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The Matter of High Words: Naturalism, Normativity, and the Postwar Sage
Book
In a world of matter, how can we express what matters? When the explanations of the natural sciences...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The German Wife [Audiobook] in Books
Jan 9, 2022
![The German Wife [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/8ae/029a04d2-94e9-4a45-b8f5-a8fb3b5768ae.jpg?m=1641746893)
This book is a departure from my usual but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I usually read crime/thriller books but I do have an interest in the World Wars and this sounded like something a bit different so I took a punt and I definitely wasn't disappointed.
With strong characters, a riveting story line blended between real events and fiction, this book had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. It's a story of love and survival set amongst the horrors of World War II. It's told from the German perspective and provides an illuminating insight into what life was like for a German SS Officer sent to Dachau in order to further his medical experiments and his wife. I'm not going to lie, this is a tough read in parts as you would expect from the subject matter but it's not overly gratuitous.
This book is filled with moral dilemmas and whilst I didn't want to like or sympathise with any of the main characters, I found myself torn and asking myself the question "what would you have done in the same situation?" I absolutely do not condone in any way, shape or form, the horrors inflicted by the Nazis on their fellow human beings but this book does make you question what you would have done had you been in their shoes. I would hope to think that I would make different choices in the beginning but hindsight is a wonderful thing!
This is a story about love and hope amongst horror and fear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy this genre.
I must give a shout out to the narrator, Tamsin Kennard, her voice absolutely drew me in completely and was perfect for this book.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
With strong characters, a riveting story line blended between real events and fiction, this book had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. It's a story of love and survival set amongst the horrors of World War II. It's told from the German perspective and provides an illuminating insight into what life was like for a German SS Officer sent to Dachau in order to further his medical experiments and his wife. I'm not going to lie, this is a tough read in parts as you would expect from the subject matter but it's not overly gratuitous.
This book is filled with moral dilemmas and whilst I didn't want to like or sympathise with any of the main characters, I found myself torn and asking myself the question "what would you have done in the same situation?" I absolutely do not condone in any way, shape or form, the horrors inflicted by the Nazis on their fellow human beings but this book does make you question what you would have done had you been in their shoes. I would hope to think that I would make different choices in the beginning but hindsight is a wonderful thing!
This is a story about love and hope amongst horror and fear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy this genre.
I must give a shout out to the narrator, Tamsin Kennard, her voice absolutely drew me in completely and was perfect for this book.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Midway (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
The events of December 7th 1941 left an indelible mark on the psyche of America and became a date that truly has lived in infamy. Though historians, authors, and filmmakers have attempted to analyze the events during and leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor; there is still a great deal of interest about the attack and the aftermath.
While Pearl Harbor was for many the opening shots of the U.S. entry into World War II; some would say that the stage was set earlier when the United States attempted to curtail what they saw as an aggressive and Imperialistic Japan by placing restrictions on their vital resources such as oil and the tonnage of their Navy.
In the new film “Midway” we are given a glimpse into this when four years before the attack, when Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) meets with Admiral Nagumo (Jun Kunimura) who lets him know that hardline factions in his government have been buoyed by their invasion of China and will do what is needed to make sure the vital oil that is supplied by the U.S. remains constant.
Flash forward to the day of the attack and Layton who has warned that an attack was possible at Pearl Harbor is seeing his worst predictions come true. In the aftermath he is assigned to Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson); who has been given the thankless task of taking charge of what is left of the Pacific Fleet and finding a way to stop the Japanese fleet.
The U.S. finds themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and waging war with ships and planes that are inferior to the Japanese but they must find a way to overcome the great obstacles before them and defeat a relentless enemy.
Layton and a team of code breakers are convinced the Japanese intend to attack the island of Midway and go all in to set a trap with the goal of destroying the enemy carriers so the U.S. can gain an aerial advantage in the Pacific.
With a strong cast which features Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and a fine supporting cast, Director Roland Emmerich has given audiences a gripping war movie that despite the impressive visual effects; never loses site of the fact that this is a story of real people who found themselves in pivotal moments of history.
The film also shows how the Japanese commanders had differing views of the Americans they fought. Some considered them to lack braveness while others admired their tenacity and were grateful that they had what they saw as inferior and outdated planes to attack them in.
The film also does a great job showing the Doolittle Raid and how what from a military standpoint caused minor damage yet was a huge psychological boost as Japan believed they were immune from attack yet the American forces found a way to bomb Tokyo by the impossible task of using land based bombers off a carrier.
The film is a great mix of human drama that shows not only the terrible toll of war but how a group of extraordinary individuals gave their all.
While Pearl Harbor was for many the opening shots of the U.S. entry into World War II; some would say that the stage was set earlier when the United States attempted to curtail what they saw as an aggressive and Imperialistic Japan by placing restrictions on their vital resources such as oil and the tonnage of their Navy.
In the new film “Midway” we are given a glimpse into this when four years before the attack, when Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) meets with Admiral Nagumo (Jun Kunimura) who lets him know that hardline factions in his government have been buoyed by their invasion of China and will do what is needed to make sure the vital oil that is supplied by the U.S. remains constant.
Flash forward to the day of the attack and Layton who has warned that an attack was possible at Pearl Harbor is seeing his worst predictions come true. In the aftermath he is assigned to Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson); who has been given the thankless task of taking charge of what is left of the Pacific Fleet and finding a way to stop the Japanese fleet.
The U.S. finds themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and waging war with ships and planes that are inferior to the Japanese but they must find a way to overcome the great obstacles before them and defeat a relentless enemy.
Layton and a team of code breakers are convinced the Japanese intend to attack the island of Midway and go all in to set a trap with the goal of destroying the enemy carriers so the U.S. can gain an aerial advantage in the Pacific.
With a strong cast which features Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and a fine supporting cast, Director Roland Emmerich has given audiences a gripping war movie that despite the impressive visual effects; never loses site of the fact that this is a story of real people who found themselves in pivotal moments of history.
The film also shows how the Japanese commanders had differing views of the Americans they fought. Some considered them to lack braveness while others admired their tenacity and were grateful that they had what they saw as inferior and outdated planes to attack them in.
The film also does a great job showing the Doolittle Raid and how what from a military standpoint caused minor damage yet was a huge psychological boost as Japan believed they were immune from attack yet the American forces found a way to bomb Tokyo by the impossible task of using land based bombers off a carrier.
The film is a great mix of human drama that shows not only the terrible toll of war but how a group of extraordinary individuals gave their all.
JT (287 KP) rated Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
With the impending Avengers flick due out in the summer this year, 2011 was all about wrapping up the the final film which would link yet another character into the superhero pack. If I’m honest I am pretty bored of the superhero genre of late, so this one was going to have to work hard if it was going to hold my interest. But, for the most part… hold my interest it did!
Evans starts off as a scrawny weakling, desperate to serve his country during World War II. You’ll have to look hard to realise that Evans’ appearance is a brilliant piece of CGI, no man could get to that size and back in such a short space of time.
He then gets himself accepted as part of an experiment to transform average soldiers into supreme physical beings. Rogers, now a beef cake becomes an American poster boy for the war promoting everything the American public should stand for.
Singing in chorus lines he longs to be part of the action, to get onto the front line and to help bring down HYDRA, and its main villain Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull.
The film moves through the gears, massive explosions and some great action set pieces. But you’d expect nothing less, director Joe Johnston injects the film with enough to tie over until a rather disappointing ending.
One of the bright lights however is Weaving, whose Red Skull is one of the more colourful villains we might have seen in recent times. His penetrating persona gives the film a lift when otherwise it was heading for the doldrums.
Captain America does what pretty much every other super hero film has done before it, starts as an origins story, throws some back history in along with a lot of action but ultimately fails on the big pay off.
We all know where the film is going though, as most will have seen all the trailers surrounding The Avengers, for me though this is just another missing piece of the puzzle that will lead onto a much greater film. After which Captain America will pretty much be all but forgotten.
Evans starts off as a scrawny weakling, desperate to serve his country during World War II. You’ll have to look hard to realise that Evans’ appearance is a brilliant piece of CGI, no man could get to that size and back in such a short space of time.
He then gets himself accepted as part of an experiment to transform average soldiers into supreme physical beings. Rogers, now a beef cake becomes an American poster boy for the war promoting everything the American public should stand for.
Singing in chorus lines he longs to be part of the action, to get onto the front line and to help bring down HYDRA, and its main villain Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull.
The film moves through the gears, massive explosions and some great action set pieces. But you’d expect nothing less, director Joe Johnston injects the film with enough to tie over until a rather disappointing ending.
One of the bright lights however is Weaving, whose Red Skull is one of the more colourful villains we might have seen in recent times. His penetrating persona gives the film a lift when otherwise it was heading for the doldrums.
Captain America does what pretty much every other super hero film has done before it, starts as an origins story, throws some back history in along with a lot of action but ultimately fails on the big pay off.
We all know where the film is going though, as most will have seen all the trailers surrounding The Avengers, for me though this is just another missing piece of the puzzle that will lead onto a much greater film. After which Captain America will pretty much be all but forgotten.
PO
Panzer Operations: Germany's Panzer Group 3 During the Invasion of Russia, 1941
Book
This book, originally published in German in 1956, has now been translated into English, unveiling a...
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers
Book
The truth revealed--and PC myths shattered--about the Founding Fathers Tom Brokaw labeled the World...
Dancing Bees: Karl Von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language
Book
We think of bees as being among the busiest workers in the garden, admiring them for their...
The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History
Book
The rags-to-riches story of one of America’s wealthiest and least-known financial giants,...
biography business
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank, Mirjam Pressler and Otto Frank
8.2
Rate It
Book
One of the most famous accounts of living under the Nazi regime of World War II comes from the diary...
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Allied (2016) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
There's a great film in here somewhere
Director Robert Zemeckis has some impressive film credits to his name. From cult classics like Back to the Future to last year’s nausea inducing The Walk, there hasn’t been a genre his skills haven’t graced over the last four decades.
His most recent effort, Allied, sees the veteran director tackle the war genre with a film that certainly has its moments, but just how good is this wartime romantic drama?
Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) are World War II operatives who never reveal their true identities. After falling in love during a risky mission, they hope to leave all that double-dealing behind them and start new lives. Instead, suspicion and danger envelop their marriage as both husband and wife become pitted against each other in an escalating, potentially lethal test that has global consequences.
Allied is an assured piece of film-making that tackles the claustrophobia of war incredibly well, but considering the talent at both ends of the camera, it lacks depth, harmony and above all; a plot that remains coherent throughout.
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are their usual dependable selves but they lack chemistry until the closing act and as a result, their relationship lacks believability, hampering what is in effect, a love story.
Elsewhere, the cinematography is too often blighted by poorly lit scenes that restrict the talents of Allied’s director. Robert Zemeckis is at his best embarking upon projects that leap off the screen with their vibrancy. Take Back to the Future and Forrest Gump as prime examples of this.
Nevertheless, the film’s final act almost makes up for these shortcomings and turns a plodding romantic drama into a tense, well-acted and above all interesting movie that has a great script; it’s just a shame the first hour lacks any punch.
When it comes to special effects, well, they’re used sparingly, with the upside of this being that they liven up the film nicely. The scenes of London during the blitz are harrowingly beautiful, with one sequence in particular being a standout throughout the entire running time.
Overall, Allied is a decent stab at constructing a meaningful wartime romantic drama, though looking to history should have perhaps sent alarm bells ringing; Pearl Harbour anyone. The story is intriguing most definitely, and it has some nice special effects, but the script it’s crafted around lacks depth until the final hour. It’s probably fair to say that this may slip under the radar when we look back at Robert Zemeckis’s illustrious career.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/11/26/theres-a-great-film-in-here-somewhere-allied-review/
His most recent effort, Allied, sees the veteran director tackle the war genre with a film that certainly has its moments, but just how good is this wartime romantic drama?
Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) are World War II operatives who never reveal their true identities. After falling in love during a risky mission, they hope to leave all that double-dealing behind them and start new lives. Instead, suspicion and danger envelop their marriage as both husband and wife become pitted against each other in an escalating, potentially lethal test that has global consequences.
Allied is an assured piece of film-making that tackles the claustrophobia of war incredibly well, but considering the talent at both ends of the camera, it lacks depth, harmony and above all; a plot that remains coherent throughout.
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are their usual dependable selves but they lack chemistry until the closing act and as a result, their relationship lacks believability, hampering what is in effect, a love story.
Elsewhere, the cinematography is too often blighted by poorly lit scenes that restrict the talents of Allied’s director. Robert Zemeckis is at his best embarking upon projects that leap off the screen with their vibrancy. Take Back to the Future and Forrest Gump as prime examples of this.
Nevertheless, the film’s final act almost makes up for these shortcomings and turns a plodding romantic drama into a tense, well-acted and above all interesting movie that has a great script; it’s just a shame the first hour lacks any punch.
When it comes to special effects, well, they’re used sparingly, with the upside of this being that they liven up the film nicely. The scenes of London during the blitz are harrowingly beautiful, with one sequence in particular being a standout throughout the entire running time.
Overall, Allied is a decent stab at constructing a meaningful wartime romantic drama, though looking to history should have perhaps sent alarm bells ringing; Pearl Harbour anyone. The story is intriguing most definitely, and it has some nice special effects, but the script it’s crafted around lacks depth until the final hour. It’s probably fair to say that this may slip under the radar when we look back at Robert Zemeckis’s illustrious career.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/11/26/theres-a-great-film-in-here-somewhere-allied-review/