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Thank You for Smoking (2006)
Thank You for Smoking (2006)
2006 | Comedy, Drama
9
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Solid Film
Thank You For Smoking centers around the life of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), chief spokesman for Big Tobacco as he tries to balance his crazy work life while being there for his son.

Acting: 10


Beginning: 8
The film gets off to a solid start. You immediately fall in love with Nick as he uses his charisma to talk a crazed mob down. He's defending smoking, something we've known all our lives to be bad. Watching him in action makes you wonder just how long he can keep it up.

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 5

Conflict: 10
Nick is juggling a lot in his life, some of it self-induced. There are enough dominoes that could fall at any moment which is a part of what makes the film fun to watch. You're thinking, "Things have to go awry at some point." When they do, the film is even more exciting to watch as you're waiting to see how Nick is going to pull himself out of his mess.

Genre: 9

Memorability: 8
Some of the conversations had throughout, especially between Nick and his son, are priceless. I loved the scene where Nick is talking to his son's classmates explaining to them what exactly he does. Nick manages to turn the idea of arguing on its head. According to him, if you argue correctly, you can never be wrong. The film actually makes you question the morality of selling the "wrong" things.

One of my favorite scenes involves Nick's interaction with the old Marlboro Man, a man that turned his back on the tobacco industry. Nick arrives to give the man a payoff to keep quiet. The way he goes about it is just phenomenal.

Pace: 10

Plot: 10
Lack of linearity helps to make the film successful. There's not much of an endgame here, but in this case, it keeps things fresh. It's not just one story, but a multitude of smaller stories within the film that make up its whole. It's a method that works well for this film.

Resolution: 10

Overall: 90
Thank You For Smoking is an eye-opening film that gives us a perspective from the view of the "bad guy". Is Nick Naylor actually a villain? Or is it merely that people want him to be the bad guy so they don't have to deal with the concept of free will and the bad decisions we make? It's always better when someone else can be the scapegoat. Great film.
  
New York Stories (1989)
New York Stories (1989)
1989 | Comedy, Drama
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s part of New York Stories, with Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette. Nolte plays Lional Dobie, this Jackson Pollack-like artist. I love the subject matter of Life Lessons, it’s just great. Scorsese completely captures the obsession with women, visually and in the storyline. And Nick Nolte is never better — his performance is just f**king unbelievable. He’s on top of his game stylistically, Scorsese, melding heavy style with story without it ever feeling like you’re just watching a director, you know, show off. I never felt that. I’d be curious to see what he thinks of that movie, or how much time he spent doing it, but to me it just felt like kind of an effortless exercise in his talent."

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Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
I enjoyed everything about this movie. Loved the 80s references, soundtrack, special effects and captain marvel is, well... marvellous (0 more)
Absolutely awesome
I thought the trailers looked good and I wasnt disappointed. I wasnt a big fan but this reinvention is awesome. Love the soundtrack, it fits well with the scenes and is a blast from the past. The special effects are awesome, especially towards the end. The humor is on point, and i love the dry wry wit of Carol Danvers. She totally kicks ass. Wonder woman was my favorite growing up. If this version of Captain Marvel was around then, she would definately be on the top of my list of favorite superheros. Shes a strong stubborn female who doesnt take herself too seriously.
The CGI was really well done on Goose and to make a younger Coulson & Nick Fury. Interesting to see a younger, less serious, humorous Nick Fury. I loved everything about it. One of my top movies for Marvel and 2019.
  
Zootopia (2016)
Zootopia (2016)
2016 | Action, Animation, Comedy
Story (3 more)
Acting
Animation
Moral of the story
Not just for kids
As much as i love horror films i also love kids films. I had meant to watch this since it came out but i kept forgetting. I finally got around to watching it and i loved it! The story is motivational, watching it as an adult you can see the underlying tone of racism and how Judy (the bunny) gets her dream job and does it wonderfully! I even like how she turned Nicks life around. Even though Judy and Nick are different speices i think they'd make a great couple
  
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2011 | Action, Adventure
Chris Evans is fantastic as Captain America. He is humble, polite and unused to stardom. I love how they make him look so small and weedy at the start of the movie. (0 more)
Nothing, I love it all (0 more)
Great introduction to marvel
Captain America is such a great character. He cares about other people and always does the right thing.
This movie introduces us to characters we get to know very well in the marvel movies, such as Howard Stark, Bucky, Peggy and Nick Fury.
It's a movie you can watch over and over and still enjoy.
  
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Butch Vig recommended Urban Hymns by The Verve in Music (curated)

 
Urban Hymns by The Verve
Urban Hymns by The Verve
1997 | Rock
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Bitter Sweet Symphony' is an absolutely gorgeous song. I love 'Sonnet'. 'The Drugs Don't Work' is a beautiful, beautiful song, as is 'Lucky Man'. I love the whole album – it has some classics on it. The production is amazing, it doesn't try too hard to hit you over the head. It's got these beautiful soft layers underneath Richard Ashcroft's singing and I think a lot of that is from Nick McCabe, who adds all these layers with his guitar playing. The album is beautiful and to me it sounds like it'll stand the test of time."

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Seth recommended Metropolitan (1990) in Movies (curated)

 
Metropolitan (1990)
Metropolitan (1990)
1990 | Comedy, Drama
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I walked cold into this film, knowing nothing about it, when it first ran in the theaters back in 1990, and was utterly charmed by it. I’ve since watched it many times. A witty film but also touched with an elegiac quality because of its underlying theme of the passing of an era. Every time I watch it, I wish I were more like the character of Nick Smith. I love his narcissistic arrogance."

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I Will Find You
I Will Find You
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Will Find You by John M. Taylor is a painfully beautiful story of one boy’s love for his mother and his journey to be reunited with her. He travels from England to Australia and spends some time in the outback as well as aboard ships before returning home.

Nick Thorne, once Robbie Spalding lived in England where his father was part of the Airforce during the war. When his father’s plane is shot down his mother joins the Land Army but she falls and suffers a major injurer. Nick is taken to an orphanage temporarily and only learns of his mother’s death when he is told he is being sent to a family in Australia. When he gets to Australia he finds no family is waiting, instead, he is taken to Clontarf where the “Brothers” beat, neglect, and abuse the boys. When Nick turned thirteen he was sent to a Church Farm to work but it was just like Clontarf, it was here that he managed to escape.

With the help of an Aboriginal boy, Gidga, Nick survives the Australian outback and makes his way to the Aboriginal’s village. Even though Nick likes the Aboriginal people he still believes his mother is alive and leaves to go find her. His journey is not an easy one as he signs on with fishing ships, understanding that he won’t be able to do anything without money. Most of the time it appears that he will never find anything out about his parents or his past because it seems that none of the departments he is directed to can help him. To make matters worse no one wants to take responsibility for his old records. In a final attempt to find anything out Nick goes back to his old hometown in England.

I enjoyed all the twists and surprises in Nick’s life. I wanted to keep reading to find out where Nick would find himself and who he would meet there. Nick is also the type of character where the reader is emotionally connected to his story right away. What I did not care for was the fact that there was a joke on page two hundred and eighty that I did not understand at all. While that does not affect my overall opinion of the book I feel I am not the only one confused. Also when Nick starts trying to track down his records things get very repetitive. I can only imagine the frustration he felt as I was frustrated by just reading it over again multiple times.

The book is designed with adult readers in mind. There were numerous events in the book such as boys having to “share” a bed with one of their caretakers or being beaten to the point of passing out that was hard to read. With that in mind, this book is more suited for mature readers. Overall I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4. This book offers tragedy and hope at the same time. The back of the book even offers some factual information about what happened to other children like Nick who were sent to Australia.

https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
  
TH
The Heist (Fox and O'Hare, #1)
6
6.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kate O'Hare is a former Navy Seal turned FBI Agent. Her main target at the moment is Nick Fox. The world's biggest conman. He works every angle to his advantage in order to get exactly what he wants. When she finally catches him, it is an accomplishment that she is most proud of, so when she finds out that he has escaped and she is taken off the case, she is steadfast in finding him and putting him back behind bars. What she finds instead is quite shocking and will change the course of their "relationship" forever.

I'm determined to read every book written by Janet Evanovich. I quest I started last year. I wanted to finish the Plum series before diving into something new, but that has proven to be more difficult than I thought it would be. Kate and Nick have a love/hate relationship. She hates him and he loves that she hates him. He knows exactly what to do to push her buttons and knows exactly which ones to push to send her over the edge. This book was exciting to listen to. It provided lots of entertainment for me. Janet Evanovich knows how to make characters that you can enjoy and grow to love. Kate and Nick were no exception. Their banter and chemistry made this book flow quickly.
  
Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2004 | Alternative
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think one of the main reasons I picked Abattoir Blues and Lyre Of Orpheus was because, as a double album, you get more bang for your buck. Abattoir Blues has a more gospel feel to it, background vocals and big crescendos. Lyre Of Orpheus was generally a quieter record except for the title track, which is one of my favourites. I love the lyrics to that song. One awesome thing about Nick Cave is the darkness and the humour in his stuff. On Abattoir Blues, I love 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World', 'Hiding All Away' and 'Nature Boy'. Just good tunes man. At this point you can hear the Warren Ellis influence. I've always been a Nick Cave fan, since The Birthday Party. My roommate at the time, Charles Peterson [Sub Pop photographer], had a copy of Prayers On Fire and I've been listening to and following Nick Cave ever since then. First time I got to see him he didn't play Seattle, so me and my friends drove three hours north to Vancouver and that was on the First Born Is Dead tour. My favourite ever Nick Cave lyric was going way back to 'Deep In The Woods' [from Mutiny/The Bad Seed] - where it ends with the line, "Tonight we sleep in separate ditches"; that always cracks me up. 20,000 Days On Earth was the best music documentary I've ever seen. It didn't follow the normal " and then he did this and then he did that" of those Behind The Music narratives, it was a surreal and cool peak in to Cave's world. Something I learned about him that I didn't know already is that he likes to eat pizza in front of the TV!"

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