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In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating
Book
Michael Pollan's In Defence of Food is a simple invitation to junk the science, ditch the diet and...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the 9th film by Quinton Tarantino. Set in 1969 the film follows Rick Dolton, an actor whose career is on it's way down and his stunt double and friend Cliff Booth. Although this is a Tarantino movie it is not an action movie but more of a ‘slice of life’ movie with some action scenes.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Reality Check in Detroit in Books
Jan 12, 2018
The Screech Owls are back with a new adventure and lesson. I love how [Roy MacGregor] mixes hockey with a life lesson in his books. In [Reality Check in Detriot] the team is asked to be on a reality show but they quickly learn that reality tv isn't that real.
The characters that [MacGregor] creates all blend well and keep a good balance in the story. Although I personally can't stand Nish and his ego but he is typical of boys that age. Travis is a good balance. I will be passing this book off to my niece to read and recommending that my school library get it at well.
The characters that [MacGregor] creates all blend well and keep a good balance in the story. Although I personally can't stand Nish and his ego but he is typical of boys that age. Travis is a good balance. I will be passing this book off to my niece to read and recommending that my school library get it at well.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Johnny Cash: The Life in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Wow, just wow! I got this book for Ken for Christmas 2 years ago. After going to Nashville & seeing all the famous country music sights, I had to read this book. Cash was so much more than anyone realized, even me. I won't proclaim to be an expert before reading this & im still not, but what an eye opening account of his life. He was so incredibly blessed & yet hurt at the same time. He was a living breathing contradiction. And what a fascinating contradiction he was. This book is so well written it is easy to fall in to & to completely forget that you are reading about a real person.
David (771 KP) rated Me Before You (2016) in Movies
Mar 4, 2019
You will cry
"If you don't cry, then you are a psychopath" is what my girlfriend said to me before starting the film.
I don't think Emilia Clarke actually acted in this film, I think we see how funny and quirky she is in real life.
As with most British films we have plenty of humour, some drama and some sad bits and this film delivered on them all.
It is a great film, very well acted and shot in some stunning places.
I am not ashamed to say that I did cry at the end and challenge anyone to say they didn't after watching it.
I don't think Emilia Clarke actually acted in this film, I think we see how funny and quirky she is in real life.
As with most British films we have plenty of humour, some drama and some sad bits and this film delivered on them all.
It is a great film, very well acted and shot in some stunning places.
I am not ashamed to say that I did cry at the end and challenge anyone to say they didn't after watching it.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Elementary, She Read in Books
Feb 21, 2018
What a great find for a Sherlock Holmes fan! Elementary She Read is the first in a new series about Gemma Doyle, who runs a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, which I very much wish I could visit in real life. When the owner of a rare magazine is murdered and Gemma finds the body, she becomes the prime suspect. Gemma and her friend Jayne investigate to clear her name. This was a well written mystery with a charming setting and some unique characters. Ive loved Vicki Delany / Eva Gates other mysteries, and this is now one more to add to my always-buy list.
Clare Parrott (294 KP) rated My Best Friend's Stepfather #1 in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This book promised good things but it barely lived up to it sadly. I enjoy Opals writing and I've read quite a bit from her.
Ashley's to interview Darien (Dare) Gallagher, a real life Dom and it could launch her career as a journalist. He's supposed to be her best friends stepfather but she hasn't seen her best friend in six years so I think that hardly qualifies as a best friend. As for Dare being a Dom, maybe he needs to go back to Dom school because his dominating skills are lacking. And then to make things worst her boss, Adam, wants her too.
Ashley's to interview Darien (Dare) Gallagher, a real life Dom and it could launch her career as a journalist. He's supposed to be her best friends stepfather but she hasn't seen her best friend in six years so I think that hardly qualifies as a best friend. As for Dare being a Dom, maybe he needs to go back to Dom school because his dominating skills are lacking. And then to make things worst her boss, Adam, wants her too.
Page-turner
Contains spoilers, click to show
From the very beginning, when she had her accident, died, and was on the ship. When she arrived in Elsewhere, diving to the bottom of the see, to meeting the love of her rewinding life, to her last day on Elsewhere and her reincarnation. It was all I could think of after reading the book, can't even find the right words to discribe the piece of treasure.
Nickg24 (492 KP) rated Stockholm (2019) in Movies
Aug 12, 2019
A tedious lifeless film
Contains spoilers, click to show
This crime drama based which is based on a real life incident had the potential to be really good but it turned out to be a dull and boring.A good cast in ethan hawke,mark strong and noomi rapace were wasted.
We start off with kaj (hawke) holding up a bank in Stockholm with the intention of getting his friend gunnar (strong) out of prison.Kaj turns out to be pretty rubbish at being a robber and the hostages (mainly rapace) end up having to help them out and with this we eventually find out how the phrase "stockholm syndrome" came about.
We start off with kaj (hawke) holding up a bank in Stockholm with the intention of getting his friend gunnar (strong) out of prison.Kaj turns out to be pretty rubbish at being a robber and the hostages (mainly rapace) end up having to help them out and with this we eventually find out how the phrase "stockholm syndrome" came about.
Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Jul 29, 2019
Stunning!
Been excited to see this one since I saw the trailer on YouTube. Cameron and Rodriguez bringing the comic to life got my nerdiness in a tizzy. And the movie didn't disappoint. The film is beautifully shot. The locations and characters feel real. Was able to watch the 3D version, which only added to the beauty and detail. The ending seemed a bit tacked on and rushed but overall this was a fun ride, led by the stunning title character whose eyes lock you in from the opening and never let you go. Would recommend.