Joni: The Anthology
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Nine Grammys. More than ten million albums sold. Named one of the greatest singers and songwriters...
Biography memoir
Cartier's Hope
6.0
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From M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Tiffany Blues, “a lush, romantic historical...
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Luckiest Girl Alive (2022) in Movies
May 5, 2023
One day a film maker approaches Tiffany to Interview her on her involvement in a school shooting, she claims she wasn't involved but a quick Google search by Tiffany shows she is being blamed for being involved, she needs to decide whether or not to do the interview.
Tiffany's past comes back to haunt her in various ways. Someone calls her a psycho on her Facebook page and she bumps into her old school teacher, who we find out in flashbacks helped her after a dramatic event at a party. It is soon evident that Tiffany has anger issues and still struggling due to what happened.
The whole movie is leading up to what happened on the day of the shooting, it keeps you guessing as to whether or not she was the shooter. It takes around an hour and 13 minutes to get to the actual event but it really did need that build up.
It's not a bad movie, the acting is superb and certain scenes are difficult to watch but executed so well. If you like dramas you are sure to enjoy this one, even if it's a one time only view.
I won't lie; this was a strange book. Even the narration style is odd. While it's told mostly from Elinor's point of view, we get this peculiar device thrown in at times (e.g., "the reader should know"). You get used to it eventually, but still.
In fact, the whole novel can be very awkward at times and after a while, I lost the thread on whether it was because the book was well-done (she's so well-written!) or just awkward and painful. A lot of the book features much melodrama between the characters, most of whom always seemed to be having bad days. Really, was life so terrible? There is much angst, a lot of social media usage, lots of happy hours and supposed networking, and not a lot of people to care about.
For indeed, a lot of the characters are not likable, and I found myself vacillating in my feelings for Elinor. I didn't grow up in the social media world, like she, but am immersed in it enough now that I could empathize with her--to a point. At some stages, the novel really captured some painful situations. There were some funny points, and places where Elinor could be helpless yet sympathetic. At other points, Elinor was just hapless and unable to take charge of her life in any capacity and filled me with abject terror for the future of the nation.
I was honestly baffled at times on whether the book was satiric, or a commentary on social media and journalism, or taking itself too seriously. Elinor winds up working for Journalism.ly, which is said to be similar to BuzzFeed (and many other sites), and she's told to make things go viral, which, funnily enough, she has a bit of a knack for, despite her own inability to make friends or succeed in social situations (or life, in general). Whether all of this is ironic or not, I'll never quite know.
So, in the end, I'm at a loss with this one. I really don't know how I feel. Satire? A look at a generation? A bunch of hapless unlikable people prattling on? All three combined? I can say that this was a fast read--the author drew me in, as I read it in about a day. I was left with a weird feeling when I finished. I can't say I really recommend it, but it was an interesting read at times.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review; more at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
The Independent Daily Edition
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Larry Eisner (2082 KP) rated The Fifth Estate (2013) in Movies
May 14, 2018
As such, it’s quite entertaining to watch, and while Cumberbatch’s Assange is more Cumberbatch than Assange (tho props to the makeup team, because he rocks the look!) it’s told in a quite exciting “rise from nobody to someone to dangerous with power” that most of these films take.
The acting is solid. The dialogue is well written and the cinematography is spot-on. Hits the “internet persona” well without too much of the hacker tropes we all expect from Hollywood.
That said, the arc is too linear. It’s too smooth, and too Hollywood to be fully believable as the whole story, and too thin on character to be invested in the Assange character much. His ego is well represented but his depth is not. We don’t get much in terms of motivation, which isn’t sad as there’s a lot to mine that the film barely scratches.
Overall definitely worth a watch. But not one you’ll likely purchase to watch again.
India Today Hindi
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India Today is the leading news magazine and most widely read publication in India. The magazine’s...
The Writers' War: The Great War in the Words of Great Writers Who Experienced it
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'When I come home and leave behind Dark things I would not call to mind ...' wrote Leslie Coulson,...
Settle for More
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Whether it's asking tough questions during a presidential debate or pressing for answers to today's...
Letters of Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath, Karen Kukil and Peter K. Steinberg
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The Letters of Sylvia Plath: Volume One (1940-1956). Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was one of the writers...