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Awix (3310 KP) rated My Octopus Teacher (2020) in Movies

Oct 4, 2020 (Updated Oct 4, 2020)  
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
2020 | Documentary
5
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Netflix sea-life doc that sets out to be moving and inspiring and just ended up making me shout at my laptop a lot. A bloke going through some sort of mid-life crisis does the usual thing and gets involved with a younger female: the twist is that she's an invertebrate. Never mind 'My Octopus Teacher', based on what he says - 'I was overwhelmed by my feelings for her,' etc - 'My Darling Octopus' might have been a better title. Same old story: Man meets octopus, they swim around together for a bit, octopus loses arm in shark attack, he nurses her back to health, she has several hundred thousand children behind his back, etc.

Quite apart from the weirdness of the subject matter - what did the bloke's wife think of all this? what, for the matter, did the octopus think was going on? - there's something very dodgy about the way the film is presented. The story is presented as something that's already happened, so are we watching reconstructions of the events? Is it all a staged or confected narrative? Has someone told the octopus actually appearing in the film it's basically in the role of Kim Novak at the end of Vertigo? Stunning photography and images of sealife, naturally, but rather than informing the viewer about octopuses - which are fascinating creatures - it just unloads a lot of sentimental, anthropomorphised cobblers on them. Best watched with the sound turned down and appropriate sea-life noises playing.
  
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Outrun in Books

Sep 23, 2017  
The Outrun
The Outrun
Amy Liptrot | 2016 | Biography
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An important read, but a little haphazard
Dealing with an addiction is no mean feat, it's an illness as Amy Liptrot explains in this memoir where she battles alcoholism. Some of the incidents are truly horrifying, not because of 'what she does to herself', but more so what the illness does to her and as a result her life spirals downwards. And while that part I can truly engage with, the random long explanations about her newfound passions for astronomy, sea and bird life seems to go off in a tangent.

You can definitely recognise her addictive personality manifesting in new hobbies, and obsessing in the same way. And at least that's healthier, but as a reader, I seemed to lose concentration on her rural lifestyle. Very good insight into mental health and addiction though.
  
J Is for Judgment
J Is for Judgment
Sue Grafton | 1993 | Mystery
10
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Judge This to be Another Excellent Book
Kinsey is surprised to be hired once again by California Fidelity. They’ve just paid out a claim on Wendell Jaffe’s life insurance five years after his supposed dead at sea only to hear he’s been spotted down in Mexico. Kinsey locates Jaffe only to have him vanish again. Can she prove he is still alive?

This is another fantastic mystery. The characters are strong and help pull us in. The story itself has plenty of twists and turns before we reach the climax. We have some time for updates from the series regulars, and I love what is happening there. Kinsey also stumbles on a surprise in her personal life. I’m curious to see how this sub-plot plays out in future novels.
  
Songs of the Seas (Siren Tales #1)
Songs of the Seas (Siren Tales #1)
Evelyn Belle | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
98 of 200
Kindle
Songs of the seas (siren tales book 1)
By Evelyn Belle

Description
Nerine, blessed by Poseidon, leads the god's sirens with unmatched skill and loyalty. Her life is dedicated to her position, with no room or desire for love. This wasn't always her life, but she's determined to thrive in the ocean, just as she did sailing the horizons above.Bruno is as powerful and twice as deadly as the sharks he commands for the sea god. A shark does not take denial well. Especially from a beautiful siren who changed his fate. He would kill for Nerine, if he doesn't kill her first. When Poseidon ascends to Olympus, Nerine and Bruno are thrown together, charged with protecting the sea. They clash like waves in a storm, but they both have the same goal--protect their people and please their god.But when a ship from Nerine's past appears, Nerine is forced to question her loyalty to her god, and Bruno must decide where his heart lies.

I love any book involving the Greek gods!
This was a brilliant take on Poseidon and his sirens!
Little sorry it only went up to 8 chapters hopefully the rest will follow soo!