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Men in Black (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
1997 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Visually Brilliant and Gorgeous
A New York police officer gets thrown into a crazy world when he stumbles upon a special group trying to stop intergalactic threats.

Acting: 10
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have to be one my most favorite duos of all time. Playing Agent J and Agent K respectively, their partnership is one of new blood versus old head. I love how each of them took on their respective role, Smith with air of cockiness and bravado and Jones with the nature of one who has been there and done that too many times before. And I haven’t even dove into the fun performances of actors like Rip Torn and Tony Shalhoub. Very well casted movie.

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10
J and K are magnificent to watch, but it’s the broad scope of aliens for me that take the cake. There’s Jeebs whose head can explode and grow back. Then there’s Edgar who eventually becomes a massive bug wearing an “Edgar Suit” played by the amazing Vincent D’Onofrio. Those are only to name a couple from a large list of enriching characters that shed a fun new light on the underground of New York.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10
The first ten minutes of the movie gives you a taste of what the action is going to be like. That dives right into the next scene and the next. Great action with high stakes that races across the city of New York. I appreciate the high level of conflict that kept me engaged.

Entertainment Value: 7

Memorability: 7

Pace: 10
Ninety-eight minutes goes by quick in Men In Black. It’s one of those movies that you almost don’t want to end but you know it has to. It races through its story, but just quickly enough so that you don’t miss any important details. I love when movies can move at a pace like this without ruining with exposition.

Plot: 7

Resolution: 8
I wanted a little more from the ending but it was satisfactory for the most part. Definitely leaves room for the obvious sequel that follows it. Decent way to wrap things up.

Overall: 89
From the beginning, I had no doubt that I was going to like Men In Black. It wraps solid sci-fi action into a nice gift with quick pacing and a solid story for a bow. Director Barry Sonnenfeld masterfully captures the “aliens among us” idea and makes it inventive. Definitely a necessary piece of sci-fi movie history.
  
Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Edward T. O'Donnell | 2003 | History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Timely Tale
This was a good book about a little known tragedy. The General Slocum was a steamer that traveled on the rivers that surrounded New York City. Often these ships were used by groups for excursions to the shore or picnic areas up river. On June 15, 1904 a German church group had booked passage. It was mainly women and children.

As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.

The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
  
The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything
Rona Jaffe | 1958 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This has to be one of the most enthralling and honest felt books I've read in a long time. I was surprised to see that some things really don't change. I found myself rereading lines (and pages) in this book because they seem to resonate strong emotions that I've felt in the past or have actually felt currently. This book is filled with laugh out loud moments, shocking moments, moments that made me hate these girls (because they seem make the silliest mistakes that I may or may not admit to having done myself), and several moments that bring up those bittersweet memories of past loves. I would recommend this to anyone who has felt like they have made a mistakes in the past that can never be fixed, anyone living in (or has ever lived in) New York City, anyone with ambition, and all the single girls kicking arse and trying to make it on their own.
  
40x40

LoSchussler (3 KP) rated Sweet Thing in Books

Jun 22, 2018  
ST
Sweet Thing
Renee Carlino | 2013 | Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions—for him, for music—but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.