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Holly Johnson recommended Queen of Denmark by John Grant in Music (curated)

 
Queen of Denmark by John Grant
Queen of Denmark by John Grant
2010 | Folk, Pop, Singer-Songwriter
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Queen Of Denmark and the Irrepressibles album were kind of jointly on my CD player in the car and I played them both endlessly. I love John's voice and I absolutely love Jamie [McDermott, Irrepressibles founder]'s voice as well - they're completely different voices but both extremely natural. Some people I play The Irrepressibles to, they thought it sounded like Antony, but I didn't get that. Whereas John has a more masculine appeal and nowness that has been embraced by the gay community of bears and beards. His stories are of woe tinged with a sardonic sense of humour, which is one of the most important things about his songwriting, whereas Jamie has an extravagant vision - extravagance on a shoestring, I don't know how he does it - but lovely orchestral instrumentation and absolutely beautiful vocals. I went to see the Mirror Mirror show at the Barbican and it was amazing and it should've been written about and applauded by the likes of The Guardian and that, but for some reason Jamie still continues to do lovely work but it just doesn't get the press and the support from the music industry that John has had. John is great and deserving of it - this album's brilliant, as is Pale Green Ghosts, but I would especially like people to listen to that Irrepressibles album, because he's a great artist and a hidden gem amongst the whole 21st century queer landscape."

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Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
1993 | Adventure, Sci-Fi
The perfect Blockbuster?
To make this clear, Jurassic Park is easily in my top 10 films of all time.
I saw it when I was young - maybe 7 or 8 years old, not too long after it came out, so one might argue that there is an element of nostalgia reflected in my opinion, but honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I never tire of it, and all these years later, the effects still stand up, which is an incredible achievement considering it came out in 1993!

The whole cast are just great, the script is solid, and the score is an all time classic - John Williams smashing it out of the park again.

An all time classic.
  
Peppermint (2018)
Peppermint (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Jennifer Garner brings justice...
Jennifer Garner returns to her Elektra action days with this revenge movie in the vein of John Wick and the like. Garner does well, both as the loving, doting wife and mother and as a vengeful vigilante. The action is fast and fluid from beginning to end with plenty of brutality and gore for fans of the genre. While a good movie and a welcome addition to the canon of revenge flicks, it really does nothing to elevate it. Still, some may see this type of film, with a female protagonist in the vigilante role, as a step forward in the current social climate. In the end, it was fun but nothing that will stick with the viewer after watching.
  
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II (1981)
1981 | Horror
7
7.4 (23 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The original Halloween was never supposed to become a franchise, John Carpenter only ever wanted to make one film. Naturally, after the movie’s success, a sequel was greenlit soon after and was rushed into production with a massively increased budget.

Halloween II remains a troubled film. Cleverly set on the same night as its predecessor, it lacked the trademark stalk and kill sequences that made its forbearer such an impeccable addition to the genre.

Upping the budget also meant upping the gore and from here the series started to rely heavily on brutality rather than outright terror. Still, it’s a great film anchored by Jamie Lee Curtis’ brilliant performance as Laurie Strode.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/10/28/halloween-movies-top-5/
  
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Crime
I saw this movie around two weeks ago, and haven't been really able to decide on a number rating. I went between a 10, then an 8, but now I've settled on 9.
I haven't read the book, so I'm not sure how much the story was embellished and/or changed, but it was overall, an entertaining 'true story'. I know Spike Lee was drawing heavy parallels to today, which, is fine, but I think everyone would have still gotten the point without the last 5-10 minutes of news footage.
Adam Driver and John David Washington were a good team, and their work together was kind of what made the movie. The last scene on the phone was the best part of the movie.
  
Short prequel to the first of Angus Donald's <i>Outlaw</i> series about Robin Hood.

Whereas the books proper are all presented as an ageing Alan-a -Dale remembering his time with Robin and were told in the first person, this is told in third person and is not 'book-ended' in such a manner. While there are a few other characters than the already-living-in-the-woods Robin and John, it also does not have such a wide range of characters as in the novels proper, and feels maybe a little bit rushed.

In short: an OK entry for anyone who hasn't read any of the novels proper, but I would still advise the reader to start with the first book rather than this novella.
  
The Innocent Man- Season One
The Innocent Man- Season One
2018 | Crime, Documentary
I remember when the book, 'The Innocent Man' came out, and how it was a BFD that John Grisham had written a non-fiction book. If it had been written as fiction, you wouldn't be able to believe it.
The docu-series covers two cases in which it seems that the wrong people were convicted off of bunk evidence and false confessions. It was well put together, for the most part, but it does skip around, so if you're not paying close enough attention, it can get confusing. It was very easy to watch all of the episodes back to back.

I have a feeling that there may be a 2nd season, since one of the cases is still ongoing.
  
RI
Richard III: The Road to Leicester
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Call, me cynical, but this does feel like a bit of an attempt to cash in on all the interest stirred by the discovery of King Richard's last resting place. It's a pretty short book - around 90 pages of main text with colour plates and gives a brief overview. The problem is that there are lots of errors - the names of Elizabeth Wydevilles eldest children for starters and the rather sensationalist statement that Edward V disappeared into his room in the Tower "never to come out again" - well, he's evidently not still there, so he must have come out one way or another!

If you want something sensible and readable, John Ashdown-Hill is the author to go with IMO.
  
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Taylor Sheridan recommended Platoon (1986) in Movies (curated)

 
Platoon (1986)
Platoon (1986)
1986 | Action, Drama, War

"Platoon, I think I was 15 or 16 when I saw that movie in the theater. I was so riveted by it, and the experience around it. I remember when I saw that movie, this is when there was still lines to get in the next one. The movie hadn’t come out yet, and we’re all standing in a line, 400 people to go in, and when the door opened, it was all these Vietnam Vets in their gear, grown men, crying and holding hands and arms around each other. When I sat down, I had no idea what I was about to see. Again, it was a deconstruction of the war film, the antithesis of John Wayne’s The Green Berets."

Source
  
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian
2019 | Sci-Fi
Great storytelling (0 more)
Seasons too short (0 more)
What Star Wars Should Be
Contains spoilers, click to show
I thoroughly enjoyed season 1 and season 2 is looking even better. This is what Star Wars should be. At the expense of going on a tangent..John Farveru should have been over Star Wars from the beginning. The Mandalorian fits so well into the universe. Seeing the Dark Saber that the Death Watch Mandalorian terrorist group used was a high point for me. Not to mention that Darth Maul and Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels also wielded the saber. The significance of the Yoda like child is still yet to be fully seen but he has taken the world by storm. I recommend this show to any Star Wars lover...It will not disappoint.