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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Orient in Books

Mar 15, 2018

There are some books that manage to transcend their genres to become something else altogether, and while "Orient" is ostensibly a mystery, it is also one of the finer literary works likely to be published this year. It follows Mills Chevern, a foster kid who has bounced in and out of several families on his way from Modesto, California to the titular town of Orient on New York's Long Island. While a handful of the townspeople feel sympathetic to him and try to help him adjust to the community's somewhat insular nature, most are suspicious of anyone new. Shortly after his arrival, strange creatures begin washing up onshore and residents being dying. Mills and recently returned native Beth begin to search for answers in places that the locals, who are all to happy to point the finger at the new and unfamiliar resident, refuse to look, and in the process learn about the dark secrets hiding beneath the veneer of the seemingly idyllic coastal community. There are more than enough twists and surprises to keep fans of the mystery and suspense genres happy, but there is so much more here. It goes into tremendous detail about the lives of its characters, really giving you a sense of the town, and really making you care for the people you're reading about. The prose itself flows beautifully and contains countless quotable moments. This is a gorgeously entertaining read that is very likely to wind up on more than a few year-end best lists.

Kudos

On the Road

Jack Kerouac and Ann Charters

8.5 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Five decades after it was first published, Jack Kerouac's seminal Beat novel On the Road finally...

Leadership in a Week: Be a Leader in Seven Simple Steps

Carol O'Connor

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Leadership In A Week is a simple and straightforward guide to leadership success, giving you...

Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Apollo 13 (1995) in Movies

Feb 7, 2018

Apollo 13 (1995)

1995 | Action, Drama, History

8.5

(38 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

On a scale of 1 - 5 this film is an easy 6

No matter how many times I see this film (and I have seen it quite a few times by now) I never fail to be moved by the amazing story being told and the excellence of Ron Howard's film-making.

The staggeringly good cast centres about Hanks, Bacon, Sinise, Paxton and Harris. Never once do any of these disappoint in their performance.

Their spot-on delivery of such simple yet evocative lines as: 'We just lost the moon' and 'I prefer to think of this as our finest hour' presenta wealth of emotions, whilst underscoring the strength and resilience of the human character; at the same time and with equal simplicity 'Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindberg and Alan Armstrong!' expresses one ordinary man's amazement at his friend's new-found place in the history books. The simple efficiency of the writing in this script has resulted in one of the best screenplays Hollywood has ever produced. The first-class direction and acting have ensured a powerful and convincing transfer from paper to celluloid.

Although this is not a 'Special Effects' film, there are a considerable number of effects in the film. Downplayed and used as such effects truly should be (as a technical enhancement to, rather than the object of the film) they convincingly and chillingly impart the sense of isolation felt by the Astronauts.

This 'aloneness'; their captivity in a the tiny LEM; the lack of action available to them is succinctly counter-balanced by the numerous ground crew, unfettered in thier movements as they rush round NASA desperatly, and with unending ingenuity, trying to solve one problem after another before time, power and oxygen run out for the three men in space.