Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (365)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

Moses Boyd recommended Nefertiti by Miles Davis in Music (curated)

 
Nefertiti by Miles Davis
Nefertiti by Miles Davis
1968 | Jazz
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"When I got into that album I must have been 19 and in the same way with Andrew Hill’s Point Of Departure, it definitely changed something from the minute I put it on, more so than any of these records for me. It was around the same time as the Blue Note sale at FOPP, when I would buy loads of CDs and listen to them top to bottom a few times over. The album has the most beautiful dark quality to it and the fact it's called Nefertiti, was this all planned? Are you trying to reference this Kemetic Queen? And then even how do you even do that beyond the notes, because it's there when you listen to the mix and the atmosphere. We can't answer it, but he must have. This tune in particular, ‘Fall’, it's very cyclical, it's very repetitive. There's a riff that just keeps coming back and puts you in this really interesting, beautiful trance and it's so dark, but it's so beautiful. I guess on Dark Matter it’s that thing as well. Darkness to me isn’t bad, it’s another thing. Dark and light. My brother made me laugh the other day when he asked ‘If there's a speed of light, is there a speed of dark?’ and I was like ‘Oh My God’, but I just think our relationship with light and dark is very interesting. The minute you say something’s dark people think negatively and that's not what it's about. Dark is sick too, it’s beautiful. There’s so much intricacy, delicacy, beauty in that."

Source
  
40x40

Keegan McHargue recommended Woman in the Dunes (1964) in Movies (curated)

 
Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Woman in the Dunes (1964)
1964 | Drama, Thriller
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Simon of the Desert utilizes austere staging to create a particular mood and feel, and so, too, does Woman in the Dunes. Except here we have traded in the desert for the dune, and it is even bleaker, as a young man literally climbs into an existential nightmare from which there seems to be no escape. Just as contrast plays an important role in Japanese kabuki theater and Butoh dance and is used to great effect by photographers like Daido Moriyama and Eikoh Hosoe, postwar Japanese filmmakers seem to have a heightened sensitivity to the power of darkness and light as well. The role of shadow here really helps convey a feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness, which seems to be a key aim of the film. All of that being said, it is a very beautiful and enigmatic film and well worth an attentive watch."

Source
  
40x40

Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter, #5) in Books

Sep 4, 2019  
Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter, #5)
Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter, #5)
Nalini Singh | 2012
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
With wings of midnight and an affinity for shadows, Jason courts darkness. But now, with the Archangel Neha’s consort lying murdered in the jewel-studded palace that was his prison and her rage threatening cataclysmic devastation, Jason steps into the light, knowing he must unearth the murderer before it is too late.

Earning Neha’s trust comes at a price—Jason ...

This is one of my favourite series I really enjoy Nalinis books. This is the story of Jason and Mahiya. Which hasn't gripped me as it normally would. It was great catching up with Dimitri and Honor as well as Raphael and Elana seems so long ago I read how it all started.
Looking forward to the next installment!



⭐⭐⭐⭐


  
40x40

Kyera (8 KP) rated The Young Elites in Books

Feb 1, 2018  
The Young Elites
The Young Elites
Marie Lu | 2014 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.9 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Despite the fact that I found the main character disagreeable - the premise was enjoyable. Initially, Adelina is very dark and unrelatable. She relishes pain and fear, as a result, I don't have sympathy for her character. Even though her father treated her abysmally her entire life, that treatment only seemed to nurture the darkness inside her. It did not create it. The darkness is all her own.

The only time I truly felt her humanity was when she was with the kind Gemma. It is in those moments she allows herself to feel. even concern for her sister seems forced, like familial obligation rather than a love. Her concern is usually accompanied with ill thoughts and blackened memories towards her sister.

Raffaele and Gemma are the most human of the characters and more likeable than the rest. Dante's main role is to antagonize. Enzo's role is to function as a romantic interest and future savior of the realm. The Windwalker, Lucent, and the Architect, Michel, serve more as background pieces than fully developed characters. Obviously, this is an over=simplification of their roles but it helps to illustrate the weaknesses in character development in the book. Over the course of the novel, the reader is given small glimpses into the character or their backstory but it is insufficient as these are her main and supporting characters for which the book is titled. The Young Elites.

The world the author builds draws you in with its unique holidays, three moons, elegant dress and giant rays that swim through the sky. The elaborate and opulent headquarters (Fortunata Court) of the Dagger Society rise in your mind surrounded by towers, merchants and Inquisitors. Stylistically, the world is reminiscent of Renaissance Italy with its gondolas, dress and canals that might draw you in like the world of Assassin's Creed.

During the course of the novel, we watch as Adelina trains her abilities and before long she joins the Daggers on a mission. She also seems to adopt more humanity as the book progresses which makes her a slightly more appealing character - but she is unable to hold onto that ray of light for long before succumbing to the festering darkness within. (Leaving the reader just as unsympathetic as before.)

She would be more likeable if she didn't welcome that darkness and unless her character arc leads her to light and love, changing her affinities, I have no emotional stake in her well-being. I understand that the author wants to write a dark character, but I personally just don't have an emotional stake in the outcome of this book because I don't particularly identify with any of her characters. Without redeeming qualities, you cannot justify or form an attachment to the character (especially because she is the main character). I'm sure others would like her character, and she is certainly an interesting character, but I prefer a lead who is flawed but inherently good. Perhaps an anti-hero but not the villain.

Growing up unloved, she quickly falls in with the Daggers but questions their motivation and is willing to betray them with the slightest provocation. In her mind, no one could possibly just be kind. They must have an agenda or be using her in some fashion. She is easily manipulated and swayed. Whether she follows through with her vengeance, betrays or redeems is something you must discover by reading the book yourself. Will Adelina redeems herself or succumb to the darkness?

I'm intrigued by the premise and the characters, despite the critical parts of my review. As such, I look forward to seeing where this series goes. I would definitely recommend it to YA fans who enjoy rich worlds that aren't modern or people with special abilities.