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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Don't Breathe (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
The petty crime trio of Rocky, Alex, and Money make a living from burglarizing homes throughout Detroit. They feel trapped by the poverty and destitution of the area and hope that one big score will allow them to escape their
circumstances. The opportunity appears in the form of a blind, reclusive war veteran living in an abandoned neighborhood. They quickly realize that they have underestimated this man.
Don’t Breathe is filled with tension and has audiences confused as to whether they want the trio to survive the night as they go from being the aggressors to the prey of this man as he defends himself and his home from these invaders.
The film turns the horror/suspense genre around and allows for the audience to feel the tension without being too predictable. You feel as limited as the thieves as they try to escape from the house that they have entered. You feel as though, at any moment, they will be caught, injured, or even killed in this deadly game that the blind man has started with them.
The strength of the film is not in gore or shocking moments, it is in the reality of the fear and anxiety that builds throughout Don’t Breathe. The film allows for depth of the storyline and ability for audiences to find themselves conflicted as to whether or not they should cheer for anyone in the film.
8No one is innocent. Don’t Breathe is multidimensional and does not insult the intelligence of its audience with contrived plots and clichés. The film allows us to realize that monsters exist everywhere, even in the most unassuming places and people.
circumstances. The opportunity appears in the form of a blind, reclusive war veteran living in an abandoned neighborhood. They quickly realize that they have underestimated this man.
Don’t Breathe is filled with tension and has audiences confused as to whether they want the trio to survive the night as they go from being the aggressors to the prey of this man as he defends himself and his home from these invaders.
The film turns the horror/suspense genre around and allows for the audience to feel the tension without being too predictable. You feel as limited as the thieves as they try to escape from the house that they have entered. You feel as though, at any moment, they will be caught, injured, or even killed in this deadly game that the blind man has started with them.
The strength of the film is not in gore or shocking moments, it is in the reality of the fear and anxiety that builds throughout Don’t Breathe. The film allows for depth of the storyline and ability for audiences to find themselves conflicted as to whether or not they should cheer for anyone in the film.
8No one is innocent. Don’t Breathe is multidimensional and does not insult the intelligence of its audience with contrived plots and clichés. The film allows us to realize that monsters exist everywhere, even in the most unassuming places and people.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Great Expectations in Books
Nov 13, 2019
This classic tale follows the life of Philip 'Pip' Pirrip as he discovers escaped convicts, falls in love and meets the eccentric Miss Havisham. When a mysterious benefactor bequeathes him money to make a gentleman of him Piip grasps the opportunity with both hands.
For me Great Expectations is the archetypal Dickens novel, in that it is very uneven and full of dull and tiresome sections which do little to advance the plot but instead let Dickens show off his love of absurd names and his observations of social hierarchies in Victorian London.
The first part is fine - after the rather clumsy opening paragraph. The scenes on the marshes are evocative, Stella is well portrayed as the unobtainable target of his affections and Miss Havisham steals the show.
It is when Pip arrives in London that it all starts to go wrong. The characters become flat and two dimensional, only there to demonstrate how he is progressing in his quest to become a gentleman, the usual Dickens tool of the name that slightly indicates their character frequently used instead of actually providing them with any character. Very little of this section is actually relevant to the plot in hand and just seems to be filler to pad the book to the requisite number of episodes.
Once Pip returns home for the final chapters and the big reveal the story once again picks up as the various plot strands laid in the first part come together.
Overall the first and last parts of the book are worth reading, but the middle bit can be safely skimmed through as the reader won't miss anything important and will avoid much tedium.
For me Great Expectations is the archetypal Dickens novel, in that it is very uneven and full of dull and tiresome sections which do little to advance the plot but instead let Dickens show off his love of absurd names and his observations of social hierarchies in Victorian London.
The first part is fine - after the rather clumsy opening paragraph. The scenes on the marshes are evocative, Stella is well portrayed as the unobtainable target of his affections and Miss Havisham steals the show.
It is when Pip arrives in London that it all starts to go wrong. The characters become flat and two dimensional, only there to demonstrate how he is progressing in his quest to become a gentleman, the usual Dickens tool of the name that slightly indicates their character frequently used instead of actually providing them with any character. Very little of this section is actually relevant to the plot in hand and just seems to be filler to pad the book to the requisite number of episodes.
Once Pip returns home for the final chapters and the big reveal the story once again picks up as the various plot strands laid in the first part come together.
Overall the first and last parts of the book are worth reading, but the middle bit can be safely skimmed through as the reader won't miss anything important and will avoid much tedium.
TacoDave (4036 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Nov 14, 2019
Story (3 more)
Acting
Humor
Unexpected twists
This Parasite gets under your skin...
I will try not to spoil anything, because I really enjoyed watching this movie unfold. It's the kind of film where you can't really guess where it is going, because where it is going is so strange...
Based on the director, I expected sci-fi or horror. This movie isn't either of those genres: it is basically a human-level character study, but in a universe with slightly-cartoonish logic.
I know that doesn't make much sense, but if you watch the movie you might agree.
The main family is broke. They have no money for food and their neighbor recently put a password on their wifi, so they don't even have phones that work. When the son gets the chance to become a tutor to a rich girl, even though he isn't qualified, he jumps at the chance. And, slowly but surely, he and his family plan ways to get all four of them hired on at the rich owners' house.
That's all I will say, because discovery is important for this movie to work. There is a lot of drama and real-life class struggle, but the movie is often punctuated by humor that takes a second to register. It might be a physical sight gag; it might be a turn of phrase; it might be a facial expression; but I found myself laughing out loud, even as uncomfortable things were happening.
If you don't mind subtitles, I strongly recommend Parasite. It is as good as the reviews say.
Based on the director, I expected sci-fi or horror. This movie isn't either of those genres: it is basically a human-level character study, but in a universe with slightly-cartoonish logic.
I know that doesn't make much sense, but if you watch the movie you might agree.
The main family is broke. They have no money for food and their neighbor recently put a password on their wifi, so they don't even have phones that work. When the son gets the chance to become a tutor to a rich girl, even though he isn't qualified, he jumps at the chance. And, slowly but surely, he and his family plan ways to get all four of them hired on at the rich owners' house.
That's all I will say, because discovery is important for this movie to work. There is a lot of drama and real-life class struggle, but the movie is often punctuated by humor that takes a second to register. It might be a physical sight gag; it might be a turn of phrase; it might be a facial expression; but I found myself laughing out loud, even as uncomfortable things were happening.
If you don't mind subtitles, I strongly recommend Parasite. It is as good as the reviews say.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Silverthorn in Books
Nov 25, 2019
When Princess Anita is poisoned, Prince Arutha needs to find the antidote but to avoid suspicion must do so secretly. Assembling a small band of his most trusted companions he heads off to search out Silverthorn, the only known cure for the poison.
Magician was a sprawling epic fantasy tale, spun out of role playing sessions with its own self contained story. In itself it is impressive but in coming up with the sequal (and the third book to make them a trilogy) Feist really shows his flair for story telling. This book is a self-contained quest in its own right but also part of a bigger whole, a feature that would result in a very long series of books.
And what a story it is. Again influenced by the Friday night role playing sessions our heroes are a varied band, each with their own strengths, who must use all their skill and abilities to discover and return the antidote. But what they discover on the way reveals a much more powerful threat to the Kingdom of the Isles.
The characters are strong and likeable, the set pieces enthralling and well written. Okay so it's not stunningly original relying on a lot fantasy tropes and owing a huge debt to Tolkien but it is rarely derivative, always taking its own path so this doesn't detract from it in the end.
This trilogy of Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness At Sethanon form an almost perfect epic fantasy trilogy that for my money is just as essential as The Lord Of The Rings for fantasy buffs.
Magician was a sprawling epic fantasy tale, spun out of role playing sessions with its own self contained story. In itself it is impressive but in coming up with the sequal (and the third book to make them a trilogy) Feist really shows his flair for story telling. This book is a self-contained quest in its own right but also part of a bigger whole, a feature that would result in a very long series of books.
And what a story it is. Again influenced by the Friday night role playing sessions our heroes are a varied band, each with their own strengths, who must use all their skill and abilities to discover and return the antidote. But what they discover on the way reveals a much more powerful threat to the Kingdom of the Isles.
The characters are strong and likeable, the set pieces enthralling and well written. Okay so it's not stunningly original relying on a lot fantasy tropes and owing a huge debt to Tolkien but it is rarely derivative, always taking its own path so this doesn't detract from it in the end.
This trilogy of Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness At Sethanon form an almost perfect epic fantasy trilogy that for my money is just as essential as The Lord Of The Rings for fantasy buffs.
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