Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (726)

Content

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Letters to the Pianist in Books

Nov 19, 2019

Letters to the Pianist

S.D. Mayes | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller

10.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

War is hell. Sometimes that hell can be a little closer to home.

14 year old Ruth Goldberg lives with her family in the East End of London during the Second World War with her parents and younger sister and brother. Her life isn't perfect by any means but at least she has her family. When their house takes a direct hit from a German bomb, the children are orphaned and cast adrift to live with strangers.

Meanwhile a man is found in the rubble following the bombing, suffering from total amnesia, who is given the name Edward because cannot even remember his own. He does discover that he is an enormously skilled pianist and soon becomes famous and also rich after marrying the daughter of a well-connected aristocrat millionaire.

The story follows Ruth, her siblings and Edward through the war years and beyond as that one bombing raid changed all their lives forever. Some will find their new lives hold unexpected - even deadly - dangers and all will come to know love and friendship as well as loss and betrayal.

Mayes writes this novel with confidence, moving smoothly between the story lines as they unfold and intertwine. She makes the reader really feel the emotions the characters are going through, good or bad. Edward's story is particularly effective as his previous life slowly starts to come to light and the man he was isn't the person either those around him or Edward himself is comfortable with.

As with her previous book, Stop The World, although very different in subject matter this story is just as deeply affecting and once again I'm sure it will stay with me for some time.

Kudos

Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Spirited Away (2001) in Movies

Nov 24, 2019

Spirited Away (2001)

2001 | Animation, Fantasy

8.4

(62 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Never Recovered After a Slow Start

When a girl gets separated from her parents during a family outing, she ends up in an abandoned amusement park that is a gateway to the spirit world. After her parents get turned into pigs, she has to figure out a way to save them and get home.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 1
Gets off to a pretty slow start. Literally every single time I watch the first ten minutes, I get sleepy. I don’t know if it’s the music or the slow drive through the country, but I wish things would move a bit faster.

Characters: 10
The spirit world is definitely not lacking in originality, particularly when it comes to the characters. I appreciated the level of detail here as every single spirit, good or bad, had their own way of moving, talking, and interacting with the world around them. In Spirited Away, you get crazy witches, dragons, and a professor-looking dude that has spider-like limbs. There is so much to see, I keep seeing new things each time I go back and watch the movie.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 7

Memorability: 5

Pace: 3

Plot: 7

Resolution: 4
Although the ending is better than the beginning, that’s not saying much. it felt dry and lacking of a definitive conclusion. Was definitely hoping for more.

Overall: 67
Sometimes I will watch a movie multiple times and appreciate it more the second or third time around. Unfortunately, for me, Spirited Away doesn’t quite hit that mark. It’s a good that my opinion isn’t the end-all be-all because these Hayao Mayazaki movies have a huge following. Maybe I’ll try this one again someday, but, for now, I’m good.