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Mushrooms: Deeply Delicious Recipes, from Soups and Salads to Pasta and Pies
Book
A celebration of mushrooms and fungi - from folklore to foraging. Plus a collection of more than 65...
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book
Book
Creative professionals seeking the fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Photoshop...
Pro Power BI Desktop: 2016
Book
This book shows how to deliver eye-catching Business Intelligence with Microsoft Power BI Desktop....
One Hundred Letters from Hugh Trevor-Roper
Richard Davenport-Hines and Adam Sisman
Book
The one hundred letters brought together for this book illustrate the range of Hugh Trevor-Roper's...
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Dirty Dancing (1987) in Movies
Jul 4, 2020
A Movie Packed With Memorable Moments
During a summer vacation in the Catskills, a young woman is introduced to the sensual world of dirty dancing and her life is forever changed. Seriously, I should apply for a job writing loglines.
Acting: 10
No the acting wasn’t the best around, but it gets the job done. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze are electric on screen together. This movie clearly has no shot without their chemistry. I have to give an honorable mention to Jerry Orbach playing the role of Dr. Jake Houseman. He’s an overprotective father that just wants to see his kids have a good time on vacation. He has a couple of pretty heavy scenes that leave an impact on the movie.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
So my mom is a single parent which meant I went with her pretty much everywhere, including the movies. I remember her taking me to see this movie. I didn’t understand that first dance when Baby walked into the workers clubhouse, but I knew it was something my young eyes shouldn’t have been looking at. I appreciate the way director Emile Ardolino captures that raw sensuality. I also loved how the disparity between the rich vacationers and the lower class workers was displayed. It sets up the movie well and remains a constant theme throughout.
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 7
Like a Fast and Furious movie, there is something undeniable about Dirty Dancing. You find yourself entranced when you should be saying, “This is extremely corny.” Sure there are some campier moments that are just ripped from a Hallmark movie, but overall the movie has a definite flare that keeps you entertained from beginning to end.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 9
Plot: 9
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
Back to that dance scene I mentioned earlier. It happens pretty quickly into the movie, about fifteen minutes in. In two minutes that scene accomplishes more for eroticism than the entire Fifty Shades franchise. Just like the movie, it bleeds passion. Dirty Dancing is a testament that you don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars to make a decent film.
Acting: 10
No the acting wasn’t the best around, but it gets the job done. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze are electric on screen together. This movie clearly has no shot without their chemistry. I have to give an honorable mention to Jerry Orbach playing the role of Dr. Jake Houseman. He’s an overprotective father that just wants to see his kids have a good time on vacation. He has a couple of pretty heavy scenes that leave an impact on the movie.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
So my mom is a single parent which meant I went with her pretty much everywhere, including the movies. I remember her taking me to see this movie. I didn’t understand that first dance when Baby walked into the workers clubhouse, but I knew it was something my young eyes shouldn’t have been looking at. I appreciate the way director Emile Ardolino captures that raw sensuality. I also loved how the disparity between the rich vacationers and the lower class workers was displayed. It sets up the movie well and remains a constant theme throughout.
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 7
Like a Fast and Furious movie, there is something undeniable about Dirty Dancing. You find yourself entranced when you should be saying, “This is extremely corny.” Sure there are some campier moments that are just ripped from a Hallmark movie, but overall the movie has a definite flare that keeps you entertained from beginning to end.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 9
Plot: 9
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
Back to that dance scene I mentioned earlier. It happens pretty quickly into the movie, about fifteen minutes in. In two minutes that scene accomplishes more for eroticism than the entire Fifty Shades franchise. Just like the movie, it bleeds passion. Dirty Dancing is a testament that you don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars to make a decent film.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Terminator Salvation (2009) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020
The Visuals Keep Getting Better
In the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, human savior John Connor leads the resistance against the threat of the machines who are trying to enslave and obliterate the earth.
Acting: 10
You can do worse than throwing Christian Bale and Sam Worthington into a movie. Both pack strong performances that are enough to carry this sci-fi movie through the duration. They bring an extra passion to the role, raw emotion you don’t otherwise see in the machines they are fighting against.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Action is consistent and rips through the screen with a number of gunfights and man-to-robot combat scenes. I will admit, I was confused at times at what was actually going on and who I should be rooting against/for, but it somehow didn’t deter the high-impact sci-fi goodness that unfolded throughout. These scenes kept the otherwise sinking movie afloat.
Entertainment Value: 8
Sure the action is good, I just wished they had focused that same energy on shoring up the storyline. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films you have no shot at understanding this. Even if you have, it took me awhile to truly figure out what was what. Definitely took a bit away from the entertainment factor for me.
Memorability: 7
There are quite a few cool moments that stick out in my head, but nothing that made the movie over-the-top amazing. If nothing else, I admire the movie’s effort to stand out, but when you look at other films in the genre like Edge of Tomorrow, you think, “They have a lot of work to do.” Good? Sure. Classic? Nope!
Pace: 10
Plot: 6
Resolution: 1
Overall: 82
Terminator Salvation sees a lot of things happen…that seemingly mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie. Things are pretty confusing early which makes it hard to fully buy into the movie. But the score is the score because it’s going to satisfy most of the sci-fi action junkies out there that live for these kind of movies. it won’t make history, but it’s one of those movies where you leave saying, “This’ll do.”
Acting: 10
You can do worse than throwing Christian Bale and Sam Worthington into a movie. Both pack strong performances that are enough to carry this sci-fi movie through the duration. They bring an extra passion to the role, raw emotion you don’t otherwise see in the machines they are fighting against.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Action is consistent and rips through the screen with a number of gunfights and man-to-robot combat scenes. I will admit, I was confused at times at what was actually going on and who I should be rooting against/for, but it somehow didn’t deter the high-impact sci-fi goodness that unfolded throughout. These scenes kept the otherwise sinking movie afloat.
Entertainment Value: 8
Sure the action is good, I just wished they had focused that same energy on shoring up the storyline. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films you have no shot at understanding this. Even if you have, it took me awhile to truly figure out what was what. Definitely took a bit away from the entertainment factor for me.
Memorability: 7
There are quite a few cool moments that stick out in my head, but nothing that made the movie over-the-top amazing. If nothing else, I admire the movie’s effort to stand out, but when you look at other films in the genre like Edge of Tomorrow, you think, “They have a lot of work to do.” Good? Sure. Classic? Nope!
Pace: 10
Plot: 6
Resolution: 1
Overall: 82
Terminator Salvation sees a lot of things happen…that seemingly mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie. Things are pretty confusing early which makes it hard to fully buy into the movie. But the score is the score because it’s going to satisfy most of the sci-fi action junkies out there that live for these kind of movies. it won’t make history, but it’s one of those movies where you leave saying, “This’ll do.”
Anand Wilder recommended Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse in Music (curated)
ClareR (5869 KP) rated Cunning Women in Books
May 15, 2021
Cunning Women is everything I love about historical fiction.
I’m on a bit of a 17th century bender at the moment, and witches seem to crop up frequently. Basically, if you were female, didn’t have a man about the place (preferably one you were married to) and knew things other than washing, cleaning and popping out babies, you risked being accused of witchcraft. Add to that a birthmark, and/ or an opinion or two, AND not going to church regularly, then you might as well start picking your own stake out.
Sarah and her mother, brother and little sister, all live in a hamlet abandoned after all the inhabitants died of plague, known as the Plague Village. They have no money and little income after the death of Sarah’s father, and what money they do have comes from selling potions, small spells and begging. They’re outcasts, and there’s an atmosphere of dank, dark poverty in where they live and what they wear. They are avoided by pretty much everyone in the village - it seems to be a really lonely existence.
Then comes a spark of hope when Sarah meets the local farmer’s son, Daniel. He lives a very different life: one of open spaces, plenty of food, light and comfort. He’s treated poorly by his father and a farm hand, but he’s never hungry, and his living conditions are so much better than those of the Haworth family.
This is a story that feels so raw and real. You just know that it’s not going to be a happy ending. How can it? DOn’t get me wrong - I rather like endings that are unresolved or just plain unpleasant (weird, I know), but the youth of these protagonists had me hoping throughout for a better life for them.
Ahh, the 17th century - great to read about, but I’ve never been so glad to have been born in the 1970’s!
This is a really enjoyable, heartfelt historical fiction novel, and I’m so pleased that I got the chance to read it. Many thanks to Windmill Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.
I’m on a bit of a 17th century bender at the moment, and witches seem to crop up frequently. Basically, if you were female, didn’t have a man about the place (preferably one you were married to) and knew things other than washing, cleaning and popping out babies, you risked being accused of witchcraft. Add to that a birthmark, and/ or an opinion or two, AND not going to church regularly, then you might as well start picking your own stake out.
Sarah and her mother, brother and little sister, all live in a hamlet abandoned after all the inhabitants died of plague, known as the Plague Village. They have no money and little income after the death of Sarah’s father, and what money they do have comes from selling potions, small spells and begging. They’re outcasts, and there’s an atmosphere of dank, dark poverty in where they live and what they wear. They are avoided by pretty much everyone in the village - it seems to be a really lonely existence.
Then comes a spark of hope when Sarah meets the local farmer’s son, Daniel. He lives a very different life: one of open spaces, plenty of food, light and comfort. He’s treated poorly by his father and a farm hand, but he’s never hungry, and his living conditions are so much better than those of the Haworth family.
This is a story that feels so raw and real. You just know that it’s not going to be a happy ending. How can it? DOn’t get me wrong - I rather like endings that are unresolved or just plain unpleasant (weird, I know), but the youth of these protagonists had me hoping throughout for a better life for them.
Ahh, the 17th century - great to read about, but I’ve never been so glad to have been born in the 1970’s!
This is a really enjoyable, heartfelt historical fiction novel, and I’m so pleased that I got the chance to read it. Many thanks to Windmill Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.
The Connoisseur's Guide to Proper Imbibing: A Complete Course on Choosing, Serving, and Drinking Spirits and Cocktails
Book
Everyone thinks that they know how to drink, but do you really know the difference between a scotch...
The Healthy Matcha Cookbook: Green Tea--Inspired Meals, Snacks, Drinks, and Desserts
Book
A Beautiful Collection of Recipes Featuring One of the World's Most Popular and Powerful Superfoods...
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) Jul 4, 2020
Phillip McSween (751 KP) Jul 5, 2020