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Grimes recommended The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) in Books (curated)

 
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)
Pearl S. Buck | 2009
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"“For some reason I became enraptured by this book as a teenager. It smelled really amazing and dusty. I think our copy was from the 1940s and the pages would crumble as I turned them. I’ve never been so careful while reading a book, and I think that really endeared it to me. I’m very calmed by methodical descriptions of farming. The images of opium addiction amongst the wealthy Chinese aristocracy, who ‘smoked the flesh off their bones’, always come back to my mind; it’s so decadent and horrifying.”"

Source
  
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JT (287 KP) rated Shame (2012) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Shame (2012)
Shame (2012)
2012 | Drama
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
If you ever wondered what constitutes as a powerful piece of film making then Shame, directed by Steve McQueen, is it. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon a man who has an addiction for sex and all things surrounding it. From porn, webcams, fingering random girls in bars, it’s all covered here in gratuitous fashion that certainly delivers shock value.

When his sister, Sissy (Mulligan) turns up at his apartment unannounced it throws his life into turmoil as she carries with her problems of her own.Brandon’s sexual appetite is a massive part of his life, he doesn’t go in for long term relationships instead finding time to pay for sex and engage in dates and the occasional one night stand.

His hunger drifts into the work place as well, which proves a dangerous playground. As the film grows Brandon begins to realise that his addiction is slowly consuming him, unable to perform sexually in some cases he is gripped by emotional dilemmas while at the same time trying to orchestrate a normal existence.

Fassbender is brilliant, giving by far, one of his best performances. Strange that actors seem to do this in films that generally are not that well known, albeit only around film festivals as opposed to main stream cinema. Brandon is a character that is trying to escape his inner demons, like with any addiction the road to ridding the problem is a long journey.

We see Brandon having a clear out of his apartment, throwing porn mags, DVDs and even his entire laptop, casting it onto the street in bin bags like it was a quick fix solution, which it’s not.

The supporting cast, aside Mulligan, is limited. James Badge Dale as Brandon’s over excited and at times sleazy boss holds his own but it is a relatively small part so he doesn’t have a lot to chew on. Shame is graphic, if you’re the least bit prudish then this film is certainly not going to be for you. Fassbender is a hollow shell, but the emotion beneath him is bubbling and the final act shows Brandon on a night of careless sexual exploitation, which takes him on a painful journey of self loathing.

It’s a film that will be open to much debate, the last scenes will no doubt set tongues wagging. But through all the controversy lies a film that depicts an addiction just like any other, and tries to break through to the underlying causes behind it, as well as the people that it affects.
  
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Paige (428 KP) rated The Fountain (2006) in Movies

Jul 27, 2017  
The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain (2006)
2006 | Drama, Sci-Fi
10
8.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Visuals, score, multiple story-lines seamlessly blended (0 more)
Might be too high-concept for some (0 more)
So pretty
This movie is so pretty that after I watch it I am upset about how the actual world doesn't measure up. Aronofsky's best and most underrated films. I always associate him with hyperfocusing on a central idea- in Pi, it was truth; in Black Swan, perfection; Requiem for a Dream, addiction. This one is focused on death, but is actually his most uplifting movie. There are three stories that run in parallel, which few directors pull off, but it is done exquisitely in this.
  
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated The Basketball Diaries (1995) in Movies

Jan 20, 2019  
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
1995 | Drama
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Leonardo DiCaprio's acting (2 more)
The ending
Ernie Hudson's acting
Difficult to follow (3 more)
Rambling
Grim
You see one drug addict movie, you've seen them all
I heard good things about this movie so when I had a chance to catch it from the beginning recently, I gave it a watch. I was thoroughly bored and unimpressed with most everything about this movie except for Leonardo DiCaprio's raw talent and acting and Ernie Hudson's character. Hudson was engaging, sympathetic and endearing. I hope addicts in real life have someone like him in their lives who helps them through their addiction.
  
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Allison Knapp (118 KP) Jan 20, 2019

I saw this movie many years ago, and I struggled to keep my attention while everyone else I was with continued to watch it. My fiance is a recovering addict and I can speak from personal experience that the right encouragement is key during recovery.