review – Page 74

The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin – Book Review

August 10, 2015September 16, 2022yggdrasille

This was the only Ira Levin novel I haven’t read yet, so while I was excited to finally get my hands on it, it’s always a bit sad to come to a point where you’ve read all the books by one of your favourite authors, and there are no more to follow, ever. He’s not Harper Lee exactly in terms of output, but I wish Levin wrote more than seven novels in his lifetime. Or make that six, because while Son of Rosemary wasn’t all bad the ending made me wish I’ve never read it; truly a book to fling against the wall while screaming in rage.

Trainwreck – Film Review

August 8, 2015October 19, 2017yggdrasille

Trainwreck-poster Saw Trainwreck yesterday. It’s been forever since I watched a comedy at the cinema – I think my last one was the first Hangover movie – or a chick flick for that matter which wasn’t a costume drama. This one got good reviews and I’ve been hearing all sorts of raves about Amy Schumer in the last few months on the US-based entertainment sites, so I looked forward to it quite a bit. I walked out with some mixed feelings: while now I’m also happy to jump on the Amy Schumer bandwagon, the movie itself wasn’t as good as its leading lady. I’d go as far as to say it was pretty damn ordinary.

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin – Book Review

August 6, 2015July 1, 2023yggdrasille

Back in my teens, I read the Russian translation of this book so many times the whole sections of dialogue and descriptions kept popping up in my brain as I was reading it in English. It was fun to revisit in its original language, particularly as the Russian translation couldn’t really capture the 1950s expressions and quirks.

Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut – Film Review

August 2, 2015June 7, 2024yggdrasille

Just like Prometheus, Kingdom of Heaven is another Ridley Scott film I really enjoy despite its many problems. This extended cut doesn’t fix the core issues I have, but it’s still a far more satisfying experience than the horribly rushed theatrical cut.

Books I’ve read lately

August 1, 2015March 29, 2019yggdrasille

Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection by Isaac Asimov

I’ve only read one other short stories collection by Asimov before, so this bunch of previously uncollected stories probably wasn’t a great place to start for a relative Asimov beginner. The stories are rather hit-and-miss; there’s a couple which are more like sci-fi jokes culminating with rather unfunny puns; while others are really good, like the first story in the collection called Cal, about a domestic robot who wants to be a writer just like his master.

Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman – Book Review

July 25, 2015December 20, 2022yggdrasille

I love me a good historical biography and I really enjoyed this account of one of the greatest figures in history.

Dark City – Film Review

July 19, 2015August 26, 2024yggdrasille

This moody 1998 sci-fi mind-bender was a pleasure to revisit.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – Film Review

July 17, 2015June 17, 2024yggdrasille

I was once involved with Scientology for a brief period in my early 20s. I knew absolutely nothing about it at the time, and ended up joining by chance: I got handed a flyer on the street about a free personality test, and decided to take it on a whim. My teens and early 20s weren’t always the happiest of times; I suffered from major social anxiety and inability to relate to my peers, which wasn’t helped by my family moving to Australia when I was 15. So I guess I was drawn by the promise that these people could help me out.