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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Winter Queen (Erast Fandorin #1) in Books
Nov 28, 2019
Erast Fandorin is a low level civil servant in nineteenth century Russia. An orphan with no real friends or prospects he has been assigned to the police department as a clerk simply because he has to be somewhere. But following a bizarre suicide Fandorin reveals that under his unassuming exterior is a keen mind and he soon uncovers sinister goings on both at home in Russia and abroad in London.
This is the first appearance of Akunin's master detective. Lacking the arrogance of either Holmes or Poirot but easily their equal in terms of deduction and intelligence he makes a good hero. Each of Akunin's novels is designed to represent a different type of novel and this is closest to spy novels with Fandorin spending much of his time going undercover to infiltrate a secret society or staking out and sneaking into houses. There are also plenty of physical scenes for the young hero to endure.
The plot is suitably obscure and opaque with each clue removing another layer and moving both the reader and Fandorin closer to finding out what is going on.
There is also fascinating detail of life in Tsarist Russia although as with any novel set during that time the seemingly endless Russian names - so hard to pronounce for my Anglophone brain - are sometimes a little overwhelming.
Special mention to the translator who does a fantastic job. Some Russion idioms are left intact for authenticity but others are rendered into English. This may have been originally written in Russian but it reads as if Akunin is a native English speaker.
This wasn't my first Fandorin novel and to be honest I'm not sure it's the best one to start with, despite it being the genesis of the character. To me the complexities of having to understand the Tsarist Russia (and the names) and the plot would be frustrating. But nevertheless a good and interesting read.
This is the first appearance of Akunin's master detective. Lacking the arrogance of either Holmes or Poirot but easily their equal in terms of deduction and intelligence he makes a good hero. Each of Akunin's novels is designed to represent a different type of novel and this is closest to spy novels with Fandorin spending much of his time going undercover to infiltrate a secret society or staking out and sneaking into houses. There are also plenty of physical scenes for the young hero to endure.
The plot is suitably obscure and opaque with each clue removing another layer and moving both the reader and Fandorin closer to finding out what is going on.
There is also fascinating detail of life in Tsarist Russia although as with any novel set during that time the seemingly endless Russian names - so hard to pronounce for my Anglophone brain - are sometimes a little overwhelming.
Special mention to the translator who does a fantastic job. Some Russion idioms are left intact for authenticity but others are rendered into English. This may have been originally written in Russian but it reads as if Akunin is a native English speaker.
This wasn't my first Fandorin novel and to be honest I'm not sure it's the best one to start with, despite it being the genesis of the character. To me the complexities of having to understand the Tsarist Russia (and the names) and the plot would be frustrating. But nevertheless a good and interesting read.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Get Out (2017) in Movies
Feb 3, 2020
Psychologcally Disburing
Jordan Peele goes from comedy to horror, as his directorial debut, he does a excellent/fantasic/phenomenal job. Going from one genre to anethor is hard, but Jordan Peele did the impossible, and he successed, all expectations. This film is psycologically twisted, horrorfyng, suspenseful and thrilling till the very end.
So this movie does have a theme, This disturbing film ... is really about how white America has mastered its relationship with black America. Within all of the interracial tension is the white American’s strange envy of the grim determination, melancholy humor, and creative strength of the black race. ... But Peele’s irony is that white America will continue to do what it does despite these truths, and, sadly, so must black America remain hypnotized.
The film also depicts the lack of attention on missing black Americans compared to missing white females. Slate's Damon Young stated the film's premise was "depressingly plausible ... Although black people only comprise 13 percent of America's population, they are 34 percent of America's missing, a reality that exists as the result of a mélange of racial and socioeconomic factors rendering black lives demonstratively less valuable than the lives [of] our white counterparts.
Peele does a excellent of this theme, of the world that we live in today and his views on it.
The Plot: Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
This film is a must watch, if you havent seen it, than go and see it. Its psycologically twisted, horrorfying, thrilling, suspenseful and overall excellent.
So this movie does have a theme, This disturbing film ... is really about how white America has mastered its relationship with black America. Within all of the interracial tension is the white American’s strange envy of the grim determination, melancholy humor, and creative strength of the black race. ... But Peele’s irony is that white America will continue to do what it does despite these truths, and, sadly, so must black America remain hypnotized.
The film also depicts the lack of attention on missing black Americans compared to missing white females. Slate's Damon Young stated the film's premise was "depressingly plausible ... Although black people only comprise 13 percent of America's population, they are 34 percent of America's missing, a reality that exists as the result of a mélange of racial and socioeconomic factors rendering black lives demonstratively less valuable than the lives [of] our white counterparts.
Peele does a excellent of this theme, of the world that we live in today and his views on it.
The Plot: Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
This film is a must watch, if you havent seen it, than go and see it. Its psycologically twisted, horrorfying, thrilling, suspenseful and overall excellent.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Demolition (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
It is often said that when we lose a loved one, we often lose a part of ourselves. In mourning, we have to come to terms with the loss and where we are headed in the future. Who are we now that part of us is gone? Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts discusses the various aspects with healing and finding oneself. Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) returns to work after losing his wife in a horrific car accident.
While grieving, he writes a complaint letter to a vending machine company about a recent experience he had while waiting in the hospital. Through the letters he lets a stranger and the audience in on his mindset and the reality that he feels disconnected from the world, his wife, and himself. When the company’s customer service rep reads the letters, she feels compelled to contact Davis. She offers a sympathetic ear to his pain and numbness. As their friendship grows, he begins to rebuild his life. The task is large and requires him to follow the advice that his father-in-law passed down to him; In order to fix something, sometimes you need to take it all apart in order to see how it works. Davis begins to deconstruct various pieces of his life in order to find peace with his loss so he can move forward.
Demolition offers a unique and provocative look at loss, grief, and identity. This is a film that will have its audience asking questions about their own lives and if they feel fulfilled or satisfied. The plot stays with you. The performances of each of the characters carries the story and makes us truly connect with them. There isn’t a single moment when you cease to care about who they are or what their lives have in store. There is depth and authenticity throughout this film.
While grieving, he writes a complaint letter to a vending machine company about a recent experience he had while waiting in the hospital. Through the letters he lets a stranger and the audience in on his mindset and the reality that he feels disconnected from the world, his wife, and himself. When the company’s customer service rep reads the letters, she feels compelled to contact Davis. She offers a sympathetic ear to his pain and numbness. As their friendship grows, he begins to rebuild his life. The task is large and requires him to follow the advice that his father-in-law passed down to him; In order to fix something, sometimes you need to take it all apart in order to see how it works. Davis begins to deconstruct various pieces of his life in order to find peace with his loss so he can move forward.
Demolition offers a unique and provocative look at loss, grief, and identity. This is a film that will have its audience asking questions about their own lives and if they feel fulfilled or satisfied. The plot stays with you. The performances of each of the characters carries the story and makes us truly connect with them. There isn’t a single moment when you cease to care about who they are or what their lives have in store. There is depth and authenticity throughout this film.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Water Diviner (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Russell Crowe both stars and directs the new film The Water Diviner.
The story follows Joshua Conner (Crowe) and his attempts to re-locate his three sons Arthur, Henry and Edward, who went off to war together and yet were never heard from again. The three boys were inseparable as children (Jack Patterson, Ben Norris and Aidan Smith) and they stayed inseparable as adults (played by Ryan Corr, Ben O’Toole and James Fraser) as they went off to fight in World War I in the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey.
Joshua loses contact with his sons during the war, and after the fighting has ended, he receives a journal that belonged to them. He reads the journal with his wife and they conclude that the boys must have perished in the fighting. Corners wife kills herself in her grief over losing them and Joshua swears he will bring the boys home, even if it is just their remains, that is his wife’s last wish.
Conner crosses the continent to search for them, meeting people along the way and finding clues. His efforts to locate the boys are rejected by military authorities but he stubbornly presses on.
Seeing this film in the movie theatre rather than on a home television is definitely worth it. The action and scenes of war flash backs are better suited to the big screen than a home tv for full effect and drawing you in to feel like you are ‘right there’.
The story was a bit predictable because after all, it’s the story of a father searching for his children, but it was emotional and held my attention.
Parts of it felt a bit slow, or maybe just confusing, because during the flash backs I wasn’t really sure whose flash backs they were or why they were significant, but over all the story flowed well and I enjoyed it.
The story follows Joshua Conner (Crowe) and his attempts to re-locate his three sons Arthur, Henry and Edward, who went off to war together and yet were never heard from again. The three boys were inseparable as children (Jack Patterson, Ben Norris and Aidan Smith) and they stayed inseparable as adults (played by Ryan Corr, Ben O’Toole and James Fraser) as they went off to fight in World War I in the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey.
Joshua loses contact with his sons during the war, and after the fighting has ended, he receives a journal that belonged to them. He reads the journal with his wife and they conclude that the boys must have perished in the fighting. Corners wife kills herself in her grief over losing them and Joshua swears he will bring the boys home, even if it is just their remains, that is his wife’s last wish.
Conner crosses the continent to search for them, meeting people along the way and finding clues. His efforts to locate the boys are rejected by military authorities but he stubbornly presses on.
Seeing this film in the movie theatre rather than on a home television is definitely worth it. The action and scenes of war flash backs are better suited to the big screen than a home tv for full effect and drawing you in to feel like you are ‘right there’.
The story was a bit predictable because after all, it’s the story of a father searching for his children, but it was emotional and held my attention.
Parts of it felt a bit slow, or maybe just confusing, because during the flash backs I wasn’t really sure whose flash backs they were or why they were significant, but over all the story flowed well and I enjoyed it.
AT (1676 KP) rated Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther in Books
Feb 15, 2020
I ran across Cat Tale on the New Books shelf at my library. I had no real interest in the subject prior to seeing the cute picture on the cover, along with the bright color scheme. I was also drawn to the word, "Weird," in the title. I flipped the book over, and read the praised reviews on the back, so I decided to give the book a try. I'm so glad that I did! Number one, I live in Florida, but am a transplant from the north. So I see a lot of names on counties, streets, schools, etc., and know them from that, but not from what any of the people or places were involved with in their day. So I did get a little basic name history while reading, which was an added bonus.
The book, itself, reads like a fiction novel. Plus, it's pretty funny throughout, which made it that much more enjoyable! I kept looking names and events up to make sure that they were real when the book seemed too fictional. (They were real.) It's amazing how messed up the whole process got while trying to save the species, and how such a small number of people can end up being so detrimental to any project. There were some unforgettable characters (again, real people!) that assisted Florida during this process. I quickly was drawn to the story and information. To me, it ended up being wildly interesting. Without ruining the details for you, I realize that any non-fiction account needs to be taken with an open mind and a grain of salt at times. However, everything that I questioned was information that could be found easily. I wish more non-fiction books were written for smooth reading like Cat Tale was. Craig Pittman took a potentially dry, possibly boring subject, and made it very engaging all the way through. It's definitely worth reading, if you're even the least bit curious. (Or, if you simply like the cover picture and color scheme!)
The book, itself, reads like a fiction novel. Plus, it's pretty funny throughout, which made it that much more enjoyable! I kept looking names and events up to make sure that they were real when the book seemed too fictional. (They were real.) It's amazing how messed up the whole process got while trying to save the species, and how such a small number of people can end up being so detrimental to any project. There were some unforgettable characters (again, real people!) that assisted Florida during this process. I quickly was drawn to the story and information. To me, it ended up being wildly interesting. Without ruining the details for you, I realize that any non-fiction account needs to be taken with an open mind and a grain of salt at times. However, everything that I questioned was information that could be found easily. I wish more non-fiction books were written for smooth reading like Cat Tale was. Craig Pittman took a potentially dry, possibly boring subject, and made it very engaging all the way through. It's definitely worth reading, if you're even the least bit curious. (Or, if you simply like the cover picture and color scheme!)
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