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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Welcome to Marwen (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Cap’t Hogie (Steve Carell) is saved from of Nazi’s, after his plane crashed in a swamp in Belgium, by a squad women. They are able to take the beaten and battered Hogie back to their town of Marwen. Or at least that the story Mark Hogancamp (also Steve Carell) has conjured in his art installation outside his trailer home. Mark himself was found by a bartender, Wendy (Stefanie von Pfetten), after he was beaten with an inch of his life by a group of white supremacist. Hogancamp was a successful sketch artist and now can hardly write his own name. He also has little to no memory of the life before the beating. But he is still and artist and now his art lives in the dolls he uses to create a fantasy story that mirrors his real life.
The group of women dolls that seem to always save his Hogie character are all based on the women his life. There is G.I. Julie, aka Julie (Janelle Monae), his rehab partner after his accident and Roberta (Merritt Wever), the friendly neighborhood hobby story clerk. Plus there is Anna (Gwendoline Christie) nurse who brings Hogie his mail and supplies in real life and Carlala (Eiza Gonzalez) his coworker in real life. These make up the majority of his bad ass Nazi killing crew in Marwen. The newest addition is his neighbor Nicole (Leslie Mann) who he think might help him defeat the Nazi’s in Marwen for good and be a special new friend in real life. He will need both his Marwen crew and his real life friends as the sentencing for his real life attackers gets closer and his fragile mental health is pushed to a stressful breaking point.
This unique story is based on the real life of world famous photographic artist Mark Hogancamp. Mark was brutally beaten because he made a smart comment about liking to wear women’s shoes. It’s also a story of overcoming addiction and mental health issues. He turned the disaster into a passion for creating art and using fantasy to cope with tragedy.
This was a really interesting way of telling a one of a kind true story. I thought that director, Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Flight) used both real life and the fantasy world of Marwen to create one story. There were times when the story really didn’t flow great between the two worlds but overall was really original filmmaking. The pace and flow were a little off with the transitions. I thought the animation was exceptionally done. The story also had a bunch of topics it tackled, from mental health and memory loss to addiction but also had a good mix of humor. Carell dual performances were really well done and the supporting cast was also good. Films that are original and try new and interesting things are always worth a view in my opinion. I could see the content not really being for everyone but I thought the overall story left me feeling good.
The group of women dolls that seem to always save his Hogie character are all based on the women his life. There is G.I. Julie, aka Julie (Janelle Monae), his rehab partner after his accident and Roberta (Merritt Wever), the friendly neighborhood hobby story clerk. Plus there is Anna (Gwendoline Christie) nurse who brings Hogie his mail and supplies in real life and Carlala (Eiza Gonzalez) his coworker in real life. These make up the majority of his bad ass Nazi killing crew in Marwen. The newest addition is his neighbor Nicole (Leslie Mann) who he think might help him defeat the Nazi’s in Marwen for good and be a special new friend in real life. He will need both his Marwen crew and his real life friends as the sentencing for his real life attackers gets closer and his fragile mental health is pushed to a stressful breaking point.
This unique story is based on the real life of world famous photographic artist Mark Hogancamp. Mark was brutally beaten because he made a smart comment about liking to wear women’s shoes. It’s also a story of overcoming addiction and mental health issues. He turned the disaster into a passion for creating art and using fantasy to cope with tragedy.
This was a really interesting way of telling a one of a kind true story. I thought that director, Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Flight) used both real life and the fantasy world of Marwen to create one story. There were times when the story really didn’t flow great between the two worlds but overall was really original filmmaking. The pace and flow were a little off with the transitions. I thought the animation was exceptionally done. The story also had a bunch of topics it tackled, from mental health and memory loss to addiction but also had a good mix of humor. Carell dual performances were really well done and the supporting cast was also good. Films that are original and try new and interesting things are always worth a view in my opinion. I could see the content not really being for everyone but I thought the overall story left me feeling good.
Learn German with Babbel
Education and Travel
App
Learn German with Babbel, the app that’s helped millions speak with confidence. Developed by a...
Kids Trains! Baby Games for One & Two Year Olds
Education and Games
App
NEW! Fun pirate train game. Chug and toot into some true train fun and have a toot-riffic time...
Learn Spanish with Babbel
Education and Travel
App
Learn Spanish with Babbel, the app that’s helped millions speak with confidence. Developed by a...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Fortitude - Season 1 in TV
Dec 9, 2018
A genre-spanning atmospheric thriller
I watched Fortitude when it first aired a few years ago, and have decided to give it another watch now to refresh my memory now the final series has aired.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Necole (36 KP) rated We Were Liars in Books
Oct 25, 2018
Every summer, the Sinclair family visits the family island to spend the months there.
Gat, Mirren, Johnny and Cady were close and loved their summers they had together. Then an accident happened when Cady was 15 on the island that left her with no memory of events. For two years she didn't hear from Gat, Mirren or Johnny nor did she go to the family island during the summer. The summer of her 17th year, she finally returned ...
How did her family react to her to her return? Did Gat, Mirren and Johnny open up their arms to her? What happened to Cady that fateful summer of the accident? Will she remember?
Not only is this a crucial part of the story, but how does greed, money, power and family all play out in this well thought out novel of mystery?
I loved the writing style and how this book was broken into 4 parts, but I won't tell you the parts names because it might give something away!!!!
A brilliantly written mystery with an intriguing plot and a twisted ending you will not foresee!!!!
A must read that will have you flying through the pages and making you ask yourself a few questions. I also loved the retelling of fairy tales that make all the sense in the world once all the pieces are put together.
Gat, Mirren, Johnny and Cady were close and loved their summers they had together. Then an accident happened when Cady was 15 on the island that left her with no memory of events. For two years she didn't hear from Gat, Mirren or Johnny nor did she go to the family island during the summer. The summer of her 17th year, she finally returned ...
How did her family react to her to her return? Did Gat, Mirren and Johnny open up their arms to her? What happened to Cady that fateful summer of the accident? Will she remember?
Not only is this a crucial part of the story, but how does greed, money, power and family all play out in this well thought out novel of mystery?
I loved the writing style and how this book was broken into 4 parts, but I won't tell you the parts names because it might give something away!!!!
A brilliantly written mystery with an intriguing plot and a twisted ending you will not foresee!!!!
A must read that will have you flying through the pages and making you ask yourself a few questions. I also loved the retelling of fairy tales that make all the sense in the world once all the pieces are put together.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits in Books
Nov 14, 2018 (Updated May 29, 2020)
Humorous Sci-Fi book 1 of the Zoey Ashe series
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
When Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong was available to read for review, I was pleasantly surprised, primarily since it was published in 2015. I had read it for a book club in 2016 and remembered how much I enjoyed the story and its humor. My memory was indeed correct.
Wong is known for wit in his novels, and Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is no exception. It falls into his usual writing genre - humorous SciFi. I realized I should not read his book while at work because I chuckle out loud.
The main character, Zoey, has a ton of snarkiness and a very smelly cat. It is "a world in which anyone can have the powers of a god or the fame of a pop star." It is worse than big brother watching you. It is an entire world in which an all-seeing social network tracks your every move. Villians have superhuman enhancements. Ok, yes, sometimes they do not work, and people blow up.
Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, book two in the Zoey Ashe series will be released in October 2020, so you have plenty of time to read Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/28/20.
When Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong was available to read for review, I was pleasantly surprised, primarily since it was published in 2015. I had read it for a book club in 2016 and remembered how much I enjoyed the story and its humor. My memory was indeed correct.
Wong is known for wit in his novels, and Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is no exception. It falls into his usual writing genre - humorous SciFi. I realized I should not read his book while at work because I chuckle out loud.
The main character, Zoey, has a ton of snarkiness and a very smelly cat. It is "a world in which anyone can have the powers of a god or the fame of a pop star." It is worse than big brother watching you. It is an entire world in which an all-seeing social network tracks your every move. Villians have superhuman enhancements. Ok, yes, sometimes they do not work, and people blow up.
Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, book two in the Zoey Ashe series will be released in October 2020, so you have plenty of time to read Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/28/20.
David McK (3687 KP) rated The Maze Runner in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I decided to read this after watching the film of the same name based on it, in both cases more out of a sense of curiosity than out of any real desire to watch/read it.
In both cases, if I was asked for one word to sum it up, that word would probably be 'M'eh'.
Bleak in nature, this (IMO) is definitely one of - if not the - weakest of the Young Adult genre books I have read recently, that seem to have experienced a surge in popularity of late. In a break from what seems to be the norm, however, the main protagonists in this are predominantly male.
For anyone who doesn't know: the central character (Thomas) wakes up in a lift, with no memory of his previous life, to find himself deposited in what seems to be a glade surrounded by a massive maze which reconfigures itself every night, and in which monsters roam. He finds himself driven to become a Runner - i.e. a maze explorer - just as events start to unfold that will mark the end of their way of life (or the experiment in which the kids are all unwilling participants).
Reading that back, it's almost as if this is experiments done on mice told from the mice's point of view!
I've read it, but currently have no real desire to read any of the others in the series.
In both cases, if I was asked for one word to sum it up, that word would probably be 'M'eh'.
Bleak in nature, this (IMO) is definitely one of - if not the - weakest of the Young Adult genre books I have read recently, that seem to have experienced a surge in popularity of late. In a break from what seems to be the norm, however, the main protagonists in this are predominantly male.
For anyone who doesn't know: the central character (Thomas) wakes up in a lift, with no memory of his previous life, to find himself deposited in what seems to be a glade surrounded by a massive maze which reconfigures itself every night, and in which monsters roam. He finds himself driven to become a Runner - i.e. a maze explorer - just as events start to unfold that will mark the end of their way of life (or the experiment in which the kids are all unwilling participants).
Reading that back, it's almost as if this is experiments done on mice told from the mice's point of view!
I've read it, but currently have no real desire to read any of the others in the series.
Phil Maxwell (25 KP) rated Glitch - Season 1 in TV
Apr 5, 2020
Intriguing. Mystery lovers are in for a treat.
Glitch is an Australian drama serie that centres around the town of Yoorana and the surrounding countryside.
The series starts with a teenage lad, Beau, witnessing 6 people who had previously been dead and buried rising out of their graves in a cemetery one night. All are naked and disoriented, with no prior memory of dying. Making an anonymous call to the police, Beau hides and films the proceedings on his mobile phone. Cue Sergeant James Hayes and Doctor Elishia McKellar who come to investigate. Taken away to Doctor McKellar's surgery, the pair seem equally bamboozled as to what has happened as none of the risen show any signs of decomposition.
Throughout Season 1 we are treated to a whirlwind of deceit and intrigue, double crossing and mystery. We also get to see how each of the risen met their demise (all in different time periods of Yoorana's history, I might add) through flashbacks that cause them immense distress and curiosity. Finding, also, that none of them can leave the circumference of the town without getting deathly ill adds and extra bit of oddity, as they are basically a captive audience awaiting an answer, as are we, the viewers.
Having not long finished Season 1, with plenty of questions still poised, I look forward to seeing where Season 2 will take us and will definitely continue on with baited breath.
The series starts with a teenage lad, Beau, witnessing 6 people who had previously been dead and buried rising out of their graves in a cemetery one night. All are naked and disoriented, with no prior memory of dying. Making an anonymous call to the police, Beau hides and films the proceedings on his mobile phone. Cue Sergeant James Hayes and Doctor Elishia McKellar who come to investigate. Taken away to Doctor McKellar's surgery, the pair seem equally bamboozled as to what has happened as none of the risen show any signs of decomposition.
Throughout Season 1 we are treated to a whirlwind of deceit and intrigue, double crossing and mystery. We also get to see how each of the risen met their demise (all in different time periods of Yoorana's history, I might add) through flashbacks that cause them immense distress and curiosity. Finding, also, that none of them can leave the circumference of the town without getting deathly ill adds and extra bit of oddity, as they are basically a captive audience awaiting an answer, as are we, the viewers.
Having not long finished Season 1, with plenty of questions still poised, I look forward to seeing where Season 2 will take us and will definitely continue on with baited breath.
Horton Hears a Who!
Book and Education
7.0
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The best-selling Dr. Seuss classic “Horton Hears a Who!” comes to life with playful...