
Heat Wave
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Published in Penguin Modern Classics, Penelope Lively's Heat Wave is a moving portrayal of a fragile...

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Book
If it is true that great art comes from great suffering, then the art of Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 -...

Time Slips: Queer Temporalities, Contemporary Performance, and the Hole of History
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This bold book investigates how performance can transform the way people perceive trauma and memory,...

When Dating Becomes Dangerous: A Parent's Guide to Preventing Relationship Abuse
Mariska Hargitay, Barrie Levy and Patricia Occhiuzzo Giggans
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Send your teenager out into the dating world equipped with the knowledge, strength, and...

Rob Cohen recommended Irréversible (2002) in Movies (curated)

Susanne Bier recommended 1917 (2020) in Movies (curated)

LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Oath (2018) in Movies
Nov 8, 2020

Terry Crews recommended The Thing (1982) in Movies (curated)
This was definitely new level of apocalypse! I've read a few Dystopians (The Hunger Games and Divergent, for example) but none were quite like this. The idea is intriguing - something is causing people to turn into violent maniacs who usually murder those surrounding them before bringing themselves to death. I'm many, many ways, the fact these characters cannot see - are not allowed to look - at what's causing so much chaos is the suspense, leaving you with questions such as: what are they, why do they exist and how do they exist, what is their purpose, what do they want? I never would have thought of it without Tom's insight, but I suppose he had a point - are these creatures consciously evil of the destruction they are causing? Either way, it makes for an interesting, albeit frustrating, concept. I chose to read this before watching the movie and I can understand how this could play out better on the big screen, but I feel like Josh did an excellent job at using the absence of sight with his words. I read Bird Box in one sitting, was curious about the nature of these creatures, interested in the possibility of a relationship between Tom and Malorie. The ending felt like it could have been final: Malorie and the kids and up at their destination and live happily ever after; but I'm fully aware there is at least one more novel, which I look forward to reading so I can hopefully get more answers about these deadly creatures.

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Logan (2017) in Movies
Sep 20, 2019 (Updated Sep 20, 2019)
This is the third solo outing for Wolverine (following one garbage pile attempt, and one annoyingly average attempt), James Mangold really pulled it out of the bag for this one.
The characters are great - Hugh Jackman at the top of his game for his final performance as Logan. He's a grizzled and pain ridden man, in this bleak, mutantless future.
Patrick Stewart is also at his best here as Charles Xavier. The two of them are the beating heart of this movie.
We're introduced to Dafne Keen (playing a young X-23) who rounds out the small cast nicely.
As Logan fights a shadowy organization to keep her safe, the stakes have never been higher, and no one feels safe at any point - something that has never really been explored in the X-Men franchise.
Logan is a hard film to watch, it's bleak, its gritty, it's not particularly colourful (especially if you opt for the brilliant Noir version), and it's brutally violent in parts.
The set pieces are nasty in places, and sometimes pretty shocking, but it all aids the narrative here - the narrative that Wolverine is an ailing old man, who is struggling against all odds to do one last good deed, and protect the few people that still mean something to him.
It's an emotional and powerful film, that deserves all the praise bestowed upon it - amazing work from everyone involved .