Saturday, February 4, 2017

Stacking the Shelves & Sunday Post - 2.4.17

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
AND
Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer (details)

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The Oscar nominated movie watching continues steadily. And, loving it! La La Land continues to top my list for best picture. Arrival is a close second.

Trying to read and get my requested reviews in between. Oh, it can be tough.

Note to self: must limit requested reviews during January to February to avoid conflict with Oscar film watching

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Bought:

ZYZZYVA
Winter Issue 2017
A San Francisco Journal of Arts and Letters
Website

WANT to read more literary journals this year which is a genre I have dabbled in lightly in the past.


For Review:

Piper Perish
by Kayla Cagan
-YA
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

PRETTY artsy cover with illustrations sprinkled throughout the innards.


AND watched: in theatre

Moonlight (2016)
Director/Screenplay: Barry Jenkins
Based on story by: Tarell Alvin McCraney
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 5

A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing.

Beautiful screen shots and scenes - just like the film poster. A story told in three parts with each housing a perfect actor for the main character. Look at the poster above closely and you will notice three slivers of people representing each age - somewhat seamless.


Elle (2016)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Screenplay: David Birke
Based on book by: Philippe Djian
Starring: Isabelle Huppert
-Comedy, Drama, Thriller, France | imdb | my rating: 5

A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.

Oscar nominated for Foreign Language Film.

WHOA. Did not see that coming. Interesting psychological gymnastics in this one.


Arrival (2016)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay: Eric Heisserer
Based on story by (Story of Your Life): Ted Chiang
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner
-Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 5

When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors.

Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design.

GETS you thinking of the state of humanity with that perfect scifi perspective.


Toni Erdmann (2016)
Director/Writer: Maren Ade
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Peter Simonischek
-Comedy, Drama, German | imdb | my rating: 5

A practical joking father tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her CEO's life coach.

Oscar nominated for Foreign Language Film.

Made me cry at a scene I think hit home with the father-daughter relationship story. Lots of laughs if you are into deadpan humor which I am :-)


The Comedian (2016)
Director: Taylor Hackford
Screenplay: Art Linson, Jeffrey Ross, Richard LaGravenese, Lewis Friedman
Story by: Art Linson
Starring: Robert De Niro
-Comedy | imdb | my rating: 4

A look at the life of an aging insult comic named Jack Burke.

CUTE little tribute to comedians (and romance). Loved the cameos from many older comedians - some I did not recognize.


AND watched: on DVD

The Notebook (2004)
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Screenplay: Jeremy Leven, Jan Sardi
Based on book by: Nicholas Sparks
Starring: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
-Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5

A poor yet passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman, giving her a sense of freedom, but they are soon separated because of their social differences.

HAD to watch this classic romance flick after watching La La Land. Mostly for Ryan. ;-) A bit of couple dancing and romance here too for him.


Currently flipping through: from the library

Eat Pretty Every Day
365 Daily Inspirations for Nourishing Beauty, Inside and Out
by Jolene Hart
-Beauty, Food, Self help
Amazon | Goodreads

Breakout hit Eat Pretty continues to win over audiences of all ages with its groundbreaking and user-friendly exploration of beauty nutrition. The author's hotly anticipated new book welcomes existing fans and newcomers alike, presenting 365 bite-size daily readings that make it easy to put beauty nutrition know-how to use in everyday life. Organized by the four seasons, the readings explore every aspect of what it means to eat pretty, offering simplified nutritional science, seasonal recipes, motivating goals and challenges, self-care exercises, and uplifting "mealtime mantras." Providing the dedicated support of a personal wellness coach at a fraction of the cost, Eat Pretty Every Day is for women of all ages who want to learn the secrets to living well.

I haven't read Eat Pretty, but definitely plan on it soon as I am loving this little gem of a book.


UPCOMING reviews for February:
The Return of Sir Percival by S. Alexander O'Keefe
The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
River Road by Carol Goodman
My Skylar by Penelope Ward
Luna Rising by Selene Castrovilla
Hidden by the Leaves by SDL Curry
Different Class by Joanne Harris


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