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Lectures on Nonlinear Mechanics and Chaos Theory

Albert W. Stetz

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This elegant book presents a rigorous introduction to the theory of nonlinear mechanics and chaos....

Top of the Pops: 50th Anniversary

Patrick Humphries and Steve Blacknell

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'It's Number One - it's Top of the Pops'. It's not just the story of a long-running television...

Salamander Sun and Other Poems

David McDuff and Pia Tafdrup

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Pia Tafdrup is one of Denmark's leading poets. She has received the Nordic Literature Prize -...

Ed Helms recommended Apocalypse Now (1979) in Movies (curated)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

1979 | Action, Drama, War

8.7

(37 Ratings)

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"Going in a little different direction, Apocalypse Now is an unbelievable piece of cinema. Just the scale of the production and the performances. I feel like, narratively, it’s one of the… There’s a subgenre of Vietnam movies, obviously, and this one just feels so epic and operatic, in no small part because it uses Wagner’s Ring Cycle as the score for one of the great battle scenes. I don’t know, I can’t say enough about it. And then, of course, seeing Hearts of Darkness, the documentary about it. That just made me love it even more, because you can see the creative depth that Coppola went to, the depth of his soul that he dug into to not just make the movie and keep it together, but to sort of fight for coherence in a chaotic production, and I love the discovery. I mean, clearly, when Brando showed up on set, it was such a disaster, because he didn’t know his lines and he was a hundred pounds overweight or something, and he basically refused to learn his lines. But then Coppola worked with what he had, and to me that is the most… He wound up with something genius and more coherent than what may have even been on the page originally. There’s a quote by Orson Welles that the absence of limitations is the enemy of art, and I feel like Apocalypse Now is a kind of great tribute to that idea, because Coppola just faced so much adversity making the movie. Not just Coppola, the cast, the crew, everybody faced so much and dealt with so much and then created this transcendent piece of cinema that captures a dark piece of world conflict history and some very intimate stories of young people sucked into it, and then, of course, a meditation on the darkness of the human soul, which is an important thing to explore artistically from time to time."

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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Wrath of the Gods (The Titan's Saga, #2) in Books

Jan 10, 2021

Wrath of the Gods (The Titan's Saga, #2)

Jaymin Eve, Leia Stone | 2020 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I've borrowed this from the KU Library.

This starts a few months after the events of the last book. Maisey is trying to get on with life after being left by Cronus but it's hard to forget him when she fell hard for him in the time they were together and she's still wearing the necklace that holds some of the sins. When Hyperion comes back to get her so they can capture another sin, she's thrown straight back into the chaotic life of the Titans - and into Cronus' arms.

I did enjoy this one but not as much as the first. The relationship between Maisey and Cronus quickly went back to full throttle and I'll admit that I did get a little attached to them as a couple - so much so that I did have a few tears at the end. We meet more Titans - a race of Gods I don't know much about, really, apart from the fact that they were the parents of the Greek ones - and see their powers in action as they try to bring the last five/six sins back under control and into the necklace that Maisey wears. I think Cronus and Hyperion are my favourite Gods in this series.

The #hashtags were once again used annoyingly a little too often throughout the book and I started ignoring them after a while. They weren't adding anything to the story for me.

I can't decide whether to read book 3 or not. It's the last book in the series and I'm hoping that Maisey and Cronus will have some sort of HEA but I also can't say I'm that interested in how this particular series is going to end... I don't know. I did struggle at times with this one, preferring to do other things than finish this, but like I've already mentioned I am a little invested in Maisey and Cronus. Gah! Undecided...

Kudos

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) in Movies

Aug 16, 2020

Luck was not with me when it came to seeing this, I turned down an opportunity to see it and then Rona cancelled the ticket I booked for it. I finally managed to see it on one of the many free trials for streaming services I picked up while I was confined to the house.

Marianne is hired to paint a wedding portrait of Héloïse in secret after a failed attempt has left her against the whole idea. Marianne is presented as a companion and spends her days observing the bride to be before taking to her chamber to paint at night. As her deadline approaches the pair's bond goes from strength to strength despite their future being set in stone.

Portrait is simple in so many ways and yet utterly complex. Set mostly in a desolate island location in a large family home you would expect to have the ornate and busy look of a period drama, but this is the unfussiest film I've seen in this genre. There's no clutter, no excess characters, no frivolous dialogue or scenes, their relationship is all that needs to be focused on, everything else just happens to be there.

It's difficult to describe how this film made me feel, it's serene even in the chaotic moments and I keep finding myself at a loss when it comes to putting that down in words.

I could gush on about Portrait for ages but I don't want to take away from you seeing it, the fact is that it's breathtaking. The shots, the dynamics of the cast, the fact that the film doesn't need filler... I was unsure going in (even though I wanted to watch it) but by the end I was a devastated wreck who wanted to see it all over again.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/portrait-of-lady-on-fire-movie-review.html