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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated One to Watch in Books

Nov 12, 2020  
One to Watch
One to Watch
Kate Stayman-London | 2020 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
With more than half a million Instagram followers and a popular blog, Bea Schumacher has a great life. But she doesn't have love--she's still pining after her best friend, who broke her heart. Bea also loves the reality romance juggernaut, Main Squeeze, where men vie for the affections of a beautiful women. When Bea's critique of Main Squeeze goes viral--why doesn't the show feature any diversity of size in its cast--the show comes to her. They want Bea to be the next star. Bea agrees, but she's adamant: she won't fall in love. This is just for her career. But once on set, Bea realizes this might not be as easy as she thinks.

"Life isn’t often a fairy tale, even on a show that aims to create one.”

I've never seen "The Bachelor" (Main Squeeze's equivalent) before in my life, but I found this book fascinating. (Probably more enjoyable than the actual show, ha.) It's frothy and entertaining but also tackles serious topics like body issues and racism. Once on the show, Bea meets a host of men: some truly awful, some quite lovely. It's quite the ride to watch her have her choice of eligible and handsome men.

I found Bea a little frustrating in her absolute unwillingness to open up, leading her to wallow in self-pity and a complete inability to even consider love. But, she had her reasons. The body positivity in the book was excellent and frequent. Bea is fearful of opening up and revealing herself and her body after being hurt. But she's also a successful and strong businesswoman (and now a celebrity!). The book draws you in to the episodes of Main Squeeze--it's honestly quite addictive. It sprinkles in excepts from Twitter, chats, publications, and more to tell the story--a very effective format. And there's true humor, romance, and heartbreak involved as well.

Overall, this was probably 3.75 stars for me--bumping up due to its strong coverage of serious and important topics. Oh and for Bea's stepdad! I loved him so much. Worth a read, for sure.
  
Queen & Slim (2019)
Queen & Slim (2019)
2019 | Drama, Romance
Usually when my local cinema chain hosts a secret screening, it's for a lesser known film that they're hoping to drum up interest and support for. They do occasionally show something a bit more mainstream though (the last one I went to was for an advance showing of Le Mans '66) and a lot of people in the run up to last nights secret screening were actually expecting it to be Little Women. It turned out to be Queen & Slim, a film that I knew very little about, and probably wouldn't have ventured to see at the cinema if I'm honest. Which is obviously the whole idea behind the secret screenings and why they urge you on social media beforehand to stick with it when you discover what it is!

Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) are at a diner for their first Tinder date and they seem to be getting along, although a second date isn't exactly a definite just yet. As they drive home afterwards, they are pulled over by a white cop for driving erratically (Slim was quickly reaching to grab his phone back from Queen at the time) and for failure to execute a turn signal. There are clearly some racial motives behind the actions of the police officer though, not helped by Slim's impatience as the officer checks through the contents of his car, and the questioning coming from Queen, who works as a defense attorney and knows their rights. Following a heated exchange, a shot is fired and Queen is left with a flesh wound to her leg. An angered Slim then brawls with the cop and, in what is clearly self defense, shoots and kills the officer. Fearing what will happen to them next and the likelihood of further injustice, they decide to go on the run.

What follows is around 40 minutes of pretty tense drama, unexpectedly peppered with some moments of real humour when as the pair find themselves getting into even more difficult situations. As dash-cam footage from the vehicle of the deceased police officer goes viral, there's a real sense of urgency and intensity to their predicament, making for a really intense and gripping roller-coaster of a ride. They make it to New Orleans, and a brief stopover at the home of Queen's Uncle Earl (Bokeem Woodbine), and it's around this point in the movie that momentum gets lost somewhat, never really recovering until the finale.

Written by Lena Waithe (Master of None and Ready Player One), Queen & Slim is clearly a relevant and important movie, boasting a great look and style from director Melina Matsoukas. Daniel Kaluuya is a great choice for Slim too, no stranger to portraying strong emotions with his eyes and facial expressions, as he did so perfectly in his iconic Get Out role. While I wasn't so keen on Jodie Turner-Smith, the pair did work well together, despite making some questionable character choices at times. When a photo of the pair goes viral, they become a kind of modern day Bonnie & Clyde, hailed as heroes and legends by many as they make their way down towards Florida, where they hope to be able catch a flight to freedom in Cuba. Along the way, their relationship develops and they occasionally find support among the black community in each town they stop at.

But, following that stopover in New Orleans, Queen & Slim becomes much more of a slow meander towards the finish line, and it's a real noticeable tonal shift and change of pacing from those first 40 minutes or so. People in the cinema became fidgety (including me), some gave up on the movie completely and left the cinema (I've done that before, vowed never to do it again though) and all I could think about when they get help from some old friends of Queen's Uncle was "Is that Needles, from Back to the Future?" (it was).

All of this shouldn't detract from how important this movie is though, highlighting racial injustice and delving into real issues unashamedly. While Queen & Slim didn't quite work for me overall, it is certainly a story which deserves to be told and seen by many, getting people talking and hopefully instigating some real change. I'm glad I had the chance to see it, and glad I stuck with it right until the end.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Lee (2222 KP) Dec 4, 2019

Sarah, I think it's out over here at the end of January

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Sarah (7798 KP) Dec 4, 2019

Thanks Lee!

Contagion (2011)
Contagion (2011)
2011 | Drama
A couple of years ago, news and health agencies the world over were concerned about a possible pandemic stemming from bird flu and swine flu. Thankfully like SARS a few years earlier, the outbreaks were rather small thanks to a wealth of precautionary information and measures. In the new film “Contagion” director Steven Soderbergh paints a frighteningly realistic look at a worldwide pandemic that spread without warning, and its devastating aftermath.

When businesswoman Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), returns from a business trip to Hong Kong with what appears to be a simple case of the flu, her husband Mitch (Matt Damon), figures it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. When Beth all of a sudden begins to convulse and later dies unexpectedly, doctors are at a loss to explain what happened.

Over the next few days, more and more people become sick and die including Mitch’s young stepson, which gets the national and international disease control organizations working overtime to try to trace, identify and treat this mysterious ailment that sweeping the globe. Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) leads the investigation in the United States and calls in Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), to track who may have come into contact with Beth upon her return to the Minneapolis. The World Health Organization sends Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) to Hong Kong trace possible origins.

As the first week passes more and more people become sick worldwide, cities start fighting a losing battle against frenzy and panic. In time the virus is identified but due to its unique nature, finding a vaccine and producing it can take several months with thousands of lives lost with each passing day. With chaos breaking loose and the bodies piling up, the authorities find themselves unable to deal with the threat they are facing and go to extreme measures such as closing the state borders to try to contain the spread of the virus.

Adding to the confusion is a freelance blogger named Alan (Jude Law), who has amassed a large audience with his conspiracy claims that there are indeed cures available for the mysterious virus. He contends the government elite and the pharmaceutical companies are exploiting the situation in order to milk maximum profit from the inevitable release of a vaccine.

The film deftly moves around the world showing the victims, scientists and investigators and how the crisis is affecting them. It also shows how quickly society can break down as scene after shocking scene of chaos and devastation are introduced juxtaposed with the number of days since the outbreak of the virus.

Soderbergh keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t give you a moment’s rest. Characters are introduced and given just enough of a back story so that you understand their place in the film. Most heartbreaking is Matt Damon’s role as a father who’s left watching over his only remaining child, going to great measures to keep her safe while also dealing with the death of his wife and the unfolding secret of the last days of her life.

There is truly an impressive array of stars in the film, some of whom play brief but significant parts in the overall story. However, the movie’s strength is also its weakness in that with so many primary characters,there were some diverging storylines that did not get fully fleshed out.

While “Contagion” is not the first film to deal with viral outbreak, it is perhaps the most realistic as it doesn’t resort to any Hollywood standards such as car chases, explosions, starcrossed lovers and so on to tell its story. Instead it focuses on stark, somber scenarios and the struggles of each character is very easy to relate to.

Kudos has to be given to many of the stars of the film for their understated but pitch perfect work in very unglamorous roles. Their subtle & poignant acting underscore the dire situations that their characters find themselves in. It was refreshing to see leading men and women looking quite ordinary and letting the story carry the picture rather than focusing on one individual to save the day.

All throughout the film I found myself captivated and never once did I lose interest in the scenarios or characters nor did I find anything in the film impossible to believe. The film doesn’t go overboard on pointing fingers instead it gives an honest and unflinching look at a scenario that we can only hope will never happen. But as the film points out, viral outbreaks have occurred all throughout history. Hardly an encouraging message, but thanks to the stellar cast and gripping subject matter “Contagion” is a film you will not want to miss.
  
The Jesus Man
The Jesus Man
Keith Anthony Baird | 2017 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Horror
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Jesus Man by Keith Anthony Baird is a tough book for me to rate, if I’m being honest. It’s part of why, despite completing it last week, I’ve taken so long to write up my review. The book isn’t an easy read by any means, especially with its vast amounts of purple prose. It does, however, have a uniquely intriguing plot.

One of the major deciding factors for me when I read a book is its ability to make me feel emotion. I want a connection with the characters, even if it’s a seething hatred that I feel in the depths of my heart. With The Jesus Man, I felt loathing and disdain, but nothing beyond that. I felt disconnected, for the most part. The characters seemed to me as if they were in limbo between fully and halfway developed.

In regards to plot, Baird does an excellent job. As a horror fan, I end up reading a lot of apocalyptic books. Most of the time, the cause is a viral outbreak of zombies. It’s a cliché we deal with far too often and it’s been beaten to death time and time again. Baird goes an entirely new route, with the dredges of Hell returning to claim what should be theirs. Described as the Fallen, we know these creatures as the angels cast from Heaven in the wake of God’s love for mankind stoking rebellion among them. It’s an interesting take on the world’s post-nuclear was end and I feel that Baird did a wonderful job in this area of his book.

I do have to take a moment to appreciate one beautiful perk to Baird’s ornate writing style: his depiction of gory acts is absolutely stunning. I’m a sucker for splatterpunk, so this served as a nice treat for me. While his characters felt lacking to me (which I discovered was the author’s intent post-read), his vivid descriptions (even if heavy-handed) are breathtaking and nightmare invoking.

I’ve danced between a two and four for this book several times, so ultimately I’m going to go with a three. While I loved the concept, the difficulty of reading this book made it hard for me to enjoy.

I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018)
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Stan Lee cameo (1 more)
Marvel / Disney Princess moments
Dragged (1 more)
Clumsy Product Placement
None of the charm of the original
I loved Wreck It Ralph, two misfits finding and helping each other to overcome their issues and find themselves. Full of charm, flawed but pure of heart characters looking out for each other, nice little video game references and clever world building.
Here so much of that is lost. There is far too much effort on trying to shoe-horn internet references in for comedy effect, which doesn't work. When Ralph and Venellope arrive in the internet we are treated to a full three minutes of staring at website logos. While this has an overall feel of Inside Out, with a make-believe world being put over something we can't really understand, at the time it was quite nauseating.
I enjoyed the moments interacting with the Marvel and Star Wars worlds (most notably when Vanellope bumps in to the avatar of certain old, moustachioed gentleman known for making cameos) and the Disney Princess moments were enjoyable.
Ralph and Vanellope are looking to buy a replacement part for Sugar Rush to avoid it being unplugged forever, and end up needing to raise a lot of money to buy it on eBay. The issue I have with this, is it gives kids the idea they can make a lot of money online in a short amount of time (either gaming or buy uploading videos in the hope of going viral), therefore why bother learning anything or going to school/work?! In this day and age where every child thinks "YouTuber" is a valid career to aspire to, I found this unnecessarily poor form from Disney.
The film eventually finds its feet and through Ralph and Vanellope's strained friendship it finds a plot with a bit more peril than simply needing some money.
The world of the arcade was completely left behind as soon as we entered the internet, I would have liked to see more of Fix-it Felix and Calhoun's time with the brats from Sugar Rush, if only as brief respite from website logos.
All in all I was massively disappointed in the film and feel a lot of the charm was case aside at the expense of advertising revenue.
  
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Tim Booth recommended Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor in Music (curated)

 
Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor
Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor
2004 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Along with Sufjan, I think Regina Spektor is the other genius of this generation. I could have picked a number of Regina's records. Soviet Kitsch is the crossover, when she became accessible to a larger audience. Her first two records are records that only if you are slightly bipolar and, like me, a fantasist in music, are going to love. Soviet Kitsch found the language that was going to meet that wider audience. The songs are crazy masterpieces. They straddle a line between pop – there are catchy choruses – and craziness. 'Us' is one of my favourite songs ever written and will be played at my funeral. I got into Regina because I had bumped into her producer [Gordon Raphael], who was also the producer for The Strokes, at a festival. He has just finished working with her and he raved about this crazy woman who would play piano while hitting a drumstick against a drum stool. I had to go and check her out after that. Soviet Kitsch is astonishing, as are the ones that follow. I saw her play at The Greek in LA and realised I was watching genius. I couldn't write a song for three months after seeing her show, as I was so in awe at what I had witnessed. I have never had that experience happen before. I went back and bought every single piece of her music and for three months listened to her day and night, trying to work out what the fuck she was doing. I still haven't worked it out. I think she is channelling – she is a witch and she is channelling and that is all there is to it. I fell in love with her and was lucky enough to meet her. I was even luckier to become friends with her and her husband, and it has been amazing to have her as a genuine friend. Her husband, Jack [Dishel], made this fabulous YouTube video [:DRYVRS] with Macaulay Culkin and it became a viral sensation. Jack is fantastically talented and a natural-born stand-up comedian. He will have you belly-laughing whenever you talk to him with his honesty and gawkiness. I haven't told many people that I have become friends with both of them, and I am a little shy about telling you that."

Source
  
In Disguise - Single by Ashe
In Disguise - Single by Ashe
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Ashe is a talented singer-songwriter based in California. Not too long ago, she released a lovely alternative-pop tune, entitled, “In Disguise”, released via Mom + Pop Music.

“I was living free like I wanted to, but they laughed at me. So, I came to you asking for a good time and a ticket out of my mind. You said people ‘round the world will try to bring you down. Told me don’t give in to the power, you got power yourself. Everybody’s got their reasons they can all go to hell if they like.” – lyrics

‘In Disguise’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who would rather be hated for who she is than waste it all giving a damn.

Apparently, she would rather dig her own grave than to listen to what people have to say about her.

Later, she admits that it’s beneficial to follow your own heart. Also, it’s important to find out who your friends are in disguise.

‘In Disguise’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation scented with an alternative-pop aroma.

“‘In Disguise’ is about having healthy boundaries with the people around you. I don’t want to make everyone feel suspicious about the people they love. I just know there have been several people in my life who were seemingly ‘there for me’ when they really just wanted to use me. It’s just another look at the human condition.” – Ashe

‘In Disguise’ marks the announcement of the sprawling Mom’s First Headline Tour presented by Live Nation’s Ones To Watch and features support from Charlie Burg.

Ones To Watch is Live Nation’s discovery platform for emerging artists of all genres. As avid supporters of Ashe’s music since day one, they are proud to present what is set to be the prolific talent’s breakout tour.

⇒ Buy Tickets to see Ashe perform ⇐
The trek will begin on September 10th in Washington, DC, and run through October 25th as she wraps up over a month of performances in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ashe has established an incredible track record which includes being Amazon’s 2019 Artists To Watch, performing on Last Call with Carson Daly, and co-writing Demi Lovato’s hit single, entitled, “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore”.

Her music has amassed over 48M global streams online, repeated appearances on Spotify’s Global Viral 50, and nine HypeM #1 slots in a row.
  
Prom - Single by COTIS
Prom - Single by COTIS
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Ashe is a talented singer-songwriter based in California. Not too long ago, she released a lovely alternative-pop tune, entitled, “In Disguise”, released via Mom + Pop Music.

“I was living free like I wanted to, but they laughed at me. So, I came to you asking for a good time and a ticket out of my mind. You said people ‘round the world will try to bring you down. Told me don’t give in to the power, you got power yourself. Everybody’s got their reasons they can all go to hell if they like.” – lyrics

‘In Disguise’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who would rather be hated for who she is than waste it all giving a damn.

Apparently, she would rather dig her own grave than to listen to what people have to say about her.

Later, she admits that it’s beneficial to follow your own heart. Also, it’s important to find out who your friends are in disguise.

‘In Disguise’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation scented with an alternative-pop aroma.

“‘In Disguise’ is about having healthy boundaries with the people around you. I don’t want to make everyone feel suspicious about the people they love. I just know there have been several people in my life who were seemingly ‘there for me’ when they really just wanted to use me. It’s just another look at the human condition.” – Ashe

‘In Disguise’ marks the announcement of the sprawling Mom’s First Headline Tour presented by Live Nation’s Ones To Watch and features support from Charlie Burg.

Ones To Watch is Live Nation’s discovery platform for emerging artists of all genres. As avid supporters of Ashe’s music since day one, they are proud to present what is set to be the prolific talent’s breakout tour.

⇒ Buy Tickets to see Ashe perform ⇐
The trek will begin on September 10th in Washington, DC, and run through October 25th as she wraps up over a month of performances in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ashe has established an incredible track record which includes being Amazon’s 2019 Artists To Watch, performing on Last Call with Carson Daly, and co-writing Demi Lovato’s hit single, entitled, “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore”.

Her music has amassed over 48M global streams online, repeated appearances on Spotify’s Global Viral 50, and nine HypeM #1 slots in a row.
  
Redeye - Single by Roken
Redeye - Single by Roken
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Ashe is a talented singer-songwriter based in California. Not too long ago, she released a lovely alternative-pop tune, entitled, “In Disguise”, released via Mom + Pop Music.

“I was living free like I wanted to, but they laughed at me. So, I came to you asking for a good time and a ticket out of my mind. You said people ‘round the world will try to bring you down. Told me don’t give in to the power, you got power yourself. Everybody’s got their reasons they can all go to hell if they like.” – lyrics

‘In Disguise’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who would rather be hated for who she is than waste it all giving a damn.

Apparently, she would rather dig her own grave than to listen to what people have to say about her.

Later, she admits that it’s beneficial to follow your own heart. Also, it’s important to find out who your friends are in disguise.

‘In Disguise’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation scented with an alternative-pop aroma.

“‘In Disguise’ is about having healthy boundaries with the people around you. I don’t want to make everyone feel suspicious about the people they love. I just know there have been several people in my life who were seemingly ‘there for me’ when they really just wanted to use me. It’s just another look at the human condition.” – Ashe

‘In Disguise’ marks the announcement of the sprawling Mom’s First Headline Tour presented by Live Nation’s Ones To Watch and features support from Charlie Burg.

Ones To Watch is Live Nation’s discovery platform for emerging artists of all genres. As avid supporters of Ashe’s music since day one, they are proud to present what is set to be the prolific talent’s breakout tour.

The trek will begin on September 10th in Washington, DC, and run through October 25th as she wraps up over a month of performances in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ashe has established an incredible track record which includes being Amazon’s 2019 Artists To Watch, performing on Last Call with Carson Daly, and co-writing Demi Lovato’s hit single, entitled, “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore”.

Her music has amassed over 48M global streams online, repeated appearances on Spotify’s Global Viral 50, and nine HypeM #1 slots in a row.