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Solomon Wendt (30 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
May 5, 2019
Nostalgia (1 more)
Video Games
This movie is based off of the book of the same name and matches it for most of the major plot points. In short, the story follows Wade Wilson, an egg hunter (Gunter for short), on the search for a virtual Easter egg that unlock control over the virtual reality known as The Oasis. In a scavenger hunt fashion, there are clues and trials that Wade must figure out and overcome in his attempt at such a coveted prize.
The film follows the major points of the book, but does change the clues and trials so its not the same exact story, which I feel is the purpose of film adaptations. However, as with many sci-fi films, majority of interest here is of the world that is constructed which is quickly glossed over. To be fair, how much more do we really need to than people are addicted to virtual reality and want to have more power in it? But the issue is the sort of background that is left out that can leave the soley film consumers a bit confused or leave more questions. As for the actual content of the film, it is a real nostalgia trip for those who enjoyed 80's pop culture and tries to include more recent fandoms such as Overwatch and Halo. Sadly, the viewer doesn't really take part in the treasure hunt as mystery and adventure films try to do. The clues are obscure and related to the creator of the hunt, so there isn't much guessing at what a clue means until it is flat out explained.
However, with the audience participation aside, it is a good sci-fi adventure that utilizes a good blend of motion capture technology and cgi work. It explore a good variety of worlds, environments, and character models that make this film noteworthy of that aspect of production. It leaves quite the impression and I know I looked up how much virtual reality cost after I was done.
In short, it was a good overall production in terms of tools utilized, but lacked a little bit of story in an attempt to cram a different world and rule set while trying to make a complete adventure and story arc. I recommend viewing it at least once, but doesn't really need to be viewed more than that.
The film follows the major points of the book, but does change the clues and trials so its not the same exact story, which I feel is the purpose of film adaptations. However, as with many sci-fi films, majority of interest here is of the world that is constructed which is quickly glossed over. To be fair, how much more do we really need to than people are addicted to virtual reality and want to have more power in it? But the issue is the sort of background that is left out that can leave the soley film consumers a bit confused or leave more questions. As for the actual content of the film, it is a real nostalgia trip for those who enjoyed 80's pop culture and tries to include more recent fandoms such as Overwatch and Halo. Sadly, the viewer doesn't really take part in the treasure hunt as mystery and adventure films try to do. The clues are obscure and related to the creator of the hunt, so there isn't much guessing at what a clue means until it is flat out explained.
However, with the audience participation aside, it is a good sci-fi adventure that utilizes a good blend of motion capture technology and cgi work. It explore a good variety of worlds, environments, and character models that make this film noteworthy of that aspect of production. It leaves quite the impression and I know I looked up how much virtual reality cost after I was done.
In short, it was a good overall production in terms of tools utilized, but lacked a little bit of story in an attempt to cram a different world and rule set while trying to make a complete adventure and story arc. I recommend viewing it at least once, but doesn't really need to be viewed more than that.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Mulan (2020) in Movies
Sep 10, 2020
No honour
GUEST REVIEW BY THE BEAUTIFUL @fandomfanatichere - PLEASE GO CHECK OUT HER PAGE ON INSTAGRAM TO SEE MORE OF WHAT SHE DOES.
The new Mulan lacks the Disney magic of the other live actions, I found it tiresome, frustrating and the acting very lacking in some parts. The action was reminiscent of a martial arts film, which in itself would be enjoyable, but when you pair it with being a Mulan remake just forms really disappointing and cheesy action scenes. I was also sad to discover that after all of the backlash the film had been getting about its lead actress - Liu Yifei, her acting felt a little wooden. We have an additional character - a witch, whom personally I think brings absolutely nothing to the plot of the film other than irritating camera angels when she attempts to exert her power. One moment she is a strong ominous character and the next she is overthrown in the blink of an eye. We also had the addition of a CGI phoenix, rife with symbolism, a beautiful creature flying around in moments of hope and power, but the whole time I was thinking we have this, and no Mushu?! Our actress was also very unconvincing as a boy, so their surprise upon learning she was in fact a woman, felt very forced. I was, however, delighted to hear instrumental versions of 2 original songs in the background, and some paraphrased lines from the original Mulan subtly added in as Easter eggs for us uber fans of the animated film. The film itself, visually was stunning, sweeping landscape shots, interesting costume design and beautiful colours encapsulated the seductive aesthetics of China. I was also happy to see that whilst we still had hints of romance, it did not take over the plot or cause Mulan to fight for just one man, I still felt she was fighting for her family, her honour, and her right to be a strong woman. Now I feel I have slated the film a lot, but bare in mind I am a HUGE orginal Mulan fan and overall I feel I would have enjoyed the watching experience had it been a general martial arts film set in China, but as it was a highly anticipated Mulan remake, that had been set back multiple times, I was sadly very disappointed.
The new Mulan lacks the Disney magic of the other live actions, I found it tiresome, frustrating and the acting very lacking in some parts. The action was reminiscent of a martial arts film, which in itself would be enjoyable, but when you pair it with being a Mulan remake just forms really disappointing and cheesy action scenes. I was also sad to discover that after all of the backlash the film had been getting about its lead actress - Liu Yifei, her acting felt a little wooden. We have an additional character - a witch, whom personally I think brings absolutely nothing to the plot of the film other than irritating camera angels when she attempts to exert her power. One moment she is a strong ominous character and the next she is overthrown in the blink of an eye. We also had the addition of a CGI phoenix, rife with symbolism, a beautiful creature flying around in moments of hope and power, but the whole time I was thinking we have this, and no Mushu?! Our actress was also very unconvincing as a boy, so their surprise upon learning she was in fact a woman, felt very forced. I was, however, delighted to hear instrumental versions of 2 original songs in the background, and some paraphrased lines from the original Mulan subtly added in as Easter eggs for us uber fans of the animated film. The film itself, visually was stunning, sweeping landscape shots, interesting costume design and beautiful colours encapsulated the seductive aesthetics of China. I was also happy to see that whilst we still had hints of romance, it did not take over the plot or cause Mulan to fight for just one man, I still felt she was fighting for her family, her honour, and her right to be a strong woman. Now I feel I have slated the film a lot, but bare in mind I am a HUGE orginal Mulan fan and overall I feel I would have enjoyed the watching experience had it been a general martial arts film set in China, but as it was a highly anticipated Mulan remake, that had been set back multiple times, I was sadly very disappointed.
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It’s time to create yummy dishes or spectacular messes with the most lovable and mischievous...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek (2009) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
As Leonard Nimoy says on the “making of” featurette, few directors can successfully deliver both ‘action’ and ’emotion’ in the same film, but J.J. Abrams can do. You can tell that he loved the original series, and adds both energy and ‘fan-friendly’ easter eggs into the movie:
We saw Kirk’s death in “Generations” – here we see his birth, with a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth as his heroic Dad!;
The nasty Ceti Eel creatures are back from “The Wrath of Khan”!;
We see the historic event of Kirk beating the Kobayashi Maru starfleet test;
And we see all of the key characters meeting for the first time.
There are some surprises though. The fact that Spock and Uhuru are ‘a thing’ adds a spice to the film that feels like it messes with existing Trek lore. And similarly the destruction of Vulcan – giving this the highest body count of any of the movies! – has to be explained away with the old ‘parallel timeline’ ploy.
The action scenes work well, reliving the ‘submarine warfare in space’ elements that worked so well in the original series and the “Wrath of Khan”. A ‘space drop’ onto Nero’s ‘drill’ is particularly thrilling.
The casting is just about bang on, with Chris Pine pitch perfect as Kirk and Karl Urban particularly impressive as ‘Bones’ McCoy (although the evolution of the nickname – shown here – feels overly forced). The one character that I don’t get on with here is Simon Pegg’s Scotty: might be controversial, but he just doesn’t work for me.
Finally, the music by Michael Giacchino is a favourite score of mine. Simply thrilling and brilliant. I was lucky enough to hear it played live at a showing in the Royal Albert Hall a few years back, where both Giacchino and Abrams appeared on stage – – a truly memorable evening.
It’s not perfect. The whole “transportation of Scotty into the water works” irritates me enormously for some reason. And it’s somewhat glossed over what Nero and his crew have been doing for the 25 years while Kirk grows up: (Nero: “Man, I’ve finished ALL of my Sodoku books… when is this lockdown EVER GONNA END??”). And the JJ ‘lens flare’ is used to a level here that is mind-blowingly distracting! But as a reboot, in the main, it works.
We saw Kirk’s death in “Generations” – here we see his birth, with a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth as his heroic Dad!;
The nasty Ceti Eel creatures are back from “The Wrath of Khan”!;
We see the historic event of Kirk beating the Kobayashi Maru starfleet test;
And we see all of the key characters meeting for the first time.
There are some surprises though. The fact that Spock and Uhuru are ‘a thing’ adds a spice to the film that feels like it messes with existing Trek lore. And similarly the destruction of Vulcan – giving this the highest body count of any of the movies! – has to be explained away with the old ‘parallel timeline’ ploy.
The action scenes work well, reliving the ‘submarine warfare in space’ elements that worked so well in the original series and the “Wrath of Khan”. A ‘space drop’ onto Nero’s ‘drill’ is particularly thrilling.
The casting is just about bang on, with Chris Pine pitch perfect as Kirk and Karl Urban particularly impressive as ‘Bones’ McCoy (although the evolution of the nickname – shown here – feels overly forced). The one character that I don’t get on with here is Simon Pegg’s Scotty: might be controversial, but he just doesn’t work for me.
Finally, the music by Michael Giacchino is a favourite score of mine. Simply thrilling and brilliant. I was lucky enough to hear it played live at a showing in the Royal Albert Hall a few years back, where both Giacchino and Abrams appeared on stage – – a truly memorable evening.
It’s not perfect. The whole “transportation of Scotty into the water works” irritates me enormously for some reason. And it’s somewhat glossed over what Nero and his crew have been doing for the 25 years while Kirk grows up: (Nero: “Man, I’ve finished ALL of my Sodoku books… when is this lockdown EVER GONNA END??”). And the JJ ‘lens flare’ is used to a level here that is mind-blowingly distracting! But as a reboot, in the main, it works.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Apr 17, 2018
Entertaining film - but the book was better
I loved the book.
When that phrase is uttered, it doesn't necessarily mean that the film has a strike going against it. For every film that "the book was better" (MISS PEREGRINE and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, for instance), I can also point to films where they "did justice to the book" (like THE MARTIAN and the recent version of IT).
So...it was with some trepidation - and some excitement - that I checked into the virtual world of the Oasis and caught READY PLAYER ONE. Most of my excitement was because I was going see this Steven Spielberg opus on the big screen in 70mm. I was ready for an immersive, stunningly visual film experience.
And...I wasn't disappointed.
Set in a not-too-distant-future, dystopian world (is there any other?), READY PLAYER ONE is part WILLIE WONKA and part THE MATRIX. A brilliant game designer has died and has littered his virtual world - a world where most of the people on planet Earth go to escape the poverty and depravity of the "real world" - with clues and an "Easter Egg" (literally). The first one to find the hidden Easter Egg gains ownership of the Oasis. 5 years later, no one has found anything and it has turned into a battle between the evil Corporate conglomerate IOI that wants to commercialize the Oasis and the "gunters" (Grail hunters) that want to keep the Oasis "pure".
So, into this world, Spielberg brings us - and succeeds for the most part. The most stunning part of this film - and the reason I wanted to see this on the big screen and in 70mm - is that 80% of it takes place in the Oasis, the virtual reality world. The scenery, imagery and detail of this world are a marvel to behold. Since it is a virtual world, you can throw away the laws of physics - and that is a fun aspect of things (especially when you forget that your are in a virtual, and not a real, world).
The real fun of this story (both in the book and in the movie) is that most of the Oasis is filled with homages to 1980's Pop Culture (with some 60's, 70's and 90's thrown in), so you are treated to many fun "cameo" images on the screen (like the DeLorean from BACK TO THE FUTURE) - even if they are in the background. I won't give much away, but in one scene I spotted the "open the pod bay doors, HAL" pod from 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY, just hanging out in the background without anyone referring to it. If you are any kind of pop culture "nerd" you will be in hog heaven with this aspect of the movie.
And that's a good thing because we spend, as I said, 80% of our time in this film in this virtual world - and it is well worth the trip. The other 20% is spent in the "real world" and the visuals, the imagery and, sadly, the characters are just not as exciting or interesting.
Take, for example, our 5 heroes - the "High Five" gunters. In the Oasis, their avatars are interesting to look at and to spend time with. Outside of the Oasis, the 5 actors who inhabit these characters are - to be honest - somewhat boring and lacking in screen presence and charisma.
I blame most of the lack of charisma on Spielberg, who - obviously - spent most of his attention (rightfully so) on the special effects and creating the world of the Oasis. He left the actors to "do their thing" and these 5 kids (or maybe I should say "young adults") just don't have the chops to pull it off. Someone who does - Ben Mendehlson as the Corporation's head and the main villain of this piece - eats scenery like it is snack chips. The only thing he didn't do in this film is twirl his mustache and tie the female lead to the train tracks. Add to that performance the usually obnoxious TJ Miller, as the main henchman who is up to his usual, obnoxious self here. I could have used a lot less of both of these characters.
What I could have used a lot more of is the brilliant Mark Rylance - superbly underplaying his role as the game's chief designer, who pops up in virtual flashbacks and commands the screen whenever he is on. His partner is played by the usually reliable Simon Pegg, who was "fine", but - if I'm being honest - I think is miscast in this film.
Is it a good film? I'd have to say yes - I enjoyed myself very much - and you will too. I did, though, walk out thinking about what a missed opportunity it was. The film could have been better.
The book, certainly, was better.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
When that phrase is uttered, it doesn't necessarily mean that the film has a strike going against it. For every film that "the book was better" (MISS PEREGRINE and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, for instance), I can also point to films where they "did justice to the book" (like THE MARTIAN and the recent version of IT).
So...it was with some trepidation - and some excitement - that I checked into the virtual world of the Oasis and caught READY PLAYER ONE. Most of my excitement was because I was going see this Steven Spielberg opus on the big screen in 70mm. I was ready for an immersive, stunningly visual film experience.
And...I wasn't disappointed.
Set in a not-too-distant-future, dystopian world (is there any other?), READY PLAYER ONE is part WILLIE WONKA and part THE MATRIX. A brilliant game designer has died and has littered his virtual world - a world where most of the people on planet Earth go to escape the poverty and depravity of the "real world" - with clues and an "Easter Egg" (literally). The first one to find the hidden Easter Egg gains ownership of the Oasis. 5 years later, no one has found anything and it has turned into a battle between the evil Corporate conglomerate IOI that wants to commercialize the Oasis and the "gunters" (Grail hunters) that want to keep the Oasis "pure".
So, into this world, Spielberg brings us - and succeeds for the most part. The most stunning part of this film - and the reason I wanted to see this on the big screen and in 70mm - is that 80% of it takes place in the Oasis, the virtual reality world. The scenery, imagery and detail of this world are a marvel to behold. Since it is a virtual world, you can throw away the laws of physics - and that is a fun aspect of things (especially when you forget that your are in a virtual, and not a real, world).
The real fun of this story (both in the book and in the movie) is that most of the Oasis is filled with homages to 1980's Pop Culture (with some 60's, 70's and 90's thrown in), so you are treated to many fun "cameo" images on the screen (like the DeLorean from BACK TO THE FUTURE) - even if they are in the background. I won't give much away, but in one scene I spotted the "open the pod bay doors, HAL" pod from 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY, just hanging out in the background without anyone referring to it. If you are any kind of pop culture "nerd" you will be in hog heaven with this aspect of the movie.
And that's a good thing because we spend, as I said, 80% of our time in this film in this virtual world - and it is well worth the trip. The other 20% is spent in the "real world" and the visuals, the imagery and, sadly, the characters are just not as exciting or interesting.
Take, for example, our 5 heroes - the "High Five" gunters. In the Oasis, their avatars are interesting to look at and to spend time with. Outside of the Oasis, the 5 actors who inhabit these characters are - to be honest - somewhat boring and lacking in screen presence and charisma.
I blame most of the lack of charisma on Spielberg, who - obviously - spent most of his attention (rightfully so) on the special effects and creating the world of the Oasis. He left the actors to "do their thing" and these 5 kids (or maybe I should say "young adults") just don't have the chops to pull it off. Someone who does - Ben Mendehlson as the Corporation's head and the main villain of this piece - eats scenery like it is snack chips. The only thing he didn't do in this film is twirl his mustache and tie the female lead to the train tracks. Add to that performance the usually obnoxious TJ Miller, as the main henchman who is up to his usual, obnoxious self here. I could have used a lot less of both of these characters.
What I could have used a lot more of is the brilliant Mark Rylance - superbly underplaying his role as the game's chief designer, who pops up in virtual flashbacks and commands the screen whenever he is on. His partner is played by the usually reliable Simon Pegg, who was "fine", but - if I'm being honest - I think is miscast in this film.
Is it a good film? I'd have to say yes - I enjoyed myself very much - and you will too. I did, though, walk out thinking about what a missed opportunity it was. The film could have been better.
The book, certainly, was better.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) in Movies
Sep 7, 2017
Simple Story Line (2 more)
Action Packed
Good Cast
Bad CGI in some parts (2 more)
Editing
Over the top stunts
Action Packed, Explosions and All Around Craziness
Contains spoilers, click to show
Man do I love action movies, but this one seemed to get out of control sometimes. I really do like the XXX series but there were somethings I would change about this one. The fact that Xander Cage was dead and come back was fine, but I would have liked a little back story on where he was hanging out. It also felt like he was doing a good job staying off the grid so finding him that easily and getting him on board felt simple.
The opening scene was OK, that's usually the part of the action movie that is supposed to grab you. But with Gibbons blowing up and not being a part of the movie was kind of sad. I really do like Vin and Sam's back and forth during the movie. Adding a little comedy the way they do is why I like their chemistry on screen. The rest of the plot was simple and straight forward. Only adding a few twists to a movie like this makes it more fun to watch and less to think about what is going on.
I like the addition of the XXX teams, it really showed that something was going on in between movies. Although it made is seem like the "bad" XXX team went rogue, but they were still trying to do right by the country. The team up between the 2 was fantastic, they finally realized they were on the same team and kicked some ass.
Now for the bad, there were times in this movie where the stunt work was too over the top even for me. You can do action without all the flipping and jumping. There are great stunt coordinators out there that can put together a great fight scene with out all extra stuff and still make it a good movie. There were also a few parts of the movie were you could tell it was CGI and not edited very well. The most notable was the motorcycle jet skis on the water. You really could tell how fake it was. Which is sad because it really could have been a cool scene.
Overall the movie was fun to watch, I would see the other 2 XXX movies before jumping into this one. There are a few hidden easter eggs that might make the watch more enjoyable. I wouldn't look to hard into the quality, just sit back and enjoy the show.
The opening scene was OK, that's usually the part of the action movie that is supposed to grab you. But with Gibbons blowing up and not being a part of the movie was kind of sad. I really do like Vin and Sam's back and forth during the movie. Adding a little comedy the way they do is why I like their chemistry on screen. The rest of the plot was simple and straight forward. Only adding a few twists to a movie like this makes it more fun to watch and less to think about what is going on.
I like the addition of the XXX teams, it really showed that something was going on in between movies. Although it made is seem like the "bad" XXX team went rogue, but they were still trying to do right by the country. The team up between the 2 was fantastic, they finally realized they were on the same team and kicked some ass.
Now for the bad, there were times in this movie where the stunt work was too over the top even for me. You can do action without all the flipping and jumping. There are great stunt coordinators out there that can put together a great fight scene with out all extra stuff and still make it a good movie. There were also a few parts of the movie were you could tell it was CGI and not edited very well. The most notable was the motorcycle jet skis on the water. You really could tell how fake it was. Which is sad because it really could have been a cool scene.
Overall the movie was fun to watch, I would see the other 2 XXX movies before jumping into this one. There are a few hidden easter eggs that might make the watch more enjoyable. I wouldn't look to hard into the quality, just sit back and enjoy the show.
Sundrademe (1 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Apr 1, 2018 (Updated Apr 1, 2018)
A blast from the past every nerd can appreciate. (1 more)
Good pacing.
Who are these people? Little character development. (1 more)
Only surface deep. Don't look for a message here.
Not surprised by Spielberg
I'll have to admit, when I first saw the trailer for this movie I turned to my fiancé and said "that looks so stupid!" After seeing a few more trailers I started to notice things. Is that the Iron Giant? Did I just see Harley Quinn? Who has enough pull to get rights to all these characters? Of course! this is a piece from the master of adventure, Steven Spielberg. Okay, now I've got to see this.
For anyone who's seen a Spielberg movie will recognize the common themes; a young hero with empty pockets but a brave heart who's destined for adventure, a rag-tag group of friends, and a dying dream that they must save at all costs. Sorry that's The Goonies, well same difference.
This is the story of Wade Watts, a teenager in 2045, who's dirt poor but like most people, escapes his reality by going into the virtual world called The Oasis. In the Oasis you can be anyone (or anything), go anywhere, and do just about anything. The late creator of the Oasis has hidden an Easter Egg (for non geeks, this is a fun piece of side content a director hides within a game or movie), and the person who finds the egg will win all of the creators shares in the company.
Wade belongs to a clever group of friends on the fringes of society who like most people are searching for this egg. What makes them so special outside of everyone else in the world? Eh, heart? Anyway, follow along the mystery and adventure, where you will see how they find the egg-because we all know they will.
Look, this movie is awesome. Spielberg is the king of pop culture and he really shines here. everyone will love the use of old and new characters from comics, games and all corners of media; the odd mix of music as far back as the 70s till now; and the obvious-not-so-obvious references to cult classics. It's cute, it's easy to swallow and it's a lot of fun.
Don't expect this to be your new favorite movie or to have long talks about it later on with friends. Nor will you walk away enamored with any of the characters because they aren't that interesting. Sure, you'll probably want to see it again but probably once it hits DVD.
For anyone who's seen a Spielberg movie will recognize the common themes; a young hero with empty pockets but a brave heart who's destined for adventure, a rag-tag group of friends, and a dying dream that they must save at all costs. Sorry that's The Goonies, well same difference.
This is the story of Wade Watts, a teenager in 2045, who's dirt poor but like most people, escapes his reality by going into the virtual world called The Oasis. In the Oasis you can be anyone (or anything), go anywhere, and do just about anything. The late creator of the Oasis has hidden an Easter Egg (for non geeks, this is a fun piece of side content a director hides within a game or movie), and the person who finds the egg will win all of the creators shares in the company.
Wade belongs to a clever group of friends on the fringes of society who like most people are searching for this egg. What makes them so special outside of everyone else in the world? Eh, heart? Anyway, follow along the mystery and adventure, where you will see how they find the egg-because we all know they will.
Look, this movie is awesome. Spielberg is the king of pop culture and he really shines here. everyone will love the use of old and new characters from comics, games and all corners of media; the odd mix of music as far back as the 70s till now; and the obvious-not-so-obvious references to cult classics. It's cute, it's easy to swallow and it's a lot of fun.
Don't expect this to be your new favorite movie or to have long talks about it later on with friends. Nor will you walk away enamored with any of the characters because they aren't that interesting. Sure, you'll probably want to see it again but probably once it hits DVD.
Pronunciation: Minute of Speech – Tarle Speech
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Tarle Speech and Language was founded in 2005 by Jennifer Tarle in order to empower individuals at...
Ashley Catron (66 KP) rated Suite Francaise in Books
Mar 7, 2018
Suite Francaise by the talented Irene Nemirovsky is divided into two "books," so to speak. The first part, Storm in June, begins with the French fleeing parts of Paris and surrounding areas to avoid the German occupation. The story focuses on two families and one couple primarily: the Michauds, the Pericands, and Gabriel Corte with his mistress, Florence. Throughout the book the characters' stories are intertwined with one another beautifully in vignette style chapters. The first book covers June 1940 through the end of November in 1940. The main story in Storm encompasses the fear and desperation that so many French people experienced at the beginning of the war-fear they would never return home, fear they would be killed in an air raid, fear they would just not survive. In Dolce, the second part, covers how the French are handling things back at home after the Germans have begun occupying various cities and have begun living with the French in their homes. This part in the story covers Easter Sunday 1941 through the end of July 1941, so a much shorter time frame than Storm. This section focuses on a different set of characters, involving the Angelliers, the Sabaries, and the Montmorts. The main come away from this is, how do you put up with someone who may have killed your loved one in the war?
Overall, this book was incredible. I don't typically go for this type of book (war-themed), but I was intrigued and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Irene Nemirovsky was a French-Russian who was writing these books while all of this was happening around her in France. While the characters in the stories are fictional, the emotions they feel and the thoughts they have are very real and very comparable to what others were feeling during this time. In the beginning, yoiu will find your heart racing as everyone flees their possessions, their livelihoods, their families, just to escape the Germans and the certain death they bring. Your breath will catch at the description of the sirens and the air raids, and you will be angry at these Germans for what they have done. However, in the second part, you will find yourself sympathizing with the Germans, even after the brutalities explained in the first part. You will find yourself thinking about the French and how torn they were seeing how kind and generous the Germans were, how the children loved them so, not understanding what horrors they had committed against others. Irene paints such a beautifully descriptive landscape that you will feel like you are experiencing all these accounts first hand. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in war-era books, and even those who have never read it before.
Overall, this book was incredible. I don't typically go for this type of book (war-themed), but I was intrigued and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Irene Nemirovsky was a French-Russian who was writing these books while all of this was happening around her in France. While the characters in the stories are fictional, the emotions they feel and the thoughts they have are very real and very comparable to what others were feeling during this time. In the beginning, yoiu will find your heart racing as everyone flees their possessions, their livelihoods, their families, just to escape the Germans and the certain death they bring. Your breath will catch at the description of the sirens and the air raids, and you will be angry at these Germans for what they have done. However, in the second part, you will find yourself sympathizing with the Germans, even after the brutalities explained in the first part. You will find yourself thinking about the French and how torn they were seeing how kind and generous the Germans were, how the children loved them so, not understanding what horrors they had committed against others. Irene paints such a beautifully descriptive landscape that you will feel like you are experiencing all these accounts first hand. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in war-era books, and even those who have never read it before.