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William Morris and Red House: A Collaboration Between Architect and Owner
Book
Red House occupies an extraordinary place in British architectural history. It was the first and...
![LoveKnitting](/uploads/profile_image/335/af92fbc7-5fbc-42b2-b273-9732697d7335.jpg?m=1522357819)
LoveKnitting
Lifestyle and Utilities
App
"The LoveKnitting app is the free digital knitting companion that knitters have been waiting for! ...
![Coop Himmelb(l)Au, Musee des Confluences, Lyon](/uploads/profile_image/9d8/e54be9e8-efb7-4dd4-8c36-1148bc7089d8.jpg?m=1522331730)
Coop Himmelb(l)Au, Musee des Confluences, Lyon
Frank R. Werner and Christian Richters
Book
Since the end of the 20th century, an unprecedented number of remarkable museums have been built....
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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
As a young boy living in the countryside, J.R.R. Tolkien, learns multiple languages and how to read and write with his younger brother as they are taught by their mother. They are forced to move to the city so their mother can better provide for them when unfortunate events have them taken in by the Church and and stay at a boarding house. This is where, as a young student at King Edward's School, among a group of fellow outcasts, he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration. But his friends and their new brotherhood must endure the ups and downs of his position in society, his relationship with the love of his life Edith Bratt and later the outbreak of World War I.
I was really excited for this movie and having my hopes up and expectations might be the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. For one I don't normally watch autobiographies but I have seen more that I liked in comparison to this film. I guess I thought they would show more about him coming up with the ideas for his books, which they showed very little of. Instead it was about the important events of his life which I guess is what biographies should do. For some reason though I felt like the storytelling dragged and it didn't do enough to keep you interested, very lackluster. I found that the story, acting, and dialogue were all well done but the movie suffered from the direction they went with and how they chose to show it. One thing I really liked was there were several instances where you could see what influenced him when he wrote the Lord of The Rings" books. It's an entertaining film with flair and ambition that teems with on the nose moments but is hindered by the usual biopic framework. I believe the quote from Rotten Tomatoes says it best, "Tolkien Has the period trappings and strong performances of a worthy biopic, but lacks the imagination required to truly do it's subject justice". I give it a 6/10.
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Butch Vig recommended track Even Though Our Love Is Doomed by Garbage in Strange Little Birds by Garbage in Music (curated)
![Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours](/uploads/profile_image/567/1cfa9374-6ed3-4be2-ac17-6056fae7b567.jpg?m=1522331034)
Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours
Book
Shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Cookery Book Award 'This is everything I want from a cookbook:...
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The Arran Malt: An Island Whisky Renaissance
Book
Despite being only 21 years old, Lochranza Distillery on the Isle of Arran is the latest in a long...
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The Art of the Burger: More Than 50 Recipes to Elevate America's Favorite Meal to Perfection
Book
The essential book to have on hand before you fire up the grill this summer. In any city around the...
![Beauty: The Fortunes of an Ancient Greek Idea](/uploads/profile_image/06b/d07bf1b3-6753-47f5-ae71-adfb92b3406b.jpg?m=1522327981)
Beauty: The Fortunes of an Ancient Greek Idea
Book
Those who study the nature of beauty are at once plagued by a singular issue: what does it mean to...
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre in Books
Jun 10, 2021
"Our theater's cursed. That's the rumor, anyway. Strange things have been happening here for years. Unexplainable things."
This book wins the award for one of the most stressful openings ever, as Mel's love life falls apart during an actual show. I was sweating bullets on her behalf. It's a very theater-oriented book and if you like drama or Les Mis, you will adore reading it. Robin Talley writes in her very sweet author's note that she took inspiration for the plot from her wife, who is involved in the theater--totally adorable.
"All right. So be it. If I fall in love, the musical's doomed."
As with nearly any Talley YA read, LOVE CURSE is filled with wonderful diverse representation, cute high school kids, and a sweet love story. There's some high school drama, of course. Here there's much ado about a curse--sometimes too much for this adult--but I could completely see my theater friends in high school being completely into something like this in high school.
As for Melody and Odile, I adored them. Mel put theater first above all and Odile felt pressured as her acting career took off. I would have liked a little more buildup to their love story, but their romance was really touching. I love how Talley always makes it okay to be queer, especially for teens, in her books and works through coming of age and/or coming out in approachable and realistic ways.
Overall this is a cute theater-themed read filled with diverse characters and a touching love story. 3.75 stars, rounded up.