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Twister (1989)
4.0
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Movie
An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm. The...
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The High Season in Books
May 25, 2018
Summer Drama never felt so good! I really enjoyed The High Season - it was just what I needed to get me into a summer mood, and it made me love to loathe the rich and famous Hamptons crowds even more! (kidding... sorta.) This book kept me wicked entertained and I breezed through it in two days. The writing is so good, hilarious at times, and the story is masterfully crafted and really clever!
Ruthie is sort of losing it all. Her marriage is over, her 15 year old daughter is struggling and distant, her job is on the rocks, friendships are tested ... and it's shaping up to be one crazy summer. The Hamptons-ish house Ruthie lives in with her daughter Jem, is rented out during the summer to the rich, in order for her to pay for it the rest of the year (aka The Summer Bummer). Adeline Clay, a wealthy artist widow rents her house and in turn, unknowingly shakes up the entire summer, for just about the whole town of Orient.
The dynamic of these characters and how their lives intertwine is artfully crafted through exclusive parties, a small local museum group, a summer farm stand job, secret rendezvous, texts/emails, and typical small town gossip. There is art forgery, a $250,000 watch, past lives and secrecy and the unnerving balance of power and social statuses. It's all so cleverly written and flows together seamlessly. I was thoroughly impressed how Judy Blundell twisted it all together so skillfully.
As an artist I love the snippets of the artist scene and it's inner workings and social circles. I loved the references to various famous artists and painting descriptions. I hated the museum board members and the way some people tossed money around and waved it in the locals and year-rounders faces. The characters were well developed and you feel for each and every one of them, especially Ruthie, who loses so much, and starts to lose herself while making some seriously questionable decisions.
My decision to read this was NOT questionable though! I really enjoyed it and would give 4.5 stars!
Ruthie is sort of losing it all. Her marriage is over, her 15 year old daughter is struggling and distant, her job is on the rocks, friendships are tested ... and it's shaping up to be one crazy summer. The Hamptons-ish house Ruthie lives in with her daughter Jem, is rented out during the summer to the rich, in order for her to pay for it the rest of the year (aka The Summer Bummer). Adeline Clay, a wealthy artist widow rents her house and in turn, unknowingly shakes up the entire summer, for just about the whole town of Orient.
The dynamic of these characters and how their lives intertwine is artfully crafted through exclusive parties, a small local museum group, a summer farm stand job, secret rendezvous, texts/emails, and typical small town gossip. There is art forgery, a $250,000 watch, past lives and secrecy and the unnerving balance of power and social statuses. It's all so cleverly written and flows together seamlessly. I was thoroughly impressed how Judy Blundell twisted it all together so skillfully.
As an artist I love the snippets of the artist scene and it's inner workings and social circles. I loved the references to various famous artists and painting descriptions. I hated the museum board members and the way some people tossed money around and waved it in the locals and year-rounders faces. The characters were well developed and you feel for each and every one of them, especially Ruthie, who loses so much, and starts to lose herself while making some seriously questionable decisions.
My decision to read this was NOT questionable though! I really enjoyed it and would give 4.5 stars!
Angelicalynnn (21 KP) rated Spotify Music in Apps
Jun 15, 2018 (Updated Jul 3, 2018)
Worst app update ever.
Seriously confused on why you “updated” this app only to make it worse? This update took away many features that users were used to having. Plus it just looks bad.
- The Premium tab is completely unnecessary! It is just there taking up space. You should have at least made it possible to purchase Premium in the tab solely dedicated to Premium.
- I am disappointed that I no longer have my saved songs. Where did these go? I had over 300 songs saved now they are no longer on my account.
- The new playlist set up is of poor design. Now when you click on a playlist you can only see some of your songs, you have to click in further to actually see the hole playlist adding an unnecessary step. Also Spotify now adds many unwanted songs to your playlist. Plus you can no longer edit your playlist ie. changing the order of the songs.
- When viewing albums again extra steps were added before you can actually reach the information you want. You can no longer add a whole album to a playlist in one step you must now add each individual song to the playlist again taking up more time.
- When viewing an Artists page there is no longer any information about the artist on their page. I like to read about a new artist before I add them and I can no longer do this.
- Design fails include: clumped together songs on playlists and albums instead of neatly listing them. The giant create button is unnecessary. The location of the heart for liking an album/artist/song.
These just list a few of the problems I now have with this app.
It almost seems like these updates were made to discourage the free users of Spotify and point out all of the cool features you could have if you purchase Premium. Unfortunately all it does is discourage users in general, if I am disappointed with the free version of the app why would I ever pay to get more bad features? Paying for Premium is not going to fix the issues I have with the app. Sorry not sorry.
- The Premium tab is completely unnecessary! It is just there taking up space. You should have at least made it possible to purchase Premium in the tab solely dedicated to Premium.
- I am disappointed that I no longer have my saved songs. Where did these go? I had over 300 songs saved now they are no longer on my account.
- The new playlist set up is of poor design. Now when you click on a playlist you can only see some of your songs, you have to click in further to actually see the hole playlist adding an unnecessary step. Also Spotify now adds many unwanted songs to your playlist. Plus you can no longer edit your playlist ie. changing the order of the songs.
- When viewing albums again extra steps were added before you can actually reach the information you want. You can no longer add a whole album to a playlist in one step you must now add each individual song to the playlist again taking up more time.
- When viewing an Artists page there is no longer any information about the artist on their page. I like to read about a new artist before I add them and I can no longer do this.
- Design fails include: clumped together songs on playlists and albums instead of neatly listing them. The giant create button is unnecessary. The location of the heart for liking an album/artist/song.
These just list a few of the problems I now have with this app.
It almost seems like these updates were made to discourage the free users of Spotify and point out all of the cool features you could have if you purchase Premium. Unfortunately all it does is discourage users in general, if I am disappointed with the free version of the app why would I ever pay to get more bad features? Paying for Premium is not going to fix the issues I have with the app. Sorry not sorry.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) in Movies
Apr 17, 2021
Strong Central Performance...The Rest Of The Film Is A Scattered Mess
Lee Daniels is a passionate filmmaker and his passion for bringing the story of Billie Holiday to the screen as the embodiment of the African American struggle against White Officials who are trying to mute her is evident in every frame of THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY.
Unfortunately, he tries to do so much with this film, that he accomplishes very little.
Let’s start with what works in this film: the TERRIFIC performance of Andra Day as the titular character. Day embodies the troubled artist strongly and she does all of the singing of this world renowned performer. It is a superb performance and she rightfully deserves her Oscar nomination.
What doesn’t work? Pretty much the rest of the film.
Daniels has so much material to work with - and a terrific actress at the center of it - that he tried to cram EVERYTHING into this film, consequently, the film is scattered and doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Is it a biopic? A look at an artist who overcame a horrific childhood? A look at an artist that is battling demons? A look at an artist that has toxic relationships with men? Or…is it about the United States Government trying to suppress free speech in order to keep the African American from rising up in the 1950’s?
The answer is…it is all of that…and none of that. Just when you think the film has it’s footing in one direction, it pivots in another and rarely gets back to tie off the other.
For example, look at the title of the film - THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY. So, it must be about the United States (in this instance, the Federal Drug Agents) trying to bring Billie Holiday to justice. And…at the beginning it IS about that…namely in the guise of stopping her from singing STRANGE FRUIT and trying to frame her for her drug use. So…you would think that the film will, eventually, get Holiday on stage to sing a triumphant FULL version of Strange Fruit.
You would think that, wouldn’t you.
Now…to be fair to Daniels and this film, there is about a 15 minute portion of this film in the middle that shows Holiday’s heartbreaking childhood, followed by a haunting song sung by Day. It is a very effective portion of the film, and that (and Day’s performance) are worth wading through the “highlights and lowlights” of Holiday’s life that is the rest of this film.
I have not seen the lauded 1972 LADY SINGS THE BLUES that is a more straightforward Bio-pic of the singer (starring Diana Ross), after watching this film, I think I will.
Letter Grade: B- (because of Day’s performance and that 15 minute segment)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Unfortunately, he tries to do so much with this film, that he accomplishes very little.
Let’s start with what works in this film: the TERRIFIC performance of Andra Day as the titular character. Day embodies the troubled artist strongly and she does all of the singing of this world renowned performer. It is a superb performance and she rightfully deserves her Oscar nomination.
What doesn’t work? Pretty much the rest of the film.
Daniels has so much material to work with - and a terrific actress at the center of it - that he tried to cram EVERYTHING into this film, consequently, the film is scattered and doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Is it a biopic? A look at an artist who overcame a horrific childhood? A look at an artist that is battling demons? A look at an artist that has toxic relationships with men? Or…is it about the United States Government trying to suppress free speech in order to keep the African American from rising up in the 1950’s?
The answer is…it is all of that…and none of that. Just when you think the film has it’s footing in one direction, it pivots in another and rarely gets back to tie off the other.
For example, look at the title of the film - THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY. So, it must be about the United States (in this instance, the Federal Drug Agents) trying to bring Billie Holiday to justice. And…at the beginning it IS about that…namely in the guise of stopping her from singing STRANGE FRUIT and trying to frame her for her drug use. So…you would think that the film will, eventually, get Holiday on stage to sing a triumphant FULL version of Strange Fruit.
You would think that, wouldn’t you.
Now…to be fair to Daniels and this film, there is about a 15 minute portion of this film in the middle that shows Holiday’s heartbreaking childhood, followed by a haunting song sung by Day. It is a very effective portion of the film, and that (and Day’s performance) are worth wading through the “highlights and lowlights” of Holiday’s life that is the rest of this film.
I have not seen the lauded 1972 LADY SINGS THE BLUES that is a more straightforward Bio-pic of the singer (starring Diana Ross), after watching this film, I think I will.
Letter Grade: B- (because of Day’s performance and that 15 minute segment)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Peeling the Onion
Book
Translation of Beim Häuten der Zwiebel. Peeling the Onion is a searingly honest memoir that evokes...
David Bowie: the Life
7.0
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Book
Dylan Jones' engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike any Bowie story ever...
Electric Salome: Loie Fuller's Performance of Modernism
Book
Loie Fuller was the most famous American in Europe throughout the late nineteenth and early...
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If Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) remains an enigma today, it is little wonder. Even his...
Frida Kahlo
Book
Frida Kahlo stepped into the limelight in 1929 when she married the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera....