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Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated In the Time of the Butterflies in Books
Jan 25, 2020
Oh my goodness, this book. I am simultaneously at a loss for words and still have so much to say. My first inclination after reading this book is disappointment. Not in the writing or the story itself, but in me, actually. I am Dominican. Though I was born in the United States, I speak Spanglish - definitely more English than Spanish - and I've never been to the DR, I still felt this deep disappointment in myself. For not knowing my own history. I'm a first-generation American. My father was born in Santo Domingo and as a product of my circumstances, I don't know enough about my family's native country. And in a large way, that's on me. It's not like I'm incapable of learning, I'm 20 years old and I live in the digital age, for goodness sake. I don't know if I have any sort of excuse, and even if I did, I'm not sure it's a good one. But regardless, the disappointment is there.
This book gave me a connection. A connection to the history, to the language, to the land - one I didn't have before. As I moved through the novel and became familiar with Dedé, Minerva, Patria, and María Teresa, I found bits of myself in each of them. I found myself talking to them as if I knew them or they were my friends, wanting to provide them comfort, advice, a swift kick in the butt when I thought they needed more of a push. I wish I could truly put into words all the things this novel did for me and made me feel. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to find them.
What I loved most about this story is the truth in it all. Trujillo was a dictator and under his regime, the DR fell apart. I loved that the Mirabal sisters were real and that while their story was one worth telling, the one in this book was fictionalized but still rang true in some aspects. I loved that their story was told from all four of their perspectives, not just Dedé, as the survivor.
I think this novel is one that should be read by many, and I think this story - one of the Mirabal sisters - is one that should be shouted from as many rooftops as possible.
"The function of freedom is to free someone else." - Toni Morrison
This book gave me a connection. A connection to the history, to the language, to the land - one I didn't have before. As I moved through the novel and became familiar with Dedé, Minerva, Patria, and María Teresa, I found bits of myself in each of them. I found myself talking to them as if I knew them or they were my friends, wanting to provide them comfort, advice, a swift kick in the butt when I thought they needed more of a push. I wish I could truly put into words all the things this novel did for me and made me feel. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to find them.
What I loved most about this story is the truth in it all. Trujillo was a dictator and under his regime, the DR fell apart. I loved that the Mirabal sisters were real and that while their story was one worth telling, the one in this book was fictionalized but still rang true in some aspects. I loved that their story was told from all four of their perspectives, not just Dedé, as the survivor.
I think this novel is one that should be read by many, and I think this story - one of the Mirabal sisters - is one that should be shouted from as many rooftops as possible.
"The function of freedom is to free someone else." - Toni Morrison
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Girl in the Spider's Web: Continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This book picks up, time-wise, after the last of Stieg Larsson's Millennium books ended. Mikael Blomkvist is struggling - his career is being debated in the press and his beloved Millennium magazine is floundering. He receives a tip from a source about a story. Mikael reluctantly follows up, but becomes more intrigued when it sounds like the story might involve Lisbeth Salander. Mikael immediately gets sucked into a plot of intrigue with implications far beyond his greatest expectations.
I was hesitant to read this novel, knowing the fights between Larsson's girlfriend and his family over his material. Eventually, I chose to read it, as I think of Blomkvist and Salander as dear friends and it was difficult to pass up the chance to continue to read further about their lives. I think Lagercrantz does a good job picking up with the material. No one can fill Larsson's shoes, in any way, but he does an excellent job of staying true to the characters and creating a highly suspenseful and interesting tale.
It's apparent you're not reading a Larsson novel at times - the plot is almost too quickly paced, versus Larsson's meandering writing. Lagercrantz goes into a lot of backstory, which is very interesting, but did leave me wondering how much was "true" (hard to leave behind the whole author dispute at times). But mostly, the plot was so well paced and well-written and Blomkvist seemed so like himself, that I just found myself immersed in the story. The story flips between Sweden and the USA -- bringing in an element of the NSA -- and it's exciting and fun. Lagercrantz does a strong job of bringing the series into the present day with this plotline. He also writes about an autistic child, August, so clearly, that you just find yourself rooting for the kid.
Blomkvist, as I mentioned, seems much his usual self. I love him so, so it was a little easier to overlook the lack of Lisbeth in this novel, but I do have to point it out - there's definitely not as much Lisbeth as one might want. She's around, of course, and amazing and strong (of course!), but you'll find yourself wishing for more Lisbeth scenes.
Finally, the end left me wishing for more in the series, so I figure that's a sign Lagercrantz did his job well, despite all the tumult associated with the book. I appreciate the care he took with Lisbeth and Blomkvist, and I was glad to spend some time with them again. I have to admit - I hope they'll be back. In the meantime, it was fun to catch up with them again.
I was hesitant to read this novel, knowing the fights between Larsson's girlfriend and his family over his material. Eventually, I chose to read it, as I think of Blomkvist and Salander as dear friends and it was difficult to pass up the chance to continue to read further about their lives. I think Lagercrantz does a good job picking up with the material. No one can fill Larsson's shoes, in any way, but he does an excellent job of staying true to the characters and creating a highly suspenseful and interesting tale.
It's apparent you're not reading a Larsson novel at times - the plot is almost too quickly paced, versus Larsson's meandering writing. Lagercrantz goes into a lot of backstory, which is very interesting, but did leave me wondering how much was "true" (hard to leave behind the whole author dispute at times). But mostly, the plot was so well paced and well-written and Blomkvist seemed so like himself, that I just found myself immersed in the story. The story flips between Sweden and the USA -- bringing in an element of the NSA -- and it's exciting and fun. Lagercrantz does a strong job of bringing the series into the present day with this plotline. He also writes about an autistic child, August, so clearly, that you just find yourself rooting for the kid.
Blomkvist, as I mentioned, seems much his usual self. I love him so, so it was a little easier to overlook the lack of Lisbeth in this novel, but I do have to point it out - there's definitely not as much Lisbeth as one might want. She's around, of course, and amazing and strong (of course!), but you'll find yourself wishing for more Lisbeth scenes.
Finally, the end left me wishing for more in the series, so I figure that's a sign Lagercrantz did his job well, despite all the tumult associated with the book. I appreciate the care he took with Lisbeth and Blomkvist, and I was glad to spend some time with them again. I have to admit - I hope they'll be back. In the meantime, it was fun to catch up with them again.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated 12 Strong (2018) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
In the direct aftermath of terrorist attacks of 09/11 the US military was tasked with assisting the people of Afghanistan in taking back control from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The one of the first objectives was to help The Northern Alliance, a group of warlords who opposed the Taliban rule, take the strategically critical city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan. A team of twelve Green Berets, code name Task Force Dagger, led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) will have to help one of the warlords, General Dostum (Navid Negahban), overtake several Afghan villages before reaching Mazar-i-Sharif. Dostum leads about 200 soldiers and a varying number of militia. They have small arms are the only mode of transportation through the narrow mountain passes is by horse. The Taliban, led by Mullah Razzan (Numan Acar), have over 50,000 soldiers. They also have tanks, missiles, heavy machine guns and a supply line of more men and machinery coming in every day. Nelson and his team will have to go against these overwhelming odds in unknown terrain all on horseback. But these “Horse Soldiers” don’t hesitate and know that they have a job to and if they don’t terrorist will take control of the country and further terrorism will only escalate.
This true story is a well told and evenly paced film. It showed a moment in history and the immediate response by the military. It also told one of the more original stories of war. The Nicolai Fuglsig (Exfil) has some well-done action scenes and overall interesting cinematography. I enjoyed the story and for the most part the cast, which also includes Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Boardwalk Empire), Michael Pena (End of Watch, Crash) and Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight). Negahban as Dostum is good as the tough, untrusting warlord. I also enjoyed the mix of action and dialog on strategy. Where this film tends to fail is that for a true story it is made more like a typical action film. It is full of semi-cheesy one liners and poorly timed cliché a motivational moments. I really did enjoy the film but at times I found myself trying not to laugh out loud during what should have been serious plot points.
As far as an action film this was a fun story and brought the gun fights and explosions that you would definitely look for. It also shows some the strategic side of the war. At the end of the night I enjoyed the film even though I thought that it could have been a little more serious and a little less campy.
This true story is a well told and evenly paced film. It showed a moment in history and the immediate response by the military. It also told one of the more original stories of war. The Nicolai Fuglsig (Exfil) has some well-done action scenes and overall interesting cinematography. I enjoyed the story and for the most part the cast, which also includes Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Boardwalk Empire), Michael Pena (End of Watch, Crash) and Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight). Negahban as Dostum is good as the tough, untrusting warlord. I also enjoyed the mix of action and dialog on strategy. Where this film tends to fail is that for a true story it is made more like a typical action film. It is full of semi-cheesy one liners and poorly timed cliché a motivational moments. I really did enjoy the film but at times I found myself trying not to laugh out loud during what should have been serious plot points.
As far as an action film this was a fun story and brought the gun fights and explosions that you would definitely look for. It also shows some the strategic side of the war. At the end of the night I enjoyed the film even though I thought that it could have been a little more serious and a little less campy.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) in Movies
Dec 13, 2019
"Anything mentionable is manageable"
Tom Hanks' new movie is a film I personally struggled to fully engage with. But some I suspect will truly LOVE it's gentle and feel-good nature.
Who WAS Fred Rogers? Based on a true story this movie very quickly makes you realise that Fred Rogers, who died in 2003, was an American legend. This is supported by the GLOWING reviews here on IMDB by US viewers. Rogers was a children's TV presenter that used puppets and song to help children work through their fears and psychological issues. I suspect, like me, most Brits would say "WHO?" (Just as if a 60's born Brit like me saying "Let's look through the arched window" will similarly get a "WHAT?" from nearly all Americans!)
Here the story revolves not around Fred (Tom Hanks) helping a child with issues, but with Fred's fixation with 'Esquire' journo Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who is fighting his own demons of anger, resentment and pain. For Lloyd is struggling not only with his feelings about fatherhood, with the normal strains that is placing on the relationship with wife and mother Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), but also with the reemergence on the scene of his estranged and hard-drinking father Jerry (Chris Cooper).
The movie starts (and continues) with model sets reminiscent of the brilliantly barmy "Welcome to Marwen" and (the rather more subtle) "Game Night". Fun is had with matchbox-car freeways and planes flying off and clunking down on model runways.
We join Mr Rogers on set filming his series: and the movie sloooooows to match Rogers' leisurely pace. This was a movie I went into completely blind (which is unusual for me): I knew precisely zip about it. No knowledge of Rogers. No knowledge of the story. No sight of the trailer. Nothing. So these opening scenes were a real "WTF" moment as my brain struggled to work out what the story was all about.
There was undeniably something creepy about seeing the saintly Fred Rogers engaging with sick and vulnerable children. And I realised just what damage the likes of the convicted-paedophiles Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris have done to my suspicions against all such entertainers. I feared - without any background knowledge on Rogers - that the story would take a darker turn. But no! That's not the story....
For as mentioned earlier, this is the story of Lloyd. And it's a relatively simple and linear story of familial stress that we've seen in movies throughout the decades. Whether you will buy into this story-within-the-story, or not, will flavour your overall enjoyment of the film.
Many who are into analysis and 'talking treatments' will - I think - appreciate the script. But I personally didn't really warm to any of the players - other than Rogers - so this was a negative for me. And I found the pace so slow that I ended up a bit fidgety and bored moving into the second reel of the film. Two women got up and walked out at that point - - it was clearly not for them (this was a Cineworld "Unlimited" pre-release screening).
The third reel rather pulled it together again, and established an "It's a Wonderful Life" style of feelgood that I warmed to much more.
This is a movie I predict the Academy will love. And everyone loves Hanks already. Read the tea-leaves. It's a brilliant performance from Hanks in its stillness and quietness.
No more so than in one particular scene....
This is the follow up movie from Marielle Heller to the impressive "Can You Ever Forgive Me?". And this particular scene - let's call it the "Anti-When-Harry-Met-Sally" moment - is a massively brave and striking piece of cinema.
It's truly extraordinary and worth the price of a ticket alone.
In summary, I enjoyed this movie, primarily for watching the master Hanks at work. The pacing for me was somewhat off though. But I can't be overly critical of such a warm-hearted movie. I predict you will see this and go home with a big dose of the warm-fuzzies.
See here for the full graphical review - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2019/12/12/one-manns-movies-film-review-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood-2019/
Who WAS Fred Rogers? Based on a true story this movie very quickly makes you realise that Fred Rogers, who died in 2003, was an American legend. This is supported by the GLOWING reviews here on IMDB by US viewers. Rogers was a children's TV presenter that used puppets and song to help children work through their fears and psychological issues. I suspect, like me, most Brits would say "WHO?" (Just as if a 60's born Brit like me saying "Let's look through the arched window" will similarly get a "WHAT?" from nearly all Americans!)
Here the story revolves not around Fred (Tom Hanks) helping a child with issues, but with Fred's fixation with 'Esquire' journo Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who is fighting his own demons of anger, resentment and pain. For Lloyd is struggling not only with his feelings about fatherhood, with the normal strains that is placing on the relationship with wife and mother Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), but also with the reemergence on the scene of his estranged and hard-drinking father Jerry (Chris Cooper).
The movie starts (and continues) with model sets reminiscent of the brilliantly barmy "Welcome to Marwen" and (the rather more subtle) "Game Night". Fun is had with matchbox-car freeways and planes flying off and clunking down on model runways.
We join Mr Rogers on set filming his series: and the movie sloooooows to match Rogers' leisurely pace. This was a movie I went into completely blind (which is unusual for me): I knew precisely zip about it. No knowledge of Rogers. No knowledge of the story. No sight of the trailer. Nothing. So these opening scenes were a real "WTF" moment as my brain struggled to work out what the story was all about.
There was undeniably something creepy about seeing the saintly Fred Rogers engaging with sick and vulnerable children. And I realised just what damage the likes of the convicted-paedophiles Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris have done to my suspicions against all such entertainers. I feared - without any background knowledge on Rogers - that the story would take a darker turn. But no! That's not the story....
For as mentioned earlier, this is the story of Lloyd. And it's a relatively simple and linear story of familial stress that we've seen in movies throughout the decades. Whether you will buy into this story-within-the-story, or not, will flavour your overall enjoyment of the film.
Many who are into analysis and 'talking treatments' will - I think - appreciate the script. But I personally didn't really warm to any of the players - other than Rogers - so this was a negative for me. And I found the pace so slow that I ended up a bit fidgety and bored moving into the second reel of the film. Two women got up and walked out at that point - - it was clearly not for them (this was a Cineworld "Unlimited" pre-release screening).
The third reel rather pulled it together again, and established an "It's a Wonderful Life" style of feelgood that I warmed to much more.
This is a movie I predict the Academy will love. And everyone loves Hanks already. Read the tea-leaves. It's a brilliant performance from Hanks in its stillness and quietness.
No more so than in one particular scene....
This is the follow up movie from Marielle Heller to the impressive "Can You Ever Forgive Me?". And this particular scene - let's call it the "Anti-When-Harry-Met-Sally" moment - is a massively brave and striking piece of cinema.
It's truly extraordinary and worth the price of a ticket alone.
In summary, I enjoyed this movie, primarily for watching the master Hanks at work. The pacing for me was somewhat off though. But I can't be overly critical of such a warm-hearted movie. I predict you will see this and go home with a big dose of the warm-fuzzies.
See here for the full graphical review - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2019/12/12/one-manns-movies-film-review-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood-2019/
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Jul 25, 2017
Pretty Average
It's probably best not to take this review too seriously as I actually managed to fall asleep during this movie at two or three separate points so I'm not sure how much of it I missed!! Note to self: Do not go on a brewery tour, followed by a tasting session, just a few short hours before heading into the cinema...
That being said, I did see a fairly large chunk of the start of the movie, and towards the end, and what I saw was pretty average. The characters were average and the interaction between them all was so-so. The humour was pretty light but the story itself, particularly due to the fact that it's based on true events, was actually very good. To be honest though, I'm not sure I understand all the buzz surrounding this movie and it obviously didn't grab me enough to keep me awake either.
That being said, I did see a fairly large chunk of the start of the movie, and towards the end, and what I saw was pretty average. The characters were average and the interaction between them all was so-so. The humour was pretty light but the story itself, particularly due to the fact that it's based on true events, was actually very good. To be honest though, I'm not sure I understand all the buzz surrounding this movie and it obviously didn't grab me enough to keep me awake either.
Johana Lee Scott (4 KP) rated How to Walk Away in Books
May 25, 2018
story (2 more)
realness
genuine
I Couldn't Put It Down
Let me just start by saying I received an advanced copy of this book thru #shespeaks. I thought it was going to be an average romantic plotted read. It was so much more for me. This book hit home with the realness and struggle a person goes thru after a life changing accident. In 1984 my other was crushed in a car accident, while she was pregnant with my little brother. Her best friend died. They told my mother she would never walk again. She struggled and fought and struggled some more. This book didn't sugar coat how difficult something like this can be. I appreciated this book much more than I can ever say. You can literally go from having everything...and nothing in literally one moment. Building yourself back up is the true victory after something like that happens.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Much Ado About You (Essex Sisters, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Much Ado About You was a lovely historical romance. Eloisa James' writing has an almost lyrical lilt to it that is fresh and delightful. The story was nicely told and paced, and felt more true-to-life than others I've read in the same genre. Tess was a wonderful and likable heroine who was smart, witty and confident. I look forward to future installments and can't wait for Imogen to grow up and mature. All along the book reminded me a bit of Little Women, even though I've never read it and only seen the film version with Winona Ryder, and in the back of the book Ms. James acknowledges that she was inspired by Louisa May Alcott. My only quibble would be that Lucius could have been more fleshed out and the end seemed a bit abrupt. Other than that, I really enjoyed this quick and easy foray into Eloisa James' charming and witty world of the Essex sisters.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated All the Money in the World (2017) in Movies
Feb 17, 2019
Drawn out
It's a shame that this film will always be known as the film that deleted Kevin Spacey. And although i like Christopher Plummer, I spent the entirety of this wondering if it would've been any better if they had left Spacey in.
The main problem with this film is that it drags out a basic kidnapping across 2 hours and it is just far too long. There wasn't enough tension to hold my attention and i found myself getting a little bored. There were some good performances but they couldn't lift the drearyness from this film. I also really couldn't stand Michelle Williams, which is unusual as I used to think she was a good actress, but in this and Venom that I've seen her in recently, she's been pretty bad.
Ultimately there isn't really much in this film to recommend. If you wanted to know the true story behind this, it'd be better just to look it up.
The main problem with this film is that it drags out a basic kidnapping across 2 hours and it is just far too long. There wasn't enough tension to hold my attention and i found myself getting a little bored. There were some good performances but they couldn't lift the drearyness from this film. I also really couldn't stand Michelle Williams, which is unusual as I used to think she was a good actress, but in this and Venom that I've seen her in recently, she's been pretty bad.
Ultimately there isn't really much in this film to recommend. If you wanted to know the true story behind this, it'd be better just to look it up.
Sam (74 KP) rated Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, #2) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
This series is so addictive. I completely devoured this second book after finishing the first. It’s the sort of book that you can binge in one sitting which is partly why I loved it so much.
This was even better than the first book. There was somehow even more action and drama packed into this little book and it still didn’t feel like there was to much in such a short space. The action was completely gripping and still managed to keep me hooked to the point that I bought the third book while I was halfway through reading this one.
I loved Cammie even more in this one. Her wit gets me laughing in places and I felt every single emotion she was feeling in the book. For YA, the novel is so emotionally written and I loved that. You can completely tell with this series that Ally Carter had a true bond with Cammie, which really brings her story to life.
This was even better than the first book. There was somehow even more action and drama packed into this little book and it still didn’t feel like there was to much in such a short space. The action was completely gripping and still managed to keep me hooked to the point that I bought the third book while I was halfway through reading this one.
I loved Cammie even more in this one. Her wit gets me laughing in places and I felt every single emotion she was feeling in the book. For YA, the novel is so emotionally written and I loved that. You can completely tell with this series that Ally Carter had a true bond with Cammie, which really brings her story to life.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Lion (2016) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Based-on-a-true-story drama transcends the fact it looks rather like a big long advert for Google Earth and becomes something genuinely moving. A five year old child gets on the wrong train one night in India, and finds himself in a strange city hundreds of miles away, unable to speak the local language. After various hair-raising experiences he is adopted by a nice couple from Tasmania. Many years later, and apparently settled in his new life, he finds the urge to find his home still lingers...
Definitely a film of two halves, with the second one being a bit more internal and short on actual incident - nevertheless, strong performances from the cast keep this very involving and watchable. Covers a lot of the same ground as Slumdog Millionaire, but puts its own spin on it; the climax is honestly rather affecting. Probably won't rock your world but still a well-made movie.
Definitely a film of two halves, with the second one being a bit more internal and short on actual incident - nevertheless, strong performances from the cast keep this very involving and watchable. Covers a lot of the same ground as Slumdog Millionaire, but puts its own spin on it; the climax is honestly rather affecting. Probably won't rock your world but still a well-made movie.