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Bill Murray recommended Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Books (curated)
Phil (7 KP) rated Huckleberry Finn in Books
May 23, 2017
Would be hard to meet expectations
Huckleberry Finn is a story about deciding your values. Mark Twain has a lot to say about everything, from slavery, to how we view adults vs children, to general decency. It's a great read if you want to be challenged on morality and the process of judgement and trust. It is, however, really hard to get through some conversations where half the words have to be taken on context. Being a classic of literature, I had built this up unfairly in my mind, so I had to drop the score assuming you'd do the same.
Would be perfect for anyone learning Southerner though, looking for a cheap immersion course.
Would be perfect for anyone learning Southerner though, looking for a cheap immersion course.
David Baldacci recommended Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide in Books (curated)
JT (287 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
The Peanut Butter Falcon is a heartwarming tale of a boy called Zak (Zack Gottsagen) who escapes his care home with the dream of becoming a wrestler. Along the way, he meets and forms an unlikely friendship with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) who joins him on his journey.
Zak has no idea how to get to where he’s going but is encouraged to escape by his roommate Carl (Bruce Dern). So in just his underpants he slips through the bars of his window and escapes.
Meanwhile, Tyler is running from a troubled and emotional past of his own. Flashbacks show him laughing and joking with his brother Mark played by Jon Bernthal, who as it turns out is killed in a car accident with Tyler asleep at the wheel.
But this film isn’t about Tyler, it’s about Zak and getting the chance to meet his wrestling hero, the Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church) who he’s seen countless times on TV and is desperate to meet.
It’s the kind of film that you know will only have a happy ending as each discovers new things about themselves – they bring the best out in each other.
LaBeouf gives an excellent performance and the story has a Mark Twain feel about it. Walking barefoot, swimming and floating down the river on a hand made raft, free from a society that holds them back. Zack Gottsagen is equally good and provides some funny and dramatic moments that will tug at the heartstrings.
They are followed closely on their adventure by Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) Zak’s caregiver who has foiled his previous escape attempts on more than one occasion. When she finally catches up with them she too discovers a few home truths.
The Peanut Butter Falcon oozes charm and is helped by two brilliant central performances. If you’ve not seen it already then I urge you to make time for it.
Zak has no idea how to get to where he’s going but is encouraged to escape by his roommate Carl (Bruce Dern). So in just his underpants he slips through the bars of his window and escapes.
Meanwhile, Tyler is running from a troubled and emotional past of his own. Flashbacks show him laughing and joking with his brother Mark played by Jon Bernthal, who as it turns out is killed in a car accident with Tyler asleep at the wheel.
But this film isn’t about Tyler, it’s about Zak and getting the chance to meet his wrestling hero, the Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church) who he’s seen countless times on TV and is desperate to meet.
It’s the kind of film that you know will only have a happy ending as each discovers new things about themselves – they bring the best out in each other.
LaBeouf gives an excellent performance and the story has a Mark Twain feel about it. Walking barefoot, swimming and floating down the river on a hand made raft, free from a society that holds them back. Zack Gottsagen is equally good and provides some funny and dramatic moments that will tug at the heartstrings.
They are followed closely on their adventure by Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) Zak’s caregiver who has foiled his previous escape attempts on more than one occasion. When she finally catches up with them she too discovers a few home truths.
The Peanut Butter Falcon oozes charm and is helped by two brilliant central performances. If you’ve not seen it already then I urge you to make time for it.
Annie Chanse (15 KP) rated The Last American Vampire in Books
May 25, 2018
A Rare Case of The Sequel Being Better than the First Book
I loved this book. Honestly, I'm not certain that I didn't like it even more than "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." One of my favorite things about both of these books is that Smith writes them like history books (complete with footnotes and actual photographs of things like Teddy Roosevelt posing with an elephant he'd just killed and Jack Ruby with his gun jammed into Lee Harvey Oswald's stomach). The facts he uses in his book are so... FACTUAL! I mean, seriously, the only thing keeping a person from reading these books as absolute truth is the fact that s/he doesn't believe vampires actually exist. But if a person DID believe in vampires? Oh yes, everything in these books is absolutely plausible. I can honestly see some confused people who are on the fence about whether or not vampires are real reading this book, finishing it, slamming it down, and saying, "I KNEW IT! I -KNEW- THEY WERE REAL!" Ha. Seriously though, the realism in these books is what makes them so much fun and so wonderful.
The thing I like about this book so much -- the thing that very possibly makes me enjoy this one more than the original -- is all that cameos in the book -- Mark Twain, Howard Hughes, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving, Eliot Ness.... I mean, HELLO?! What a stellar, badass cast of cameo characters. Although, honestly, "cameo" is not the most appropriate word because some of these characters played pretty major roles in the novel. It was fantastic. Viewing Howard Hughes' eccentricities and insanities through vampire-colored glasses is simply... perfect. It doesn't seemed forced at all. Wait, after a plane crash, Howard Hughes was turned into a vampire? ... Yeah, I can see that. That makes perfect sense. And it DOES! It is such an easy transition from mentally ill billionaire to crazy vampire. Not such a stretch. And Rasputin? OH yeah. That guy was TOTALLY a vampire. :-p
Anyway. Now I'm kind of rambling. But seriously, this book was fantastic, so much fun. There wasn't a single part of this book that I didn't love.
The thing I like about this book so much -- the thing that very possibly makes me enjoy this one more than the original -- is all that cameos in the book -- Mark Twain, Howard Hughes, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving, Eliot Ness.... I mean, HELLO?! What a stellar, badass cast of cameo characters. Although, honestly, "cameo" is not the most appropriate word because some of these characters played pretty major roles in the novel. It was fantastic. Viewing Howard Hughes' eccentricities and insanities through vampire-colored glasses is simply... perfect. It doesn't seemed forced at all. Wait, after a plane crash, Howard Hughes was turned into a vampire? ... Yeah, I can see that. That makes perfect sense. And it DOES! It is such an easy transition from mentally ill billionaire to crazy vampire. Not such a stretch. And Rasputin? OH yeah. That guy was TOTALLY a vampire. :-p
Anyway. Now I'm kind of rambling. But seriously, this book was fantastic, so much fun. There wasn't a single part of this book that I didn't love.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Cure for Dreaming in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
On her seventeenth birthday 1900, Olivia Meade gets invited onto a stage to be hypnotized by the young Monsieur Henri Reverie in this historical, paranormal novel. In Oregon at this period of time women were not allowed to vote in presidential elections and Olivia’s father is determined that she does not get influenced by the campaigning suffragists. On hearing about the hypnotist, Dr. Meade hires him with the job of removing the “selfish” and “unladylike dreams” from his daughter’s head. However this causes Olivia more problems than expected. She begins to see horrible images but are these as a result of Henri telling her “you will see the world the way it truly is”, or is she hallucinating as a result of reading Dracula more times than necessary?
<i>The Cure For Dreaming</i> contains a mix of historical references and paranormal ideas as both Henri and Olivia struggle to find a successful way of reversing the effects of the hypnosis as well as involving themselves in the women’s suffrage movement.
Cat Winters, despite the added fantasy elements, has kept the book historically accurate. A typical novel about women’s equality would result in life changing successes, however as Oregon did not did not gain full suffrage until 1912 this of course was not impossible to include in <i>The Cure For Dreaming</i>. Ultimately it is a novel about growing up to be who you want to be and knowing your own mind rather than succumbing to the “natural” views of society.
The writing is contemporary and easy to understand which makes it suitable for ages twelve and older. The downside to this is that it detracts from the historical setting, making Olivia appear a lot more modern than she actually is. Apart from mimicking a classic novel type style, which would make it less suitable for its target audience, there is not a lot that can be done about that.
Between chapters of the book are relevant photographs or images from the appropriate time period, which help to illustrate the events in the plot. There are also quotes from authors such as Kate Chopin and Mark Twain as well as more political lines from various speeches. These also help to provide an understanding of the historical setting.
Overall <i>The Cure For Dreaming</i> is a great book for teenagers. There may be paranormal themes but it is not a horror novel, in fact there is just as much romance as anything else.
On her seventeenth birthday 1900, Olivia Meade gets invited onto a stage to be hypnotized by the young Monsieur Henri Reverie in this historical, paranormal novel. In Oregon at this period of time women were not allowed to vote in presidential elections and Olivia’s father is determined that she does not get influenced by the campaigning suffragists. On hearing about the hypnotist, Dr. Meade hires him with the job of removing the “selfish” and “unladylike dreams” from his daughter’s head. However this causes Olivia more problems than expected. She begins to see horrible images but are these as a result of Henri telling her “you will see the world the way it truly is”, or is she hallucinating as a result of reading Dracula more times than necessary?
<i>The Cure For Dreaming</i> contains a mix of historical references and paranormal ideas as both Henri and Olivia struggle to find a successful way of reversing the effects of the hypnosis as well as involving themselves in the women’s suffrage movement.
Cat Winters, despite the added fantasy elements, has kept the book historically accurate. A typical novel about women’s equality would result in life changing successes, however as Oregon did not did not gain full suffrage until 1912 this of course was not impossible to include in <i>The Cure For Dreaming</i>. Ultimately it is a novel about growing up to be who you want to be and knowing your own mind rather than succumbing to the “natural” views of society.
The writing is contemporary and easy to understand which makes it suitable for ages twelve and older. The downside to this is that it detracts from the historical setting, making Olivia appear a lot more modern than she actually is. Apart from mimicking a classic novel type style, which would make it less suitable for its target audience, there is not a lot that can be done about that.
Between chapters of the book are relevant photographs or images from the appropriate time period, which help to illustrate the events in the plot. There are also quotes from authors such as Kate Chopin and Mark Twain as well as more political lines from various speeches. These also help to provide an understanding of the historical setting.
Overall <i>The Cure For Dreaming</i> is a great book for teenagers. There may be paranormal themes but it is not a horror novel, in fact there is just as much romance as anything else.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
Verdict: Beautiful Movie
Story: The Peanut Butter Falcon starts as we meet a down syndrome young man Zak (Gottsagen) who dreams of being a wrestler, but is stuck in a care home sharing a room with Carl (Dern) under the care of Eleanor (Johnson), he has been trying to escape before and when he finally does, he meets Tyler (LaBeouf) a rebel who is fighting for his place in a fishing world.
As Tyler reluctantly agrees to help Zak, the two go on an adventure through the outdoors to make it to the wrestling school to live his dream of becoming a wrestler like his hero Salt Water Redneck (Church), even though Eleanor is trying to find him before it is too late.
Thoughts on The Peanut Butter Falcon
Characters – Zak is a down syndrome young man that is living in a nursing home with nobody else offering him a place to live, he loves wrestling and wants to make this his dream to become a wrestler, which sees him running away from the nursing home, meeting Tyler and having his first adventure. Tyler is a drifter working on the local fishing area, that has found himself getting into trouble with the locals, needing to go on the run, where he ends up meet Zak, reluctantly teaching him about life. Eleanor is the carer that has always looked after Zak, she has become concerned about his desire to move away and after he runs away, she must go in search of him, needing to learn more about opening up to his own desire in life.
Performances – Zack Gottsagen is wonderful in the leading role showing all the delight and pain his character is going through. Shia LaBeouf is going down the right path here, doing the roles which require him to show his skills rather than cash heavy roles. Dakota Johnson is great too, with the supporting cast that all work wonderfully through the film.
Story – The story here follows a young down syndrome man who decides to run away from the nursing home he is living in, with dreams of becoming a wrestler where he meets a lost drifter who teaches him more about life, while chasing his dream. This is a story that is similar to the story of Mark Twain with a fresh approach, with one of the clear messages being, not to judge somebody on a disability they have, they can achieve as much as anybody else. This is a joy to watch as a story, seeing how the two bond and just have a life adventure.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of this film, sees two unlikely men at different stages of their lives spending a couple of days together learning about life, it is inspiring to see how people might react to life, while getting a couple of laughs along the way, with the friendship.
Settings – The film uses the back-water locations to show the drifter lifestyle to which Zak has fallen into and one that Tyler can navigate.
Scene of the Movie – The match.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful movie that can be enjoyed by all, one that has a clear message about treating everyone equal and one that will leave you feeling good by the end.
Overall: True Delight.
Story: The Peanut Butter Falcon starts as we meet a down syndrome young man Zak (Gottsagen) who dreams of being a wrestler, but is stuck in a care home sharing a room with Carl (Dern) under the care of Eleanor (Johnson), he has been trying to escape before and when he finally does, he meets Tyler (LaBeouf) a rebel who is fighting for his place in a fishing world.
As Tyler reluctantly agrees to help Zak, the two go on an adventure through the outdoors to make it to the wrestling school to live his dream of becoming a wrestler like his hero Salt Water Redneck (Church), even though Eleanor is trying to find him before it is too late.
Thoughts on The Peanut Butter Falcon
Characters – Zak is a down syndrome young man that is living in a nursing home with nobody else offering him a place to live, he loves wrestling and wants to make this his dream to become a wrestler, which sees him running away from the nursing home, meeting Tyler and having his first adventure. Tyler is a drifter working on the local fishing area, that has found himself getting into trouble with the locals, needing to go on the run, where he ends up meet Zak, reluctantly teaching him about life. Eleanor is the carer that has always looked after Zak, she has become concerned about his desire to move away and after he runs away, she must go in search of him, needing to learn more about opening up to his own desire in life.
Performances – Zack Gottsagen is wonderful in the leading role showing all the delight and pain his character is going through. Shia LaBeouf is going down the right path here, doing the roles which require him to show his skills rather than cash heavy roles. Dakota Johnson is great too, with the supporting cast that all work wonderfully through the film.
Story – The story here follows a young down syndrome man who decides to run away from the nursing home he is living in, with dreams of becoming a wrestler where he meets a lost drifter who teaches him more about life, while chasing his dream. This is a story that is similar to the story of Mark Twain with a fresh approach, with one of the clear messages being, not to judge somebody on a disability they have, they can achieve as much as anybody else. This is a joy to watch as a story, seeing how the two bond and just have a life adventure.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of this film, sees two unlikely men at different stages of their lives spending a couple of days together learning about life, it is inspiring to see how people might react to life, while getting a couple of laughs along the way, with the friendship.
Settings – The film uses the back-water locations to show the drifter lifestyle to which Zak has fallen into and one that Tyler can navigate.
Scene of the Movie – The match.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful movie that can be enjoyed by all, one that has a clear message about treating everyone equal and one that will leave you feeling good by the end.
Overall: True Delight.