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Blinded by the Light (2019)
Blinded by the Light (2019)
2019 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
One of the joys of having a cinema card are the previews, because you chose to pay monthly or yearly for unlimited films you get to see some films early, this can be anything from a day to a month. Then there are the secret films, a preview that can be a few months early but you only find out what you are seeing when the certificate card comes up. This is how I came to see Blinded by the Light. As the title came up I dug through my memory to see if I'd seen any trailers, I thought I had but couldn't remember anything about it. Five people left cinema so there must have been some trailers but people leaving doesn't really tell you much, there's always some one who leaves and it's better than the people who stay and mumble about how rubbish it is. After the title came the words ‘Inspired by real events.’ Which still doesn't give to much away, it could be an over the top farce like ‘I Tonya', a black comedy like ‘Three Billboards’ or a dull trudge like ‘The Post'.
It turns out that 'Blinded by the Light' is not really any of these, it's more of a 'slice of life' it the slice is a couple of years. The film centres on Javed, a Pakistani teen living in Luton, England in the late 1980s. Javed has written diaries and poems for most of his life but, due to his family life he has always kept them to himself. Not long after starting his A levels Javed is introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen and finds that the lyrics speak to him in a way he's never felt before.
Blinded by the Light is a film about family, friends and finding your place. Javed starts off as a quiet, bookish character who, thanks to the people around him and his growing love of Bruce Springsteen records manages to find himself. However, this change leaded to problems as he clash’s with family and friends.
Being set in 80s and being about a Pakistani family the film also touches on the problem of racism and, from the clips I remembered from the trailer I found myself wondering if it was going to erupt into violence in the style of films like 'Made in England'. However, 'blinded by the Light' takes a more family friendly view, it does show some racism but less ‘violent’ and more personal making ‘Blinded by the Light’ a more family friendly film.
Although music plays a large part of the film it is not the music itself that’s important but the effect that it has on Javed, showing how the right music can change someone’s life.
  
Can the Circle Be Unbroken by The Carter Family
Can the Circle Be Unbroken by The Carter Family
2006 | World
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I grew up hearing the original Carter Family recording, my Father had it on an album compilation of their recordings. I grew up hearing that from my earliest memories and then he would play the song and sing it, sometimes on the guitar. He even wrote some other lyrics for it once for a family reunion to sing about the different branches of the family. Now, whenever I have the chance to I join in with a bluegrass jam session, which always ends every one of their jams. with playing and singing ‘Can The Circle Be Unbroken’ and even ending with everyone singing a capella, which is really a fun experience. I’ve always loved the song from when I was a little child and I still sing it and play it. It’s the only thing that would be on the list that I would ever sing and play, or at least regularly sing and play, so it’s part of my life. I really like the sentiment of it, especially the chorus. My father isn’t around anymore; he would play and sing it and my older brothers and sisters would play and sing it, so I grew up with that in the family, which is enormous for me. I feel like I’m a continuation of that."

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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated My Lovely Wife in Books

Nov 23, 2019  
My Lovely Wife
My Lovely Wife
Samantha Downing | 2019 | Thriller
8
8.2 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
A crazy premise delivers a memorable dark thriller.
Written from the husband’s perspective (it seems like ages since I read a book with only one POV and I found it very refreshing) we get the view into the protagonist’s family life with his wife, estate agent Millicent and two teenage kids. From the outside, they look like a supernormal family, but he and Millicent are hiding some pretty dark stuff and when it starts to look like it may all come out the level of crazy to protect their way of life jumps to a whole other level. With a narrator who is by no means a boy scout, we get a front-row seat into how to justify the unjustifiable to yourself.

I loved the writing in this book and was fully engaged in what wasn’t a super fast-paced book. I think I’ve been reading way too many thrillers as once again I guessed the main twist way too early for my liking but it was still an enjoyable ride. I can see this being a great thriller movie.