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Wendy Jo (37 KP) rated The Good Doctor in TV
Sep 26, 2018
This show is fantastic. The lingo is all current and correct. The plot lines are not only possible but some of the common cases the medical field face. The most amazing thing about this show is the portrayal of a Doctor with Autism and Savant Syndrome (1 more)
giving thousands of people a hero with a neurological disorder who doesn't just succeed but down right shines! Fantastic writers, actors, and stories. An amazing show!
Fantastic!!
The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated Keeping Lucy in Books
Oct 6, 2020 (Updated Oct 6, 2020)
This new #bookreview is for “Keeping Lucy” by T. Greenwood, is due to be released on August 3. This novel is about a woman who only wants one thing – to save her Down Syndrome daughter from a horrible institution. Set in the 60s and 70s, it is semi-historical and semi-contemporary, as well as fully an adult coming of age, women’s novel (no romance). https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2019/07/26/travels-with-light/
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Sep 21, 2019
I went to see 3 movies this past week, and this film was far and away the best out of the three.
It was very much like a small Huckleberry Finn story. A man with down syndrome runs away from the nursing home he's being kept in to go to wrestling school. That alone was enough to get my butt in the seat. Shia LeBeouf, who is running away from multiple things himself, helps him along the way. It was amusing, and kept me engaged throughout. The length was perfect. The only unnecessary thing was Dakota Johnson's character, but I can see why they included her in the story.
There need to be more original movies like this one. I'm glad my local AMC, that normally only plays mainstream films, had this playing for a week as an 'Artisan' film.
It was very much like a small Huckleberry Finn story. A man with down syndrome runs away from the nursing home he's being kept in to go to wrestling school. That alone was enough to get my butt in the seat. Shia LeBeouf, who is running away from multiple things himself, helps him along the way. It was amusing, and kept me engaged throughout. The length was perfect. The only unnecessary thing was Dakota Johnson's character, but I can see why they included her in the story.
There need to be more original movies like this one. I'm glad my local AMC, that normally only plays mainstream films, had this playing for a week as an 'Artisan' film.
TheBookMother (105 KP) rated The Memory Keeper's Daughter in Books
Jun 6, 2019
Hauntingly Beautiful
This came into the charity shop I work in and as soon as I read the blurb on the back of the book I knew I had to read it.
A Doctor in a snow storm delivers his twins but one is born with Down Syndrome and he decides there and then to tell his wife that she died. He hands over his daughter to the nurse and asks her to take her to a home. She decides upon seeing the home she cannot possibly leave her here and raises her herself.
The book follows through time the lives of everyone the Doctor and his wife raising there son Paul, and the Nurse Caroline fighting for Phoebe to be accepted and have access to an education and equal opportunities.
It starts of in the 60s and we really get a glimpse into the attitudes of the time towards those with Down Syndrome and at times it is awkward to read at times as you cannot believe that it was like this.
With such a explosive secret being kept and the grief that Norah feels after thinking she has lost a child the family is poisoned and relationships turn toxic and the family dynamic is ripped apart.
We see Phoebe thrive throughout her life with Caroline and also the limitations she faces in her day to day life.
The emotive language the author uses means you do feel Norah's loss, you resent David for his betrayal, you can understand Paul's rebellion and Caroline's guilt.
It is an achingly beautiful book which is dealing with an explosively emotive storyline. I really enjoyed it and it is really hauntingly staying with me even after I've finished as I began to imagine how I would feel and what I would do if I was put in that situation. A really good read, possibly to emotionally charged for a sleep deprived and hormonal mother of two boys, one of which does have medical issues do I could relate somewhat too.
A Doctor in a snow storm delivers his twins but one is born with Down Syndrome and he decides there and then to tell his wife that she died. He hands over his daughter to the nurse and asks her to take her to a home. She decides upon seeing the home she cannot possibly leave her here and raises her herself.
The book follows through time the lives of everyone the Doctor and his wife raising there son Paul, and the Nurse Caroline fighting for Phoebe to be accepted and have access to an education and equal opportunities.
It starts of in the 60s and we really get a glimpse into the attitudes of the time towards those with Down Syndrome and at times it is awkward to read at times as you cannot believe that it was like this.
With such a explosive secret being kept and the grief that Norah feels after thinking she has lost a child the family is poisoned and relationships turn toxic and the family dynamic is ripped apart.
We see Phoebe thrive throughout her life with Caroline and also the limitations she faces in her day to day life.
The emotive language the author uses means you do feel Norah's loss, you resent David for his betrayal, you can understand Paul's rebellion and Caroline's guilt.
It is an achingly beautiful book which is dealing with an explosively emotive storyline. I really enjoyed it and it is really hauntingly staying with me even after I've finished as I began to imagine how I would feel and what I would do if I was put in that situation. A really good read, possibly to emotionally charged for a sleep deprived and hormonal mother of two boys, one of which does have medical issues do I could relate somewhat too.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
Verdict: Beautiful Movie
Story: The Peanut Butter Falcon starts as we meet a down syndrome young man Zak (Gottsagen) who dreams of being a wrestler, but is stuck in a care home sharing a room with Carl (Dern) under the care of Eleanor (Johnson), he has been trying to escape before and when he finally does, he meets Tyler (LaBeouf) a rebel who is fighting for his place in a fishing world.
As Tyler reluctantly agrees to help Zak, the two go on an adventure through the outdoors to make it to the wrestling school to live his dream of becoming a wrestler like his hero Salt Water Redneck (Church), even though Eleanor is trying to find him before it is too late.
Thoughts on The Peanut Butter Falcon
Characters – Zak is a down syndrome young man that is living in a nursing home with nobody else offering him a place to live, he loves wrestling and wants to make this his dream to become a wrestler, which sees him running away from the nursing home, meeting Tyler and having his first adventure. Tyler is a drifter working on the local fishing area, that has found himself getting into trouble with the locals, needing to go on the run, where he ends up meet Zak, reluctantly teaching him about life. Eleanor is the carer that has always looked after Zak, she has become concerned about his desire to move away and after he runs away, she must go in search of him, needing to learn more about opening up to his own desire in life.
Performances – Zack Gottsagen is wonderful in the leading role showing all the delight and pain his character is going through. Shia LaBeouf is going down the right path here, doing the roles which require him to show his skills rather than cash heavy roles. Dakota Johnson is great too, with the supporting cast that all work wonderfully through the film.
Story – The story here follows a young down syndrome man who decides to run away from the nursing home he is living in, with dreams of becoming a wrestler where he meets a lost drifter who teaches him more about life, while chasing his dream. This is a story that is similar to the story of Mark Twain with a fresh approach, with one of the clear messages being, not to judge somebody on a disability they have, they can achieve as much as anybody else. This is a joy to watch as a story, seeing how the two bond and just have a life adventure.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of this film, sees two unlikely men at different stages of their lives spending a couple of days together learning about life, it is inspiring to see how people might react to life, while getting a couple of laughs along the way, with the friendship.
Settings – The film uses the back-water locations to show the drifter lifestyle to which Zak has fallen into and one that Tyler can navigate.
Scene of the Movie – The match.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful movie that can be enjoyed by all, one that has a clear message about treating everyone equal and one that will leave you feeling good by the end.
Overall: True Delight.
Story: The Peanut Butter Falcon starts as we meet a down syndrome young man Zak (Gottsagen) who dreams of being a wrestler, but is stuck in a care home sharing a room with Carl (Dern) under the care of Eleanor (Johnson), he has been trying to escape before and when he finally does, he meets Tyler (LaBeouf) a rebel who is fighting for his place in a fishing world.
As Tyler reluctantly agrees to help Zak, the two go on an adventure through the outdoors to make it to the wrestling school to live his dream of becoming a wrestler like his hero Salt Water Redneck (Church), even though Eleanor is trying to find him before it is too late.
Thoughts on The Peanut Butter Falcon
Characters – Zak is a down syndrome young man that is living in a nursing home with nobody else offering him a place to live, he loves wrestling and wants to make this his dream to become a wrestler, which sees him running away from the nursing home, meeting Tyler and having his first adventure. Tyler is a drifter working on the local fishing area, that has found himself getting into trouble with the locals, needing to go on the run, where he ends up meet Zak, reluctantly teaching him about life. Eleanor is the carer that has always looked after Zak, she has become concerned about his desire to move away and after he runs away, she must go in search of him, needing to learn more about opening up to his own desire in life.
Performances – Zack Gottsagen is wonderful in the leading role showing all the delight and pain his character is going through. Shia LaBeouf is going down the right path here, doing the roles which require him to show his skills rather than cash heavy roles. Dakota Johnson is great too, with the supporting cast that all work wonderfully through the film.
Story – The story here follows a young down syndrome man who decides to run away from the nursing home he is living in, with dreams of becoming a wrestler where he meets a lost drifter who teaches him more about life, while chasing his dream. This is a story that is similar to the story of Mark Twain with a fresh approach, with one of the clear messages being, not to judge somebody on a disability they have, they can achieve as much as anybody else. This is a joy to watch as a story, seeing how the two bond and just have a life adventure.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of this film, sees two unlikely men at different stages of their lives spending a couple of days together learning about life, it is inspiring to see how people might react to life, while getting a couple of laughs along the way, with the friendship.
Settings – The film uses the back-water locations to show the drifter lifestyle to which Zak has fallen into and one that Tyler can navigate.
Scene of the Movie – The match.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful movie that can be enjoyed by all, one that has a clear message about treating everyone equal and one that will leave you feeling good by the end.
Overall: True Delight.
Stephen (210 KP) rated As Above So Below (2014) in Movies
Mar 1, 2019 (Updated Mar 2, 2019)
Worthy Of A Watch
Contains spoilers, click to show
As I watched this tonight, all I could think of was ‘Tomb Raider meets The Descent’ - although much more emphasis is placed on the Tomb Raider element, which, when the film is classed as a horror movie just ends up watering down the horror element. Don’t get me wrong, there are some excellent ‘jump off the sofa’ moments, however a lot of what could have been achieved (e.g. the claustrophobic terror of ‘The Descent’) has been lost and overwhelmed by the Tomb Raider element, and to be honest this lets the film down slightly as some of the storyline is just plain stupid. I mean, OK it’s fine to search for an ancient relic, but finding the Philosopher’s Stone and then using it to heal fellow team members is just a bit too silly in my opinion.
Whilst I felt the film was well crafted, it does suffer from the annoying ‘camera jerking all over the place’ syndrome, meaning it’s sometimes virtually impossible to work out what is going on, and also means that when something scary is happening, it fails as you can’t see what it is you’re supposed to be scared by.
Overall, the film was enjoyable apart from the above mentioned negatives - oh, and the ending just SUCKS - a complete letdown.
Whilst I felt the film was well crafted, it does suffer from the annoying ‘camera jerking all over the place’ syndrome, meaning it’s sometimes virtually impossible to work out what is going on, and also means that when something scary is happening, it fails as you can’t see what it is you’re supposed to be scared by.
Overall, the film was enjoyable apart from the above mentioned negatives - oh, and the ending just SUCKS - a complete letdown.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Chocolate (2008) in Movies
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Mmm, Chocolate
Yet another film about an autistic girl with prodigious martial arts skills forced to beat the living daylights out of dozens of gangland thugs in order to pay for her mother's cancer medicine. But a really good one, by the standards of the kung fu movie genre at least. From the director of Ong-Bak, Prachya Pinkaew, who almost single-handedly seems to have put Thai martial arts movies on the map.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Aug 27, 2019
Amazing, with Feelings...
353. The Peanut Butter Falcon. An amazing movie! We meet a guy named Zak, he has Down Syndrome, lives in a nursing, no family, has Bruce Dern as a roommate and he loves wrestling, so much so, that he plans to break free of his forced housing, go on the run to The Salt Water Redneck's Wrestling School, and with the help of some friends at the home... hint: Bruce Dern... he breaks free. While on the run, he hides on a boat that belongs to Tyler, a fisherman, hobo with a shotgun, and also on the run from a few locals, because Tyler may or may not have destroyed several thousand dollars worth of their equipment. ONce he discovers Zak crashing on his boat, hears his tale, Tyler decides to help him out with the journey. Zak of course has someone looking out for him as well, in this case the nursing home bypasses authorities and just sends a lone aide, Eleanor, out to find him. A touching tale of two guys on the run that form a friendship that feels more like family. Filmbufftim on FB
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Sep 17, 2020 (Updated Sep 17, 2020)
The Peanut Butter Falcon is truly wonderful in every sense of the word, and quite possibly the most heart warming movie ever made!?
This story of Zak, a man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler is shot beautifully - this film looks stunning from start to finish.
The cinematography and music cues give the movie a Cohens-esque vibe at times.
Zak finds an unlikely companion in Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and outlaw who is on the run from some people that he owes to. The two of them journey together towards Florida in a simple story that at its core is a commentary on what it is to be human.
Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are fantastic as the films leads. The companionship between the two of them feels truly special at all times, is frequently hilarious, and is the source of pretty much all the charm that radiates from TPBF.
Dakota Johnson, Thomas Jaden Church, and Bruce Dern are also great as well.
I wasn't expecting to love The Peanut Butter Falcon as much as I did, but honestly, it's a damn good film that will get to the coldest person.
This story of Zak, a man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler is shot beautifully - this film looks stunning from start to finish.
The cinematography and music cues give the movie a Cohens-esque vibe at times.
Zak finds an unlikely companion in Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and outlaw who is on the run from some people that he owes to. The two of them journey together towards Florida in a simple story that at its core is a commentary on what it is to be human.
Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are fantastic as the films leads. The companionship between the two of them feels truly special at all times, is frequently hilarious, and is the source of pretty much all the charm that radiates from TPBF.
Dakota Johnson, Thomas Jaden Church, and Bruce Dern are also great as well.
I wasn't expecting to love The Peanut Butter Falcon as much as I did, but honestly, it's a damn good film that will get to the coldest person.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Brides of the Big Valley in Books
Feb 23, 2021
Three unique perspectives into Amish life.
The first story is about a widow and her son with Down Syndrome and how she finds love again with a man she least expects. I loved the perseverance in this story! No matter what obstacles many come your way we can't give up but need to figure out ways to over come those obstacles.
Second we have a women at a crossroad in her life, she has to trust fully that God will lead her in the right direction even when it seems everyone around her is against what she believes God is telling her to do. I think this one was a great story on listening to God and not giving in to what the world wants you to do.
Last we have a story about a young women who is very shy who learns to overcome her fears to find love, loss, and a family of her own. This one was probably my favorite. It really is true that you have to stop thinking about what people might think of you and just be yourself or you will never grow into the person you are supposed to be.
I loved this book and would highly recommend adding it to your TBR pile.
I volunteered to read this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
The first story is about a widow and her son with Down Syndrome and how she finds love again with a man she least expects. I loved the perseverance in this story! No matter what obstacles many come your way we can't give up but need to figure out ways to over come those obstacles.
Second we have a women at a crossroad in her life, she has to trust fully that God will lead her in the right direction even when it seems everyone around her is against what she believes God is telling her to do. I think this one was a great story on listening to God and not giving in to what the world wants you to do.
Last we have a story about a young women who is very shy who learns to overcome her fears to find love, loss, and a family of her own. This one was probably my favorite. It really is true that you have to stop thinking about what people might think of you and just be yourself or you will never grow into the person you are supposed to be.
I loved this book and would highly recommend adding it to your TBR pile.
I volunteered to read this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.