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Rob Halford recommended Paranoid by Black Sabbath in Music (curated)

 
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
1970 | Metal, Rock
9.0 (7 Ratings)
Album Favorite

""I chose this one because it has 'War Pigs'. It's quintessentially Sabbath even now. They have to play those songs because they are the ones that say everything about that band. Tony [Iommi, guitarist] has said that they were in and out in a few hours when they were making those first records, and this was a pretty quick follow-up. He's a riff master. It's just riffs. It's the essence and the purity of Sabbath that I love, and on this record they really nail it. If somebody were to ask me about Sabbath, what they represent and what they've done, I'd tell them to just go and listen to this record because it encapsulates them so well. They were a Birmingham band too and I think it just shows that a lot of bands from that Midlands region were very prolific. There was a lot of activity going on in and around the Birmingham area. I've always said that the Beatles were responsible for breaking the wall around London down, because before them there was this idea that you had to be from London to be successful. But them being from Liverpool and then later bands like Sabbath from Birmingham sent a message that it wasn't the case and I think that's great. The way that the scene was in Birmingham at that time, we had a fabulous club called Mothers where everybody played. I saw everyone play there: Cream, Sabbath, Pink Floyd. It made Birmingham a real hotbed outside of London for that style of music. We were friends with Sabbath, and I've always considered them to be the inventors of the heavy metal sound. We knew each other and for them to suddenly have this massive impact with this record and be on the radio and in the NME was thrilling. It was before the internet so it took time to get the word out but that made it more exciting to watch for me. When they went to America we were in awe of them because everyone wanted to go to America. Of course we did a few years later, but that was only because of this heavy metal sound that they were responsible for."

Source
  
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Becs (244 KP) rated As Night Falls in Books

Oct 2, 2019  
As Night Falls
As Night Falls
Jenny Milchman | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Highlights: I love the cover, it gives off that thriller vibe. Great read, couldn’t put it down. Had me hanging onto every word from the beginning even though there were a few slower moments in the book.

Style: Medium read, not too heavy and also not too light of a read.

Point of View: Third-person

Difficulty Reading: As Night Falls was a pretty easy read for me, but I tend to find Thrillers a little easier to read. I wouldn’t say this was a light read but it’s also not a heavy read, lying somewhere in the middle. There were a few parts that had me taking a bit more time trying to read and understand what was going on but these moments were far and few in between all the good parts!

Promise: As Night Falls promises a psychological suspense thriller that will keep you on your toes while you gain a love for the characters, it delivers.

Quality: All-around great read. Defiantly recommend to everyone who likes Thriller reads, even if it’s just a little bit.

Insights: You will either love this book or you will hate it, there’s no in between. For me, this was a love relationship that deserves many other rereads.

Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick reveals that he is the brother of Sandy, I had to stop reading for a moment to ponder the thought and what all was revealed already throughout the book that gave it away.

Favorite quote: “These days, her daughter could make obedience sound like defiance.” – Pretty much sums up the way of children haha.

What will you gain: A love relationship for Sandy and her family, this includes Harlan (as he’s like Hodor from Game of Thrones – innocent and being controlled by Nick). And an ‘I want to kill you, you scum’ relationship with psycho Nick. Plus a great thriller read that deserves so much more love than what it currently is getting!

Aesthetics: Cover was what pulled me in at first. Then the switching from past and present was hard to get into the first couple of chapters, but I feel like it helped shape the book.

“Timing was going to be key.”
  
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
I was a little hesitant over a third Spider-Man reboot, even tho I really enjoyed his introduction in Civil War. I was pleasantly surprised when we were given an origin movie without rehashing yet again the way that Peter Parker receives his powers (it's all mentioned in conversation, since I think everyone is fairly familiar with the particulars at this point). What we're given is a young kid of 14 who has been handed these amazing powers and we get to watch as he struggles to find his place in a superhero world where there isn't much room for a kid 14. Of course, he thinks he can handle situations far outside his capabilities, and we watch as he predictably fails, and comes to terms with his limitations. It's a stereotypical hero's journey film, but somehow Tom Holland's performance captures that early teen awkwardness and nothing seems heavy handed in telling Spider-Man's story. I'm hoping this is the Spider-man that's going to stick around for a while.
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
Wasn't Man of Steel (3 more)
Wasn't Batman v Superman
Didn't get heavy handed with iffy subject matter
Diana beating wholesale @$$
Villain obvious from the start (1 more)
Above villain fight could've been better
Hey look! It's the ONLY reason that the DCCU still has a pulse!
She didn't murder thousands of people. She didn't do billions of dollars in property damage. She didn't try and murder another hero so because.
It's Wonder Woman! As in, it's a wonder that WB took THIS long to make a movie about one of DC's Trinity. And she was portrayed flawlessly. The only reason this didn't get 10/10 was the way the main villain paid off, which isn't great. Gal Gadot needs an Oscar. Also, there was no super feminism or lack of feminism; it was addressed and then back to the story. LIKE IT SHOULD BE WITH ALL COMIC MOVIES. We aren't paying $10+ a ticket to see a movie about political views! We came to see heroes be heroes! Good on you, WB. Now let's not have Aquaman suck...
  
Wake of Vultures
Wake of Vultures
Lila Bowen | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wake of Vultures was an exciting, fast paced, interesting read. It was fun and different for me. It wasn’t phenomenal. I would probably read the next one in the series, but I wouldn’t spend money on it.

The biggest problem I had with the story was I felt that it tried to deal with too many things at once. Racism, sexism, sexual identity, slavery, nudity, and religion are all important and heavy topics. All of them together in one YA urban fantasy novel? It’s a bit excessive. Even though I of all people understand that sometimes when a story comes to you, as an author, you can’t change your character! That’s just who they are! And don’t get me wrong, the story was great and I enjoyed listening to it, and I was totally caught up in it. But there were times when I would listen and something would come up and I’d be like “this is too much. this is ridiculous.” It felt like overkill.

That aside, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated One More Light by Linkin Park in Music

May 3, 2018 (Updated May 3, 2018)  
One More Light by Linkin Park
One More Light by Linkin Park
2017 | Alternative
A beautiful final album for Chester
I know a lot of people will hate this album because it's not like the Linkin Park of old - it's not heavy and instead is verging on mainstream and poppy. But going more mainstream worked for Coldplay and Muse, and personally i think it works well for Linkin Park too, it's just a shame this will be the last time we get something quite like this.

I think this album is very poignant and beautiful, and has some fantastic songs. Title track One More Light is by far my favourite even if it is a little sad - I dare you to listen to this & not be moved. Listening to this after Chester's death is very bittersweet, to have such a good album and realise that this album along with the rest will never be performed by Linkin Park as they were.

Its a very fitting final album for Chester - albeit maybe a little too disturbingly fitting if you listen closely to some of the lyrics. Such a shame.
  
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FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated 806 in Books

May 23, 2018  
806
806
Cynthia Weil | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reads Like a Pop Song
Fast, funny, and frequently surprising (even in spite of its contrivances), Cynthia Weil's rollicking YA road trip novella 806 centers on a trio of very different high school students who discover that they share the same unknown sperm donor father.

A contemporary teen fairy tale penned in a light, dialogue heavy style with clever hooks and twists to circumvent the narrative's overall predictability, 806 reads like a summer pop-song, which is only fitting considering Weil's background as a Grammy award winning, Oscar nominated songwriter.

Although it relies a little too heavily on cliches – never delving beneath the surface of its relatively one-dimensional characters long enough to give us a greater sense of who they are beyond some Breakfast Club-like introductions – 806 is inventive everywhere else.

Entertaining if ultimately forgettable, Weil's sophomore work is a wildly infectious read you can flip through at mix-tape speed in order to join the band and road trip along.

Note: I rounded up but (if able) would give this one 3.5 stars.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Hunt (2012) in Movies

Feb 24, 2019  
The Hunt (2012)
The Hunt (2012)
2012 | Drama
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dark and disturbing
This is definitely not an easy film to watch, but it really is very good. It's a stark and difficult to watch tale about the repercussions of lies in a close knit Danish tale. It deals with some very heavy topics and yet doesn't shy away from the subject matter in question, to the point where it's almost too difficult to watch. But this is why this film is so good, it hasn't Hollywood-ised such a difficult subject and instead you can really believe everything that happens.

It's helped of course by a brilliant performance from Mads Mikkelsen. His quiet mild mannered Lucas is a million miles away from what he gets accused of, and Mads' performances itself is very restrained, which is exactly what this film needed. This paired with a subtle score and well done cinematography make for a very haunting watch.

This really has a stark point to make about the judgemental nature of society, and it makes it very well, even if it is disturbing to watch.