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A World Aflame: Interwar Wargame Rules, 1918-39
Mark Stacey and Paul Eaglestone
Book
Often called the "Pulp Era", the years between the two World Wars have seen a tremendous surge in...
Beyond Syria's Borders: A History of Territorial Disputes in the Middle East
Book
Lebanon, together with the province of Hatay in Turkey (containing Antakya) and the Golan Heights...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Flashdance (1983) in Movies
Mar 4, 2021 (Updated Jul 4, 2021)
"𝘈𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭... 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦."
Hardly even a movie at all, but who cares? It's a total blast. Toned with reliably cool + seductive shots from Lyne, God-tier choreography, and a rich 80s soundtrack that positively fucks hard. Jennifer Beals is a force of nature and studio Hollywood did her so dirty by not giving her many other worthwhile roles after this. Have a couple gripes, mainly the way it suggests that certain forms of exotic dancing are dead-end last resorts which are inherently demeaning - and the women seem to be the only ones who really get punished here as opposed to the creepy, trashy men (not to mention that dumbass eating joke with the receptionist). But on the flipside, it's nice to see a movie where women are celebrated for their genuine talent but also aren't squarely defined by it. That final audition dance scene is just about perfect. Good vibes. It's easy to see why its brief mention was one of the only good qualities of boredom all-timer 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘺.
Hardly even a movie at all, but who cares? It's a total blast. Toned with reliably cool + seductive shots from Lyne, God-tier choreography, and a rich 80s soundtrack that positively fucks hard. Jennifer Beals is a force of nature and studio Hollywood did her so dirty by not giving her many other worthwhile roles after this. Have a couple gripes, mainly the way it suggests that certain forms of exotic dancing are dead-end last resorts which are inherently demeaning - and the women seem to be the only ones who really get punished here as opposed to the creepy, trashy men (not to mention that dumbass eating joke with the receptionist). But on the flipside, it's nice to see a movie where women are celebrated for their genuine talent but also aren't squarely defined by it. That final audition dance scene is just about perfect. Good vibes. It's easy to see why its brief mention was one of the only good qualities of boredom all-timer 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘺.
Craig David recommended track Human Nature by Michael Jackson in Thriller by Michael Jackson in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Ginger Snaps (2001) in Movies
Mar 22, 2021
Ginger Snaps is certainly a product of it's time. A couple of decades later and it's so painfully 2000s, however, it still offers something fresh to the werewolf sub genre.
The allegory of burgeoning womanhood and simultaneously turning into a force of nature is an effective one, and is realised well, thanks to its well written characters and solid cast. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins do a fantastic job in carving a realistic portrayal of sisterhood and a challenging time in life. Mimi Rogers is great on her supporting role as well.
For a film that has some potential to be silly, Ginger Snaps plays the whole ordeal pretty straight and sticks the landing for the most part. Nothing comes across as goofy.
There's plenty of impressive practical gore on display and some decent creature effects to top it all off.
This movie has a huge following for a reason, and although it's a little dated these days, it's still an enjoyable horror with a surprisingly emotional centre.
The allegory of burgeoning womanhood and simultaneously turning into a force of nature is an effective one, and is realised well, thanks to its well written characters and solid cast. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins do a fantastic job in carving a realistic portrayal of sisterhood and a challenging time in life. Mimi Rogers is great on her supporting role as well.
For a film that has some potential to be silly, Ginger Snaps plays the whole ordeal pretty straight and sticks the landing for the most part. Nothing comes across as goofy.
There's plenty of impressive practical gore on display and some decent creature effects to top it all off.
This movie has a huge following for a reason, and although it's a little dated these days, it's still an enjoyable horror with a surprisingly emotional centre.
Matthew Weiner recommended The Conformist (1970) in Movies (curated)
Briannabrown1019 (799 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Nov 29, 2020
Meh?
"Everyone is a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with the color of discovery."
Well...
I mean I REALLY liked the story. The plot. Even the characters. And omg is this beautifully written.
"Hearts are forever scarred by our true nature."
However. This was a slooooooow burn. Very slow paced for me. For once a book where I almost felt things were too descriptive. I felt at times that I had to force myself to push through it. I was enjoying it, yes, but I was struggling to read through it. Its a feeling that I'm having a very hard time explaining, and honestly unlike anything I've ever felt when reading a book. So that was frustrating.
"The truth of what I am has become a nightmare."
Now with that being said, those last few chapters, like maybe the last 100 pages, SAVED this book for me. Things finally picked up there.
So am I glad I read it? Yes.
Is it one of my favorites? No.
But thats okay.
Well...
I mean I REALLY liked the story. The plot. Even the characters. And omg is this beautifully written.
"Hearts are forever scarred by our true nature."
However. This was a slooooooow burn. Very slow paced for me. For once a book where I almost felt things were too descriptive. I felt at times that I had to force myself to push through it. I was enjoying it, yes, but I was struggling to read through it. Its a feeling that I'm having a very hard time explaining, and honestly unlike anything I've ever felt when reading a book. So that was frustrating.
"The truth of what I am has become a nightmare."
Now with that being said, those last few chapters, like maybe the last 100 pages, SAVED this book for me. Things finally picked up there.
So am I glad I read it? Yes.
Is it one of my favorites? No.
But thats okay.
Lindsay (1745 KP) rated This is the Earth in Books
Oct 7, 2020
This is the Earth, is a book with a loving message for all. Not only for children but adults as well. It got a message about peace and respect for everyone that lives on the planet as well as nature. I enjoyed the message and the meaning of this book.
I know it is geared towards children. But it a must-have on your child or children's bookshelves at home and in the classroom as well. Teaches valuable lessons that children and adults need to remember. Just some saying I enjoy quite a few saying in this book.
"We just have to live.
We have to be.
You do you.
And I do me."
The pictures are done well. They are bright and colorful. They tell the story. Children will gravitate toward the pictures. I enjoy that along with the rhyming. Not many books pull at my heart and have remembered quotes or sayings. This book doe this. This book is good not only for children but also for older children people as well as adults.
I know it is geared towards children. But it a must-have on your child or children's bookshelves at home and in the classroom as well. Teaches valuable lessons that children and adults need to remember. Just some saying I enjoy quite a few saying in this book.
"We just have to live.
We have to be.
You do you.
And I do me."
The pictures are done well. They are bright and colorful. They tell the story. Children will gravitate toward the pictures. I enjoy that along with the rhyming. Not many books pull at my heart and have remembered quotes or sayings. This book doe this. This book is good not only for children but also for older children people as well as adults.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Frankenstein (1931) in Movies
Jan 20, 2021
Iconic version of the novel by (it says here) 'Mrs Percy Shelley'; might even be definitive if the story was anything like the one in the book. The nature of the piece and its brief running time mean that characterisation and motivation take second place to atmosphere and incident: Henry Frankenstein wants to learn the secrets of life and death, and builds his own creature in the hope of bringing it to life. All does not go well.
Some parts of this film stand up remarkably well 90 years on: the sets, the direction, some of the performances (Karloff is obviously excellent, Colin Clive perhaps doesn't get the props he deserves); it's quite atmospheric. On the other hand, making the Creature mute removes any possibility of discourse between him and Frankenstein (which is really the heart of the novel) - this is a cautionary gothic melodrama without much interest in exploring the ideas that underpin Mary Shelley's work. Still, obviously, a massively influential movie, and well-done for what it is.
Some parts of this film stand up remarkably well 90 years on: the sets, the direction, some of the performances (Karloff is obviously excellent, Colin Clive perhaps doesn't get the props he deserves); it's quite atmospheric. On the other hand, making the Creature mute removes any possibility of discourse between him and Frankenstein (which is really the heart of the novel) - this is a cautionary gothic melodrama without much interest in exploring the ideas that underpin Mary Shelley's work. Still, obviously, a massively influential movie, and well-done for what it is.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
After seeing Searching I was left enjoying the format of watching something from the perspective of the screen. This film managed to undo that enjoyment. Even though both, by the nature of the story lines, had people walking in and out of shot, Dark Web was a lot more chaotic and at times quite difficult to focus on with there being several people involved in each scene.
It's a passable horror film (it doesn't really feel like a horror film, but I'm at a loss as to where else is could be classified), and while I didn't see where the ending was going to go, you can make an educated guess that it's only going to come out one way... badly.
The story intrigued me enough to let me sit through the film, but I don't think I'd need to see it again. With the back and forth on the screen and the annoying digitised baddie appearing I don't think I would actually be able to see it again without getting a headache.
It's a passable horror film (it doesn't really feel like a horror film, but I'm at a loss as to where else is could be classified), and while I didn't see where the ending was going to go, you can make an educated guess that it's only going to come out one way... badly.
The story intrigued me enough to let me sit through the film, but I don't think I'd need to see it again. With the back and forth on the screen and the annoying digitised baddie appearing I don't think I would actually be able to see it again without getting a headache.