Creature
10.0
Rate It
Book
The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed...
horror auto immune disease creature feature
Perfect Death
8.3
Rate It
Book
There’s no easy way to die… Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava...
Line of Fire (Firefighters of Station 5 #4)
8.0
Rate It
Book
To his fellow firemen, Tommy Skyler has it all. But the golden boy of Station Five hides a private...
The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine
Book
The foodie's guide to cannabis: a smart, sophisticated, and beautifully illustrated cookbook for...
Moving Stretch: Work Your Fascia to Free Your Body
Book
Moving Stretch is an effective, powerful and fun way of freeing the body from hunching, restriction...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Pain and Glory (2019) in Movies
Feb 3, 2020
Antonio Banderas, rightfully, has earned his (surpisingly) first Oscar Nomination for portraying a somewhat fictionalized version of the Spanish auteur - a once prolific film Director at the tail end of his career coming to terms with who he is, the physical pain he is currently feeling as his body ages and the reverent feelings and fond memories he has for his mother.
It is a strong, subtle and nuanced performance by Banderas - one that is in stark contrast to the bravura and panache that he has shown previously in such films as ZORRO, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO and as the voice of Puss 'N Boots in the SHREK films. Banderas' acting his been getting better with age and while I do not think he'll win the Oscar, I do think that this is not going to be the only Oscar nomination he will receive in his lifetime.
I was happy to see Banderas work in his native Spanish language - the same goes for Penelope Cruz who plays Banderas' character mother in flashbacks. I recently saw Cruz working in Spanish in 2018's EVERYBODY KNOWS and was just as transfixed by her performance in this film - worthy of a nomination. She is very good in English Language films, but she elevates to a different level when she works in Spanish. I would have loved to see a whole film about her character - and not just get a few scenes in flashback form.
Watching these 2 performances was well worth the time of watching this film, and that is good for I did not connect with the themes, struggles and plot set forth by Almodovar.
PAIN AND GLORY is Almodovar's semi-biographical meditation on life - and as such is a little to "navel gazing" for my tastes. When I watch these types of films either I get sucked into the narrative and characters (like I did with Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA last year) or...I do not.
And...unfortunately for PAIN AND GLORY...I did not. It is a good picture with 2 really good performances but one I was kept at a distance from and one that I never really connected with.
Come for the meditation, stay for the performances. And...PLEASE...if you watch this, DO NOT watch the dubbed version. Listen to the performances of Banderas and Cruz in their native Spanish and read the subtitles.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Mercy Triumphs (Side by Side #3) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I absolutely can not imagine what a Muslim who wishes to embrace Christianity has to go through. The judgement, the pain, the sacrifice, all of it has to take a toll on ones soul. But, through the beautiful words of Ms. Kelley, I can see what happens. I can see the pain, the sacrifices, the emotional transition. It’s all vividly portrayed among the pages of Mercy Triumphs. The characters that are chiseled for this story are life like and become a part of the reader. I loved that.
Ms. Kelley has true talent! An emotionally raw novel of mercy and grace, this story will leave you in awe long after you’ve closed the last page. The details that Ms. Kelley weaves into this story are beautiful. I could feel God with me as I read this stunning novel. It is definitely worthy of 4 stars and two thumbs up. I am looking forward to going back and reading book 1 and 2.
*Cafinated Reads received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Blog Tours and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Cronos (1994) in Movies
Jul 27, 2019
A mysterious scarab is found after 400+ years in hiding by an old man. He decided to use the device which activates and attached to his skin. He initial pain is followed by the man starting to feel and look younger.
The situation deteriorates as the man continues to look worse and worse but gain in strength becoming able to withstand pain that would slay a normal man.
I really enjoyed the tone and look of this film. Even though it was low budget, del Toro made the most of it and it never felt cheap or the special effects look fake. The scarab was an interesting device and reminded me of the puzzle box in Hellraiser or the flying silver balls in Phantasm.
I liked the slow developing degenerative story and it never really says it is a vampire film although it feels more and more like that as the story develops.
Whenever you are watching a great foreign film, the subtitles just go away and it feels like you are watching an English speaking movie.
It's too bad there was never a sequel to this as I would've liked to see where the story went once the movie ended.
Highly recommended. Thanks @Erika
The Ramblings of a Little Lost Soul
Book
"When I was seeing my husband smiling at me, trying not to show how much pain he was in, my heart...