A Wood of One's Own
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After years of living in London's urban jungle, Ruth Pavey dreamt of reconnecting with the British...
Warped on a Moon Trek
8.0
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Tomorrow is yesterday and next week may never come in this new space adventure with notes of...
The Vanishing Deep
8.7
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Seventeen-year-old Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her planet,...
YA Fantasy
Get Her Off the Pitch!: How Sport Took Over My Life
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From the bestselling author of 'Eats, Shoots & Leaves', this is the hilarious new book from Lynne...
A Woman’s Self-Love
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How to develop Self-Love in five easy steps, even if you failed at every other self-help strategy. ...
self-help
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Journey on a Runaway Train (The Boxcar Children Great Adventure #1) in Books
Jun 18, 2018
This version of the Boxcar Children is fresh and modern. We're in a world of laptops, WiFi and GPS. The boys and girls are equal players, and since the books are new you don't encounter those awkward bits of old-fashioned nonsense that you sometimes have to overlook when revisiting other older adventure series. The writing is crisp and direct and clearly aimed at younger readers. A nice touch is that the older kids often explain more advanced words, references, and historical bits to the youngest Alden, Benny, and these explanations, of course, are also intended to help younger readers follow what's happening.
I thank NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company for a free advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
No Fourth River: A Novel Based on a True Story. A profoundly moving read about a woman's fight for survival.
6.3
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Novel based on a true story. Electroshock therapy, child abuse and modern-day slavery… just...
Salt Fat Acid Heat
Book Watch
In the tradition of The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything comes SALT FAT ACID HEAT, an...
Food and Drink
Labyrinths & Mazes : A Journey Through Art, Architecture, and Landscape
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The labyrinth is one of the world's oldest symbols, and its meaning is often shrouded in myth and...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated News of the World (2020) in Movies
Jan 17, 2021
And in his latest effort, the Paul Greengrass Directed NEWS OF THE WORLD, Hanks uses every molecule of his screen presence to keep the audience’s attention in a slow-paced, moody character study.
Based on the novel by Paulette Jiles, NEWS OF THE WORLD takes place in a post-Civil War Texas where a former Confederate Captain makes a living by going from town to town and reading the news to them. A chance encounter with a twice orphaned young girl alters the lives of both of them.
Writer/Director Paul Greengrass is most known for quick-cut action films like the BOURNE series or the criminally underrated GREEN ROOM, so he would seem - at first glance - as an unusual choice to adapt and direct this character study, but look further at Greengrass’ resume and you will find - in films such as UNITED 93 and CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - an ability to tell a story that is driven more by character than by action.
And this combination of Director and Actor works well for NEWS OF THE WORLD is a languidly paced piece that has a somber mood and look but Greengrass avoids the temptation of lingering on scenes or pictures too long (and there are some wonderful images captured by Greengrass and Cinemotgrapher Darius Wolski) to tell a story of a man who needs to rediscover and remake himself.
And Hanks is more than equal to the task of bringing the pragmatic, introspective Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd character to life in a way that makes him intriguing and not boring. Hanks ability to show inherent decency in a look or a gesture is the stuff of legends and when he speaks, you listen. Which is good for Hanks is in every scene in this film and his performance needs to strongly capture the audience for this film to work - and he is more than equal to this task - so strong is Hanks in this role that I would not be surprised if there is another Oscar nomination in Tom’s near future.
Newcomer Helena Zegal is “just fine” in the other main role in this film - the young girl that Captain Kidd encounters, Johnna. This young girl is silent and shut down for most of the film and Zegal performs “shut down and silent” well. Also along for brief cameo roles of characters that Captain Kidd encounters on his journey is a bevy of wonderfully cast character actors that include Mare Winnigham, Ray McKinnon, Bill Camp and the always interesting to watch Elizabeth Marvel.
As is often the case in these sorts of films, the music/soundtrack becomes a vital part of the story that unfolds and 8 time Oscar nominated composer James Newton Howard (THE PRINCE OF TIDES) is more than up to the task. The music is another character in this film and helps set the mood along the journey.
But make no mistake, this is Hanks’ film - and he is VERY good in this. Like MIDNIGHT SKY (reviewed last month), this movie will not be for everyone - and many, many folks are going to tell me that they checked this movie out on my recommendation and were bored by it. But…if you click into the mood, motion and energy of what Greengrass is showing, you will be rewarded with an emotionally rich and complex character study.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) - and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)