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Superwoman
Superwoman
Sinead Flynn | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed how the book acknowledges the superhuman strength it takes to overcome mental illness, even a circumstantial one. (0 more)
What I didn’t like was that I felt like Louise’s discovery of the criminal was extremely anti-climatic and would have liked to know more about that situation. (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Superwoman by Sinead Flynn is a story about the strength it takes to pull out of depression and the amount of support it requires. While it can’t be called heartwarming, it can provide hope to those in similar situations.

 Louise might not have her dream job yet, because she is still undecided as to just what her dream job would be, but she has basically everything else she could want. She has a good job that pays the bills, good friends, and even shares an apartment with one of them. She is happy and content in her life, or so she believes. Then comes “that morning”, the day when just going about her job turns her life upside down. Now things are difficult for Louise. She no longer has a job due to the recession, yet she still has bills to pay. There is no way she will be able to get a job in her present state considering all she does is take medication, sleep, and refuses to leave the apartment.

  Slowly she gets worse and worse until one day while her roommate is away she almost burns down the apartment because she falls asleep while cooking. Thankfully her friends have her back even with her alienating them, and they arrange for her to go back home to be cared for by her parents. However, Louise seems to have given up, labeling the real world as too scary. Will it be possible for the unconditional love of her parents to “snap her out of it” or will she stay safely hidden away in the back bedroom for the rest of her life?

 I enjoyed how the book acknowledges the superhuman strength it takes to overcome mental illness, even a circumstantial one. These circumstantial illnesses often seem to be over-the-top reactions to a negative event and are rarely talked about. What I didn’t like was that I felt like Louise’s discovery of the criminal was extremely anti-climatic and would have liked to know more about that situation. The person the criminal was found with was surprising and readers are left to speculate why they were even together.

 This book is directed more towards adults, and people who trigger easily should probably think twice about picking it up. It has a large focus on depression, anxiety, and self-loathing after one morning that turns a woman’s life upside down. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The book describes a tough subject very well. Unfortunately once I got to Part 2 (page 120 of 145) the book fell apart. I mean to say it felt unbelievably rushed, there is a lot of important things that happen in the last 25 pages that just get glossed over.

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Casino Royale (1967)
Casino Royale (1967)
1967 | Adventure, Comedy
It Gets Real Bad
Here’s what Rotten Tomatoes has to say because I couldn’t begin to tell you what this shit-show is about: “This James Bond spoof features the hero coming out of retirement to attempt to fix some problems for SMERSH, while a multitude of other subplots unwind about the central figure.” Yeah, even RT was having trouble trying to figure out what the hell was going on with the 1967 Casino Royale. How bad is it? Well, let’s just say I just finished reading a list of the Top 100 Worst Movies of All Time and I was very surprised to not see this movie on there.

Acting: 10
The movie was bad, but I honestly can’t say that the acting was. These professionals had a job to do and they did it…more or less. While there’s no one performance that really stood out for me, I can definitely remember thinking that no one shit the bed at least.

Beginning: 6
This movie is weird through and through and the beginning is no exception. I will say there was some mild interest after the first ten minutes. I knew it was going to be different than the previous Bond movies, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Characters: 8
In addition to solid acting, the characters weren’t all that bad either. Sure James Bond was way more lame than the usual guy we had come to know and love over the previous few movies. But throw in characters like the aloof Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers) and you’ve got a fun cast of characters that at least try to keep things interesting.

Cinematography/Visuals: 5
Casino Royale is shot like they were given the lowest budget imaginable. Everything feels extremely cheap and done with little to no effort. It is a far cry from the previous Bond movies that give you groundbreaking shots and decent special effects. This movie’s visuals are mediocre at best.

Conflict: 6

Entertainment Value: 3
It’s never a good sign when I have to stop watching a movie at night and continue on in the morning. When it’s good enough, I will stay up no matter how tired I am. This movie was bad enough to put me right to sleep. I scored it a 3 because it reached a point where my interest was piqued in just how bad things were going to get.

Memorability: 8
It’s bad sure…but boy is it unforgettable bad. With all the craziness that ensued, they made sure you would remember it a long time after watching it. And you know what? There’s a fun respectability that comes with that.

Pace: 1

Plot: 2

Resolution: 6
The best part about the end? It was the end.

Overall: 55
I wanted to watch all the Bond movies, including the stinkers. Casino Royale is easily one of the stinkers. But, with movies as it is with everything, you can’t know where you’re going unless you see where you’ve been.
  
Happiest Season (2020)
Happiest Season (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Romance
Happiest Season definitely makes a refreshing change for a mainstream Christmas movie, but it's a real shame it didn't make it to the big screen.

Abby and Harper are having the most wonderful Christmassy evening, and in the throws of the moment Harper invites Abby to Christmas with her family. There's just one problem though, her family don't know she's gay, and they think Abby is her roommate. Can they survive the holiday season without causing a scene?

As with any festive fodder, there is an element of predictability around it that I think helps with the comforting feeling of it all, and I don't find that an issue in these sorts of things. It's that reassurance that makes them enjoyable.

That being said...

There are a lot of things I found to be frustrating about this film. Maybe it's my relationship history playing a part in it, but there were many points that had me screaming at the screen... let's just look at the rest of it though.

Family drama, classic dynamic, and all the individual characters have a little something mad about them... but that has success in varying degrees for me. Dan Levy as John is horrendously underused, there's even a perfect opportunity to have him in another storyline (that I actually thought we were heading to) but they didn't take it. I found Sloane to be way too far into the bitchy side of the character, and that made her rather unbelievable, and again, there were things in her character that would have been fitting that didn't get included. And those two kids... spawn of Satan, they'll murder us in our sleep.

Kristen Stewart is very good in this, and I'm notoriously not a great fan of her roles. (Though her offerings have been getting progressively better.) I do feel like Abby was done wrong in this film and I would have preferred to see some different outcomes for her... but every situation felt natural and her interactions with Riley and John were high points throughout. Where I come unstuck a little is with Mackenzie Davis and Harper, partly a dislike for the character and partly Davis' style of acting, it just didn't hit the spot for me. I can't say who I could have seen in this role instead, but I think there are a few others that could have taken up the reins and given it a little more pizzazz.

Gold stars all round for Mary Holland as Jane though, so adorable, she must be protected at all costs.

The look of the whole film is so rich and fits the season perfectly. The locations, the outfits, can't fault a single bit there. Design was flawless, I would love to live in that town if that's the aesthetic there. And if I'm being honest, there's nothing bad about this film overall, my issues are entirely personal preferences about acting and story.

Even with my desire to see a different outcome to the film... I cried. And yes, that's because it's a Christmas film and I'm an emotional wreck, that's how this season works, remember?

Originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/01/happiest-season-movie-review.html
  
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller, Enoch Brater | 2017 | Essays
7
7.2 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow. Death of a Salesman was a different style of a literary classic that I was honestly never expecting. It grabbed my emotions and pulled on my heartstrings. The plot contained a rollercoaster of events, and I’ll admit, there were a few times I was utterly confused and wanted to throw the book across the room. But towards the end of the ride, I was able to understand what each issue each of the characters had and what it meant to them.

Understanding the pain that Willy was going through. Understanding the issues Biff has with stealing from jobs. Understanding Happy’s need to sleep around. Bringing to light the issue of a salesman’s career and how the job market was going downhill. Death of a Salesman is worth a read or a couple of rereads!

Genre: Literary Classic, plays

Audience: Young Adult and Adults

Interests: Plays, salesmen, American Dreams, family-ties

Quality: The quality of Death of a Salesman is not one you can take lightly. There are moments throughout the play that a younger version of myself would never be able to understand until I experienced the real world for myself. Now, I understand what it’s like losing a job you hoped to have for the rest of your life. Becoming depressed to the point that you just don’t know what to do anymore regarding your family other than hoping that they can make ends meet when you’re gone.

Insights: Death of a Salesman shows that dreams are not always sunny beaches and sprinkles. But that it contains a dark side that will rip your happiness and everything you’ve lived for into a million tiny pieces that will never be able to be fixed again.

Favorite Quotes: “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.”

“I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.”

“I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy?”

Aesthetics: I love how Arthur Miller shows the reader what it’s like in a world as a struggling family. Nonetheless, a struggling middle-aged man in the fifties who is battling depression and the loss of his career. It really shows the reader that anything can happen, that you could possibly lose your career. That you could possibly lose your home or even your loved ones. Anything can happen when life decides to wipe your slate and leave you with nothing in return. So the time we have now, we must cherish it. For we never know how much time we truly have.

“The only thing you’ve got in this world is what you can sell.”