Category: Reviews

DOA

I watched this movie as part of a film noir series by The Roxie theater. I didn’t make it to the discussion because I had a lot of schoolwork during the week and I didn’t get to the second film.

DOA is about a man who is trying to figure out who killed him. He arrives at the police station to report the murder and the story is told in flashback.

Parts of the movie are a little confusing for a while, but it all comes together at the end. I would recommend the movie to anyone who likes a good mystery. There’s not a lot of action for most of the movie, but it still kept my attention.

The Shape of Water

I had to write about an editor for my film class, and Sidney Wolinskey was the one who was chosen for us. I listened to a podcast featuring an interview with him, and it referred back to the movie, The Shape of Water, multiple times. I had never seen it, and I had heard mixed reviews on it.

I decided to watch it, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was an interesting movie, and I did follow it. I guessed the ending about halfway through, but it wasn’t too difficult to figure out. The scenery was great. The director did a great job putting us back in the time that it was supposed to take place. I can see why it won awards, but, I still would only give the movie an “eh.” I don’t plan on watching it again, but I am glad that I did see it once, just to see what the hype was about.

The Chase

This was an interesting film noir that I watched for the series that The Roxie theater put on over the last few months. It was played with another movie that had a dream sequence, also.

This movie was unusual because it doesn’t have a typical film noir ending. It still is a murder mystery, though. Just a twist to the ending that I didn’t see coming. About halfway through, I started getting a little confused, but then the story brought me back.

I do recommend the movie. It’s worth watching.

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up for book club. I was sucked into the book from the first moment. I enjoyed the characters, for the most part. The story was wonderful, up until the last few chapters. It seemed to almost go off on a tangent when the narrator, Elizabeth, started talking about her own thoughts about women’s rights and discrimination. It felt like I was hit right in the face with it. The story told it on its own, without the message being slammed into the reader’s brain.

I felt that the story could have ended a few chapters early and it would have stood on its own. This one went just a little too far. 

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Fleishman Is in Trouble

Hot Pot Night! by Vincent Chen

Hot Pot Night! by Vincent Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had wonderful illustrations. There were very few words, but the point still came across. The book was about neighbors coming together to make and eat hot pot. Each of the neighbors brings something to the table to cook and share. It’s a story about being together and sharing the work and each other’s company. I was a little disappointed when the neighbors seem to have left and didn’t finish doing the dishes with cleanup. 

The food and neighbors were drawn well and I loved the way that all the colors came together to make the story complete. 

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Hot Pot Night!

Get Out

I finally got around to seeing Get Out. Actually, I was informed that I was going to watch it with my daughter.

I knew that the movie was kind of creepy, but I was under the impression that it was a full on horror movie. It was not. It was definitely a thriller, but not bad enough to keep me awake at night, since not much popped out me randomly.

It did give me cause to think, since it was about racism. It was done well. I recommend the movie. It’s worth seeing. Don’t be forced to watch it like I was. Just watch it.

THE TICKLE MONSTER (Bedtime Story Book for Kids): A Fun Rhyming Picture Book for Children by Arnie Lightning

THE TICKLE MONSTER (Bedtime Story Book for Kids): A Fun Rhyming Picture Book for Children

THE TICKLE MONSTER (Bedtime Story Book for Kids): A Fun Rhyming Picture Book for Children by Arnie Lightning
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a great book to listen to at bedtime if you want your kid to stay up all night. I suppose that reading the book itself would be OK, but the audiobook has a creepy sounding monster giggling during the whole reading. Leave the monster out and it would probably be fine. I still suspect it might rile kids up, though. 

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The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

The Only Woman in the Room

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. When I first heard of it, I thought it was just another biography. Not at all! It’s the story of a truly fascinating woman who lived an amazing life. She went on to invent something that helps us daily. Either part of her story would be very interesting, but she has three really different parts to her life that make her story truly amazing. 

I would recommend this book to multiple groups. The WW2 buffs would enjoy it. The readers who like old Hollywood stories would enjoy it. People interested in women’s history would find it interesting, too, especially those interested in scientists. 

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