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Vince Clarke recommended Heroes by David Bowie in Music (curated)

 
Heroes by David Bowie
Heroes by David Bowie
1977 | Rock

"That title track, it really affected me emotionally. I can't really explain why, but it really got under my skin. We were going to a lot of parties and stuff, and that was always the track that was played, and everybody would get up and start dancing to it. I love most of the Bowie stuff, but '"Heroes"' and that whole era, I found it really moving. "Heroes" was a rebellion inspiration, an "I told you so"-type thing. It seemed to be very anti-establishment, and something your parents wouldn't approve of, so we loved it. I've never seen Bowie, though we did play a tour supporting him in South America."

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The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
1939 | Fantasy, Musical

"I think you’ve got to go with the classics. You’ve got to go with The Wizard of Oz. That’s the one that I can think of as a kid you always looked forward to, because when I was a kid, they only aired it at Thanksgiving. You had to wait. There was no DVRs, there was no Netflix. Until the network ran it on Thanksgiving, you didn’t see it. You couldn’t record it, nothing. The fact that it still holds up; it’s one of those movies you can’t redo. You can redo it, but it’s not going to be the same. We found that out with Peter Pan, when they tried to do that."

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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
1976 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Possibly my favorite of the many Cassavetes films I love. Why? Maybe because he found a way to depict the ruthlessness of the Hollywood system, and because of how Cosmo (Ben Gazzara) keeps smiling as he searches for a civil way out of his predicament. It’s very roughly made, which I find touching and refreshing, now that we all seem to fetishize high production values above all else. The cabaret scenes are authentically seedy, even a little pathetic, and are set in an LA that no longer exists. But there’s real tenderness between Cosmo and his black girlfriend and her mother. The story seems to meander in an alive, curious way, even as it drives to its terrible conclusion."

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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Ten Days in Books

Jul 11, 2021  
Ten Days
Ten Days
Mel Sherratt | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I admit to being a rather big fan of Mel Sherratt's books having read several previously so was hoping this was going to be as good ... I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

Ten Days has got it all ... great characters, intriguing storyline, fast paced, twists, turns and a very satisfying ending.

Ten Days is one of those books that is so compelling that you can't stop reading and I found myself taking every opportunity to read just one more chapter which quickly became several!

I would certainly recommend this and any of Mel's previous books; she delivers every time.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Faction Paradox: The Brakespeare Voyage
Faction Paradox: The Brakespeare Voyage
Jonathan Dennis | 2013 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
After four attempts (this fourth, and final, one was the most productive, reaching the 50% mark), I am giving up on 'The Brakespeare Voyage'. There were some great concepts, interesting even, but by the mid-point, I just had had enough. The story's narrative was awkward after a while, with it changing from Scarratt to Nebaioth to transcripts. It was just too much. I found Daniel O'Mahoney's FP entry, 'Newtons Sleep' as well as Lawrence Miles' 'This Town Will Never Let Us Go' to be far easier to finish. It's a pity, as I've heard such praise for this one, but for me, it just felt like too many ideas/concepts at one time!
  
Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart
Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart
2018 | Dice Game, Racing
Fast-paced, easily doable in 30 minutes if everyone knows how to play. (3 more)
Good option if playing with kids, as there is a lot of randomnesses.
The Mario Kart theme well implemented, shooting shells, etc. at each other is fun.
Not very Monopoly-like.
VERY random, not for gamers, better suited for families preferrable with kids. (2 more)
The quality of the cards are so-so.
If you are a Monopoly fan, you will be disappointed as the properties part of the game is very light. Also, you can't buy hotels, etc.
An OK game for kids and families.
  
The Miniaturist
The Miniaturist
Jessie Burton | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.0 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book wasn't at all what I was expecting. I was ready for a haunting,mysterious creepy type book this isn't what it was. The mystery element was there but not quite the haunting which was the bit I was most looking forward to. I did however find myself drawn to this book and I kept wanting to know the next thing that was going to happen so for that reason I did like it. I found myself really enjoying the characters I loved their interactions with one another and how they all have their own story to be told. I did enjoy this story it just wasn't what I was expecting.
  
Under Pressure
Under Pressure
Richard Humphreys | 2019 | Biography, History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I requested this book because I thought it would be really interesting. My husband used to be in the forces and while reading this is was really interesting to compare his experience with that of a submariner’s, especially in terms of training. Although very interesting to read about life on a nuclear submarine, I really wish that this was written with more of a narrative in mind. At points I found it very difficult to get completely immersed and the author seemed to be rolling off facts or sentences describing a day or scenario, instead I would have preferred more anecdotes to help the reader feel they were actually on the submarine with Richard Humphreys.
  
WarGames (1983)
WarGames (1983)
1983 | Sci-Fi
Looking rather dated now but was considered way ahead for it's time, I found this film very intriguing as it came at a time when computers weren't quite in every home and many were paranoid as to their actual power and what they were capable of.
If you can look past the cluncky and very old hardware and the story in isolation there is a very tense and enjoyable us versus them government conspiracy chess game that moves at pace towards a satisfying but typical 80s conclusion.
Broderick and Sheedy make great protagonists and were great cast choices, it's rather cheesy now but for me a great look back at 80s cold war paranoia.
  
Men in Black International (2019)
Men in Black International (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
This turned out to be pretty much what I expected: the weakest movie in the series.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I'm not the biggest fan of Tessa Thompson to begin with. She's very bland, and this movie did nothing to change my opinion. I guess it was nice to look at Chris Hemsworth for a couple of hours, and there were a couple of moments that gave me a chuckle, but I found myself wistfully flashing back to that first MIB movie and wishing Hollywood would stop ruining things.

I mean, it was ok. By no means a bad movie, and at the very least it was mildly entertaining....but meh.