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The Road (La Strada) (1954)
The Road (La Strada) (1954)
1954 | International, Classics, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I don’t want to say much about La strada other than that it’s the reason why I am here. When you watch this movie, no matter who you are, you get the sense that this is something special that couldn’t have been made for television or heard as a radio play. It’s not Alain Resnais, it’s very accessible, and yet it has cinematic purity. This is a mark of how depressing the movie business has gotten—we don’t make these kinds of movies anymore, movies where there’s just a natural consensus that they’re good. Where you don’t have to wait for critics to say so, because everybody can feel it."

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Luna and the Lie
Luna and the Lie
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4.25 stars

I think Luna's inability to believe that people don't do nice things just to be nice and not because they feel sorry for you/want something in return was very annoying. Yeah, crappy childhood/crappy parents, but it's been a good handful of years! Let it go! There were so many times I mentally screamed at my kindle while reading this. He likes you, stupid!

They got there in the end but God did I cry like a baby for a while. I think it was more frustration than anything though. She was so blind!

I will read all future releases by the author.
  
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Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated 17 Again (2009) in Movies

Jan 14, 2021 (Updated Jan 14, 2021)  
17 Again (2009)
17 Again (2009)
2009 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
7
6.1 (14 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Funny Feel-Good
This movie is definitely one of my comfort films. One of the movies I come back to throughout my life because it makes me laugh. It's mindless, Zac Efron is not horrible to look at, and I think the plot and the subplots are funny. It's obviously not the most introspective or philosophical film and that's okay! I think that is a side of film that can be super fun when it's done well. I think this is one of those films.

I don't think I could count how many times I've seen this film and it truly never gets old. I really love it.
  
Promises of Mercy (Montana Promises, #1)
Promises of Mercy (Montana Promises, #1)
Vella Day | 2014
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wasn't a big fan of Promises of Mercy. The story line itself was pretty good, which is why I read through the whole thing. However, the dialogue felt incredibly forced and stiff. Something about it just didn't feel real to me. Also, there were many scenes I skimmed through because they weren't very interesting. Also, it was hard to keep up with the three differing perspectives. There was no real pattern and it was confusing to be reading from Amber's point of view for a couple of paragraphs, then suddenly switch to either Stone or Cade without much warning or even the beginning of a new chapter.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated About Time (2013) in Movies

May 27, 2020 (Updated May 27, 2020)  
About Time (2013)
About Time (2013)
2013 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
8
7.8 (17 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Great cast (1 more)
Feel good vibe
A touching Rom-Com
Another great film from Richard Curtis who did @Love Actually (2003) @Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) @Notting Hill (1999) This is very similar in style. Typically British humour and fun characters set within a story about love, family and life in general.
A man discovers he can travel back to earlier moments of his life to make changes but often with unexpected consequences. More of a Rom-Drama but if you are a fan of the other films you'll enjoy this just as much. Also check out @The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
  
Collateral Beauty (2016)
Collateral Beauty (2016)
2016 | Drama
Tackles a difficult subject fairly well
A film about grief and the death of a child is never going to be a pleasant watch, but I felt like Collateral Beauty manages fairly well.

The premise is interesting (although obviously not something you can imagine happening in real life) and it has a fantastic cast. Will Smith does okay although I'm not sure if he was quite as good as id expected. Whenever he isn't on screen, the film almost takes on a lighthearted feel which is good as otherwise it'd be too overwhelmingly depressing. I found the ending a little odd though and I'm not sure the reveal had quite the impact that was intended. I'm also not too keen on the phrase "collateral beauty" - it doesn't quite roll off your tongue and because of this when it's featured in the film itself, to me it didn't come across as meaningful as intended.
  
Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon #1)
Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon #1)
S.M. Reine | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon #1) by S.M. Reine
Yet another book about werewolves (but no vampires to be seen of yet!) but this one is very good. It holds your interest from the beginning and takes you on a journey with the main character as she progresses through each New and Full Moon to become closer to being a fully-fledged werewolf. The "history" into the werewolf that is given is very well written and done in such a way that you don't feel like it is just something that needed to be done! There is a slight spark of romance in this but nothing that goes beyond the boundaries of Young Adult!

The pace of this book is continuous, not jerky, and the characters are well-written. Very few grammatical or editorial errors so it was a pleasure to read and I already have the second one to start.

Recommended.

* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Characterization (2 more)
Plot
Sets/CGI
The humor feels a bit forced (0 more)
Great, but not as good as the first
Don't get me wrong, I love this film. And Baby Groot, can't forget him. But as good as this film was on it's own, it doesn't quite live up to the original.

The first had such an easy, unself-conscious joy to it. The jokes flowed and felt organic. And that's still mostly the case here. But there are several spots, especially with Drax and Nebula, where the humor feels forced. Drax and Nebula's characters both feel a touch 'off', overall.


On the other hand, Peter and his relationships are written very well. Yondu's arc and character growth are amazing. The rest of the plot is strong and the stunts and CGI are awesome.


Personally, my favorite part was the resolution at the end and Peter's realization. So emotional, heart-warming and in-character, without being sappy or weird.
  
The Keys of the Watchmen
The Keys of the Watchmen
Kathleen C. Perrin | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Keys of the Watchman is one really good book. Once I get into the book it, I can not put it down. It got all of what you would want in a book, it has action, mystery and time travel and romance all in one book. What a way to read a book.
 
The author does a wonderful job of tell the story of the of the historical facts. You get to feel as if you are part of it. You want to help the characters. You learn about christianity though this book as well. The Archangel Michael and Lucifer (Satan, Devil) and one of the fallen angels that is mention in the book is Abdon.

The book is about good and evil and saving the mount. We have a fallen angel Abdon and Nicolas and Katelyn. We are mostly in the year of 1424. We have Jean and Katelyn and Nicholas who are called Watchman but will they save Mount Saint Michael?
  
Avengers vs Thanos
Avengers vs Thanos
Jim Starlin | 2013 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dated but good
This collection of comics from the 60s is quite an epic read, in terms of volume. We see a different side to Thanos at times, as he seems to be less powerful than in more recent stories and more vulnerable or in need of help. The collection covers interaction with Iron Man, then Captain Marvel, then Adam Warlock, then the Avengers and finally Spider-man gets in on the action.
This is mostly one continuous story as Thanos' plans are foiled and he comes back time and time again.
The story has some real metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that I could have done without (including my favourite, most cringey line ever "Death by ... Time-mind Sync-warp!"), and the dialogue really has dated pretty badly, most notably in the Captain Marvel section.
A real epic read to get something of a feel for Thanos' origins, and a good lead in to the Infinity War/Gauntlet saga.


Read for free on Kindle Unlimited trial.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) Apr 22, 2019

Thanks for this - I’ll have to show my husband. He has all the Infinity Gauntlet/ War/ Aftermath comics (and a load more besides ?? ). I’ll have to ask him if he’s read/ got these as well!

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Ross (3284 KP) Apr 22, 2019

Its quite a pricey book because it is massive (I have been chipping away at it since October!), but is free on Prime or Kindle Unlimited (and I think you can get a free 3 month trial on KU at the moment if you hunt through "today's deals" on Amazon).