Smashbomb

"A society on the brink of defiance and revolution, and a generation that’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. In some years and some countries, they riot. In 1990 America, they talk it out. Easily one of the most influential American films of the last twenty-five years, Richard Linklater’s exploration of bored youth is mesmerizing. This film would help its titular term become a phenomenon, as well as put Austin, Texas, on the cultural map."

Source

Kudos

Doug Ruskoff recommended The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test in Books (curated)

"This is a novel, but it's all basically the true story of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. It describes the LSD experience as well as its cultural implications in a way that anyone can grasp and feel. It's also a contemporary novelist at the height of his powers. It was crucial for my own development, showing me how to find and chronicle a seemingly esoteric movement. It was my model for my first real book, Cyberia."

Source

Kudos

Birds Britannica

Richard Mabey and Mark Cocker

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Birds Britannica is neither an identification guide nor a behavioural study (though both these...

The Wolf Hour (2019)

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Movie Watch

Set during the 1977 New York blackout riots, the film will see Naomi Watts play June Leigh, a...

drama thriller

Alternative 3

5.5 (4 Ratings) Rate It

TV Show Watch

Hoax documentary, intended as an April Fool but not broadcast until some time later. The diligent...

hoax

themaxdog (14 KP) rated Aidan in Books

Jul 17, 2019

Aidan

Elizabeth Rose | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

History and Cultural References (0 more)

Characters (0 more)

I have mixed feelings about Aidan, the last book in the collection. Starting with the positives, I loved the history and rich cultural significance behind the concept, with the Stone of Destiny featuring so prominently. All throughout this collection, I have enjoyed the fact that the writing is so heavily informed by the author’s historical research, and even though the characters and plots are fictitious, it’s nice that their world is grounded in reality and historical events that (to a degree) actually did take place.

On the flipside, I found the characters in this book a little lacklustre. Aidan and Effie are the main characters, yet they lacked any real depth and emotion which was a real shame. Similarly, the whole concept of Effie being Aidan’s ‘Dream Angel’ was overwhelmingly cliché and sickeningly sweet. I’m all for romance, but this just took it a step too far!

All in all, the positives and negatives add up to create an enjoyable, light-hearted, historical read – in fact, providing the perfect way to sum up this collection.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) in Movies

Feb 3, 2020

Inarguable indicator of cultural hegemony (movie built around an entirely US-centric cultural figure manages to get an international release) also turns out to be an impressive and moving drama. Cynical and misanthropic journalist is assigned to interview beloved children's TV host and font of decent folksy wisdom. Can the power of niceness conquer all?

Movie inevitably loses a lot of its resonance for a viewer who only became aware of Fred Rogers and his TV show a short while ago, but this is still a charming and imaginative film. Just how much of it is actually true is probably one of those questions best not asked, but Hanks gives a brilliant performance, somehow managing not to come across as incredibly cheesy, while - in a less showy role - Matthew Rhys is also extremely good as the journalist. If you take away the slightly surreal Fred Rogers elements this is basically just another drama about someone working out his issues with his father, but it's a highly impressive one.