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Ethan Embry recommended Midnight Express (1978) in Movies (curated)

 
Midnight Express (1978)
Midnight Express (1978)
1978 | Drama, Mystery

"No matter how much my vibe changes I think this one probably stays on [the list] consistently and that’s Midnight Express. That one is always in my top five. I think it goes through all the emotions. It puts you on the edge of your seat, it breaks your heart, it scares the crap out of you. I even laugh a little when they do that yoga scene. That’s the one thing I’ve never really understood. Do you remember that part? When they do naked yoga together? I understand what they’re conveying, that these two people find companionship and peace inside of all the insanity going on around them. The blond guy and your main character, Billy, have this, like… it’s not romantic, but it’s very… it is sensual in a way, this yoga scene, together, and the way they shot it with the light coming through the window. It always makes me chuckle. But yeah, Midnight Express, man, it’s always on the top five."

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Kenan Thompson recommended Casino (1995) in Movies (curated)

 
Casino (1995)
Casino (1995)
1995 | Drama

"That’s another perfect movie in my opinion. It’s like all those dudes in there — the height of their abilities. I wish I could name six because I would put Training Day up there. That’s Denzel at his most, most confident. It’s an awesome movie to watch. But, Casino is just classic like, Goodfellas, and then Raging Bull and all of those things coming are like little seeds, and the flower that sprouts was Casino. Scorsese and all those dudes really knowing each other for years. Putting together an awesome story about the beginning of Las Vegas or the last time the mob controlled Las Vegas — was just a great story and then to execute it for two and a half hours like that from top to bottom. It’s like some of Joe Pesci‘s finest work ever — Goodfellas is, like, his greatest film. Both of those dudes — De Niro‘s got so many great ones. [But] for those dudes together, I think Casino‘s my favorite."

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Book Club (2018)
Book Club (2018)
2018 | Comedy
4 friends decide to start a book club after getting the idea from a magazine. 40 years later, despite going their separate ways they still get together for book club every month.
After months of boring books, one lady decides that they will now read 50 shades of grey. After disagreements they agree to take it on and an emergency book club meeting is called once its been read. This is where they agree to try and reignite their sex lives.
I thought the movie had a couple of funny moments and when the friends were together, it reminded me of sex and the city, but with older women. Sadly when the group were separate it failed to hold my attention for very long, which is a shame as it had a few familiar faces such as Jane fonda, who I loved In grace and frankie. I don't know if it would have worked better with younger people but it wasn't for me.
  
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Robert Eggers recommended Andrei Rublev (1966) in Movies (curated)

 
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
1966 | Biography, Drama, History
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I feel like talking about Mary Poppins all day. Okay. Andrei Rublev, spelled ‘Rublev’ but pronounced ‘Rublov’. It’s because we don’t use the Cyrillic alphabet. I really do love Tarkovsky’s Mirror as well. But the last act, or the last movement of Andrei Rublev is probably just the best thing in cinema history. That bell casting sequence is just so powerful. In some ways, it’s kind of the same thing that Fanny and Alexander does where you’re not even sure who Andrei Rublev is for quite a while the first time you watch the movie, and this is the episode that makes sense together and works together [in a film that doesn’t have] this super linear, aggressive plot. And then the last movement is very linear, that is incredibly cathartic once you’ve been marinated in this world. It really knocks you out. But in general, the movie is so well-staged and beautiful and stunning and inspiring. It’s completely mind-blowing."

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There was something bugging me about this book almost from the word go. It wasn't until I was nearly finishing it that I realised what it was - pacing. The story telling would switch between the POV of Sonea, Lorkin, Cery and Dannyl, but this would switch three or four times a chapter, and wouldn't necessarily be rotated in the same order each chapter. As the book progressed, these characters storylines in the most part separated out with plots rarely overlapping. Canavan is great at suspense, but because of the structure, the page turning aspect got lost, because the momentum got lost. I've seen a few reviews on here comparing the story was boring, I would definitely disagree with this assumption, the story and plotting was good, but the structure let it down as the momentum was all over the place. It came together by the end, and I really do hope it stays together for the next two books.
  
Since I read this after reading book 3, it made a lot more sense to me than the 18 months between book 2 and 3.

Anyway, I'm glad that Sarah finally made her mind up and chose Michael, he'd always cared for her so for them to end up together has made me happy for them. Team Michael!

As for the rest, everything that had been building up over the previous three books was brought to a head in this and we see the final showdown with the Council and some of the other Vampires. I'm glad a lot of it fell on the good guys side.

If you're going to read this, you should read them as closely together as possible to get the full affect of the story.

I've seen the author is planning on a fifth book, but I think the series has ended well enough without it so I don't think I'll read it if it does come out.
  
I really enjoyed this. It was everything I like; a mystery, a romance, witty.
 
I was really intrigued by Chris/Kit and J.X.'s history together. Why were they so hostile to each other? It was slowly explained throughout and I kind of melted reading about their three nights together all those years ago and the feelings involved. Awww...
 
There was one scene fairly early on between them that made me all warm and fuzzy, until it was over and then I wanted to smack someone--mainly J.X.
 
As for the murder mystery, I would never have figured it out. I knew it was a man, and not Chris/Kit so was left with three possibilities. I didn't want to think it was J.X. either so that left two but then I was completely stumped.
 
I'm now going onto book 2 so I can read more of these two!