A Distant Heart
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Born to her parents in Mumbai as a result of prayer, pilgrimage, and every fertility treatment known...
fiction
Conversations with Amelia
10.0
Rate It
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1951. More than anything eleven-year-old Hannah Heywood wants to attend a “normal” school. She...
Trading Instincts: How to Become a Master Trader
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'Trading Instincts pulls off a difficult task -- extracting pithy, simple trading strategies from...
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay and Martin Hammond
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Originally written only for his personal consumption, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations has become a key...
The Dead Wife's Handbook
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The Dead Wife's Handbook is the stunning emotional debut from author Hannah Beckerman. 'Today is my...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Jojo Rabbit (2019) in Movies
Jun 21, 2020
The subject of Nazis and Hitler is a touchy one to say the least, but it's also a subject that is ripe for satire, and one of the many aspects that stands out here, is how Taika Waititi has managed to craft a film that is absolutely hilarious, but never undermines how horrible this part of history was.
I laughed (a lot) before being slapped with a reminder of how bleak war is.
The main plot revolves around Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), a 10 year old boy who looks up to Hitler, and is part of the Nazi Youth. He finds out that his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in the attic of their house. Initially hostile, they begin to form a friendship as the Nazi regime begins to crumble.
Underneath all the goofiness, this main narrative is radiating in both warmth and sadness. I legit had a bit of a cry at one point.
The cast are brilliant. Roman Griffin Davis is one of the most likable protagonists in recent memory. His innocence and blind devotion to the war is humorous, and weirdly sweet. Thomasin McKenzie is great alongside him as well.
As well as directing, Taika Waititi also plays a version of Hitler, sort of like Jojo's imaginary friend, and he's honestly just the best, and provides the majority of the films comedy.
Elsewhere, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen, and Stephen Merchant all make up a pretty rock solid cast.
Screw it, I even liked Rebel Wilson (she usually makes me want to play in traffic.)
Jojo Rabbit is a truly wonderful experience. It evokes a whole range of emotions effortlessly, looks incredible throughout, and deserves all the praise thrown it's way.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated The Hard Way (2019) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020
In Romania, Cody (Grant Campbell) is killed pursuing a criminal while involved in an undercover operation. After learning of his brother's death, Payne (Michael Jai White), travels to Romania to investigate and exact revenge. He speaks with his brother's partner Mason (Luke Goss) and their employer, local chief investigator Briggs (Randy Couture) and finds possible leads while also attending the funeral.
This movie wasn't too bad but as a big fan of Michael Jai White, I was surprised I didn't like it more. Of course the fight scenes were awesome but I liked how the firefight scenes were really well done as well. That being said t wasn't one of his best movies. The acting of the two Russian mobsters in the opening scene was horrible and cliche. The casting was good as Luke Goss and Michael Jai White seem to have good chemistry on screen but the lack of a clear and captivating plot definitely brought the film down. The writing wasn't the greatest either as some dialogue said by Michael didn't come off natural. Not sure how I thought about Randy Couture being cast, his acting didn't seem to fit as well in the movie but he did kind of grow on me. Overall the film feels like it left something unfulfilled, it lacks some of the emotions that it should've had and doesn't live up to its potential. It's a good action flick if that's all you care about seeing on screen. I give it a 6/10.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Longest Holiday in Books
Jul 16, 2020
So this one starts with Laura flying off to Miami for two weeks with her friend Marty and one of Marty's close friends, Bridget, as she tries to escape her life in London after finding out her new husband, Matthew, got another woman pregnant on his stag night. The girls head down to Key West to enjoy the sunshine and beaches and sign up for a SCUBA diving course where Laura meets Leo, an attractive man she caught sight of a few days earlier. There's an instant attraction between them but when Leo finds out she's married he keeps her at arms length and since Laura is pretty determined her marriage is over, she finally gets him to give in. What follows is a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions as Laura stays in Key West for longer than the two weeks in what becomes the Longest Holiday.
I was really into this until near the end when we started to see things from Leo's POV. The end bit got a little hard to read when Leo goes to London to see Laura and I didn't think that bit was drawn out enough, though I was crying like a baby at times. It hit me in the feels big time.
And then we got the epilogue and we see Laura happy for the first time in months.
I grew to like a lot of the characters in this: Laura, Leo, Bridget, Jorge and even Mike. Pretty much everyone else seemed to be pro-Matthew which annoyed (me and) Laura, which I totally understood.
I'll be reading more of this author's books soon I'm sure.
Cheryl Saban's Guide to a Happy and Mindful Life
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A beautifully illustrated pocket-size gift book that explores the experience of mindfulness through...
How to Think Like a Neandertal
Thomas Wynn and Frederick L. Coolidge
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There have been many books, movies, and even TV commercials featuring Neandertals-some serious, some...