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F45 Challenge

Health & Fitness and Utilities

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Your Complete Health Ecosystem - Learn about nutrition and well being from industry experts. - A...

Modern Essentials

Health & Fitness and Reference

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Learn how aromatherapy can benefit health and well-being - naturally! Get current, scientific...

VirtualRoom AU

Music and Entertainment

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This application simulates the acoustics of a room and reproduces the sound signals for the two ears...

Beyond Biofatalism: Human Nature for an Evolving World

Gillian Barker

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Beyond Biofatalism is a lively and penetrating response to the idea that evolutionary psychology...

Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Burden (2018) in Movies

Aug 4, 2020

Burden (2018)

2018 | Drama

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Movie Rating

I'm not sure why this movie is listed as being released it 2018. It was released VOD early this summer due to theaters closing down. IMDb has it listed as 2018, as well. Perhaps that was the intended release?

Anyway, Burden is a true story about Mike Burden, an active KKK member in the deep south. Having lived a life of hate and anger, he falls in love with a woman who shows him that there are other ways. He denounces his position in the Klan and removes himself from it entirely with the help of a local reverend who happens to be black.

The film makers did a wonderful job of showing the mental and emotional anguish that Burden went through by walking away from the only "family" he ever knew, even though they were heinous, it was still not an easy task.

Garrett Hedlund and Forest Whitaker are both absolutely phenomenal in their respective roles. From what I understand, the film stays pretty true to the actual story that played out in real life.

Though the film is based on events that took place in the 90's from what I can tell, the story told is a relevant today (perhaps moreso) than ever.

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Erika (17789 KP) Aug 5, 2020

It premiered at Sundance in 2018.

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Bostonian916 (449 KP) Aug 5, 2020

That makes sense! Thank you

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Merissa (12882 KP) rated The Magician (The Necronomicon Guardian #1) in Books

Aug 31, 2020

The Magician is the first book in The Necronomicon Guardian series and we meet klutzy Charlie who doesn't appear have to much going for her as far as magic is concerned. And yet, somehow, she gets picked for a job that will get her killed. Instead, she finds herself falling down the rabbit hole and being blackmailed into doing another job that may get her killed!

This is a quick read and the pacing is fast too. It mostly takes place within 24-hours so hold onto your hats. Although you don't meet any of them in depth, there are numerous characters to tantalise and tease. Personally, I want to see more from Glenda. As for Blade, well, we'll just have to see what his story is in future books.

As with all of Maya Daniels' books, it is full of snarky humour and action. I get the feeling this is just the start of a brilliant adventure for Charlie and I can't wait to see what happens next. A wonderful start to a new series and definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

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colin... (64 KP) rated I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) in Movies

Sep 30, 2020

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

2020 | Drama, Horror, Thriller

6.5

(6 Ratings)

Movie Rating

I've been waiting an entire year for this film. This is my favorite book I've ever read, so I had a bit of skepticism coming into it, but if anyone could do it, Kaufman could. Now, I've seen it, and I'm incredibly conflicted. I'm kind of disappointed that Kaufman used his normal "I'm so quirky and this is off-putting" doalogue instead of leaning into the psychological horror aspects that the book heavily relies on. He also takes a lot of creative liberty with some stupid jokes, like the whole Zemeckis joke which is nowhere to be found in the book. It just kinda peeves me how Kaufman seemed very unwilling to step outside of his comfort zone, but that's a conversation for another day.

That being said, it's impossible for me to deny that it's a great film. It's technically brilliant, and aside from some occasionally grating dialogue, or monologue, the pacing and script is very well done. Although I'm very disappointed in the film that I was given, I'd be very wrong to identify it as anything other than brilliant.

Edit: After reading his Indiewire interview, I fucking hate Kaufman and the way that he butchered the original material with reckless abandon. Fuck his pretentious ass.

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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Bag of Bones in Books

May 9, 2020

Bag of Bones

Stephen King | 1998 | Fiction & Poetry

8.3

(44 Ratings)

Book Rating

Enjoyable but not the best

As always I have to state that Stephen King is my all time favourite author so I probably always look at his books with rose tinted glasses. That said whilst I enjoyed Bag of Bones, it definitely isn't one of his best.

The story and plot in this are almost your typical ghost story, but with your usual King flair and horror thrown in. The characters are well developed and likeable yet flawed, and the writing is as superb as always. I think my main problem with this book was it didn't half ramble on a bit. It comes in at just over 500 (hardback) pages and this is far too long. A fair amount of this book could've been cut out without impacting drastically on the story. And also the name of the lake house in this is "Sara Laughs" - whilst there is an explanation for this in the books, I still think it's a ridiculous name for a house and it irritated me every time it was mentioned.

Overall this is still an enjoyable King story, but definitely not his best and not one I'd recommend with there being so many other amazing and better novels of his out there.