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You are Not So Smart: Why Your Memory is Mostly Fiction, Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself
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How many of your Facebook friends do you think you know? Would you help a stranger in need? Do you...
Joseph Mount recommended I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Minari (2020) in Movies
Aug 5, 2021
Minari is a wonderfully realised and fleshed out tale of family, failure, hope, aging, faith, and gender expectations.
It has excellent sprinklings of humour throughout its very human and often crushing narrative, and is backed by one of the most beautiful music scores I've ever heard.
The entire cast is superb, especially Yuh-Jung Youn, who essentially plays two characters to great effect, and then of course to Alan Kim, quite possibly the most adorable kid in the history of film, and who puts in one hell of a performance. This is all complimented by some seriously stunning cinematography, which manages to achieve an almost dream like quality amongst all the realism.
Minari is a triumphant piece of cinema, that managed to absolutely break me and had me on the verge of tears for most of the second half. Thanks a lot Minari you emotional, brilliant bastard.
It has excellent sprinklings of humour throughout its very human and often crushing narrative, and is backed by one of the most beautiful music scores I've ever heard.
The entire cast is superb, especially Yuh-Jung Youn, who essentially plays two characters to great effect, and then of course to Alan Kim, quite possibly the most adorable kid in the history of film, and who puts in one hell of a performance. This is all complimented by some seriously stunning cinematography, which manages to achieve an almost dream like quality amongst all the realism.
Minari is a triumphant piece of cinema, that managed to absolutely break me and had me on the verge of tears for most of the second half. Thanks a lot Minari you emotional, brilliant bastard.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (2003) in Movies
Oct 8, 2020
Korean crime drama; an early film from Bong Joon-ho. When a serial killer appears to be at work in a small South Korean town, a rough local cop and a cerebral detective from the big city are forced to work together to catch the murderer.
Some people apparently think this is one of the greatest movies ever made; I can't agree, but it is an extremely solid and thoughtful crime drama. Very dark and gritty (possibly more than some viewers will be comfortable with), but two very strong lead performances and a streak of black humour keep it watchable. After a relatively conventional first few acts, the end of the film takes a sharp turn in an unexpected direction, which may frustrate and disappoint some viewers, but the shift away from genre movie to drama is well handled. Entertaining, gripping and thought-provoking.
Some people apparently think this is one of the greatest movies ever made; I can't agree, but it is an extremely solid and thoughtful crime drama. Very dark and gritty (possibly more than some viewers will be comfortable with), but two very strong lead performances and a streak of black humour keep it watchable. After a relatively conventional first few acts, the end of the film takes a sharp turn in an unexpected direction, which may frustrate and disappoint some viewers, but the shift away from genre movie to drama is well handled. Entertaining, gripping and thought-provoking.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Blithe Spirit (2020) in Movies
Jan 23, 2021
Blithe Spirit is gentle British romantic comedy that is based off a play by Noel Coward. Gentle is the key word here, Blithe Spirit is a slow tale that tries to focus on the relationships of the three main characters. Even the humour is quite mild.
There are a few familiar faces in the film but that's no surprise, as the saying goes 'Welcome to England, we have 20 actors, 4 sets and 14 Doctors'.
There was something a bit 'Cheep', I can't quite place my finger on it but there are a few times that the sets look a bit to like sets.
Even from this version you can see how the original is an inspiration for later films such as Ghost.
I you want a slow paced film with an entertaining story and light laughs and totally inoffensive then Blithe Sprit is worth a look.
There are a few familiar faces in the film but that's no surprise, as the saying goes 'Welcome to England, we have 20 actors, 4 sets and 14 Doctors'.
There was something a bit 'Cheep', I can't quite place my finger on it but there are a few times that the sets look a bit to like sets.
Even from this version you can see how the original is an inspiration for later films such as Ghost.
I you want a slow paced film with an entertaining story and light laughs and totally inoffensive then Blithe Sprit is worth a look.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Great Ex-Scape in Books
Sep 3, 2019
So this is my third book by the author and joint favourite with Love to Hate You and my second read in the Destination Love series. I liked this one more than After the Rain because they got up to so much stuff and the romance was pretty cute. Slow going but inevitable because they were so great for each other. I absolutely loved the journey around Reunion Island--it sounds like an amazing place and I could easily imagine the characters getting up to the mischief they did on such a lovely setting.
I also loved the bits of humour that were thrown in here and there and I did have to bite back laughter a few times at the craziness of what was going on.
I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more of this authors books in the future.
I also loved the bits of humour that were thrown in here and there and I did have to bite back laughter a few times at the craziness of what was going on.
I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more of this authors books in the future.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Julieta (2016) in Movies
Oct 5, 2019 (Updated Oct 5, 2019)
Latter-day Almodóvar movie doesn't have the warmth or lightness of most of his best films, but retains an undeniable emotional power. Julieta (Adriana Ugarte and then Emma Suarez) meets a man and falls in love, loses him, and struggles to resolve her relationship with her daughter. The themes of the movie include the danger of secrets, the cruel randomness of fate, and the corrosive effects of despair and isolation, and this is certainly a very poignant film; tough to watch in places.
However, Almodóvar's deftness remains unimpaired and the two lead actresses give superb performances, remaining fully sympathetic even when the character is less than entirely accessible. Some may find the style of the film a bit overblown, even a touch camp, and others may miss the cheery transgressiveness and humour of earlier Almodóvar projects. But on its own terms this is a very successful and impressive piece of art.
However, Almodóvar's deftness remains unimpaired and the two lead actresses give superb performances, remaining fully sympathetic even when the character is less than entirely accessible. Some may find the style of the film a bit overblown, even a touch camp, and others may miss the cheery transgressiveness and humour of earlier Almodóvar projects. But on its own terms this is a very successful and impressive piece of art.
Awix (3310 KP) rated And Soon the Darkness (1970) in Movies
Jul 31, 2020 (Updated Jul 31, 2020)
Slightly underpowered psycho-horror movie. Two nurses on a cycling holiday in France find themselves being stalked by a murderous psychopath, but who? There are various slightly suspicious French locals about the place (mostly played by Hungarians and Czechs, because all those foreigners are the same, aren't they), most of whom insist on not knowing any English. Merde!
Sticks admirably to genre conventions, up to a point, and it has a certain sort of bleak creepiness. However, it feels very long and slow - short on incident, certainly, also on warmth and humour (I know it's a horror movie, but you need some light and shade). Considering this is practically the very next thing the Avengers TV show team did next - the script is by renowned pulp storytellers Brian Clemens and Terry Nation - you could be forgiven for expecting something with more charm and imagination.
Sticks admirably to genre conventions, up to a point, and it has a certain sort of bleak creepiness. However, it feels very long and slow - short on incident, certainly, also on warmth and humour (I know it's a horror movie, but you need some light and shade). Considering this is practically the very next thing the Avengers TV show team did next - the script is by renowned pulp storytellers Brian Clemens and Terry Nation - you could be forgiven for expecting something with more charm and imagination.
The Noise of a Fly
Book
The Noise of a Fly is the first collection from Douglas Dunn in sixteen years, and the first since...
Poetry
