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Becca Major (96 KP) rated The Irregular at Magic High School: Vol. 1: Enrollment Arc, Part 1 in Books
Feb 5, 2018
Interesting premise (3 more)
Tatsuya
Mystery surrounding the Shiba siblings
Most of the side-characters
Information dumps (3 more)
General editing mistakes
Miyuki
Lack of male characters (that aren’t antagonists)
The Setup
The Irregular at Magic High School
Book by Tsutomu Sato
Review by Rip Major
The Irregular at Magic High School is about siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki and their experiences at First High. The school is split into two main groups, the Blooms, who are gifted with the ability to use and control magic, and Weeds, who can use magic, but aren’t as strong with it as the Blooms are. Miyuki, who is a prodigy with magic and has the brains to back it up, is placed with the Blooms. Tatsuya, on the other hand, is not as gifted with magic, so he is placed with the Weeds.
The plot is pretty anime-standard. Boy and girl go to a new school and participate in shenanigans. The majority of the book follows the day to day misadventures of Tatsuya and Miyuki as they deal with the fact that, while they are extremely close, they are essentially in different hierarchical classes. This culminates in Miyuki joining the Student Council and Tatsuya joining the Disciplinary Committee, even though both are reluctant about the whole thing.
Tatsuya is a very interesting character because he is constantly annoyed by his classmates and their shenanigans, most of which he gets drawn into. He seems like the type of character that would prefer to be in the background and be left to his own devices, but his status as main character simply won’t let him. It is actually quite amusing to read his inner monologue while things happen to and around him. He is actually quite smart, being able to work on CADs (the in-universe way to cast magic) with exceptional skill and speed. He is also a skilled martial artist, apparently knowing ninjutsu, or something similar. Additionally, he also has a very mechanical way of thinking, which includes shutting down parts of himself that would ordinarily be considered normal. For instance, there is a scene where he realizes his older classmate is arousing him, and he shuts it down. Basically, in a book where the POV changes often and usually without meaning, Tatsuya is a very interesting character to be in the head of.
Unfortunately, Miyuki isn’t nearly as interesting as her brother. She is beautiful, smart, and gifted; all of which makes her a little too perfect for me to really connect with. Her major flaw is that she has an unusual and uncomfortable obsession with her brother. Also, she just feels a lot flatter than most of the side characters. And I officially have nothing else to say about her.
In all honesty, most of what I found interesting about this book was certain aspects of Sato’s world-building, specifically the pseudo-science/magic marriage and how it is explained. I also like how mysterious the history of the siblings is. Very little about their relationships with their parents is revealed, or why they are living alone in their apartment. In fact, other than the basic setup of the plot and characteristics of the two, not much else is explored in this book. I am curious to see if the next book will reveal more.
Book by Tsutomu Sato
Review by Rip Major
The Irregular at Magic High School is about siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki and their experiences at First High. The school is split into two main groups, the Blooms, who are gifted with the ability to use and control magic, and Weeds, who can use magic, but aren’t as strong with it as the Blooms are. Miyuki, who is a prodigy with magic and has the brains to back it up, is placed with the Blooms. Tatsuya, on the other hand, is not as gifted with magic, so he is placed with the Weeds.
The plot is pretty anime-standard. Boy and girl go to a new school and participate in shenanigans. The majority of the book follows the day to day misadventures of Tatsuya and Miyuki as they deal with the fact that, while they are extremely close, they are essentially in different hierarchical classes. This culminates in Miyuki joining the Student Council and Tatsuya joining the Disciplinary Committee, even though both are reluctant about the whole thing.
Tatsuya is a very interesting character because he is constantly annoyed by his classmates and their shenanigans, most of which he gets drawn into. He seems like the type of character that would prefer to be in the background and be left to his own devices, but his status as main character simply won’t let him. It is actually quite amusing to read his inner monologue while things happen to and around him. He is actually quite smart, being able to work on CADs (the in-universe way to cast magic) with exceptional skill and speed. He is also a skilled martial artist, apparently knowing ninjutsu, or something similar. Additionally, he also has a very mechanical way of thinking, which includes shutting down parts of himself that would ordinarily be considered normal. For instance, there is a scene where he realizes his older classmate is arousing him, and he shuts it down. Basically, in a book where the POV changes often and usually without meaning, Tatsuya is a very interesting character to be in the head of.
Unfortunately, Miyuki isn’t nearly as interesting as her brother. She is beautiful, smart, and gifted; all of which makes her a little too perfect for me to really connect with. Her major flaw is that she has an unusual and uncomfortable obsession with her brother. Also, she just feels a lot flatter than most of the side characters. And I officially have nothing else to say about her.
In all honesty, most of what I found interesting about this book was certain aspects of Sato’s world-building, specifically the pseudo-science/magic marriage and how it is explained. I also like how mysterious the history of the siblings is. Very little about their relationships with their parents is revealed, or why they are living alone in their apartment. In fact, other than the basic setup of the plot and characteristics of the two, not much else is explored in this book. I am curious to see if the next book will reveal more.
magical (1 more)
tender
Jess Winters and her mother, Maud, arrive in the small town of Sycamore, Arizona hoping to start afresh: Maud is recently divorced from Jess' father and both are reeling from the event in different ways. Maud copes by sleeping most of the day away, but a restless teenage Jess wanders the town, searching for peace. Eventually she finds a friendship with Dani Newell, the local "smart kid" at the high school, and her boyfriend, Paul, the son of Jess' employer, Iris. Maybe, just maybe, Jess thinks, she could be happy here.
Flash forward nearly twenty years, when a new resident to town, another restless spirit, stumbles upon some bones in the local dried up lake. Residents immediately fear they belong to Jess, who disappeared shortly before Christmas: a young seventeen-year-old who was never seen again.
Oh, this is a magical book. I felt an immediate attachment to Jess from the first opening chapter. I was connected to her as a child of divorce, as someone who once had that urge to wander, who shared that restlessness as an adolescent. You quickly find that Chancellor has the power to create such real characters, who draw you in from the start.
The book--and the story of Jess--unfolds in snatches and snippets of these characters. Each chapter is told by a different inhabitant of Sycamore, and we get reminiscences and memories of their past, telling more about what happened with Jess, as well as their current life. We also get chapters of Jess' time as a sixteen-and seventeen-year-old in the town. In a way, it is as if we are being caught up backwards sometimes. I was captivated by the oddly suspenseful way they each tell stories from different times and varying viewpoints. It's an interesting (and effective) technique. You are piecing together a mystery, yet also reading a beautiful novel of interwoven characters.
One of the most amazing things about this novel is that for each different point of view, for each character, they have their own voice. Chancellor captures each one in their own unique way: the different way they speak. Some chapters are told in a distinctive sort of format and more. Every one has their own personality. It allows the characters--and the entire town--to really come to life so easily as you read. You can picture this entire small town and its inhabitants so clearly because of her beautiful, clear writing. It's just such a powerful book and so well-written.
There's a sweet tenderness to this book that I cannot truly describe. It really touched me. It's not always an easy read, or a happy one, but it's a lovely book in many ways. It's wonderfully written, surprisingly suspenseful, and a heartbreaking but amazing journey. I highly recommend it.
Flash forward nearly twenty years, when a new resident to town, another restless spirit, stumbles upon some bones in the local dried up lake. Residents immediately fear they belong to Jess, who disappeared shortly before Christmas: a young seventeen-year-old who was never seen again.
Oh, this is a magical book. I felt an immediate attachment to Jess from the first opening chapter. I was connected to her as a child of divorce, as someone who once had that urge to wander, who shared that restlessness as an adolescent. You quickly find that Chancellor has the power to create such real characters, who draw you in from the start.
The book--and the story of Jess--unfolds in snatches and snippets of these characters. Each chapter is told by a different inhabitant of Sycamore, and we get reminiscences and memories of their past, telling more about what happened with Jess, as well as their current life. We also get chapters of Jess' time as a sixteen-and seventeen-year-old in the town. In a way, it is as if we are being caught up backwards sometimes. I was captivated by the oddly suspenseful way they each tell stories from different times and varying viewpoints. It's an interesting (and effective) technique. You are piecing together a mystery, yet also reading a beautiful novel of interwoven characters.
One of the most amazing things about this novel is that for each different point of view, for each character, they have their own voice. Chancellor captures each one in their own unique way: the different way they speak. Some chapters are told in a distinctive sort of format and more. Every one has their own personality. It allows the characters--and the entire town--to really come to life so easily as you read. You can picture this entire small town and its inhabitants so clearly because of her beautiful, clear writing. It's just such a powerful book and so well-written.
There's a sweet tenderness to this book that I cannot truly describe. It really touched me. It's not always an easy read, or a happy one, but it's a lovely book in many ways. It's wonderfully written, surprisingly suspenseful, and a heartbreaking but amazing journey. I highly recommend it.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Here and Gone in Books
Sep 24, 2020
All my reviews can be found on https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com/
I was enjoying it from the first pages of the book. The description above describes this book quite well. It started with Audra in the car with her children. That got my attention. Why? Where are they going? And little by little the main character Audra, unfolded it. I am not big fan of the books about children and their parents, because all you read is how much parents love their kids. But this book somehow gripped me. The main character suffered a lot in her life, so the way she was trying to fight for her kids and not to give up, really made me respect her. I think, that author of this novel, done a great job by letting all the main characters to speak in this book, even the evil ones. Another great point of this book, that author was finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, and then just starting the next chapter with different characters story. It was so addictive, and all I wanted was to figure out, how the previous story finished. I enjoyed reading the story from children’s perspective as well. The little boy, Sean, was a real sweetheart; incredibly smart, caring and a little hero. (Reminder, I do not like children). The ability to read the story from different perspectives and told by different characters made it very enjoyable, and allowed to understand the characters way better.
The whole plot was happening in one area and was really concentrated on a small, dying town of Silver Water. I really liked the whole story; I found it really original and very interesting. The more I read this book, the catchier it got. I really liked how this story unfolded, with Audra’s difficult past, husband’s abuse, and her fight for her children at present. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. When I thought that is no one there to help Audra, author nicely twisted in a help for her. I liked the topics this novel was discussing: different ways of emotional abuse against women; hard life and decisions when you don’t have money; corrupt authorities and how they can ruin people’s lives.
The writing style of this book is not difficult and language used makes this book a pleasant and easy read. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, I’m a big fan of short chapters, and this book is another winner in that category for me. On the other hand, there are some violent details in this book, so if you have weak nerves, be prepared. The ending of the book was well thought through and didn’t leave me disappointed. It was well deserved after everything. So to conclude, it is twisted, fast paced and addictive thriller filled with mother’s fight and love for her children, and surprisingly I really enjoyed it.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
I was enjoying it from the first pages of the book. The description above describes this book quite well. It started with Audra in the car with her children. That got my attention. Why? Where are they going? And little by little the main character Audra, unfolded it. I am not big fan of the books about children and their parents, because all you read is how much parents love their kids. But this book somehow gripped me. The main character suffered a lot in her life, so the way she was trying to fight for her kids and not to give up, really made me respect her. I think, that author of this novel, done a great job by letting all the main characters to speak in this book, even the evil ones. Another great point of this book, that author was finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, and then just starting the next chapter with different characters story. It was so addictive, and all I wanted was to figure out, how the previous story finished. I enjoyed reading the story from children’s perspective as well. The little boy, Sean, was a real sweetheart; incredibly smart, caring and a little hero. (Reminder, I do not like children). The ability to read the story from different perspectives and told by different characters made it very enjoyable, and allowed to understand the characters way better.
The whole plot was happening in one area and was really concentrated on a small, dying town of Silver Water. I really liked the whole story; I found it really original and very interesting. The more I read this book, the catchier it got. I really liked how this story unfolded, with Audra’s difficult past, husband’s abuse, and her fight for her children at present. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. When I thought that is no one there to help Audra, author nicely twisted in a help for her. I liked the topics this novel was discussing: different ways of emotional abuse against women; hard life and decisions when you don’t have money; corrupt authorities and how they can ruin people’s lives.
The writing style of this book is not difficult and language used makes this book a pleasant and easy read. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, I’m a big fan of short chapters, and this book is another winner in that category for me. On the other hand, there are some violent details in this book, so if you have weak nerves, be prepared. The ending of the book was well thought through and didn’t leave me disappointed. It was well deserved after everything. So to conclude, it is twisted, fast paced and addictive thriller filled with mother’s fight and love for her children, and surprisingly I really enjoyed it.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Flash (2023) in Movies
Jun 18, 2023
The Best DCEU Film Since the original WONDER WOMAN
At this point in time, the average movie-going public is suffering from “Super-Hero” fatigue, and (more than likely) “multi-verse” fatigue because the latest entries in this genre all are tapping the same type of experience (in order to pull in properties/characters from other films). It’s a smart strategy from a Movie Executive point-of-view as they can bring in other, generally liked/loved characters from previous films/entities.
Sometimes it works Excellently (SPIDER-MAN ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE), sometimes it works “Well Enough” (DR. STRANGE IN THE MULTI-VERSE OF MADNESS) and sometimes it is just plain boring (the latest ANT-MAN movie), so expectation is that the DCEU will find a way to screw this up and make dull and boring a premise (and characters) that should be exciting and fun.
And…with THE FLASH, the DCEU got it right (for once) and it is the most fun DCEU film since the first WONDER WOMAN film.
Based on the FLASHPOINT comics series and Directed by Andy Muschietti (IT and IT, Part II), THE FLASH Isn’t (really) a “multi-verse” story, it’s a time travel tale (that causes multi-verses). An important distinction for the Fanboy - but rather unimportant to the regular movie-going person. This tale brings a bunch of fun (and humor!) to the DCEU as well as touching on the fondness nerve for by-gone characters (and the actors who portrayed them).
Central to this film is, of course, THE FLASH, played by Ezra Miller. Your enjoyment of this film will swing on whether you find Miller’s performance “fun” or “annoying” for it strides that line between the two. For the BankofMarquis, Miller’s performance was a ton of fun - which added to the enjoyment rather than taking away from it.
He is joined by a bevy of cameo appearances - to name any would be to spoil them - but (since it is in the trailer), Miller does spend much of this film interacting with his younger self and he succeeds (more than he fails) during this part of the film. The 2 Millers are also joined by Michael Keaton, reprising his role as Batman from the 1980’s (again…not a spoiler - he’s in the trailer). Keaton brings starpower - and star energy - to this film and he lifts the middle portion of this movie.
Muschietti conducts this orchestra of multiple-cameos, multiple versions of the same character and multiple special effects professionally and cleanly, never letting the audience get lost and (most certainly) never letting the camera (or the film) linger too long on any plot device (which hides the holes that, inevitably, show up).
A fun, enough, installment in the DCEU - with some heart and a large portion of nostalgia - THE FLASH is a positive way to say goodbye to the DCEU.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Sometimes it works Excellently (SPIDER-MAN ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE), sometimes it works “Well Enough” (DR. STRANGE IN THE MULTI-VERSE OF MADNESS) and sometimes it is just plain boring (the latest ANT-MAN movie), so expectation is that the DCEU will find a way to screw this up and make dull and boring a premise (and characters) that should be exciting and fun.
And…with THE FLASH, the DCEU got it right (for once) and it is the most fun DCEU film since the first WONDER WOMAN film.
Based on the FLASHPOINT comics series and Directed by Andy Muschietti (IT and IT, Part II), THE FLASH Isn’t (really) a “multi-verse” story, it’s a time travel tale (that causes multi-verses). An important distinction for the Fanboy - but rather unimportant to the regular movie-going person. This tale brings a bunch of fun (and humor!) to the DCEU as well as touching on the fondness nerve for by-gone characters (and the actors who portrayed them).
Central to this film is, of course, THE FLASH, played by Ezra Miller. Your enjoyment of this film will swing on whether you find Miller’s performance “fun” or “annoying” for it strides that line between the two. For the BankofMarquis, Miller’s performance was a ton of fun - which added to the enjoyment rather than taking away from it.
He is joined by a bevy of cameo appearances - to name any would be to spoil them - but (since it is in the trailer), Miller does spend much of this film interacting with his younger self and he succeeds (more than he fails) during this part of the film. The 2 Millers are also joined by Michael Keaton, reprising his role as Batman from the 1980’s (again…not a spoiler - he’s in the trailer). Keaton brings starpower - and star energy - to this film and he lifts the middle portion of this movie.
Muschietti conducts this orchestra of multiple-cameos, multiple versions of the same character and multiple special effects professionally and cleanly, never letting the audience get lost and (most certainly) never letting the camera (or the film) linger too long on any plot device (which hides the holes that, inevitably, show up).
A fun, enough, installment in the DCEU - with some heart and a large portion of nostalgia - THE FLASH is a positive way to say goodbye to the DCEU.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
juliebreader (9 KP) rated It Ends With Us in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
** spoiler alert ** This book. I finished it last night and can't stop thinking about it. I'm no expert, but the development of the characters, and the story, are superb. All of the characters had so much depth and I was completely immersed in the story. I didn't just read this book, I devoured it. My only caveat, and here's the spoiler, was Ryle's explanation for the abuse. I thought it should have been further explained, and made really clear, that his behavior had nothing to do with trauma related to his childhood. He was not blacking out. He was just plain abusive. Saying he was blacking out is a cop out. This is such an important and educational book about domestic violence, that it's a disservice to allow this reasoning without explaining that domestic violence isn't about anger, but about power and control. A perfect illustration of this is when Lily first meets Ryle on the roof deck and he's beating up the furniture. Did he black out at the hospital and beat up a co-worker? No. Did he black out and throw his sister down the stairs? No. He went to the roof and took it out on the furniture. A conscious choice. Did he black out when he was in their new apartment when he destroyed Lily's belongings then waited for her in the kitchen and sexually assaulted her then beat her? No, it was a very calculated assault. I would have liked a better explanation for this behavior from an educational standpoint. Lily made a smart decision,but I think she believed the excuse, which is so common and what can keep a person in that abusive situation. Even if it had been explained in the afterward, at least then it would have been made clear that his excuse was just that, an excuse. Despite this, it's still 5 stars for me. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
Because I had always loved the film, I knew that the book would definitely be for me – and I wasn’t disappointed. With Matilda, I had always loved that there was a bookish character. And while I was reading this, I realised that there aren’t nearly enough bookish characters in books. Books should be full of book-loving characters as they are instantly relatable to anyone reading the books. This is why I have always related to Matilda as a character.
Matilda never tries to hide her intelligence, and I love that. It’s something that a lot of adults can’t do. I was even saying to one of my friends at work that I act more ditsy than I actually am when I’m there. I’ve always hidden parts of myself because I want to fit in. Matilda doesn’t even try to fit in with everyone else, even though she excels everyone around her. I think everyone could learn a lesson about personalities from Matilda.
I love that she goes against the crowd. When everyone around her is trying to tell her that she can’t possibly be as smart as she is and that she is worthless, she defies them every time. She doesn’t dumb herself down and try to become like everyone else just to avoid people making fun of her.
The best thing about Matilda is that the book stays funny and entertaining all the way through. Even at the worse parts it never drops it’s humour, which makes it perfect for kids.
The happy ending is like the icing on the cake for me. I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I feel like this one was perfect. It felt like a fairytale.
If you enjoyed the film, you need to buy the book. It’s ten times better than the film and has so many important messages to both adults and children.
Matilda never tries to hide her intelligence, and I love that. It’s something that a lot of adults can’t do. I was even saying to one of my friends at work that I act more ditsy than I actually am when I’m there. I’ve always hidden parts of myself because I want to fit in. Matilda doesn’t even try to fit in with everyone else, even though she excels everyone around her. I think everyone could learn a lesson about personalities from Matilda.
I love that she goes against the crowd. When everyone around her is trying to tell her that she can’t possibly be as smart as she is and that she is worthless, she defies them every time. She doesn’t dumb herself down and try to become like everyone else just to avoid people making fun of her.
The best thing about Matilda is that the book stays funny and entertaining all the way through. Even at the worse parts it never drops it’s humour, which makes it perfect for kids.
The happy ending is like the icing on the cake for me. I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I feel like this one was perfect. It felt like a fairytale.
If you enjoyed the film, you need to buy the book. It’s ten times better than the film and has so many important messages to both adults and children.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Blackcoat's Daughter (February) (2015) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Characters – Joan is a lost girl that is trying to return home from a hospital which brings along a couple that want to help her to make up for the fact they lost their daughter, Kat is the emotionless quiet girl at the school who hasn’t heard from her parents before winter break and must stay there with Rose. Rose is the other girl that got left at the home, I feel she is older and expected to be the one to look after Kat.
Performance – The three girls Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton are all good through the film, they each create their own personality for their characters which does make us care what they are up to however confusing it all gets.
Story – The story here is very confusing, we follow two seemingly different story arcs about girls that find themselves becoming possessed by an evil spirit, we don’t get to focus on either of them enough and they don’t seem to meet up at any point to explain why we need to watch two different stories unfold. I do feel this does end up coming off attempting to be too smart for its own good leaving us with nothing important happening.
Horror – This tries to play into the psycological horror but ends up falling slightly short because it ends up being confusing.
Settings – The settings don’t help here either because we follow the two stories one is on the road while the other is around the middle of the home the girls are staying.
Special Effects – The effects are good without being overused and mostly used for gore effects.
Scene of the Movie – Stop here, because it is shocking.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It was just too confusing.
Tagline – She Returns.
Final Thoughts – This film is just too confusing really, it makes everything hard to follow which didn’t make it enjoyable to follow.
Overall: Too Confusing.
Rating
Performance – The three girls Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton are all good through the film, they each create their own personality for their characters which does make us care what they are up to however confusing it all gets.
Story – The story here is very confusing, we follow two seemingly different story arcs about girls that find themselves becoming possessed by an evil spirit, we don’t get to focus on either of them enough and they don’t seem to meet up at any point to explain why we need to watch two different stories unfold. I do feel this does end up coming off attempting to be too smart for its own good leaving us with nothing important happening.
Horror – This tries to play into the psycological horror but ends up falling slightly short because it ends up being confusing.
Settings – The settings don’t help here either because we follow the two stories one is on the road while the other is around the middle of the home the girls are staying.
Special Effects – The effects are good without being overused and mostly used for gore effects.
Scene of the Movie – Stop here, because it is shocking.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It was just too confusing.
Tagline – She Returns.
Final Thoughts – This film is just too confusing really, it makes everything hard to follow which didn’t make it enjoyable to follow.
Overall: Too Confusing.
Rating
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated That Night in Books
Apr 8, 2019
I cannot recommend this book enough, for teens and adults alike
It's been a year since the shooting in their town changed everything, and Jessica Nolan and Lucas Rossi are each trying to manage in their own way. Jess is trying to care for her severely depressed mom, who can barely get out of bed. That means helping pay the bills, cook the meals, and generally take care of everything. She misses her best friend desperately, but Marissa is across the country at a school for those suffering post traumatic stress. Meanwhile, Lucas is coping by taking up boxing. It helps relieve some of his stress and anxiety--and get him away from the watchful eye of his newly overprotective mom. When Jess and Lucas meet at their after-school job, they realize they have one big thing in common: their shared tragedy. It's not exactly something they want to share. But slowly the two become friends. Can they help each other move forward from some of the horrors they've been through?
Oh this book. This beautiful, sad, lovely book. It's such an immersive, amazing read. Giles gives such a great voice to her characters; even though the book has a sad topic at its core, it's also hopeful and touching, and you want to keep reading it. You know how some books seem to go out of their way to have unlikeable characters and you have to like the book in spite of them? This book is the opposite. I dare you to not fall in love with Jess and Lucas. And, oh my goodness, my heart just went out to these kids. Poor Jess. She has so much to deal with it, and so does Lucas, too. The guilt these kids feel at being alive--Giles does such an amazing job at portraying their feelings and emotions. They come across so realistically and starkly. It also portrays mental illness very well: real, without embarrassment and shame; I was impressed and heartened. What a great thing for teens to read.
I really enjoyed the fact that this novel featured a sweet romance, but not a typical one. Jess and Lucas clearly like each other, but don't immediately "meet cute" or fall for each other the second they meet. You can see they need each other, but it takes them time to get there, which I appreciated. Their relationship is really well-done, and it was lovely to read about.
As you've probably read, Giles made the deliberate decision not to write about the actual shooting in the book--it's just the background event that has shaped so much of our characters' lives. We don't even hear about who the shooter was. I really like this decision, because we get to see the horror that a mass shooting can leave behind, without going into the sensational details. Instead we see, close-up, the humanity behind it--the real people affected and how much their lives have changed. There are sad moments mixed in with sweet and funny in such a beautiful way. It's incredibly well-written and I thought it was a very smart way to frame a shooting: it's almost more profound this way, honestly.
The depth of emotion in this book--the sadness, the unhappiness--and even sometimes the hope--is staggering. Honestly, this book left me in tears, and I don't cry easily when I read. As I said, I fell in love with Jess and Lucas. They were real people to me, and it takes an excellent writer to bring your characters to such detailed life as Giles did in this novel. I waited to read this book--after absolutely loving Giles' novel NOW IS EVERYTHING (which also made me cry!)--until my library got in my copy, which I had them order. I'm proud to say my lovely library system now has three copies of this book now, but I'll also be purchasing my own copy, because it's that good.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough, for teens and adults alike. This novel made me cry, and it made me laugh. I loved its characters and their supporting cast. It offers such a powerful way to look at the aftermath of a mass shooting. It's profound and poignant, and the way it conveys the terror, sadness, and hope of its characters cannot be praised enough. 4.5+ stars.
(Also, this book is full of Young Frankenstein references, as if I could not love Giles or her characters more.)
Oh this book. This beautiful, sad, lovely book. It's such an immersive, amazing read. Giles gives such a great voice to her characters; even though the book has a sad topic at its core, it's also hopeful and touching, and you want to keep reading it. You know how some books seem to go out of their way to have unlikeable characters and you have to like the book in spite of them? This book is the opposite. I dare you to not fall in love with Jess and Lucas. And, oh my goodness, my heart just went out to these kids. Poor Jess. She has so much to deal with it, and so does Lucas, too. The guilt these kids feel at being alive--Giles does such an amazing job at portraying their feelings and emotions. They come across so realistically and starkly. It also portrays mental illness very well: real, without embarrassment and shame; I was impressed and heartened. What a great thing for teens to read.
I really enjoyed the fact that this novel featured a sweet romance, but not a typical one. Jess and Lucas clearly like each other, but don't immediately "meet cute" or fall for each other the second they meet. You can see they need each other, but it takes them time to get there, which I appreciated. Their relationship is really well-done, and it was lovely to read about.
As you've probably read, Giles made the deliberate decision not to write about the actual shooting in the book--it's just the background event that has shaped so much of our characters' lives. We don't even hear about who the shooter was. I really like this decision, because we get to see the horror that a mass shooting can leave behind, without going into the sensational details. Instead we see, close-up, the humanity behind it--the real people affected and how much their lives have changed. There are sad moments mixed in with sweet and funny in such a beautiful way. It's incredibly well-written and I thought it was a very smart way to frame a shooting: it's almost more profound this way, honestly.
The depth of emotion in this book--the sadness, the unhappiness--and even sometimes the hope--is staggering. Honestly, this book left me in tears, and I don't cry easily when I read. As I said, I fell in love with Jess and Lucas. They were real people to me, and it takes an excellent writer to bring your characters to such detailed life as Giles did in this novel. I waited to read this book--after absolutely loving Giles' novel NOW IS EVERYTHING (which also made me cry!)--until my library got in my copy, which I had them order. I'm proud to say my lovely library system now has three copies of this book now, but I'll also be purchasing my own copy, because it's that good.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough, for teens and adults alike. This novel made me cry, and it made me laugh. I loved its characters and their supporting cast. It offers such a powerful way to look at the aftermath of a mass shooting. It's profound and poignant, and the way it conveys the terror, sadness, and hope of its characters cannot be praised enough. 4.5+ stars.
(Also, this book is full of Young Frankenstein references, as if I could not love Giles or her characters more.)
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Knight and Day (2010) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a spy film with the likes of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz could do no wrong, and indeed that’s the view I had, how wrong I was. Despite a fantastic performance from Diaz, Knight & Day falls well short.
There have been numerous comedy spy capers over the years, some of which have been fantastic, like Johnny English and Get Smart for example and others which have been less than stellar; Mr. & Mrs. Smith comes to mind. Unfortunately Knight & Day fits in between the good and the bad and comes out distinctly average.
Problems blight the film from the off stemming from wobbly CGI to ridiculous stunts and lazy direction choices, it seems like director James Mangold went into this project a little half-heartedly.
Tom Cruise plays spy Roy Miller and the film follows his adventures across the globe protecting the elusive ‘Zephyr’ battery which apparently never runs out of power. Needless to say Cameron Diaz plays the ditzy blonde who later becomes the love interest for the film. Whilst Diaz provides a fun and exciting performance, providing many of the movie’s best comedic moments, Cruise feels seriously miscast in a humorous role and he becomes tiresome to watch.
Alas, the issues don’t stop there. For an action film, it’s distinctly lacking in action and the set pieces that are there are lazily choreographed or rendered in shoddy CGI. Considering its less than modest budget (£120m), Knight & Day should’ve been a joy to watch, instead it’s like looking at a TV programme for 109 minutes.
Meanwhile the villains in the film are simply cardboard cut-outs as the writers haven’t given enough thought to fleshing out their characters. Cruise simply points and shoots and bang, they’re dead.
However, all of these problems could’ve been forgiven if the film had some great storytelling – it doesn’t. What should’ve been the best parts of the film are blacked out. The escapes, the fighting and even some of the ending are lost as Mangold decides to get around inexplicable plot events by drugging the main characters. Again, this is a lazy technique which doesn’t work.
It’s a shame, as there are many reasons why this film should’ve been at least a good summer action flick. In reality, Knight & Day simply becomes passable at best with some inexcusably lazy direction choices, dreadful CGI, bad casting and flimsy characters which all add up to a film which is left hanging on the merits of Cameron Diaz.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/09/13/knight-day-2011/
There have been numerous comedy spy capers over the years, some of which have been fantastic, like Johnny English and Get Smart for example and others which have been less than stellar; Mr. & Mrs. Smith comes to mind. Unfortunately Knight & Day fits in between the good and the bad and comes out distinctly average.
Problems blight the film from the off stemming from wobbly CGI to ridiculous stunts and lazy direction choices, it seems like director James Mangold went into this project a little half-heartedly.
Tom Cruise plays spy Roy Miller and the film follows his adventures across the globe protecting the elusive ‘Zephyr’ battery which apparently never runs out of power. Needless to say Cameron Diaz plays the ditzy blonde who later becomes the love interest for the film. Whilst Diaz provides a fun and exciting performance, providing many of the movie’s best comedic moments, Cruise feels seriously miscast in a humorous role and he becomes tiresome to watch.
Alas, the issues don’t stop there. For an action film, it’s distinctly lacking in action and the set pieces that are there are lazily choreographed or rendered in shoddy CGI. Considering its less than modest budget (£120m), Knight & Day should’ve been a joy to watch, instead it’s like looking at a TV programme for 109 minutes.
Meanwhile the villains in the film are simply cardboard cut-outs as the writers haven’t given enough thought to fleshing out their characters. Cruise simply points and shoots and bang, they’re dead.
However, all of these problems could’ve been forgiven if the film had some great storytelling – it doesn’t. What should’ve been the best parts of the film are blacked out. The escapes, the fighting and even some of the ending are lost as Mangold decides to get around inexplicable plot events by drugging the main characters. Again, this is a lazy technique which doesn’t work.
It’s a shame, as there are many reasons why this film should’ve been at least a good summer action flick. In reality, Knight & Day simply becomes passable at best with some inexcusably lazy direction choices, dreadful CGI, bad casting and flimsy characters which all add up to a film which is left hanging on the merits of Cameron Diaz.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/09/13/knight-day-2011/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies
Feb 5, 2021
Good...but wished it touched my Soul more
The creators at PIXAR have done it again. They have crafted a beautifully drawn, incredibly imaginative, wonderfully performed, heartwarming story for young and old alike to enjoy.
I just wished it touched my Soul more.
Written and Directed by Pete Docter (UP!, INSIDE OUT) - who I would argue is the…ahem…soul of Pixar - SOUL tells the story of Joe, a middle school band teacher who aspires to be a jazz musician. On the cusp of realzing his dream, Joe (or, rather, Joe’s soul) finds himself in the afterlife desperately trying to return to his life to fulfill his dream.
Strongly voiced by Jamie Foxx, Joe is singularly focused on his goal and he won’t let anything get in his way, not even a “lost soul” (voiced by Tina Fey).
Now, I am a big fan of Tina Fey’s and she does just as good a job in her voice acting as Foxx, but for me, I just didn’t sense a gel of characters between these two. Part of that issue just might be in the storytelling - as Joe’s character is constantly pushing Fey’s character away and, so, was pushing me away as well.
And that is too bad as this relationship is at the…well…soul of this film and I really wanted this to work better because the rest of the film is WONDERFUL.
Docter’s depiction of the afterlife is sublimely abstract and I really felt that this worked well and was a smart way to deal with that portion of the film. The script moves along and the assorted situations and characters that Joe and “22” (Fey’s character) encounter are fun.
And that’s because Pixar, once again, populates the film with a strong array of voice talent that brings “something more” to their characters - Graham Norton, Phylicia Rashad, Wes Studi and Daveed Diggs all shine in what are, essentially, extended cameo roles.
Which brings me back to my central issue - Foxx and Fey are on screen together for most of this film and I just wanted to connect with them more. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this film at the time I viewed it. I will definitely give this movie another look (because there are so many good things going on).
Perhaps, I just need to open my soul more.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
I just wished it touched my Soul more.
Written and Directed by Pete Docter (UP!, INSIDE OUT) - who I would argue is the…ahem…soul of Pixar - SOUL tells the story of Joe, a middle school band teacher who aspires to be a jazz musician. On the cusp of realzing his dream, Joe (or, rather, Joe’s soul) finds himself in the afterlife desperately trying to return to his life to fulfill his dream.
Strongly voiced by Jamie Foxx, Joe is singularly focused on his goal and he won’t let anything get in his way, not even a “lost soul” (voiced by Tina Fey).
Now, I am a big fan of Tina Fey’s and she does just as good a job in her voice acting as Foxx, but for me, I just didn’t sense a gel of characters between these two. Part of that issue just might be in the storytelling - as Joe’s character is constantly pushing Fey’s character away and, so, was pushing me away as well.
And that is too bad as this relationship is at the…well…soul of this film and I really wanted this to work better because the rest of the film is WONDERFUL.
Docter’s depiction of the afterlife is sublimely abstract and I really felt that this worked well and was a smart way to deal with that portion of the film. The script moves along and the assorted situations and characters that Joe and “22” (Fey’s character) encounter are fun.
And that’s because Pixar, once again, populates the film with a strong array of voice talent that brings “something more” to their characters - Graham Norton, Phylicia Rashad, Wes Studi and Daveed Diggs all shine in what are, essentially, extended cameo roles.
Which brings me back to my central issue - Foxx and Fey are on screen together for most of this film and I just wanted to connect with them more. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this film at the time I viewed it. I will definitely give this movie another look (because there are so many good things going on).
Perhaps, I just need to open my soul more.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)