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Meghan Udell recommended Unspeakable Acts: Women, Art, and Sexual Violence In the 1970's in Books (curated)
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2097 KP) rated The Art of Vanishing in Books
May 4, 2018
Someone is Out to Destroy Arts Week
Every spring semester, Stonedale University puts on an arts festival, and Lila has been roped into serving on the committee. The big name for the week is author Damon Von Tussel, who has just released his second book decades after his critically acclaimed debut. Lila is sent to interview him before the big event to gain some publicity, but before she can talk to him, he disappears. Then everyone on the committee starts to get threatening e-mails. What is going on?
I don’t read too many mysteries set in the academic world, so I enjoyed changing that with this book. The internal politics of the college and Lila’s worries since this is her first-year teaching there overshadowed the mystery at times. The mystery itself is a little different than many of the books I read, and I found it a refreshing break. The characters are fun, especially Lila’s mother, and I am curious how some of these relationships will develop in the future.
I don’t read too many mysteries set in the academic world, so I enjoyed changing that with this book. The internal politics of the college and Lila’s worries since this is her first-year teaching there overshadowed the mystery at times. The mystery itself is a little different than many of the books I read, and I found it a refreshing break. The characters are fun, especially Lila’s mother, and I am curious how some of these relationships will develop in the future.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Raid 2 (2014) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019 (Updated Jul 29, 2019)
Astoundingly violent sequel to The Raid (hope that doesn't constitute a spoiler). Hapless but extremely handy cop Rama is obliged to go undercover in the Malaysian underworld and infiltrate one of the major crime families. The plot is complex and coherent, surprisingly so for a martial arts action movie, but it's all really just a pretext for jaw-droppingly lavish, inventive and brutal fight sequences. Film doesn't shy away from the consequences of violence - at one point the first time I watched this, someone pulled a claw hammer out of their bag and I found myself instinctively cringing down in my seat in anticipation of the crunching gore to come.
Nevertheless, the film is lifted not just by the director's grasp of pacing and camerawork, but by some surprisingly strong performances. I imagine many people will not be able to take the intensity and violence of this film, but that doesn't lessen its achievement. Not the greatest gangster movie ever, nor the greatest martial arts film, but almost certainly the most accomplished fusion of the two genres.
Nevertheless, the film is lifted not just by the director's grasp of pacing and camerawork, but by some surprisingly strong performances. I imagine many people will not be able to take the intensity and violence of this film, but that doesn't lessen its achievement. Not the greatest gangster movie ever, nor the greatest martial arts film, but almost certainly the most accomplished fusion of the two genres.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Chocolate (2008) in Movies
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Mmm, Chocolate
Yet another film about an autistic girl with prodigious martial arts skills forced to beat the living daylights out of dozens of gangland thugs in order to pay for her mother's cancer medicine. But a really good one, by the standards of the kung fu movie genre at least. From the director of Ong-Bak, Prachya Pinkaew, who almost single-handedly seems to have put Thai martial arts movies on the map.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Shenmue in Video Games
Apr 25, 2018
Amazing graphics (2 more)
Huge areas to explore
Very original
Ground Breaking Classic
The game that probably helped sell the Dreamcast. This was unlike anything else at the time. Almost an open world game where you were free to explore, train your martial arts moves or just pop to the arcade for some retro Sega classics or darts! Along with some 3D scrolling beat em up sections. Something few games have tried since sadly. You will spend days worth of hours playing this!
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2097 KP) rated Peppermint Twisted (A Candy Shop Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The annual arts festival is approaching in Paradise, Colorado, but a last minute switch of the person in charge doesn't make anyone happy. When the new chairwoman is murdered in the parking lot of Abby's candy store, things get even hotter. I love the characters, and the plot kept me guessing. As with the previous books, the ending was rather abrupt.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-peppermint-twisted-by-sammi.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-peppermint-twisted-by-sammi.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Ashes of Time Redux (2008) in Movies
Dec 9, 2018
No doubt a well made film and with great cinematography. However it was a little confusing at times to follow the story and who were friends and who were enemies. The big disappointment for me was I had expected something along the lines of Hero or House of flying daggers. Unfortunately this is a different type of film altogether and barely has any fight scenes, and when there are they are a blur. Definitely more of a drama than a martial arts film.
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Game of Death (1978) in Movies
Jul 8, 2023
Some cool fights
Overall not a great film, pretty weak story, bit simple. Only has a short amount of Bruce Lee footage that was filmed before his death in '73. Most of this is in the final 20 minutes as he takes on various martial arts experts one on one to get to the syndicate boss. This part is clearly what inspired @Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) with Uma Thurman wearing a similar outfit to pay homage to Lee.
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Guy Garvey recommended Laughing Stock by Talk Talk in Music (curated)
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Nasty Women in Books
Jul 24, 2017
An aptly-timed anthology amid political turmoil
It's a wonderful array of female voices from all walks of life, my criticism comes in the form of possibly too many perspectives from Scotland and not many other places. There were a few too many arts focused viewpoints with third person interviews, a little amateurish editing, and the compilation of women could be more finessed.
That being said - I'm over the moon about intersectional feminism being discussed. A joy to read and a bit of a relief. It's no Vagina Monologues, but's still fairly decent.
That being said - I'm over the moon about intersectional feminism being discussed. A joy to read and a bit of a relief. It's no Vagina Monologues, but's still fairly decent.