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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies

Jan 1, 2021  
Soul (2020)
Soul (2020)
2020 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
9
7.7 (37 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
The second Pixar effort of 2020 is nothing short of excellent. Soul is a wonderful experience from start to finish, dealing with abstract ideas in a touching way, and boasting some of the finest animation out there.
When compared to older Pixar efforts, it's easy to see just how far this sort of thing has come. Soul manages to look photo realistic, despite the cartoony designs of the human characters. It has matured in other ways too - where these films used to be kid friendly adventures with a message lurking within, that's not quite the case anymore. The themes in Soul are very much for an older audience, and sure, there are talking cats and colourful visuals in The Great Before to keep younger viewers involved, but the narrative here focuses on how one can feel like their life is wasted sometimes, how it's easy to feel lost in such a big world, and the acceptance of death. With heavy subject matters at the forefront, the frequently heart-warming and funny screenplay results in an story that is expertly crafted to hit all the right emotional buttons, whilst still being fun, and full of awesome jazz.

Director Pete Docter is of course the man behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. so it's no surprise that his fourth Pixar feature is one that can stand tall next to those greats. A fantastic voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Richard Ayoade, Anglea Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and Rachel House among others, adds the remaining ingredients to ensure that Soul is another magnificent string in Pixar's bow, and is an essential watch.
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Secret of Joy in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
TS
The Secret of Joy
Melissa Senate | 2009
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thoughts: This is such a sweet heart-warming story about life and love, and takes the drama of ex-wives and love-sick ladies to a whole new level, giving it life and plausibility at the same time. How did Melissa do it? No idea. But she won me over.

This book asks a lot of questions about marriage, relationships, and love. Does the author answer all the questions? Not really—but she answers the ones that she needs to, and as for others, she lets her readers decide the answers for themselves. THE SECRET OF JOY makes the reader think about what forgiveness really is, what it means to love someone, and the responsibility of loving them.

Characters: Joy was my favorite character. She was a rough-tough-don’t-mess-with-me-you-cant-make-me-cry kinda girl. She held her facade well (most of the time) but when she showed her true colors, she was a gem. Michael, Rebecca’s boyfriend, was a bit of a confusing character. At first I really liked him but as the story went on, I got fed up with him and kept thinking “Rebecca, dump him, please.” I almost cried when Rebecca’s dad died. These characters in this story will beckon you.

Writing: Melissa held me captive with her unique writing style. It was relaxed and smooth, and flowed well, something that could be read aloud without too much problem.

Content: There was only an occasional swear word, and some mention of sex, but no details.

Recommendation: Ages 14+ to anyone craving a light-hearted sit-by-the-fire-with-tea kind of book.

**Thank you to Sarah from Pocketbooks for supplying my review copy!**
  
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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Duncan in Books

May 22, 2019  
Duncan
Duncan
Dennis McCort | 2019
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A cunning pederastic serial killer nicknamed “Santa” is making his way up the East Coast from New Orleans to Boston, leaving a trail of young bodies in his wake. Santa covers his tracks along the way by working as an itinerant bass player in a series of jazz combos. At the same time, the Driscoll family – Mark, Julie and their nine-year-old son Nate – who live in an upstate suburb of Syracuse, New York, struggle to come to grips with Mom’s quadriplegia following a horrific auto accident. The suspense builds to a fever pitch as these two plot strands approach each other for the inevitable confrontation. All this tension is heightened by the mystery of Duncan, Nate’s stuffed-toy gorilla, who is not only the boy’s beloved companion but becomes a kind of family totem, and, later on in the story, so much more.


Trigger warning for pedophilia, disability, murder, and so forth

This is a novel not only for readers addicted to thrill rides and maddening suspense, but also those who are curious about the abnormal psychology of the pedophiliac killer. The book gives food for thought as well as a kind of perverse satisfaction for the imagination and senses. It is a thinking reader’s thriller.
There are some graphic scenes that would make any normal human uncomfortable to say the least.
I loved how Mr. McCort portrays the heart-warming relationship dynamics within the Driscoll family. Oh I did love Duncan too!
The book also delivers on its' promise to the insight of the killers mind as well (the diabolical Santa).
Disturbing but excellent read.
Recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.