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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Building Stories in Books

Mar 15, 2018

Building Stories

Chris Ware | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The unique presentation had me more than a little curious to get into this one, and I found it worked wonderfully for the material. Very well drawn, and with recurring themes and symbolism that are alternately beautiful and sad. This is decidedly not an uplifting work, with the harshness of life and the world around us seeming to be an even more universal theme throughout than the building around which the stories revolve. Luckily for me I suppose, the piece I randomly read last, while possibly being the saddest of all, also contained a really solid prospect of hope and one of the few truly uplifting portions found inside, thus making giving it the best ending I could have hoped for (for my tastes anyway). This is a truly incredible work of art that I cannot recommend highly enough.

As a side note, this could make a really interesting movie, especially in the hands of the right director. P.T. Anderson springs to mind for me. They could even allow you to watch segments in random order on the DVD, thus somewhat recreating the sensation of the "book". Could be interesting.

Kudos

Kristie (106 KP) rated Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1 in Books

Sep 18, 2018

Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1

Claire Legrand | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.3

(7 Ratings)

Book Rating

Epic fantasy

I absolutely loved reading Furyborn by Clare Legrand. This was one of the best fantasy novels that I have read so far this year and I'm so happy that this is going to be a series, I cannot wait for book two. The cover art is gorgeous and completely drew me in to want to learn more about what this story was about. For the most part I really enjoyed all of the characters especially Simon and Eliana, and I can't wait to see what is going to happen with their part of the story. All of the characters are so well developed and the author has such an amazing imagination in creating this world. The only thing that I didn't love about this book was the way it went back and forth between Rielle and Eliana's stories, it was at times a little hard to follow and in my opinion would have made much more sense to have the book broken up into a part one and part two instead. Overall, I would definitely recommend and I will be continuing this series when book two comes out.

Kudos

Jarom Solar Norris (186 KP) rated A Star Is Born (2018) in Movies

Oct 9, 2018

A Star Is Born (2018)

2018 | Drama, Romance

8.2

(70 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

I'm Very Conflicted

I'm having a really hard time judging this movie. Minor spoilers below.

Most of the movie was amazing. It moved kind of fast but told a really good story about two messy people putting their lives in front of each other and the world. The songs had great lyrics that made you think. And the dialogue made you think too: about careers, about relationships, about the responsibility that comes with talent and the choices we make.

The ending threw all of that away. I'm really opposed to the point of view that a sad ending makes a movie bad. But this movie's ending had no purpose. It didn't make some grand message, or underline the other messages the movie had already made. It didn't add anything to the film other than a sad ending. It just made me mad and upset, and sure, sometimes art does that, but not without purpose.

How do you give a score to a movie that made you feel so much and think about so many things and then decided it wanted you to walk away feeling empty instead of thoughtful?

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019) in Movies

Dec 13, 2019

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019)

2019 | Documentary, Musical

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Somewhat digressive documentary comes to celebrate Fiddler on the Roof, not critique it, as the title probably makes clear. Various interviewees recount the creation of the show, while others reflect on its cultural impact and continuing and enormous popularity (apparently there has been at least one performance somewhere in the world every single day since it first opened in 1964).

The stories and insights are interesting enough to keep you from wishing you'd just watched a DVD of the movie instead, and they have hunted up some fascinating footage to illustrate the film, ranging from the Temptations doing a very funky version of 'If I Were A Rich Man' to Lin-Manuel Miranda's wedding video. The film addresses the central paradox about this show - that something so very specific in time, place and outlook has such universal appeal and emotional power - but doesn't really attempt to explain it. This is probably quite wise, as it is one of the mysteries of great art. Worth a look if you like the show, which everyone with a heart and a soul who's actually seen it surely does.