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How to Have an Almost Perfect Marriage

Stephen Fry

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Whether you are single, married, or simply Fry-curious, Mrs Stephen Fry, the world's almost leading...

Edgar Wright recommended The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) in Movies (curated)

"As I was a young film fan growing up in a VCR-less household in rural England, my access to international cinema was limited to whatever was playing on the (then) four channels of network television. Which basically meant that Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy and Jacques Tati were some of the only European films I saw until I was in my late teens. During a brief art college stint, my eyes were opened as I was exposed to surrealism. First Luis Buñuel’s Un chien Andalou and L’age d’or, but then later, my favorite film of his, the 1972 masterpiece The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Dipping into the history of cinema is an exciting yet overwhelming task for some. When appreciating older works, I like to contextualize by tracing back to them from their influences. So if the work of Buñuel ever seems daunting, know this: he directly influenced Monty Python, and John Landis was inspired by this movie for a classic shock sequence in An American Werewolf in London. I know that has now inspired some of you to watch the film immediately. Buñuel has a fiendishly prankish sense of humor to go along with his endless smarts. If you have never watched a film of his, this is a good place to start."

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Alana (9 KP) rated Reflection in Books

Jun 26, 2019

Reflection

Elizabeth Lim | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Well written and planned out (1 more)

Original concept

Missed a plot point which could have further extended the books narrative (0 more)

A true twist on a classic!

Contains spoilers, click to show

A fantastic original concept created using a classic well loved Disney character Mulan.
Title is clever, referring to character growth throughout Mulans journey and a part of the book where she must face the chamber of mirrors in order to complete her challenge and save Shang from moving on before he is ready.
This original concept fits well with character which is not easy to do when using characters who are household names and often remind us of our childhood watching Disney classics but it is a risk that has played off.
There is little to critique but I do however believe that there should have been a chapter written exploring Mulan returning home to her family after the war, seeing if she was correct in the chamber of mirrors about her father and mothers reactions to her running off to war as this could differ greatly from the classic plot, I personally would have loved to see grandmother Fa's reaction to Mulans trip to the underworld or at the very least mushu's reaction- as this would have extended the plot leaving a more well rounded ending.