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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Life (2017) in Movies
Aug 30, 2017
Curiosity killed the...
Okay, so the concept has been done a hundreds times before. It's Alien meets Gravity. Except the creature itself is not even remotely close to the beauty that was Giger's original alien, this seems to be mass of white gloop with a face of some kind. I did have to keep fast forwarding bits, because predictably there was a bit of G-force-related bloodshed. The acting from the usual A-listers Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds was obviously as good as expected. But the storyline was ultra thin, to the point that I had forgotten where the creature had randomly appeared from. There is a twist at the end - however, it's pretty foreseeable given how much emphasis is put on the "final plan". Not going to go down in any sci-fi history books, that's for certain.
Magical realism at it's most beautiful
This book is jam packed with magical realism. The imagery is beautiful, it is constantly surprising, and I couldn't get enough.
There are women who rise from the dead, seals who forge unbreakable bonds with swimming fishermen, Gods, Goddesses, and people borne of fire.
Tasmania is imagined as a fantastical landscape, steeped in beauty and folklore - it's a place I've never been to, but this book certainly piqued my interest. I can honestly say that each chapter is a surprise. I didn't see any of the storyline coming. There's no guessing at what's going to happen - and I loved that unpredictable journey through this book.
If I could give this book more than 5/5, i most certainly would!
Many thanks to ReadersFirst and the publisher for my copy of this beautiful book.
There are women who rise from the dead, seals who forge unbreakable bonds with swimming fishermen, Gods, Goddesses, and people borne of fire.
Tasmania is imagined as a fantastical landscape, steeped in beauty and folklore - it's a place I've never been to, but this book certainly piqued my interest. I can honestly say that each chapter is a surprise. I didn't see any of the storyline coming. There's no guessing at what's going to happen - and I loved that unpredictable journey through this book.
If I could give this book more than 5/5, i most certainly would!
Many thanks to ReadersFirst and the publisher for my copy of this beautiful book.

Erika (17789 KP) rated Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018
Gosh, I love this movie. The soundtrack is great to start out with, I own it, and frequently listen to it when I'm at work. Tom Hiddleston's character, Adam, is so melodramatic and sarcastic and it's oh-so amusing. Anton Yelchin (RIP) is Ian, Adam's music agent, and basically one of two humans Adam has contact with. Tilda Swinton is Eve, Adam's wife, who lives in Tangiers, while Adam lives in Detroit, visits him because he's depressed and suicidal. And, while the word is never said, Adam, Eve, Kit (John Hurt/RIP playing Kit Marlow), and Ava (Mia Wasikowska) are all vampires, who deal with vampire probs. Anyway, it may seem like there's no plot, but there is, it's just slow moving. One particular thing I liked was the filming in Detroit and the beauty in the ruin.

Dana (24 KP) rated Gilded Ashes (Cruel Beauty Universe, #1.5) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I absolutely love Rosamund Hodge's writing. She somehow manages to balance beauty and darkness perfectly. It reminds me a lot of the Grimm fairy tales, but in a way, more romantic.
This is a retelling of Cinderella and has become one of my favorites. It keeps the darkness, but keeps it in some sort of fantastical world that makes it even more beautiful.
This was just a short story, but that doesn't mean I didn't absolutely love it. I need to get my hands on Crimson Bound soon. Even in this short story, Rosamund was able to fully flesh out the characters and make them completely believable. I didn't feel like the story was rushed or too drawn out. It was just right.
I would highly recommend this to people who love dark stories, fairy tale retellings, or just a good short story.
This is a retelling of Cinderella and has become one of my favorites. It keeps the darkness, but keeps it in some sort of fantastical world that makes it even more beautiful.
This was just a short story, but that doesn't mean I didn't absolutely love it. I need to get my hands on Crimson Bound soon. Even in this short story, Rosamund was able to fully flesh out the characters and make them completely believable. I didn't feel like the story was rushed or too drawn out. It was just right.
I would highly recommend this to people who love dark stories, fairy tale retellings, or just a good short story.

The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) in Movies
Mar 23, 2018
Harmonica, and the orchestra of sounds (3 more)
The strength of a woman in this time period
a lesson in cinematography
Action has a lot of suspense before it, very thought out.
An epic opera of a western and an amazing feat of cinematography as well.
I adore this movie, it's my favorite western of all time, and the acting is top notch, it's visually stunning, it's a symphony of sounds to the ears. just the scene of the welcoming committee waiting on the train is an amazing piece of cinema. I could go on an on. I love how strong the women are in the film in unexpected ways. I love the traditional good guy as a bad guy. It's just plain amazing. It can be slow by modern standards, but isn't that also part of it's beauty, measured time.

Hallettatme (9 KP) created a post
Mar 16, 2018

Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Ranger Rick: National Parks! in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
Ranger Rick's Travels: National Parks! by Stacy Tornio is a book that is colorful which will help children appreciate the beauty and diversity of the United States. The book is categorized within the different regions of the country and then showcases National Parks within that area. Every National Park is mentioned. The pictures and facts about the parks are a great way to teach children about America. The book catches the attention of children and adults. I would love to include this book in my classroom for when teaching American History. For example, if I am talking about California I could show the students a park from that region or if we are discussing about New England I could do the same. This book is a great resource whether teaching 1st grade or 8th grade.
Ranger Rick's Travels: National Parks! by Stacy Tornio is a book that is colorful which will help children appreciate the beauty and diversity of the United States. The book is categorized within the different regions of the country and then showcases National Parks within that area. Every National Park is mentioned. The pictures and facts about the parks are a great way to teach children about America. The book catches the attention of children and adults. I would love to include this book in my classroom for when teaching American History. For example, if I am talking about California I could show the students a park from that region or if we are discussing about New England I could do the same. This book is a great resource whether teaching 1st grade or 8th grade.

AT (1676 KP) rated Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) in Movies
Feb 28, 2020
It's hard to find a PG movie that doesn't have any major swear words in it nowadays, so huge thumbs up for that! It was a little cheesy with some of the dialogue in parts, and you could easily draw direct correlation between things in this movie, and things in some of the other major modern classics. However, it didn't make the movie bad. I don't think it deserved all of the awful reviews that it was getting while in the theater. It's a PG movie, based on the characters from Sleeping Beauty. I'm not sure what people expected. I thought it was a cute film, overall, especially considering that it's a sequel. Man, I love Maleficent's wings! I'm glad I finally found the time to watch it with my family. I don't feel cheated out of my time at all.

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Princess and the Frog (2009) in Movies
Mar 26, 2020 (Updated Mar 26, 2020)
Dark Voodoo Magic
The Princess and The Frog- holy crap this movie is dark, very dark. Voodoo, magic, death, transformation and more.
The plot: Hardworking and ambitious, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana -- thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess.
A very dark disney film, the darkness film since "The Black Cauldron". I mean their was "Beauty and The Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". But damn this movie was dark.
The plot: Hardworking and ambitious, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana -- thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess.
A very dark disney film, the darkness film since "The Black Cauldron". I mean their was "Beauty and The Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". But damn this movie was dark.

Let Sleeping Vets Lie
Book
With two years experience behind him, James Herriot still feels privileged working on the beautiful...