movie that gives young girls a hero to look up to, and kids will no doubt have a blast, but the overall experience is a wash out otherwise.
Final thought - obviously, no songs in this one, but I'll Make a Man out of You is a banger and should be present, and replacing it with Donnie Yen doing some cool-as-fuck sword tricks isn't going to distract me from that fact. I see through your mind games Disney...
Acuity Scheduling
Business and Productivity
App
Quickly view and manage your appointments on the go through the Acuity Scheduling app. All of your...
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Saving Private Ryan (1998) in Movies
Feb 25, 2019 (Updated Feb 25, 2019)
Groundbreaker mired in slop
Contains spoilers, click to show
Regarded as one of the best war films ever made, it certainly qualifies. The opening twenty minutes are still as breathtaking, shocking and disturbing realistic as they were back in 1998. It is hard to imagine that it has now been over twelve years since Saving Private Ryan broke the mold of World War II film making.
Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Spielberg, Best Cinematography, and Sound, which was astonishing, even by today's standards, it failed to win Best Picture, losing out to Shakespeare In Love. Shakespeare In Love! Don't get me wrong, it's a good film, but easily forgettable compared to Ryan, only proving yet again that if you touch upon the British monarchy you get Oscars.
The film is a fictional account of four brothers, all serving in the U.S. Army, three of which were killed in action on or around the D-Day landings. The fourth, James Ryan played by Matt Damon is somewhere in Europe, and Tom Hanks with his platoon are sent to bring him home, to spare his mother anymore heartache.
Tom Hanks, who was also snubbed at the 1998 Oscars for his perfect performance as Captain Miller, the everyman who was losing himself in the horrors of war, underplayed his role perfectly. He is believable on every level, emotionally, physically and has a sense of subtly with makes him of Hollywood's greats.
The action is visceral, gritty and horrifying. But never played for crass effect. Scenes of soldiers intestines spilling out, limbs flying a sunder and brutal killing left, right and centre are recreated for one purpose. To truly demonstrate the horrors of war, and to change our perceptions of the global conflict which had almost become a joke, a setting for gung- ho action films, where the Yanks reign supreme and single-handedly win the war.
This shows troops crying, hurting and making decisions which should not be made under any moral circumstances, but you understand why, whether you agree or not. There is no doubt that Spielberg is not innocent of making an American film, but it is about as even-handed as you might expect, with the exception of Tora! Tora! Tora! or The Longest Day.
So, the action is first-rate, graphic and perfectly toned to recreate to horror of the last century's greatest and most of destructive conflicts. But that's only half the story.
The other half is the talking, reminiscing and the almost sepia tone is more than a little cloying. The U.S. General's monologues, which seem to consist almost entirely of Lincoln quotations are overly sentimental, erring on the side of sloppy patriotism rather than Jingoism, which is hardly a bad thing but it isn't good either.
The civilian scenes, such as Mrs Ryan, washing a plate as she sees the car drive down to road to inform her of her sons deaths are so sentimental that they jar against the realism of the war scenes. It's not so much contrast as it is as extreme as black and white.
The action is obviously interspersed, as all war films are, with rest stops and moments of talking, pondering etc., but the scenes drag on too long and disrupt the tone of the film. On the other hand, the direction is brilliant when explaining the situations during and around the action, but Spielberg seemed to think that we needed these sloppy and often boring moments, such as The Church, and the outside the cafe in Ramelle, to express the emotional torment of the characters, but I think that these scenes are so boring and pointless that I' can hardly remember them, as my attention drifts off during them! But I do have an understanding of the soldiers, and this was achieved, quite adorably without these scenes.
Overall, this is a film of two halves if ever there was one. The battle scenes and the journey through war-torn France are brilliant, gritty and educational, but the scenes of American sentimentality are in danger of derailing the whole film. Many feel that is the best war film of all time. I do not agree, favouring Black Hawk Down over this, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Blank Hawk Down owes a debt to Saving Private Ryan, by opening the door to the gritty war dramas of the naughties and to the style itself.
This film is on of the most important contributions to cinema ever, and has done so much to finally show to true nature of WWII and war in general. But even though I would rate this 10/10 if it was just for the war scenes, the slop just gets in the way and devalues what should have been perfection.
Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Spielberg, Best Cinematography, and Sound, which was astonishing, even by today's standards, it failed to win Best Picture, losing out to Shakespeare In Love. Shakespeare In Love! Don't get me wrong, it's a good film, but easily forgettable compared to Ryan, only proving yet again that if you touch upon the British monarchy you get Oscars.
The film is a fictional account of four brothers, all serving in the U.S. Army, three of which were killed in action on or around the D-Day landings. The fourth, James Ryan played by Matt Damon is somewhere in Europe, and Tom Hanks with his platoon are sent to bring him home, to spare his mother anymore heartache.
Tom Hanks, who was also snubbed at the 1998 Oscars for his perfect performance as Captain Miller, the everyman who was losing himself in the horrors of war, underplayed his role perfectly. He is believable on every level, emotionally, physically and has a sense of subtly with makes him of Hollywood's greats.
The action is visceral, gritty and horrifying. But never played for crass effect. Scenes of soldiers intestines spilling out, limbs flying a sunder and brutal killing left, right and centre are recreated for one purpose. To truly demonstrate the horrors of war, and to change our perceptions of the global conflict which had almost become a joke, a setting for gung- ho action films, where the Yanks reign supreme and single-handedly win the war.
This shows troops crying, hurting and making decisions which should not be made under any moral circumstances, but you understand why, whether you agree or not. There is no doubt that Spielberg is not innocent of making an American film, but it is about as even-handed as you might expect, with the exception of Tora! Tora! Tora! or The Longest Day.
So, the action is first-rate, graphic and perfectly toned to recreate to horror of the last century's greatest and most of destructive conflicts. But that's only half the story.
The other half is the talking, reminiscing and the almost sepia tone is more than a little cloying. The U.S. General's monologues, which seem to consist almost entirely of Lincoln quotations are overly sentimental, erring on the side of sloppy patriotism rather than Jingoism, which is hardly a bad thing but it isn't good either.
The civilian scenes, such as Mrs Ryan, washing a plate as she sees the car drive down to road to inform her of her sons deaths are so sentimental that they jar against the realism of the war scenes. It's not so much contrast as it is as extreme as black and white.
The action is obviously interspersed, as all war films are, with rest stops and moments of talking, pondering etc., but the scenes drag on too long and disrupt the tone of the film. On the other hand, the direction is brilliant when explaining the situations during and around the action, but Spielberg seemed to think that we needed these sloppy and often boring moments, such as The Church, and the outside the cafe in Ramelle, to express the emotional torment of the characters, but I think that these scenes are so boring and pointless that I' can hardly remember them, as my attention drifts off during them! But I do have an understanding of the soldiers, and this was achieved, quite adorably without these scenes.
Overall, this is a film of two halves if ever there was one. The battle scenes and the journey through war-torn France are brilliant, gritty and educational, but the scenes of American sentimentality are in danger of derailing the whole film. Many feel that is the best war film of all time. I do not agree, favouring Black Hawk Down over this, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Blank Hawk Down owes a debt to Saving Private Ryan, by opening the door to the gritty war dramas of the naughties and to the style itself.
This film is on of the most important contributions to cinema ever, and has done so much to finally show to true nature of WWII and war in general. But even though I would rate this 10/10 if it was just for the war scenes, the slop just gets in the way and devalues what should have been perfection.