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Jonathan Higgs recommended Showbiz by Muse in Music (curated)

 
Showbiz by Muse
Showbiz by Muse
2008 | Rock

"This is another case of, "Where's my Radiohead gone?" Hearing Muse for the first time was like, "Holy shit, this is like Radiohead, but heavier, and more pop, but also darker as well", and I just absolutely fell for it, hook, line and sinker. I was at the perfect age, was just getting into actually being good at playing stuff, and Matt Bellamy was all over the place in terms of his musical talents, playing the piano and guitar, and stuff that teenagers love. Stuff that sounds flashy and complex and twiddly but is actually not. And the bass player! Fuck me, the basslines on the album! Bass players don't do that kind of stuff! He's the sort of main character in an awful lot of those songs. It was an absolute revelation. I was a bass player before I was anything else, and I remember thinking, "Holy shit that sounded ace"! They ripped up the rulebook in so many ways for rock music. It was so enjoyable as well. Every song had a real sense of performance and razzmatazz. Of course it's called Showbiz and it is a type of show. So I think, more than anything, that's probably what you would say about my band, particularly live - we're not subtle, it's over the top. Whether people like it or not, that's got into us now and it's hard to take a step back."

Source
  
Lesson of the Evil (2012)
Lesson of the Evil (2012)
2012 | Horror
*Big band music playing loudly in the background*

Takashi Miike's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 - which, yes, is every bit as messy and overstuffed as that sounds; though I fear that if this were leaner you could miss out on the finer details like the weird German folklore stuff or the fleshy gun with the talking eyeball. The third act here is better than anything in even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰, probably the greatest thing Miike has ever done - just as demented, tasteless, and perfectly staged as reported plus it lasts around a solid, uninterrupted 45 minutes. Simultaneously fun and hard to watch in the sense that you can't believe that not only are they actually going for this, but they're going for it *hard* (given the director, I'd expect no less). I'm confident in saying this has the most straight-up brutal use of the shotgun in film history that I've seen. Hideaki Ito is flawless as this fucked-up closet psychopath who just bleeds raw antihero charisma, this kind of character can tire so easily but him and Miike sell it in full - partly because (and this is one of the things I love most about Miike) there's zero pretension to be found here. The precise type of ethically repugnantly, formally playful, feverish trashy thrills you'd expect out of this are exactly what you get - no clichéd moral handwringing or bullshit pulled punches you see in a lot of Western cinema for this genre. This is the real shit, another bonafide cult classic from one of the masters. Plus it's generally bizarre as hell, too.
  
Three Dark Crowns
Three Dark Crowns
Kendare Blake | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
7.8 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
The twists between the 3 dialogues (0 more)
Captivating and unique
I was really captivated by this book and it’s sequel. I like the complexity of the 3 intertwined stories and how they unravel throughout. I didn’t find it difficult to follow or get bored which often is the case with teen fiction.

The story follows 3 very unique girls with unique abilities, you never quite know what the story is going to throw at you. I was surprised by most of the twists and really enjoyed not knowing. Each girl really draws you in, each in different ways, there’s no way to have a favourite (at least I didn’t have one).

You will feel their pain but also their joy, I really hope more books will be released as I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and personally wished that the books were longer and in more depth.

If you choose to read this book you need to take your time and get to know each person as they all have a massive impact on the story and they will provide better insight into everyone else. I promise you’ll love this book as much as me.
  
    The Piano Keyboard

    The Piano Keyboard

    Music and Education

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

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    Piano Keyboard is designed to enable you to play piano anytime and anywhere. Play your favorites...

Falling Kingdoms
Falling Kingdoms
Morgan Rhodes | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting Villains, annoying heroes
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Spoilers ahead you’ve been warned***

I rather enjoyed this one. Somewhat. The characters are really what drives this book (some of them that is) and while the plot moves at a medium pace, it’s understandable as this introduces you to the setting, the characters and what’s in store for us as readers.

World building is straight forward and there’s a handy guide in the beginning so you can figure out who is who and from which Kingdom (there are three). It pretty much centralizes on a small group that are central to the main plot and it’s easy to figure out who is who as you quickly start developing favorites :)

And this is where it starts getting interesting. I notice this happens sometimes with fantasy books. The good characters are downright annoying, nauseating (even more so when the love factor is involved) and induce eye rolling moments while reading. The not so nice characters are more interesting to read, you quietly cheer for them and hope they turn out for the better because you don’t want them going down that path because most likely, they’ll end up being gone and you’ll have nothing else to read but the good guys.

I tried to like Cleo. I really did. However all I see is a little naive twit who’s annoying and I don’t really see her worth in this book and I wonder why Magnus just doesn’t end her so she can join good ol dependable Theon. I am hoping she turns out better in the later books but so far she’s not looking so good and her romance with Theon was so eye rolling inducing it’s characters like these that make or break the novel.

Thankfully, I love the Magnus story arc. He’s turned into a jerk but it’s not really his fault as dad isn’t really nice. The thing with Lucia is creepy and although they’re not blood related it still gives moments of queasiness (dude, you have like so many girls in the Kingdom come on). That being said though, I love reading about Magnus and Lucia. Their story lines are interesting, they have faults, and they deal with it (albeit, perhaps not in an all too healthy manner).

The story arc with Jonas was also interesting and I wish more was written about him (I think Cleo’s got way too much time in spotlight) as he’s gone through so much to get his revenge and only to find out it just opened a giant Pandora’s box and we’re heading towards more epic battling.

The latter third of the book gets really interesting. I’m only hoping there’s going to be a good outcome for everyone and I really hope Cleo’s character improves because she’s really what could make or break my desire to continue onto this series. Sometimes it takes that one character to ruin it all. That being said, I think it’s off to a great start and I’m ready for some more! Great for those into YA fantasy.
  
Sloth (Seven Princes of Sin #3)
Sloth (Seven Princes of Sin #3)
S.N. Hunt | 2022 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
SLOTH is the third book in the Seven Princes of Sin series. It's Linneas' turn and, oh boy, does he have a story to tell. He first senses his mate, Sylvia, as she is being transported to her new quarters to await her new master. He follows, on foot, not knowing what he's going into but knowing his mate is there. Gabriel also follows because Sylvia is his charge. Once these three get together, the story explodes with nuances and emotions, plus a whole load of hotness.

Now, before you do into it thinking it's all hearts and roses, it's not. Most definitely not. This is dark in a lot of places, so if things like abuse, non-consent, underage, slavery, and violence affect you, then this is definitely not the book for you.

This IS the third book and, as such, you really should read it as a series. You will learn things in this book that have relevance to what has gone on before.

I love that the storyline continues to hold my interest, that some of the angels are now questioning, and that as soon as I finish one book, I immediately want the next.

This is a fantastic series, and SLOTH is a brilliant addition to it. Highly recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 10, 2022
  
40x40

JB Smoove recommended Claudine (1974) in Movies (curated)

 
Claudine (1974)
Claudine (1974)
1974 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Another movie I love is a movie called Claudine. James L. Jones is in that movie. Diahann Carroll is in this movie. Oh man, I’m not a big crier, but the movie resonates and just stays with me the whole time. You know what? I used to love some Diahann Carroll, brother. The movie was about a single mother who meets a guy and they end up falling in love. He takes on this whole family. She had like five kids, living in Harlem, with five kids, and this guy was a regular garbage man who had kids of his own. He was trying to balance his old life and the stress of being a father to his own kids. But at the same time he loved this woman, he loved her kids, and he wanted to do better for her. He wanted to be with her, but he just tried to work everything out. He ended up leaving her, and then coming back because he loved the kids, and they ended up getting married and all that kind of stuff. All the trial, the jubilation — it’s all about family and what they go through. The growing pains, you know, how the kids fell in love with him and they ended up looking for him, and he broke their heart. Claudine is a beautiful movie. I went at 13 years old, man. I was in love with Diahann Carroll at 13 years old. I don’t know if I could’ve stepped in those shoes and been a daddy to these little kids, but I loved her, she was a beautiful lady."

Source
  
    Comomola Pirates

    Comomola Pirates

    Education, Games and Stickers

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    ** No ads, no in-app purchases & no violence. Pay once & play forever! ** Get your pirate kit on...