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Books Editor (673 KP) created a video about The Golden Age in Books
Sep 19, 2017
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Jewel of the Nile (1985) in Movies
Feb 1, 2018
To find the Jewel
Joan Wilder (turner) is on holiday with her boy friend Jack Colton (Douglas) when Omar comes along and wants Joan to write a piece all about him and she refuses so he kidnaps her and brings her back to his country and try's and force her to write how great of a guy he and his country is. Jack and his pal Ralph (Devito) go the country to rescue her to find out the country has a long lost "jewel" to be found. Jack is interested in finding Joan where as Ralph eyes become to big for his stomach wants to find this fabled jewel. During their adventure to find this "jewel" they come to realize they are now in a country that has two sides. The side that Omar wants it to be and the side it's beloved people want. Will Jack rescue Joan or will Ralph find this Jewel first.
Remember a Jewel doesn't always mean fame and fortune.
Remember a Jewel doesn't always mean fame and fortune.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Fierce Kingdom in Books
May 10, 2018
Joan and her son Lincoln are enjoying an afternoon in the zoo. As closing time approaches and they are gathering their things to leave, shots ring out. As Joan finds a place to seek refuge and try to keep Lincoln calm and quiet, she's never sure if the sounds she hears are nature or the shooters. Hiding out in an empty porcupine exhibit seems like the perfect idea, until the darkness comes and Lincoln has to eat. He's only four years old and trying to hold off the hunger for too long is nearly impossible. Spanning three grueling hours, Joan and Lincoln try to survive and make it out alive.
I have heard a lot of rave reviews about this book. For me, it was just alright. Even though I made it through the book quickly, I felt myself skipping over parts and then having to go back and read it again.
I don't know what I would do if I was out with my kids and gunfire broke out. Which, unfortunately in this day and age, can happen at any time and anywhere. Whether it be a movie theater, church, a concert, your school, or with your kids at the zoo.
While Joan and Lincoln are hiding, Joan thinks of all things past and present that have gotten her to this exact moment in time. These thoughts help Joan to stay calm during this dire situation. She even sees the gunmen and is able to text her husband that there are two of them to share with the police. But when the hiding place has to be abandoned so that Joan can feed Lincoln in order to keep him quiet, the excitement starts and it's a fight for survival. And the consequences of each action are apparent. Join Joan and Lincoln on their journey to survive when survival seems next to impossible.
I have heard a lot of rave reviews about this book. For me, it was just alright. Even though I made it through the book quickly, I felt myself skipping over parts and then having to go back and read it again.
I don't know what I would do if I was out with my kids and gunfire broke out. Which, unfortunately in this day and age, can happen at any time and anywhere. Whether it be a movie theater, church, a concert, your school, or with your kids at the zoo.
While Joan and Lincoln are hiding, Joan thinks of all things past and present that have gotten her to this exact moment in time. These thoughts help Joan to stay calm during this dire situation. She even sees the gunmen and is able to text her husband that there are two of them to share with the police. But when the hiding place has to be abandoned so that Joan can feed Lincoln in order to keep him quiet, the excitement starts and it's a fight for survival. And the consequences of each action are apparent. Join Joan and Lincoln on their journey to survive when survival seems next to impossible.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Fierce Kingdom in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Joan and her son Lincoln are enjoying an afternoon in the zoo. As closing time approaches and they are gathering their things to leave, shots ring out. As Joan finds a place to seek refuge and try to keep Lincoln calm and quiet, she's never sure if the sounds she hears are nature or the shooters. Hiding out in an empty porcupine exhibit seems like the perfect idea, until the darkness comes and Lincoln has to eat. He's only four years old and trying to hold off the hunger for too long is nearly impossible. Spanning three grueling hours, Joan and Lincoln try to survive and make it out alive.
I have heard a lot of rave reviews about this book. For me, it was just alright. Even though I made it through the book quickly, I felt myself skipping over parts and then having to go back and read it again.
I don't know what I would do if I was out with my kids and gunfire broke out. Which, unfortunately in this day and age, can happen at any time and anywhere. Whether it be a movie theater, church, a concert, your school, or with your kids at the zoo.
While Joan and Lincoln are hiding, Joan thinks of all things past and present that have gotten her to this exact moment in time. These thoughts help Joan to stay calm during this dire situation. She even sees the gunmen and is able to text her husband that there are two of them to share with the police. But when the hiding place has to be abandoned so that Joan can feed Lincoln in order to keep him quiet, the excitement starts and it's a fight for survival. And the consequences of each action are apparent. Join Joan and Lincoln on their journey to survive when survival seems next to impossible.
I have heard a lot of rave reviews about this book. For me, it was just alright. Even though I made it through the book quickly, I felt myself skipping over parts and then having to go back and read it again.
I don't know what I would do if I was out with my kids and gunfire broke out. Which, unfortunately in this day and age, can happen at any time and anywhere. Whether it be a movie theater, church, a concert, your school, or with your kids at the zoo.
While Joan and Lincoln are hiding, Joan thinks of all things past and present that have gotten her to this exact moment in time. These thoughts help Joan to stay calm during this dire situation. She even sees the gunmen and is able to text her husband that there are two of them to share with the police. But when the hiding place has to be abandoned so that Joan can feed Lincoln in order to keep him quiet, the excitement starts and it's a fight for survival. And the consequences of each action are apparent. Join Joan and Lincoln on their journey to survive when survival seems next to impossible.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The White Album in Books
Sep 1, 2017
Disappointing, writing from an elitist bubble
This was rather disappointing. While Joan Didion is obviously a good writer, she is too much of a cynic and writes from the perspective of upper class privilege. She has more enthusiasm for high end elitist social circles than the civil rights movements taking place in 1960s, even criticising Nobel Prize winner of Literature, Doris Lessing. She prefers the company of Charles Manson associates than she does of leading feminists and Black Panther leaders. It sounded like a long winded rant about her own troubles than the troubles of the time.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Four Years of Despair in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: This book focuses on Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Suicide, Death, Domestic Violence, Physical Abuse, and Mental Abuse. Parts of this book are extremely hard to read because of the
content.
Four Years of Despair by Jalesa Morrison was a shocker to say the least. It is hard to find the words to accurately describe this book and do it justice. Normally I would complain about the repetitiveness of a book. In this case the repetition accurately portrays the events in the book. I can easily see this being extended into a larger novel if Jalesa Morrison feels confident enough in her ability to stay accurate and go deeper into each character. Parts of this book did make me cringe multiple times. At first I did not like this book at all but then I figured it out. This book is not meant to be liked. It is meant to infom, to show what sever meutal illuess laaks like behind closed doors. It shows what the individual and family members go through on a daily basis that most people do not see or understand.
Jalesa tells the story of thirteen year old Jaunell Morris, her sis ters Lois and Francis, and their mother Joan. Jaunell was your typical preteen up until around her thirteenth birthday. It was then that
Jaunell was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder that also causes her to become extremely depressed. Joan freqiently struggles to get Jaunell to take a shower or even go to school. This also makes it difficult for Joan to hold a job and she has to ask her own mother (Jamell's grandmother) for financial assistance.
Jaunell lashes out and physically attacks her family members miltiple times.
Between Jaunell's lack of bodily cleanliness and her physical outbursts, Joan's friends turn their back on Joan and many of their family members disown Jaunell. Joan's mother blames Joan for Jaunell's behavior and tells her that she is a bad mother. Jaunell's father leaves Joan because he can not handle Jaunell. Lois and Francis also turn their backs on their sister after being hurt by her multiple times. These are only a few of the relationships that are destroyed because of a lack of understanding. Joan becomes depressed as well and ends up abusing Jaunell because she believes everything to be Jaunell's fault even though she knows in her heart that it is not true. Jaunell spends four years in and out of hospitals countless times before her mother has the financial ability to send Jaunell to a long term care facility. But there is hope...
What I liked best was Jalesa's blunt honesty about what is going on. Jalesa tells the story of Jaunell and her family without the fear of offending anyone. Jaunell's story is one that needed to be told. What I liked least was the lack of depth to the characters. In fact, I found it to be mildly disappointing. Also, there were times where I did not agree with what was happening, but that is nothing against the book. That was my personal rejection of admitting that there are people suffering like this every day.
Target readers for this book were hard to determine because of the nature of the topic. It truly depends on the individual's mindset. I believe high school students and older could handle this book. At the same time, the message would be good for middle school students as well but might be hard for them to read. This book got a sold 3 out of 4 rating from me. The only reason it did not get a perfect rating was that I would like to see more depth.
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content.
Four Years of Despair by Jalesa Morrison was a shocker to say the least. It is hard to find the words to accurately describe this book and do it justice. Normally I would complain about the repetitiveness of a book. In this case the repetition accurately portrays the events in the book. I can easily see this being extended into a larger novel if Jalesa Morrison feels confident enough in her ability to stay accurate and go deeper into each character. Parts of this book did make me cringe multiple times. At first I did not like this book at all but then I figured it out. This book is not meant to be liked. It is meant to infom, to show what sever meutal illuess laaks like behind closed doors. It shows what the individual and family members go through on a daily basis that most people do not see or understand.
Jalesa tells the story of thirteen year old Jaunell Morris, her sis ters Lois and Francis, and their mother Joan. Jaunell was your typical preteen up until around her thirteenth birthday. It was then that
Jaunell was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder that also causes her to become extremely depressed. Joan freqiently struggles to get Jaunell to take a shower or even go to school. This also makes it difficult for Joan to hold a job and she has to ask her own mother (Jamell's grandmother) for financial assistance.
Jaunell lashes out and physically attacks her family members miltiple times.
Between Jaunell's lack of bodily cleanliness and her physical outbursts, Joan's friends turn their back on Joan and many of their family members disown Jaunell. Joan's mother blames Joan for Jaunell's behavior and tells her that she is a bad mother. Jaunell's father leaves Joan because he can not handle Jaunell. Lois and Francis also turn their backs on their sister after being hurt by her multiple times. These are only a few of the relationships that are destroyed because of a lack of understanding. Joan becomes depressed as well and ends up abusing Jaunell because she believes everything to be Jaunell's fault even though she knows in her heart that it is not true. Jaunell spends four years in and out of hospitals countless times before her mother has the financial ability to send Jaunell to a long term care facility. But there is hope...
What I liked best was Jalesa's blunt honesty about what is going on. Jalesa tells the story of Jaunell and her family without the fear of offending anyone. Jaunell's story is one that needed to be told. What I liked least was the lack of depth to the characters. In fact, I found it to be mildly disappointing. Also, there were times where I did not agree with what was happening, but that is nothing against the book. That was my personal rejection of admitting that there are people suffering like this every day.
Target readers for this book were hard to determine because of the nature of the topic. It truly depends on the individual's mindset. I believe high school students and older could handle this book. At the same time, the message would be good for middle school students as well but might be hard for them to read. This book got a sold 3 out of 4 rating from me. The only reason it did not get a perfect rating was that I would like to see more depth.
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Sarah (82 KP) rated Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in TV
Nov 7, 2018
Absolutely amazing!
Contains spoilers, click to show
A great darker version of Sabrina!
Had me gripped from beginning of the series. Starting off as a half-mortal, half-witch, Sabrina must partake in a dark baptism. This is where her mortal side comes in, she doesn't want to lose Harvey or her friends and attend a new school so refuses to sign her name over to the dark lord. Cue a court case in the witching world and Sabrina with a mortal representative....what could go wrong?!
The series continues with it seems Sabrina leaning more to the darker side of her powers with the help of her 'school teacher'
I won't spoil the ending of the series but it is definitely worth watching. Having grown up with the Melissa Joan Hart version of Sabrina I thought I would of made more comparisons but this really does stand alone, the only similarities is obviously the names.
Really hoping I won't have to wait too long to watch the next series.
Had me gripped from beginning of the series. Starting off as a half-mortal, half-witch, Sabrina must partake in a dark baptism. This is where her mortal side comes in, she doesn't want to lose Harvey or her friends and attend a new school so refuses to sign her name over to the dark lord. Cue a court case in the witching world and Sabrina with a mortal representative....what could go wrong?!
The series continues with it seems Sabrina leaning more to the darker side of her powers with the help of her 'school teacher'
I won't spoil the ending of the series but it is definitely worth watching. Having grown up with the Melissa Joan Hart version of Sabrina I thought I would of made more comparisons but this really does stand alone, the only similarities is obviously the names.
Really hoping I won't have to wait too long to watch the next series.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019
Silent cinema is not my strongest subject but one which I have been making a concerted effort to learn about over the past decade, but admittedly at a slow pace. The idea of sitting through a silent film can seem to be chore to a modern audience and to be honest, it can be inconceivable to the vast majority, but these attitudes only serve to deprive us of 30 years of cinema, both in primitive evolution and cinematic excellence.
The notion is that silent movies where almost amateurish is style, a three decade long film school to keep up occupied until the Talkies turned up and “film” as we know it, was born. This is wrong. Film is visual medium, Movies, moving pictures, all of which were accompanied by music by the way, so the term “silent” only really refers to the lack of synchronized sound and dialogue.
ydvjeYet, the core of film is visual. Modern cinema is a about perfecting the mesh of media forms, music, photography, narrative and sound. But without dialogue, silent movies had a challenge on their hands and one which The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, one of the last silent movies of the era, rose to perfectly.
Visually, this could have been made yesterday. A truly timeless blend of artistic and innovative cinematography, fast paced editing and outstanding performances. The Danish director, Carl Theodore Dreyer mastered the close up, naturalistic acting and manages to tell the procedural story of the trial of Joan Of Arc in such a gripping manner that you will forget that there is no spoken dialogue, yet you are literally putting the intertitles in to the mouths of the cast.
Not a single cast member is wasted, with every one pouring their hearts and souls in to the camera in such nuanced ways that it can be left to debate and interpretation as to exactly who is thinking or feeling what as Joan, Maria Falconetti in her third and final film role, steals the screen with her tortured soul and face shown almost entirely in close up.
the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-large-pictureOver acting has given way to strong acting, each shot designed to allow us access to her soul as she, in a plot not to dissimilar from the last hours of Jesus Christ, is torn between torture and certain death of abandoning her faith and spending the rest of her life imprisoned with only bread and water to look forward too.
The script is based on the actually accounts of the future saint’s trial in 1431 but the real events took place over 18 months whilst this either compresses this into one day or takes place on the last one, but the feeling is that this is the one and only trial of Joan so in that sense, theatrical licence has been taken but it hardly matters. The facts are present and the story is harrowing, made more so by an almost perfect production, led by a controversial, almost Kubrickian director, forcing his cast to suffer for their art, yet this version of events is also contested.
joan-of-arc-soundtrackFor everyone out there who believes that Silent movies are just cut to the chase comedies, or overly flamboyant and patronising filler until “real films” are made, this may just serve as wake up call, that films have evolved, but Sound would actually set the industry back in the 1930’s, as the new audio based art form evolved just as movies had up until this point., but Joan Of Arc should help all see that film has always been able to convey anything, from humour to horror; Real of make-believe.
Many believe that this movie is one of the best ever made and I do believe that to be true. An outstanding and forgotten film to all but critics and film buffs, one which everyone should see.
VERSION
The version which I watched was The Criterion Edition of the 1985 restoration of Dreyer’s “Lost” original cut. The music to this film was never deemed to be that important so there are several compositions which have been attached to the film over the years.
The “Lo Duca” cut, which was the a 61 minute version (1951) doing the rounds for years after the original cut was lost in a fire soon after the film’s release, was cut together by Joseph-Marie Lo Duca after discovering a negative in a vault. This version, as well as the “Director’s Cut” are both available on the Blu-ray, whilst it appeared that the 1985 restoration (Director’s Cut) is more widely available on DVD.
The notion is that silent movies where almost amateurish is style, a three decade long film school to keep up occupied until the Talkies turned up and “film” as we know it, was born. This is wrong. Film is visual medium, Movies, moving pictures, all of which were accompanied by music by the way, so the term “silent” only really refers to the lack of synchronized sound and dialogue.
ydvjeYet, the core of film is visual. Modern cinema is a about perfecting the mesh of media forms, music, photography, narrative and sound. But without dialogue, silent movies had a challenge on their hands and one which The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, one of the last silent movies of the era, rose to perfectly.
Visually, this could have been made yesterday. A truly timeless blend of artistic and innovative cinematography, fast paced editing and outstanding performances. The Danish director, Carl Theodore Dreyer mastered the close up, naturalistic acting and manages to tell the procedural story of the trial of Joan Of Arc in such a gripping manner that you will forget that there is no spoken dialogue, yet you are literally putting the intertitles in to the mouths of the cast.
Not a single cast member is wasted, with every one pouring their hearts and souls in to the camera in such nuanced ways that it can be left to debate and interpretation as to exactly who is thinking or feeling what as Joan, Maria Falconetti in her third and final film role, steals the screen with her tortured soul and face shown almost entirely in close up.
the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-large-pictureOver acting has given way to strong acting, each shot designed to allow us access to her soul as she, in a plot not to dissimilar from the last hours of Jesus Christ, is torn between torture and certain death of abandoning her faith and spending the rest of her life imprisoned with only bread and water to look forward too.
The script is based on the actually accounts of the future saint’s trial in 1431 but the real events took place over 18 months whilst this either compresses this into one day or takes place on the last one, but the feeling is that this is the one and only trial of Joan so in that sense, theatrical licence has been taken but it hardly matters. The facts are present and the story is harrowing, made more so by an almost perfect production, led by a controversial, almost Kubrickian director, forcing his cast to suffer for their art, yet this version of events is also contested.
joan-of-arc-soundtrackFor everyone out there who believes that Silent movies are just cut to the chase comedies, or overly flamboyant and patronising filler until “real films” are made, this may just serve as wake up call, that films have evolved, but Sound would actually set the industry back in the 1930’s, as the new audio based art form evolved just as movies had up until this point., but Joan Of Arc should help all see that film has always been able to convey anything, from humour to horror; Real of make-believe.
Many believe that this movie is one of the best ever made and I do believe that to be true. An outstanding and forgotten film to all but critics and film buffs, one which everyone should see.
VERSION
The version which I watched was The Criterion Edition of the 1985 restoration of Dreyer’s “Lost” original cut. The music to this film was never deemed to be that important so there are several compositions which have been attached to the film over the years.
The “Lo Duca” cut, which was the a 61 minute version (1951) doing the rounds for years after the original cut was lost in a fire soon after the film’s release, was cut together by Joseph-Marie Lo Duca after discovering a negative in a vault. This version, as well as the “Director’s Cut” are both available on the Blu-ray, whilst it appeared that the 1985 restoration (Director’s Cut) is more widely available on DVD.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Tales From the Crypt (1972) in Movies
Sep 11, 2020
In The Vault of Horror!
Tales From The Crypt- is anethor excellent film by Amicus Productions.
The Plot: In the film, five strangers (Joan Collins, Ian Hendry, Robin Phillips, Richard Greene and Nigel Patrick) in a crypt encounter the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson), who makes each person in turn relive the manner of their death.
Milton Subotsky of Amicus Productions had long been a fan of EC Comics' Tales from the Crypt and eventually persuaded his partner Max Rosenberg to buy the rights. The copyright owner, William Gaines, insisted on script approval. The budget of £170,000 was higher than usual for an Amicus production, and was partly funded by American International Pictures. Peter Cushing was originally offered the part played by Richard Greene, but wanted to try something different and played the elderly Grimsdyke instead.
And All Through the House, Blind Alleys and Wish You Were Here were all somewhat remade into episodes for the Tales From the Crypt television show. Blind Alleys and Wish You Were Here were both changed.
I love the fourth wall breaking in this film and The House That Dripped Blood. Talking to you the viewer.
Its a great film, but a better tv series.
The Plot: In the film, five strangers (Joan Collins, Ian Hendry, Robin Phillips, Richard Greene and Nigel Patrick) in a crypt encounter the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson), who makes each person in turn relive the manner of their death.
Milton Subotsky of Amicus Productions had long been a fan of EC Comics' Tales from the Crypt and eventually persuaded his partner Max Rosenberg to buy the rights. The copyright owner, William Gaines, insisted on script approval. The budget of £170,000 was higher than usual for an Amicus production, and was partly funded by American International Pictures. Peter Cushing was originally offered the part played by Richard Greene, but wanted to try something different and played the elderly Grimsdyke instead.
And All Through the House, Blind Alleys and Wish You Were Here were all somewhat remade into episodes for the Tales From the Crypt television show. Blind Alleys and Wish You Were Here were both changed.
I love the fourth wall breaking in this film and The House That Dripped Blood. Talking to you the viewer.
Its a great film, but a better tv series.
