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Ramona the Pest (Ramona, #2)
10
8.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read RAMONA THE PEST with my eight-year-old daughters. We had such fun with this one, and wow, the story really holds up over time. They were totally into it, laughing and engaged throughout the entire book. The actual physical copy we read was mine, given to me by my Dad in 1987, and I loved that I could share it with them now.

Ramona--what can I say? A timeless character. The girls adored her, and I fell in love with her all over again. Cleary has such an amazing knack for writing children and capturing their true essence. Reading it again as a parent I was truly blown away by how well she could write from a child's perspective. Grace and Zoe loved Ramona's antics, and we are already on to the next book.
  
The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
1957 | Drama, Romance, War
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"A vanguard film (again). 1957. A great love story. But mostly a work of overimpressive technical virtuosity. Breathtaking crane shots, hair-raising forest sequences (with a memorable rotating low-angle shot of trees dissolving into one another), an amazing and very swift traveling shot (captured from a tram in movement) in which the lead actress dives into a crowd, looking for the man she loves. We follow her, and once she is stopped by a fence, we tilt up fluidly, and end the scene with a great ensemble shot. Superb art direction, superb lighting, with curtains flying in the wind, hiding the face of the actress, partially lit with lightning flashes. A true work of art. Tatyana Samojlova, who won an award at Cannes for this role, is brilliant and touching, and delivers a rather minimalist performance for its time."

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Vengeance Is Mine (Blood for Blood) (1974)
Vengeance Is Mine (Blood for Blood) (1974)
1974 | International, Drama, Mystery
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"A tough, energetic chase film from Japan in the late
 seventies, based on a true story, with a strong performance by Ken Ogata as an 
outwardly charming con man and serial killer. It differs from the formal style
 of the great Japanese filmmakers like Ozu, to whom Imamura was
 an assistant. When Imamura started directing, he wanted to make films as unlike Ozu’s
 as possible, and Vengeance Is Mine is the best example of that. He leaves all judgment of his characters to the viewer, and the film is both operatic
 and contemporary. Beautifully photographed, it’s at times surreal and at other
 times plays like a documentary, which some viewers have found confusing,
 especially Imamura’s fracturing of the timeline. Those who love film and know 
Imamura’s others, like The Eel and The Battle of Nayarama, will find this one
 essential."

Source
  
The Disaster Artist (2017)
The Disaster Artist (2017)
2017 | Comedy
Aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets a mysterious man named Tommy Wiseau in his acting classes with Jean Shelton. Hoping to achieve Hollywood stardom, Sestero moves to Los Angeles and signs on to appear in his buddy's project. Financed with his own money, Wiseau writes, directs and stars in "The Room," a critically maligned movie that becomes a cult classic.

There isn't a lot to say about this one. I mainly only went to see it because some people were raving about it. This for me is skirting the fine line of "based on a true story" and reality TV. I cannot watch reality TV, I find it physically distressing watching anything that awkward. That being said, I don't feel like I was missing out on much in this film, and no one else in the cinema seemed to be enjoying it either.