Friday, November 30, 2018

The Good Son by You-jeong Jeong

The Good Son
by You-jeong Jeong
translated by Chi-Young Kim
narrated by Johnathan McClain, Elizabeth Liang

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads

Published: 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, South Korea
Paperback: 309
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
The smell of blood woke me.

Who can you trust if you can't trust yourself?

Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything's all right at home - he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can't remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?

Thus begins Yu-jin's frantic three-day search to uncover what happened that night, and to finally learn the truth about himself and his family. A shocking and addictive psychological thriller, The Good Son explores the mysteries of mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son, with incredible urgency.


My two-bits:

Felt like I was spinning and uncomfortable with this story. But, its thriller essence had a strong pull for this whydunnit.

~*~

* Listened to audiobook version.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Holiday Movies 2018


STRIKING up this feel good meme again...

Basically, watching holiday movies this season.

My list so far...

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
Director: Clay Kaytis
Writer: Matt Lieberman
Story by: David Guggenheim
Stars: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis
-Netflix, Adventure , Comedy , Family, Christmas | imdb | my review | my rating: 5

Christmas Cookies (2016)
Director: James Head
Writer: Robert Tate Miller
Stars: Jill Wagner, Wes Brown, P. Lynn Johnson
-Hallmark, Drama, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my review | my rating: 5

The Christmas Train (2017)
Director: Ron Oliver
Teleplay: Neal H. Dobrofsky, Tippi Dobrofsky
Stars: Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover
Based on book by: David Baldacci
-Hallmark, Drama, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my review | my rating: 4

Christmas Wedding Planner (2017)
Director: Justin G. Dyck
Screenplay: Keith Cooper
Based on book by: Stacy Connelly
Stars: Jocelyn Hudon, Stephen Huszar, Kelly Rutherford
-Romance, Christmas | imdb | my rating: 4

Christmas With A View (2018)
Director: Justin G. Dyck
Screenplay: David Finley, Rebecca Lamarche, Keith Cooper
Based on book by: Teresa Southwick
Stars: Kaitlyn Leeb, Scott Cavalheiro, Mark Ghanimé
-Drama, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my rating: 5

Love Actually (2003)
Director/Writer: Richard Curtis
Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson
-Comedy, Drama, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my rating: 5

Remember The Night (2013)
Director: Mitchell Leisen
Writer: Preston Sturges (original screenplay)
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi
-Comedy, Drama, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my review | my rating: 4

Snow Bride (2013)
Director: Bert Kish
Writer: Tracy Andreen
Stars: Katrina Law, Jordan Belfi, Patricia Richardson
-Hallmark, Comedy , Family , Romance, Christmas | imdb | my review | my rating: 5

White Christmas (1954)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Screenplay: Norman Krasna, Norman Panama
Stars: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Melvin Frank
-Comedy, Musical, Romance, Christmas | imdb | my rating: 5

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Little Wonder by Kat Gardiner

Little Wonder
by Kat Gardiner
-Micro-fiction | Goodreads

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Published: 2018
Publisher: Father/Daughter Records LLC
Genre: Micro-fiction, Short Stories
Paperback: 94
Rating: 5

Asymmetric and misremembered, Kat Gardiner fictionalizes the experience of opening and closing an all-ages music venue and cafe with her husband in a small Pacific Northwest town. An adult coming-of-age story told in fragments, Little Wonder, explores the bittersweet love affair that takes place between despair and hope whenever you try with all your heart to do something you believe in, and fail.

My two-bits:

A gem of a book with lots of little stories relating to a sense of home :-)


Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Winner for November


Here are the winners for giveaways that
ended November 26, 2018
during the Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop (here)

Thanks to all contestants!

~*~

The Space Between
by Dete Meserve
-Mystery
Amazon | Goodreads

FYI: I included a couple more items in this box (not pictured)

Winner: Edye Nicole of Graceful Coffee

~*~

* I will email winners for mailing addresses within two weeks.
Winners, feel free to contact me with your info if you don't get my email
or if you are just too darn excited and want to let me know -- like NOW ;-D

* contest policy

* if not this time, maybe next time

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 11.24.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Circle of friends

2. Warm and cheerful holiday decorations

3. All about the turkey


~*~

Library: feeling Christmas-y

Carols and Chaos
by Cindy Anstey
-Historical, Romance, YA, Christmas | Goodreads


Christmas Camp
by Karen Schaler
-Contemporary, Romance, Christmas | Goodreads


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop
November 23-26, 2018
hosted by Reading Reality and Caffeinated Reviewer
SIGNUP to win my book box (here)


AND watched: in theatre

Burning (2018)
Beoning (original title)
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Screenplay: Jungmi Oh, Chang-dong Lee,
Based on short story, Barn Burning by Haruki Murakami
Stars: Ah-In Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jeon
-Drama, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 5

Jong-su, a part-time worker, bumps into Hae-mi while delivering, who used to live in the same neighborhood. Hae-mi asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When Hae-mi comes back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met in Africa, to Jong-su. One day, Ben visits Jong-su's with Hae-mi and confesses his own secret hobby.

THIS screening included a Q&A with actor, Steven Yuen (a treat for Walking Dead fans).

SLOW thriller burn, but worth the wait. One of those ones that requires a re-watch. Beautiful long shots throughout.


AND watched: for Fall Film Challenge - six degrees from Kevin Bacon (here)

Murder In The First (1995)
Director: Marc Rocco
Writer: Dan Gordon
Stars: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman
-Drama, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5

An eager and idealistic young attorney defends an Alcatraz prisoner accused of murdering a fellow inmate. The extenuating circumstances: his client had just spent over three years in solitary confinement.

Watched: 11/18/18
Connection: Christian Slater was in this with Bacon
Stellar performance of Bacon in this role. Also, enjoyed the San Francisco scenes.

What Women Want (2011)
Wo zhi nv ren xin (original title)
Director: Daming Chen
Story by: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, Diane Drake
Screenplay: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa
Adapted by: Daming Chen, Eva Cao
Stars: Andy Lau, Li Gong, Li Yuan
-Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 3

After an accident, a chauvinistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.

Watched: 11/18/18
Connection: Russell Wong was with Ming-Na Wen in The Joy Luck Club who starred with Bacon in The Darkness.
While I like the star actors in this film, the chemistry was lacking between the couple.

~*~

* image source: vintage turkey card

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Friday, November 23, 2018

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop
November 23-26, 2018
hosted by Reading Reality and Caffeinated Reviewer (details)

I am giving away my review book box subscription of Once Upon A Book Club.
August theme: A Starry Night Murder!

includes:
-The Space Between by Dete Meserve
-packages with page numbers corresponding to the book
-Quote card

The Space Between
by Dete Meserve
-Mystery
Amazon | Goodreads

The truth isn’t what it seems in this stirring novel of suspense.

After presenting a major scientific breakthrough to a rapt audience across the country, renowned astronomer Sarah Mayfield returns home to a disturbing discovery. Her husband, Ben, a Los Angeles restaurateur, has disappeared, leaving behind an unexplained bank deposit of a million dollars, a loaded Glock in the nightstand, and a video security system that’s been wiped clean. The only answers their son, Zack, can offer are the last words his father said to him: keep the doors locked and set the alarm.

Sarah’s marriage was more troubled than anyone suspected, but now she is afraid that her husband’s recent past could be darker than she dares to admit. Suspecting that nothing about Ben’s vanishing is what it seems, Sarah must delve into the space between old memories, newfound fears, and misleading clues to piece together the mystery of her husband’s disappearance—and find what she hopes in her heart is the truth.


--~ Giveaway ~--

WIN this box of cheer!

Open to US only.

Offer ends: November 26, 2018

TO DO:

TELL me one of your holiday traditions (old or new).

AND include your contact email.

NOW hop-along for more goodies...

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - (winner is here)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The Space Between by Dete Meserve

The Space Between
by Dete Meserve

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Published: 2018
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery
Paperback: 300
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
"No," I whispered.

After presenting a major scientific breakthrough to a rapt audience across the country, renowned astronomer Sarah Mayfield returns home to a disturbing discovery. Her husband, Ben, a Los Angeles restaurateur, has disappeared, leaving behind an unexplained bank deposit of a million dollars, a loaded Glock in the nightstand, and a video security system that’s been wiped clean. The only answers their son, Zack, can offer are the last words his father said to him: keep the doors locked and set the alarm.

Sarah’s marriage was more troubled than anyone suspected, but now she is afraid that her husband’s recent past could be darker than she dares to admit. Suspecting that nothing about Ben’s vanishing is what it seems, Sarah must delve into the space between old memories, newfound fears, and misleading clues to piece together the mystery of her husband’s disappearance—and find what she hopes in her heart is the truth.


My two-bits:

Although I did not connect with the protagonist of this book the mystery drew me in. I liked the tie-in with stars and relationships.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--

signup to win this book at the Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop, November 23-26 (here)


~*~

* part of Once Upon A Book Club August Book Box (here)

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Ghost Month by Ed Lin

Ghost Month
by Ed Lin
narrated by Feodor Chin

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Published: 2014
Publisher: Soho Crime
Genre: Mystery, China
Hardback: 336
Rating: 4

A Taipei Night Market series:
Ghost Month
Incensed
99 Ways to Die

First sentence(s):
When I found out the girl I was going to marry had been murdered, I was sitting on a foldout stool at a sidewalk noodle shop in Taipei's Da'an District.

August is Ghost Month in Taiwan-a time to commemorate the dead: burn incense, visit shrines, commemorate ancestors, and avoid unlucky situations, large purchases, and bodies of water. Jing-nan, a young man who runs a food stand in a bustling Taipei night market, doesn't consider himself superstitious, but this August is going to haunt him no matter what he does. He is shocked to the core when he learns his ex-girlfriend from high school has been murdered. She was found scantily clad and shot in the chest on the side of a highway where she was selling betel nuts to passing truck drivers.

Beyond his harrowing grief for this lost love of his life, Jing-nan is also confused by the news: "betel nut beauties" are usually women in the most desperate of circumstances; the job is almost as taboo as prostitution. But Julia Huang had been the valedictorian of their high school, and the last time Jing-nan spoke to her she was enrolled in NYU's honor program, far away in New York. The facts don't add up. Julia's parents don't think so, either, and the police seem to have closed the case without asking any questions. The Huangs beg Jing-nan if he can do some investigating on his own-reconnect with old classmates, see if he can learn anything about Julia's life that she might have kept from them. Reluctantly, he agrees, for Julia's sake; but nothing can prepare him for what he learns, or how it will change his life.


My two-bits:

Really liked the descriptions and perspectives of the night market. Also, interesting to learn about ghost month which was woven into the story well.

~*~

* Listened to audiobook version.

* part of Books, Inc. Foreign Intrigue Book Club (here)

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 11.17.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Conversation about the theatre audition process and in particular the play, The Lion in Winter.

2. Reconnecting with friends.

3. Fruitcake during the holiday season - Thanks E!


~*~

Freebie:

Browse: The World in Bookshops
edited by Henry Hitchings
-Non-fiction, Essays | Goodreads

BOOKSHOPS, bookstores, book related places in general are magical places to read about. Found this on the yoga studio giveaway shelf. Reading a story a day and loving it.


Author event:

Green Apple Books on the Park hosted an event featuring, author Kat Gardiner with musical performance by Sea of Bees and Rose Droll. I was mesmerized and neglected to take a picture of these amazing artists.

Little Wonder
by Kat Gardiner
-Micro-fiction | Goodreads

Asymmetric and misremembered, Kat Gardiner fictionalizes the experience of opening and closing an all-ages music venue and café with her husband in the small Pacific Northwest town of Anacortes, Washington in 2008. An adult coming-of-age story told in fragments, Little Wonder explores the bittersweet love affair that takes place between despair and hope whenever you try with all your heart to do something you believe in, and fail.

WAS taken with the reading and wanted more. Loving this one too :-)


AND watched:

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2018)
Directors/writers: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana
Stars: Apl.de.Ap, Dan Auerbach, Scott Barretta
-Documentary, Music, Native American Indians | imdb
Released on PBS: January 21, 2019

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World is a feature documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history.

ACTUALLY this was an event at Today at Apple at the San Francisco Union Square Apple store. The trailer and clips from the film were featured along with a Q&A with the Executive Producer, Tim Johnson. We were also treated to a performance from PJ Vegas, son of Pat Vegas of the legendary Native Rock Group REDBONE.



AND watched: on DVD

The Mission (1986)
Director: Roland Joffé
Original story/screenplay: Robert Bolt
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson
-Adventure , Drama , History | imdb | my rating: 4

Eighteenth century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.

THE soundtrack is what led me to watch this. Surprisingly, the documentary of the making of this film was more interesting to watch.

AND watched: for Fall Film Challenge - six degrees from Kevin Bacon (here)

Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Director: James Foley
Screenplay: Niall Leonard
Based on book by: E.L. James
Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson
-Drama, Romance, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 2

Anastasia and Christian get married, but Jack Hyde continues to threaten their relationship.

Watched: 11/12/18
Connection: Dakota Johnson was in Black Mass with Bacon
Meh. Now I know the ending of the trilogy (could not get through the third book).

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Friday, November 16, 2018

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

China Rich Girlfriend
by Kevin Kwan

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Published: 2015
Publisher: Doubleday
Genre: Chick-lit, Romance, Asian American, China
Hardback: 400
Rating: 5

Crazy Asians series:
Crazy Rich Asians
China Rich Girlfriend
Rich People Problems

First sentence(s):
London, 8 September 2012, 9:00 a.m. GMT
A red Ferrari 458 Italia crashed through the window of the Jimmy Choo shoe boutique on Sloane Street sometime between 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. last night.

Zombie sighting:
"Whatever we can't eat, we'll save for the zombie apocalypse..."
-chapter 2, page 172


On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancé willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won't be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined.

Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore's It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband.

A romp through Asia's most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it's like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.


My two-bits:

This series continues to engage me and is perfect for Asian arm chair traveling. Includes views into both decadant and low-key (under the radar) rich living lifestyles.

I loved learning more and more of this world of rich and not necessarily famous people.

~*~

* part of World Reads challenge - China (here)

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara

I'll Be Gone In The Dark:
One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
by Michelle McNamara
narrated by Gabra Zackman

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads
Website

Published: February 2018
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Mystery, True Crime
Hardback: 352
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
Before the Golden State Killer, there was the girl.

Zombie sighting:
Zombies were scientifically implausible.
-Afterword, page 317


For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic—one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.


My two-bits:

Interesting to see the aspects of this story through various character perspectives. The meticulous research and attention to details throughout reaches ever so close to the killer.

~*~

* listened to the audio version

* part of R.I.P. 13 (here)

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Blog All About It: Truth


TRUTH & BEAUTY

READ:

Truth and Beauty
by Ann Patchett
-Memoir | Goodreads


WATCH:

On Truth...

Say Her Name:
The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
(2018)
Director: Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5

An investigation into what happened to activist Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after a routine traffic stop.

SCARY to know that things like this are still happening in America.


On Beauty...

Dangerous Beauty (1998)
Director: Marshall Herskovitz
Writer: Jeannine Dominy
Based on book by: Margaret Rosenthal
Stars: Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell
-Biography , Drama , Romance | imdb | my rating: 5

A Venetian courtesan becomes a hero to her city, but later becomes the target of an inquisition by the Church for witchcraft.

NICELY done with wonderful scenes of Venice and its canals. Never knew about this woman, Veronica Franco.

~*~

In poetry...

Sonnet CI
-Shakespeare (here)

O truant Muse what shall be thy amends
For thy neglect of truth in beauty dyed?
Both truth and beauty on my love depends;
So dost thou too, and therein dignified.
Make answer Muse: wilt thou not haply say,
'Truth needs no colour, with his colour fixed;
Beauty no pencil, beauty's truth to lay;
But best is best, if never intermixed'?
Because he needs no praise, wilt thou be dumb?
Excuse not silence so, for't lies in thee
To make him much outlive a gilded tomb
And to be praised of ages yet to be.
Then do thy office, Muse; I teach thee how
To make him seem, long hence, as he shows now.

~*~

In science...


~*~

* header from Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Lady Lilith (here) which was mentioned in the exhibit, Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the Old Masters, at the Legion of Honor which I attended over the summer.

* part of the Blog All About It Challenge (here)

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 11.10.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Lots of movies - both old and new

2. Yoga teacher leading us into Michael Jackson Thriller moves/poses before Halloween

3. Memories of recent Portugal trip.


I visited the infamous Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal which was one of the places of Harry Potter inspiration for J.K. Rowling. I picked up The Lusiads by Luís de Camões (Goodreads)


AND watched: in theatre

Private Life (2018)
Director/Writer: Tamara Jenkins
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Kayli Carter:
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 4

An author (Hahn) is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband (Giamatti) on edge.

INTERESTING things to consider if in this situation. FYI: this is currently on Netflix. We were treated to a Q&A with the director, Tamara Jenkins and Kathryn Hahn.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Director: Marielle Heller
Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant
-Biography , Comedy , Crime | imdb | my rating: 4

When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception. An adaptation of the memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the true story of best-selling celebrity biographer Lee Israel.

FASCINATING with a who woulda thunk moment. Makes me want to read more about Lee Israel.


AND watched: on Netflix

The Walking Dead (2017)
tv series, season 8
Creator: Frank Darabont, Angela Kang
Based on comic book series by: Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride
-Drama , Horror , Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 4

Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins, and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.

Lots of guns and battle scenes amongst the survivors. Oh, and zombies on the side (used as weapons).


AND watched: for Fall Film Challenge - six degrees from Kevin Bacon (here)

Beautiful Boy (2018)
Director: Felix Van Groeningen
Screenplay: Luke Davies, Felix Van Groeningen
Based on book by: David Sheff, Nic Sheff
Stars: Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 4

Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.

Watched: 10/28/18
Connection: Steve Carrell starred with Bacon in Crazy Stupid Love.
Parent perspectives were portrayed well.

Diary Of A Chambermaid (2015)
Journal d'une femme de chambre (original title)
Director/Writer: Benoît Jacquot
Writer: Hélène Zimmer
Based on book by: Octave Mirbeau
Stars: Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Mollet
-Drama, France | imdb | my rating: 3

A scheming servant works for a wealthy couple in France during the late 19th century.

Watched: 10/30/18
Connection: Lea Seydoux was in The Grand Budapest Hotel with Ralph Fiennes who was in The Bigger Splash with Dakota Johnson who starred with Bacon in Black Mass
Mostly liked this for Lea, the costumes and setting.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writers: Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow
Based on characters by: Michael Crichton
Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
-Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 4

When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Watched: 10/8/18
Connection: Jessica Chastain was in The Help with Emma Stone who starred with Bacon in Crazy Stupid Love
Interesting take on the next generation in a world with dinosaurs.

Ocean's Eight (2018)
Director/Screenplay/Story: Gary Ross
Screenplay: Olivia Milch
Based on characters by: George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway
-Action, Comedy, Crime | imdb | my rating: 4

Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City's yearly Met Gala.

Watched: 10/8/18
Connection: Sandra Bullock starred with Bacon in Loverboy
Heist with some serious girly fun.

Sing (2016)
Director/writer: Garth Jennings
Co-director: Chritophe Lourdelet
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane
-Animation, Comedy, Family | imdb | my rating: 3

In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists' find that their lives will never be the same.

Watched: 11/6/18
Connection: Taron Egerton starred with Bacon in Black Mass
The singing auditions were cute and fun.

Tag (2018)
Director: Jeff Tomsic
Screenplay: Rob McKittrick, Mark Steilen
Based on Wall Street Journal article entitled "It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It" by: Russell Adams
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson
-Comedy | imdb | my rating: 4

A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.

Watched: 10/8/18
Connection: Jeremy Renner was in American Hustle with Jeffrey Corazzini who starred with Bacon in Black Mass
I liked the young at heart attitude and friendship bond.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Screenplay: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
Based on book by: John le Carré
Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy
-Drama, Mystery, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 4

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.

Watched: 10/23/18
Connection: Benedict Cumberbatch starred with Bacon in Black Mass
I liked this all star cast uncovering the mystery mole.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)
 
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