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The first books in Stuart Gibbs's three series with Simon and Schuster in one paperback collection. You've got Belly Up, about the murder of a hippo at the new mega FunJungle. Then you'll join Spy School with Ben. Finally, you'll journey to the first colony on the moon and solve a murder there.
All three of these books are delightful. The characters are strong and the plots move forward quickly with great twists and turns. No matter what your age, you'll turn these pages as quickly as possible and then move on to the other books in these series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/11/book-review-astronauts-spies-and.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
All three of these books are delightful. The characters are strong and the plots move forward quickly with great twists and turns. No matter what your age, you'll turn these pages as quickly as possible and then move on to the other books in these series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/11/book-review-astronauts-spies-and.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated LiE by Mudhoney in Music
Feb 13, 2018
The grunge survivors leap back into the moshpit of time on a live album culled from their 2016 tour of Europe.
As anyone—or at least anyone over the age of 30—will tell you, the world is moving way too fast. Five weeks ago might as well be five years ago in today’s news cycle. Our social feeds are loaded with “want to feel old?” listicles of stuff that really isn’t that old. The avalanche of music now available at our fingertips—with our virtual listening piles growing exponentially by the second—can feel overwhelming. But then you remember that Mudhoney are still around, doing what Mudhoney have always done: laying down a fuzz-punk sludge that’s murky and quicksand-thick enough to stop time itself. And suddenly it’s as if order in the universe has been restored. Because in a world where everything is constantly changing, Mudhoney’s decision to endure and staunch refusal to evolve feel less like a case of comfort-zoned arrested development than a valorous act of defiance.
By Stuart Berman
Original Score - 6.9
Read The Full Review Here - https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mudhoney-lie/
By Stuart Berman
Original Score - 6.9
Read The Full Review Here - https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mudhoney-lie/
Erika (17788 KP) rated Shuggie Bain in Books
Jan 30, 2021
I don't typically read bildungsromans, I find them tedious, and I can't really relate to them. I decided to give this one a try, after it won the Booker Prize.
I don't think I ever need to read another coming of age story ever again, this one was so good. Now, this is a 'novel', but I think it's pretty obvious that it may be pretty close to the author's life.
This was the second book I read in 2020 that was named after the child 'Shuggie', but, in truth, it was about his alcoholic mother. It was mostly focused on her, which really made me think.
This book stuck with me because as I read it, it made me wonder if some of this was what my own father went through. He was the youngest, left by all his siblings, to care for his alcoholic mother after his father cheated on her and left her (exact story line of the novel). I have to thank Douglas Stuart for this novel, it really helped me understand my father's family dynamic and situation.
Damn, it was so good.
I don't think I ever need to read another coming of age story ever again, this one was so good. Now, this is a 'novel', but I think it's pretty obvious that it may be pretty close to the author's life.
This was the second book I read in 2020 that was named after the child 'Shuggie', but, in truth, it was about his alcoholic mother. It was mostly focused on her, which really made me think.
This book stuck with me because as I read it, it made me wonder if some of this was what my own father went through. He was the youngest, left by all his siblings, to care for his alcoholic mother after his father cheated on her and left her (exact story line of the novel). I have to thank Douglas Stuart for this novel, it really helped me understand my father's family dynamic and situation.
Damn, it was so good.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Mauritanian (2021) in Movies
Apr 14, 2021
Great acting from all four leads, especially Tahar Rahim (2 more)
Great use of screen ratios for flashbacks
Very thought provoking
War crimes don't just happen on the battlefield
It’s 2001. Bush and Rumsfeld seek vengeance on the perpetrators of 9/11. Quite right too. But rounding up hundreds of suspects and incarcerating them for years, without charge, in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba was an appalling act for a supposedly first-world country.
“The Mauritanian” then is the true story of one such unfortunate – Mohamedou Ould Slahi, played by Tahar Rahim. We first join Slahi at a family wedding in Nouakchott (good “Pointless” answer for the capital of Mauritania people!). ‘Invited for questioning’ by the American authorities, we next see Slahi in the Cuban stronghold.
Pro-bono lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) becomes a pariah by picking up his defence. Supporting her is assistant Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Hollander is very formal and professionally aloof, not assuming his guilt or innocence. After meeting the man, and assuming his innocence, Duncan though is more emotionally involved. The man opposing them at trial is US Army prosecutor Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch). Couch, having lost one of his best friends aboard the South Tower plane, has an axe to grind.
As the pair battle unseen forces for access to documentation, they uncover more and more of the truth about life in Guantánamo Bay.
Positives:
- I've not read the book so I found the story gripping. As the related legal information is divulged, the movie drip-feeds flashbacks of Slahia's story, which is clever.
- Acting wise, "The Mauritanian" has top notch stuff. Tahir Rahim is excellent as Slahia. He portrays charismatic and confident businessman, brought down to earth with a bump. Not recognizing him with an Oscar nomination feels like a minor crime. He will have to make do with the BAFTA nomination. Also brilliant is Jodie Foster. As the illustrious Mrs Movie Man pointed out, it's so nice to see an actress acting her age with confidence. The ever-watchable Shailene Woodley is also great, especially in a dramatic 'dismissal' scene. She adds some much needed warmth to the legal team. The southern drawl from Cumberbatch is a bit of a surprise and takes some getting used to. But it's still a strong performance from him.
- After ranting on last time at Zack Snyder's use of 4:3 screen ratios in "Justice League", here is an intelligent use of the technique. The film is in 16:9 ratio, but then pivots to 4:3 for all of the Guantanamo flashback scenes, reflecting the claustrophobia of Slahia's position.
- Real-life footage over the closing titles is absolutely fascinating.
Negatives:
- I personally didn't find this a particular negative, but I went into the film knowing it to be a "legal drama". So there would be lots of scenes, as in "The Trial of the Chicago 7", with courtroom debate and gavel-banging, right? Actually, there is almost none of that. Most of the legal action is in terms of the preparation of the case and the paperwork involved. (If this makes the movie sound excruciatingly dull... think again!)
- The Guantanamo story ends quite abruptly (with the above-mentioned jolt), and left me wanting to see more of the intervening time. It's not often that I complain about a film running too short, but here is one where just a little of "the Snyder treatment" might have been welcomed!
Additional Note for the squeamish: For those worried about seeing distressing scenes of torture (e.g. Fingernail extraction, etc), these are - although disturbing - more of the "psychological torment" type. So those of a squeamish disposition can still watch this one.
Summary Thoughts:
The fact that "The Mauritanian" is a true story hammers home just what the US has been up to over the last 20 years. War crimes are not only committed on the battlefield.
Director Kevin Macdonald is no stranger to documentaries ("Touching the Void", "Whitney"). He's also proved adept at bringing gripping true stories to the screen (having previously given us "The Last King of Scotland"). Here, the emotional journeys of the key characters are well observed making the movie 'highly recommended'.
For the full One Mann's Movies review see here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/04/09/the-mauritanian-america-are-you-squirming-with-embarrassment/
“The Mauritanian” then is the true story of one such unfortunate – Mohamedou Ould Slahi, played by Tahar Rahim. We first join Slahi at a family wedding in Nouakchott (good “Pointless” answer for the capital of Mauritania people!). ‘Invited for questioning’ by the American authorities, we next see Slahi in the Cuban stronghold.
Pro-bono lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) becomes a pariah by picking up his defence. Supporting her is assistant Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Hollander is very formal and professionally aloof, not assuming his guilt or innocence. After meeting the man, and assuming his innocence, Duncan though is more emotionally involved. The man opposing them at trial is US Army prosecutor Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch). Couch, having lost one of his best friends aboard the South Tower plane, has an axe to grind.
As the pair battle unseen forces for access to documentation, they uncover more and more of the truth about life in Guantánamo Bay.
Positives:
- I've not read the book so I found the story gripping. As the related legal information is divulged, the movie drip-feeds flashbacks of Slahia's story, which is clever.
- Acting wise, "The Mauritanian" has top notch stuff. Tahir Rahim is excellent as Slahia. He portrays charismatic and confident businessman, brought down to earth with a bump. Not recognizing him with an Oscar nomination feels like a minor crime. He will have to make do with the BAFTA nomination. Also brilliant is Jodie Foster. As the illustrious Mrs Movie Man pointed out, it's so nice to see an actress acting her age with confidence. The ever-watchable Shailene Woodley is also great, especially in a dramatic 'dismissal' scene. She adds some much needed warmth to the legal team. The southern drawl from Cumberbatch is a bit of a surprise and takes some getting used to. But it's still a strong performance from him.
- After ranting on last time at Zack Snyder's use of 4:3 screen ratios in "Justice League", here is an intelligent use of the technique. The film is in 16:9 ratio, but then pivots to 4:3 for all of the Guantanamo flashback scenes, reflecting the claustrophobia of Slahia's position.
- Real-life footage over the closing titles is absolutely fascinating.
Negatives:
- I personally didn't find this a particular negative, but I went into the film knowing it to be a "legal drama". So there would be lots of scenes, as in "The Trial of the Chicago 7", with courtroom debate and gavel-banging, right? Actually, there is almost none of that. Most of the legal action is in terms of the preparation of the case and the paperwork involved. (If this makes the movie sound excruciatingly dull... think again!)
- The Guantanamo story ends quite abruptly (with the above-mentioned jolt), and left me wanting to see more of the intervening time. It's not often that I complain about a film running too short, but here is one where just a little of "the Snyder treatment" might have been welcomed!
Additional Note for the squeamish: For those worried about seeing distressing scenes of torture (e.g. Fingernail extraction, etc), these are - although disturbing - more of the "psychological torment" type. So those of a squeamish disposition can still watch this one.
Summary Thoughts:
The fact that "The Mauritanian" is a true story hammers home just what the US has been up to over the last 20 years. War crimes are not only committed on the battlefield.
Director Kevin Macdonald is no stranger to documentaries ("Touching the Void", "Whitney"). He's also proved adept at bringing gripping true stories to the screen (having previously given us "The Last King of Scotland"). Here, the emotional journeys of the key characters are well observed making the movie 'highly recommended'.
For the full One Mann's Movies review see here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/04/09/the-mauritanian-america-are-you-squirming-with-embarrassment/
