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The Well-Tempered City
Book
Cities are birthplaces of civilization; centers of culture, trade, and progress; cauldrons of...
Maddi Zoe (6 KP) rated Wonder (2017) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018
acting (2 more)
storyline
underlying message
Cute messages tugging at your heart strings
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Wonder, directed by Stephen Chbosky, is a wonderfully endearing and uplifting story about a boy, Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), who was born with Treacher Collins syndrome and has had several surgeries leaving him with facial deformities.
The movie starts as he is entering into fifth-grade, and actually going to school for the first time as he has previously been home schooled by his mother (Julia Roberts). He is understandably scared about not making friends, or being ridiculed by his classmates, but with the help of his Mum and Dad (Owen Wilson) he braves going to school and meets new people.
There are many moments of sadness, as you would expect, but there are also moments of great joy. I found myself crying from start to finish, riding on a rollercoaster of emotions.
There are a few mini storylines about other characters that get given the spotlight at different times as well, which is a nice change to when some films focus on just the one person, because we get to see other characters backgrounds, and why they act how they do.
The casting is brilliant, Tremblay plays Auggie excellently, bringing both emotion and sass to the character. He has been in a fair few things before, such as Before I Wake, but this role will definitely boost him into the spotlight.
Roberts and Wilson as the parents is also an excellent choice, Roberts gives an emotive performance, and it’s great to see Wilson in a serious role, whilst still bringing some light comic relief.
The cast has a lot of young actors, but there isn’t one that stands out as being stiff or unnatural, they are all brilliant and help to bring the feel of the movie together. The relationships between all the characters is brought to life really well by the actors.
The writing is brilliant, although it is based on a book so the story is there already, but the screenwriters, Chbosky, Steve Conrad and Jack Thorne, put it together for the screen really well.
There are some stand out quotes, that also come from the book, that make you stop and think, and the teacher, Mr Browne (Daveed Diggs), teaches the class about precepts such as ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind’.
Overall, it’s a well-rounded family movie, that may change your outlook on some things in life. With such great casting, writing and direction, I’d be very surprised if it didn’t do well during awards season.
The movie starts as he is entering into fifth-grade, and actually going to school for the first time as he has previously been home schooled by his mother (Julia Roberts). He is understandably scared about not making friends, or being ridiculed by his classmates, but with the help of his Mum and Dad (Owen Wilson) he braves going to school and meets new people.
There are many moments of sadness, as you would expect, but there are also moments of great joy. I found myself crying from start to finish, riding on a rollercoaster of emotions.
There are a few mini storylines about other characters that get given the spotlight at different times as well, which is a nice change to when some films focus on just the one person, because we get to see other characters backgrounds, and why they act how they do.
The casting is brilliant, Tremblay plays Auggie excellently, bringing both emotion and sass to the character. He has been in a fair few things before, such as Before I Wake, but this role will definitely boost him into the spotlight.
Roberts and Wilson as the parents is also an excellent choice, Roberts gives an emotive performance, and it’s great to see Wilson in a serious role, whilst still bringing some light comic relief.
The cast has a lot of young actors, but there isn’t one that stands out as being stiff or unnatural, they are all brilliant and help to bring the feel of the movie together. The relationships between all the characters is brought to life really well by the actors.
The writing is brilliant, although it is based on a book so the story is there already, but the screenwriters, Chbosky, Steve Conrad and Jack Thorne, put it together for the screen really well.
There are some stand out quotes, that also come from the book, that make you stop and think, and the teacher, Mr Browne (Daveed Diggs), teaches the class about precepts such as ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind’.
Overall, it’s a well-rounded family movie, that may change your outlook on some things in life. With such great casting, writing and direction, I’d be very surprised if it didn’t do well during awards season.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Mirror, Shoulder, Signal in Books
Jul 30, 2017
Slightly pointless story
I was intrigued to read this after it was nominated for a Man Booker Prize. The story hinges around a woman attempting to drive in Denmark and Sweden, and the various inadequacies that it conjured up. Being in the same position, I was empathetic with the protagonist but it seemed to lack a real plot and point to the entire novel. It is well written and the multiple sub-stories are intriguing but I failed to grasp what the author was trying to show.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Crimson Peak (2015) in Movies
Mar 6, 2019
Entertaining
While searching through a list of "horror" movies to watch I came upon this interesting title. It turned out better than expected. Plenty of creepy imagery and characters it was quite entertaining. With the old school feel of it the cinematography and acting were very well done. The story- while a little predictable- proved to flow smoothly without being cumbersome or difficult to keep up with and entertained quite thoroughly. If you're into old style "ghostly" thrillers you will enjoy this one. Worth a watch!
Sara Becker (20 KP) rated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Jan 16, 2018
Best Game of 2017
The world in this game is breathtaking. Gorgeous detail went into this game and it maintains the 'toonish' Zelda style while being a more refined work of art. There's so much to explore, the main storyline itself as well as different areas off the beaten path. The cooking system is fun to play with, and you can interact with almost everything in the world. Secrets are everywhere and discovering them all presents a challenge aside from the main questline.
Trish (4 KP) rated Small Great Things in Books
Feb 8, 2018
I couldn't put this down! It is a very heavy book. Really made me think about myself, my friends, my town, our world. I think everyone should read this. I know some people have said that Picoult can't possibly write about the struggles of being a minority, but she sure did try, and try well. The audience she has will be better off after reading this. If you read her words after the story ends, you will see how much she tried to get this just right.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Total Recall (1990) in Movies
Jun 10, 2018
"Get your ass to Mars."
So, I didn't actually see this film until the remake was in the process of being made. The film is based upon 'We Can Remember it for You Wholesale' by Phillip K. Dick (which is excellent). Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't an award winning actor, but he was completely entertaining (as he is in most films). The weird, early 1990s SFX where a little bizarre, e.g., the face generator. Overall, it's entertaining and well paced, and I may just watch it again this afternoon.
Pina and Katie's adventures continue as does their quest to be together. The new characters in this book add so much more to the story that made it even more amazing. Of course I was picturing Hogwarts when I thought setting but I am a nerd. Maggiore does not just create a well paced suspense with numerous twists and turns but also captures the difficulties of being gay in that time. There is so much packed into this story I couldn't put it down. More please!
Dean (6927 KP) rated Dogtooth (2009) in Movies
Jun 30, 2018
Hmmm really didn't get the hype about this film. It's just plain odd and weird without being that entertaining. A very over protective father keeps his 3 teenage children within the compound of the family home, knowing nothing of the outside world. They have become brainwashed by their parents into an odd existence. A few odd scenes and taboo sex scenes as well make it strange viewing at times. It gets a bit interesting towards the end, but it's a long slow watch to get there.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Machi Koro in Tabletop Games
Oct 5, 2018
Good Luck based gateway game...
Here is some decisions to make, but everything depends on the dice. Roll well, win the game, roll poorly = lose.... unfortunately there is very little dice manipulation to change your luck if you don't like it. This game is super simple, and probably good for kids who want to feel a little more adult building a city. But this game could use a number of improvements before being a satisfying game for more gamers.