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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Last Black Unicorn in Books

Feb 24, 2018

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw Haddish's interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. This woman is HILARIOUS. Somehow I didn't realize she was in the movie Girls Night until I read about it in her book - I really do need to see that movie. That aside, this book was pretty great. It's written in her speaking style, so it's not technically correct grammar, but it SOUNDS right, which is more important in a memoir, in my opinion. It's supposed to show the author's personality, and this does.

I don't know that I'd put this on quite the same level as Trevor Noah's Born A Crime, or Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, but it's not far behind them. Haddish talks about her childhood in the foster system and then raised by her grandmother, her string of no-good boyfriends, and her abusive marriage. She's had a rough life, but somehow she's come out of it with a gift for comedy and a grounded personality.

Her swamp tour with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is one of the most hilarious stories in the book, and one of the few that is purely funny. Most of them are underscored with a serious issue that make me feel a little bad for laughing at them, but Haddish laughs at them, so how can you not? It's an interesting conflict that leaves me with slightly mixed feelings about the book.

It's a pretty quick, easy, fun read, and if you like Tiffany Haddish, it definitely shows what she's gone through to get where she is now.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2534 KP) rated Microphones and Murder in Books

Feb 12, 2020

Don’t Miss This Debut

Liv Olsen has spent a few years working on a popular true crime podcast, but now she’s decided to risk everything to start her own, Missing or Murdered. Working with her stepsister, Camry Lewis, she’s identified her first case. Just over ten years ago, Amelia Clark disappeared from Santa Maria, a town on central California’s coast, a week after an embarrassing video of her was posted on YouTube. The trail has long gone cold, but the retired detective who worked the case reached out to Liv, hoping that publicity would bring forward a new clue. As Liv begins to interview people who knew Amelia, she gets more questions than answers. What happen to Amelia all those years ago?

It’s always fun when a mystery opens with something other than a murder, and that’s what we get here. The missing person case was compelling, and it seemed the further I read, the more confusing the case became. However, everything came together for a satisfying solution before it was all over. The characters are charming, and I fell in love with them immediately. I appreciated the character growth we saw here, and I can’t wait to see how these relationships grow in future books. The suspects are just as real and do a great job of confusing us. I did find out character who speaks with a stutter annoying, and there were a couple of scenes I could have done without, but these are both minor issues. On the other hand, I appreciated the book’s humor and found myself laughing several times. This is a delightful debut, and I will definitely be back when the sequel drops.

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated Frost/Nixon (2008) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020

Frost/Nixon (2008)

2008 | Biography, Drama, History

7.5

(10 Ratings)

Movie Rating

"Hello, Good Evening and Welcome”, David Frost’s suave and debonair talk show host, up against Richard Nixon a President draped in controversy while all the while standing firm in his beliefs.

It’s a political boxing match, and quite literally a no holds barred, gloves off interview that pushed the images and personalities of both men to breaking point.

Michael Sheen is fast becoming the go to guy for character transformations, having already stepped into the shoes of such iconic characters like Brian Clough, Tony Blair and Kenneth Williams. Here though it’s his David Frost that he nails without so much as a shake of his perfectly styled hair.

Not to be out done, Frank Langella portrays Nixon to almost perfection. Nixon was a man seemingly on his knees after the Watergate scandal all but ended his reign as President of the United States. He quickly resigned and was pardoned by new President Gerald Ford.

A lucky escape one might say, but Nixon felt he’d still done nothing wrong and was prepared to go on national TV to prove it, although he never expected anyone quite like David Frost.

Director Ron Howard acts like an off screen promoter as he builds the characters up from the beginning, looking at each sides battle plan as they tried to second guess questions and topics that might arise during four separate interviews to be blended into one.

The supporting cast are brilliant also, with Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt all giving assured performances.

It’s a very well scripted and expertly directed film that will be easy for all to follow.