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Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Wizard of Oz (1939) in Movies
Jan 11, 2018
First color movie
The first movie ever to be done in Technicolor. This movie was a very important one during the great depression because it lifted peoples spirits and kind of gave them hope. The story of a young girl who ends up (in her mind if you believe) whisked away bystand up to her fears and face off against her foe. a twister to a wonderful make believe where her closet friends are represented by a scarecrow,tinman and lion all which need her to get stronger and she needs them to get her back home. We are introduced to one of movie histories greatest villains in the Wicked Witch of the West early in the movie and see our heroine stand up for herself against her foe. Some people say Dorothy represented the USA and The Witch was Hitler and that the meaning of this movie could be we could stand up to our greatest foes and defeat them if we just had the right tools.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Immortalists in Books
May 6, 2018
Do we have a choice or is it all dates?
Starting in 1969, four siblings visit a fortune teller who tells them the exact day that they will each die. This is about how they decide to live their lives knowing that date. Each pet of the book follows a separate sibling, starting with the one who dies the youngest. Each subsequent part takes up after the previous sibling dies.
I really liked this: I liked how the author describes their lives and decisions. I felt that it made them more human and not just another story. I like these family dramas though, and the chance to peek into someone else’s life.
This is definitely not a fantasy or science fiction book though. I did think there was a possibility that it might be when I first read the synopsis, but it’s definitely set in our world. AIDS, depression, obsession, OCD: these people have real life struggles.
It wasn’t always a comfortable read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I really liked this: I liked how the author describes their lives and decisions. I felt that it made them more human and not just another story. I like these family dramas though, and the chance to peek into someone else’s life.
This is definitely not a fantasy or science fiction book though. I did think there was a possibility that it might be when I first read the synopsis, but it’s definitely set in our world. AIDS, depression, obsession, OCD: these people have real life struggles.
It wasn’t always a comfortable read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated The Magicians - Season 3 in TV
Apr 23, 2019
The Most Magical Season to Date
I've said multiple times that "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman are the grown up allegory for the current millennial existential drama we see played out around us every day. So many of us grew up with these fantastical stories that shaped our lives and we wanted so much to be "Magical". Season 3 finally grapples with these ideas that the previous 2 seasons only hinted at. We see the despair and coping with reality that the characters have put off for so long.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Glasshouse in Books
Mar 1, 2018
The cover of this book actually put me off the contents the first few times I saw it. It isn't as if the cover is bad, and it actually reflects the book fairly well—but I like books about <b>people</b>, and when there's not a person anywhere on the cover, I have to be prettty bored to read the book.
I'm glad I did read it, although there were some rough bits. I need happy endings in my fiction. I just do, okay? This is pleasure reading, after all. And at one point the main character was so very far down that I felt hopeless for the him! Having experienced major depression, I fully recognized that he was very close to suicide. That wasn't very easy for me to read.
If gender bending is an issue for you, stay away from this one. It goes well beyond <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27341.John_Varley">John Varley's</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49842.Steel_Beach">Steel Beach</a>. I was tickled to see several casual references to polyamory.
I'm glad I did read it, although there were some rough bits. I need happy endings in my fiction. I just do, okay? This is pleasure reading, after all. And at one point the main character was so very far down that I felt hopeless for the him! Having experienced major depression, I fully recognized that he was very close to suicide. That wasn't very easy for me to read.
If gender bending is an issue for you, stay away from this one. It goes well beyond <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27341.John_Varley">John Varley's</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49842.Steel_Beach">Steel Beach</a>. I was tickled to see several casual references to polyamory.
William Friedkin recommended The Night of the Hunter (1955) in Movies (curated)
Hari Nef recommended The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) in Movies (curated)
Kristina (502 KP) rated Letters Written in White in Books
Dec 7, 2020
I liked Kathryn's view on what Riah's afterlife was like. It was a different perspective and I enjoyed being introduced to a new idea on life after death. However, I think the hype made me feel a little let down. I won't say I didn't cry, watching Riah's kids and husband go through the grief after losing her sent me into a fit of tears - but the rest wasn't as nearly emotionally crippling as I had expected it to be. I was happy with the ending, that Riah was finally able to find some peace, but I was honestly kind of hoping we would discover the whole thing was a dream during a coma or something she'd endured after such blood loss (I know, I'm a hopeless romantic). I do believe the story sends a great message and reading the letters at the end only strengthened it; I also think this would be a great read for someone who's personally dealing with depression and feels like there's no way out.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated From Darkness to Light: My Journey Back from a Brain Filled with Blood in Books
Apr 27, 2018
From Darkness to Light—My journey back from a brain filled with blood
by Lynn Christopher Roby
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Christian
Summary: Lynn tells the story of her aneurysm, her life before and after, and her walk with God. She recalls her aneurysm and tells the sad and frightening story of her trials trying to get through it. Living through an aneurysm is hard—I had no idea how hard! She went through constant pain and a lot of depression. She also talks about her alcoholism early in life, mentions her sexual abuse, and her early depression. Eventually, after the aneurysm, she was able to heal enough to start her work for the Lord, opening a clinic to help people through the things she has gone through.
Thoughts: Lynn’s story is amazing and inspiring. This books shows how the bible verse “all things work together for good” plays out in real life. Lynn never would have been able to help the people she helped, or save the lives she helped save, if it hadn’t been for her very rough life.
Writing: The writing style and prose was tough to read in that it felt very choppy, had a lot of fragments, and quite a few typos, giving it an overall casual feel. The pacing was also a bit fast through the aneurysm, and slow through the rest. I found it difficult to read during the section where she explained the “12 steps to A.A.” which she explained in detail and then related it to her experiences, and showed how she used them through her life as a recovering alcoholic and getting through the aneurysm. The layout was a bit hard to follow, too. She starts with the aneurysm, then the healing process, then backtracks to tell about her alcoholism and depression, divorce, and second marriage before she finishes the story of what happened after the aneurysm. It was a little confusing, but once I saw what she was doing, it was easier to follow.
Content: There was no language or sex. She does mention God very often, as it is a memoir of a Christian’s suffering, but does not leave you with the feeling that you’ve been “preached to.”
Recommendation: Ages 13+ because of reference to alcohol. I really enjoyed this book—it had its on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, its sad sections, and its happy parts.
About the author:
Lynn lives in Carroll Valley Pa. with her husband Bill and their Samoyed Abigail. She is a Mother blessed with four sons and beautiful grandchildren that add to filling her life with joy and fun.
Lynn is a certified Professional Level Kripalu Yoga Teacher; she continues her studies at The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge Ma. Lynn and her husband Bill are the founders and owners of The Gettysburg Holistic Health Center where Lynn teaches in her studio which is a Kripalu affiliated studio. Lynn is a Master level addictions specialist and a Reiki Master. She feels honored to work with folks who suffer from the disease of addiction as she watches them transform their lives from turmoil to surrender.
Lynn’s journey led her into writing this book that was very cathartic hoping to inspire anyone suffering not only from a ruptured brain aneurysm, or alcoholism, or abuse but to touch anyone who can relate to such pain and suffering and find hope from reading this book
**Thank you to Bostic Communications and Lynn for providing me with my review copy!**
~Haleyknitz
by Lynn Christopher Roby
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Christian
Summary: Lynn tells the story of her aneurysm, her life before and after, and her walk with God. She recalls her aneurysm and tells the sad and frightening story of her trials trying to get through it. Living through an aneurysm is hard—I had no idea how hard! She went through constant pain and a lot of depression. She also talks about her alcoholism early in life, mentions her sexual abuse, and her early depression. Eventually, after the aneurysm, she was able to heal enough to start her work for the Lord, opening a clinic to help people through the things she has gone through.
Thoughts: Lynn’s story is amazing and inspiring. This books shows how the bible verse “all things work together for good” plays out in real life. Lynn never would have been able to help the people she helped, or save the lives she helped save, if it hadn’t been for her very rough life.
Writing: The writing style and prose was tough to read in that it felt very choppy, had a lot of fragments, and quite a few typos, giving it an overall casual feel. The pacing was also a bit fast through the aneurysm, and slow through the rest. I found it difficult to read during the section where she explained the “12 steps to A.A.” which she explained in detail and then related it to her experiences, and showed how she used them through her life as a recovering alcoholic and getting through the aneurysm. The layout was a bit hard to follow, too. She starts with the aneurysm, then the healing process, then backtracks to tell about her alcoholism and depression, divorce, and second marriage before she finishes the story of what happened after the aneurysm. It was a little confusing, but once I saw what she was doing, it was easier to follow.
Content: There was no language or sex. She does mention God very often, as it is a memoir of a Christian’s suffering, but does not leave you with the feeling that you’ve been “preached to.”
Recommendation: Ages 13+ because of reference to alcohol. I really enjoyed this book—it had its on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, its sad sections, and its happy parts.
About the author:
Lynn lives in Carroll Valley Pa. with her husband Bill and their Samoyed Abigail. She is a Mother blessed with four sons and beautiful grandchildren that add to filling her life with joy and fun.
Lynn is a certified Professional Level Kripalu Yoga Teacher; she continues her studies at The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge Ma. Lynn and her husband Bill are the founders and owners of The Gettysburg Holistic Health Center where Lynn teaches in her studio which is a Kripalu affiliated studio. Lynn is a Master level addictions specialist and a Reiki Master. She feels honored to work with folks who suffer from the disease of addiction as she watches them transform their lives from turmoil to surrender.
Lynn’s journey led her into writing this book that was very cathartic hoping to inspire anyone suffering not only from a ruptured brain aneurysm, or alcoholism, or abuse but to touch anyone who can relate to such pain and suffering and find hope from reading this book
**Thank you to Bostic Communications and Lynn for providing me with my review copy!**
~Haleyknitz
Darren (1599 KP) rated About a Boy (2002) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: About a Boy starts as we meet Will Freeman (Grant) who lives the perfect life in his head, no job because of his father’s royalties, no responsibilities and no relationship, he can jump from woman to woman and now he has learnt about single mums, he new target. Marcus (Hoult) is a young boy whose single mother is battling depression and when the two become unlikely friends.
As the friendship builds between Will and Marcus, the two learn valuable life lessons with Will finally learning the serious side to life, one he had coasted over through his life.
Thoughts on About a Boy
Characters – Will is the playboy bachelor who has gone from woman to woman never taking responsibility in anything in his life, at the age of 38 he isn’t getting any younger and wants to look to a new location to meet women, which finally gives him a chance to look at his own life errors and start to make something from life. Marcus is a bullied young boy, his mother is battling depression and he never fits in at school, he sees a male role model in Will and starts to becoming friends with Will where he can starts to learn how to be who he should be. This character is drawn up wonderfully because he doesn’t understand the problems his mother is going through, while he is aware there is a problem it reflects in his everyday life. Fiona is the mother of Marcus, she is battle depression in her life while trying her hardest to stay positive for Marcus, a battle she isn’t always winning. Rachel is the woman that shows Will a new meaning to life, only she is the one that could shatter his new look too.
Performances – Hugh Grant is easily one of the most British actors out there, he gives one of his best performances here that will make you like his bad character. This role could easily be a look at the person people believed he would be in real life. Nicholas Hoult gives one of the greatest breakthrough performances for a young star and by seeing just how far he has gone since this shows the early talent he showed. Toni Collette gives us a supporting performance that is just as difficult to watch because of her characters problems that it is an essential performance to see. Rachel Weisz is good in her supporting role, she doesn’t need to do too much with her character though.
Story – The story here plays out as a middle-aged man needing to grow up, a young boy who needs a male role model and understand that life isn’t going to be perfect no matter how much you want to believe it. The growing up side of the story is the one that we get to focus on the most and is everything you expect it to be. There is however a much deeper and stronger side to this story we see, that comes from seeing how young Marcus doesn’t completely understand his mother’s depression and just wants somebody to talk to, while finding his own way to fix her. Now this is important because the mental health issues are a bigger talking point now and showing it through the eyes of an innocent young boy shows how difficult it can be to talk about and deal with, with him never truly understanding what the problems are.
Comedy/Romance – This film did get me laughing a lot, this is usually hard for any comedy movie, this has so many clever visions on life through the shallow nature Will has. The romance is the backburner because it shows us just how Will is trying to find women, even if one does change his life.
Settings – The film is set in London, we get the see the home environment, which for the most part are empty, the social life and everyday life, nothing is new.
Scene of the Movie – Be a Godfather question?
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The generic bullies.
Final Thoughts – This is a brilliant comedy that gets everything right with the way the comedy is handled, we do get a big issue covered and is a film that people need to look back on and watch.
Overall: Must watch comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/03/26/about-a-boy-2002/
As the friendship builds between Will and Marcus, the two learn valuable life lessons with Will finally learning the serious side to life, one he had coasted over through his life.
Thoughts on About a Boy
Characters – Will is the playboy bachelor who has gone from woman to woman never taking responsibility in anything in his life, at the age of 38 he isn’t getting any younger and wants to look to a new location to meet women, which finally gives him a chance to look at his own life errors and start to make something from life. Marcus is a bullied young boy, his mother is battling depression and he never fits in at school, he sees a male role model in Will and starts to becoming friends with Will where he can starts to learn how to be who he should be. This character is drawn up wonderfully because he doesn’t understand the problems his mother is going through, while he is aware there is a problem it reflects in his everyday life. Fiona is the mother of Marcus, she is battle depression in her life while trying her hardest to stay positive for Marcus, a battle she isn’t always winning. Rachel is the woman that shows Will a new meaning to life, only she is the one that could shatter his new look too.
Performances – Hugh Grant is easily one of the most British actors out there, he gives one of his best performances here that will make you like his bad character. This role could easily be a look at the person people believed he would be in real life. Nicholas Hoult gives one of the greatest breakthrough performances for a young star and by seeing just how far he has gone since this shows the early talent he showed. Toni Collette gives us a supporting performance that is just as difficult to watch because of her characters problems that it is an essential performance to see. Rachel Weisz is good in her supporting role, she doesn’t need to do too much with her character though.
Story – The story here plays out as a middle-aged man needing to grow up, a young boy who needs a male role model and understand that life isn’t going to be perfect no matter how much you want to believe it. The growing up side of the story is the one that we get to focus on the most and is everything you expect it to be. There is however a much deeper and stronger side to this story we see, that comes from seeing how young Marcus doesn’t completely understand his mother’s depression and just wants somebody to talk to, while finding his own way to fix her. Now this is important because the mental health issues are a bigger talking point now and showing it through the eyes of an innocent young boy shows how difficult it can be to talk about and deal with, with him never truly understanding what the problems are.
Comedy/Romance – This film did get me laughing a lot, this is usually hard for any comedy movie, this has so many clever visions on life through the shallow nature Will has. The romance is the backburner because it shows us just how Will is trying to find women, even if one does change his life.
Settings – The film is set in London, we get the see the home environment, which for the most part are empty, the social life and everyday life, nothing is new.
Scene of the Movie – Be a Godfather question?
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The generic bullies.
Final Thoughts – This is a brilliant comedy that gets everything right with the way the comedy is handled, we do get a big issue covered and is a film that people need to look back on and watch.
Overall: Must watch comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/03/26/about-a-boy-2002/
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Kiss Me First in TV
Aug 1, 2019
Kiss me first is six part T.V. series form 2018 that is (loosely) based on a book of the same title by Lottie Moggach. Set in the near future the series follows Leila, a young woman living alone in the house she shared with her mother, who had recently died. Leila spends most of her time in the Virtual Reality world of Azana where she goes by the name Shadowfax. Whilst in Azana, Shadowfax meets another play known as Mania who introduces her to a group known as ‘Red Pill’. As Shadowfax begins to spend more time with red pill she starts to realise that events in the game are being mirrored in real life.
As we are introduced to the characters the first couple of episodes’ flip between the real world and the VR world of Azana but, as the series progresses the VR gives way to the real world, pulling you into the madness of the characters and making the games being played even more sinister.
Kiss me first is not a light hearted series and through the red pill members it tackles subjects like depression, suicide & euthanasia as well as the core theme of manipulation which also makes it quite a slow burn.
I said that Kiss Me First was based on a book of the same title and, after watching the series I went off and read the book and found it to be quite different but also the same, let me explain. The book has the main core characters but Red Pill is a chat room and there is no VR or other version of Azana. Shadowfax/Leila only meets/speaks to two of the group (Mania and Adrian) and one of those are dead for most of the novel. Most of the same subjects are still covered in the book but the book seems to have a bigger focus on suicide whereas the T.V. series spends more time on depression. The book also seems to be a search for purpose and the series a search for belonging and friendship and the changes made in the series seem to make the Leila/ Jonty relationship a bit forced and almost irrelevant. If you enjoyed the book the series is worth a shot but expect a lot of changes and a bit more of a techie element.
As we are introduced to the characters the first couple of episodes’ flip between the real world and the VR world of Azana but, as the series progresses the VR gives way to the real world, pulling you into the madness of the characters and making the games being played even more sinister.
Kiss me first is not a light hearted series and through the red pill members it tackles subjects like depression, suicide & euthanasia as well as the core theme of manipulation which also makes it quite a slow burn.
I said that Kiss Me First was based on a book of the same title and, after watching the series I went off and read the book and found it to be quite different but also the same, let me explain. The book has the main core characters but Red Pill is a chat room and there is no VR or other version of Azana. Shadowfax/Leila only meets/speaks to two of the group (Mania and Adrian) and one of those are dead for most of the novel. Most of the same subjects are still covered in the book but the book seems to have a bigger focus on suicide whereas the T.V. series spends more time on depression. The book also seems to be a search for purpose and the series a search for belonging and friendship and the changes made in the series seem to make the Leila/ Jonty relationship a bit forced and almost irrelevant. If you enjoyed the book the series is worth a shot but expect a lot of changes and a bit more of a techie element.