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Kristina (502 KP) rated Be the Girl in Books

Dec 7, 2020  
Be the Girl
Be the Girl
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
The meaning behind this story is an important one, it's just unfortunate that it didn't hit very hard until the last 100 pages or less. I continued to read because I knew something big was coming, something shocking and interesting, and I was right: the whole time, I assumed Aria had attempted suicide and was trying to forget her past, so it was definitely a surprise to discover she was escaping from a mistake she made that actually led to a former student committing suicide. The first 85% of the story I wasn't bored, necessarily, just waiting expectantly for "more". But, boy, that last percentage really packed a punch. It goes to show how bullying can go wrong, how there are literally life and death consequences to such actions. It also highlights some of the differences in those with autism, which is nice, because I feel like that topic is shied away from by many. I love K. A. Tucker and I hate to say that, while the moral of the story was an important one, 'Be the Girl' wasn't one of my favorites.
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
I've never really been a fan of Winnie the Pooh as a franchise. I'm not a monster, I do like the characters! It feels like it's been over done recently even though this is only actually one of two films around the subject in the last few years.

All in all it's a perfectly pleasant film with some very touching moments. But the ending just kind of happens... all of a sudden.

I was also bugged a little by the fact that Pooh and friends didn't all have the same style. While they weren't in it as much as the others, Owl, and rabbit to some extent, looked a lot more real than everything else. Likewise, Kanga and Roo have a different style again. In the illustrations and animations the differences between the characters is a lot less obvious.

It makes you wish that life really was as simple and carefree as it is for Pooh. A game of Say What You see followed by tea. He also has what is possibly the most inspirational line in the whole film:

"People say nothing is impossible. But I do nothing everyday."
  
The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Drama
Faintly oddball comedy-drama successfully pulls off that trick of looking like being about one thing but actually covering lots of ground. Chinese matriarch is found to have terminal cancer; in accordance with local tradition the family keep her in the dark about this but organise a fake wedding as an excuse to get together one last time. New York-based scion of the family Awkwafina, grand-daughter of the dying woman, is very doubtful of the ethicality of this.

You expect a film about grief, and to some extent this is one, although it's really a chronicle of grief foretold, as the characters anticipate a loss to come. It's also about cultural differences, family life, and the way in which people routinely tell lies to each other every single day simply in order to keep life livable. The film skates along over the top of all this and treats it all with a light and delicate touch. Not an absolute tear-jerker, I thought, but there are some very touching moments (then again, I may be emotionally atrophied, who knows). Not a huge amount actually happens but the film has clearly been made with intelligence and skill.