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Against the Loveless World

Susan Abulhawa

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Nahr has been confined to the Cube: nine square metres of glossy grey cinderblock, devoid of time,...

Historical fiction Literary fiction War Palestinians Palestine

Apocalyptin

Anna Parkman

10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

First in the world psychotherapeutic metaphorical fairy tale for adults effectively working with the...

fiction psychology

Andy K (10821 KP) rated Suspiria (2018) in Movies

Feb 25, 2019

Suspiria (2018)

2018 | Horror

7.1

(12 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Not the Suspiria you were looking for.

"Reimagined" would be the only word to describe this new vision of the original cult horror Argento classic from director Luca Guadagnino. It reminded me of a lot of other 70s and 80s horror including the original Hellraiser, The Wicker Man, or some early David Cronenberg body horror films.

The same basic story of American dancer Susie Banion coming to join a famous European dance company only to discover its leaders are a coven of witches is still there, but with much more complexity. As with the original, the coven does not take kindly when girls try and leave the group and usually meet with some sort of gruesome outcome.

Things get intense slowly over the 2 1/2 hour runtime with the last 20 minutes being some of the most explicit freak show, sadistic, torturous bloodbath I have ever seen. Not sure how this would play with a mainstream audience. I think some would be bored with the beginning and then get up and leave during the extreme climax scene.

Since I watch a ton of movies, I seek out the strange and unusual at this point and this one did not disappoint. It is interesting to see another director's take on the story and going in a completely opposite direction. Argento was always known, especially in this film, for his use of wild colors and patterns and this new version stands as a stark contrast opting for more neutral tones and white and black.

If you have a strong stomach and crave an interesting challenge, I highly recommend. Then let me know so we can discuss.

Kudos

Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed in Books

Feb 7, 2018

The Best Bed Time Book For Babies & Toddlers. Ever.

This book is delightful on so many levels that it is almost difficult to know where to start. Cooper's artwork is, as always, breathtaking. The imaginative pictures depict a landscape made up of all the things around which the baby's world revolves: the sleepy tiger that is in fact a pyjama case; the train crowded with all the sleeping toys and nursery rhyme characters. Cooper builds a world that is enchanting and delightful to parents and at the same time interesting to children. More importantly her use of subtle colours, and soft lines add a restful and dreamlike quality to these images that is in keeping with the notion of sleep and bedtime.
And all that is before you even get to the text! This is a wonderfully well-structured story. The text starts out full of energy and vigour as the baby 'Vroom-chuga-chug's' off into this make-believe world and then gradually the pace becomes slower and more restful and - in the best possible way - more soporific.
It is not hard to read this book, the text leads even the most awkward reader by the hand, making it's own patterns and rhythms almost magically dictating the speed and volume for the reader.
I bought my first copy many years ago when the older of my nine children were still quite young and the smaller ones hadn't yet made an appearance. My youngest (now two) won't go to bed without it and I have reached the point of being able to read it without even thinking about it.
We've are on our third copy of this book and it has been universally successful, in spite of gender, taste and personality differences. It is hard to imagine a child to whom this book wouldn't appeal.