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Audrey A (11 KP) rated Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands in Books
Jul 27, 2017
CHILLFILTR (46 KP) rated The Man in the Hammock by Alec Todd in Music
Jul 11, 2019
Alec Todd is a young songwriter from Utrecht in the Netherlands. I like him because he takes risks; the Dutch call it G-Funk.
“Utrecht songwriter releases his 2nd single ‘We’ll Never Forget’. With Helena van der Veen in the lead, the single-inspired G-funk is presented in an emotional lyrical video clip. In the video you can see how Helena gets emotional. The role of Helena tells the real emotion behind the cheerful single.
At the beginning of 2017, Alec Todd decided to join up with Roy van Rosendaal to record his concept EP ‘The Man in the Hammock’;
’We’ll Never Forget’ is the second single from this EP.”
— FTM Top Music
This song of his is a favorite right now. I keep wanting to hear it again. Seems like no one has really discovered it yet because it has almost no plays. Enjoy!
“Utrecht songwriter releases his 2nd single ‘We’ll Never Forget’. With Helena van der Veen in the lead, the single-inspired G-funk is presented in an emotional lyrical video clip. In the video you can see how Helena gets emotional. The role of Helena tells the real emotion behind the cheerful single.
At the beginning of 2017, Alec Todd decided to join up with Roy van Rosendaal to record his concept EP ‘The Man in the Hammock’;
’We’ll Never Forget’ is the second single from this EP.”
— FTM Top Music
This song of his is a favorite right now. I keep wanting to hear it again. Seems like no one has really discovered it yet because it has almost no plays. Enjoy!
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Night Shift by Juze in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Juze is a German producer, DJ, influencer, and songwriter. Jantine is a platinum-selling singer-songwriter based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Not too long ago, they released a groovy electro-house tune, entitled, “Night Shift”.
“Dancing in the dark when we move it’s something natural. We play and then we pause and it gently drives me up the wall. And I wonder should I trust this old heart of mine when I judge this vibe. Is it me or is it us? Am I way too high on Martini Dry?” – lyrics
‘Night Shift’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who dances in the dark with her significant other.
Apparently, they’ve been drinking and having a great time being in each other’s company.
‘Night Shift’ contains a playful storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dance-floor friendly instrumentation flavored with electro-pop and groovy house elements.
Juze’s songs have received support from huge international DJs such as Tiesto, DJ Chuckie, and Nicky Romero.
Since then, the bubbly producer has appeared regularly at Bootshaus (Cologne, GER), which placed at #8 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 clubs poll and Amsterdam’s elite Supperclub. Also, he’s worked on remixes for artists such as Ed Sheeran and AURORA.
Jantine is one of the most requested songwriters in the Netherlands. So far, she has collaborated with Skrillex, Valentino Kahn, Hardwell, Rock Mafia, EXO, F(x), Andrew Goldstein, Julian Jordan, Dante Klein, and many more.
Her heart lies with ‘80s pop and indie music, and she has released music via SM Entertainment, Universal Music, and Spinnin’ Records to name a few.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/juze-jantine-night-shift/
“Dancing in the dark when we move it’s something natural. We play and then we pause and it gently drives me up the wall. And I wonder should I trust this old heart of mine when I judge this vibe. Is it me or is it us? Am I way too high on Martini Dry?” – lyrics
‘Night Shift’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who dances in the dark with her significant other.
Apparently, they’ve been drinking and having a great time being in each other’s company.
‘Night Shift’ contains a playful storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dance-floor friendly instrumentation flavored with electro-pop and groovy house elements.
Juze’s songs have received support from huge international DJs such as Tiesto, DJ Chuckie, and Nicky Romero.
Since then, the bubbly producer has appeared regularly at Bootshaus (Cologne, GER), which placed at #8 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 clubs poll and Amsterdam’s elite Supperclub. Also, he’s worked on remixes for artists such as Ed Sheeran and AURORA.
Jantine is one of the most requested songwriters in the Netherlands. So far, she has collaborated with Skrillex, Valentino Kahn, Hardwell, Rock Mafia, EXO, F(x), Andrew Goldstein, Julian Jordan, Dante Klein, and many more.
Her heart lies with ‘80s pop and indie music, and she has released music via SM Entertainment, Universal Music, and Spinnin’ Records to name a few.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/juze-jantine-night-shift/
CHILLFILTR (46 KP) rated Bottle It In by Kurt Vile in Music
Jun 5, 2019 (Updated Jun 5, 2019)
https://chillfiltr.com/blog/2018/9/3/kurt-vile-loading-zones
If you haven't heard of Kurt Vile yet, you are missing out. His sound more or less defines modern lo-fi folk rock, and his live shows are a staple of music festivals around the world: you might hear him (with support from The Violators) at the Take Root Festival this October in Groningen, Netherlands, or Dublin, or Brooklyn, this November. It's a roots band backing this bardic guru of young seekers everywhere.
Some interesting guitar lines through a vocoder, lyrics which feel half sung and half spoken, and a sense that this is the sound of something different, something creative; it's water in this desert of sameness that our pop landscape has become. And there is this feeling that the music here is just a bit raw, very human, and unadorned; it's not exactly alt-folk, it's not exactly anything, it's Kurt Vile.
If you haven't heard of Kurt Vile yet, you are missing out. His sound more or less defines modern lo-fi folk rock, and his live shows are a staple of music festivals around the world: you might hear him (with support from The Violators) at the Take Root Festival this October in Groningen, Netherlands, or Dublin, or Brooklyn, this November. It's a roots band backing this bardic guru of young seekers everywhere.
Some interesting guitar lines through a vocoder, lyrics which feel half sung and half spoken, and a sense that this is the sound of something different, something creative; it's water in this desert of sameness that our pop landscape has become. And there is this feeling that the music here is just a bit raw, very human, and unadorned; it's not exactly alt-folk, it's not exactly anything, it's Kurt Vile.
ClareR (5721 KP) rated Death in Delft in Books
Apr 17, 2020
Master Mercurius from Leiden University is called on to solve the murder of one girl, and the disappearance of two others, in Delft. Seventeenth century Netherlands is certainly a different setting from that of the Josef Slonsky series in a more modern day Prague, but I enjoyed it just as much (I LOVE the Slonsky series).
Master Mercurius certainly has his work cut out for him. He must find the person responsible and hopefully locate the other two girls before anything happens to them, using 17th century methods. Luckily, he has the artistic flair of Vermeer to call on with regards to pictures of the missing girls, and the logical mind of van Leeuwenhoek. It’s actually Vermeer who gives him a clue as to the link between three seemingly unconnected girls. Vermeer is a great character, much liked by Master Mercurius (and can I just say how much I like Mercurius’ name?!). He’s a catholic artist in a Reformed society, much like Mercurius himself. He’s keen to be of help in whatever way he can - he’s the father of nine children after all!
This is a great read, and a series that I will be following and enjoying, of that I have no doubt!
Master Mercurius certainly has his work cut out for him. He must find the person responsible and hopefully locate the other two girls before anything happens to them, using 17th century methods. Luckily, he has the artistic flair of Vermeer to call on with regards to pictures of the missing girls, and the logical mind of van Leeuwenhoek. It’s actually Vermeer who gives him a clue as to the link between three seemingly unconnected girls. Vermeer is a great character, much liked by Master Mercurius (and can I just say how much I like Mercurius’ name?!). He’s a catholic artist in a Reformed society, much like Mercurius himself. He’s keen to be of help in whatever way he can - he’s the father of nine children after all!
This is a great read, and a series that I will be following and enjoying, of that I have no doubt!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Uparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall in Books
Nov 28, 2019
This story is one of a number in a collection of Poe stories that I downloaded. I've always wanted to read Poe and this collection seemed like a good starting place.
The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall was written in 1835 and is a short story containing much that would later be labelled science fiction, The titular character lives in the Netherlands and disappears one day. Five years later a strange balloon-like craft appears and it's equally odd occupant hands the Mayor of Rotterdam a message from Hans Pfaall. The bulk of the story is the content of the message, where he describes constructing and flying a hot air balloon to the moon.
The adventure is told with a fantastic eye for detail and with a great deal of scientific descriptions of how the atmosphere thins, how much of the earth is visible and other such observations. He carries a cat and two birds (which don't fare well for various reasons). The ending and what it very strongly suggests probably won't come as a great surprise.
The language is sometimes a little obscure (it was written nearly 200 years ago, to put it in perspective) but the actual story is surprisingly modern, and some of the facts (such as the distance of the moon) must have been almost incredible to the audience at the time and perhaps education is as much the intention of the story as the entertainment value it contains.
This is a fairly straightforward tale for Poe but interesting because of the subject matter and the way it is dealt with. Perhaps one for science fiction fans rather than as an example of the author's work. Still a good read, and some of the of the hardships Pfaall describes and his solutions may well prompt a smile on the face of the reader.
Recommended? Maybe not. But still not a bad little short story.
The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall was written in 1835 and is a short story containing much that would later be labelled science fiction, The titular character lives in the Netherlands and disappears one day. Five years later a strange balloon-like craft appears and it's equally odd occupant hands the Mayor of Rotterdam a message from Hans Pfaall. The bulk of the story is the content of the message, where he describes constructing and flying a hot air balloon to the moon.
The adventure is told with a fantastic eye for detail and with a great deal of scientific descriptions of how the atmosphere thins, how much of the earth is visible and other such observations. He carries a cat and two birds (which don't fare well for various reasons). The ending and what it very strongly suggests probably won't come as a great surprise.
The language is sometimes a little obscure (it was written nearly 200 years ago, to put it in perspective) but the actual story is surprisingly modern, and some of the facts (such as the distance of the moon) must have been almost incredible to the audience at the time and perhaps education is as much the intention of the story as the entertainment value it contains.
This is a fairly straightforward tale for Poe but interesting because of the subject matter and the way it is dealt with. Perhaps one for science fiction fans rather than as an example of the author's work. Still a good read, and some of the of the hardships Pfaall describes and his solutions may well prompt a smile on the face of the reader.
Recommended? Maybe not. But still not a bad little short story.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Madonnas of Leningrad in Books
Feb 15, 2019
For the most part, this book bored me and even though it was short, I had a hard time picking it up to read many times. I feel like the author was trying to cram too much into such a short book and I can't quite see the whole point of it. To go back and forth between the two time periods didn't allow for much substance in either era and the only thing that connected them was one person, which for some odd reason, didn't work for me. Every time it went back to present day, I was jolted from the book and wished the Ms. Dean had stuck to the past era, as the present one detracted from it. Being as it was, I felt I never really knew anyone in the book, the characters were one-dimensional and had the book been longer, that might have been remedied. I don't think the author did a very good job of interconnecting the stories, oftentimes it was boring, and the end was abrupt and a let down. I did think that when the author was describing the artwork and Hermitage, that was when she excelled, and at times, it was quite lovely. However, THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD, most likely won't leave a lasting impression.
A little note on the artwork, I noticed a mistake, I know that there is no such thing as Belgium Delft. My mom has a collection that started with her mom. I grew up with it, so I know a little about it. I also did some research and Belgium was once part of the Netherlands but that wouldn't make it Belgium Delft. Now, whether Belgium now has their own kind of Delft-like pottery, I wouldn't know. This detail has made me a little weary about the author's descriptions and history on other pieces of art in this book, which is unfortunate. As I said before, the descriptions of the artwork are exceptional. With that, the author shows promise with this debut, and hope that in the future, she won't try for too much. I'm sure others will like this better than I did and not be as critical. :)
A little note on the artwork, I noticed a mistake, I know that there is no such thing as Belgium Delft. My mom has a collection that started with her mom. I grew up with it, so I know a little about it. I also did some research and Belgium was once part of the Netherlands but that wouldn't make it Belgium Delft. Now, whether Belgium now has their own kind of Delft-like pottery, I wouldn't know. This detail has made me a little weary about the author's descriptions and history on other pieces of art in this book, which is unfortunate. As I said before, the descriptions of the artwork are exceptional. With that, the author shows promise with this debut, and hope that in the future, she won't try for too much. I'm sure others will like this better than I did and not be as critical. :)
Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated The Liar's Girl in Books
Jun 28, 2018
What if the person you loved wasn't who you thought they were?
Alison Smith is living the dream. Not only are she and her best friend Liz excited about their freshman year at the prestigious St. John’s College in Dublin, Ireland; Alison has also met someone…he could even be the one. From the instant she meets Will in a night club, sparks fly between them and they become that couple – the one that’s constantly attached at the hip, madly in love, and whose future shines so bright.
In a terrible turn of events, however, everything comes crashing down. First some fellow female classmates start disappearing. Then, they’re found washed up along Dublin’s Grand Canal. It is clear that a serial killer is on the prowl. Alison is dealt a jagged double whammy after Liz is identified as the Canal Killer’s latest victim and Will is identified as the Canal Killer himself. Absolutely shell-shocked, Alison leaves her home behind and moves to the Netherlands, enrolls in a new college, and starts life anew so to speak.
As the ten-year anniversary of the Canal Killer’s vicious spree approaches, a new string of victims is found in the Grand Canal in the exact same fashion as before. Could it be a copycat killer? Could Will, now in prison, be working with a partner on the outside? Or is it possible that the Garda (aka the Irish police force) could have captured the wrong guy all those years ago?
I loved reading this book! Author Catherine Ryan Howard did a superb job of making Alison’s story both heartbreaking and redemptive, thrilling and enlightening. What she goes through with Will both as a freshman and ten years later is shocking yet entirely believable. She is a heroine you want to get behind and cheer for as she seeks to find the truth about the Canal Killer’s identity, her feelings for Will, and the connection between the past and present crimes. Fans of Patricia Cornwell’s whodunit mysteries will enjoy the suspense, strong female lead, and detective skills offered up by Howard’s The Liar’s Girl.
In a terrible turn of events, however, everything comes crashing down. First some fellow female classmates start disappearing. Then, they’re found washed up along Dublin’s Grand Canal. It is clear that a serial killer is on the prowl. Alison is dealt a jagged double whammy after Liz is identified as the Canal Killer’s latest victim and Will is identified as the Canal Killer himself. Absolutely shell-shocked, Alison leaves her home behind and moves to the Netherlands, enrolls in a new college, and starts life anew so to speak.
As the ten-year anniversary of the Canal Killer’s vicious spree approaches, a new string of victims is found in the Grand Canal in the exact same fashion as before. Could it be a copycat killer? Could Will, now in prison, be working with a partner on the outside? Or is it possible that the Garda (aka the Irish police force) could have captured the wrong guy all those years ago?
I loved reading this book! Author Catherine Ryan Howard did a superb job of making Alison’s story both heartbreaking and redemptive, thrilling and enlightening. What she goes through with Will both as a freshman and ten years later is shocking yet entirely believable. She is a heroine you want to get behind and cheer for as she seeks to find the truth about the Canal Killer’s identity, her feelings for Will, and the connection between the past and present crimes. Fans of Patricia Cornwell’s whodunit mysteries will enjoy the suspense, strong female lead, and detective skills offered up by Howard’s The Liar’s Girl.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Luna was born in the Netherlands, moved to Spain with her husband, gave birth to two wonderful boys, and then her husband tragically passed. She knows she has ties to Spain via a lost grandfather, and she needs to prove who he was and her relationship to him in order to remain in Spain as a national instead of keeping as Visa as a foreigner. However, trying to track down this man proves to be more difficult than she initially thought, and she meets interesting people and uncovers a lot of secrets along the way, secrets that many in Spain would rather keep hidden.
This was a wonderful story. It bounces back and forth between the late 1930s and 2009/2010, as it provides the actual story of Luna's grandfather as a backdrop during her search. While it did get somewhat confusing trying to keep the relatives and relationships straight, it was a very emotional story with a variety of offshoots, and it was interesting to see how the lives of the people in the 30s affected what was going on 70 years later. The 30s was a time of civil unrest and war in Spain, which is why nobody wants Luna digging up the past, both literally and figuratively. However, she has to know about her family, and we learn all about the tragic tale right along with her.
There's romance, heartbreak, a mystery, and tales of war. This book will appeal to a variety of people, and I recommend you read it, not only if you like romances but also if you want to learn a little about the history of Spain during a time they'd rather forget.
4 stars
Luna was born in the Netherlands, moved to Spain with her husband, gave birth to two wonderful boys, and then her husband tragically passed. She knows she has ties to Spain via a lost grandfather, and she needs to prove who he was and her relationship to him in order to remain in Spain as a national instead of keeping as Visa as a foreigner. However, trying to track down this man proves to be more difficult than she initially thought, and she meets interesting people and uncovers a lot of secrets along the way, secrets that many in Spain would rather keep hidden.
This was a wonderful story. It bounces back and forth between the late 1930s and 2009/2010, as it provides the actual story of Luna's grandfather as a backdrop during her search. While it did get somewhat confusing trying to keep the relatives and relationships straight, it was a very emotional story with a variety of offshoots, and it was interesting to see how the lives of the people in the 30s affected what was going on 70 years later. The 30s was a time of civil unrest and war in Spain, which is why nobody wants Luna digging up the past, both literally and figuratively. However, she has to know about her family, and we learn all about the tragic tale right along with her.
There's romance, heartbreak, a mystery, and tales of war. This book will appeal to a variety of people, and I recommend you read it, not only if you like romances but also if you want to learn a little about the history of Spain during a time they'd rather forget.
4 stars
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) in Movies
Aug 16, 2017
The double act bickering of Reynolds and Jackson (1 more)
Salma Hayek!
Surprisingly Good
I wasn't sure what to make of The Hitman's Bodyguard when I first saw the poster. Movies which try to squeeze some comedy out of two people being thrown together who don't really like each other generally tend to suck. But then I saw the trailer, which made it look entertaining and worth a watch. However, if it hadn't been for the fact that I was away on holiday last week I may well have read some of the early negative reviews and thought about giving it a miss. Luckily though, I was on holiday, I didn't read any reviews and I ended up watching one of the funniest action packed movies I've seen in a while.
Ryan Reynolds is Michael Bryce, a 'Triple-A' bodyguard with a hot girlfriend, nice house, nice car and a smart suit. He likes to make sure that the protection of his clients runs like clockwork (boring is best, as he likes to remind his team!). So when things go badly wrong on a job, Bryce suddenly finds himself way back down the ladder when it comes to landing quality bodyguard roles. Consequently, his expensive lifestyle takes a big hit and we join him 2 years down the line, unshaven and peeing into a bottle while sitting in his beat up car before heading into a job.
Meanwhile, Samuel L Jackson is Darius Kincaid, a hitman being escorted by Interpol from Manchester to testify in Holland at The Hague. The man he is testifying against is warlord Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman, suitably evil). A nasty piece of work determined to take out anyone with the potential to put him behind bars. So when the escort accompanying Kincaid takes a hit, it becomes clear that someone in Interpol has been leaking their route, and Bryce ends up landing the role of escorting Kincaid for the rest of his trip to The Netherlands. Turns out though that Bryce and Kincaid have history, with Kincaid nearly killing Bryce on 28 previous occasions, so their initial meeting doesn't go too well. Eventually the pair reach enough of an understanding so that they can head out on the road together, down through the English countryside. It's their constant bickering on this road trip that then provides a lot of the humour for the movie. Bryce is pretty particular when it comes to how smoothly these things should be handled, whereas Kincaid just likes to get things done and screw the consequences. The word 'motherfucker' gets used to great effect A LOT by Jackson (as Bryce puts it, “This guy single-handedly ruined the word ‘motherfucker’”) and Bryce continues to be frustrated and amazed at just how 'un-killable' Kincaid appears to be.
It's not very long before the bad guys are on their tail though, leading to a succession of more and more complex action sequences. These hit a real high when everyone reaches The Netherlands, with an exciting chase through the streets and canals of Amsterdam kicking things off nicely. The only complaint with this, and the rest of the action in the movie, is that there does appears to be a never ending supply of bad guys lining up to take them out. Just when you think we're down to the final few, another wave of vehicles appears, all full of weapon waving maniacs! I loved all of the action in the movie, but because of this it does constantly run the risk of seeming a little too dragged out. It's a very fine line.
Before I forget, a special mention to Salma Hayek who stars as the wife of Kincaid. Despite being locked in a cell for the entire movie, she gets more than her fair share of funny lines and action, mainly in flashbacks where we get to see just how much of a foul mouthed bad ass she really is. Taking no crap from anyone, she's brilliant.
Although there's nothing really here that hasn't been done before, it was the brilliant double act of Reynolds and Jackson that really made this worth seeing for me. That, along with the hugely entertaining action sequences. Judging by other reviews though, I think it's just my taste in these movies that's different from most others. I actually hated last years 'The Nice Guys', while everyone else seemed to love it so I guess I'm just going to be in the minority when it comes to this movie too!
Ryan Reynolds is Michael Bryce, a 'Triple-A' bodyguard with a hot girlfriend, nice house, nice car and a smart suit. He likes to make sure that the protection of his clients runs like clockwork (boring is best, as he likes to remind his team!). So when things go badly wrong on a job, Bryce suddenly finds himself way back down the ladder when it comes to landing quality bodyguard roles. Consequently, his expensive lifestyle takes a big hit and we join him 2 years down the line, unshaven and peeing into a bottle while sitting in his beat up car before heading into a job.
Meanwhile, Samuel L Jackson is Darius Kincaid, a hitman being escorted by Interpol from Manchester to testify in Holland at The Hague. The man he is testifying against is warlord Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman, suitably evil). A nasty piece of work determined to take out anyone with the potential to put him behind bars. So when the escort accompanying Kincaid takes a hit, it becomes clear that someone in Interpol has been leaking their route, and Bryce ends up landing the role of escorting Kincaid for the rest of his trip to The Netherlands. Turns out though that Bryce and Kincaid have history, with Kincaid nearly killing Bryce on 28 previous occasions, so their initial meeting doesn't go too well. Eventually the pair reach enough of an understanding so that they can head out on the road together, down through the English countryside. It's their constant bickering on this road trip that then provides a lot of the humour for the movie. Bryce is pretty particular when it comes to how smoothly these things should be handled, whereas Kincaid just likes to get things done and screw the consequences. The word 'motherfucker' gets used to great effect A LOT by Jackson (as Bryce puts it, “This guy single-handedly ruined the word ‘motherfucker’”) and Bryce continues to be frustrated and amazed at just how 'un-killable' Kincaid appears to be.
It's not very long before the bad guys are on their tail though, leading to a succession of more and more complex action sequences. These hit a real high when everyone reaches The Netherlands, with an exciting chase through the streets and canals of Amsterdam kicking things off nicely. The only complaint with this, and the rest of the action in the movie, is that there does appears to be a never ending supply of bad guys lining up to take them out. Just when you think we're down to the final few, another wave of vehicles appears, all full of weapon waving maniacs! I loved all of the action in the movie, but because of this it does constantly run the risk of seeming a little too dragged out. It's a very fine line.
Before I forget, a special mention to Salma Hayek who stars as the wife of Kincaid. Despite being locked in a cell for the entire movie, she gets more than her fair share of funny lines and action, mainly in flashbacks where we get to see just how much of a foul mouthed bad ass she really is. Taking no crap from anyone, she's brilliant.
Although there's nothing really here that hasn't been done before, it was the brilliant double act of Reynolds and Jackson that really made this worth seeing for me. That, along with the hugely entertaining action sequences. Judging by other reviews though, I think it's just my taste in these movies that's different from most others. I actually hated last years 'The Nice Guys', while everyone else seemed to love it so I guess I'm just going to be in the minority when it comes to this movie too!