Search

Search only in certain items:

A Star Is Born (2018)
A Star Is Born (2018)
2018 | Drama, Romance
Bradley Cooper lays the triple threat by not only starring, but directing and co-writing the script for this 4th time retelling of a tragic story of love, music, and addiction. Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), a superstar struggling with addiction on a downward spiral falls in love with a rising star named Ally (Lady Gaga), who is trying to make her musical mark in the world all while saving the man she loves.

 

One night after a show, Jackson Maine drunkenly wanders into a drag bar and becomes completely enamored with Ally’s sultry voice after she belts out La Vie En Rose. It didn’t take long to realize the vulnerability that connected the two artists. The wounded soul of Jackson’s past and Ally’s heartbreak from constant rejection by the large music companies because she doesn’t look like a Barbie doll. The following day, Jackson flies Ally to one of his shows, and invites her to sing with him on stage together. Realizing the audience loves them and the chemistry they exude on stage, it’s only makes sense for Ally to join Jackson on tour and begin making beautiful music together. The chemistry carries off stage as the two quickly fall in love, get married, all while Ally’s career begins to take off.

 

Ally, however, is ill-equipped to deal with Jackson’s addiction and the demands that come with being a superstar, trying to juggle home life and her career. Proud of his wife’s success and still suffering from his own demons, Jackson in the end realizes his inability to come up for air is holding her back.

 

Bradley Cooper has proven that he is just as talented behind the camera as he is in front of one. All the agony, the pain, raw emotions Cooper demonstrated in this character, I would be very surprised if he didn’t receive any recognition come awards season. Even with such a stellar performance by Cooper, Lady Gaga was the absolute show stopper. She commanded the audience’s attention with her voice, her quick wit, her natural realism of codependency. She was born to play Ally.

 

We already knew that Lady Gaga and her singing chops where going to be a major focal point in this film, but who knew Bradley Cooper could sing? Cooper, who said he flew to Seattle to consult friend Eddie Vedder, frontman for Pearl Jam, on how to “aesthetically become a musician, and all the inner workings.” The breathtaking musical performances made you feel like you were live at the concert. I almost found myself clapping at the end of a couple of numbers.

 

When you see a movie and find yourself just sitting there in awe as the end credits roll by, unable to move, you realized you’ve just seen magic. From the music, to the supporting characters, the editing……..every element was sheer perfection!
  
    Church Organ

    Church Organ

    Music and Entertainment

    1.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    rDid you even dreamed to carry a big Church Organ in your pocket, to play while travelling or...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer  - Season 6
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 6
2001 | Horror
Once more with feeling (4 more)
Dark willow
Giles I like to test that theory
Yellow Crayon Speech
Two to go
Say your happy now once more with feeling
Love it or hate it once more with feeling is a master pieces and a setting for other TV shows to branch into musical episode. Whilst I love it let's face it only Amber Benson Antony Head and James Masters have great singing voices. Of course the other try there best but aren't the best singers in the world. However the episode is brilliant the idea is superburb and its so well executed that it doesn't matter. At a buffy convention whilst watching this episode a friend of mine yelled No as loud as she could when dawn sing does "anybody notice. Does anybody care" This has become a traditional. Every time the episode is played with friends or at conventions or when I won tickets to buffy slays 20 syfi 20 competion the friend who originally did this at hallowhedon 4 has now since passed it a great tribute, that alon make me give this season a 10/10.

Once more with feeling isn't the only great episode this series Tara death is again moving and the movement of Dark williow is superub of course the yellow crayon speech is so moving and heartfelt. I met Nick Brendon dressed as the yellow crayon was one of my favorite moment of my life.
  
40x40

Murphy (5 KP) Jul 20, 2017

Story-wise this was not the strongest season, and the episode with Spike sexually assaulting Buffy is more than enough to keep me from giving this a perfect score....but episodes such as "Once More With Feeling" are simply too strong to take much away.
OMWF was a game changer for television. There have been many who have tried to capture some of that magic (only Scrubs comes close).
Giles story throughout the season was great, Anya and Xander was heartbreaking.

The Storyteller
The Storyteller
Jodi Picoult | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have to say I am a die hard Jodi Picoult fan! I was before I read Sing You Home & I am still. I heard that this book was not her "norm" among various other things. But to me it was no different. It touches on love, family, friendships, & the definition of what constitutes a family. It speaks to current societal & politcial issues with Picoult's usual grace & lyrical writing style.
This book tells the story of Zoe & Max at the beginning. They are a couple who have tried unsuccessfully for years to have a child. They eventually begin IVF treatments & in the end have a boy, stillborn. This proves too much for their marriage & it falls to pieces. Zoe begins a friendship with an acquaintance who had contracted her musical therapy services for a student at the high school where she is a counselor.
In the end that friendship goes into places that no one involved ever expected. But ultimatly that unexpected relationship is what ends up saving them all in the end.
This story was beautifully written as usual with her books. It had me laughing & crying with the characters who were all so real & genuine that you couldn't help but root for each & everyone of them despite the fact that they find themselves on opposite sides of a contensious lawsuit. I hate to say more & ruin the book. Go read it. You will NOT be disappointed!
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies

May 30, 2019 (Updated May 30, 2019)  
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Japan's biggest movie star returns to the screen in a solid, entertaining sequel (and I'm not talking about Ken Watanabe). Eco-terrorists steal a new gadget that allows people to communicate with and control giant monsters, intending to use it to save the environment by getting the world's monsters to destroy industrial civilisation: possibly not the most thought-through plan in history, but it has originality on its side.

I am not the best person to be objective about a new Godzilla movie, but I had a good time with this film. Even so, it does have obvious flaws: Kyle Chandler is kind of useless as the supposed protagonist, and the story does have a very 1990s vibe to it which I expect some people may have an issue with. However, the tone of the film is just about perfect: the Toho monsters look and behave exactly as you'd hope, and the film incorporates lots of little details from the original movies, most obviously the classic musical themes for Godzilla and Mothra. If you like Japanese monster movies, I think you will enjoy this movie a lot - if not, well, it's about a dinosaur, a dragon, a moth and a pterodactyl doing all-in wrestling together; whether you think that is an outrageously cool idea or unbelievably stupid is a matter of personal taste, but the movie itself is unlikely to change your opinion. Bring on the big ape!
  
40x40

Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Say My Name in Books

Jun 5, 2019  
Say My Name
Say My Name
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Drawing on her impressive intellectual prowess, Allegra Huston introduces us to a spectacular cast, all each with their part to play.
This story goes beyond the love and friendship surface and digs deep into the sensual world of danger and excitement from which the main character, middle-aged Eve Armanton, blossoms. But this is no normal voyage of self-discovery, but an empowering awakening brought on by a much younger musician Micajah, and a mysterious, battered old violin. Through these Eve has a startling realisation that her life will never be the same again – with or without a man in her life.
The author has a very distinct writing style with a kind of musical rhythm of her own! What I thought was just going to be a basic love story with a happy ending, turned into an exciting, page-turning thrill.
Eve is buried under the difficulties of her married life and the longing to find who she really is. But how far is she prepared to go to discover her own true power?
I liked the connection (which I think was intentional) between the the shattered violin and Eve’s life. Both had seen better days. Both were lost and now found. But what is to become of them?
A stirring account of a broken wife slowly coming to terms with the reality of what is her life, one powerfully sensual beat at a time.
  
See the Stars - Single by Adrian Jean
See the Stars - Single by Adrian Jean
2019
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Adrian Jean is an up-and-coming LA-based singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. Not too long ago, he released an inspiring R&B tune, entitled, “See the Stars (Radio Edit)”.

Adrian Jean was homeless for two and a half years unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues. He lived in his automobile underneath the famed Hollywood sign and showered at a nearby gym.

His grandmother sensed that something was wrong and begged her grandson to come home to the East Coast. But Adrian was determined to stay in L.A. to fulfill his musical dream.

Therefore, he continued writing songs while sleeping in the backseat, staring down at the lights of Los Angeles. One of the songs that he wrote, entitled, “See The Stars”, found Adrian negotiating leaving home despite his grandmother’s disapproval.

‘See the Stars (Radio Edit)’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and vibey instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and urban-soul elements.

Adrian Jean has led a tumultuous life which has taken him from the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia to glamorous nightclubs, to homelessness, and redemption.

With an absent father and a mother who was more interested in drugs than raising her children, Adrian was forced to grow up very quickly.

By the age of 15, he was living on his own and working for a drug dealer. Later, he struggled with the pressures of being a bisexual man in a culture that didn’t accept such differences.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/adrian-jean-see-the-stars/
  
Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Oscar worthy performances from the cast (2 more)
A genuinely complex approach to character based horror
Grounded horror, exploring reality and supernatural settings
It may be a little too slow for some (1 more)
This is not an easy viewing, and not a popcorn flick, you will need to pay full attention!
We Are family...
This movie is....intense.

It is painful.

It is uncomfortable.

It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.

The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.

They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.

The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.

The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.

It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.

Watch it!
  
40x40

Andy K (10823 KP) Jul 19, 2019

Spot on!