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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books
Dec 4, 2018
Missing that big reveal.
Like other reviewers, I was super excited when I learned that the authors of The Wife Between Us would be releasing a new book, and I could not wait to dive in! While An Anonymous Girl was GOOD, it wasn't GREAT.
I enjoyed the actual story very much, and I felt like I needed to find out what was going on. I liked the concept of the morality study, and puzzled over some of the questions myself. I sympathized with Jess, and found Dr. Shields to be fascinatingly twisted. The characters were well-written and the plot was well-developed, however it's missing a "big reveal," as we were gifted with in The Wife Between Us. There are plenty of smaller reveals throughout the story to keep it interesting, but I kept waiting for the big one, and was disappointed.
The ending was also a bit strange...kind of "that's it?"
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!
I enjoyed the actual story very much, and I felt like I needed to find out what was going on. I liked the concept of the morality study, and puzzled over some of the questions myself. I sympathized with Jess, and found Dr. Shields to be fascinatingly twisted. The characters were well-written and the plot was well-developed, however it's missing a "big reveal," as we were gifted with in The Wife Between Us. There are plenty of smaller reveals throughout the story to keep it interesting, but I kept waiting for the big one, and was disappointed.
The ending was also a bit strange...kind of "that's it?"
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!
Andrew Sinclair (25 KP) rated War Cry in Books
Nov 24, 2019
This is a fascinating story that follows the lives of two characters who finally meet about 3 quarters of the way through the book. Despite their circumstances they can't resist each other hurting close friends in the process. Meanwhile World War 2 is brewing and both are caught up in the action on opposing sides. At this point the story becomes a kind of global Romeo and Juliet where they must endeavour to keep their relationship secret as there are those who would seek to tear it apart. When you follow their journey as a reader and get to know both characters you can't help but route for them even though some of their actions make you question their morality. This gives it a true sense of realism as the heroes of the book don't always do the right thing. It's an engrossing read and I can't wait to read the sequel which I have already bought.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Jan 8, 2020
Against The Clock
Saw II- continues off of the first one. More games, more victims and more torture. I like the story, I like donnie Walhburg, I like tobin Bell and I like Shawnee Smith. I like the twist and turns thoughout the movie. I like the psychological espect of the film. So much of the first film is in this film which is good.
The Plot: On the hunt for the twisted vigilante and serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his team must apprehend the elusive murderer to rescue eight people trapped in an abandoned house, before they succumb to his torturous and murderous games. One twist to this task is that Matthews' own son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), is among the eight people Jigsaw has chosen to test for their lack of morality. With nerve gas pumping through the house, every second counts.
A good sequel to a fantastic first film.
The Plot: On the hunt for the twisted vigilante and serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his team must apprehend the elusive murderer to rescue eight people trapped in an abandoned house, before they succumb to his torturous and murderous games. One twist to this task is that Matthews' own son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), is among the eight people Jigsaw has chosen to test for their lack of morality. With nerve gas pumping through the house, every second counts.
A good sequel to a fantastic first film.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Pulp Fiction (1994) in Movies
Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)
Is Pulp Fiction a gangster film? Well, if you define the genre as a morality tale about organised crime, then yes, it is. Of course, it is so much more than that. There is so much going on in Tarantino’s opus that it can’t be clearly defined – which is obviously part of the appeal. You can try not to enjoy every minute of it, but why bother? Once you are in on that amazing soundtrack, and the interwoven tales so unique it hurts, you are in to the end, no matter how many times you’ve seen it already. Incredible dialogue, naturally; colourful characters everywhere, it goes without saying; violence, remorse, betrayal, guns, cars, a gold watch, a samurai sword and a briefcase. A moment of decision or hesitation has a consequence that plays out in strange and mystical ways – as a theme, that in itself connects it to the gangster / crime genre.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated City Of God (2002) in Movies
Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)
If there is one film I insist folk who don’t often go for a subtitled film watch, then City of God is it. Organised crime takes on a much different flavour in different cultures, and here we see how it is not merely a choice in search of riches and power, but a way of life that becomes a matter of survival. This exceptional film has everything: story, character, beauty, cruelty, ugliness, religion, morality and an abundance of heart and soul. Importantly it was co-directed, including a rare female eye in the genre, and it shows. There is a sensibility to City of God that transcends the trivial nature of many gangster / crime films. The violence is a means by which we feel genuine sorrow and empathy for a world gone mad. A highly polished work of art that resonates in human ways a lot of films on this list fail to do.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Paths of Glory (1957) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Meanwhile, producer Kirk Douglas had met a promising young director he liked called Stanley Kubrick. Douglas, whose humanitarian work was also becoming a big part of his life around this time, was looking for a script that championed pacifism over the gung-ho attitude of American heroism that he found distasteful. The rest is history. Possibly the one film in his career that can still be called perfect. Again, it was way ahead of its time, and therefore unfairly shunned as an Oscar contender. Shot in stunning black and white, it is an economical film of great power, replete with memorable moments and striking dialogue. The evidence of Douglas’ increasing skill at the quiet moments is all the better for the big pay-off when he erupts, calling out his superiors on their morality and cowardice. Of all films on this list, this is the one most likely to endure as a work of pure art.
Ben Wheatley recommended Casino (1995) in Movies (curated)
Ben Wheatley recommended GoodFellas (1990) in Movies (curated)
Ben Wheatley recommended The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) in Movies (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Kick-Ass (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Kick-Ass starts out as a clever action movie with good humor interspersed throughout the first half, but by the second half the jokes trail off as the movie takes a blacker turn toward a mindless and confusing tale of morality.
Viewing this movie as a mindless action flick, it is impressive and at times humorous, albeit that humor, in the immersive first half, is deadened by the much darker scenes toward the end of the film. But if you’re trying to find a deeper message hidden behind the motivations and actions of the characters on screen, you perhaps would be better served by reading the comic first. The violence was surprisingly graphic for what started out as a clever and somewhat endearing highschool drama about not fitting in and trying to change the world for the better.
As the director of Layer Cake and Stardust, Matthew Vaughn has shown before that he knows how to do action and fantasy, and in this movie, the action scenes are tight and gripping and slightly surreal. You may even recognize a few cameos if you’re familiar with Guy Ritchie films.
Aaron Johnson, as the title character, brings a smart vulnerability to his part. As an overly ambitious, but well meaning comic book fan, his stabs at super-heroics were quite believable.
This movie may be titled Kick-Ass, but the most interesting character is Hit-Girl, played by Chloë Grace Moretz. Quite a few child actors come across as precocious, and Moretz is a welcome change. She shares some great scenes with Nicolas Cage, a vengeful father who has turned his 11 year-old daughter into a killing machine. Cage’s deadpan humor as Big Daddy matches surprisingly well with the giddy, foul-mouthed, black humor of Hit-Girl.
In a way, I may be doing the movie a disservice if I were to dwell on the plot holes, morality, and thematic elements of this movie which are clearly not the focused intent of the director. Not every movie is intended to be a deep and meaningful reflection on life, so in that regard, this movie is simply a blood-drenched charmer.
Viewing this movie as a mindless action flick, it is impressive and at times humorous, albeit that humor, in the immersive first half, is deadened by the much darker scenes toward the end of the film. But if you’re trying to find a deeper message hidden behind the motivations and actions of the characters on screen, you perhaps would be better served by reading the comic first. The violence was surprisingly graphic for what started out as a clever and somewhat endearing highschool drama about not fitting in and trying to change the world for the better.
As the director of Layer Cake and Stardust, Matthew Vaughn has shown before that he knows how to do action and fantasy, and in this movie, the action scenes are tight and gripping and slightly surreal. You may even recognize a few cameos if you’re familiar with Guy Ritchie films.
Aaron Johnson, as the title character, brings a smart vulnerability to his part. As an overly ambitious, but well meaning comic book fan, his stabs at super-heroics were quite believable.
This movie may be titled Kick-Ass, but the most interesting character is Hit-Girl, played by Chloë Grace Moretz. Quite a few child actors come across as precocious, and Moretz is a welcome change. She shares some great scenes with Nicolas Cage, a vengeful father who has turned his 11 year-old daughter into a killing machine. Cage’s deadpan humor as Big Daddy matches surprisingly well with the giddy, foul-mouthed, black humor of Hit-Girl.
In a way, I may be doing the movie a disservice if I were to dwell on the plot holes, morality, and thematic elements of this movie which are clearly not the focused intent of the director. Not every movie is intended to be a deep and meaningful reflection on life, so in that regard, this movie is simply a blood-drenched charmer.