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Killer of Sheep (2007)
Killer of Sheep (2007)
2007 | International, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Charles Burnett. It’s a really incredible film, shot all in black and white, 1970s, it’s Watts in Los Angeles. And it’s this guy who works in a slaughterhouse. They put it out in theaters, I think a year and a half ago, and I raced out to go see it live. The soundtrack is just so provocative, it’s so of that time. It was shot for less than $10,000…It’s a remarkable, remarkable film, and when you watch it, it’s just so profound."

Source
  
A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Billingham | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Although I might be a fan of historical fiction, books that were published before I was born are not ones I usually pick up.

Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant writers; Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, the Austen's, all amazing writers, brilliant minds, but their writing style doesn't appeal to me. I would only pick up their books because of an academic reading list, and since academia doesn't need me to read fiction, I avoid it.

A very wise person recently told me that avoiding things is something I should avoid. Which is one of the reasons why I love this read harder challenge, taking you out of your comfort zone and expanding your reading is the best way to gain perspective.

Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2017/01/read-harder-1900-1950.html
  
Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should Know
Society & Culture
8
8.3 (8 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Josh Clark and Charles (Chuck) Bryant are the very charming co-hosts for a very informative Podcast. They wander off on little tantrums that I find rather endearing. Stuff you should know covers a multitude of topics, common and not so common. My favorite episodes are the Halloween story time they have. I also really enjoyed the How a Flea Circus Works and The Future of Renewable Energy where they did a rare interview (which I usually hate with a passion) with Bill Gates. If random knowledge is something you love to have and share this is a podcast for you.
  
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Rachel Unthank recommended A Love Supreme by John Coltrane in Music (curated)

 
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
1965 | Jazz
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a record I've just fallen in love with. I've known Miles Davis and some Charles Mingus before, but this is something else. I was given it as a present, and I've just been captivated by it. It's so packed with emotion, and it takes you to all these different places in love: struggle, pain, joy, transcendence, chaos and calm. 

It also feels so complete in the story it tells musically. And to have this whole new musical adventure now, to be thrown into this other world, in this music I never listened to when I was younger, is really exciting."

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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
1955 | Drama, Mystery
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"The Night of the Hunter was Charles Laughton?s only film as a director and its poor reception pretty much killed his directing career. It?s a remarkable debut and there?s no other film quite like it. It?s very reliant on imager from back in the days of D.W. Griffith and it?s strikingly designed and extremely dark. I saw it at a kiddie matinee when I was a child and I was just terrified. It has such a fairy tale atmosphere about it that it probably speaks more directly to children than it does to adults."

Source
  
Video

Champions and Challengers - Adventure Time - Trailer

Play as the greatest heroes and villains from across the Adventure Time Multiverse! Team up with Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, BMO, Fionna, Cake, Marceline, Young Billy, LSP, Farmworld Finn, and so many more!

  
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies

Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)  
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Big, loud, fun.
I'm not quite sure where all the bad reviews are coming from with this one, truth be told! I fully accept that there many action film cliches littered throughout, and the dialogue is just silly at times, but how much can you really dislike the spectacle of this sequel when the monsters turn up (and that doesn't take long!)

I liked the first one a lot, even though we didn't see a huge amount of Godzilla himself, and I also really rate Kong: Skull Island as well, so I've been looking forward to this one, and it's exactly what I expected it to be - it's loud, and it's dumb, but it works because it's an impressive looking monster film - and there a huge amount of them this time around.

Lifting various Godzilla opponents from the Japanese run of films, watching Kaiju like Ghidorah, Rhodan and Mothra get involved is pretty thrilling, especially coupled with the old school Godzilla theme music.
The effects themselves are pretty impressive, and all makes for an enjoyable blockbuster.

I didn't really care too much about the human characters (except Millie Bobbie Brown, and Charles Dance... Because it's Charles Dance) but I wasn't there for them!
And I guess there is where my main issue was, there was just a bit too much time spent on characters I struggled to care about.

Aside from that, it was pretty entertaining. Bring on Godzilla vs Kong!
  
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Andrew Grant recommended The Miernik Dossier in Books (curated)

 
The Miernik Dossier
The Miernik Dossier
Charles McCarry | 2007 | Thriller
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Charles McCarry was an undisputed master of spy fiction. I love all his books, but The Miernik Dossier is possibly the most outstanding due to the sheer audacity of its form. There is no narrative in any traditional sense—instead the reader is presented with a series of documents "written" by the main characters, and must deduce the truth from the conflicting, self-serving accounts these contain."

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Language Arts in Books

Feb 13, 2018  
LA
Language Arts
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Charles Marlow is an English teacher at a private high school. His life, therefore, is filled with language and words. However, all the language in the world cannot help him communicate with his son, Cody, who is autistic. Cody's diagnosis took a toll on his marriage and now Charles finds himself alone in the house -- all his kids are out of the house, his marriage has ended -- and he's wrestling with his demons.

I absolutely loved Kallos' "Broken For You," so I was extremely excited to pick up her latest novel. It definitely took some time for this one to grow on me. The book got off to a slow start and Charles is not the most likable of characters. Still, once I got into the plot, it's a lovely tale and extremely moving. Kallos does an amazing job of tying together her ancillary characters into a beautiful way--not one that's trite, per se, but a manner that seems fitting for each.

Overall, the book is a touching tribute to language, in many forms, and to art, as well. It's also a very insightful look at autism and the toll it can take on a family, but also some of the gifts that those termed as "disabled" by the general public can give to us. Definitely worth reading - just be patient.
  
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Erika (17788 KP) rated Cocaine Nights in Books

Jun 22, 2019  
Cocaine Nights
Cocaine Nights
J.G. Ballard | 1996 | Fiction & Poetry
4
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm a huge Ballard fan, but this novel was hard to get through. The first part indicates that it's going to be a murder-mystery, with Charles Prentice, our main character, trying to prove that his brother didn't burn 5 people to death in a house.
Around 100 pages in, it peters out into another version of @High-Rise , only not as good. Though, while this was the case, the last 3 pages were strong, and when I reached the end, I almost wanted it to go on.