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Awix (3310 KP) rated Arrival (2016) in Movies
Mar 13, 2018
SF movie that dares to attempt to be a serious, thoughtful drama; almost feels like a Christopher Nolan pastiche. Linguistics expert Amy Adams is recruited to try and make contact when enigmatic giant squid-things appear in vast spacecraft scattered across the planet.
Well, as a language-teaching professional, I have to say that Adams' approach to teaching the squid English is deeply suspect, but in all other respects this is an impressive film that is not afraid to credit its audience with intelligence. Possibly the only film featuring both the US army and Jeremy Renner in which he does not play some sort of special-forces sharpshooter. Perhaps a little bit too slow, chilly, and cerebral to really succeed as an entertainment, but still well worth watching, even if it is ultimately easier to admire than to like.
Well, as a language-teaching professional, I have to say that Adams' approach to teaching the squid English is deeply suspect, but in all other respects this is an impressive film that is not afraid to credit its audience with intelligence. Possibly the only film featuring both the US army and Jeremy Renner in which he does not play some sort of special-forces sharpshooter. Perhaps a little bit too slow, chilly, and cerebral to really succeed as an entertainment, but still well worth watching, even if it is ultimately easier to admire than to like.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated The Monkey's Raincoat (Elvis Cole, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Elvis is hired to track down Ellen Lang's husband because the husband disappeared with their son. However, after the Lang house is searched and the first body turns up, he realizes he is in way over his head.
This book suffers from the cliches of the PI genre, but manages to overcome them with some pretty entertaining characters. Elvis and his PI partner Joe are both interesting, and Elvis's sense of humor is fun. There are some twists that surprised me as well. The book is definitely outside my normal comfort zone with the use of bad language and more violence, which I wasn't always comfortable with. Still, I do intend to read more in the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-review-monkeys-raincoat-by-robert.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book suffers from the cliches of the PI genre, but manages to overcome them with some pretty entertaining characters. Elvis and his PI partner Joe are both interesting, and Elvis's sense of humor is fun. There are some twists that surprised me as well. The book is definitely outside my normal comfort zone with the use of bad language and more violence, which I wasn't always comfortable with. Still, I do intend to read more in the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-review-monkeys-raincoat-by-robert.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Dominique Marie (7 KP) rated Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux in Books
Nov 28, 2018
MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun
Category: Book You've Already Read Before
Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017
Category: Classic by a Woman Author
This book is one of my favorites. I have read it 5 or 6 times already, and I always get something new out of it. Her spirituality is accessible to everyone, and that is what I love about it. This is by far the best translation in my opinion. The language, while still flowery, is not saccharine sweet, which I have found to be the case in some other translations. Also, the earlier translations, were heavily edited by her sisters. Don't hesitate to read this book because it was written by a young nun during the 1800s. There is really something for everyone contained in her writings, and it's definitely worth re-reading.
Category: Book You've Already Read Before
Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017
Category: Classic by a Woman Author
This book is one of my favorites. I have read it 5 or 6 times already, and I always get something new out of it. Her spirituality is accessible to everyone, and that is what I love about it. This is by far the best translation in my opinion. The language, while still flowery, is not saccharine sweet, which I have found to be the case in some other translations. Also, the earlier translations, were heavily edited by her sisters. Don't hesitate to read this book because it was written by a young nun during the 1800s. There is really something for everyone contained in her writings, and it's definitely worth re-reading.
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Crocodile in Books
Jun 21, 2019
This is a brilliant novel
This is a wonderful novel. The reader is taken on a childhood journey through the eyes of a young girl (or through the lens of the camera she see's herself through). This is a story about a child yearning for her mothers love, about friendship, about innocence and about the burden that abuse - emotional and physical - can have on an individual.
The relationship between the protagonist and the her friends is brilliant. The language, the vernacular, all make this novel as real as if you were right back to your own childhood, with words that I had long forgotten and which came back to me in laughter. I enjoyed the honesty of childhood, the realism of childhood relationships, the subtle way that situations are dealt with. I just loved it.
The relationship between the protagonist and the her friends is brilliant. The language, the vernacular, all make this novel as real as if you were right back to your own childhood, with words that I had long forgotten and which came back to me in laughter. I enjoyed the honesty of childhood, the realism of childhood relationships, the subtle way that situations are dealt with. I just loved it.
Jake (52 KP) rated A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1) in Books
Jul 25, 2019
Great premise but poor execution, and poor ending.
Some of the concepts and the worldbuilding were fantastic. Some of the names and places were a little too crazy (using old Mayan language as a basis? Teixalaan is the easiest of the weird words you'll find). Some of the world systems and culture didn't seem to make sense but I went with it anyways.
I was debating on rating it 4 stars but the ending was so poor. See spoiler below for some high-level spoils.
<spoiler>No huge climax, no really interesting turn of events, no facing the alien threat, no facing your darkest fear or something. Just... blah.</spoiler>
Anyway I won't be reading any sequels and I almost wish I would have stopped 3/4 of the way through when I understood the politics fully. Good luck.
Some of the concepts and the worldbuilding were fantastic. Some of the names and places were a little too crazy (using old Mayan language as a basis? Teixalaan is the easiest of the weird words you'll find). Some of the world systems and culture didn't seem to make sense but I went with it anyways.
I was debating on rating it 4 stars but the ending was so poor. See spoiler below for some high-level spoils.
<spoiler>No huge climax, no really interesting turn of events, no facing the alien threat, no facing your darkest fear or something. Just... blah.</spoiler>
Anyway I won't be reading any sequels and I almost wish I would have stopped 3/4 of the way through when I understood the politics fully. Good luck.
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