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Henry Rollins recommended The Graduate (1967) in Movies (curated)

 
The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
1967 | Classics, Comedy, Drama

"The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols. It’s just a perfect film. And it was, I think, the first non-student real film for Dustin Hoffman. It’s just a beautiful, perfectly written… perfectly shot, perfectly acted film, where you have Dustin Hoffman who has bedded both Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross and he breaks up the marriage. I saw it as a little kid because I lived with my mom and she liked to go to the movies. She couldn’t always get a babysitter and so now and then I would get taken to films that were quite adult. There’s not necessarily nudity, because there doesn’t need to be. The thing is so well written; the adult themes and just how screwed up adults are is on full display in The Graduate. You can tell all these people are just so damn talented, and you look at a young Dustin Hoffman and you go, “Damn, man. Look at the career you’re about to have, dude. You’ve got it.” His talent was just so huge yet so innate in that he’s not gonna fail. He’s one of those people like, “Man, you were born to act.” I’ve tried to get to Buck Henry to get him to tell me stories about The Graduate and I’ve hung out with him a couple of times. And I’m like, “You wrote The Graduate!” And he’s always very funny and kinda belligerent to me, “Ah, shut up… Rwagh, Rwagh.” I’m like, “OK [laughing].”"

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ClareR (5686 KP) rated Fragile in Books

Nov 2, 2021  
Fragile
Fragile
Sarah Hilary | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think there is always a case for choosing a book based purely on the cover. This is another of those times where I’ve done precisely that - and I loved this book.

Fragile is a haunting thriller, where two young people, Nell and Joe, run away to London from their foster home after a tragic event. An event that we’re drip fed the information of as the book progresses.

Joe and Nell become separated, so Nell decides to go and knock on the door of the last place she saw him. When Dr. Robin Wilder opens the door at Starling Villa, Nell manages to talk him into employing her as his housekeeper. But all is not as it seems. Is Nell really safe here? What happened in Wales before she ran away to London with Joe? What does Dr. Wilders wife want with Nell? And where is Joe?

Nell and Joe’s backstories about their lives in care are heartbreaking. From a young age, Nell becomes the house ‘mother’, cleaner and cook. It’s a horrible life for her and so well described. Joe’s life isn’t any better.

Actually, the writing is so descriptive: people and places are described picture perfectly, and some scenes are so emotive, whilst others are really tense. The gripping finale was heartbreaking.

Sarah Hilary is a new author to me, and one that I’ll certainly look out for in future.
  
How to Kill Your Family
How to Kill Your Family
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting (1 more)
Some dark humour
Can be confusing at some points (0 more)
Not at all what I expected but still thoroughly enjoyable.
We follow Grace as she describes how she murders her family, why and how she ended up in prison for a murder she actually didn’t commit. Grace’s reasoning makes sense the whole way through, and although the majority of people wouldn’t murder people for those reasons, she makes it seem quite normal and not at all like she’s a psychopath.
The story is written in diary form, and can flit between parts of the story and be a little confusing. But this works well with the story as it makes it seem like she’s gone off on a bit of a tangent whilst giving you more of the story. I think because of this, it had me wanting to read on more and more because I wanted to know more about the part of the story before it went off on another tangent.
It picked up a lot more towards the end, and I thought I knew where the story was going and how it would end, but right up to the last chapter I was still guessing at the wrong ending.
One of the more interesting crime novels I’ve read this year and one that has a dark sense of humour scattered throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this book for an unbiased review.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Flawed in Books

May 25, 2017  
Flawed
Flawed
Cecelia Ahern | 2016 | Children
8
8.5 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Author's new direction
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Cecelia Ahern is the well-known Irish author of contemporary women’s fiction, particularly P.S. I Love You. However, Ahern has decided to branch out and has penned her first dystopian, young adult novel, Flawed. It is dubious when an author, who is loved for her work, changes their style, but it appears she has pulled it off.

Seventeen-year-old Celestine is a logical girl who is soon to learn she lives in an illogical world. In an attempt to create a perfect society, citizens must avoid making moral or ethical mistakes; otherwise they will be branded as Flawed. And branded means literal branding with a hot iron, there is no hiding the fact that they have flaws. Celestine, like everyone else, has been brainwashed into believing that Flawed people should be avoided and do not deserve the same privileges as the “perfect” people. However, after seeing an elderly Flawed man choking on a bus, her logical brain kicks in and goes to help him. Big mistake.

After finding herself accused of being Flawed, Celestine reaslises how corrupt society is, yet there is nothing she can do about it without enduring further punishment. Despite her bleak outlook on her future, her hopes begin to rise when she discovers that there are people on her side – people that want rid of the government that disciplines people when they should not be punished in the first place.

As a reader of Ahern’s previous works and a fan of dystopian fiction, I honestly did not expect Flawed to be any good. Ahern has proved she has the talent to write women’s fiction, but this book was a complete contrast. The first few chapters of the novel were admittedly a bit shaky. It did not look promising. Yet eventually Ahern found her flow and produced a pretty good young adult novel.

When I saw the title, Flawed, I immediately assumed it would be a book about physical appearance and was hesitant about reading it. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when this was not the case at all. The concept is fresh and original and does not become apocalyptical like many other dystopian fictions.

How the majority will receive this book is difficult to say. Fans of Cecelia Ahern may be disappointed by her change in genre. Fans of dystopia may be put off by the author’s previous novels. I urge readers to approach this story with an open mind; you may be pleasantly surprised. Flawed will not look out of place amongst other books of similar themes, and for those who do enjoy it, there will be a sequel, Perfect, next year.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Flawed in Books

Dec 7, 2018  
Flawed
Flawed
Cecelia Ahern | 2016 | Children
8
8.5 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

Cecelia Ahern is the well-known Irish author of contemporary women’s fiction, particularly <i>P.S. I Love You.</i> However, Ahern has decided to branch out and has penned her first dystopian, young adult novel, <i>Flawed</i>. It is dubious when an author, who is loved for her work, changes their style, but it appears she has pulled it off.

Seventeen-year-old Celestine is a logical girl who is soon to learn she lives in an illogical world. In an attempt to create a perfect society, citizens must avoid making moral or ethical mistakes; otherwise they will be branded as Flawed. And branded means literal branding with a hot iron, there is no hiding the fact that they have flaws. Celestine, like everyone else, has been brainwashed into believing that Flawed people should be avoided and do not deserve the same privileges as the “perfect” people. However, after seeing an elderly Flawed man choking on a bus, her logical brain kicks in and goes to help him. Big mistake.

After finding herself accused of being Flawed, Celestine reaslises how corrupt society is, yet there is nothing she can do about it without enduring further punishment. Despite her bleak outlook on her future, her hopes begin to rise when she discovers that there are people on her side – people that want rid of the government that disciplines people when they should not be punished in the first place.

As a reader of Ahern’s previous works and a fan of dystopian fiction, I honestly did not expect <i>Flawed</i> to be any good. Ahern has proved she has the talent to write women’s fiction, but this book was a complete contrast. The first few chapters of the novel were admittedly a bit shaky. It did not look promising. Yet eventually Ahern found her flow and produced a pretty good young adult novel.

When I saw the title, <i>Flawed</i>, I immediately assumed it would be a book about physical appearance and was hesitant about reading it. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when this was not the case at all. The concept is fresh and original and does not become apocalyptical like many other dystopian fictions.

How the majority will receive this book is difficult to say. Fans of Cecelia Ahern may be disappointed by her change in genre. Fans of dystopia may be put off by the author’s previous novels. I urge readers to approach this story with an open mind; you may be pleasantly surprised. <i>Flawed</i> will not look out of place amongst other books of similar themes, and for those who do enjoy it, there will be a sequel, <i>Perfect</i>, next year.
  
Sully (2016)
Sully (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama
“The Miracle on the Hudson” is a story that many are acquainted with and many have forgotten in the seven years since the incredibly miraculous landing of US Airways flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. In Sully, Clint Eastwood brings the attention and focus back to this historic event in order to tell audiences about more than just a forced landing into the Hudson River.

Tom Hanks stars as Chester “Sully” Sullenberger reminding viewers how he can so easily represent a character on screen whether they are fictional or based off of real people. His portrayal of “Sully” demonstrates the varying issues surrounding the events the day of the landing and those that followed. When the events played themselves out in the public, it appeared very “cut and dry.” The film reveals the depth at which the pilots dealt with the stress of the publicity, the investigation, scrutiny, and the reality of facing one’s own mortality.

The story, although generally familiar, is engrossing in its presentation by Eastwood. The story is built in layers to where you get to feel the pain and fear that Sully experiences with this near death experience. We witness how he tries to cope with this situation and struggles with the realization that he accomplished the near impossible. The scenes are not over sensationalized. They are not trite. They allow for a true representation of what took place and all of the people affected by it. The film is an imaginative and thought provoking account of real events. Sully demonstrates to audiences the depth inherent with events, circumstances, and individuals.

“The Miracle on the Hudson” had reporters, investigators, and the general public consumed with numbers; 155 people on board, 208 seconds of total flight, altitude of 2818 ft, 2 engines lost to bird strike, a water temperature of 36 degrees, air temperature of 20 with a wind chill of -5, and 1 pilot who made the right decision that day. It is not the numbers that the film is concerned with, it is the people. Eastwood allows for their stories to be on display and demonstrate the reality that they all faced during the incident and the days that followed. The film is outstanding in displaying the humanity and chaos of the event.
  
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Hideo Kojima recommended Taxi Driver (1976) in Movies (curated)

 
Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver (1976)
1976 | Thriller

"Taxi Driver. Martin Scorsese. Growing up, most of my friends were interested in becoming bankers or working in a company. I, however, wanted to become a movie director. This was something that I couldn’t be open about with my friends and oftentimes I felt lonely because I couldn’t share those aspirations. I lost my father when I was quite young. My mother was working and I was a latchkey child. Even if I talked to a lot of people, I always felt a little lonely. I thought maybe I’m sick, maybe I’m ill. There was no counseling, or there were no therapists. It was not a trend at that time. So I thought maybe I’m really strange. After watching Taxi Driver and seeing Travis, I felt this immense similarity between the character and myself. He lives in New York, surrounded by so many people, but he still felt lonely. This surprised me, and I thought “Here is this guy, living in America, who is like me.” Seeing his character, I felt relaxed and realized there are others like me. I felt I was okay. And I wanted to put that feeling in Death Stranding. Like, you’re all alone, trying to connect the world. Everything has been connected by the internet recently. In so many ways, everyone is battling each over the internet. If you play online, you get head shots, but, like, you don’t know who you actually shot, right? To connect is a very positive concept. But there are people who don’t want to feel connected anymore, and I think a lot of people play games that don’t offer human connection. I can’t tell anyone that I feel lonely or I’m in solitude, and I have this big problem which I couldn’t share with my friends. It’s a big load to carry, just like Sam Bridges. And you’re kind of traveling, you’re sent orders, you go to this place, you trip over, and drown in a river. But at one point, you have this indirect connection system where you know you’re not alone. It’s not an isolated, lonely planet. There is someone who creates a road. There is someone who has made the coffee. It’s not just me, and I wanted to put that in a game. This is the same feeling I got from Taxi Driver."

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