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Denial (2016)
Denial (2016)
2016 | Drama
9
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Great acting (0 more)
Story is vital especially after recent events
A very important film given the spate of holocaust denial in recent days. This is about the renowned libel case brought by the Holocaust denier and self- proclaimed historian David Irving against American academic Deborah Lipstadt. Lipstadt referred to Irving as such in a book and was subsequently sued and taken to court in the UK. It's a powerful account of how such bogus offensive claims about the Holocaust are allowed to be published without any accountability. Having visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, watching this film was emotional enough for me let alone the survivors which I can't even compare or imagine. So it's great that a film can counteract such ludicrous claims in this day and age. Fabulous acting all round.
  
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Afua Hirsch | 2017 | History & Politics, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An important and necessary conversation
There is a wealth of insight crammed into this book about race and identity in Britain, describing how important it is to have a cohesive self by accepting that you may have other identities alongside being a UK citizen.

What hinders this process is the apparent racism that plagues British society, from being 'colour-blind' and thus ignoring the issue, to the awkward and troubled relationship with Britain's history and its origins. The author, Afua Hirsch, also discovers her own Ghanaian roots throughout her journey of self-awareness, making this book both a memoir and social commentary. Hirsch checks her privilege immediately, which makes a refreshing change.

While I can completely relate to her opinions on the racist structures in place and the microagressions that have become normalised, the historical and anthropological elements were the most fascinating parts for me. Learning about the racist views upheld by leading western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Huhne, as well as how the 1919 race riots ensued over the perception of 'white cleansing' was deeply concerning.

Hirsch's call for change on Britain's selective amnesia is not new but it has a contemporary angle following the country's move to leave the EU. Incredibly engaging.
  
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CHILLFILTR (46 KP) rated Jump by Gabriel Black in Music

Jul 11, 2019  
Jump by Gabriel Black
Jump by Gabriel Black
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
I hope I am not the only one that hears the echoes of Citizen Cope.

“sky high that’s a nice view
you called and i came thru
this is how i say i love you”
— Gabriel Black

It's a flow, there's some understated lyrics, and Sofi de la Torre's voice adds a nice coat of syrup to the core confection. This song took me by surprise. It's not exactly a roots track, yet is in the sense that it is modern and throwback at the same time. That OG self-titled Citizen Cope record was 16 years ago so it makes sense that the feeling is back.

Jump is not just a reanimation of some golden era of genre synthesis, it feels like the voice at every house party. It is the first premise of youth, as stated by David Bowie so many years ago: we are immune to your consultations. If you jump then I jump too.
  
I Am David
I Am David
Anne Holm | 2004 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
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<b><i>"You can't change others, but you can do something about a fault in yourself."</i></b>

I Am David by Anne Holm is a very interesting and emotionally powerful story about a young boy. David was born and raised in a prison when one day, he is given a backpack and a few instructions to escape and find his way to Denmark. 

During this time, we follow David's adventure and his thoughts. He is programmed to not trust anyone and to escape as soon as he smells any danger coming his way. Throughout his journey, we can see that David goes through a lot of hardship and he meets many people, even though he fails to connect with them or entrust them with anything. Good people are somehow always there to help him, and I have to be honest and mention that I found this to be incredibly convenient to the story and in no way believable.

Besides this fact, we get to see David be his true self at all times, which is something I enjoyed about this book. There are instances where he has to make choices that require him to pretend and be something he is not, and he chooses to stay true to himself. Some times, these choices mean he has to give up the comforts of his new-found life, a bed to sleep in and food that is always on the table. 

<b><i>"And if you never allow other people to influence what you're really like, then you've something no one can take from you - not even they."</i></b>

David's adventure will teach him many things.

Some of these traits he already knew of by seeing them in others, but now he will learn to possess them himself. Honesty, bravery, kindness. But there is one thing David never knew before: true happiness. 

<b><i>"Joy passed, but happiness never completely disappeared: a touch of it remain to remind one it had been there."</i></b>

Even though I loved this book for all the right reasons, I couldn't help but notice the red flags. The parents in this book seemed to believe David's ridiculous story about the circus. They also invited him into his home without any doubts. And the most important part - David was a manipulator. Getting close to the little girl, as well as he showed open hatred towards one of the boys. And the parents were aware of all this, and still didn't seem that concerned. I understand where David came from - the way he behaved was all he's ever known. What I cannot understand was how the parents were portrayed in the book.

The ending seemed quite fast paced, even rushed. The outcome was predictable. I still manage to find the whole story unbelievable though. I recommend it to children, for the lesson of being yourself. However, I don't think that as an adult you would enjoy it. 
  
The Crow (A Red Grouse Tale)
The Crow (A Red Grouse Tale)
Leslie W.P. Garland | 2015 | Horror, Paranormal
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The second of The Red Grouse Tales sees David recounting a story from his youth. He is aware of local politician Reginald Monday, having heard the story of his self-made rise from rags to riches, the tragic loss of his wife and child and his fight for compensation for those affected by the flooding of a local valley to make a reservoir.

However on a visit to a local hospice with his mother, she leaves him talking to an old priest, who is known as 'Mad' Father Patrick. The old man is dying but David cannot help but as him about Monday, as the old priest would have known him from his youth.

What follows is an entirely different account of Monday. Father Patrick did indeed know him, and indeed took pity on him when he was so poor he couldn't even afford shoes and was being bullied by the other children at school. Father Patrick gave him his first glimpse at a better life, but according to the priest, Monday turns his talents to destroying those who mocked him.

The account Father Patrick gives is riveting but one-sided, so for the reader David supplies the facts as they are known to him. The old priest's rambling account is full of fire, brimstone and biblical quotes. But is his version the real one, or the paranoid fantasy of someone who blames Monday for the loss of his church to the reservoir?

Whichever is closest to the truth - the public account or Father Patrick's - forms a central idea here. Who is right and who is wrong? Whichever it is the other has been guilty of allowing a festering dislike turn into open hatred and revenge.

The least obviously paranormal of the Red Grouse tales, this will make the reader ask themselves who and what they can believe to be the truth.
  
Fantasy by Chloe MK
Fantasy by Chloe MK
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
chloe mk is a talented singer-songwriter based in New York. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her “David Bowie” single.

“This song, it’s not about being in love but it could be. Or, it could just be about having someone in your life that means so much to you and then losing them and the effect of that. We were like, how does this translate and relate to the digital elements of the EP and to the visual element of this futuristic, but early-2000s aesthetic. With the TV, when I put my hands up to the screen, I’m being like, taken into the digital realm. Then, in the car with all the numbers flying by, I’m just in this car with like, my matrix friends (laughs). It was this teleportation and signifying being stuck inside and being lost in the sauce with technology.” – chloe mk via refinery29

‘David Bowie’ tells an emotional tale of a young woman who struggles to cope with her mental wellbeing after an affectionate breakup with her significant other.

Apparently, she’s losing her mind thinking about all the time she wasted on an individual who isn’t around anymore.

Even though she can’t wait forever for her ex’s return, she still wishes she could feel this person’s warm embrace one last time for old times’ sake.

Nashville native chloe mk initially cut her teeth by playing classic rock in small clubs and bars before making her way on to NBC’s The Voice.
She emerged victorious on the show in 2017, inked a deal with Republic Records, and established herself as an artist to watch.

Her brand navigates what it means to be young in the digital age and the vast range of emotions that come along with it. Also, her music captures the journey towards self-discovery.

‘David Bowie’ is featured on chloe mk’s debut EP, entitled, “Fantasy”.
  
Scream 2 (1997)
Scream 2 (1997)
1997 | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Scream 2 is a great example of a sequel done right. It was released just a year after the well received first film, and doesn't deviate from the formula that made Scream such a hit.
It's still very self aware, it's gory, and retains the comedic edge nicely.

Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Jamie Kennedy all return for another round, and are just as likable as they were before. This cast clearly enjoyed their time making these films, and they are joined by the like of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Jerry O'Connell. A pretty solid cast all in all.
Ghostface continues to be a bizzarre icon in the horror genre, managing to be unsettling, and subtly ludicrous at the same time. The way that he stumbles and crashes into things whilst chasing people lends a pretty psychotic edge to his potentially goofy asthethic.

The plot predictably becomes rather silly towards the climax, but honestly, I can't really complain. Scream 2 is really fun follow up to a horror classic and deserves the praise it gets.
  
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Alex Kapranos recommended Hunky Dory by David Bowie in Music (curated)

 
Hunky Dory by David Bowie
Hunky Dory by David Bowie
1971 | Folk, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
8.6 (19 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It was really difficult to choose a David Bowie album. I didn’t want to put more than one on. For me, it was a choice between this, Low, “Heroes” and …Ziggy Stardust… – all equally magnificent records. This record I like because it was before he became a superstar. There’s a lightness and lack of self-awareness on this record, which I think disappears slightly on the later records. Songs like 'Kooks' have this real sense of fresh openness, which maybe he lost on later records, which I really love. There’s also some pretty odd moments on there as well, like 'Andy Warhol'. I don’t mean so much the ‘sample and hold’ start on the ARP synth – which is really cool – but melodically it’s really odd. It’s more like an Eastern scale than a regular rock & roll scale. It will go from that to something that sounds more like a music hall moment. The songwriting is incredible. I think it’s probably him at his best. Also, when I was going through my choices, I went for records I enjoy from start to finish, even though there’s a couple of songs that I don’t think are spectacular songs on this album, as a whole it’s a really great record. I remember distinctly buying it from the Oxfam shop around the corner from school when I was a kid, and I think it was the first Bowie album I ever owned. My mum had the compilation Changes Bowie which I’ve always loved, so when I saw this I was ""ooh, I like David Bowie, I should try this"". I put it on and thought, ""God, there’s a lot more going on here than just catchy pop songs""."

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Straw Dogs (2011)
Straw Dogs (2011)
2011 | Mystery
4
4.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Successful actress Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) is returning from her big city life to her southern hometown of Blackwater. Along with Amy is her well-educated and wealthy husband, David Sumner (James Marsdon). David quickly finds this vacation is filled with tension, particularly when it comes to Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård), who is not ready to be out of her life. So it is up to the weakling Harvard hero to protect his relationship, home, and way of life in a town he doesn’t quite understand.

A remake of the 1971 thriller classic of the same name, “Straw Dogs” has lost a lot of its appeal and logic with time. It still has gory moments and the plot is very similar to the original but many of the base thrills have been lost in the move to a present day setting.

This film asks the viewers to suspend disbelief, ignore a number of unfinished back-stories, and stand behind characters who are not engaging or believable. Details, both big and small miss the mark. James Marsdon is incorrectly suited as the shy bumbling academic. The house is a seeming fortress for no apparent reason. The side stories, interesting detractions from the overly built tension between the two leading males, are left unresolved.

Additionally, the themes are awkward and incomplete. There are literary throwbacks and some blatant social commentary but all of the film’s depth is lost on an audience who has no reason to care. Viewers will be preoccupied wondering what the point of the film is.

Sure, the story is engrossing and it does force self-analysis, but the modern adaptation would have benefitted from serious editorial cuts. Had the film been completed in a quarter of the time it might have actually managed to be thrilling!

Unbalanced, vapid, and pointless as a thriller “Straw Dogs” falls prey to the unnecessary remake trap. For a real psychological thrill it would be better to opt for the original.
  
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Gruff Rhys recommended Pyst by Datblygu in Music (curated)

 
Pyst by Datblygu
Pyst by Datblygu
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They were an underground band who started releasing cassettes in 1982 and are from Aberteifi in South West Wales, so they weren't part of a scene. They were from a small, working class town where, strangely, an interesting guy called Malcolm Neon had set up a cassette label, releasing electronic music in the Welsh language. So they kinda fit in – he put a tape of theirs out and gradually they released more albums, which would end up on the Anhrern, a punk rock Welsh language label which John Peel started to play. By the time Pyst came out in 1990, David R. Edwards' voice was becoming the key critical voice of the Welsh language. He held a mirror to society and to himself that was so brutally honest: they weren't embraced by the media at the time because they were misunderstood. They were gradually more acclaimed for their genius as time went on. The name of the band translates to English as 'developing', so they had experimenting as part of their reason for existing. By this time, it was David R. Edwards and Pat Morgan on bass and she brought a really distinctive musicality to the band. Their first two albums had been produced by Gorwel Owen who, for me, is like a Welsh Conny Plank, so everything was experimental but also really well-recorded. And this album [Datblygu] is a mixture of great songwriting. He can – when it's necessary - write a conventional pop song but delivered in a unique way like the classic, timeless songs. We covered one of these, 'Y Teimlad', on the Super Furry Animals' record Mwng. There are some great songs on this record – one is 'Ugain I Un' which is like a generic country and western song about being a horse [running] at [odds of] 20/1 who fails a jump and gets shot before the end of the song. There's another pop song called 'Am' which is just great pop music! But [the album is] always experimental and you could compare David to people like Mark E. Smith, Nick Cave and Allen Ginsberg, people with an honesty and darkness which is timeless as the lyrics deal with basic human traits. This isn't self-consciously Welsh. In fact, it's very critical of Welsh society in the Welsh language as that's the most honest way you could communicate [this idea]. And it captures Wales at that time where there was a great non-conformist musical streak going on ."

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