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First Man (2018)
First Man (2018)
2018 | Biography, Drama, History
First Man (2018) brings down-to-earth intimacy to the story of mankind’s giant leap. #Review
Opening with Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) test piloting an X-15 rocket ship so high you fear he may crash in to the orbiting Universal Logo which went past mere seconds before, Damien Chazelle’s quietly absorbing biopic is something of an antithesis to the usual stars ‘n’ stripes bombastic heroic portrayal the US space program usually receives. Instead, the focus here puts the man in the foreground while the mission is pushed to the back...

FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusFirstMan
  
We Were Soldiers (2002)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
2002 | Drama, History, War
As a massive fan of war movies I was expecting a lot from this one.
Unfortunately throughout the varied and bloody action I felt a disconnect that somehow pulled me away from the story and made the whole story seem bland.
Mel Gibson was as usual good but not great here and as stated the action was ok, however the only connection I felt was with the helicopter medic and the trauma he suffers making the many heroic sorties to rescue the injured.
Overall not a bad film, I just cannot recommend it based upon my viewing thoughts.
  
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
1962 | Drama, History, War

"The next one I was going to say, which is Lawrence of Arabia, I actually just saw for the first time last year. I saw it projected at a theater with the intermission and everything. It was just so awesome, and I loved that it’s “introducing” Peter O’Toole. The character’s so complex and interesting and perverse and heroic and everything in a huge movie and it’s never going to happen again to have a character in front of a movie that’s that big, that’s that complicated. The scene where he’s getting, like, whatever is happening to him… It’s wild. I love that movie."

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Go Set A Watchman
Go Set A Watchman
Harper Lee | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Crushing and disappointing
DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU LOVE TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

That being said, the reason why Harper Lee completely falls short in this novel is the fact that she destroys the heroic images of the characters that we have grown to love.

Without saying more, once again this novel is written in the perspective of Scout who is now a young woman and much more independent and vocal about the civil rights movement. She learns that everything she loved and respected is actually very different to what she imagined, pulling down heroes from their pedestals.

I'm totally scarred reading this.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) Sep 13, 2017

Totally agree. This was really an unnecessary sequel, so disappointing.

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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) Sep 13, 2017

Yes! I wonder why Harper Lee chose to release this, and after all these years! I love Atticus Finch, this was a horrific comedown.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)
2016 | Drama
7
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Post war blues
When a soldier is made to feel heroic by the media and general public, we see a broke and conflicted young man battling the horrors of war. I caught this film by accident and stayed up as the storyline grabbed my attention and exposed the difficulties in returning from war a different and damaged version of yourself. The pressure to return home and the pressure of winning and returning to the war zone create a conflict worse than the war itself.

Some great scenes that show the price put on a soldiers story being nothing compared to what it costs then to gain it.
  
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
1994 | Drama

"Simple storytelling at its best, character driven, beautiful and cinematic. The ending of that movie, if you’re not feeling good and your heart’s not twisted up and then melted back together then, I mean, I dunno, you don’t have a heartbeat. It’s one of the best feelings walking away from a piece of cinema. It’s all chalked up to really great characters. A really simple story, really. And that’s why I really enjoy it. It’s a beautifully… it’s a masterpiece. It’s a masterpiece of filmmaking in its simplicity. Its characters are lovely and tormented and flawed and beautiful and heroic. And I, again, love the themes of it."

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Innocence Tainted: Epidemic of Lies
Innocence Tainted: Epidemic of Lies
Chiemeka Nicely | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reminiscent of FLASH, Innocence Tainted is about Dr. Oralia, who wakes from a coma after being struck by lightening only to find she has gained supernatural powers. I highly enjoyed this story. It was easy to like Oralia, especially with the main theme of the book being self-discovery/transformation. Her traumatic past was what I emphasized with the most, and I love that this part of who she is wasn't overdone. She is strong and vulnerable, decisive and thoughtful. I love how empowering she is as not only as a heroic figure, but as a black woman. Stories like this are so needed in the world!
  
TB
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was an absolute delight! It had me captivated from page one and I could hardly put it down! I brought the book everywhere with me so I could get in a few pages in a spare moment.

I loved that the main characters were heroic, but not heroes. The whole concept of the Greatcoats being cast down by society and hated by everyone was fascinating to me. It made the characters more interesting and the struggles more real. The characters and plot was compelling. There was intrigue and action. I borrowed the first one from the library but have already purchased them all from a bookstore online so I can read the rest shortly! :)
  
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Amber Tamblyn recommended Smilla's Sense of Snow in Books (curated)

 
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Peter Hoeg | 2021
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I read this every winter. It has one of the best female protagonists I've ever read in a book. There are very few books I can think of that start out so small and unassuming and end so big and heroic. The lead character goes from being an inquisitive, quiet girl to a violent, powerful force by the end of the book, all while solving a murder that keeps unfolding new twists and turns. This book makes me feel strong. Like I could fight a bad guy on a burning barge then jump into to arctic freezing water to swim to my safety as it explodes. Which she does, in the book."

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Julia Cafritz recommended All That Jazz (1979) in Movies (curated)

 
All That Jazz (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
1979 | Drama, Musical, Sci-Fi
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"All That Jazz (1979) is a perfect film, in my book: insanely well acted, incredible art direction, great writing, beautifully shot, just a director firing on all cylinders. Did I mention the amazing song-and-dance sequences? And Bob Fosse does all this, in a movie that is a very autobiographical account of his own struggle juggling: multiple productions, girls, booze, and pills; all of which lead to a series of heart attacks that culminate in the most spectacular and fantastical deathbed scene ever, with Jessica Lange as the loveliest angel of death. Forget Jaws: Roy Scheider as Joe Gideon, Fosse’s alter ego, is equal parts heroic captain and man-eating shark in this masterpiece."

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