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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated A Monster Calls (2016) in Movies
Sep 11, 2017
Tearjerker, exploring a young boy's grief
This was an unexpected little gem of a drama showing how a boy, who is having to deal with tremendous trauma, manifests his grief.
From being bullied, abandoned and dealing with a mother dying from cancer, one day a monster in the form of a tree visits him to reveal various tales with a moral context. These come in the form of beautiful animations, not too dissimilar from The Three Brothers sequence in one of the final Harry Potter films. What we have to establish is whether the boy is actually encountering this monster or whether it is part of his repressed emotions.
Acting from the entire cast including Felicity Jones and more so the young child actor was fantastic. An interesting watch.
From being bullied, abandoned and dealing with a mother dying from cancer, one day a monster in the form of a tree visits him to reveal various tales with a moral context. These come in the form of beautiful animations, not too dissimilar from The Three Brothers sequence in one of the final Harry Potter films. What we have to establish is whether the boy is actually encountering this monster or whether it is part of his repressed emotions.
Acting from the entire cast including Felicity Jones and more so the young child actor was fantastic. An interesting watch.
Midnight Sun (2018)
7.4
Rate It
Movie Watch
MIDNIGHT SUN is a romantic tearjerker about 17-year-old Katie Price (Bella Thorne), sheltered at...
A Thousand Boy Kisses
7.3
Rate It
Book
One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond...
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) in Movies
Jun 27, 2018
A real tearjerker of a documentary
It felt weird rating this documentary as "epic," but whatever.
I saw this in theaters this week and cried like a little girl. This is a documentary about a wonderful man who did wonderful things. It showcased how he cared--truly, truly cared--and it called on the audience to remember his message: that you don't have to do anything spectacular to be special. You're perfect just the way you are. You have inherent value as a person, and you deserve to be loved and to be able to love.
If ever there was a man who embodied Christian values, it was Mr. Rodgers. The interviews here were especially poignant. They have the diverse cast and crew offer their memories and opinions. Some are heartbreaking, like interview with Francois "Officer" Clemmons.
Do yourself a favor. Watch this documentary. Remember what you learned all those years ago: you are perfect just the way you are.
I saw this in theaters this week and cried like a little girl. This is a documentary about a wonderful man who did wonderful things. It showcased how he cared--truly, truly cared--and it called on the audience to remember his message: that you don't have to do anything spectacular to be special. You're perfect just the way you are. You have inherent value as a person, and you deserve to be loved and to be able to love.
If ever there was a man who embodied Christian values, it was Mr. Rodgers. The interviews here were especially poignant. They have the diverse cast and crew offer their memories and opinions. Some are heartbreaking, like interview with Francois "Officer" Clemmons.
Do yourself a favor. Watch this documentary. Remember what you learned all those years ago: you are perfect just the way you are.
Logan Eccles (135 KP) rated A Dog's Journey (2019) in Movies
Oct 1, 2020 (Updated Oct 2, 2020)
A dogs purpose again
I love a good heartfelt dog movie. My dogs love them too, they will sit and watch with me and actually get invested. And though we enjoyed this one just as much as the others that fall in the dog tearjerker movies it loses some points in my opinion in just being a repeat of the film it follows. Yes, I know it has differences but they're too small. Literally, the same joke is made about when bailey comes back as a girl. It is funny but it was already told. Don't get me wrong I like the story. I like the small connections to the first film. However, A Dogs Purpose was so special and unique they were hardpressed to make a sequel. I get it, the premise of the story can go on forever. That's the point of reincarnation but that doesn't mean the story HAS to continue. Now I do recommend this movie it is enjoyable but in my honest opinion, it wasn't necessary especially when other movies with the same idea "Dog narrated dramas" keep popping up and being successful.
Below the Big Blue Sky
10.0
Rate It
Book
'Brilliant, funny and immensely moving' Catherine Isaac, author of You, Me, Everything 'Well,...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Dear John (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
John is a soldier in the US Army on leave at a beach in South Carolina when he meets and instantly bonds with a local girl named Savannah. The two quickly develop a connection and fall in love, yet John, stationed overseas, must return to his post. The new lovebirds continue their relationship through letters, eagerly waiting for the day that John will come home and they can be together again.
For a film that exposes some of the challenges faced by love and military life, “Dear John” is truly telling. However, the lack of plot points has a slowing effect on the pace of the film. At times I felt that “Dear John” was trying to maintain the same tone as Spark’s other films, purposely slowing down and drawing out the emotional moments, even when it seemed to harm the film’s overall pacing.
However, “Dear John” was less of a tearjerker than past films based on Nicholas Spark’s novels. Maybe it is this lack of strong emotional response that also left “Dear John” less than engrossing especially when considering Spark’s other and better-done adaptations like “A Walk to Remember” or “Nights in Rodanthe”. This film seemed less like a journey or story and more like an advertisement for the oiled abdominal muscles of leading male, John (Channing Tatum).
If you do manage to sit through the entire film, the story is quite good. And for anyone who is not a book reader this is one way to learn that tale and to better understand some of the challenges faced by long term, long distance relationships. For those who do avidly read, I am sure the book is the best way to experience this particular story although it won’t provide the muscled men.
For a film that exposes some of the challenges faced by love and military life, “Dear John” is truly telling. However, the lack of plot points has a slowing effect on the pace of the film. At times I felt that “Dear John” was trying to maintain the same tone as Spark’s other films, purposely slowing down and drawing out the emotional moments, even when it seemed to harm the film’s overall pacing.
However, “Dear John” was less of a tearjerker than past films based on Nicholas Spark’s novels. Maybe it is this lack of strong emotional response that also left “Dear John” less than engrossing especially when considering Spark’s other and better-done adaptations like “A Walk to Remember” or “Nights in Rodanthe”. This film seemed less like a journey or story and more like an advertisement for the oiled abdominal muscles of leading male, John (Channing Tatum).
If you do manage to sit through the entire film, the story is quite good. And for anyone who is not a book reader this is one way to learn that tale and to better understand some of the challenges faced by long term, long distance relationships. For those who do avidly read, I am sure the book is the best way to experience this particular story although it won’t provide the muscled men.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Healing Jar in Books
Aug 10, 2019
Ever seem like you are looking for answers to a question? What if you can not at first find those answers. Do you seem ready to give up or do let it go for the time being? Well you would not think I be asking this except this exactly how Sarah Marry feels about herself? Will she find out Who her biological father is or will she not.
The Healing Jar pick this up once again where we left off. We are told about Lenore and her backstory a bit and why she is where is when we open up the book. Lenore seem like she has questions of her own. Will she find love and start a family of her own?
We meet Jesse Smucker and his daughter that are new to the community. He seem determined to not marry as he loss his first wife. God seem to have a different plan for him and his daughter. While Jesse is looking for someone to watch his 6 month old daughter while he at work, Lenore is asked if she could watch her. She accepts.
There are surprises and twist as you turn the pages. We also know that Sarah is still has a mystery to solve and we also hear and learn about Michelle story a bit more. All three girls are still pulling with the mystery of who wrote the notes in the prayer jars.
This book is everything you want in a book. It a tear tearjerker as well as being heartfelt. You will feel emotions as you turn the pages. What and ending it has. I know I could not put this book down toward the end. I was crying tears while reading. This series is another great one and one that I am thankful that own. I hope you enjoy as well. I hope to see more from these characters.
The Healing Jar pick this up once again where we left off. We are told about Lenore and her backstory a bit and why she is where is when we open up the book. Lenore seem like she has questions of her own. Will she find love and start a family of her own?
We meet Jesse Smucker and his daughter that are new to the community. He seem determined to not marry as he loss his first wife. God seem to have a different plan for him and his daughter. While Jesse is looking for someone to watch his 6 month old daughter while he at work, Lenore is asked if she could watch her. She accepts.
There are surprises and twist as you turn the pages. We also know that Sarah is still has a mystery to solve and we also hear and learn about Michelle story a bit more. All three girls are still pulling with the mystery of who wrote the notes in the prayer jars.
This book is everything you want in a book. It a tear tearjerker as well as being heartfelt. You will feel emotions as you turn the pages. What and ending it has. I know I could not put this book down toward the end. I was crying tears while reading. This series is another great one and one that I am thankful that own. I hope you enjoy as well. I hope to see more from these characters.
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Disjointed Lives in Books
Apr 3, 2018
tearjerker!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I purchased my copy of this book.
Imagine meeting your best friend for coffee and telling her something that happened ten years before, something that could possibly cost you her friendship.
Because, at it's most basic, that's what this is : two old friends, best friends, meeting for coffee and Ava has to tell Paige something that happened ten years ago, when they were estranged, something that she NEEDS to say, but knows that Paige might not, hell, she WON'T like it, but she needs to know.
At it's most complex?? It's the story of a woman who falls in love with an abusive partner and her fight to get out and away from that partner. The abuse is not physical, it's emotional, it's mental, it is total in it's destruction of Ava of old. It is total in cutting Ava off from everything and everyone she knows. It reduces her to a woman who, while maybe at the back of her mind knows that what is happening to her is not right, this marriage is not how it should be, she cannot be anything else but his wife. She knows no one will want her, because James tells her so.
But Ava finds a friend at work who is not letting her wallow, is not letting go, and Jacob helps Ava. And Ava has been dreaming about Jacob, which is what prompted this coffee shop meeting, and it all coming tumbling out of Ava.
It is beautifully written, painful reading though. While not told in great detail, there is some reference to Ava's abuse, to what James did, what he made her do. I had to keep putting it down, it made me cry in many places. It's not very long, but because I had to keep putting it down, it took me all day to read the 67 pages here. But so beautifully written!
Cutting extremely close to home on two fronts.
Because someone close to me went through what Ava did, but her abuse was physical, as well as mental. I watched her cutting us off, one by one, those closest to her first, and then spreading out, just as his tentacles spread out. And there was nothing we could do to stop it. We tried, oh Lord we tried, but she was in love. We had to wait til she came to the same conclusion, and wait for her to act on her own. She did. It just took a bit of time.
And because I know Ava, because I AM Paige. Finding out a wonderful day spent in amazing company last October was the inspiration for this book made me cry. Made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this book, made me feel incredibly proud of Ms Sheppard.
I cannot express, not really, how much this book affected me. But you should know that...
IT
IS
AMAZING!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Imagine meeting your best friend for coffee and telling her something that happened ten years before, something that could possibly cost you her friendship.
Because, at it's most basic, that's what this is : two old friends, best friends, meeting for coffee and Ava has to tell Paige something that happened ten years ago, when they were estranged, something that she NEEDS to say, but knows that Paige might not, hell, she WON'T like it, but she needs to know.
At it's most complex?? It's the story of a woman who falls in love with an abusive partner and her fight to get out and away from that partner. The abuse is not physical, it's emotional, it's mental, it is total in it's destruction of Ava of old. It is total in cutting Ava off from everything and everyone she knows. It reduces her to a woman who, while maybe at the back of her mind knows that what is happening to her is not right, this marriage is not how it should be, she cannot be anything else but his wife. She knows no one will want her, because James tells her so.
But Ava finds a friend at work who is not letting her wallow, is not letting go, and Jacob helps Ava. And Ava has been dreaming about Jacob, which is what prompted this coffee shop meeting, and it all coming tumbling out of Ava.
It is beautifully written, painful reading though. While not told in great detail, there is some reference to Ava's abuse, to what James did, what he made her do. I had to keep putting it down, it made me cry in many places. It's not very long, but because I had to keep putting it down, it took me all day to read the 67 pages here. But so beautifully written!
Cutting extremely close to home on two fronts.
Because someone close to me went through what Ava did, but her abuse was physical, as well as mental. I watched her cutting us off, one by one, those closest to her first, and then spreading out, just as his tentacles spread out. And there was nothing we could do to stop it. We tried, oh Lord we tried, but she was in love. We had to wait til she came to the same conclusion, and wait for her to act on her own. She did. It just took a bit of time.
And because I know Ava, because I AM Paige. Finding out a wonderful day spent in amazing company last October was the inspiration for this book made me cry. Made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this book, made me feel incredibly proud of Ms Sheppard.
I cannot express, not really, how much this book affected me. But you should know that...
IT
IS
AMAZING!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Saving Private Ryan (1998) in Movies
Feb 9, 2021
A classic
Film #14 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: Saving Private Ryan
When I think of war films, I immediately think of Saving Private Ryan. This is partly because I shamefully haven’t seen the majority of the older classic war films (but I may have done by the time I reach the end of this list), and also because this is the first war film I ever saw. I have my dad to thank for introducing me to this, he was obsessed with anything war related, and while I would never admit this to him as a teenager, even back then I could appreciate how brilliant this film was.
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 World War II epic from Steven Spielberg that follows a group of soldiers as they embark on a mission across France to rescue a man who’s 3 brothers have been killed in action. It stars Tom Hanks as Captain Miller as he leads a host of recognisable faces including Vin Diesel (Caparzo), Barry Pepper (Jackson), Tom Sizemore (Horvath), Giovanni Ribisi (Wade), Edward Burns (Reiben) and Jeremy Davies as Upham as they trek across country to find Matt Damon’s Private Ryan.
The main plot is definitely very Hollywood, but the film itself looks and feels like anything but a glamorous Hollywood blockbuster. This is by far the grittiest, darkest and most horrific war film I’ve seen to date. Spielberg does not shy away from displaying the true horror of war, from the blood and gore of the fighting to the physical and psychological effects it had on the soldiers , it’s all here in all of its horrifying glory. One of the most memorable scenes of any war film is the opening sequence of the D-Day landings, that shows a haunting and frightfully bloody side of the war that no other films have managed to capture in such a dark and emotionally draining manner. Even the opening scene in Arlington Cemetery, especially when paired with a moving score from John Williams, is a tearjerker only a few minutes into the 2.5 hour runtime. I don’t know how factually realistic this whole film is, but it’s definitely one of the most compellingly believable films I’ve ever seen, especially the death scenes.
Visually the cinematography helps with the dark and gritty feeling. Everything looks grey and drab, even hazy at times, and this only helps to promote the overall tone of the film. Admittedly there are parts of this now that do look a little dated and there are a few early scenes with a strange out of place camera flare, but considering it was released 23 years ago, it’s aged pretty well and still looks quite good. It’s helped by a truly stellar cast lead by the ever brilliant Tom Hanks, who’s turn as Captain Miller is hauntingly good. The fact that he didn’t win the Oscar for his performance is criminal. Him alongside the rest of the cast, including memorably brash Brooklynite Reiben (Burns) and God-fearing elite sniper Jackson (Pepper), completely embody the camaraderie, friendship and sometimes hostility shown by the group of men perfectly. My only slight criticism of this film is that after growing to know and like these men over the course of the film, there is a question mark over some of their fates at the end which is a tiny bit disappointing.
Saving Private Ryan won 5 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Cinematography, but was nominated for many others including Best Picture, which in my opinion it deserved far more than the film that won in 1999 (Shakespeare in Love), as this is undoubtedly an all time classic war film.
When I think of war films, I immediately think of Saving Private Ryan. This is partly because I shamefully haven’t seen the majority of the older classic war films (but I may have done by the time I reach the end of this list), and also because this is the first war film I ever saw. I have my dad to thank for introducing me to this, he was obsessed with anything war related, and while I would never admit this to him as a teenager, even back then I could appreciate how brilliant this film was.
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 World War II epic from Steven Spielberg that follows a group of soldiers as they embark on a mission across France to rescue a man who’s 3 brothers have been killed in action. It stars Tom Hanks as Captain Miller as he leads a host of recognisable faces including Vin Diesel (Caparzo), Barry Pepper (Jackson), Tom Sizemore (Horvath), Giovanni Ribisi (Wade), Edward Burns (Reiben) and Jeremy Davies as Upham as they trek across country to find Matt Damon’s Private Ryan.
The main plot is definitely very Hollywood, but the film itself looks and feels like anything but a glamorous Hollywood blockbuster. This is by far the grittiest, darkest and most horrific war film I’ve seen to date. Spielberg does not shy away from displaying the true horror of war, from the blood and gore of the fighting to the physical and psychological effects it had on the soldiers , it’s all here in all of its horrifying glory. One of the most memorable scenes of any war film is the opening sequence of the D-Day landings, that shows a haunting and frightfully bloody side of the war that no other films have managed to capture in such a dark and emotionally draining manner. Even the opening scene in Arlington Cemetery, especially when paired with a moving score from John Williams, is a tearjerker only a few minutes into the 2.5 hour runtime. I don’t know how factually realistic this whole film is, but it’s definitely one of the most compellingly believable films I’ve ever seen, especially the death scenes.
Visually the cinematography helps with the dark and gritty feeling. Everything looks grey and drab, even hazy at times, and this only helps to promote the overall tone of the film. Admittedly there are parts of this now that do look a little dated and there are a few early scenes with a strange out of place camera flare, but considering it was released 23 years ago, it’s aged pretty well and still looks quite good. It’s helped by a truly stellar cast lead by the ever brilliant Tom Hanks, who’s turn as Captain Miller is hauntingly good. The fact that he didn’t win the Oscar for his performance is criminal. Him alongside the rest of the cast, including memorably brash Brooklynite Reiben (Burns) and God-fearing elite sniper Jackson (Pepper), completely embody the camaraderie, friendship and sometimes hostility shown by the group of men perfectly. My only slight criticism of this film is that after growing to know and like these men over the course of the film, there is a question mark over some of their fates at the end which is a tiny bit disappointing.
Saving Private Ryan won 5 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Cinematography, but was nominated for many others including Best Picture, which in my opinion it deserved far more than the film that won in 1999 (Shakespeare in Love), as this is undoubtedly an all time classic war film.
