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In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
1998 | Folk, Indie, Rock
9.0 (6 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They famously reformed last year and I've seen them a couple of times and played on the same bill with them. One of my great regrets was that I came to this album a couple of years after it came out and my friends had all been to the show when they came through town and I missed it. It felt like a concert I should have been at. Part of it was that I hated guitar bands. In high school I was into terrible progressive rock like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes, while all my friends were into Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. I always thought I was in the right and it was them who was barking up the wrong tree, which subsequently has made me a little bit embarrassed, because it was the 90s - I should've been listening to Sonic Youth. But I was firmly committed against guitar music and it was the same friends, like Ryan [Smith] - who's in my band now playing guitar and keyboards and other stuff, and who's been my friend since I was 11 or 12 - who was the guy in the Dinosaur Jr. T-shirt trying to get me to play organ chords in the background for his band, and I was grumbling away, ""When the fuck do I get my solo?"" And he introduced me to Neutral Milk Hotel. It's kind of an obvious way in for me, because it very much has that sound - the spiritual free jazz and the horns and the power and the instruments from around the world, different bagpipe kind of instruments - for me, it has that same spirit and wildness. It's also one of those albums, like the Pharoah Sanders, where the songs are all essentially the same song. And I don't mean that to diminish the achievement of this record because I think it's amazing, but when you have a record where you listen to the first song and the melody is so elemental to me - it's like it existed before this album was written - and then later on you hear another song and it's the same melody but inverted. Not in a technical sense, but you get the impression that these songs all come from the same tree and I love that. That's one of the things that the album format can do - tie things together like that. I've done that myself consciously on my records in the past - reprised a melody. On Our Love there are two songs that are essentially the same song revisited - 'All I Ever Need' and 'Your Love Will Set You Free'. Not the melody, but the underlying riff and the harmony."

Source
  
Pretty Reckless (All Saints High, #1)
Pretty Reckless (All Saints High, #1)
L.J. Shen | 2019
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review and more can be found at my blog https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com

A Romance Reader's Reviews

Got this from the Kindle Unlimited library.

This starts with the prologue at age 14, when Daria is at ballet practise with her rival for her mothers affection and attention, Via - a gifted but very feisty girl. It turns out she's that good that she's been accepted into a prestigious ballet school but in her jealousy Daria steals the letter and meets a boy outside a coffee shop a short distance away. A boy who wanted her to give him all her firsts. He gives her a bit of orange sea glass and rips up the letter she's holding when she tells him it's what she wants most in the world.

Fast forward four years and Daria and the boy, Penn, are now bitter rivals because of the events following the letter rip up. They come from rival schools. He's a football player, she's a cheerleader. He's poor, she's rich. They're opposites in a lot of ways and have reason to dislike each other but that initial connection from four years ago keeps rearing back up and they're drawn to each other time and time again.

I was a little undecided about our couple for quite a while. I did not find what they were doing hot and didn't understand it. But strangely, I got attached to them and wanted them to get together. I realised that they made the other one a better person, and in Daria's case, I think she needed it.

She came across as being such a bitch at times but internally she hated it, cowering away from what she'd just said and the damage she'd inflicted. I couldn't really believe that she'd done half the stuff in regards to her mum. It just seemed a step too far for me at times. Yeah, fair enough, her mum wasn't the most...loving or understanding at times, but still, it was harsh.

The romance did grow on me quite a lot, though, and by the 60% mark I was hooked on them. I wanted them to conquer everyone and everything that was thrown in their path. I cried like a baby for quite a while around the 70-75% mark, that's how invested I was in them.

There were a lot of secrets and lies going on in this and it was a little hard to keep track but I'm glad that in the end Penn and Daria got their HEA.

I'm interested in seeing how all the All Saints High parents got together as I loved that scene where they all banded together to get justice for Daria. Mess with one, mess with them all.
  
Superbad (2007)
Superbad (2007)
2007 | Comedy
Hilarious From Start to Finish
Two best friends go on an adventure to get alcohol for the last big party of high school.

Acting: 10
Michael Cera and Jonah Hill couldn’t have played their roles any better as best friends Evan and Seth. Cera is nerdy and lovable while Hill is a big ball of energy that plays macho but is really insecure. Their chemistry is perfect together and sets up perfect assists for awesome side characters like McLovin’ to shine.

Beginning: 10
Right from the first line of the movie, I got sucked in. The comedy hits you and doesn’t stop in the first ten minutes as Evan and Seth discuss what porn sites to subscribe to. It’s a perfect setup for what is to come.

Characters: 10
Evan and Seth are perfect together. You almost wonder if they aren’t best friends in real life. If there weren’t any other characters in the movie but the two of them, I still would have given this category a perfect score. Hilarious characters like Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Officers Slater and Michaels (Bill Hader and Seth Rogen) just add to the film’s overall enjoyment.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 10
In one scene, we find Seth making sex impresssions in home economics behind his cooking partner’s back while Evan looks on. This is just one of a number of scenes that make this movie ridiculously entertaining. It’s amazing how many crazy antics they get into in so few settings.

Memorability: 10
Evan and Seth are in such a rush to grow up, but towards the end of the movie, there is a scene where they are laying in sleeping bags like two little kids. It’s unique little touches like this that really make this movie strong and impactful. More than just a mere comedy, but also amazing at comedy, Superbad soars to great heights with scenes that stand the test of time.

Pace: 10

Plot: 10
Such a simple story made strong with great twists and turns. It never tries to be anything more than what it is, but it also manages to have layers nonetheless. It’s a great ride overall, and the epitomy of a “less is more” concept.

Resolution: 10
Loved how they tied everything together. Beautiful final ten minutes, just as quality as the start. Definitely leaves you with a feeling of fulfillment.

Overall: 100
As a screenwriter, a movie like Superbad is what I aspire to write. Not a comedy, but a movie that fires on all cylinders and maintains consistent, perfect timing. This is a movie I can watch repeatedly and it will never get old.
  
    Rhythm Studio

    Rhythm Studio

    Music and Entertainment

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    Rhythm Studio is a must have app for musicians! It is a premier universal electronic music making...

    Hockey Fight Lite

    Hockey Fight Lite

    Games and Sports

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    Drop the gloves and test your skills in this unique 3D hockey fighting game! Do you have what it...

I'd Give Anything
I'd Give Anything
Marisa de los Santos | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
At eighteen, Ginny "Zinny" Beale is a lighthearted, fun, brave girl with a close group of friends and brother with whom she can unite against their uptight mother. But one night changes all of that. Someone sets the town's high school on fire and in the aftermath, the father of Ginny's best friend, Gray, is dead. The townspeople look for someone to blame--leaving most of it on a troubled teen--but Ginny learns some news that changes her entire world. She tells no one, but the secret alters her life and leaves her an outcast among her friends and family. Over the next twenty years, Ginny transitions, settling down, returning to her hometown and marrying Harris, a professor. They have a daughter, Avery, and Ginny cares for her mother, who is dying. But when scandal rocks the town again--this time focused on Harris--Ginny has to make some choices. It's time to confront the past and the secret she's kept buried all this time.


"In one night, one night, I lost all of them."


I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.

This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.


Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?


The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.
  
    Volleyball Strategy Tool

    Volleyball Strategy Tool

    Sports and Utilities

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    MMA Crossfit School

    MMA Crossfit School

    Sports and Health & Fitness

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    Are you ready to become better?! Are you ready to enhance your body, spirit and consciousness?! ...