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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated St. Vincent (2014) in Movies
May 13, 2018
Another Murray Classic
When a single mother moves into a new neighborhood and gets overwhelmed with her taxing job, she relies on her crude, foul-mouthed neighbor Vincent (Bill Murray) to watch over her kid while she's gone.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 6
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 9
Vincent basically creates conflict everywhere he goes. Between his actions, decisions, and mouth, something is always getting him into trouble with those around him. It's hard to watch at times, funny during other times. His life is crumbling, but he brings most of it on himself. Throw in Maggie's (Melissa McCarthy) custody battle for her son and the film gives you more than enough conflict to drive the story.
Genre: 9
St. Vincent hails itself as a comedy. It's certainly going to make you laugh, but it succeeds in how dark and truthful it can be at times. I love that the film never cuts corners with Vincent's character. His life is cringeworthy and sad, yet the audience is still given avenues to laughter.
Memorability: 8
Once again, Murray manages to make a film memorable with his character alone. He doesn't care about the people he hurts or at least that's what he would have you believe. His destructive attitude oftentimes results in a finished product that will either make you shake your head or bust out laughing. I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between him and Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). They were made for each other yet neither one of them realize it at first. The film as a whole makes you contemplate what constitutes being a good person versus a bad person.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Even as Vincent's life tailspins out of control, he manages to touch the lives of those around them in ways they never imagined. He is a ball of chaos, but in the heart of that chaos, the plot shows the semblance of a good man. Again, it's ugly but real at the same time. And that's what makes it beautiful.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
If nothing else, St. Vincent shows us that sometimes the funniest things are those mired in reality. Another Murray classic.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 6
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 9
Vincent basically creates conflict everywhere he goes. Between his actions, decisions, and mouth, something is always getting him into trouble with those around him. It's hard to watch at times, funny during other times. His life is crumbling, but he brings most of it on himself. Throw in Maggie's (Melissa McCarthy) custody battle for her son and the film gives you more than enough conflict to drive the story.
Genre: 9
St. Vincent hails itself as a comedy. It's certainly going to make you laugh, but it succeeds in how dark and truthful it can be at times. I love that the film never cuts corners with Vincent's character. His life is cringeworthy and sad, yet the audience is still given avenues to laughter.
Memorability: 8
Once again, Murray manages to make a film memorable with his character alone. He doesn't care about the people he hurts or at least that's what he would have you believe. His destructive attitude oftentimes results in a finished product that will either make you shake your head or bust out laughing. I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between him and Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). They were made for each other yet neither one of them realize it at first. The film as a whole makes you contemplate what constitutes being a good person versus a bad person.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Even as Vincent's life tailspins out of control, he manages to touch the lives of those around them in ways they never imagined. He is a ball of chaos, but in the heart of that chaos, the plot shows the semblance of a good man. Again, it's ugly but real at the same time. And that's what makes it beautiful.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 89
If nothing else, St. Vincent shows us that sometimes the funniest things are those mired in reality. Another Murray classic.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Everything, Everything in Books
Jan 31, 2018
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is such a powerful story, especially for her debut novel. It tackles the tough topic of living your life with a disease that affects absolutely everything. Maddy has SCID, a disease that essentially makes her allergic to the world. She doesn’t know what all of her triggers are, but she knows that if she is exposed to other people, spicy food or even nature outside – she could become severely ill and even die.
Her life has gone by, day by day, with no change. Her nurse Carla takes care of her, checks her temperature and blood pressure and she eats exactly three meals and two snacks a day. Every Friday, she has a special French food night with her mom but her meals are less than authentic with her allergies. But despite all that, she never gives up. She takes classes, reads books and is happy, despite the huge thing looming over her life and unlikelihood that she would ever be allowed outside in the real world.
But everything changes when a new family moves into the house near hers. Normally, she would just let the sound wash over her, ignore the beeping of the moving truck, but not today. For some reason, she goes to the window and her entire world changes. She makes a new friend, one she won’t allow to pity her, and his name is Olly. He opens up her world and before long, they’re messaging one another long into the night.
Their story together was so precious, that you couldn’t help but fall in love with each of them. The strength that Maddy had to live, cheerfully, day by day and the heart that Olly had to love and want to protect his family no matter what. The tale was heartbreaking and lovely, and to my surprise, it was not predictable.
I would highly recommend this book to young adult/teen readers who enjoy character-driven plots and unique contemporary book. This novel really delves into Maddy’s head and gives you a glimpse into her thoughts through a variety of mediums.
Her life has gone by, day by day, with no change. Her nurse Carla takes care of her, checks her temperature and blood pressure and she eats exactly three meals and two snacks a day. Every Friday, she has a special French food night with her mom but her meals are less than authentic with her allergies. But despite all that, she never gives up. She takes classes, reads books and is happy, despite the huge thing looming over her life and unlikelihood that she would ever be allowed outside in the real world.
But everything changes when a new family moves into the house near hers. Normally, she would just let the sound wash over her, ignore the beeping of the moving truck, but not today. For some reason, she goes to the window and her entire world changes. She makes a new friend, one she won’t allow to pity her, and his name is Olly. He opens up her world and before long, they’re messaging one another long into the night.
Their story together was so precious, that you couldn’t help but fall in love with each of them. The strength that Maddy had to live, cheerfully, day by day and the heart that Olly had to love and want to protect his family no matter what. The tale was heartbreaking and lovely, and to my surprise, it was not predictable.
I would highly recommend this book to young adult/teen readers who enjoy character-driven plots and unique contemporary book. This novel really delves into Maddy’s head and gives you a glimpse into her thoughts through a variety of mediums.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Oct 26, 2018
"Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.’’
We are in the year 2045, where while Earth is deserted and almost destroyed, people don’t realise because they are too busy living in a virtual world - the Oasis!
The Oasis is a place where you can create an avatar for free, you can level up, you go to a school and you work inside the Oasis. This virtual world is filled with references from the 1980s. Cities are built in such a way, video games and books and movies still go on.
When the famous creator of the Oasis, James Halliday, dies, it turns out that there is a contest, and the person that will manage to find the ''Easter egg'' would inherit ownership of the Oasis.
We see the story from the point of view of the young Wade, that calls himself Parzival in the Oasis. He is in love with everything from the 1980’s, you name it - video games, pop culture, movies, shows, books. He is also amazed with Halliday’s work and life.
When five years from James Halliday’s death pass, people seem to have forgotten about the contest, and that’s when Parzival’s courage and knowledge will help him find the first key that unlocks the first of the three gates for the contest, putting him on the top of the scoreboard, and after five years, people start talking about Haliday’s ‘’egg’’ again.
Making friends along the way, and maybe finding the love of his life, Parzival faces millions of challenges, adventures, dangerous, funny and adorable moments. This is a book that will reveal a whole new world for you, and make you love Parzival while you follow his adventure into winning the contest.
With time running out, danger surrounding from all sides, and suddenly finding the ‘’egg’’ becoming a life or death game, Parzival and his friends have no choice but to win this contest. But will they make it, with the IOI Corporation behind their backs, following them both in the real and in the virtual world, endangering their lives?
We are in the year 2045, where while Earth is deserted and almost destroyed, people don’t realise because they are too busy living in a virtual world - the Oasis!
The Oasis is a place where you can create an avatar for free, you can level up, you go to a school and you work inside the Oasis. This virtual world is filled with references from the 1980s. Cities are built in such a way, video games and books and movies still go on.
When the famous creator of the Oasis, James Halliday, dies, it turns out that there is a contest, and the person that will manage to find the ''Easter egg'' would inherit ownership of the Oasis.
We see the story from the point of view of the young Wade, that calls himself Parzival in the Oasis. He is in love with everything from the 1980’s, you name it - video games, pop culture, movies, shows, books. He is also amazed with Halliday’s work and life.
When five years from James Halliday’s death pass, people seem to have forgotten about the contest, and that’s when Parzival’s courage and knowledge will help him find the first key that unlocks the first of the three gates for the contest, putting him on the top of the scoreboard, and after five years, people start talking about Haliday’s ‘’egg’’ again.
Making friends along the way, and maybe finding the love of his life, Parzival faces millions of challenges, adventures, dangerous, funny and adorable moments. This is a book that will reveal a whole new world for you, and make you love Parzival while you follow his adventure into winning the contest.
With time running out, danger surrounding from all sides, and suddenly finding the ‘’egg’’ becoming a life or death game, Parzival and his friends have no choice but to win this contest. But will they make it, with the IOI Corporation behind their backs, following them both in the real and in the virtual world, endangering their lives?
Little Ray Of Sunshine (41 KP) rated Boys Don't Cry: Why I Hid My Depression and Why Men Need to Talk about Their Mental Health in Books
Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Feb 10, 2019)
Book Review | Boys Don't Cry: A Story of Love, Depression and Men by Tim Grayburn
Blurb
I have chronic depression and acute anxiety.
This means that sometimes without medication I can sink very deep and think about killing myself.
But it also means that most of the time I cam perfectly happy and I forgot it even exists.
I have recently begun to become proud of it.
Review
I haven't read much non-fiction books I'm always stuck in a fiction world. But when I saw this book I thought I want to read more about Mental Health with Mental Health Awareness Week coming up next week I thought why not.
This book is about Tim Grayburn a 'real man' who opens up and publish this book it about love, being diagnose with depression and acute anxiety. I feel this man is brave for sharing is struggles with mental illness.
It shows through hes life how he kept the secret for 8 years because he felt ashamed that he didn't feel like a man, so it got so worst that when he was aged 23 he had a nervous breakdown.He hide all this from hes work mates, family and friends for so long he put on a happy face to show people he was coping okay. But he kept having thoughts of his existence like who am I? Why am I here? What is life for? they kept repeating and playing over and over.
But I was happy that he found someone to settle down with and understand what he his going through and not run away. Now Tim is a father to his son Frank.
I love that he and Bryony made hes life into a award-winning show Fake it 'Til You Make It after he quit working in advertising what he was doing for 10 years.
Thank Tim for showing people who suffer with depression and anxiety that you can achieve amazing things like this show and your book.
*Thanks Hodder & Stoughton for sending me out this ARC copy of Boy's Don't Cry.
I have chronic depression and acute anxiety.
This means that sometimes without medication I can sink very deep and think about killing myself.
But it also means that most of the time I cam perfectly happy and I forgot it even exists.
I have recently begun to become proud of it.
Review
I haven't read much non-fiction books I'm always stuck in a fiction world. But when I saw this book I thought I want to read more about Mental Health with Mental Health Awareness Week coming up next week I thought why not.
This book is about Tim Grayburn a 'real man' who opens up and publish this book it about love, being diagnose with depression and acute anxiety. I feel this man is brave for sharing is struggles with mental illness.
It shows through hes life how he kept the secret for 8 years because he felt ashamed that he didn't feel like a man, so it got so worst that when he was aged 23 he had a nervous breakdown.He hide all this from hes work mates, family and friends for so long he put on a happy face to show people he was coping okay. But he kept having thoughts of his existence like who am I? Why am I here? What is life for? they kept repeating and playing over and over.
But I was happy that he found someone to settle down with and understand what he his going through and not run away. Now Tim is a father to his son Frank.
I love that he and Bryony made hes life into a award-winning show Fake it 'Til You Make It after he quit working in advertising what he was doing for 10 years.
Thank Tim for showing people who suffer with depression and anxiety that you can achieve amazing things like this show and your book.
*Thanks Hodder & Stoughton for sending me out this ARC copy of Boy's Don't Cry.
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Postscript in Books
Nov 3, 2019
The sequel I didn’t know I needed
Review POSTSCRIPT was the sequel I never thought I needed. Let’s face it, PS I Love You finished in a good place and so it has existed for over a decade. I was worried that book two would sully the good memories I have of book one, I was worried it would disappoint, it did none of these things.
Holly was seven years down the line from Gerry’s death, living her life, happy, in a relationship and officially in a different phase of her life from when she recceived the original letters. I wondered where Cecelia Ahern would take us, without harping back to the experiences of the first book too much but Gerry’s letters were used for good, to empower others.
What I liked about Holly in this book was that she was still a bit of a hot mess. She didn’t have it all together, even after all this time, showing this was just a personality trait. What I also loved reading about was Holly’s grief for Gerry and the life she lost. The grief that shone through was dulled down but with occasional acuteness and this seemed real.
The quest that Holly went on alongside others in her PS I Love You club was a journey. I had my reservations about it just like her boyfriend, friends and family but I was won around by those characters of Bert, Genika and Jewel especially. I made it to 88% rather smugly thinking that ‘I’ve not cried, I wont now’… and then proceeded to sob twice before the end.
“…ultimately, it’s all anyone wants. Not to get lost, or left behind, not to be forgotten, to always be a part of the moments they know they’ll miss. To leave their stamp. To be remembered.”
Cecelia Ahern wrote about the journey towards death and the grief that ensues with sensitivity and tangibility. She also wrote it in an uplifting style. She connected me to the characters and narratives with skill and affection. I am so glad that this second instalment came along and made it seem as though no years had passed since the last book.
Holly was seven years down the line from Gerry’s death, living her life, happy, in a relationship and officially in a different phase of her life from when she recceived the original letters. I wondered where Cecelia Ahern would take us, without harping back to the experiences of the first book too much but Gerry’s letters were used for good, to empower others.
What I liked about Holly in this book was that she was still a bit of a hot mess. She didn’t have it all together, even after all this time, showing this was just a personality trait. What I also loved reading about was Holly’s grief for Gerry and the life she lost. The grief that shone through was dulled down but with occasional acuteness and this seemed real.
The quest that Holly went on alongside others in her PS I Love You club was a journey. I had my reservations about it just like her boyfriend, friends and family but I was won around by those characters of Bert, Genika and Jewel especially. I made it to 88% rather smugly thinking that ‘I’ve not cried, I wont now’… and then proceeded to sob twice before the end.
“…ultimately, it’s all anyone wants. Not to get lost, or left behind, not to be forgotten, to always be a part of the moments they know they’ll miss. To leave their stamp. To be remembered.”
Cecelia Ahern wrote about the journey towards death and the grief that ensues with sensitivity and tangibility. She also wrote it in an uplifting style. She connected me to the characters and narratives with skill and affection. I am so glad that this second instalment came along and made it seem as though no years had passed since the last book.
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Kristina (502 KP) rated Thirteen Reasons Why in Books
Dec 7, 2020
It hurts. I hurt - my heart, most of all. Thirteen Reasons Why spoke to me on a deep and personal level, one I try to ignore more often than not. Listening to Hannah Baker explain, in great detail, the stories, events, and people, that lead to her decision to commit suicide, was jarring. The way she chose to reveal her past, to expose the cause, was more effective than if she had just walked through the story in real time. Reading the discoveries through Clay's point of view made things more interesting. From Hanna's first official kiss, to the rumors that spread afterward (and who can honestly say they've never had a single rumor said about them?), to out of control parties and signs of depression ignored, we're lead through a sort of "treasure hunt". Each moment builds and builds as her tolerance withers away, crumbling under thoughts of not being wanted or cared about. This book, Hannah's story, is something that should open every eye to who we are as people, how we act, what we believe without verification, and how we treat others. Some events in Thirteen Reasons Why are textbook examples of bullying, while others are moments where, if they had happened separately from all the other moments, probably wouldn't have amounted to much. It should make you realize how every little thing can effect someone. Your words have an effect; your actions have an effect; your behavior has an effect. If you don't stop to think to how you've treated people throughout your life, or even wondered if something you have said or done has ever meant more to another person than they did to you, then perhaps you need to reevaluate your life. Thirteen Reasons Why is a breath of truth, if not a breath of fresh air. Nothing has slapped me in the face as serious or as hard as this book. Please, if you feel like you didn't feel the same reaction, reread this book and try to look at it through a different mindset. Because each word is important and the moral of this particular story is life changing.
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