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Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
I'm A Believer
Midsommar is a modern day folklore fairytale masterpiece that's traumatizing, intoxicating, stomach churning & deeply hypnotic. If you've seen Raw or the Witch & enjoyed them Midsommar is easily on par standard wise & comparability wise to them. A tale of love, passion, grievance, trauma, connection, communion, religion, celebration, purity & punishment. Filled with folklore, depth, symbolisum, metaphores & small visual clues Midsommar is one giant puzzle box & for everyone paying close attention there are entire multiple layers hidden in everything. Be it the pictures hung on the walls in the background, dialog, music cues, camera angles, subbtle special effects, screen transitions, facial expressions & props. Most people watching this film will leave wondering what strange horror movie they just saw & while technically it is a horror as the film played out I began to realise its intentions thus seeing its beauty & messages clearly. For instance like how if we all united as one unity & learnt to love rather than hate we could live in perfect harmony with nature. Acting is jaw dropping especially from the lead actress & sound design realises that creating tension doesn't necessarily need any sound at all. Visually its vibrant & striking with subtle effects like things pulsing & warping as if reality its self is an illusion. Midsommar made me feel quezy, disturbed, intreagued & so happy with chills going up & down my spine frequently as I also couldn't shake this feeling of dread the entire time. When violence hits it hits hard & sickeningly rough but as the last scene played out & the perfect ending hit I was smiling the most I have during a film in a long time. What an intelligent, thought provoking look at how a trauma in life can make us more susceptible & easily lead, how guilt/trauma manifests in us, how innocence & purity thrives above deceit & selfishness, but most importantly how we could all live way happier & more for filling lives as if we all respected each other & the world around us experiencing both pain & pleasure as one. Go see it sit in the front row & let Midsommar embrace & absorb you in the best experience of the year so far by far.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) Jul 5, 2019

Really want to see this!

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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) Jul 5, 2019

Man you simply have to

Set the Stars Alight
Set the Stars Alight
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/08/10/set-the-stars-alight-book-spotlight-review/

This is my first book by Amanda Dykes and just wow... It has taken me a few days to really process this book and get my thoughts together on it.

I honestly have no idea where to start with this review. I have never read a book quite like this one. It is full of lyrical words and phrases that set your mind alight with thoughts and pondering's about the deeper thoughts of the world. Then interwoven are two stories about finding the way home from out of the dark. It does not read like your typical dual timeline story. It is two stories so deeply and flawlessly put together that it almost seems like a story inside of a story, rather than two separate stories intermingling. I loved the mystery of it, fitting clues together in my mind and thinking about the meaning behind the words the characters were saying. I really enjoyed this thought-provoking story.

“Nothing is impossible. Just think. Pay attention. Stretch forward. When things seem dark, Lucy, that is when you fight for the light. I think it is the duty to keep the stories, to pass them on. It is our duty- and our honor. In a world as dark as ours, people forget how to see the light. So we remind them by telling the truth, fighting the dark, paying attention...setting the stars alight.”

The characters showed almost a banked set of emotions, letting you see little bits of themselves over time as you got to know them better. I loved their selfless actions, their growth, and their deep pondering's that led to an undercurrent of deeper meaning throughout the whole story.

 Truly a very well-done book of characters with lots of layers, emotions, and mystery. I give it 5 out of 5 stars for the amazingly well-done dual timeline, the historical facts, and mystery, and for making me think deeply about what was happening inside these pages.

*I volunteered to read this story in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
The Joy of Falling
The Joy of Falling
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
How do I describe something so sweet and bitter at the same time…?

This is my first time reading a book by Lindsay Harrel and wow what a book it was. The Joy of Falling was exactly what the name implies. It’s a book about people experiencing the joys and sorrows that come with aligning your life with someone else’s and learning who you are in the process. The main characters Eva and Angela, go through so much growth both mentally and physically, while learning about what joy truly means.

“Because joy isn’t dependent on you or even the good things in life, like a wonderful husband. It’s dependent on God, and on you being reconciled with Him. It’s rooted in a deep knowing that no matter what happens in this life, you have someone you can hold on to even when you are drowning”.

Overall, I would say that this book had some awesome thought-provoking layers that I am still processing. I loved the setting of this book as well (I mean who wouldn’t want to go to New Zealand?). From the different perspectives on marriage to the mental push of getting through an Ultra- Marathon I fell in love with these characters and I learned from them. That is what I think makes this book special. It’s a book that most people can relate to in one form or another, a book that you can learn from, and a book that inspires to you find the Joy that God so readily provides. This book showed me that I need to be more intentional in my life and less dependent on what other people think. I need to choose Joy.

I highly recommend reading this book. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the storyline, and for the amazing journey of finding Joy.

I am looking forward to reading more books by Lindsay Harrel, only question I have is: is the Ultra-Marathon in New Zealand real?

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
The Killing Choice
The Killing Choice
Will Shindler | 2021 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is told from multiple perspectives, sharing the thoughts of a very wide variety of characters. The detectives Finn and Paulsen are the ones tasked to solve murders that happened in a very strange circumstances. This crime story is very strongly driven by it’s characters. There are a lot of thoughts shared not only by police, but by the victims’ family as well. The characters are very different and all of them troubled, none of the character is happy in this book. 😀 Every character analise different topic and different feelings, and it does become a little overwhelming sometimes. I really enjoyed the diversity and inclusion of the characters in this book, I like wider representation of people.

As I mentioned before, this novel is more character driven than the plot, that is why, I think the investigation part was quite thin in this book. The surprising discoveries just kind of appear, missing the juicy surprises while investigating. I think all the thinking parts made this book seem quite slow, but on the other hand it allowed the reader to get to know the characters better. I liked that this book has different storylines, and it was interesting to see how all the stories get connected at the end. The topics discussed in this book were all possible aspects of grief, family relationships, drug dealing, guilt, council estate life, mental health issues, revenge, and many more.

The writing style of this book is enjoyable and easy to read. The setting of this book keeps changing, depending on the character, and I really enjoyed that. When the book has many perspectives, I find it difficult to know who is who, especially when their names and surnames are being used without one another. Personally, I prefer either names or surnames, otherwise I am wondering who that person is. 😀 The chapters are pretty short and the pages just flew by for me. I liked the ending of this novel, it rounded up the story very nicely.

So, to conclude, it is a very thought provoking crime story, filled with complex and deeply troubled characters as well as a layered plot. It is a slow burner, that allows the reader to delve deeply into the character’s world.
  
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
2019 | Drama
What ar*ehole doesn't like pinapple?
El Camino is an impressive gritty follow up to breaking bad that finally gives fans the closure they've been longing for. Now I liked Breaking Bad (id give it a solid 8/10) but its not something ive ever desired to watch again so when I saw El Camino on Netflix I wasn't that desperate to see it but thank goodness I did because it surpasses the show in every way. Starting off where the show ends yet it feels immediately aparent this movie has a different tone/style to it. Its way more gritty, grainy looking, atmospheric and overall feels much more raw and dark. Theres such an over powering sadness too and as we follow Jesse we see just how traumatised and broken he's become from past events and its hard to not feel really emotionally attached, drained, exhausted for him. Playing out as a kind of character progression movie we follow Jesse as he struggles to survive on his own scared and with nothing but a car. Its his progress and changing as a person that keeps the film incredibly engaging and as we whiteness him mature, grown, learn and adapt in this harsh world we see he becomes stronger and while he might hate Heisenberg he almost has to become and learn from him to be stronger as a person and to ensure his survival. Arron Paul is stunning especialy when Jesse is pushed past his breaking point really nailing a great character change from pathetic insignificant bug into a dangerous calculating intimidating danger. What also makes Jesse great is he still knows where he came from and hes always thankful/appreciative and never forgets what he lost or the people that have helped him and inspired him. Cinematography is simply stunning as is camera work and the chill inducing soundtrack really helps make some really tense scenes too. Highly recomended and with a great thought provoking ending that proves trauma/sadness never really leave us once weve experienced it. El Camino is a very pleasant surprise especially for a netflix movie.