Search

Search only in certain items:

The Haunting  (1963)
The Haunting (1963)
1963 | Horror

"I love Robert Wise’s strange and vibrant career. The Haunting is probably one of the best films about ghost seekers of all time."

Source
  
The Many Days: Selected Poems Of Norman MacCaig
The Many Days: Selected Poems Of Norman MacCaig
Norman MacCaig | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Scotland’s preeminent poet of both the mountain and the capital’s pavement. Doubleness is a Scottish art: Passion and Calvinism; the west and the east; the highlands and the lowlands. MacCaig embraces this split with true affection and verve. (See also: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.)"

Source
  
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
1951 | Action, Classics, Musical
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Powell and Pressburger’s ballet-oriented film of Offenbach’s opera of Hoffmann’s tales . . . as rich and strange a confection as the cinema ever produced, with astonishing work from Moira Shearer as the dancing automaton Olympia (whose absurd demise,with broken springs coiling out of her severed head, I always find shocking and sad) and Robert Helpmann as Hoffmann’s multifaced archenemy. With effects technique that could have been used by Méliès and gorgeous color art direction, costuming, and cinematography."

Source
  
40x40

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Treasure Planet (2002) in Movies

Mar 26, 2020 (Updated Mar 26, 2020)  
Treasure Planet (2002)
Treasure Planet (2002)
2002 | Action, Animation, Family
Pirates Ahoy
Treasure Planet- is a strange movie, it came out in the early 2000's and thats when Disney was running out of ideas or starting to. I believe that their were starting to run out of ideas. Treasure Planet- is a strange movie, cause it came out after "The Lion King". And the movie's after "The Lion King" were stange. What im saying is after "The Lion King", disney decided to go really strange/a huge left turn/didn't expect that/disappointed and overall a huge downfall. But i will get to those movies. Oh this is one of them.

The Plot: The legendary "loot of a thousand worlds" inspires an intergalactic treasure hunt when 15-year-old Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a map to the greatest pirate trove in the universe in Walt Disney Pictures' thrilling animated space adventure, "Treasure Planet." Based on one of the greatest adventure stories ever told - Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" - this film follows Jim's fantastic journey across a parallel universe as a cabin boy aboard a glittering space galleon.

Its a very underrated film.
  
40x40

Amanda Palmer recommended Disintegration by The Cure in Music (curated)

 
Disintegration by The Cure
Disintegration by The Cure
2005 | Rock

"The Cure was my favourite band. The Cure covered my walls, they were on the T-shirts I wore, Robert Smith was who I was going to marry when I grew up. At 15, that's how I defined myself. I owned all the B-sides and rarities and all the bootlegs and went to see them live whenever I could. I still look back at the Cure catalogue as one of my ultimate musical educators, especially because I feel like Robert Smith, as a songwriter, went on so many tangents and wrote so much weird shit. He was clearly a masterful pop songwriter, but he was coming up with stuff that was strange and experimental, and then stuff that was really dark and brooding, and then really funny and poppy. The Cure have this reputation as the glum, sad band, but I never experienced them that way. I experienced the music of the Cure as this adventure in songwriting. Boys Don't Cry was the first record I got, which was a great record to start with. But after that, The Top – what a weird record! Such a departure from the punky, poppy stuff. So I was totally hooked, and totally fascinated by Robert Smith as a person, by what was going on in his head. Any literary reference he made, I ran out and bought the book. I was obsessed."

Source
  
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
1962 | Classics, Drama
8.8 (24 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I’m going to go with To Kill a Mockingbird. Something about that film… Man, it’s hard to put in words, but there’s something very peaceful about that film. There’s something that is really… There’s such a strong sense of right and wrong in that film, but there’s something also that’s just reminiscent of childhood. I don’t know if that makes sense, but there’s just something very peaceful about that film that I love. Gregory Peck, his performance, he’s just so strong in that film. Also, seeing a young Robert Duvall is really strange. I love the overall message about the film. There’s just a strong sense of justice. I think that would be the best term I could use. I love that film."

Source
  
Cosmopolis (2012)
Cosmopolis (2012)
2012 | Drama, Sci-Fi
I am normally an admirer of David Cronenberg’s work. His films have always at least been interesting even when they were downright strange..up until now . He really dropped the ball here , there’s no other way to say it but this is one pretentious pile of shit. The plot makes no sense whatsoever and solely consists of a billionaire on his way to get a haircut having random encounters with strangers and spouting a load of philosophical existential musings at the expense of a coherent narrative and dialogue. Robert Pattinson is terrible here as well , blank ,emotionless and unlikeable. Perhaps he didn’t know what was going on either. For me the films worst crime is it’s a David Cronenberg film . It’s beyond disappointing seeing the master of weird and wonderful put his name to something as soul destroyingly boring as this cinematic abortion.‬
  
Dead Man (1995)
Dead Man (1995)
1995 | Drama, Western
Johnny Depp (3 more)
Gay Farmer
Black and white beauty
Cool guitar soundtrack by Neil Young
Indie Western Wizardry
Seemingly meek & mild William Blake (Depp) travels from Cleveland to the town of Machine, with all his hopes pinned to taking up a a promised position as an accountant. Soon after arriving he finds the job already taken and his path taking an unexpected and deadly turn, that leads him into the spirit world of Nobody, his new and strange Indian friend.
This film is a little dark, alot violent, pretty mysterious and atmospheric. As well as the amazing work of Depp and Farmer, there is a star studded cost including, Robert Mitchum, John Hurt, Gabriel Byrne, Billy Bob Thornton & Iggy Pop to name a few. Depp is nothing less than brilliant as he evades those hunting him down and as he follows Nobody deeper and deeper into his unusual world.
  
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1)
7
7.4 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
“As the Wheel of Time turns, places wear many names. Men wear many names, many faces. Different faces, but always the same man. Yet no one knows the Great Pattern the Wheel weaves, or even the Pattern of an Age. We can only watch, and study, and hope.”

― Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World

There is perhaps nothing more magical than finding yourself fully immersed in a story. The first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, creates a full world of places, histories, species, religions, and myths. Robert Jordan first introduces you to the simple town of Emonds Field and the characters that live there. Then he takes us with those characters to explore a vast and more complex world. We are taken on a journey through different cities and meet a variety of people including meeting strange creatures and beings with strange, magical powers. Including Trollocs, Aes Sedai, Warders, and Myddraal. Jordan has an extraordinary ability to create intriguing mythologies for his world and creating species that have fully formed cultures and politics.

But before I get too far ahead of myself let us start with Robert Jordan. He is an American 31ulybtb-yl-_ux250_author from South Carolina, whose real name is James Oliver Rigney, JR. He lived from 1948 to 2007. He wrote books in many genres including fantasy, historical fiction, western and dance criticism each under a different pen name. The first book in his The Wheel of Time series was published in 1990. He was able to finish eleven books in the series before he passed, leaving his extensive notes to renowned novelist Brandon Sanderson who wrote the last three books of the series, finishing in 2013.

Personally, when reading a book, the most important thing for me is to become invested in at least one of the characters. Once I am, I’m completely dedicated to the book. Robert Jordan has a large group of main characters and switches perspective between them throughout their journey. Picking out a single main character is very difficult, Rand al’Thor might be the closest but Matrim (Mat) Cauthon and Perrin Aybara and possibly Egwene al’vere and Nynaeve al’Meara create the central cast. They are the natives of Emonds Field before their adventures take them journeying to places unknown. Each of them is special and through the course of the book, you uncover the power each has. What is amazing is how Jordan is able to make you care deeply for each character and while he is switching perspective you never find yourself, bored. This is impressive for often in novels that switch perspective there is that one storyline you do not care about. Upon finishing the first book I can honestly say that I do not have a single favorite out of the group but love them all and care about what will happen to them next.

My one issue with the book came with frustration at what I call Tolkien Naming Syndrome. With such a mass of characters it is not surprising that some names start to sound similar but like Arwen and Eowyn there are two females with feelings for one of the boys whose names are oddly similar Elayne and Egwene with other female names rhyming such as Moiraine and Morgase while the male names tend to sound different and are thus easier to keep apart and remember. Depending on what you want in a story, the other thing that keeps this book from being unique is the black and white stance on good vs. evil. The two sides are clear and do not leave much room for the morally grey.

The book offers a great mix of solved mysteries while leaving you with an abundance of questions to make you need to continue reading the story. It truly is an epic adventure story. Fulfilling the good vs. evil battling and grand adventures and meeting strange creatures and discovering new magic. While it might not have the grand battles of Lord of the Rings it has the magical journey and strange adventures that create the amazing epic fantasy novel. I plan on reading the next book soon and highly recommend this book to fantasy readers as it offers great characters, an amazing world and interesting rules on magic.
  
Toward the end of December, I finally picked up and completed reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was a first time read for me and, despite knowing the outcome of the story, I can admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I also love how far it delves into the duality of man.

Dr. Jekyll deals with the same dilemma we all do: there’s a darker nature buried within him. This story follows his pursuit of a cure – a way to return him to a wholesome, innocent, good man. Of course, we all know what happens when we try to play the role of a god, and this story is no different.

Stevenson’s pacing is pretty even, which I’m grateful for. I didn’t find the story to difficult to comprehend and I feel that there are some very good points brought up in it. Considering I did not get the chance to study it in high school, I feel as if I missed out on some valuable literature. I would probably read this again.