Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Karate Kid (1984) in Movies
Dec 1, 2018
Enter Mr. Miyagi.
Daniel meets a quiet, Japanese man who gives Daniel odd jobs to do when he is supposed to be teaching Daniel to defend himself.
What does it all mean?
I could use so many phrases to describe the perfect elements of this film like coming-of-age, heroes, mentoring, positive role models, underdog story and none of them would do this movie justice.
I'm sure the younger generation would find some of this cheesy now (like the standard 80s montages), but the message is what's important and that has not changed.
It really is one of those films that just makes you feel good while watching and you always get swept up in the drama and want Daniel to succeed.
A triumph!
Half a King (Shattered Sea #1)
9.0
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A classic coming-of-age tale set in a vivid and richly-imagined world from Sunday Times bestselling...
Perfect Ten
Book
"A sweet summer read about a boy looking for love and the lengths he will go to to find it." —Teen...
LGBTQ Young Adult
David McK (3721 KP) rated The Savage Isle (Savage Isle Series book 1) in Books
Feb 22, 2026
It's been a while since I last read any by the author - indeed, a while since (I believe) he has published any - the last I read being, I believe, "Marston Moor", so I was a bit unsure if I would read this one or not.
In the end, I'm glad I did.
This is, largely, a 'coming of age' tale that sheds some light on the pre-Roman Britain and the culture therein, which modern evidence has shown to be more sophisticated than originally thought (after all, "history is written by the victors" and all that), following the main character of Cullen as his tribe (the Atrebates) is first destroyed by the Catuvellauni, and then finding himself fighting for the very same against the Roman invaders.
I reckon I'll pick up the inevitable sequel.
What Beauty There Is
10.0
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Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and Daniel Woodrell, What Beauty There Is is an...
Suspense Coming of age
Girl in the Woods: A Memoir
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Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis's exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to...
What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An Odyssey Through 1950s Suburbia
Book
Michele Hanson grew up an 'oddball tomboy disappointment' in a Jewish family in Ruislip in the 1950s...
Reading the Male Gaze in Literature and Culture: Studies in Erotic Epistemology
Book
This book examines the phenomenon of 'the male gaze', a concept which has spread beyond academia and...
Cabbages & Kings
9.0
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Hero. Honourable Thief. Lovable Rogue. Scoundrel. Blackguard. Everyone’s heard of Robin Hood...
Historical Fiction Origin Story Robin Hood Coming of Age
JT (287 KP) rated Booksmart (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) realise that despite all their A’s and hard work each should have spent more time drinking and going to parties, get ready for one wild night where the goal is to cram as much drunken debauchery in as possible.
There are some funny moments including; awkward discussions about masturbation and why you should always make sure the volume is down when connecting your phone to the aux cable. But outside of that it feels too similar to one film in particular, and I just couldn’t break away from it. Superbad for me is one of the best teen flicks of recent years, a laugh out loud comedy that had genuine flickers of drama. It was a joy to watch and one that has always stuck with me as one of the funniest.
I just didn’t get that same feeling with Booksmart, while their were some funny and tender moments I couldn’t help but think all that was missing was a female version of Fogell.