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TheBookMother (105 KP) rated My Name is Leon in Books

Jun 25, 2019  
My Name is Leon
My Name is Leon
Kit De Waal | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Easy to fall in love with characters Emotive read Heartwarming in places Brilliant nod to 80s life including the Black Riots (0 more)
A tad predictable in places (0 more)
Emotive flashback to the care system in the 80s
Contains spoilers, click to show
I couldn't actually put this book down. I fell in love with the protagonist character Leon from page one.
You begin to really imagine how he feels living in a neglected home, being passed around and watching everyone he cares about leave him.
One of the most heartwrenching bits of the book is where is baby brother whom he cared and doted on is adopted without him.
He then finds a supportive foster family but once again cruel fate intervenes and she is taken into hospital.
He is such a lost little boy, the pain he is feeling literally radiates from the pages. The use of emotive language is stunning.
There were times I was close to tears and I had to keep reading to find out if he got the happy ending he so deserved.
The author sets the scene so beautifully and I really did get taken back to the 80s from the talk of toys, TV and the Royal Wedding.
A surprise from the book was the coverage of the Black Riots and you do really feel for all those involved and also the confusion and fear that rippled through different communities I felt the author portrayed this really well.
If I really had to find a negative it would be that at times it was a tad predictable, but it didn't really ruin my experience reading this book.
I did consume this in a couple of days and it was very powerful it was one of the most emotive books I have read in a while.
I thoroughly recommend it, but best get the tissues on hand.
(1)   
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Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Good Thing by Leon Bridges in Music

Jun 7, 2019  
Good Thing by Leon Bridges
Good Thing by Leon Bridges
2018 | Soul
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Leon Bridges is a talented R&B/soul singer outta Fort Worth, Texas. Not too long ago, he released his second studio album, entitled, “Good Thing”.

BET AIN’T WORTH THE HAND


The artist sings a beautiful ballad about leaving a rocky relationship. He doesn’t want to leave because he still sees hope in making it work.

The Natalie Rae-directed video begins with Bridges walking the street. He’s hurt. The following scenes show him relating to other people going through the same emotional pain he’s experiencing.

The artist knows that’s a risky move staying in a broken relationship. Also, he looks at the cards he’s dealt with and realizes his best is to move on.

BAD BAD NEWS

The artist switches speed and takes listeners on a funky ride. It’s disco time and he celebrates on the dancefloor. Also, being there isn’t easy. So, he has to fight his way through the crowd to make it to the front.

The Natalie Rae-directed video begins with a voluptuous woman walking inside a train station. She hears someone whistling so she heads in that direction, following the whistler.

Somehow, Bridges’ music overtakes her soul and she begins to follow its funky rhythm. In the end, it leads her to the guy who was whistling in the beginning.

The artist sings a triumphant song. He questions people trying to hold him in the back. But that’s not where he belongs. So, he moves up front and kills them with style and grace.

SHY

The artist addresses a shy woman that he’s in love with. Also, he assures her that it doesn’t matter if she’s shy. He doesn’t care about her shyness because he’s into her.

BEYOND

Bridges is deep in love with the shy woman. Everything is moving fast. Also, he wants to slow things down but he can’t. Because of that, he’s scared to death that she might be the one.

FORGIVE YOU

The artist sings the blues. He admits he played the fool in the relationship where his girl took advantage of his kindness. But he forgives her even though it’s hard to. Also, his friends warned him not to be so gullible.

LIONS

The aftermath of experiencing bad love has Bridges feeling like a thirsty lion. But through his trials and tribulations, he remains true to himself. Also, he refuses to conform to who the woman wants him to be.

IF IT FEELS GOOD (THEN IT MUST BE)

The artist removes the bad love aura and freshens the air with truth and honesty. Also, he perfumes the dancefloor with a splash of funkiness and rhythm and blues.

He wants the mysterious lady bad. So, he tells her to let her guards down and enjoy herself. He doesn’t want her to act so seriously.

YOU DON’T KNOW

The artist continues dancing in the name of love. He’s head over heels for the woman in his life and he wants the world to know that. Also, he wants her to stop thinking because their loving might not go down if she continues to do so.

MRS.

The artist addresses his love and hate relationship with his girl. When they’re good they’re good, but when they’re bad they’re really bad. Also, whenever she shows him affection, he remembers that she still loves him.

GEORGIA TO TEXAS

The artist sings about his mother carrying him in her womb, while his father drove them from Atlanta to Texas. But years later, he admits that adapting to his surrounding wasn’t easy.

Apparently, the 504 black girl is Bridges’ mother, Lisa Sawyer. The number 504 is the area code where she’s from in New Orleans, Lousiana.

CONCLUSION

Leon Bridges’ “Good Thing” is a classic album perfumed with soul ballads, spicy topics, and danceable tunes. Its soulful sound is the perfect soundtrack for those who have loved and lost, and those who are in love for the very first time. It’s romantic, celebratory, with lush experiences. Also, it takes listeners on an emotional journey through the hills and valleys where love dwells.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/leon-bridges-good-thing/
  
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Graham Massey recommended Welcome by Santana in Music (curated)

 
Welcome by Santana
Welcome by Santana
1973 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I ended up with this record because it was at that point in my teenage years when I was swapping records with my mates at school. We were all a long-haired, Afghan coat-wearing gang into Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and all those classic rock guitar bands. And Santana were almost amongst that; even when you go to albums like Abraxas and the early albums, they have a quite exotic kind of quality about them, so when Welcome came out, it was really rejected by the gang. It was like, ""Whoah! They've gone too far! What is this nonsense? We don't understand it!"" I got someone else's copy of it and I really started to sink into it. There are so many signposts in this record to the jazz world that has sustained me through the years. The first time I heard the words ""John Coltrane"" was through this record. Alice Coltrane is on the first track, which is this version of Dvořák's 'Going Home', which is adapted from his New World Symphony. It's like a classical piece played on a Mellotron. It's very dramatic and it's got nothing to do with rock music and more to do with that spiritual jazz that Alice Coltrane was knocking about. At that point, you couldn't give Alice Coltrane records away, and it's interesting that they didn't really gain currency until the late 90s. And then you've got people like Leon Thomas on the record, the guy who did the yodeling on Pharoah Sanders' records, which would lead you to his records. And John McLaughlin is on there, which would then lead you to The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Back then, you'd find these names on records and then when you were in the record shop, you'd find these names again and it all connected up like dot-to-dots. The concept of ""fusion"" throws up so many bad images because there's a load of shit there, but there's also so much good stuff as well. With this album, I opened the door expecting that rock guitar thing, but the sound of this record is fascinating: it has so much air in it and you can hear the sound of the room being pushed around. To me, this record is like audio sunshine and it transports me to some transcendental place."

Source
  
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Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Rainy Dog (1997) in Movies

Jun 19, 2019  
Rainy Dog (1997)
Rainy Dog (1997)
1997 | Action, Crime, Drama
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Rainy Dog introduces us to Yuuji, a yakuza hitman who lives in Taiwan. He mentions later on in the film that his grandma always told him that going out in the rain was bad luck and that couldn't be more true. Not too long after he received word from his brother that a hit was put on his former boss and was killed recently, a woman comes busting into his house while he's sleeping. She's brought a little mute boy named Ah Chen with her who she says is his son. She's taken care of him up until this point and he is now Yuuji's responsibility. Yuuji pretty much ignores Ah Chen and continues to carry out hits to pay the bills and even goes to a whore house while Ah Chen tags along every step of the way. When the prostitute(Lily) he'd been spending time with says she'd like to go somewhere where it doesn't rain, Yuuji takes it a little too seriously and kills the wrong people in order to get a little extra cash. Now, trying to stay one step ahead of the boss he was working for in Taiwan and his men, Yuuji tries to get Lily and Ah Chen out of town but doesn't count on bonding with a prostitute and a mute to become a dysfunctional family of sorts.

Rainy Dog is part of Takashi Miike's Black Society Trilogy. Shinjuku Triad Society, Rainy Dog, and Ley Lines make up the entire trilogy. The main reason I'm writing this review is because if you're familiar with any of Miike's former works, then you're probably expecting the black humor, crazy sex, and over the top violence and gore you may have seen in films like Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, or Audition. Well, this has none of that. Rainy Dog is still dark and has a great sense of atmosphere, but has none of the things you may have thought were signature of a Miike film. The heavy rain may not sound like a lot on paper, but its presence throughout the film adds more to the overall feel of the movie than you may think. This is a crime drama and while it could have still very easily attained that R rating, it still doesn't show a whole lot. It's actually what it doesn't show that helps get the point across. Sometimes it's just better to let the viewer use their imagination.

I'm a fan of Miike's work. I really am. I'm hearing this is the best of the Black Society Trilogy though and if that's the case, then I'm going to be a little disappointed. I enjoyed Rainy Dog, but I felt there was room for improvement since it did seem to drag in certain scenes. This is actually a more character driven effort with drama and heartfelt scenes, scenes you'd never think you'd see in a Miike film, and I'm all for the unexpected. Maybe I was just a little letdown though as I do like the over the top violence Miike is known best for.


Rainy Dog is not a bad film, by any means. In fact, I'd recommend seeing it. I actually heard people comparing it to Unforgiven and Leon the Professional, so you'll probably like this if you enjoyed either of those films. Some fans say this is in Miike's top three best films of all time. I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely worth renting or owning if you like crime films.

Do you remember that line from Kill Bill Vol. 1 that went something like this:

"It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting." ?

It feels like it's an homage to this movie as there's a line almost identical to it:

"Grow up. Then come and kill me. I'll be waiting for you."