Search
Search results
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Kingdom of Us (2017) in Movies
Oct 22, 2017 (Updated Oct 22, 2017)
Poignant, heartbreaking and complex
Another superb documentary film on Netflix exploring the complexities of bereavement, in this case, a family of seven children and their father who took his own life.
The filmmaker follows the journey of the Shanks children, now teenagers and young adults, who six years later are still trying to make sense of their loss. Issues include mental health problems, and dealing with trauma especially with four of the teens suffering from autism. Each person deals with it differently, ranging from creating music, becoming philosophical, to having a full-blown nervous breakdown.
Mother Vikie is incredibly stoic, attempting to keep order despite the horrendous upheaval from the death. There's some disturbing scenes in which the children discuss finding a note in which their father had originally planned to kill them before committing suicide. It is heartbreaking to watch how it has both scarred and shaped the family, but they courageously attempt to pull together as one unit. A must-watch documentary.
The filmmaker follows the journey of the Shanks children, now teenagers and young adults, who six years later are still trying to make sense of their loss. Issues include mental health problems, and dealing with trauma especially with four of the teens suffering from autism. Each person deals with it differently, ranging from creating music, becoming philosophical, to having a full-blown nervous breakdown.
Mother Vikie is incredibly stoic, attempting to keep order despite the horrendous upheaval from the death. There's some disturbing scenes in which the children discuss finding a note in which their father had originally planned to kill them before committing suicide. It is heartbreaking to watch how it has both scarred and shaped the family, but they courageously attempt to pull together as one unit. A must-watch documentary.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Pay the Ghost (2015) in Movies
Nov 4, 2017 (Updated Nov 4, 2017)
Another terrible Nicholas Cage horror
I was bored so I decided to watch this film knowing that it has terrible ratings. And I can definitely see why.
It surrounds Cage's missing child who disappeared on Halloween. There emerges a rather unclear pattern of missing children and bizarre otherworldly messages. Given that it is New York, it's difficult to see how they established a sequence of missing children as there were far more than just three children going missing on this day every year. And somehow Celtic folklore gets drafted in, where a mother, who was burned at the stake with her three children, seems to be the one taking these kids in revenge.
The end battle is almost comedic, as Cage gets strangled by a burnt witch while hovering in the sky and rotating simultaneously. It's pretty ridiculous - there's nothing that threads the story together, going from all out supernatural to thriller back to supernatural. A flakey story no doubt.
It surrounds Cage's missing child who disappeared on Halloween. There emerges a rather unclear pattern of missing children and bizarre otherworldly messages. Given that it is New York, it's difficult to see how they established a sequence of missing children as there were far more than just three children going missing on this day every year. And somehow Celtic folklore gets drafted in, where a mother, who was burned at the stake with her three children, seems to be the one taking these kids in revenge.
The end battle is almost comedic, as Cage gets strangled by a burnt witch while hovering in the sky and rotating simultaneously. It's pretty ridiculous - there's nothing that threads the story together, going from all out supernatural to thriller back to supernatural. A flakey story no doubt.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Tea Planter's Wife in Books
Dec 7, 2017
The Tea Planter's wife is a mysterious sweet, loving story. It starts out with Gwen coming to Ceylon to be with her husband.
You go allow with Gwen with her struggles and learning curves of being a mother and wife to her twins and what is going on with Ceylon culture.
When one of her children is colored she does not know if it was her husband or someone else's child. She fights with herself when she gives her daughter to a village. That is when she gives birth to her twins. She has a household servant named Naveena.
Gwen had to deal with not only decision to what she made but also her sister in law. She dealt with that and her raising her son. You are lean so much history and culture of Ceylon at that time as well. You meet Tamil and Sinhalese worker that were part of Tea Plantation.
You go allow with Gwen with her struggles and learning curves of being a mother and wife to her twins and what is going on with Ceylon culture.
When one of her children is colored she does not know if it was her husband or someone else's child. She fights with herself when she gives her daughter to a village. That is when she gives birth to her twins. She has a household servant named Naveena.
Gwen had to deal with not only decision to what she made but also her sister in law. She dealt with that and her raising her son. You are lean so much history and culture of Ceylon at that time as well. You meet Tamil and Sinhalese worker that were part of Tea Plantation.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Jan 3, 2018
An insider's view of Apartheid
It seems unlikely that comedian Trevor Noah would have ever made it out of the prison of colonialism, apartheid, poverty and violence, yet now he's regarded as one of South Africa's biggest export. His memoir is brutal and harrowing, describing how because of the illegal interracial relationship between his Xhosa mother and his Swiss-German, his birth was actually a crime.
It's hard to imagine that this legal segregation only ended 26 years ago, yet Noah then faced the turbulent legacy of post-apartheid. Being mixed race posed its own problems, as Noah describes never fitting in anywhere, but being accepted to a certain degree because of his 'whiteness' and his chameleon-like ability to adapt to his surroundings.
There are moments which are truly disturbing, as Noah speaks about his violent stepfather and going hungry. In this way, his life can be seen as a story of personal survival, through intelligence and humour, which millions have come to love.
It's hard to imagine that this legal segregation only ended 26 years ago, yet Noah then faced the turbulent legacy of post-apartheid. Being mixed race posed its own problems, as Noah describes never fitting in anywhere, but being accepted to a certain degree because of his 'whiteness' and his chameleon-like ability to adapt to his surroundings.
There are moments which are truly disturbing, as Noah speaks about his violent stepfather and going hungry. In this way, his life can be seen as a story of personal survival, through intelligence and humour, which millions have come to love.
Jenny Houle (24 KP) rated The Idiot: A Novel in Books
Jan 13, 2018
I received an ARC of this book for an honest and unbiased opinion. That being said, the best thing about this book is that it's over...and I can read pretty much anything.
Early on in the book, the main character, Selin, talks about how there are times when her mother hands her books she's read and says "Read this and tell me the point." I wish I had someone I could hand this book to and say that to.
A rambling stream of consciousness, a book of self-discovery, Selin is this 19 year old who has no idea who she is. And I remember being 19 and not having a clue. It's why I wanted to read this book. But I didn't feel like there was any sort of resolution. There were more misadventures and things that made her unhappy and feel displaced in the world. And then...more passive aggressive whining about how she didn't know what she wanted to make her happy.
Early on in the book, the main character, Selin, talks about how there are times when her mother hands her books she's read and says "Read this and tell me the point." I wish I had someone I could hand this book to and say that to.
A rambling stream of consciousness, a book of self-discovery, Selin is this 19 year old who has no idea who she is. And I remember being 19 and not having a clue. It's why I wanted to read this book. But I didn't feel like there was any sort of resolution. There were more misadventures and things that made her unhappy and feel displaced in the world. And then...more passive aggressive whining about how she didn't know what she wanted to make her happy.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Objects of My Affection in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This was a really enjoyable book. It took a few chapters before I was really able to get in to it which is why it gets a 4 instead of a 5. It is not at all that it was boring, it just took me a few pages to get invested in the characters.
This book tells the story of Lucy, a personal organizer who is hired on to help clear out the home of Marva Meir Rios, a hoarding artist. Lucy son also happens to be in drug rehab which has forced her to sell her home & most of her possessions in order to be able to afford the program. The plot is a bit predictable...a reclusive, old, crabby artist; an amiable out to please everyone mother; a handsome younger man; a spurned lover. You get the drift. But the story itself was not always as predictiable as it sounds. Made for an interesting read & an intimate look into the characters' lives, losses, and realizations.
This book tells the story of Lucy, a personal organizer who is hired on to help clear out the home of Marva Meir Rios, a hoarding artist. Lucy son also happens to be in drug rehab which has forced her to sell her home & most of her possessions in order to be able to afford the program. The plot is a bit predictable...a reclusive, old, crabby artist; an amiable out to please everyone mother; a handsome younger man; a spurned lover. You get the drift. But the story itself was not always as predictiable as it sounds. Made for an interesting read & an intimate look into the characters' lives, losses, and realizations.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated My Sister's Bones in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Predictable, what an anti-climax!
If I ever hear that another book is the "next Gone Girl" or the "next Girl On A Train", I'm going to rate it 0.
The genre has become predictable. There are three elements to look out for in these books:
1. Neurotic women are usually right
2. Nice men are psychopaths
3. The women won't be believed by authorities until the very end
And so goes this tale of two sisters, one who became a war correspondent suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the other an alcoholic - both abused as children. One's high functioning, the other is a deadbeat mother. In between are the stories of mysterious children appearing here, there and everywhere. And the women not being believed.
The writer attempts to make a difference by bringing in stories of the horrors of the Middle East, which was a nice change - but it seemed more like a tool to follow exactly the pattern. It seemed promising but it falls short.
The genre has become predictable. There are three elements to look out for in these books:
1. Neurotic women are usually right
2. Nice men are psychopaths
3. The women won't be believed by authorities until the very end
And so goes this tale of two sisters, one who became a war correspondent suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the other an alcoholic - both abused as children. One's high functioning, the other is a deadbeat mother. In between are the stories of mysterious children appearing here, there and everywhere. And the women not being believed.
The writer attempts to make a difference by bringing in stories of the horrors of the Middle East, which was a nice change - but it seemed more like a tool to follow exactly the pattern. It seemed promising but it falls short.
Domonique (0 KP) rated Little Fires Everywhere in Books
May 12, 2018
I just finished this book and it was so good. I loved the way they weaved the stories of the different characters throughout the book, especially how they started with the fire and then went back so we could know how they got to that point, and then circled back around to the beginning with Mrs. Richardson herself. [SPOILER ALERT] I think it was less about the big fire and more about, as the title says, the little fires everywhere from Mrs. Richardson finding out the truth about Mia, to Mia trying to help her friend, Bebe trying to get her baby back after she gave up her, to Pearl and Trip trying to figure out who they were to each other and it eventually causing a riff between Pearl and Moody to Izzy and her relationship, not only with her mother but also with Mia and how that ultimately led to the decisions she made that changed everyone's lives forever. #AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY
Domonique (0 KP) rated Still Missing in Books
May 12, 2018
This was really good!! It seemed like I just flew through it because it was so captivating. I loved the way that it was told, in therapy sessions, I thought that was interesting and different although I would have like to have heard the therapist's perspective on some of Annie's thoughts, but I understood it wasn't about her. (SPOILERS AHEAD) I still can't believe that her mom was behind the whole thing, what kind of parent is that hard up for money and one-upmanship on her own sister that she would have her own daughter abducted? That was just sick and I can't believe that even at the end, she tried to make out like she was the victim. I felt so good that Annie finally took control and got away from her mother after she realized that she was never going to change and it was always going to be about her. I'll have to check out more books by this author.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Heart of the Matter in Books
May 10, 2018
Does anyone have the "perfect" marriage? Everyone looking at Tessa and Nick think so.
Nick is a pediatric surgeon and Tessa has recently quit her teaching job to be a stay-at-home mom. They have two children, Frank and Ruby. They are out for their anniversary dinner when Nick get an emergency phone call. A little boy has fallen into a fire.
Valerie, is the mother to that little boy, Charlie. He was at his very first sleep over when this terrible accident happened.
Nick does his best to make sure that Charlie and Valerie are taken care of. He is a wonderful doctor.
You never realize how small your town is until something like this, brings the whole community into your business.
Even though Tessa and Valerie have never met, their worlds collide in more than one way when this accident occurs.
This book makes you examine your relationships and find out how strong your love really is!
Nick is a pediatric surgeon and Tessa has recently quit her teaching job to be a stay-at-home mom. They have two children, Frank and Ruby. They are out for their anniversary dinner when Nick get an emergency phone call. A little boy has fallen into a fire.
Valerie, is the mother to that little boy, Charlie. He was at his very first sleep over when this terrible accident happened.
Nick does his best to make sure that Charlie and Valerie are taken care of. He is a wonderful doctor.
You never realize how small your town is until something like this, brings the whole community into your business.
Even though Tessa and Valerie have never met, their worlds collide in more than one way when this accident occurs.
This book makes you examine your relationships and find out how strong your love really is!