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Scott (Owatonna U Hockey #2)
RJ Scott and V.L. Locey
8.0
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What happens when you try to fix the past and end up threatening your future? Scott is...
Sports Romance Contemporary M/M
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Pig (2021) in Movies
Nov 30, 2021
Nicolas Cage's placement within the zeitgeist is almost legendary at this point. His various unhinged performances over the decades have ensured that he's the go-to-guy for any movie with a whacky premise that needs a lead who will commit to the part, no matter how ludicrous. Pig is a film that has fallen a little foul of this. It's a film that had been mistakenly billed to me as "John Wick but with Nicolas Cage and a pig", a film that's very synopsis lends itself to the absurdity that surrounds Cage and his career.
The finished project however is an emotional and heartfelt triumph. For starters, the whole movie is shot beautifully with plenty of stunning cinematography on display. It verges into arthouse territory fairly regularly, but works hand in hand with the way the narrative chugs along, quite wonderfully.
The slower pace of proceedings is filled with great dialogue and great turns from the likes of Adam Arkin and the ever-reliable Alex Wolff, but make no mistake, Pig belongs to Cage 100%. His performance here is nothing short of fantastic. His character is layered, and aspects of him are slowly revealed as the story unfolds, and Cage delivers it all pretty flawlessly. No joke, probably his career highlight.
The tone is a rollercoaster, from optimism amongst sadness to flat out despair. The climactic scene in particular is an absolutly beautiful and emotional shit show, that lands perfectly thanks to its stellar cast.
Pig is a movie that I didn't expect to get me as much as it did. It's an incredibly competent, subtle, and well realised debut full-length feature from Michael Sarnoski, that I imagine will be criminally overlooked when awards season rolls around. Give Nicolas Cage an Oscar dammit!
The finished project however is an emotional and heartfelt triumph. For starters, the whole movie is shot beautifully with plenty of stunning cinematography on display. It verges into arthouse territory fairly regularly, but works hand in hand with the way the narrative chugs along, quite wonderfully.
The slower pace of proceedings is filled with great dialogue and great turns from the likes of Adam Arkin and the ever-reliable Alex Wolff, but make no mistake, Pig belongs to Cage 100%. His performance here is nothing short of fantastic. His character is layered, and aspects of him are slowly revealed as the story unfolds, and Cage delivers it all pretty flawlessly. No joke, probably his career highlight.
The tone is a rollercoaster, from optimism amongst sadness to flat out despair. The climactic scene in particular is an absolutly beautiful and emotional shit show, that lands perfectly thanks to its stellar cast.
Pig is a movie that I didn't expect to get me as much as it did. It's an incredibly competent, subtle, and well realised debut full-length feature from Michael Sarnoski, that I imagine will be criminally overlooked when awards season rolls around. Give Nicolas Cage an Oscar dammit!
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Phoenix Freed (Phoenix #3) in Books
May 8, 2023
This is the bittersweet ending to the Phoenix trilogy. We meet Daughtry and Cody as they are sickeningly (according to un-bonded people) in love, together on a soul level that can't be comprehended by someone not yet bonded. It is a time of quiet, but Daughtry can't relax as she feels like there is still something to come.
Something does come... in the shape of her sister, Alex. To begin with, Daughtry can't remember her, but as she gets memory flashbacks, she understands more and wraps Alex into her life. Alex has had it tough, but she is a survivor. She is also a fantastic character! Yes, she gets hurt by comments and/or actions, but she doesn't just fly off the deep end either. She takes a breath and tries to figure out if her hurt feelings were intentional or not. I loved that!
Along with the story continuing for Daughtry and Cody, we also have stories involving the Dalshie, Alex, John, and Tyler.
WOW, just wow! Phoenix Freed is incredibly well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors that could distract me. The story flows, the tension builds, there is happiness, there is sadness, and there is horror where your breath catches in your throat.
Although this is the end of this series, I am seriously hoping for some more in the LexTal Chronicles to go alongside Mason and Gabby's story. I don't think I'm quite ready to leave their world yet! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 5, 2016
Something does come... in the shape of her sister, Alex. To begin with, Daughtry can't remember her, but as she gets memory flashbacks, she understands more and wraps Alex into her life. Alex has had it tough, but she is a survivor. She is also a fantastic character! Yes, she gets hurt by comments and/or actions, but she doesn't just fly off the deep end either. She takes a breath and tries to figure out if her hurt feelings were intentional or not. I loved that!
Along with the story continuing for Daughtry and Cody, we also have stories involving the Dalshie, Alex, John, and Tyler.
WOW, just wow! Phoenix Freed is incredibly well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors that could distract me. The story flows, the tension builds, there is happiness, there is sadness, and there is horror where your breath catches in your throat.
Although this is the end of this series, I am seriously hoping for some more in the LexTal Chronicles to go alongside Mason and Gabby's story. I don't think I'm quite ready to leave their world yet! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 5, 2016
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis Mysteries, #1) in Books
May 30, 2023
This book starts with a blast... a shotgun blast, to be precise, by a grandma wearing a leather bikini! If that doesn't want to make you bleach your eyeballs, I don't know what will. This is a story filled with mystery, banter, action, and steamy relationships. I loved the connection that Bobby and Cole had, and every scene in which they were in made me smile. Cole himself is a brilliant character, he has trauma and sadness in his past that he is dealing with. When his brother, Mike, asks him to look into an apparent suicide, Cole doesn't think that it will last long. However, he opens a can of worms, smokescreens and lies as he tries to find out just "whodunnit".
This is extremely well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. You get a brilliant backdrop of characters, situations and history, apart from one thing that is alluded to, but never answered. I am presuming this is part of the story that will come out in future books.
The reason for my 4-stars is that I never actually felt much of a connection with Cole or Jae-Min. At times, yes, but not constantly, and not enough for them to move as fast as they did. We're talking insta-love here, after a three-year hiatus on Cole's part. I don't know, for me, it just didn't seem to fit right. But that is probably just me as I'm not a big fan of insta-love anyway. Absolutely loved the rest of it and would have no hesitation in recommending this.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 20, 2016
This is extremely well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. You get a brilliant backdrop of characters, situations and history, apart from one thing that is alluded to, but never answered. I am presuming this is part of the story that will come out in future books.
The reason for my 4-stars is that I never actually felt much of a connection with Cole or Jae-Min. At times, yes, but not constantly, and not enough for them to move as fast as they did. We're talking insta-love here, after a three-year hiatus on Cole's part. I don't know, for me, it just didn't seem to fit right. But that is probably just me as I'm not a big fan of insta-love anyway. Absolutely loved the rest of it and would have no hesitation in recommending this.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 20, 2016
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
See the latest and more detailed review over on Ramble Media here http://www.ramblemedia.com/?p=20020
The final instalment of TolkienÕs thrilling epic doesnÕt disappoint. In a gripping, at times, but IÕll get to that later, ending with twists and turns, drama and intrigue, and simply a fitting conclusion to a well written tale. Again, as always, I will intend to keep this short, and IÕll start with the bad and end with the good, because overall, this book is very good!
So for the bad, I have to admit, I find Frodo and Sam utterly boring. I appreciate that they have the most important task of the Company, and they need to be alone whist they are completing it, but they need something to complete their part of the story. Now I can understand others may have differing views, and I can appreciate this, but I find them such a tiresome partnership. Sam redeemed himself greatly in his persistence and growth of ÔspiritÕ as he continued with his task, but thatÕs the final word IÕll say on it as, it is a very good book for the most part.
And onto the good! I read a lot of books with battles in them, and rarely have I ever experienced the emotion, fear, sadness and excitement that a battle brings in such balance and proportion. The first book of this book, and apologies if that sounds a bit Irish as my mum would say, is totally enthralling and, to coin a common phrase, unputdownable. It is almost as though you can actually feel the charisma of Aragorn and the other captains pouring through the pages and giving you as the reader the desire to continue reading through what you know is going to be some pretty difficult parts emotionally.
Another positive of this is that the camaraderie seen at the end of the battles is truly heart-warming to see. It is sad that more is not seen of Gimli and Legolas, however I can understand that the emphasis needed to be on the captains and those of higher rank. This was especially true as the slow unveiling of Aragorn progressed, and the ceremony was extremely well written and really did help the reader to see what it would have been like to have been amongst the people welcoming their long lost King to their city of stone.
I have to admit my brain was rather slow on the uptake of where this story was going, but I couldn't have imagined half of the goings on that did occur. These were however, intricately weaved into each other and give the book a sense of completeness as you discover the ending for all the characters, not just the odd one or two. Usually, as a fanfiction writer, I like the reader to leave me thinking at the end so I can fill some gaps myself, but on this occasion, having journeyed so far and put so much into the effort of reading the book, I have to say I enjoyed having the majority of things being tidied up for me. Tolkien really did tidy stuff up, the Hobbits, the Elves, the Men, and this gave a strange sense of fulfilment which I rarely get when I finish a book, and that was lovely to experience. Anyway, IÕm waffling, but you get the gist as I canÕt, for a change, express myself in words.
Another fact I loved about this book was the sudden twist in the fate of the Shire. This hit me like a bolt of the blue and really opened my eyes to situations such as this which had been a part of Ômodern day lifeÕ. I never thought the Shire could ever be taken by evil, despite all the warnings of Gandalf and the Rangers, I was still, hobbitlike I suppose, in my defiance that it could happen. Well, blow me over with a feather! When I read their homecoming I was crushed, truly crushed. This affected me more than any other part of the story, however the sadness was short lived as I had never expected the journey to change the little hobbits so much! Merry and Pippin really did live up to the new livery of their respective Lords, and showed a new side to the wonderful tenacity and resourcefulness of the hobbits.
The addition of the appendices is a wonderful touch, as I feel as fully versed in the lore of this world as my own. It is clear from this alone that to Tolkien, this was not just a story, it was a living world just out of our reach and he created a doorway to it, letting us experience their trials and tribulations, joys and victories and many other occurrences alongside our own. I find myself looking for evidence of this world now when I travel and it has truly grasped my imagination in a way few books ever do. The impact of this will be lasting, and I know I will always be looking for an ideal hobbit hole in the Shire to retire to!
In conclusion, I adored parts of this book, abhorred others, but the contrast makes me love it all the more as it is so relatable to modern events, despite being written many years ago before such events could ever have been contrived in the minds of men. It is a truly fitting conclusion to the build up in the other books, and provides thought, excitement, happiness, sadness and many other emotions to help bring the reader home to the Shire along a twisting road. Fantastically written, an excellent testament to the greatness of Tolkien and a book I would not only highly recommend, but nag people until they had at least given it a try. A truly wonderful and epic tale that will be read again and again.
The final instalment of TolkienÕs thrilling epic doesnÕt disappoint. In a gripping, at times, but IÕll get to that later, ending with twists and turns, drama and intrigue, and simply a fitting conclusion to a well written tale. Again, as always, I will intend to keep this short, and IÕll start with the bad and end with the good, because overall, this book is very good!
So for the bad, I have to admit, I find Frodo and Sam utterly boring. I appreciate that they have the most important task of the Company, and they need to be alone whist they are completing it, but they need something to complete their part of the story. Now I can understand others may have differing views, and I can appreciate this, but I find them such a tiresome partnership. Sam redeemed himself greatly in his persistence and growth of ÔspiritÕ as he continued with his task, but thatÕs the final word IÕll say on it as, it is a very good book for the most part.
And onto the good! I read a lot of books with battles in them, and rarely have I ever experienced the emotion, fear, sadness and excitement that a battle brings in such balance and proportion. The first book of this book, and apologies if that sounds a bit Irish as my mum would say, is totally enthralling and, to coin a common phrase, unputdownable. It is almost as though you can actually feel the charisma of Aragorn and the other captains pouring through the pages and giving you as the reader the desire to continue reading through what you know is going to be some pretty difficult parts emotionally.
Another positive of this is that the camaraderie seen at the end of the battles is truly heart-warming to see. It is sad that more is not seen of Gimli and Legolas, however I can understand that the emphasis needed to be on the captains and those of higher rank. This was especially true as the slow unveiling of Aragorn progressed, and the ceremony was extremely well written and really did help the reader to see what it would have been like to have been amongst the people welcoming their long lost King to their city of stone.
I have to admit my brain was rather slow on the uptake of where this story was going, but I couldn't have imagined half of the goings on that did occur. These were however, intricately weaved into each other and give the book a sense of completeness as you discover the ending for all the characters, not just the odd one or two. Usually, as a fanfiction writer, I like the reader to leave me thinking at the end so I can fill some gaps myself, but on this occasion, having journeyed so far and put so much into the effort of reading the book, I have to say I enjoyed having the majority of things being tidied up for me. Tolkien really did tidy stuff up, the Hobbits, the Elves, the Men, and this gave a strange sense of fulfilment which I rarely get when I finish a book, and that was lovely to experience. Anyway, IÕm waffling, but you get the gist as I canÕt, for a change, express myself in words.
Another fact I loved about this book was the sudden twist in the fate of the Shire. This hit me like a bolt of the blue and really opened my eyes to situations such as this which had been a part of Ômodern day lifeÕ. I never thought the Shire could ever be taken by evil, despite all the warnings of Gandalf and the Rangers, I was still, hobbitlike I suppose, in my defiance that it could happen. Well, blow me over with a feather! When I read their homecoming I was crushed, truly crushed. This affected me more than any other part of the story, however the sadness was short lived as I had never expected the journey to change the little hobbits so much! Merry and Pippin really did live up to the new livery of their respective Lords, and showed a new side to the wonderful tenacity and resourcefulness of the hobbits.
The addition of the appendices is a wonderful touch, as I feel as fully versed in the lore of this world as my own. It is clear from this alone that to Tolkien, this was not just a story, it was a living world just out of our reach and he created a doorway to it, letting us experience their trials and tribulations, joys and victories and many other occurrences alongside our own. I find myself looking for evidence of this world now when I travel and it has truly grasped my imagination in a way few books ever do. The impact of this will be lasting, and I know I will always be looking for an ideal hobbit hole in the Shire to retire to!
In conclusion, I adored parts of this book, abhorred others, but the contrast makes me love it all the more as it is so relatable to modern events, despite being written many years ago before such events could ever have been contrived in the minds of men. It is a truly fitting conclusion to the build up in the other books, and provides thought, excitement, happiness, sadness and many other emotions to help bring the reader home to the Shire along a twisting road. Fantastically written, an excellent testament to the greatness of Tolkien and a book I would not only highly recommend, but nag people until they had at least given it a try. A truly wonderful and epic tale that will be read again and again.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Healing Love in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Where do I begin with this review? No words justify the amount of feels I felt with this book. It is absolutely an amazing read. From heartache and pain to smiles and hope, Ms. Slattery stitches together a novel that will not soon leave the reader's soul. You close the book and reflect on the story and the characters and their faith long into the night. It's forever in my heart, that's for sure!
I have never been on a mission trip but I know of people that have. They come home with stories that will leave you in tears, sometimes from happiness, sometimes from sadness. Ms. Slattery filled this book with such detail that you can't help but feel as if you, the reader,were right there in the center of the mission trip. Watching Brooke along side of Ubaldo really kept me hooked on the story. I loved both of their characters so much. I felt their emotions and their faith as if they were my own. When they came to terms with what God had in store for the two of them, together, I really felt it deep in my soul!
Ms. Slattery has taken on a wonderful theme for this book. Finding love in an unexpected place with an unexpected person, learning of that our plan isn't always His plans, and seeking redemption along the way, really makes for a fantabulous book! I can not simply give this incredibly moving novel a measly 5 star rating. It is beyond that. It is deserving of 5 thousand stars, if you want my opinion. This book, and all it has to offer, will suck you in, cacoon you into it's pages and leave you breathless and in awe of Ms. Slattery's work. Bravo, Jennifer Slattery! Bravo! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/book-review-healing-love-by-jennifer-slattery/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
I have never been on a mission trip but I know of people that have. They come home with stories that will leave you in tears, sometimes from happiness, sometimes from sadness. Ms. Slattery filled this book with such detail that you can't help but feel as if you, the reader,were right there in the center of the mission trip. Watching Brooke along side of Ubaldo really kept me hooked on the story. I loved both of their characters so much. I felt their emotions and their faith as if they were my own. When they came to terms with what God had in store for the two of them, together, I really felt it deep in my soul!
Ms. Slattery has taken on a wonderful theme for this book. Finding love in an unexpected place with an unexpected person, learning of that our plan isn't always His plans, and seeking redemption along the way, really makes for a fantabulous book! I can not simply give this incredibly moving novel a measly 5 star rating. It is beyond that. It is deserving of 5 thousand stars, if you want my opinion. This book, and all it has to offer, will suck you in, cacoon you into it's pages and leave you breathless and in awe of Ms. Slattery's work. Bravo, Jennifer Slattery! Bravo! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/book-review-healing-love-by-jennifer-slattery/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Redemption (Redemption, #1) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I reviewed this book several years ago, so this is a reread review. I can tell you that my thoughts then were high on this book and not much has changed through the years. Mrs. Kingsbury's books were introduced to me by my mother many years ago, and I was hooked. Redemption was one of the first Kingsbury books that I read, and it is one of my favorites. I was instantly hooked on it the first time I read it, and the reread was no different. Whenever I find myself in a book funk, or I suffer a tragedy in my life, I pick up Redemption and am reminded that with God's redeeming grace, I can pull through anything.
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Amy Louise Davison (118 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Mar 4, 2019 (Updated Mar 4, 2019)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I loved the first season of this show. Especially the characters of Klaus and Five. Five is meant to be 58 (due to getting trapped in the future for 45years) and when coming back from the future returns to his 13 year old body. His siblings are all 30 years old so technically he is 28 years older. The actor who plays Five is only 15 in real life but is absolutely brilliant in his role. It must have been daunting for him to act among much older actors and have to act so much older than his actual age but he did it remarkably. He is so believable and witty.
Klaus is eccentric and loveable, tormented and sad. I was willing him on in the season to be okay and stay sober. The actor portraying Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is Irish in real life - his American accent in this show is flawless. Remarkable.
Varnya, although she may be the centre of the show in some ways is in my opinion very unlikeable. I do not know if that was on purpose or not but I found her boring and whiny and a little annoying!
Allison, Diego, Luther and Ben are all good characters, rounded and likeable.
The show does not spoon feed you information either. Pogo is never explained... Why is he an intelligent, talking monkey? It is assumed Hargreeves made him like this but it is never touched upon.
It is never explained why Five kept his name and the others did not but it suits his character. Delores is never thrown in Five's face by any of his siblings which is unusual but brilliant. The Umbrella Academy doesn't take the route you usually suspect most of the time.
I recommend this season to everyone, young and old. There is humour, drama, sadness, violence, mystery, sci-fi themes, super powers, magic briefcases and a hell of a lot of doughnuts.
Klaus is eccentric and loveable, tormented and sad. I was willing him on in the season to be okay and stay sober. The actor portraying Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is Irish in real life - his American accent in this show is flawless. Remarkable.
Varnya, although she may be the centre of the show in some ways is in my opinion very unlikeable. I do not know if that was on purpose or not but I found her boring and whiny and a little annoying!
Allison, Diego, Luther and Ben are all good characters, rounded and likeable.
The show does not spoon feed you information either. Pogo is never explained... Why is he an intelligent, talking monkey? It is assumed Hargreeves made him like this but it is never touched upon.
It is never explained why Five kept his name and the others did not but it suits his character. Delores is never thrown in Five's face by any of his siblings which is unusual but brilliant. The Umbrella Academy doesn't take the route you usually suspect most of the time.
I recommend this season to everyone, young and old. There is humour, drama, sadness, violence, mystery, sci-fi themes, super powers, magic briefcases and a hell of a lot of doughnuts.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Wonder Park (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Wonder or blunder?
#wonderpark is multilayered #kids film that offers goofy humor mixed with some at times rather heavy & extreamly mature themes. Today we took my sisters little ones to see Wonder Park (a film i was at first i was struggling to stay awake for if I'm honest) & with an fairly generic start i was struggling to see where it was headed. Then bam after about 20 minutes i found myself hit hard with an #emotional punch of a plot twist that comes completely out of nowhere. After this heavy scene the film continues to ride onwards dealing with many #adult themes such as #depression, battling inner #demons, dealing with grief/loss, maturing/growing up, balancing/suppressing & dealing with #emotions such as anger guilt frustration & sadness. Me & my #mum found all these themes extremely prominent & in your face but from a kids point of view they just seemed to go straight over their heads as there was more than enough bright/loud & colourfully explosive set pieces/characters distracting them from the heavy overtones. Visually its a great looking film but i couldn't help notice a dusty wash over everything tainting & muting the colour pallet. This made the overall tone feel bleak to me & made the films ideas seem conflicted especially when you already have a mix of deep adult themes & really #silly #humor there too. Set pieces are actually quite #fun/#creative & stakes are high at times too which really got the kids feeling tense & excited. #Musical numbers are also catchy & both the #boys came out #dancing, #smiling & #singing which was nice to see. Overall its nothing really that you've not seen a million times before but it at least tries to tell a more mature story in a way both kids & adults can enjoy so for that i commend it. Short & #sweet, happy & bleak a perfectly ok experience. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic #halfterm #schoolholidays #animals #kenjeong #kenanthompson #milakunis #fantasy #themepark
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) in Movies
Jan 29, 2018
Inspirational
If I'm being honest, I didn't expect to like this film. Everyone in the past twelve years since its release that has recommended it to me can only talk about how sad and downright heartbreaking it can be at times. Why would I want watch a film like that? After sitting through The Pursuit of Happyness, I have my answer.
Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is just trying to make money and take care of his family. After investing his entire life savings in a company that goes nowhere, he decides to risk it all and go out for an unpaid internship with a stockbroking company. The message here is extremely powerful, a message he delivers to his son about halfway through the film: If you want something, go get it. And, in the process of getting it, don't let anyone tell you that you can't have it.
The film revolves Gardner's struggle to work for no pay and still manage to take care of his son. You can't help but admire his hustle. Despite numerous shortcomings and failed attempts, he continues to push toward his vision. It's inspiration at its finest. And, just as people warned me, it's also heartbreaking to watch. I mean, the guy can't seem to catch a break. Ever. He takes a step forward then eight back. I appreciated the film being delivered in this fashion because of how real it felt. I never got the sense of sugarcoating. This man was broken, yet he found a way to piece himself back together.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Jaden Smith's performance as Chris jr. He carries the innocence and sadness of a kid that's a victim of a situation he doesn't seem to fully understand. While it's heartbreaking to see them struggle, it's heartwarming to watch them struggle together.
My one complaint would be the movie ending a bit too abruptly for my taste. Other than that, what a great film! I give it a 92.
Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is just trying to make money and take care of his family. After investing his entire life savings in a company that goes nowhere, he decides to risk it all and go out for an unpaid internship with a stockbroking company. The message here is extremely powerful, a message he delivers to his son about halfway through the film: If you want something, go get it. And, in the process of getting it, don't let anyone tell you that you can't have it.
The film revolves Gardner's struggle to work for no pay and still manage to take care of his son. You can't help but admire his hustle. Despite numerous shortcomings and failed attempts, he continues to push toward his vision. It's inspiration at its finest. And, just as people warned me, it's also heartbreaking to watch. I mean, the guy can't seem to catch a break. Ever. He takes a step forward then eight back. I appreciated the film being delivered in this fashion because of how real it felt. I never got the sense of sugarcoating. This man was broken, yet he found a way to piece himself back together.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Jaden Smith's performance as Chris jr. He carries the innocence and sadness of a kid that's a victim of a situation he doesn't seem to fully understand. While it's heartbreaking to see them struggle, it's heartwarming to watch them struggle together.
My one complaint would be the movie ending a bit too abruptly for my taste. Other than that, what a great film! I give it a 92.