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40x40

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Heart of Darkness in Books

Nov 14, 2019  
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Keith Carabine, Joseph Conrad, Gene M. Moore | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
5
6.2 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is undoubtedly most famous today for being the story behind the film Apocalypse Now and really comparisons between the two are inevitable.

The story itself is a story within a story, being related by a sailor on a ship while it is waiting at anchor in the Thames estuary. To pass the time he tells his crewmates of the time he spent several years previously working for a trading consortium in Africa, piloting a boat to the trading station up river to pick up ivory.

His manager is wary of the man who runs the trading station - Mr Kurtz. He believes he is ultimately after his job. It is clear that Kurtz is a very talismanic and polarising figure, some hating him and others talking about him as if he is some sort of deity. The narrator cannot wait to meet him but suffers many delays (including having to repair his boat) before he can set off up river. By the time he does the weight of expectation and anticipation has created his own expectations of what he will find. But what will the reality be?

This is s slim volume, and to be honest a slim plot. But the brilliance is in the telling of the story. Conrad carefully evokes the feeling of the oppressive heat and frustration of not being able to head up the river. But once underway the jungle closes in and is claustrophobic and full of mystery and hidden dangers. The attraction is not in the tale itself but in the way it is told.

By the time the trading post is reached the expectations of Kurtz have been raised in the reader as much as in the narrator and events unfold in an unexpected direction.

As with Apocalypse Now the journey up the river is everything and the eventual destination looms until it consumes the characters and dictates their actions.

A word of caution about the language used. The 'N' word is frequently used and sometimes in a derogatory manner so if this offends it is best to avoid.

Overall, a diverting read and a masterclass in using descriptions to set the tone for the reader. But probably not essential.
  
40x40

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019  
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
2013 | Action, Comedy, Drama
9
7.9 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
To say that I was blown away by this movie might be a bit of an understatement. To be honest, this movie snuck under my radar, slid into a Christmas release, and absolutely amazed me.

 

The Secret Life of Walter MItty is about a man who daydreams. But that doesn’t quite cut it. He is constantly thinking out, imagining, scenarios in his head of how things could play out. Often ludicrous, but sometimes realistic, he imagines what things would be like if he were a different man in the situation he’s in. From handling a jerk boss, to the girl he likes, he plays out a scenario in his head that he wishes would happen.

 

Mitty is a negative assets manager for Life magazine. Life is getting ready to close down the physical publication and are about to publish the last issue. Their best reporter, Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), sent in his final roll of film indicating that frame 25 was his best shot ever and should be used for the final cover. The only problem is that frame 25 is missing. After a frantic search he is unable to find it in the lab, and with some urging from Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) in Accounts at Life, and Mitty’s love interest, Mitty stops living in his head and sets out on a journey to find the frame, and himself.

 

Directed and starring Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was a delight every step of the way. The humor in the film was very well blended so as not to distract from this incredible journey, and the visuals were absolutely amazing. I am not sure that I would change much about this movie. Casting was excellent, the score was great, and the cinematography was superb. There was a whole side bit about eHarmony.com was a bit annoying at first, but it paid off in the end.

 

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie to any of my friends. So go check it out on opening day (Christmas Day) if you are looking for something to do that day.