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Adam Yauch recommended Walkabout (1971) in Movies (curated)

 
Walkabout (1971)
Walkabout (1971)
1971 |
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Saw this one when I was in junior high school and it stayed with me. Glad to see it in the collection."

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Kevin Murphy recommended Dr. Strangelove (1964) in Movies (curated)

 
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
1964 | Comedy
8.2 (25 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I saw it — they brought it to my junior high school when I was in seventh grade and they showed it in an assembly to an English class. It was great."

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Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
Robert Downey Junior as always (5 more)
General performance of the cast is super-high
Follows the lore of the comics
Non-stop engagement
I like the 'regular kid' coming of age aspects
Tom Holland is exceptional
The return of our favorite Spider-buddy
  
The Progress of Love
The Progress of Love
Alice Munro | 2014 | Contemporary
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Munro is a touchstone for me, and she’s been my favorite writer for more than 25 years. This is the first book I read by her, when I was a junior in high school. Right away, I found in her work something that was recognizable to me—and, at the same time, I found some fictional alchemy that even now remains beautiful and inspiringly elusive."

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Annie Chanse (15 KP) rated Medousa in Books

May 28, 2018  
Medousa
Medousa
Michael F. Butchin | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
1
1.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Couldn't even finish it.
Gave it up at the 24% mark. I just couldn't bring myself to go any further. The plot was okay, but the writing was ridiculously trite and "junior high"ish. The dialogue between the characters was, at best, worthy of great eye rolls and, at worst, so horrible and unbelievable it made me want to throw the book across the room. Plus, the book was just SOOOOOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW. I wanted to finish it; I really did. There have only been maybe two times in my entire life that I didn't finish a book that I had started, and it killed me to add a third to that, but this book just really, Really, REALLY wasn't for me
  
The Screaming Staircase: Lockwood & Co. #1
The Screaming Staircase: Lockwood & Co. #1
Jonathan Stroud | 2013 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
7.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Everything; characters, descriptions, plot (0 more)
Pacing can be off (0 more)
Amazing junior mystery
For a Junior fiction novel, this was dang scary! It was also an incredible read. It's thoughtful, scary, and really held my interest (which is hard these days). I immediately picked up the next one to read.

As far as supernatural mysteries go, I didn't have high hopes. It sounded run-of-the-mill and it almost lost me in the beginning because there are multiple parts to the story. They wrapped up a case but it's all intricately tied together in a way even I (who is very good at guessing what's going to happen) didn't see coming. It kept me guessing all the way until the last sentence.

I really got attached to two of the characters, and the third was slowly growing on me. They're relatable, even though they're around 10 years younger than me, and very well written. Stroud also did a fantastic job of not revealing too much more than what we need to know. It can be frustrating for others, but it was the perfect balance for me.

Overall, I am extremely impressed and pleased with this book. It actually scared me. I look forward to starting the next one!
  
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Frank Black recommended Leon Russell by Leon Russell in Music (curated)

 
Leon Russell by Leon Russell
Leon Russell by Leon Russell
1970 | Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"As a teenager in the late 70s I wasn't really interested in contemporary pop music or punk-rock, I was listening to stuff from 10 years earlier. This was a big record for me. Sometimes when I'm singing – it occurred to me last night in Istanbul – I realise there's a certain kind of vocalising I do that takes its cue from Leon Russell. He sang in a southern accent but it was very blown-out and exaggerated, very free and loose. I got this record as a gift for playing in the baseball team at junior high – I loathed sports but there weren't enough people to complete the team. So the coach said, have as many records as you want, just please be on the baseball team. I was like, all right I'll do it."

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The Art of Escaping
The Art of Escaping
8
7.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh, how I do NOT miss high school!

I really enjoyed this book - It is so fun, and kept me entertained throughout the whole thing! There were some seriously nail-biting moments with daredevil Mattie, and I can totally see this becoming a movie that I would go see in a second!

Mattie is a high school junior who has some pretty quirky aspirations of becoming an escapologist. She's obsessed with Houdini and the like, but especially Akiko - an elite escapologist gone way before her time. But Mattie is determined to find Akiko's daughter and find out as much as she can. All the while, no-0ne in her life knows her secrets or desires to become this really cool performance artist. Not her parents or her family, or even her best, closest friend.

The story also has some snippets of Akikos past, the life she led, and the birth of her daughter, giving you some insight of the life of this mysterious performer and her equally closed-off daughter. We also meet Will, another one with some secrets, and several other really cool high school kids who are so well-developed, mature but fun. It pains me to think of how tough high school was, and how hard it is for kids just t be themselves.

The art of escapology is front and center, through training and Mattie's stage performances that literally have you holding your breath! But the art of escape is evident is other ways, with a lot of hiding from reality and fear of being found out.

This book is such a delight and hope it gets the attention it deserves.
  
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger | 2016 | Essays
8
6.8 (85 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I honestly really enjoyed reading this book in my junior year of high school. My teacher let everyone in my class pick a classic and I decided to read this by chance. At first, I was annoyed with how Holden was acting and was truly confused on how this book became a classic. He basically hires a prostitute to just talk to her? It made no sense to me, he was just in some kind of haze. But then, everything clicked for me and Holden became extremely relatable. In high school, I suffered from depression but didn't realize until much later that that was indeed the reason I was acting so off, much like Holden during the book. He definitely was on a downward spiral and he didn't himself understand why he was the way he was. I think this is a good book for kids to read in school because it's honest and it's interesting. It's one of the only classics I've read that I can get through without yawning! This was always be a book that holds a deep meaning to me!
  
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Gary Giddins recommended Mr. Arkadin (1962) in Movies (curated)

 
Mr. Arkadin (1962)
Mr. Arkadin (1962)
1962 | Classics, Drama, Mystery
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Criterion’s comprehensive edition of this long-undervalued film is a major DVD event, though it may not enlarge the film’s fan base. The problems, beyond a few incomprehensible plot points, include a dreadful lead performance by Nixon look-alike Robert Arden, who is surrounded by terrific actors in the margins (Akim Tamiroff, Michael Redgrave, Mischa Auer, Katina Paxinou), plus gorgeous Paola Mori; the result feels a bit like Hamlet without Hamlet. Then there is Welles’s wig and beard, evidently borrowed from a junior high school performance of Faust. Never mind: there are many, many unforgettable moments, and the plot is so good—detective as inadvertent Judas goat—that a fine, conventional film could still be made from the same material. Criterion includes the surprisingly good novel, which Welles variously took and denied credit for. In my hearing, he took credit."

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