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ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion in Books
Jun 22, 2021
The Devil You Know is a series of case studies of some of the patients that Dr Gwen Adshead has worked with in her role as a forensic psychiatrist. I don’t know quite what I expected from this: perhaps a dry, academic-type book. It was nothing at all like that. It’s a book full of compassion for the terrible mistakes, acts and choices that these people have made. And this is what’s made clear in this book: we (or rather, I) have always been led to believe that people who murder, stalk or destroy others lives are sub-human, have no empathy, no guilt or reasons for their actions. But there are those who have made terrible, unforgivable, life-changing decisions and must now live with those choices. Some are wracked with guilt, others aren’t.
It’s really interesting to read about this diverse group of people - they were in Broadmoor, secure prisons or units, and some had been released back into society and were experiencing the world again after serving their sentences.
If you’ve always wondered what motivates people to commit violent crimes, then this is, in part, the book for you. I found it quite reassuring to know that there are people like Dr Adshead out there who listen to perpetrators of crime, who want to learn what it is that causes them to make that fatal decision. I found the part about early childhood neglect and abuse and its impact on brain development particularly interesting (I work in Early Years), and the fact that it is potentially within society’s power to prevent crime before it has even been thought about was sobering.
I could go on, but I won’t. Just to say that I found this whole book fascinating - it’s such a well-written, accessible and interesting read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, and to Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne for reading along with the Pigeons!
It’s really interesting to read about this diverse group of people - they were in Broadmoor, secure prisons or units, and some had been released back into society and were experiencing the world again after serving their sentences.
If you’ve always wondered what motivates people to commit violent crimes, then this is, in part, the book for you. I found it quite reassuring to know that there are people like Dr Adshead out there who listen to perpetrators of crime, who want to learn what it is that causes them to make that fatal decision. I found the part about early childhood neglect and abuse and its impact on brain development particularly interesting (I work in Early Years), and the fact that it is potentially within society’s power to prevent crime before it has even been thought about was sobering.
I could go on, but I won’t. Just to say that I found this whole book fascinating - it’s such a well-written, accessible and interesting read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, and to Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne for reading along with the Pigeons!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Case 39 (2010) in Movies
Dec 13, 2020
Emily - a social worker - is assigned to a young girl called lily due to suspected neglect. She goes to the family's House who appear to be very strange, the girl doesn't speak and the father refuses to speak directly to Emily and instead glares at her which she finds very unsettling. She reports this back to her boss who just brushes it off.
The next day Emily is able to speak to lily alone, who tells her that she overheard her parents talking about sending her to hell. Emily makes it her mission to try and save lily from her parents, and gives her her phone number telling her to call if ever she gets scared. Sure enough Lily calls her that evening asking for help before passing out. Emily racess to her house only to find lily's parents doing the most unspeakable thing to her (I won't say what it was but it definitely shocked me to the core). Thankfully lily's parents are arrested and lily is put into Foster care, eventually Emily decides to take lily into her own care until they can find her a permanent Foster family.
Things seem to be going well, until a 10 year old boy kills his parents after receiving a mysterious phone call from Emily's House with a man's voice.......... It isn't long before we discover that something is off with lily and it isn't good. This child is in fact pure evil!
Before this movie I wasn't sure if I could imagine Renee zellwegger in a more serious role than Bridget Jones but I was wrong, she played this role brilliantly and the role of lily was spot on as well, that girl was proper creepy. For a 2009 movie, some scenes did look rather dated. For example the scene at the beach didn't look very believable. The movie was entertaining enough to keep me interested though, right to the end.
The next day Emily is able to speak to lily alone, who tells her that she overheard her parents talking about sending her to hell. Emily makes it her mission to try and save lily from her parents, and gives her her phone number telling her to call if ever she gets scared. Sure enough Lily calls her that evening asking for help before passing out. Emily racess to her house only to find lily's parents doing the most unspeakable thing to her (I won't say what it was but it definitely shocked me to the core). Thankfully lily's parents are arrested and lily is put into Foster care, eventually Emily decides to take lily into her own care until they can find her a permanent Foster family.
Things seem to be going well, until a 10 year old boy kills his parents after receiving a mysterious phone call from Emily's House with a man's voice.......... It isn't long before we discover that something is off with lily and it isn't good. This child is in fact pure evil!
Before this movie I wasn't sure if I could imagine Renee zellwegger in a more serious role than Bridget Jones but I was wrong, she played this role brilliantly and the role of lily was spot on as well, that girl was proper creepy. For a 2009 movie, some scenes did look rather dated. For example the scene at the beach didn't look very believable. The movie was entertaining enough to keep me interested though, right to the end.
Nevertheless: A Memoir
Book
Drawing on his characteristic charisma, intelligence, and honesty, Alec Baldwin—one of the most...
Biography memoir entertainment
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Triple Frontier (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Triple threat
#tripplefrontier is a slick #film that at its depest focuses on the casualties & sacrafises that five mens obbsessions, greed & selfishness have on all the people they encounter. Bar #apostle & #cargo ive not really enjoyed any of the #netflix movies but seeing the impressive cast & equaly impressive director attached to tripple frontier i really couldnt pass this one up & ive got to say i was very impressed. Acting is great all round with #benafflek & #oscarisaac taking the front seat here. I was also #excited to see #garretthedlund in this but sadly his character isnt given much screentime at all or explored enough. Affleck has the most intresting character a father that at first seems like an all round good guy until we start to see the cracks in his personality housing traits such as neglect, coldness, #obbsession, greed, #addiction & agressive streaks. Watching him change from the weak man to this #heartless, job adict, selfish yet highly trained person is engrosing & helps ramp up tension with a certain unpredictability. Group dinamic is also a joy to watch & the #relationships they have with each other are belivable & help the viewer form a nice connection with them all. Some solid metaphors of how much a life costs & how #america takes whatever they want from people regardless of the effects or casualties it has are subley weaved in here at points. Themes of how #combat effects individuals mentaly, how a job in the #specialforces fails on the risk vs reward scale forcing many to seek higher paid mercinary work instead & also alot about trust/reliability in #hostile situations not just with unknowns but in #friendships too. Shot impressibly there are some #beautiful establishing shots & some #gorgeous camera work too (especially during the firefights & car chases). Sets are all visually pleasing to the eye & locations feel varied & full of life/hostility. Cgi is belivable & the soundtrack is memorable also. Tension is great giving you the #feeling that somethings about to go wrong at every turn & the action is exilirating. While nothing particually new its a very well made film thats certainly sets the bar for Netflix films to follow. #ciniphile #filmbuff
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
See it soar
#howtotrainyourdragon3 is a delightful, #passionate & #epic end to one of the best #animated trilogies of all time. This 3rd film sets itself apart from the others with its realistic portrayals of #love & by the sheer #heart & #dedication that's clearly gone into its making. Ill start with the themes explored here for a #kids animated #film are so well done that at times i felt not only #goosebumps & shivers going up my #body but my eyes were almost on the verge of tears too. Neglect, progression, sacrafice acceptance, belonging, #family bonds, learning & loyalty are explored here vastly but the biggest surprise comes from how the film depicts love & loss. Courtship is displayed here with such power/realism that my connection to the characters became stronger & #memories of my own #relationships came flooding back instantly bringing a #smile to my face. This film captures the thrill, the excitement, the #magic, the #nerves, the #butterflies of falling in love & meeting someone new so well that you simply can not help feel giddy, #happy & intoxicated by it all which is rare & something big blockbusters even fail to achieve these days. But with love always comes loss/betrayal too & as romantic love, family love & #friendship are handled extremely well so is the loss of love which hits like a punch to the gut & produces a huge dramatic effect ensuring you really do feel the lows as well as the highs each of these characters experience. Animation is glorious here with #dreamworks raising the bar to a #pixar quality flawless animation. Textures are photo realistic, lighting is blinding, action is beautifully staged & facial detail (especially for the main villain) is so good it gives the characters extra dimension & believability. Talking of the main #villain he is worth the price alone, never have i seen such a cold, calculating, methodical & merciless yet #charming & #smart bad guy in a #kids film before & #fmurrayabraham voice work goes beyond for him too. Score wise it shines providing both epic & sombre music adding great tension, atmosphere & heart. Such a well made, touching/moving tale full of heart, #soul & love. EPIC. #Odeon #howtotrainyourdragon #dragon
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Creed II (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Fighting fit
#creed2 ups the stakes & hits the viewer hard right in the #feels. I was so pumped for this as the first is probably one of my favourite #boxing movies & yet while the second isnt quite as good it still manages to pack an extremely impressive #punch. The thing about #Creed 2 that was instantly noticeable right from its powerful opening is just how god damn good it is at creating relatable/believable #emotion. This is done by creating such a strong believable bond between all of the main characters be it by #love/ passion or rivalry ensuring we care about everyone & really feel the struggles/#pain they experience (which almost lead to me tearing up at times). I also loved how they showed more from the #Drago perspective this time & how he he maybe an unstoppable force in the ring but in real life he's bullied & pushed around like a nobody, this was so refreshing to see & left me rooting for him just as much as Creed in the final #fight. Drago is a man clearly fuelled by #hate & anger kept under control by discipline & respect for his #father yet Creeds motivations are more cloudy, muddled & reckless fuelled more by #revenge & anger than focus/control & I found this to be by far the most interesting/intricate part of the movie. More of a drama than a #brawling film Creed 2 deals with incredibly depressing, realistic & tuff themes of overcoming mental torture, loss, revenge, neglect, conditioning, humiliation, passion, loyalty & at times I found it extremely heavy going with all of the cast delivering some strong & memorable performances adding to the realism. Sound design was also punchy giving tremendous weight to the fights & the soundtrack is a perfect balance between epic & sombre. Camera work is graceful & never hides any of the action & there's some #beautiful imagery that combine with clever set design make for some brilliantly deep symbolism. Only let down by its predictable & cliched second half/some cheesy scenes every now & then Creed 2 is a must watch, its #inspiring, uplifting yet hard hitting & at times emotionally draining. A second round thats well worth a shot. #limitless #sylvesterstallone #fighting #fightnight #rocky #michaelbjordan #rockybalboa
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Searching (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Look deeper
#searching #searchingmovie is an extremely intense, clever & emotionally draining film that for a directorial debut is actually quite a remarkable achievement. I like #Johncho I feel he's one of those actors that really doesnt get enough time to truly shine, so with him being the star of searching its great to see him finally get to seriously act. He's just so extremely likable & within the first 10 minutes we are introduced to him & his #family so well that an instant #emotional connection to them is formed. Told entirely through a screen searching does a great job of creating suspense & tension by using the flaws/interface of things we have all become a custom to as neat little visual cues (eg just missing a call by a few seconds, waiting for a video to buffer, seeing someone go offline while talking to them or even typing what you want to say only to delete it & type something different). This works perfectly & is never boring keeping you on edge & invested throughout while also being eerily #beautiful at times. Themes of neglect, distrust, loss & #depression are present throughout & theres also a sad look at how although we are all so connected to one another nowadays the sad fact is we have never also been more alone & afraid to show who we really are or what we are really thinking. Different sides of #Socialmedia are also explored well here too & we are shown how it can not only be used to help but also to hinder & manipulate even in a serious case like this (as well as people using the case to gain thier own fame too). Story wise its good with all the plot twists constantly shocking & unexpected with great build up too. Characters all have great back story & are all played well by the cast. My only gripe was the pacing after the final twist as it not only felt rushed but a little exposition heavy too. If your looking for a #film thats going to give your #emotions a run you'll #love Searching, while its no #nocturnalanimals its still smart, well constructed, gripping & an extremely entertaining little #drama. #instagram #apple #catfish #weekend #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmreview #filmcritic #internet #trending #youtube #facebook #followers #like
Need to Feel Your Love by Sheer Mag
Album Watch
A tear in the firmament. Beyond the noxious haze of our national nightmare - as structures of...
rock
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Moving Stretch: Work Your Fascia to Free Your Body
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Moving Stretch is an effective, powerful and fun way of freeing the body from hunching, restriction...
