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Test Eye: Test Vision Duochrom
Medical and Health & Fitness
App
Test eye: test vision duochrome exam pro app is an eye sight test application through which you can...
Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele
Book
Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele' tells for the first time the riveting life-story of an...
Victoria - Season 2
7.0
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TV Season Watch
Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes joined by Dame Diana Rigg as shooting starts on second series of...
History drama
The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion
9.5
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Book
A perspective-shattering work into the minds of violent criminals that reveals profound consequences...
Non-Fiction True Crime Psychology Mental Health Crime
iSEQUENCES
Education and Entertainment
App
iSEQUENCES is an educational app for children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome that enables...
ClareR (5874 KP) rated Learned by Heart in Books
Sep 20, 2023
Learned by Heart is the fictionalised account of two women who really did exist: Eliza Raine and Anne Lister (also known as Gentleman Jack). I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator Shiromi Arserio, really brought the characters, all teenage girls for the most part, to life. Together with Emma Donoghue’s impeccable, compassionate writing, it made for an emotional and heartbreaking novel.
Both girls are outsiders: Eliza is an orphan of an English doctor and an Indian mother. Anne isn’t like any of the other girls, and doesn’t want to conform to expectations. They end up sharing a room and forge a close friendship. They eventually fall in love.
Anne is the person that Eliza is too shy to be. Eliza looks different - she’s darker skinned, and everyone knows that she was Indian. So she tries to avoid too much notice. Anne doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. Together they are able to make school more bearable.
Interspersed in the story of their time at school are Eliza’s letters written to Anne. Letters that are never sent. Eliza is in an asylum at a point in the future, and she doesn’t want the doctors to know about her relationship with Anne. These were such desperately sad parts - Eliza has lost Anne, perhaps partly due to her illness.
I thought the writing reflected the emotional inner life of teenagers so well. The overwhelming emotions and the fact that these were still children who were being forced to act as adult women in a regimented, emotionless setting.
I loved this. It was meticulously researched, and this enriched the story right up to its heartbreaking end. This really is well worth a read (or a listen!).
Both girls are outsiders: Eliza is an orphan of an English doctor and an Indian mother. Anne isn’t like any of the other girls, and doesn’t want to conform to expectations. They end up sharing a room and forge a close friendship. They eventually fall in love.
Anne is the person that Eliza is too shy to be. Eliza looks different - she’s darker skinned, and everyone knows that she was Indian. So she tries to avoid too much notice. Anne doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. Together they are able to make school more bearable.
Interspersed in the story of their time at school are Eliza’s letters written to Anne. Letters that are never sent. Eliza is in an asylum at a point in the future, and she doesn’t want the doctors to know about her relationship with Anne. These were such desperately sad parts - Eliza has lost Anne, perhaps partly due to her illness.
I thought the writing reflected the emotional inner life of teenagers so well. The overwhelming emotions and the fact that these were still children who were being forced to act as adult women in a regimented, emotionless setting.
I loved this. It was meticulously researched, and this enriched the story right up to its heartbreaking end. This really is well worth a read (or a listen!).
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) in Movies
Dec 15, 2021
Life for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is complicated thanks to his dual life as Spider-Man and the challenges of being in High School. Unfortunately for him; his best intentions are about to make things much worse in "Spider-Man: No Way Home".
Taking place where "Spider-Man: Far From Home" ended; Peter must deal with his secret identity being leaked by Tabloid Journalist J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons); and the throngs of people, helicopters, and protestors who follow his every move and camp outside his home.
As if this was not bad enough; being accused of being a murderer has drawn the attention of the authorities which further complicates his life as does returning to a school where everyone knows his identity.
Desperate to get away from the constant scrutiny and observation; Peter seeks out Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and asks him to cast a spell that would make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Strange agrees but mid-spell Peter requests that there are some exemptions from the spell which include his Girlfriend MJ (Zendaya); his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei); and his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).
Strange agrees but in doing so; complications arise which allows entrants from other dimensions to enter their realm. Soon Peter is accosted by villains whom he does not know but seem to know him; that is until he is unmasked and they have no idea who this Peter Parker is before them.
As more villains arrive; Peter learns of their fates in their natural dimension and is determined to save them and give them a second chance which puts him at odds with Doctor Strange who says they must go back to whatever fate they had.
What follows is a descent into humor and darkness as Peter despite his best intentions sees the situation go from bad to worse and he must fight to stay true to himself and save the day.
The film is a difficult one to review in the fact that there are so many surprise guests, twists, and turns that it is challenging to not reveal anything but suffice it to say that fans should absolutely enjoy it.
The film takes its time getting to the action as it has a very slow and deliberate climb and Director Jon Watts is confident enough in the characters and premise that he allows ample time for the characters and setting to build and be established before he gets to the action.
While there is considerable fan service in the film; it never once seems like it is pandering and it all fits very well within the story and the MCU and opens up numerous possibilities for the future.
There is a mid-credit scene and a post-credit scene which is basically a trailer and both are very engaging in terms of the possibilities as Marvel has again shown that their plan of interwoven stories and characters continues to deliver and that Spider-Man still remains as popular and engaging as ever.
Taking place where "Spider-Man: Far From Home" ended; Peter must deal with his secret identity being leaked by Tabloid Journalist J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons); and the throngs of people, helicopters, and protestors who follow his every move and camp outside his home.
As if this was not bad enough; being accused of being a murderer has drawn the attention of the authorities which further complicates his life as does returning to a school where everyone knows his identity.
Desperate to get away from the constant scrutiny and observation; Peter seeks out Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and asks him to cast a spell that would make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Strange agrees but mid-spell Peter requests that there are some exemptions from the spell which include his Girlfriend MJ (Zendaya); his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei); and his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).
Strange agrees but in doing so; complications arise which allows entrants from other dimensions to enter their realm. Soon Peter is accosted by villains whom he does not know but seem to know him; that is until he is unmasked and they have no idea who this Peter Parker is before them.
As more villains arrive; Peter learns of their fates in their natural dimension and is determined to save them and give them a second chance which puts him at odds with Doctor Strange who says they must go back to whatever fate they had.
What follows is a descent into humor and darkness as Peter despite his best intentions sees the situation go from bad to worse and he must fight to stay true to himself and save the day.
The film is a difficult one to review in the fact that there are so many surprise guests, twists, and turns that it is challenging to not reveal anything but suffice it to say that fans should absolutely enjoy it.
The film takes its time getting to the action as it has a very slow and deliberate climb and Director Jon Watts is confident enough in the characters and premise that he allows ample time for the characters and setting to build and be established before he gets to the action.
While there is considerable fan service in the film; it never once seems like it is pandering and it all fits very well within the story and the MCU and opens up numerous possibilities for the future.
There is a mid-credit scene and a post-credit scene which is basically a trailer and both are very engaging in terms of the possibilities as Marvel has again shown that their plan of interwoven stories and characters continues to deliver and that Spider-Man still remains as popular and engaging as ever.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Cowboy Bodyguard (Gold Country Cowboys #3) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
In this Gold Country Cowboys novel, Jack Thorn gets a surprise call from the woman he married in secret years ago. Shannon Livingston needs his protection for herself and the baby she’s hiding from a biker gang targeting the mother. Now Jack must help Shannon, even if shielding her means pretending to be a true husband to the only woman he’s ever loved.
My Thoughts: It's difficult enough being an ER doctor, but when your patient happens to be part of the most notorious biker gangs, you have to have nerves of steel. That's what Shannon Livingston was made of. That's how her past shaped her... to be the best no matter what or at what cost.
This novel will take you on a roller coaster ride, it's full of suspense, mystery and with cowboys, lots of shooting! The plot of this story is fantastic. Who would have thought cowboys and biker gangs? It works so well and keeps the reader guessing with all the turns and twists in the plot.
The reader will fall in love with the Thorn family, not to mention the Thorn brothers, but then who can resist a cowboy?
As I was reading, I was getting annoyed with Shannon, when she was putting her career ahead of her marriage and denying her feelings for her husband. Who doesn't want to be loved by someone like Jake Thorn? Why does she keep holding back? Why couldn't she compromise?
The author is an excellent writer and she brings you into the story; the reader truly feels like they are a part of the Thorn family. The reader can feel the suspense and action that is happening.
What I took away from this novel is the theme of God's love; His love for us, and how we should love others. It's about putting our full faith in Him and letting Him direct our paths. Not taking each hurt we have, holding on to it, but giving everything to God and letting go. That means letting the past be in the past and moving on to the future. It means forgiving.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more from Dana Mentink.
My Thoughts: It's difficult enough being an ER doctor, but when your patient happens to be part of the most notorious biker gangs, you have to have nerves of steel. That's what Shannon Livingston was made of. That's how her past shaped her... to be the best no matter what or at what cost.
This novel will take you on a roller coaster ride, it's full of suspense, mystery and with cowboys, lots of shooting! The plot of this story is fantastic. Who would have thought cowboys and biker gangs? It works so well and keeps the reader guessing with all the turns and twists in the plot.
The reader will fall in love with the Thorn family, not to mention the Thorn brothers, but then who can resist a cowboy?
As I was reading, I was getting annoyed with Shannon, when she was putting her career ahead of her marriage and denying her feelings for her husband. Who doesn't want to be loved by someone like Jake Thorn? Why does she keep holding back? Why couldn't she compromise?
The author is an excellent writer and she brings you into the story; the reader truly feels like they are a part of the Thorn family. The reader can feel the suspense and action that is happening.
What I took away from this novel is the theme of God's love; His love for us, and how we should love others. It's about putting our full faith in Him and letting Him direct our paths. Not taking each hurt we have, holding on to it, but giving everything to God and letting go. That means letting the past be in the past and moving on to the future. It means forgiving.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more from Dana Mentink.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) in Movies
Dec 18, 2021
Willem Dafoe (2 more)
The on-screen bickering between characters.
The Doc Ock, Doctor Strange, and villainous team-up action sequences.
The humor doesn't always land. (2 more)
Peter's idiotic logic.
Lizard is supremely underutilized.
Riding the Nostalgia Train
Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up immediately after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) has revealed to the world that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is Spider-Man. The world is torn in thinking that Peter is either still a hero or behind the drone attacks on London like Beck stated before his death.
Peter is now in a relationship with MJ (Zendaya) while Ned (Jacob Batalon) tags along as the third wheel more than the guy in the chair. As the three attempt to get into MIT and other colleges, MJ and Ned are punished for being associated with Peter. Feeling guilty, Peter takes it upon himself to contact Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who eventually agrees to perform a spell that would make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, Peter’s motor mouth and constant need to change Strange’s spell botches it and ends up opening the multiverse.
Early on, the humor in Spider-Man: No Way Home is lacking and a little lame. Much of the film rides on Peter’s relationship with MJ. Peter, MJ, and Ned have become inseparable in the film thanks to the events of Homecoming, Far From Home, Infinity War, and Endgame. Nearly everything boils down to them making decisions as a trio even when Peter is out there as Spider-Man. The humor in the film doesn’t really find its footing until the villains come along and even then it starts off pretty rough (making fun of the Otto Octavius name in the trailer is a prime example).
Peter’s solution to all of these villains invading his universe from their own is pure stupidity. The desire to do what’s best for someone’s well being is there and you understand why Peter is so adamant about going in the direction that he does. However, he has the opportunity to end all of this early on with little to no repercussions other than some structural damage that he is able to repair in one night.
Peter chooses to change the fate of these villains with the best intentions and suffers for it. In a way, it’s inevitable as it factors in to and is motivation for who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are as essentially one heroic character. “It’s what they do,” as they say several times in the film. That doesn’t mean you have to swallow it as something a supposed genius and one of Marvel’s smartest minds would conjure up though.
Next to the surprises the film has in store for first time viewers, the villains are arguably the highlight of the film. Peter’s fight with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) on the bridge is nearly on par with the Spider-Man/Doc Ock fight on the train from Spider-Man 2. Willem Dafoe is also still Spider-Man’s greatest and most sinister adversary as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin two decades later.
Dafoe’s one stipulation for returning to the franchise was that he would be allowed to do all of his own stunts even at 66 years old; he believes it all factors in to his performance and it shows. You feel sympathy for Norman and admire his brilliance, but he’s plagued with this gushingly nefarious and uncontrollable alternate personality. With that reverberating laugh and amazing facial expressions, Dafoe literally steals the film every time he’s on screen.
The bickering in the film results in some of the most entertaining sequences in the film. There’s at least two instances, one between all of the villains when they’re all in the same room and another sequence later that occurs right before the big fight scene between Spider-Man and the five villains that have crossed over, that are just incredible and it’s basically just dialogue.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve a lot of the credit. If it wasn’t for their writing then those back-and-forth dialogue exchanges between characters wouldn’t exist. But the performances from the cast also factor in to how great those sequences are. Much of the older returning cast have joked about only returning for the money, but it’s clear that there was some enjoyment of not only the script but also being able to work with such a talented group of people.
Speaking of trains, the Spider-Man/Doctor Strange battle in the mirror dimension is one of No Way Home’s visual treats. Doctor Strange and his magical origins opened up the cosmic aspect for the MCU, which has always resulted in trippy and otherworldly sequences that are tonally different and unlike anything else from the other Marvel films. Seeing Spider-Man swing around as the world is upside down while dodging kaleidoscopic skyscrapers and barely escaping gravity defying portals results in a sequence especially memorable for MCU fans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t without its flaws, but it is mostly exactly what it’s advertised to be. The film doesn’t necessarily redefine the, “With great power comes great responsibility,” aspect for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man but it without a doubt gives the MCU version of Spider-Man his version of that principle. No Way Home is a nostalgic extravaganza that exceeds expectations and is a perfect and satisfying bookend for the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.
Peter is now in a relationship with MJ (Zendaya) while Ned (Jacob Batalon) tags along as the third wheel more than the guy in the chair. As the three attempt to get into MIT and other colleges, MJ and Ned are punished for being associated with Peter. Feeling guilty, Peter takes it upon himself to contact Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who eventually agrees to perform a spell that would make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, Peter’s motor mouth and constant need to change Strange’s spell botches it and ends up opening the multiverse.
Early on, the humor in Spider-Man: No Way Home is lacking and a little lame. Much of the film rides on Peter’s relationship with MJ. Peter, MJ, and Ned have become inseparable in the film thanks to the events of Homecoming, Far From Home, Infinity War, and Endgame. Nearly everything boils down to them making decisions as a trio even when Peter is out there as Spider-Man. The humor in the film doesn’t really find its footing until the villains come along and even then it starts off pretty rough (making fun of the Otto Octavius name in the trailer is a prime example).
Peter’s solution to all of these villains invading his universe from their own is pure stupidity. The desire to do what’s best for someone’s well being is there and you understand why Peter is so adamant about going in the direction that he does. However, he has the opportunity to end all of this early on with little to no repercussions other than some structural damage that he is able to repair in one night.
Peter chooses to change the fate of these villains with the best intentions and suffers for it. In a way, it’s inevitable as it factors in to and is motivation for who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are as essentially one heroic character. “It’s what they do,” as they say several times in the film. That doesn’t mean you have to swallow it as something a supposed genius and one of Marvel’s smartest minds would conjure up though.
Next to the surprises the film has in store for first time viewers, the villains are arguably the highlight of the film. Peter’s fight with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) on the bridge is nearly on par with the Spider-Man/Doc Ock fight on the train from Spider-Man 2. Willem Dafoe is also still Spider-Man’s greatest and most sinister adversary as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin two decades later.
Dafoe’s one stipulation for returning to the franchise was that he would be allowed to do all of his own stunts even at 66 years old; he believes it all factors in to his performance and it shows. You feel sympathy for Norman and admire his brilliance, but he’s plagued with this gushingly nefarious and uncontrollable alternate personality. With that reverberating laugh and amazing facial expressions, Dafoe literally steals the film every time he’s on screen.
The bickering in the film results in some of the most entertaining sequences in the film. There’s at least two instances, one between all of the villains when they’re all in the same room and another sequence later that occurs right before the big fight scene between Spider-Man and the five villains that have crossed over, that are just incredible and it’s basically just dialogue.
Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve a lot of the credit. If it wasn’t for their writing then those back-and-forth dialogue exchanges between characters wouldn’t exist. But the performances from the cast also factor in to how great those sequences are. Much of the older returning cast have joked about only returning for the money, but it’s clear that there was some enjoyment of not only the script but also being able to work with such a talented group of people.
Speaking of trains, the Spider-Man/Doctor Strange battle in the mirror dimension is one of No Way Home’s visual treats. Doctor Strange and his magical origins opened up the cosmic aspect for the MCU, which has always resulted in trippy and otherworldly sequences that are tonally different and unlike anything else from the other Marvel films. Seeing Spider-Man swing around as the world is upside down while dodging kaleidoscopic skyscrapers and barely escaping gravity defying portals results in a sequence especially memorable for MCU fans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t without its flaws, but it is mostly exactly what it’s advertised to be. The film doesn’t necessarily redefine the, “With great power comes great responsibility,” aspect for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man but it without a doubt gives the MCU version of Spider-Man his version of that principle. No Way Home is a nostalgic extravaganza that exceeds expectations and is a perfect and satisfying bookend for the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.