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Prague Marco Polo Spiral Guide
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For advice you can trust, look no further than Marco Polo. The Prague Marco Polo Spiral Guide is a...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Promising Young Woman (2020) in Movies
Apr 10, 2021
Powerful
Emerald Fennell’s feature length motion picture Directing debut, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, is a difficult film to categorize. Is it a Dark Comedy? A RomCom? A family drama? A portrait of a character’s descent? A hard critique of sexism and sexual predators? A revenge fantasy?
The answer is - it is ALL of these and thanks to a wonderful script (by Fennell), strong Direction (again, by Ferrell) and a terrific, Oscar-worthy performance in the lead role (by Carey Mulligan) it is a very effective, very powerful film.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN tells the tale of Cassandra who we are introduced to at a bar, obviously drunk, getting picked up (and taken advantage of) by a “nice guy” at the bar. Once back at his place, it is clear that she is NOT drunk and she confronts the “nice guy”.
To say anything else would spoil this wonderful film.
At the center of this film is Carey Mulligan (deservedly) Oscar nominated turn as Cassandra. This is a tortured soul who is looking for some sort of catharsis from a previous trauma and seeks various ways to achieve this. You see an intelligence and sadness in Cassandra at every turn and Mulligan’s performance seemed rooted in reality and was, ultimately, an effective, chillingly and (yes) sad character brought to life. It is the type of performance that I will be rooting for in the Oscar race, it’s that good.
Most of the other characters in this film fleet in and out of Cassandra’s life but all are strong performances, seemingly willing to bring their “A” game to match Mulligan’s performance and the strong script. Kudos to Jennifer Coolidge, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (yes, a McLovin’ sighting!), Alfred Molina, Moly Shannon, Connie Britton and, especially, the great Clancy Brown. They all enhanced the film with their performances, working off of Mulligan effectively.
But, credit to all of this must go to Writer/Director Emerald Fennell (probably best known for playing Camilla Parker Bowles in THE CROWN) who's script is smart and thought-provoking and who’s Direction is crisp and sure. She clearly had a certain type of film in her head - the type of film that does not easily lend itself to definition/classification and packs a powerful punch at it’s conclusion. Without spoiling anything, she “ups her game” at the end of this film and I sat in thoughtful silence as the end credits ran.
Fennell is up for the Oscar for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and I, for one, would vote for her Screenplay hands-down.
An intriguing film that is sticking with me a few days later…always a mark of quality.
Letter Grade: A
9 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The answer is - it is ALL of these and thanks to a wonderful script (by Fennell), strong Direction (again, by Ferrell) and a terrific, Oscar-worthy performance in the lead role (by Carey Mulligan) it is a very effective, very powerful film.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN tells the tale of Cassandra who we are introduced to at a bar, obviously drunk, getting picked up (and taken advantage of) by a “nice guy” at the bar. Once back at his place, it is clear that she is NOT drunk and she confronts the “nice guy”.
To say anything else would spoil this wonderful film.
At the center of this film is Carey Mulligan (deservedly) Oscar nominated turn as Cassandra. This is a tortured soul who is looking for some sort of catharsis from a previous trauma and seeks various ways to achieve this. You see an intelligence and sadness in Cassandra at every turn and Mulligan’s performance seemed rooted in reality and was, ultimately, an effective, chillingly and (yes) sad character brought to life. It is the type of performance that I will be rooting for in the Oscar race, it’s that good.
Most of the other characters in this film fleet in and out of Cassandra’s life but all are strong performances, seemingly willing to bring their “A” game to match Mulligan’s performance and the strong script. Kudos to Jennifer Coolidge, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (yes, a McLovin’ sighting!), Alfred Molina, Moly Shannon, Connie Britton and, especially, the great Clancy Brown. They all enhanced the film with their performances, working off of Mulligan effectively.
But, credit to all of this must go to Writer/Director Emerald Fennell (probably best known for playing Camilla Parker Bowles in THE CROWN) who's script is smart and thought-provoking and who’s Direction is crisp and sure. She clearly had a certain type of film in her head - the type of film that does not easily lend itself to definition/classification and packs a powerful punch at it’s conclusion. Without spoiling anything, she “ups her game” at the end of this film and I sat in thoughtful silence as the end credits ran.
Fennell is up for the Oscar for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and I, for one, would vote for her Screenplay hands-down.
An intriguing film that is sticking with me a few days later…always a mark of quality.
Letter Grade: A
9 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
David McK (3372 KP) rated Thrawn (Star Wars: Thrawn #1) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I think therte may have been other Star Wars books prior to [a:Timothy Zahn|12479|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215545810p2/12479.jpg]'s 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy, but I believe all those were set during (or prior to) the events of the movies, with Zahn holding the position of being the first author to be licensed to extend the story beyond the end of 'Return of the Jedi', and thus to kickstart the whole Extended Universe (or EU) of the Star Wars stories prior to the abolition of the same when Disnay acquired Luasfilm.
The three novels in that series - [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], [b:Dark Force Rising|216442|Dark Force Rising|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092000s/216442.jpg|463790] and [b:The Last Command|216422|The Last Command|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092026s/216422.jpg|397139] - set a VERY high bar for the subsequent novels to reach, mainly due to who would become a fan favourite character: that of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn's past, however, was only ever hinted at in those stories.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm (and did away with the old EU, renaming them Legends), they did state, however, that they would 'cherry-pick' the best parts for inclusion in the Disney Star Wars canon: a promise they kept when Thrawn appeared as one of the key villains in the third season of the animated TV show 'Star Wars: Rebels'. And, in this, Zahn once again returns to perhaps his most famous creation, filling in (some of) the blans about his early days in the Imperial Navy.
However, this does not concentrate solely on Thrawn himself, but on a couple of other ancillary characters to him (no Rukh or the Noghri, yet), including Ariahdne Pryce - another Imperial from that TV show (and the sections of the novel dealing wih her of which, I found, to be the least interesting).
The three novels in that series - [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], [b:Dark Force Rising|216442|Dark Force Rising|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092000s/216442.jpg|463790] and [b:The Last Command|216422|The Last Command|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092026s/216422.jpg|397139] - set a VERY high bar for the subsequent novels to reach, mainly due to who would become a fan favourite character: that of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn's past, however, was only ever hinted at in those stories.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm (and did away with the old EU, renaming them Legends), they did state, however, that they would 'cherry-pick' the best parts for inclusion in the Disney Star Wars canon: a promise they kept when Thrawn appeared as one of the key villains in the third season of the animated TV show 'Star Wars: Rebels'. And, in this, Zahn once again returns to perhaps his most famous creation, filling in (some of) the blans about his early days in the Imperial Navy.
However, this does not concentrate solely on Thrawn himself, but on a couple of other ancillary characters to him (no Rukh or the Noghri, yet), including Ariahdne Pryce - another Imperial from that TV show (and the sections of the novel dealing wih her of which, I found, to be the least interesting).
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Madwoman Upstairs in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I thought this sounded a really interesting idea, modern day woman, descended from the Bronte family uncovers secrets from the history of her family. While I didn't dislike it, I didn't really love it either. For about the first half of the book I found it a bit of a struggle as I found the protagonist, Samantha Whipple, rather hard to like. I'm not even sure I liked her that much by the end of the book to be honest.
Samantha has had rather an odd upbringing, which would account for some of her strangeness. We see her early on arriving at a fictional Oxford college to study English Literature although she seems to hate practically all writers and seems incapable of constructing a reasonable critical argument! She is rather like a spoilt child, and as such I found her hard to like. I'm also pretty good at suspending my disbelief but it takes some stretch of the imagination to accept that someone like Samantha would have been able to gain a place on an English Literature course at an Oxford college! Or that she would be housed on the fifth floor of a tower with no windows in her room and apparently there is only a bathroom on the ground floor. Must have been a bit of an issue when she sprained her ankle, but this is glossed over.
Samantha's tutor is a young, handsome (naturally!) Englishman with the unlikely name of Dr James Timothy Orville III. For most of the book he is referred to simply as 'Orville'. If you are of my generation you might understand why this seemed a bit off-putting and why I've had 'I Wish I Could Fly....' in my head for the past few days!
In conclusion, it wasn't a bad book, the writing was OK (a few Americanisms slipping into the mouths of supposedly British characters....) but it just didn't work for me - there were too many things that were rather improbable and the protagonist was, at times, idiotic.
Samantha has had rather an odd upbringing, which would account for some of her strangeness. We see her early on arriving at a fictional Oxford college to study English Literature although she seems to hate practically all writers and seems incapable of constructing a reasonable critical argument! She is rather like a spoilt child, and as such I found her hard to like. I'm also pretty good at suspending my disbelief but it takes some stretch of the imagination to accept that someone like Samantha would have been able to gain a place on an English Literature course at an Oxford college! Or that she would be housed on the fifth floor of a tower with no windows in her room and apparently there is only a bathroom on the ground floor. Must have been a bit of an issue when she sprained her ankle, but this is glossed over.
Samantha's tutor is a young, handsome (naturally!) Englishman with the unlikely name of Dr James Timothy Orville III. For most of the book he is referred to simply as 'Orville'. If you are of my generation you might understand why this seemed a bit off-putting and why I've had 'I Wish I Could Fly....' in my head for the past few days!
In conclusion, it wasn't a bad book, the writing was OK (a few Americanisms slipping into the mouths of supposedly British characters....) but it just didn't work for me - there were too many things that were rather improbable and the protagonist was, at times, idiotic.
The Master and Margarita
Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky and Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov
7.0
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Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is a fiercely satirical fantasy that remained...
Kaz (232 KP) rated The Finisher (Vega Jane #1) in Books
Nov 5, 2019
I'm a fan of Fantasy and Sci-fi and, in a recent conversation with a friend on the subject of reading, they recommended and lent me, the 'Vega Jane' Series.
Book one started with great promise. Vega Jane and the rest of the characters were very well formed and I liked the initial underlining feminist message, running throughout the story.
However, I found many problems with this novel. Firstly, the writing was a major problem for me, particularly the vocabulary that was used by the characters.
Wormwood is supposedly a fictional place, on an unknown planet. So it didn't come to surprise, that the characters used a fictional language.
The problem with that was, when a character used a fictional word, as a reader, you had to hazard a guess at to what the characters were talking about. Also, made up words were used, where they weren't particularly necessary. For example, ''Lights' were 'days' and 'slivers' were 'time'. For me, it wasn't entirely necessary to use alternative words for these things and this vocabulary was being thrown in, to try and make the setting of the story, more interesting. I would have preferred the use of fictitious words for some of the more exotic things, found in the environment of Wormwood.
Also to confuse things even further, more modern words like 'bloke' were used, which gave this weird mish mash, between the modern and the fantasy world, the book took place in. I think what David Baldacci was trying to do, was to make the situation and characters more relatable to its predominately teenage audience. What this combination of language actually did, was to cause me to step out of the world that was being created, rather than being drawn into it.
The plot was generally good. Although, as Vega was learning more about her powers, there were no real explanations as to why she had them. I know this is a series and I suppose that during the course of the novels, there will be more explanation, but I felt like something should have been explained.
Also, Vega inexplicably finds weapons at the exact times she needs them, without any explanation about where they came from. It was as if David Baldacci found Vega in a tight spot, so he decided to drop weapons from the sky. For me, that wasn't logical and was a bit lazy on the writer's part.
I did enjoy the tension which ran through the book and that kept me reading until the very end. I was fully prepared, as I neared the end of book one, to continue reading the rest of the series. However, the last three chapters totally put me off reading the rest of the books, for several reasons.
Firstly, Vega Jane was a strong female character, who had guts and fought to survive. So it was totally out of character, at the end, for her to start worrying about what she looked like and what boys thought of her. To me, that totally contradicted the message that the rest of the book was trying to send.
Also the resolution to the novel, like some of the other elements in this book, seemed to come from no where. I felt totally disappointed at the weak ending.
This novel had interesting promise and a great female protagonist, but it missed the mark entirely for me.
If you like reading fantasy novels, with strong female characters, I wouldn't suggest reading this. Read the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy instead.
Book one started with great promise. Vega Jane and the rest of the characters were very well formed and I liked the initial underlining feminist message, running throughout the story.
However, I found many problems with this novel. Firstly, the writing was a major problem for me, particularly the vocabulary that was used by the characters.
Wormwood is supposedly a fictional place, on an unknown planet. So it didn't come to surprise, that the characters used a fictional language.
The problem with that was, when a character used a fictional word, as a reader, you had to hazard a guess at to what the characters were talking about. Also, made up words were used, where they weren't particularly necessary. For example, ''Lights' were 'days' and 'slivers' were 'time'. For me, it wasn't entirely necessary to use alternative words for these things and this vocabulary was being thrown in, to try and make the setting of the story, more interesting. I would have preferred the use of fictitious words for some of the more exotic things, found in the environment of Wormwood.
Also to confuse things even further, more modern words like 'bloke' were used, which gave this weird mish mash, between the modern and the fantasy world, the book took place in. I think what David Baldacci was trying to do, was to make the situation and characters more relatable to its predominately teenage audience. What this combination of language actually did, was to cause me to step out of the world that was being created, rather than being drawn into it.
The plot was generally good. Although, as Vega was learning more about her powers, there were no real explanations as to why she had them. I know this is a series and I suppose that during the course of the novels, there will be more explanation, but I felt like something should have been explained.
Also, Vega inexplicably finds weapons at the exact times she needs them, without any explanation about where they came from. It was as if David Baldacci found Vega in a tight spot, so he decided to drop weapons from the sky. For me, that wasn't logical and was a bit lazy on the writer's part.
I did enjoy the tension which ran through the book and that kept me reading until the very end. I was fully prepared, as I neared the end of book one, to continue reading the rest of the series. However, the last three chapters totally put me off reading the rest of the books, for several reasons.
Firstly, Vega Jane was a strong female character, who had guts and fought to survive. So it was totally out of character, at the end, for her to start worrying about what she looked like and what boys thought of her. To me, that totally contradicted the message that the rest of the book was trying to send.
Also the resolution to the novel, like some of the other elements in this book, seemed to come from no where. I felt totally disappointed at the weak ending.
This novel had interesting promise and a great female protagonist, but it missed the mark entirely for me.
If you like reading fantasy novels, with strong female characters, I wouldn't suggest reading this. Read the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy instead.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Heavenly in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I found the opening chapter of this book to be very strange, but intriguing, and I understood that it was meant be an extended teaser of something that happens later in the book. I liked that the author used this to hook the reader in, but the drawback is that I was looking for where the opening chapter fits in for the rest of the book.
Very quickly into the book, I felt an emotional connection with the main character, Zoe. The responsibilities of having an autistic sister have really drained her in many ways, and left her with this hole that she was either looking to fill or ignore. At the same time, when she was at home, she assumed the role of the "second mother" with an unselfish pride that showed a maturity beyond her age of seventeen.
On the flip side, her brother Luke is the opposite of Zoe in many ways in that he does not seem to share the responsibilities of caring for their sister, Abria, but instead is often seen running out the door. But like Abria, he also seeks to fill the void that the demands of his life have pulled out of him in different, but just as self-destructive, ways as Zoe.
Abria, the austistic younger sibling, is quite a fascinating character to read about, as I felt like I could extract the meaning behind her varied antics better than her family could. For instance, she has a habit of climbing anything she can get on, but it's the guardian angel Matthias who must point out to Zoe that Abria climbs because she like high places. The permanence of her innocence puts her in a state of joy that Zoe can only envy.
It was not until the end of the book that I fully understood the slogan attached to the Heavenly series: "Real Angels Don't Fall." The character of Matthias is just as unique and interesting as Abria, and the details put into both of them had me flying through this book in a matter of days. Matthias holds to the principles of his role as a guardian angel with both humor and intensity, and the number of times he side-stepped Zoe's questions even while answering others became quite frustrating. I would love for the story to switch viewpoints just so I could understand more of what Matthias was thinking and what motivated him.
I had expected this book to be mostly focused on romance, but I would say that the romantic aspects are only part of the story. Both Abria and Luke are vital to the plotline, and the ending was different than what I was predicting by a mile. I shed a few tears at the end, but there was still a sweetness that put a smile on my face. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one in the series, Penitence (Volume 2).
Very quickly into the book, I felt an emotional connection with the main character, Zoe. The responsibilities of having an autistic sister have really drained her in many ways, and left her with this hole that she was either looking to fill or ignore. At the same time, when she was at home, she assumed the role of the "second mother" with an unselfish pride that showed a maturity beyond her age of seventeen.
On the flip side, her brother Luke is the opposite of Zoe in many ways in that he does not seem to share the responsibilities of caring for their sister, Abria, but instead is often seen running out the door. But like Abria, he also seeks to fill the void that the demands of his life have pulled out of him in different, but just as self-destructive, ways as Zoe.
Abria, the austistic younger sibling, is quite a fascinating character to read about, as I felt like I could extract the meaning behind her varied antics better than her family could. For instance, she has a habit of climbing anything she can get on, but it's the guardian angel Matthias who must point out to Zoe that Abria climbs because she like high places. The permanence of her innocence puts her in a state of joy that Zoe can only envy.
It was not until the end of the book that I fully understood the slogan attached to the Heavenly series: "Real Angels Don't Fall." The character of Matthias is just as unique and interesting as Abria, and the details put into both of them had me flying through this book in a matter of days. Matthias holds to the principles of his role as a guardian angel with both humor and intensity, and the number of times he side-stepped Zoe's questions even while answering others became quite frustrating. I would love for the story to switch viewpoints just so I could understand more of what Matthias was thinking and what motivated him.
I had expected this book to be mostly focused on romance, but I would say that the romantic aspects are only part of the story. Both Abria and Luke are vital to the plotline, and the ending was different than what I was predicting by a mile. I shed a few tears at the end, but there was still a sweetness that put a smile on my face. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one in the series, Penitence (Volume 2).
The Wrong Family
6.0
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The Wrong Family is your new obsession. It's full of twists you'll never see coming and you'll be...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Murder on Trinity Place in Books
Aug 17, 2022 (Updated Aug 17, 2022)
Starting the New Year (or is that Century?) with Murder
In the final week of 1899, Sarah and Frank Malloy are invited to a dinner party given by their neighbors, the Ellsworths. They are warned that one of their fellow guests, Mr. Pritchard, is likely to ramble on about his dairy, but instead he starts talking about how everyone needs to welcome in the turn of the century coming in just a few days. On New Year’s Day, the man is found dead near Trinity Church where he was trying to convince the revealers the new century was starting. Frank is hired to find out what happened to Mr. Pritchard. Can he do it?
I’d felt the previous couple of books in the series had taken a dark turn, and I’m glad to say this one wasn’t nearly as dark. Sarah also got to play a prominent role in the main mystery as well as a fun sub-plot involving a character from a previous book and the clinic Sarah’s recently founded. I’m often about half a chapter ahead of the characters when it comes to solving the mystery, but this time, I was stumped until we reached the end. Once again, it’s fabulous to spend time with these characters, and the new characters are just as sharp. This is a strong entry that shows why the series is going strong after so many entries.
I’d felt the previous couple of books in the series had taken a dark turn, and I’m glad to say this one wasn’t nearly as dark. Sarah also got to play a prominent role in the main mystery as well as a fun sub-plot involving a character from a previous book and the clinic Sarah’s recently founded. I’m often about half a chapter ahead of the characters when it comes to solving the mystery, but this time, I was stumped until we reached the end. Once again, it’s fabulous to spend time with these characters, and the new characters are just as sharp. This is a strong entry that shows why the series is going strong after so many entries.
