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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated In the Mouth of the Wolf in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In this short book, “In the Mouth of the Wolf” , we’re privy to fascinating insights into the life of children’s fiction author Michael Morpurgo’s Uncle Francis who narrates in the first person at the age of ninety years, reminiscing about his life. It is a heartfelt TRUE story (hence the reason why this has made into my non-fiction category over at Goodreads) and one that is aimed at kids and young adults, but adults will get plenty from this, too.
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated The 5th Quarter (2010) in Movies
Aug 17, 2020
Based on an inspirational true story about the death of a young man and the repercussions on his family.
While the story is true and quite good, there are events in the movie that I feel were added for cinematic effect, which in and of itself isn't terrible, but in the broad scheme of the movie they were absolutely not needed.
The story is good enough when told that it didn't need some of the filler that was added and unfortunately some of the filler was never actually tied into the actual story, which I found disappointing. Also, while I understand that it was done in an effort to appeal to a larger audience, some of the language in the film was more vulgar than what I though was appropriate for a film that touted itself with religion as the underlying grace.
If you've read many of my reviews, you know that I don't necessarily have a problem with vulgarity in general, but when a movie makes a claim as one thing and then presents itself as another, that's a bit of a crux for me personally.
Beyond that, Aidan Quinn and Andie MacDowell were both brilliant in their respective roles.
While the story is true and quite good, there are events in the movie that I feel were added for cinematic effect, which in and of itself isn't terrible, but in the broad scheme of the movie they were absolutely not needed.
The story is good enough when told that it didn't need some of the filler that was added and unfortunately some of the filler was never actually tied into the actual story, which I found disappointing. Also, while I understand that it was done in an effort to appeal to a larger audience, some of the language in the film was more vulgar than what I though was appropriate for a film that touted itself with religion as the underlying grace.
If you've read many of my reviews, you know that I don't necessarily have a problem with vulgarity in general, but when a movie makes a claim as one thing and then presents itself as another, that's a bit of a crux for me personally.
Beyond that, Aidan Quinn and Andie MacDowell were both brilliant in their respective roles.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Only The Brave (2017) in Movies
Nov 14, 2017
A true story that deserved to be told
Only the Brave is based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots - the first ever municipal fire crew to be certified as Hotshots, which is the name given to the brave firefighters that tackle wildfires on the ground. It's another true story I wasn't aware of, and as with many of the others that have had movies made of them recently, it is just as deserving to be told. My appreciation of the movie, in particular how it all ended, was certainly improved based on the fact that I had no prior knowledge of the story.
Although, we do get to see a number of wildfires throughout the movie and get to fully appreciate the scale and danger that they present to both firefighters and residents in the path of destruction, Only the Brave never descends into an over-the-top disaster blockbuster. Instead, the movies main focus is often on the team of firefighter themselves, their family lives, and how they juggle all of that along with such an intensely demanding work life. At times though, this side of the movie doesn't work so well as we constantly meander through some of the less interesting parts of the lives of the crew, and I felt the whole movie could have benefited by shaving about 30 minutes from its run time. There's a great, all-star cast to help things along though - Josh Brolin is supervisor Eric Marsh, Miles Teller one of his rookies, and that's just the start of it. Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Andie MacDowell all feature in strong supporting roles.
Despite its slow start and extended run time, I definitely found Only the Brave an enjoyable and emotional story.
Although, we do get to see a number of wildfires throughout the movie and get to fully appreciate the scale and danger that they present to both firefighters and residents in the path of destruction, Only the Brave never descends into an over-the-top disaster blockbuster. Instead, the movies main focus is often on the team of firefighter themselves, their family lives, and how they juggle all of that along with such an intensely demanding work life. At times though, this side of the movie doesn't work so well as we constantly meander through some of the less interesting parts of the lives of the crew, and I felt the whole movie could have benefited by shaving about 30 minutes from its run time. There's a great, all-star cast to help things along though - Josh Brolin is supervisor Eric Marsh, Miles Teller one of his rookies, and that's just the start of it. Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Andie MacDowell all feature in strong supporting roles.
Despite its slow start and extended run time, I definitely found Only the Brave an enjoyable and emotional story.
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Cool Runnings (1993) in Movies
Jan 2, 2018
A great Icy ride
Disney yet again comes through with a portrayal of a true sports story that hits our hearts. The cast is a unique blend of serious and comic actors who come together to tell that tale about the 4 Jamaican sprint runners who want to be be in the Olympics so bad they train to become Olympic Bobsledders. Though being ridiculed and bullied throughout the movie they overcome adversity and make it to Lake Placid to show that everyone deserves to represent their country no matter what they are there to compete for.
HeathHart77 (8 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Aug 11, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
It was true to the animated classic that we all know and love!! There was a couple of added scenes and some things were altered for the sake of the live action shoot. My favorite added scene was the trip to where Belle was born, it added so much more to the story and the characters connection with each other. I also loved the development of the character Belle, the way we get more depth and background with her versus what we got in the original animated movie story. All in all I have to say was very impressed with the movie!!!
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated Schindler's List in Books
Feb 5, 2019
Lots of information (1 more)
True story
Old style of writing (1 more)
Hard to follow
Tough
I took quite a while to finish this book, I had to have a couple of breaks from it. I'm not sure if it's because it's quite old and the style of writing is hard to understand but I found this quite hard to follow. It seems to jump from characters and there's alot of quotation marks missing when needed, again this may be because the book itself was written a long time ago. The actual story is amazing and Oskar risked his entire life to save so many people.
Cumberland (1142 KP) rated Fighting with My Family (2019) in Movies
Mar 5, 2019
Funny and Heartwarming
This movie is based on a true story about a young girl trying to get into the WWE. It had a lot of really great funny moments. Paige isn't the typical girl that the WWE normally hires. She struggles a lot, and I liked that the movie showed how hard she had to work for her dream. I also loved her brothers story line. It showed that sometimes you can't achieve everything you wanted, but you can still live a valuable and happy life. Definitely worth a watch if you're looking for a good comedy.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Pearl Harbor (2001) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018
Epic scale (2 more)
Amazing action scenes
Great soundtrack
Slated by critics? However this is a moving film based around the events of Pear Harbour. It may take the story in the direction of two friends who grow up together to become pilots and fall for the same woman, but an underlying love story didn't cause Titanic any problems? The SFX are amazing and the bombing of Pearl Harbour is done on a huge scale and saddening to watch. This is a true epic of a film, artistically shot, well directed and with great lead actors which handle the tragic event so well.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Delirium (2018) in Movies
Oct 4, 2018
Well Done
This psychological thriller on Netflix turned out to be pretty interesting. Topher Grace did a good job playing his role as the main protagonist. No flashy effects or true scares but the story played out well and ended up being pretty twisted. Kept you wondering what was in his head and what wasn't throughout most of the movie. I'd definitely recommend this one. The cinematography was well done and all the actors played their parts well. It's kind of slow moving at times, but really worth a watch!