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Strategic Modelling and Business Dynamics: A Feedback Systems Approach + Website
Book
Insightful modelling of dynamic systems for better business strategy The business environment is...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Whale (2022) in Movies
Mar 5, 2023
Raw and Honest
Give Brendan Fraser the Oscar already.
Hollywood loves a comeback story and the return of Fraser to the Hollywood "A" list is complete with his heart-wrenching, honest turn in Darren Aronofsky's THE WHALE. It is the type of comeback that is deserving of all the accolades and awards that has come his way.
Directed, with restraint not normally associated with Aronofsky, THE WHALE tells the tale of a College Professor who drowns his feelings in food. The film, based on the play (and screenplay) by Samuel D. Hunter follows this Professor, Charlie (Brendan Fraser of THE MUMMY fame) as he seeks to make amends with his estranged daughter as his obesity starts to take it's toll.
Since this is based on a stage play, most of the film takes place inside Charlie's apartment and the number of characters in this film are limited - and all of them hit their mark very well, thanks to the Best Direction that Aronofsky has ever achieved. He limits his usual histrionics, letting the camera focus on the faces and emotions of his characters, keeping movement to a minimum and engrossing the audience in the punch that these emotions provide. It is a shame that he was not Nominated for an Oscar for his work here, it is masterful.
Because of this - and the powerful script by Hunter - the cast of this film shines brightly. From Samantha Morton (MINORITY REPORT) to Ty Simpkins (JURASSIC WORLD) to Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield in Netflix' STRANGER THINGS), Aronofsky draws strong, raw and HONEST performances that elevate as each interact with each other.
Hong Chau (giving her 2nd straight strong performance following her work in the under-rated and under-appreciated THE MENU) is also Oscar Nominated (for Supporting Actress) for her work as Charlie's caregiver. It is a subtle, loving, emotional performance that touches the heart and her Oscar nomination is well deserved.
But, make no mistake about it, this film is Fraser's and he commands it from start to finish. Sure, the "fat suit" he is wearing that gives him the appearance of a 400 lb (+) obese man is jarring, but it is the raw emotions - rage, fear, sadness, hate, self-loathing and love - that Fraser is able to eminate through that wall of prosthetics that is truly astonishing. It is the performance of a career and one that will win him the Oscar.
Welcome back, Brendan Fraser, the movies missed you.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Hollywood loves a comeback story and the return of Fraser to the Hollywood "A" list is complete with his heart-wrenching, honest turn in Darren Aronofsky's THE WHALE. It is the type of comeback that is deserving of all the accolades and awards that has come his way.
Directed, with restraint not normally associated with Aronofsky, THE WHALE tells the tale of a College Professor who drowns his feelings in food. The film, based on the play (and screenplay) by Samuel D. Hunter follows this Professor, Charlie (Brendan Fraser of THE MUMMY fame) as he seeks to make amends with his estranged daughter as his obesity starts to take it's toll.
Since this is based on a stage play, most of the film takes place inside Charlie's apartment and the number of characters in this film are limited - and all of them hit their mark very well, thanks to the Best Direction that Aronofsky has ever achieved. He limits his usual histrionics, letting the camera focus on the faces and emotions of his characters, keeping movement to a minimum and engrossing the audience in the punch that these emotions provide. It is a shame that he was not Nominated for an Oscar for his work here, it is masterful.
Because of this - and the powerful script by Hunter - the cast of this film shines brightly. From Samantha Morton (MINORITY REPORT) to Ty Simpkins (JURASSIC WORLD) to Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield in Netflix' STRANGER THINGS), Aronofsky draws strong, raw and HONEST performances that elevate as each interact with each other.
Hong Chau (giving her 2nd straight strong performance following her work in the under-rated and under-appreciated THE MENU) is also Oscar Nominated (for Supporting Actress) for her work as Charlie's caregiver. It is a subtle, loving, emotional performance that touches the heart and her Oscar nomination is well deserved.
But, make no mistake about it, this film is Fraser's and he commands it from start to finish. Sure, the "fat suit" he is wearing that gives him the appearance of a 400 lb (+) obese man is jarring, but it is the raw emotions - rage, fear, sadness, hate, self-loathing and love - that Fraser is able to eminate through that wall of prosthetics that is truly astonishing. It is the performance of a career and one that will win him the Oscar.
Welcome back, Brendan Fraser, the movies missed you.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Weird Sisters in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Rosalind, Bianca, and Cordelia are the Andreas sisters. Rosalind(Rosie) is a professor at the local college, Bianca(Bean) is off in New York, working and enjoying the nightlife, Cordelia(Cordy)is riding the wind wherever it takes her. One summer, they all show up back at home. Although Rosie has never left the town they grew up with, she is staying with her parents a lot more now. Cordy & Bean show up, just when they are needed most. Their mother is sick and is going to need their help. Each sister has been drawn home for a different reason, but being home will change them all.
The Weird Sisters is a weird book. It was written in the third person, but I didn't know which sister was speaking at the time. Maybe this is because I listened to the audio instead of reading the actual book, but I found it strange that it seemed like they were talking about each other, but you never knew who was speaking at that time. Maybe there was a fourth sister.
This book was just okay for me. It was an interesting story, but there wasn't anything that really stood out for me to make this a great book.
The Weird Sisters is a weird book. It was written in the third person, but I didn't know which sister was speaking at the time. Maybe this is because I listened to the audio instead of reading the actual book, but I found it strange that it seemed like they were talking about each other, but you never knew who was speaking at that time. Maybe there was a fourth sister.
This book was just okay for me. It was an interesting story, but there wasn't anything that really stood out for me to make this a great book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Biscuits and Slashed Browns (Country Store Mysteries #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
March brings a maple syrup festival to Brown County, Indiana, and Robbie Jordan is hoping to snag some of the tourists into her shop, Pans ‘N Pancakes. However, the festival has also brought Dr. Warren Connolly to town, a professor hated for many reasons. He is found murdered one morning before the day’s events can get started, and the police begin to look at one of Robbie’s friends as the killer. Then a local maple syrup farmer goes missing. What is going on?
I thought we might be in for some lectures as Dr. Connolly is first introduced to us as a climate change denier, however, this was dropped after the second chapter as we begin to find real motives for his murder. In fact, we get several strong motives and suspects that kept me turning pages and guessing until the end. While I missed one of the regular characters, the rest were present and accounted for and were as charming as ever. The setting is fantastic, too. I’d love to visit Robbie’s store.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-biscuits-and-slashed-browns.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I thought we might be in for some lectures as Dr. Connolly is first introduced to us as a climate change denier, however, this was dropped after the second chapter as we begin to find real motives for his murder. In fact, we get several strong motives and suspects that kept me turning pages and guessing until the end. While I missed one of the regular characters, the rest were present and accounted for and were as charming as ever. The setting is fantastic, too. I’d love to visit Robbie’s store.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-biscuits-and-slashed-browns.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Consolation of Philosophy in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This is more of a 3.5 than just a 3.
This was a very insightful book about how people of this time period worked through their thinking processes as well as how they dealt with the concepts of God.
While reading this in tandem with Dante's Inferno, I was able to understand Inferno a lot more than if I had read it on its own.
Boethius explains many difficult concepts relatively clearly. (These concepts were made even more clear by my professor of Italian 150 [The Divine Comedy] rooting the concepts in examples from today)
Many of the concepts are repeated often, so they are driven home, but this also means that they get a bit boring. I found myself wanting to skim more as the book went along because it was saying the same thing for what seemed the millionth time.
I enjoyed how each Prose section has a brief blurb about the main concepts it was going to talk about. This made it easier to prepare myself for the upcoming reading.
The characters, Boethius and Lady Philosophy, felt a little too preachy for me at times, but they were talking about religion, so I guess it worked.
Overall, it was very insightful and interesting to read.
This was a very insightful book about how people of this time period worked through their thinking processes as well as how they dealt with the concepts of God.
While reading this in tandem with Dante's Inferno, I was able to understand Inferno a lot more than if I had read it on its own.
Boethius explains many difficult concepts relatively clearly. (These concepts were made even more clear by my professor of Italian 150 [The Divine Comedy] rooting the concepts in examples from today)
Many of the concepts are repeated often, so they are driven home, but this also means that they get a bit boring. I found myself wanting to skim more as the book went along because it was saying the same thing for what seemed the millionth time.
I enjoyed how each Prose section has a brief blurb about the main concepts it was going to talk about. This made it easier to prepare myself for the upcoming reading.
The characters, Boethius and Lady Philosophy, felt a little too preachy for me at times, but they were talking about religion, so I guess it worked.
Overall, it was very insightful and interesting to read.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Academic Curveball in Books
Oct 16, 2018
Kellan Faces One of Life's Curveballs – Murder
Kellan Ayrwick has returned home for a few days to attend a dinner in honor of his father's retirement from Braxton College. While Kellan's there, he is supposed to meet up with a woman who has done some research for the true crime TV show that he works on. However, Kellan gets distracted when, near the end of the dinner, he finds a dead body. The victim was a professor at Braxton. With everything swirling around the at college, Kellan is afraid that someone he loves will be arrested for the crime. Can he figure out the truth before that happens?
I wanted to like the book, but I felt it had some flaws to it. It was overly wordy, especially with some rehashing of things we already knew and theories we'd already considered. Additionally, there were several nitpicks, like this dinner several months before Kellan's father planned to fully retire. The mystery, overall, was strong, however. There were several believable suspects that kept me guessing until Kellan figured things out. Likewise, I really liked the potential series regulars, and the book introduced several threads that will make for great future books in the series.
I wanted to like the book, but I felt it had some flaws to it. It was overly wordy, especially with some rehashing of things we already knew and theories we'd already considered. Additionally, there were several nitpicks, like this dinner several months before Kellan's father planned to fully retire. The mystery, overall, was strong, however. There were several believable suspects that kept me guessing until Kellan figured things out. Likewise, I really liked the potential series regulars, and the book introduced several threads that will make for great future books in the series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The Pawful Truth in Books
Jul 21, 2019
As the Campus Turns
Charlie Harris has decided to indulge his love of history by auditing a class at Athena College. On his first day, he is impressed with his professor, Dr. Carey Warriner, who is obviously popular not only because of his good looks but also because of his abilities as a lecturer. However, part of an exchange between Dr. Warriner and a fellow student as Charlie is leaving concerns Charlie. When that student dies under mysterious circumstances, the campus rumor mill heats up, and Charlie is left to wonder if he is taking a class from a murderer.
Before you ask, yes, Diesel (the “Cat” of Cat in the Stacks) is a very active part of this mystery, and is as charming as ever, although the new kitten in Charlie’s life does his best to steal the show. Honestly, the entire cast of regulars, human and animal, are at their best, and it is always a delight to spend time around these characters. The plot is a little weak, however, feeling more like a soap opera at times and filled with speculation at others. However, it does reach a logical conclusion. Honestly, time with these characters is never really wasted, and I enjoyed my time with them again here.
Before you ask, yes, Diesel (the “Cat” of Cat in the Stacks) is a very active part of this mystery, and is as charming as ever, although the new kitten in Charlie’s life does his best to steal the show. Honestly, the entire cast of regulars, human and animal, are at their best, and it is always a delight to spend time around these characters. The plot is a little weak, however, feeling more like a soap opera at times and filled with speculation at others. However, it does reach a logical conclusion. Honestly, time with these characters is never really wasted, and I enjoyed my time with them again here.
Eponyms (for students)
Reference, Health & Fitness, Medical and Education
App
Eponyms brings a short description of about 1800 common and obscure medical eponyms (e.g., Rovsing's...
The Pest Detectives: The Definitive Guide to Rentokil
Book
Rentokil is the heart and soul of pest control. A brand synonymous with its field and familiar to...
Tu Youyou and the Discovery of Artemisinin: Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine: 2015
Yi Rao, Daqing Zhang and Runhong Li
Book
Nobel laureate Tu Youyou won the 2015 prize for Medicine/Physiology for the discovery of...