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I will not kill myself, Olivia
Danny Baker. | 2018 | Health & Fitness, Mind, Body & Spiritual
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Raw, emotional, outstanding
From the second I started this book I couldn't put it down, what an emotional rollercoaster of a book. Following the story of a man's journey with mental illness and his romantic relationship with his first love.
I fell in love with the characters, I felt their pain, their joy and their love. I cried, alot, happiness and sadness. This book was written with so much insight and knowledge showing the reality of mental health issues and the impact on the individual their lives and their relationships. Danny baker is an author I admire and who can really create an intense and a read that you just can't put down.
  
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Artemis86 (1 KP) rated Big Little Lies in Books

Aug 21, 2018  
Big Little Lies
Big Little Lies
Liane Moriarty | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.6 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lianne Moriaty is one of these rare but incredible authors that can suck you right into her books, to the point where you just don’t want to put it down, and this book is no exception.

It has friendship, hardship, love, sadness, and is beautifully written. It had me guessing about certain things, other parts I had an idea but wasn’t sure.

If you want to read this book (which I highly recommend) set aside a good chunk of time as once you start it you won’t want to put it down. I would say though I watched the TV series, and I didn’t think it was anything close to how amazing the book was.
  
Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn (2015)
2015 | Drama
A heartwarming coming of age story
Brooklyn’s plot is fairly uncomplicated and straight forward, but it’s the execution that makes this film worth watching. It’s such a beautiful and heart warming tale of an Irish immigrant in America, filled with drama, sadness and even a bit of comedy. Saiorse Ronan is brilliant, and she’s the main reason why this film is worth watching. Emory Cohen too is simply adorable as Eilis’s American love interest and this relationship is so heart warming to watch.

My only criticism about this film is that Eilis’s return to Ireland seemed a little rushed and whilst the ending itself was fairly sweet and satisfying, I feel like they could’ve done much more with it.
  
On A Beautiful Day
On A Beautiful Day
Lucy Diamond | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A heartwarming story
I’ll be honest, this story had me from the get go simply from being set in my home city Manchester. It's so enjoyable to read a book set in a familiar surrounding, and I’m not sure I’ve ever read one set here before, and it made this book even more entertaining.

Story wise, it’s a bit fluffy and cheesy in parts, but it’s still a heartwarming tale of love and friendship, with a bit of humour and even sadness thrown in. All 4 of the main characters are well developed and easily relatable, and it’s one of those quick and easy well written books that you can’t help but find enjoyable.
  
Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out (2015)
2015 | Animation, Comedy, Drama
The Most Emotionally Resonant Pixar Film
When listing the PIXAR films that have the most emotional resonance, the films I hear mentioned most often are TOY STORY 3, WALL-E and the first 20 minutes of UP. While all of those are most definitely emotionally resonant, I would argue that INSIDE OUT is the most emotionally resonant of all the Pixar films.

And not just because the main characters in the film are emotions.

Telling the tale of 11 year old Riley, who's life is upended when her family moves from Minnesota to San Fransico, INSIDE OUT follows this journey through the eyes of Riley's 5 chief emotions - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear.

As is customary in Pixar films, the voice cast in this film is outstanding. Amy Poehler (well known as the ever-optimistic Leslie Knope in the marvelous TV Series PARKS & RECREATION) is perfectly cast as Joy. Her never ending well of optimism is perfectly placed - and never gets tiresome. As does the voice work of Lewis Black (Anger), Bill Hader (Fear) and Mindy Kahling (Disgust). They are all marvelous. But the revelation of this film for me is the voicework of Phyllis Smith (THE OFFICE) as Sadness. She brings just the right amount of weight and...well...sadness...to her character without bogging down (and bringing down) the proceedings. These 5 work together well (especially Poehler and Smith).

Special notice needs to be made of the voice work of the unique talent that is Richard Kind as the character BingBong. I will not ruin any of the surprise of this character, but I will say I could not think of any other voice for this character - he is that perfect for it.

Credit, of course, for all of this needs to be given to Director Pete Docter (currently the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar). He has shown he has the ability to really tug at the heartstrings with his previous Pixar effort, UP, and he expands on this promise in this film bringing an emotionally rich film that has many, many moments of humor spliced within. He'll be at the helm of the upcoming SOUL and I can't wait to see it.

I'm glad I revisited INSIDE OUT, it is a stronger, better film than I remembered. You'll like it - and your kids will, too!

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
  
Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out (2015)
2015 | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Standard Pixar affair - easy to look at, appealing to a younger audience whilst simultaneously bludgeoning adults with relatable emotional moments that make you want to curl up in a corner somewhere and weep.
Inside Out ticks all these boxes without a shadow of a doubt.

The animation is wonderful as usual and is arguably Pixar's most colourful film to date. The concept of emotions can be complex at the best of times. It's a concept that most people will struggle with for their whole lives and is something that will truly never be understood. Inside Out tackles this with aplomb, using colour coding to make it accessible to kids, and exploring just how complicated feelings can become especially as puberty begins to hit. It's very clever in its execution as well.

The majority of the story takes place in Riley's head, as her emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust all struggle to keep everything balanced as she starts to hit roadblocks in her life. One thing leads to another before Joy and Sadness are ejected out of the "control centre" and desperately try to find their way back, leaving the other emotions to handle the pains of growing up.
It's one part emotional family drama, and one part bonkers sci-fi adventure, and it works really well with the help of a great voice cast.

Inside Out doesn't quite hit the lofty heights of the best Pixar efforts for me, but it's still damn good and surely will appeal to everyone in some way, no matter what age your are.
  
Black Sails  - Season 1
Black Sails - Season 1
2014 | Adventure, Drama
10
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Intense stories (2 more)
Believable characters
Plot hooks keep you guessing
This is a series that my husband and myself watched and felt genuine sadness when we reached the end of the last season. We knew of the titular characters from both fiction and history, but STARZ managed to bring them to life in a way that we couldn't help but be drawn to. We would find ourselves trying to figure out the next betrayal or surprising good deed, which famous name would make an appearance, and there was no end of drama to keep us enthralled. A most excellent portrayal of swashbuckling pirates on the high seas, bringing a depth to them beyond the known ship battles for treasure that we all know.
  
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