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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Kingmaker (2019) in Movies
Dec 18, 2019
'When they searched my closet, they found no skeletons, only beautiful shoes,' declares Imelda Marcos (subject of this documentary), displaying a somewhat inconsistent level of self-awareness. For many people in the west, Mrs Marcos is only the punchline to jokes about her shoe collection: this documentary gives the full story of her life, especially in the present day. We see her making her stately progress about Manila, occasionally pausing to literally throw money at the poor people she encounters.
Much of the movie concerns Mrs Marcos holding forth on her achievements as mother of the world, bringer of world peace, ender of the cold war (and so on), intercut with other people with perhaps a stronger grip on reality pointing out what actually went on. Intended criticisms just ping off Mrs Marcos' elephantine self-regard; the effect is blackly comic more than anything else. But the film moves on to consider her attempts to make her son president of the Philippines, with all the re-writing of history and political corruption this entails: it seems the world may hear from her again. Intelligently made, eye-openingly weird, ultimately rather chilling.
Much of the movie concerns Mrs Marcos holding forth on her achievements as mother of the world, bringer of world peace, ender of the cold war (and so on), intercut with other people with perhaps a stronger grip on reality pointing out what actually went on. Intended criticisms just ping off Mrs Marcos' elephantine self-regard; the effect is blackly comic more than anything else. But the film moves on to consider her attempts to make her son president of the Philippines, with all the re-writing of history and political corruption this entails: it seems the world may hear from her again. Intelligently made, eye-openingly weird, ultimately rather chilling.
Splash!: A Novel
Book
Sam Blunt is a drunken, broken-down tabloid reporter, working for a once-mighty newspaper struggling...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Legend in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I tend not to read books with characters under the age of 17 because they can come across as being immature and annoying.
However that is not the case in this, both Day and June are really mature for 15, maybe it's their upbringing; life on the streets and growing up in a posher area and being a member of the Republic.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into the story--about the 20-25% mark--what with the dual POV and one hunting the other down but once they finally met and got to now each other I became quickly engrossed in their story.
I wasn't sure how to feel about June's brother, Metias, but the more I read and grew to know him through June's memories and his journal, the more I liked him and was sorry that he'd died. He seemed like a really great big brother.
Action, political corruption, dystopia, a bit of romance; it was everything I like in a book and I liked a lot of things about it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series
However that is not the case in this, both Day and June are really mature for 15, maybe it's their upbringing; life on the streets and growing up in a posher area and being a member of the Republic.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into the story--about the 20-25% mark--what with the dual POV and one hunting the other down but once they finally met and got to now each other I became quickly engrossed in their story.
I wasn't sure how to feel about June's brother, Metias, but the more I read and grew to know him through June's memories and his journal, the more I liked him and was sorry that he'd died. He seemed like a really great big brother.
Action, political corruption, dystopia, a bit of romance; it was everything I like in a book and I liked a lot of things about it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series
The House is a taut political thriller, packed full of intrigue, secrets, corruption and betrayal. The setting is Westminster - somewhere that Tom Watson has an intimate knowledge of. And you can tell. There are nooks, crannies and offices described in here that I’ve never even heard of - and sneaky back doors too!
The story itself seemed multi-layered and quite complex to begin with, and I have to admit to struggling with the amount of names I needed to remember (this is typical of me though, to be honest!), but once I had them all straight in my head after a couple of staves, I was able to enjoy it much more.
The story tied together really nicely towards the end - the seemingly different stories coming together and resolving - but it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger. And do you know? I think I would probably read another book set in this world of the UK Parliament. I liked the characters, and particularly the unlikeable characters intrigued me (I’m nothing if not predictable!). It’ll be interesting to see where another book takes us!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, I really enjoyed it.
The story itself seemed multi-layered and quite complex to begin with, and I have to admit to struggling with the amount of names I needed to remember (this is typical of me though, to be honest!), but once I had them all straight in my head after a couple of staves, I was able to enjoy it much more.
The story tied together really nicely towards the end - the seemingly different stories coming together and resolving - but it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger. And do you know? I think I would probably read another book set in this world of the UK Parliament. I liked the characters, and particularly the unlikeable characters intrigued me (I’m nothing if not predictable!). It’ll be interesting to see where another book takes us!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, I really enjoyed it.
Blood & Beauty: The Borgias (Borgias #1)
Book
By the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched by its brutality...
La Sainte Courtisane
4.0
Rate It
Book
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author...
Face of Greed (Detective Emily Hunter #1)
Book
Greed, corruption, and betrayal—no murder is as simple as it seems When a prominent Sacramento...
Thriller Police Procedural
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Jilo ( Witching Savannah #4) in Books
Jan 18, 2023
9 of 235
Kindle
Jilo ( Witching Savannah #4 )
By J.D. Horn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aged Mother Jilo is wise in the ways of magic...but once upon a time, she was just a girl.
1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the "beautiful woman with a dirty face," its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption.
Young Jilo - fiercely independent, intelligent, and ambitious, but thwarted by Savannah's maddeningly genteel version of bigotry - finds herself forced to embrace a dark power that has pursued her family for generations, an ancient magic that may prove her salvation...or her undoing.
This was just what we needed! I love Jilo and it was so good to get her story and the back story of the Taylor’s too. This book was just creepy as hell in some parts and I’m referring to Poppy if you’ve read it the hairs on the back of my neck stood up! I’m sad to see this all wrapped up as the series was so good. I think I may have to start over.
Kindle
Jilo ( Witching Savannah #4 )
By J.D. Horn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aged Mother Jilo is wise in the ways of magic...but once upon a time, she was just a girl.
1950s Georgia: King Cotton has fallen. Savannah is known as the "beautiful woman with a dirty face," its stately elegance faded by neglect, its soul withering from racial injustice and political corruption.
Young Jilo - fiercely independent, intelligent, and ambitious, but thwarted by Savannah's maddeningly genteel version of bigotry - finds herself forced to embrace a dark power that has pursued her family for generations, an ancient magic that may prove her salvation...or her undoing.
This was just what we needed! I love Jilo and it was so good to get her story and the back story of the Taylor’s too. This book was just creepy as hell in some parts and I’m referring to Poppy if you’ve read it the hairs on the back of my neck stood up! I’m sad to see this all wrapped up as the series was so good. I think I may have to start over.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Anatomy of a Scandal in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Anatomy of a Scandal is based around three central characters. First there’s James, the suave, charismatic family man and politician who is also good friends with the Prime Minister. He’s wealthy and over-privileged. Then we meet Kate, the young, ruthlessly ambitious prosecutor, who’s determined to see James get the guilty verdict he deserves. She’s also good at her job and made her name prosecuting the very worst sexual assault cases. Finally we meet Sophie, James’ wife who has been dating James since college and knows him better than anyone else. All have a vital part to play in this psychological, legal drama, which starts with a shocking scandal being revealed, which is then dissected in court.
James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?
We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.
This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story, which I can easily see adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.
Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!
James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?
We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.
This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story, which I can easily see adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.
Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Legend of Tarzan (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
It’s a story we’re pretty much all familiar with – Tarzan, a man who was raised in the jungle by apes that took him in as a baby after his parents died.
In “The Legend of Tarzan,” it is the 1880’s and royal corruption brews beneath the surface. Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard), now an adult, is living as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie).
His civilized life is interrupted when he is sent back to the Congo as a trade emissary. Unfortunately, he is at the center of the wicked plans of Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz). Rom has made a deal to trade Tarzan in exchange for diamonds to a tribal chief who plans to butcher and eat him. Waltz does a great job playing a sleazy political criminal with beady eyes and a greasy mustache.
Samuel L. Jackson is also fun to watch as George Washington Williams, who accompanies Tarzan to the Congo when he follows up on his own suspicions.
While the film is quite enjoyable, and very pretty to look at (special thanks to Skarsgard). Tarzan isn’t as animalistic as you would expect, Jane lacks authentic emotion, and at times the CGI is a bit low quality.
“The Legend of Tarzan” is one of those short, sweet, and fun summer movies and is definitely worth watching. With political undertones of greed, slavery, and human destruction, it also has deeper value.
This is one that everyone can watch. It’s not too violent, it’s not to edgy, and it’s not too long. I give “The Legend of Tarzan” 3.5 out of 5 stars.
In “The Legend of Tarzan,” it is the 1880’s and royal corruption brews beneath the surface. Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard), now an adult, is living as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie).
His civilized life is interrupted when he is sent back to the Congo as a trade emissary. Unfortunately, he is at the center of the wicked plans of Captain Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz). Rom has made a deal to trade Tarzan in exchange for diamonds to a tribal chief who plans to butcher and eat him. Waltz does a great job playing a sleazy political criminal with beady eyes and a greasy mustache.
Samuel L. Jackson is also fun to watch as George Washington Williams, who accompanies Tarzan to the Congo when he follows up on his own suspicions.
While the film is quite enjoyable, and very pretty to look at (special thanks to Skarsgard). Tarzan isn’t as animalistic as you would expect, Jane lacks authentic emotion, and at times the CGI is a bit low quality.
“The Legend of Tarzan” is one of those short, sweet, and fun summer movies and is definitely worth watching. With political undertones of greed, slavery, and human destruction, it also has deeper value.
This is one that everyone can watch. It’s not too violent, it’s not to edgy, and it’s not too long. I give “The Legend of Tarzan” 3.5 out of 5 stars.