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The Newcastle Miscellany
Book
The fully revised and updated 2012 edition of The Newcastle Miscellany is essential reading for fans...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Wings (1927) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019
Verdict: Beautiful Portray of Love & War
Story: Wings starts as two young men Jack Powell (Rogers) and David Armstrong (Arlen) both sign up to become fighter pilots in the First World War, they are from different backgrounds, with Jack working with his hands, which has seen him get the attention of Mary Preston (Bow) and David being rich, with the pair both seeking the attention of Sylvia Lewis (Ralston).
What starts out in rivalry soon becomes friendship between the two men as through their training, they learn they need to be on the same side and want the same thing from their time in the service. They are followed by Mary who has taken up a job where she delivers medical supplies to troops, all while her love for Jack continues to grow.
Thoughts on Wings
Characters – Mary Preston has worked with Jack Powell for years, they work on cars and her love for Jack is clear, she doesn’t get the attention she desires of him though, with the men at war, she uses her driving skills to deliver medical supplies, hoping to find Jack too, which sees her needing to find a way to act more lady like for the era. Jack Powell is from the working class bracket of people, he has always been great with cars and mechanics, which sees him sign up for the air force during world war 1, he will do what he can get impress the rich Sylvia to whom he loves and after years of rivalry with David, they will become friends. David Armstrong has come from a rich family, he is set to be marrying Sylvia one day if the families have their say, he sees Jack as a rival, until they fight side by side in the skies. Sylvia is the woman that both men are fighting for the attention of, they both see her as the perfect woman and will go to lengths to impress her.
Performances – This being a silent movie, all the work from the actors in the film comes from face expressions and movements, which they are all fantastic with, Clara Bow shows the pain of being in love with somebody who doesn’t want you, while Charles Rogers and Richard Arlen show the rivalry men can have when it comes to women.
Story – The story here follows two men from different backgrounds, one rich one working class, that are both fighting for the same woman, who join the air force to impress, where they become friends and learn the horrors of war. This is a story that is one that shows that love can be something people will always do crazy things for, it shows how the war bought enemies together and for a movie made in 1927, showed us a strong female character willing to go into war, unlike many films for years to come. Being a silent movie, we do get the expression and action doing a lot of the storytelling around the dialogue which is interesting because it keeps away a lot of unnecessary dialogue certain war films turn too.
Romance/War – The romance in this film shows how people will do strange things for love, you might not always see it right under your nose either, with the war being the main location that our characters all go to impress, the dog fight scenes are brilliant to watch, with the use of music making a big impact on the quality too.
Settings – The film uses the settings you would expect to see the war fought at, while we see the ground shots, it is when we are in the sky watching the dog fights that we get to feel the peril the characters are going through.
Scene of the Movie – Any of the dog fights.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does play into stereotypes of other nationalities.
Final Thoughts – This is a genius war movie that rightly deserved to win the first Oscar, it brings us a story that shows how much people would have risked for war and just how far they would go for love.
Overall: Brilliant.
Story: Wings starts as two young men Jack Powell (Rogers) and David Armstrong (Arlen) both sign up to become fighter pilots in the First World War, they are from different backgrounds, with Jack working with his hands, which has seen him get the attention of Mary Preston (Bow) and David being rich, with the pair both seeking the attention of Sylvia Lewis (Ralston).
What starts out in rivalry soon becomes friendship between the two men as through their training, they learn they need to be on the same side and want the same thing from their time in the service. They are followed by Mary who has taken up a job where she delivers medical supplies to troops, all while her love for Jack continues to grow.
Thoughts on Wings
Characters – Mary Preston has worked with Jack Powell for years, they work on cars and her love for Jack is clear, she doesn’t get the attention she desires of him though, with the men at war, she uses her driving skills to deliver medical supplies, hoping to find Jack too, which sees her needing to find a way to act more lady like for the era. Jack Powell is from the working class bracket of people, he has always been great with cars and mechanics, which sees him sign up for the air force during world war 1, he will do what he can get impress the rich Sylvia to whom he loves and after years of rivalry with David, they will become friends. David Armstrong has come from a rich family, he is set to be marrying Sylvia one day if the families have their say, he sees Jack as a rival, until they fight side by side in the skies. Sylvia is the woman that both men are fighting for the attention of, they both see her as the perfect woman and will go to lengths to impress her.
Performances – This being a silent movie, all the work from the actors in the film comes from face expressions and movements, which they are all fantastic with, Clara Bow shows the pain of being in love with somebody who doesn’t want you, while Charles Rogers and Richard Arlen show the rivalry men can have when it comes to women.
Story – The story here follows two men from different backgrounds, one rich one working class, that are both fighting for the same woman, who join the air force to impress, where they become friends and learn the horrors of war. This is a story that is one that shows that love can be something people will always do crazy things for, it shows how the war bought enemies together and for a movie made in 1927, showed us a strong female character willing to go into war, unlike many films for years to come. Being a silent movie, we do get the expression and action doing a lot of the storytelling around the dialogue which is interesting because it keeps away a lot of unnecessary dialogue certain war films turn too.
Romance/War – The romance in this film shows how people will do strange things for love, you might not always see it right under your nose either, with the war being the main location that our characters all go to impress, the dog fight scenes are brilliant to watch, with the use of music making a big impact on the quality too.
Settings – The film uses the settings you would expect to see the war fought at, while we see the ground shots, it is when we are in the sky watching the dog fights that we get to feel the peril the characters are going through.
Scene of the Movie – Any of the dog fights.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does play into stereotypes of other nationalities.
Final Thoughts – This is a genius war movie that rightly deserved to win the first Oscar, it brings us a story that shows how much people would have risked for war and just how far they would go for love.
Overall: Brilliant.
The Princess and the Pea – An Interactive Children’s Story Book HD
Book and Education
App
>>> FREE & packed with superb animation & stunning interactive activities Take your children on a...
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative book which brings the history of Highclere to life in energetic and engaging story telling.
Initially, the author shows their 'upper class' voice a little too often but as the story progresses and you begin to engage more with the people involved, it becomes less obvious, therefore making the book much more easy to read and enjoyable.
As an avid Downton Abbey fan from day one, I was engrossed with learning the true history of the actual house, and can honestly say that the connections between Downton and Highclere are not limited to merely the house. The Carnavons are a wonderful and very energetic family with fingers in so many pies and so rich a history that they truly deserve the accolade this book should give them. They do not come across as typical aristocrats at all, rather 'real' human beings who are committed to the improvement in lifestyle of all they are connected with, true philanthropists and dedicated historians.
I can honestly say that this book reads like a fiction story, and you have to pinch yourself at times to realise that these were real people who lived and breathed and carried out all of these wonderful acts. Truly, it is a fantastic read which is fully deserving of more than 5 stars and something that anyone interested in either Downton, late Victorian/early Edwardian society, the First World War and it's aftermath, or even the tomb of Tutankhamen should most definitely add to their 'to read' list.
Initially, the author shows their 'upper class' voice a little too often but as the story progresses and you begin to engage more with the people involved, it becomes less obvious, therefore making the book much more easy to read and enjoyable.
As an avid Downton Abbey fan from day one, I was engrossed with learning the true history of the actual house, and can honestly say that the connections between Downton and Highclere are not limited to merely the house. The Carnavons are a wonderful and very energetic family with fingers in so many pies and so rich a history that they truly deserve the accolade this book should give them. They do not come across as typical aristocrats at all, rather 'real' human beings who are committed to the improvement in lifestyle of all they are connected with, true philanthropists and dedicated historians.
I can honestly say that this book reads like a fiction story, and you have to pinch yourself at times to realise that these were real people who lived and breathed and carried out all of these wonderful acts. Truly, it is a fantastic read which is fully deserving of more than 5 stars and something that anyone interested in either Downton, late Victorian/early Edwardian society, the First World War and it's aftermath, or even the tomb of Tutankhamen should most definitely add to their 'to read' list.
Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman's Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life
Book
The brave, inspiring story of one woman's recovery from a debilitating eating disorder, and the...
Goodbye, Antoura: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide
Book
When World War I began, Karnig Panian was only five years old, living among his fellow Armenians in...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Hustlers (2019) in Movies
Sep 22, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Based on a true story, Hustler's is the story of Destiny, an exotic dancer who falls on hard times. Teaming up with other dancers to con a number of rich bankers.
The premise of Hustler, strippers conning bankers, hides the actual depth of the story. At the start of the film, Destiny has just moved to a new strip club, we are shown the politics of the club and how Destiny befriends Ramona, one of the top dancers. Everything changes during the wall street crash, most of the club’s regular customers were bankers, most of whom had been affected by the crash had stopped going out and so a lot of the dancers lost their job. Destiny has a child but soon breaks up with the father and then find it hard to get a new job. Returning to the club, Destiny teams up with Ramona in scamming money out of the old clients.
One of the main themes of Hustlers is family, two of the main characters have children and the films shows what each of them would do to protect them. Beyond that we have the relationship between Destiny and her grandmother and also the family formed between the dancers and shows how these bonds can be formed and broken.
Being about strippers there is some nudity but Hustlers but they handle the sexual side of the dances job quite well.
The film is quite slow with a big part in the centre where not much seems to happen but it is still entertaining.
The premise of Hustler, strippers conning bankers, hides the actual depth of the story. At the start of the film, Destiny has just moved to a new strip club, we are shown the politics of the club and how Destiny befriends Ramona, one of the top dancers. Everything changes during the wall street crash, most of the club’s regular customers were bankers, most of whom had been affected by the crash had stopped going out and so a lot of the dancers lost their job. Destiny has a child but soon breaks up with the father and then find it hard to get a new job. Returning to the club, Destiny teams up with Ramona in scamming money out of the old clients.
One of the main themes of Hustlers is family, two of the main characters have children and the films shows what each of them would do to protect them. Beyond that we have the relationship between Destiny and her grandmother and also the family formed between the dancers and shows how these bonds can be formed and broken.
Being about strippers there is some nudity but Hustlers but they handle the sexual side of the dances job quite well.
The film is quite slow with a big part in the centre where not much seems to happen but it is still entertaining.
Merissa (12627 KP) rated Sticks and Stones (The Wish Makers #1) in Books
Apr 10, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
The premise of this book is unusual which immediately grabbed my interest. It isn't the same formula re-worded. However, I was still unsure, even after reading the synopsis, about what I would be getting.
What I got was an interesting, rich and fully detailed book covering not just our main female character but Lexi and the Wish Mistress too. There is enough background on the other characters that they all slot in perfectly together and you know that you are getting a complete story. There are no big chunks missed out of this one.
Mandy's birthday wish was a rare one - it was her soul wish. And it is not just granted without a thought. The wish is the start of a journey that she can choose whether to take or not. And therein lies a brilliant story. It starts off quite light but soon gets darker (in a YA-friendly way). The secret that Mandy was hiding was heartbreaking in its childlike simplicity. It is easy to forget how literal children are with what you say to them and how long it can stay with them. During the conversation with Mandy and her mum, it brought tears to my eyes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be reading Break My Bones, the second in this series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 12, 2016
What I got was an interesting, rich and fully detailed book covering not just our main female character but Lexi and the Wish Mistress too. There is enough background on the other characters that they all slot in perfectly together and you know that you are getting a complete story. There are no big chunks missed out of this one.
Mandy's birthday wish was a rare one - it was her soul wish. And it is not just granted without a thought. The wish is the start of a journey that she can choose whether to take or not. And therein lies a brilliant story. It starts off quite light but soon gets darker (in a YA-friendly way). The secret that Mandy was hiding was heartbreaking in its childlike simplicity. It is easy to forget how literal children are with what you say to them and how long it can stay with them. During the conversation with Mandy and her mum, it brought tears to my eyes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be reading Break My Bones, the second in this series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 12, 2016
Insanely good!
Words cannot describe how much I love this fantasy series by Anne Bishop, but I'm gonna try anyway. First, the characters are fully formed. From the cover one would think that Jaenelle is the main character, and in a way that is true, but in reality each of the players are equally important with rich backstories and thus become real people to the reader.
The world Bishop created in this series is intricate, deadly, wonderful, and beautiful. The books handle some pretty intense subjects, like child abuse, rape, and prostitution, which sounds bad as I write this, but Bishop handles it beautifully. They aren't extra things thrown into the story for attention--each horror is a catalyst for the characters to grow into their destinies. If you read these books, you will love them forever, I promise. These have a special place on the shelf.
The world Bishop created in this series is intricate, deadly, wonderful, and beautiful. The books handle some pretty intense subjects, like child abuse, rape, and prostitution, which sounds bad as I write this, but Bishop handles it beautifully. They aren't extra things thrown into the story for attention--each horror is a catalyst for the characters to grow into their destinies. If you read these books, you will love them forever, I promise. These have a special place on the shelf.
Chelsea (166 KP) rated Crazy Rich Asians in Books
Sep 29, 2018
I picked this up after I saw the movie because I liked it so much, and I’m very glad I did.
Rachel Chu is thrust into the lifestyle of the crazy rich in Singapore when she and her boyfriend Nick travel to attend a wedding of Nick’s best friend. She is treated horribly by Nick’s traditional family and their friends, who are trying their best to get her out of the picture. We follow as Rachel learns about Nick’s past and family, secrets of her own past, and see her struggle to figure out who she is or what she should do.
The book changes perspective every chapter, so you really get the back story on and thoughts of all the main characters. You learn about this lifestyle that is so extravagant I couldn’t even dream that big. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to pick up the next book!
Rachel Chu is thrust into the lifestyle of the crazy rich in Singapore when she and her boyfriend Nick travel to attend a wedding of Nick’s best friend. She is treated horribly by Nick’s traditional family and their friends, who are trying their best to get her out of the picture. We follow as Rachel learns about Nick’s past and family, secrets of her own past, and see her struggle to figure out who she is or what she should do.
The book changes perspective every chapter, so you really get the back story on and thoughts of all the main characters. You learn about this lifestyle that is so extravagant I couldn’t even dream that big. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to pick up the next book!