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A secret binds them together, the truth will unravel them. Jenny Ocean’s life is already on...
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Merissa (12861 KP) rated The Low Road in Books
Jan 23, 2024
THE LOW ROAD is a sombre story that starts in Norfolk and finishes in Australia. Hannah's life as a child is almost idyllic, living on a farm with her mother, together with the farmer and his wife. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last, and the death of the goodwife set in motion a sequence of events that would change Hannah's life forever.
Told from Hannah's perspective, in both present and past tense, you see how 'nicely' poor people were judged, even more so if they were female and the constant threat of unwanted attention. It explained how a child could be found guilty of its mother's 'moral' crimes, which was shocking by itself, but add it together with the rest, and it's one helluva story on every level.
I can't say as I was fully behind the love between Annie and Hannah, although I understand how it would be something to hold on to. It never seemed balanced and real to me, just convenient.
A gripping book to read on hard times in history; absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 22, 2024
Told from Hannah's perspective, in both present and past tense, you see how 'nicely' poor people were judged, even more so if they were female and the constant threat of unwanted attention. It explained how a child could be found guilty of its mother's 'moral' crimes, which was shocking by itself, but add it together with the rest, and it's one helluva story on every level.
I can't say as I was fully behind the love between Annie and Hannah, although I understand how it would be something to hold on to. It never seemed balanced and real to me, just convenient.
A gripping book to read on hard times in history; absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 22, 2024
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Repo Men (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
What does it mean to be both alive and dead?
Based on the novel “The Repossession Mambo” by Eric Garcia, Repo Men is a dark sci-fi action film from director Miguel Sapochnik. It is an oddly sadistic film that begins as a fantastic black comedy/drama, loses its way in the second act with well-shot but mindless action and predictable plot elements, yet still finds its way back before the credits roll.
Remy and Jake, played by Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, are both Repo Men for The Union, an alarming combination of loan shark and artificial organ manufacturer. Those unfortunate patients that fall too far behind on their payments have their artificial parts removed and reclaimed, often accompanied by grisly special effects. Through an accident at a routine repossession, Remy ends up needing a new heart. In the process of trying to pay for it, he realizes that he can no longer find the moral ambivalence necessary to take the life of a stranger in order to earn the money to save his own. This film is definitely not for the squeamish, and many scenes were not unlike watching a surgery in progress.
This film will certainly attract more than a nod from those clamoring for universal healthcare in the United States, as well as those railing against corporate greed at the expense of human life. The Union is everything we love to hate in a corporation. Nothing, from duping emotionally compromised patients, to putting profits above all else, to even killing people, is out of bounds for this corporation. It’s uncommon to see corporate evil of this magnitude in a film, and with Liev Schreiber manning the helm, this evil is personified and delivered with such panache that he becomes an enjoyable caricature to watch.
This movie would be nothing without Remy’s path from classic amoral psychopath to redeemed soul, but the journey at times becomes muddy and obscure. Law plays the part somewhat stiffly, but still manages to shine in his interactions with Whitaker and Schreiber. Whitaker, however, is fantastic as Remy’s uncompromisingly unsympathetic partner Jake, who holds on tightly to what he knows and believes, however unprincipled. By the film’s end, Whitaker’s performance as the frustrated partner becomes even more impressive when compared to Law’s movement from perpetrator to victim to agent of retribution.
For years, Remy had no moral compunction against repossessing organs, nearly always from those who will die without them. But when his heart is removed, he suddenly empathizes with the victims of his profession. An odd paradox: that becoming less human can impart more humanity. Remy is both more genuinely alive after receiving his artificial heart, and more certain he will be dead when he can no longer pay. This is the crux of the film, and on this basis a clever story is told about the intersection of making a living, being alive, and the entanglements they create.
Based on the novel “The Repossession Mambo” by Eric Garcia, Repo Men is a dark sci-fi action film from director Miguel Sapochnik. It is an oddly sadistic film that begins as a fantastic black comedy/drama, loses its way in the second act with well-shot but mindless action and predictable plot elements, yet still finds its way back before the credits roll.
Remy and Jake, played by Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, are both Repo Men for The Union, an alarming combination of loan shark and artificial organ manufacturer. Those unfortunate patients that fall too far behind on their payments have their artificial parts removed and reclaimed, often accompanied by grisly special effects. Through an accident at a routine repossession, Remy ends up needing a new heart. In the process of trying to pay for it, he realizes that he can no longer find the moral ambivalence necessary to take the life of a stranger in order to earn the money to save his own. This film is definitely not for the squeamish, and many scenes were not unlike watching a surgery in progress.
This film will certainly attract more than a nod from those clamoring for universal healthcare in the United States, as well as those railing against corporate greed at the expense of human life. The Union is everything we love to hate in a corporation. Nothing, from duping emotionally compromised patients, to putting profits above all else, to even killing people, is out of bounds for this corporation. It’s uncommon to see corporate evil of this magnitude in a film, and with Liev Schreiber manning the helm, this evil is personified and delivered with such panache that he becomes an enjoyable caricature to watch.
This movie would be nothing without Remy’s path from classic amoral psychopath to redeemed soul, but the journey at times becomes muddy and obscure. Law plays the part somewhat stiffly, but still manages to shine in his interactions with Whitaker and Schreiber. Whitaker, however, is fantastic as Remy’s uncompromisingly unsympathetic partner Jake, who holds on tightly to what he knows and believes, however unprincipled. By the film’s end, Whitaker’s performance as the frustrated partner becomes even more impressive when compared to Law’s movement from perpetrator to victim to agent of retribution.
For years, Remy had no moral compunction against repossessing organs, nearly always from those who will die without them. But when his heart is removed, he suddenly empathizes with the victims of his profession. An odd paradox: that becoming less human can impart more humanity. Remy is both more genuinely alive after receiving his artificial heart, and more certain he will be dead when he can no longer pay. This is the crux of the film, and on this basis a clever story is told about the intersection of making a living, being alive, and the entanglements they create.
The DREAM, Kids Story Book & Learning To Read Time
Book and Education
App
The Dream is no ordinary kids story book. It's a magical book app where children can explore a new...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Passengers (2016) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Who needs moral culpability when you have J-Law in her pants?
Contains spoilers, click to show
Good-looking SF movie that goes to prove that all you need is two good-looking charismatic stars and a very misleading ad campaign and people will flock to see your film, no matter how creepy and rapey the story actually is. Male passenger (Pratt) on a long-haul space flight wakes up early due to an accident, finds himself facing the prospect of living out his life alone on the ship (trip will take nearly a century, everyone else is still in hypersleep). He goes a bit mad from isolation, becomes obsessed with a female corpsicle (Lawrence), and decides to wake her up so he will have company even though he is condemning her to the same fate as him. Naturally he neglects to mention his own culpability in all this, even after they get it on.
And people call this a romance?!? A paean to stalking, more like. All the other flaws in Passengers (and there are a few: the premises of the film don't quite hang together, for example) fall away compared to the simple fact that the protagonist does several truly horrible things, for which he is never really held to account. Obligatory shots of Lawrence in a swimsuit/lingerie happen along as well, of course. I'd say it was the usual sort of no-brainer inoffensive tosh, but it really leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
And people call this a romance?!? A paean to stalking, more like. All the other flaws in Passengers (and there are a few: the premises of the film don't quite hang together, for example) fall away compared to the simple fact that the protagonist does several truly horrible things, for which he is never really held to account. Obligatory shots of Lawrence in a swimsuit/lingerie happen along as well, of course. I'd say it was the usual sort of no-brainer inoffensive tosh, but it really leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Aaru in Books
Nov 8, 2019
Rose is only 16 but her life is over. She has terminal cancer but a mysterious strangers offers her and her family the option of taking part in a trial. When she dies they assume the trail failed and mourn her passing, her sister being hit particularly hard. Then the message comes... Rose lives on.
This books takes one fascinating idea - what if people's personalities and memories could be copied at the point of death and then recreated inside a computer? - and looks at it from a lot of different angles. It is certainly thought provoking, and occasionally disturbing.
The first half of the book deals with Rose's death, the grief of her family and then the emotional trauma, denial and final acceptance that in some ways she is still alive. It also follows Rose's journey as she discovers her new virtual world and its other inhabitants.
The second half is darker and moves into thriller territory as Rose's new paradise shows that it may not be perfect and both her and her sister are exposed to danger. Some of the themes here - obsession, violence, sexual abuse, suicide - are made all the worse by their premeditated nature.
This book will make you think about a potential life after death but it doesn't flinch from showing the emotional, physical and moral implications that might arise both for those saved and those they leave behind.
This books takes one fascinating idea - what if people's personalities and memories could be copied at the point of death and then recreated inside a computer? - and looks at it from a lot of different angles. It is certainly thought provoking, and occasionally disturbing.
The first half of the book deals with Rose's death, the grief of her family and then the emotional trauma, denial and final acceptance that in some ways she is still alive. It also follows Rose's journey as she discovers her new virtual world and its other inhabitants.
The second half is darker and moves into thriller territory as Rose's new paradise shows that it may not be perfect and both her and her sister are exposed to danger. Some of the themes here - obsession, violence, sexual abuse, suicide - are made all the worse by their premeditated nature.
This book will make you think about a potential life after death but it doesn't flinch from showing the emotional, physical and moral implications that might arise both for those saved and those they leave behind.
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