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Alice (117 KP) rated After Elias in Books

Mar 3, 2021  
After Elias
After Elias
Eddy Boudel Tan | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Dundurn Press

This book was a delight! I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did because usually, I'm not the biggest fan of literary fiction but this broke my heart. A touching story about loss, dealing with grief and also touches deeply on mental health and the importance of relationship and communication. I loved how this story unfolded and how we only ever knew Elias through the eyes of Coen adding to the mystery. The ending was not what I expected but I loved it. There is so much heart in this book and I definitely recommend it!
  
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
2020 | Thriller
8
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Emotional (2 more)
Stressful
Good story
Lack of heritage (1 more)
Occassionally slow
Clever emotion heightening
This was a good film, based on a true story, good length as there were occasional slow parts. I really found myself rooting for the characters even though the camaraderie was subtle, it built enough of a picture to feel that.

The main character is exceptionally clever and when the plan is first revealed I thought it was impossible but somehow it was done well.

I love the main suspicious guard and how close he comes to finding out the truth.

My biggest erk is that they didn't bother using native actors, the accents are OK but when in a stressful situation/shouting they are dropped.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Rebecca (2020) in Movies

Nov 15, 2020  
Rebecca (2020)
Rebecca (2020)
2020 | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The Manor House (0 more)
No where near as good as the Hitchcock version (0 more)
Unnecessary remake
Well it has been 80 years since the Hitchcock version, I could understand updating it slightly but this is a pale comparison. Nothing has really changed in the story as such. However the execution is very different. The original version was genuinely creepy and atmospheric, with some scenes that might make you jump. Ms Danvers character was especially good.
In this version it's more of a love story, slowly drawn out with a bit of drama right at the end. It would have been better to keep the feeling of Hitchcock's version. If you haven't seen it, watch that instead.
  
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Mekhi Phifer recommended Wag the Dog (1997) in Movies (curated)

 
Wag the Dog (1997)
Wag the Dog (1997)
1997 | Comedy

"Probably some people will go, “Huh?” But I love the film Wag the Dog with Robert De Niro, and Dustin Hoffman, and Anne Heche. It’s a really good movie — sort of political parody I think, that sort of played on what Clinton went through and how they have to sort of trouble shoot, and try to spin the story in order to get him, the president, re-elected and things like that. And even though it was a fictional story, to me it rang really true. And that’s another one that’s very character-driven. I loved every one of them, from Denis Leary to everyone, Willie Nelson… I just thought it was very well done."

Source
  
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)
1978 | Drama, War
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I discovered Fassbinder senior year of college, and I couldn’t believe it. Both of these films are perfect to me. Ali tells a grotesque yet delicate love story that, to my dummy liberal arts mind, was an analogy for the challenges of a gay relationship in the repressed Germany of the 1970s (at least that’s what I said in my thesis). Maria Braun is the tragic, triumphant story of a woman who does what she must to get by, but loses herself in the process. They both make you wanna dress up and smoke opium and fuck people you meet late at night in a bodega, even if you’re not into that."

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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
1974 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I discovered Fassbinder senior year of college, and I couldn’t believe it. Both of these films are perfect to me. Ali tells a grotesque yet delicate love story that, to my dummy liberal arts mind, was an analogy for the challenges of a gay relationship in the repressed Germany of the 1970s (at least that’s what I said in my thesis). Maria Braun is the tragic, triumphant story of a woman who does what she must to get by, but loses herself in the process. They both make you wanna dress up and smoke opium and fuck people you meet late at night in a bodega, even if you’re not into that."

Source
  
1917 (2020)
1917 (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
This film lives up to its expectations and so much more. My favorite kinds of films are ones that have a short timeline because it allows for a much richer story, for the most part. This film is everything you want in a film - love, action, a good plot, a great cast, a good story, and a character to hold onto.

There's a certain elegance to this film that only comes out in a few other movies. There is just something about this film that just gets you and pulls you in and keeps you still. Not just in a physical way.

I really enjoyed this film and can't recommend it enough.