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Barry Newman (204 KP) rated WarGames (1983) in Movies

Feb 29, 2020  
WarGames (1983)
WarGames (1983)
1983 | Sci-Fi
6
7.2 (16 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Contains spoilers, click to show
A film that had passed me by up until now I found to be a bit of a mixed bag. The central plot is very interesting and the theme of a fear of the power of technology and being only a few button clicks away from starting a war is still relevant and timely today. What I did struggle with it being a 1980’s film about computer technology it is of course now incredibly outdated. I laughed at the WOPR , the enormous war games simulator with its sinister blinking lights. The storytelling is strong though and a fresh faced Matthew Broderick makes for a likeable lead but I think it might actually be a rare film that I would prefer to see a contemporary remake of than watch again.
  
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Nigella Lawson recommended Tonio Kroger in Books (curated)

 
Tonio Kroger
Tonio Kroger
Thomas Mann | 1998 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I know that the novella "Tonio Kroger" is not Thomas Mann’s greatest work. There is some part of me that feels that I should be putting up “Buddenbrooks” or “The Magic Mountain” here. And there’s a strong case for “Death in Venice,” too. But this is the book of his that felled me completely when I read it as a German student in my teens. All Mann’s enduring themes are here: the struggle between duty and love, between the febrile pleasure and teutonic responsibility; and the lethal vulnerability of the lover, set against the wanton cruel power of the beloved. It’s an anguished worldview, which is what spoke so directly to the adolescent reader I was, but no one reads Thomas Mann for woo-woo life-enhancing sentimentality."

Source
  
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Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: a Novel in Books

May 25, 2018  
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: a Novel
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: a Novel
Ken Kesey | 1962 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.1 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Read this book, and have also watched the movie - the movie has NOTHING on this book, so, please do yourself a favor and read the book even if you've seen it on the big screen. Don't get me wrong, the movie is great - if you've already read the book, it's amazing to see it come to life. And, yes, I know Jack Nicholson is pretty, but STILL! Read the book, too!

The book crafts these incredibly vivid images of despair, torture, and sadness that you FEEL as if you are watching a film. It's an incredible story of mental illness, friendship and the camaraderie between these patients and the strength of the human spirit. I laughed out loud several times, and I cried even more.

Set in a mental asylum in the ’60s, McMurphy, our "anti-hero" is sent to stay, because he wants to avoid prison. He is not "crazy" - and it becomes a power struggle between him and "the system" (and in particular, an extremely power hungry nurse). There are so many layers to this story, and I hungrily peeled through them all and am sure if I read this again, I'd find many more layers.
  
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Darren Fisher (2447 KP) rated The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) in Movies

Dec 11, 2020  
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
2015 | Biography, Drama, History
8
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Interesting adaptation of the notorious experiment
Along with the Milgram Experiment (1961) the Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) has been widely discussed. Both attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power and its effect on the human psyche. The SPE focused on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers. The randomly chosen participants were university students who agreed to take part in the two week experiment (in a prison recreated under the university itself). Of course things take a turn for the worst when the guards revel in their power and push the prisoners beyond their limits in the name of scientific research. The experiment lasted only six days before psychology professor Philip Zimbardo pulled the plug on the whole sorry mess.
The film is mostly faithful ,offering a lean, straight to the point account of the events. No boring or irrelevant subplots going on. The actors are convincing and appear to relish their roles (maybe a sense of irony on the directors behalf..?). A good solid adaptation. Recommended.

Note: Footage from both the actual Milgram and SPE Experiments are available over the internet to watch (including youtube)
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Holiday for Skins (Bongo Fury #2) in Books

Nov 11, 2019  
Holiday for Skins (Bongo Fury #2)
Holiday for Skins (Bongo Fury #2)
Simon Maltman | 2017 | Crime, Humor & Comedy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Following on from the events in the first Bongo Fury book, this novella once again follows the music shop owner Jimmy Black as he unwillingly gets mired in the underworld of Northern Ireland. After the events of the first book, a silent struggle for power among the criminal elements is escalating and people are dying. All Jimmy wants to do is make sure he isn't one of them.

As with the first book the charm of this sequel is in the leading character. Wry, witty, foul mouthed with an eye for the darkly humorous observation, having Jimmy once again show us his world is very welcome. Together with the twists and turns of the plot (a little less straightforward than the first novel) this makes a cracking quick read that combines noir thriller and laugh out loud humour.