Instructions Not Included (No Se Aceptan Devoluciones)

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Instructions Not Included (No Se Aceptan Devoluciones) was not a film I was interested in. But trying to learn Spanish and wanting to hear it spoken was a factor and also it was remade by a Turkish actor I do not particularly like. Anyway for some reason I have decided to give it a try. Firstly it is not a good film. The comedy fell flat, the actors were NOT good and the fanciful approach didn't really agree with me. Also I thought I saw the twist coming and God I didn't. I didn't and it made me shed tears and tears and tears and tears... Anyway watch at your own risk since you'll probably end up crying a few yourself. 

Still Life

Still Life was a part of a two for one deal on audiobook I guess (I think I purchased it at the same as The Cuckoo's Calling) and I really liked it. Not only the characters but also the prose and the small messages it contained. It has a certain British country mystery taste but it is very different from those at the same time. I'll probably seek more novels from Gamache series (but from the bargain bin??)

Hercules

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Hercules is a competent action film and I love Dwayne Johnson so I ended up enjoying it. However it is not a good film. 

Truman

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Truman I only watched because it said that it is a festival darling and I like the two male leads, and I wanted to hear Spanish. However it turned out to be a brilliant film with so much feeling that I cried all throughout. The leads were perfect the story very simple and touching, the actors so very good. 

Dirty Grandpa

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Dirty Grandpa was neither funny nor entertaining (I was having a pizza&beer night and thought it appropriate to keep the viewing junk as well) . I didn't fall asleep during but I can't recommend (unless you like Zac Efron which I don't) 

The Thief

The Thief  I thought I had read this novel before. It is either deja vu or I'd read too many books. Anyway it was alright. 

The Son of The Black Sword

The Son of The Black Sword I loved it. Ok not as much as Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss or G.R.R Martin but still it was really really good. I'm very eager for the second novel and it is not even out yet. 

Cam Girl

Cam Girl is written by a man who was a woman before he has found his true identity. His story is probably more interesting than this novel. To be fair I was expecting a sleazy mystery and ended up with a romance novel with gender fluent characters. Anyway I'm curious about Black Iris, maybe it is more of a mystery. 

Creed

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Creed is yet another boxing film. I don't even like boxing and the reason I watched this one was because the lead actor is very good looking. It ended up being a long film that didn't have much of a script not it had charactarisations. The lead guy is very cute though. 

Marauders

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Marauders I have watched last weekend but it is a totally forgettable action film with a convoluted plot and silly screenplay. I suppose the premise is not bad David Fincher or Christopher Novel could have done wonders with it but we were not that lucky. It is not the fault of the cast since I have seen them in other films acting better. The only thing that was good about the whole film is the masks the robbers wore.

The Cuckoo's Calling

The Cuckoo's Calling  is a novel I have stayed away due to all the controversy regarding Robert Gailbraith being really JK Rowling. I purchased because it was included in a special discount at audible. And just as it happened with Harry Potter (stayed away from it for a long time till after the third novel came out) I fell for it almost right away. It is a very British mystery novel and I loved the characters and the prose itself more than the mystery (which was a bit far fetched but not totally silly). I'm happy that there are more novels to discover right away. 

From Dusk Till Dawn

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From Dusk Till Dawn is a very entertaining horror film that I liked better this second viewing. Mr. Clooney still doesn't float my boat though. 

Wir Monstern

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Wir Monstern ended up being a good film with not a good ending. It starts with the daughter of a divorced couple saying that she has killed her best friend. The first mistake of the Father (this happened on his watch) is not to take her directly to the police (he actually drove there but didn't go in). Anyway the couple tries to cover the murder up but we know that she actually lied to her parents (for various reasons) and her best friend is alive and shacked up with a guy. Meanwhile the lost girl's dad is looking for his daughter (he has issues too, recovered alcoholic). Because of this lie, there civilized people go into a downward spiral of evil. 

Spanglish

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Spanglish yes another film with Adam Sandler in it and one I have already watched multiple times. I love this film and leak a lot during it. However, I can't in good conscience call it a good film. 

The Do-Over

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The Do-Over yes, Adam Sandler lost his mojo but I still like him. I don't know, there is something about the guy and his general attitude that appeals to me. I also like him physically (which is weird I know but still, he turns me on) This is not a good film but I was definitely entertained (and kind of looked down on myself for being entertained to it) 

Wolf in White Van

Wolf in White Van was a novel I purchased based on the plot, however despite the fact that it is accurate, I was expecting a thriller and found internal ruminations of a character I was not particularly interested in. This one was not for me. 

Captain Fantastic

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Captain Fantastic turned out to be a really good film. Visually it was definitely to my liking since I get to see most of the actors in close up. The cast was very good with Viggo Mortensen especially good. This man is amazing. The best thing I like though is the story. The ending especially is so good. I ended up crying a lot in this one. 

Death Becomes Her

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Death Becomes Her is a film I had only watched once and didn't much care for. But I liked it a lot the second time. I love Meryl Streep and she is as hillarious as Goldie Hawn in this one. 

Sex Tape

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Sex Tape could be a nice sketch at a comedy show but it is too short a gimmick to support a film. I like the leads so I didn't have that bad a time. 

Serial (Bad) Weddings (Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu ?)

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Serial (Bad) Weddings (Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu ?) turned out to be light hearted fun and even made me laugh out loud twice (which is a big deal since it rarely happens). 

Ouija Experiment

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Ouija Experiment is yet another found footage film. But I kind of liked it since despite some misgivings it has an entertaining story and character interaction. And a certain campiness, probably intentional, that gives it a nice flavour. It is not nearly as good as Shayamalan's Visit but still an entertaining effort that deserves some credit. 

14

14 I thought this novel was cute. It didn't provoke any emotional attachment but I have enjoyed listening to it and liked the ending. I would not recommend if you are not a lover of the genre though. 

Now You See Me 2

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Now You See Me 2 I wanted a film that will entertain but didn't want to be involved really (in Turkish we call this type of entertainment "kafa dağıtman" lit. Making head unfocused/untidy) I remember watching the first film dubbed with commercials at a National TV channel and not really caring for it. This one however was very entertaining. Fulfilled its purpose. I even want to watch the first one now. 

The High Mountains of Portugal

The High Mountains of Portugal turned out to be a good novel but I failed to emotionally connect to it. Not like I was when reading The Life of Pi. 

Itazura Na Kiss 2

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Itazura Na Kiss 2 is not nearly as fun as the first one, but I got stuck with it somehow and ended up finishing it. Everything that seemed hillarious in the first one seemed exagerated and ridiculous (not in a good way) here. 

The Dark Knight Rises

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The Dark Knight Rises I watched right after The Dark Knight and even though it is not as good, it is still entertaining and much better than all the other films. 

The Dark Knight

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The Dark Knight is a perfect film as far as I'm concerned. Great script, great performances, visually amazing. I don't know how many times I have seen it and I still love it. 

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

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Pride and Prejudice having been my all time fave novel in the world, I think I saw all the British adaptations (I remember watching a really old one on a black and white tv and falling for Mr. Darcy even then, age 7-8??) I have watched that old adaptation later on and still enjoyed it but the ultimate for me and many who love the book is the BBC one starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.

This one is very stylish and the actors are all fine (I think this has the best looking Jane) but probably due to it being the film length they had cut a lot of stuff and changed some of the words and locations (to more stylish ones) and while visually it is very good, thematically this adaptation fails. 

Straight Outta Compton

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Straight Outta Compton is a film I wanted to watch for a long time. Not because I'm interested in the music of the band in the film (the title is the name of their first album) but because I like Ice Cube. And watched him to a film promotion at Graham Norton talk shaw and suddenly I was interested. And the film is good, despite being very long. I didn't realise how the time passed actually since the characters were very interesting. Ice Cube's son playes Ice Cube and he looks like him and does a credible job. All in all it is yet another band doing a great album and split due to money and some members become more successfull (Dre and Ice Cube) while others lose a lot of things. And the film probably is not really objective since Ice Cube actually is one of the producers (and this character is one of the good ones) but the whole thing was fascinating the way these people rise from extreme situations to fame and money. Also it is dedicated to one of the rappers in the band called Easy E who has died from AIDS (he is a heterosexual but a very active one). Oh one other thing that surprised me is how the film was uncut. Not the violence but there are some very explicist sex scenes and they were all in. Probably the person who put it on Digiturk was a fan of the band or something. 

Deepwater Horizon

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Deepwater Horizon well disaster films do not really interest me and I wouldn't check this film out but I had sometime before another one started and since I actually work at a power plant (not really an oil rig but still the environment was not totally alien to me) and safety is the utmost concern where I work (very dangerous, natural gas etc.) I have found myself interested in it. After I have watched the film I wanted to watch, I have returned to it and it was very interesting. Mark Wahlberg does a good working man (that guy is good when he is directed right) despite the Boston accent that stuck out like a sore thumb in some places. 

Mockingbird

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Mockingbird is yet another found footage film, at least I didn't fall asleep during it. (I tried to watch a horror film called "Animal" and I fell asleep during most of it.

It Ends With Us

It Ends With Us I only chose because it was on top of the best romance list. And at first I didn't like it at all thinking that this may be a second case of Fifty Shades Of Grey (man that book was bad). However second half into the novel I realised that this is not a romance novel at all. It is the story of a women who grew up in an abusive home, meeting and falling in love with an abusive man. The story is focused on how one feels when she is abused. I felt the novel very sincere and despite the lack of depth of prose, it was a good reading experience and not in a trashy sort of way either (not a lot of intimate scenes in this one). And I couldn't help but cry at the very end where the author speaks about her own experiences of how her mother left her abusive father. All in all I definitely recommend, but do not approach it as a romance novel. 

The Restaurant of Love Regained

The Restaurant of Love Regained turned out to be not one of my fave Japanese novels. The feelings were there but the prose was not to my taste and I had to apply suspension of disbelief more often than I care to. 

August: Osage County

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August: Osage County is a film adapted from a theater play and a very dark one at that. This is not one of those 'families forced together by a funeral and inevitable bond' type of usual USA film. This is where a family is forced together by a funeral and truly breaks apart type of film. I really liked Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in it although almost everyone did a great job. 

The Imitation Game

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The Imitation Game is a fictional account of how Alan Turing came to put the his idea of computer into some sort of reality while figuring how to break the code of German Enigma's system thus help to win the Second World War. He is a tragic figure not only because of what he suffered but also because it is tragic for the world to lose such a brilliant mind too soon. And his only problem was that he was a homosexual. Because of the utmost secrecy etc. people were only able to find out his immense contributions to winning the war after 50 years of his death. He actually was convicted of homosexuality and had either to be incarcareted for two years or receive drug theraphy to "cure" him out of it. He committed suicide after one year of taking drugs. The world's loss.

This film never interested me though since I don't care for Mr. Cumberbatch (he is a good actor though) and code breaking but Mr. Turing's name was mentioned in Steve Jobs (Danny Boyle's film) and I thought to give it a chance. It is not a very good film but the story was captivating. 

Maryland (aka Disorder)

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Maryland (aka Disorder) is a film starring Matthew Schoenaerts and Diane Kruger. I only watched it for Diane Kruger (although she was the secondary lead). Mr. Shoenaerts is a great actor actually but for some reason I'm not much into him. This film was not really that good but I liked the emotions and the performances. 

Amy

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Amy  I love her. I really do. Ever since hearing the song "I'm no good" the first time on TV, I was so much into her that I bought her album right away. And this documentary was very very good. I have only watched it because I like her, otherwise non fiction is definitely not my style. This docu made me cry so so much. I had to stop at places. This talented individual's downward spiral was hard to watch. I hope God rest her soul in peace. 

İftarlık Gazoz

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İftarlık Gazoz o yanıltıcı filmlerden. Hani komedi gibi başlayan ama yavaş yavaş dramlaşan ve en sonunda full melodramla gözyaşlarını pınar gibi fışkırtan filmlerden. Bana da öyle oldu. Musluklar fena halde açıldı ve kapanmadı. Ayrıca bu film tanıtımlarına söylendiği gibi bir gazoz üreticisinin büyük firmalarla rekabeti falan değil. 70'li yıllarda Türkiye'nin yaşadığı çok büyük acıların hikayesi. 

After The Storm

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After The Storm is yet another Koreeda Hirokazu film that I loved. This director has always been on my radar even when his films were all arty and hard to read (Maborosi, After Life) but I love his later period films even more. This one is amazing yet again and I have finally, FINALLY, understood what people who like Abe Hiroshi were talking about. I simply loved this character but more than that I love how he acted the character. Totally amazing, both the film and all the performances in it. 

Bull Durham

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Bull Durham is a film that I seem to catch parts of on tv from time to time. And now I know why, despite remembering it as much loved, I can't really see why. The only good thing going for this film is that the lead trio of actors have amazing chemistry. Also a little extra for me is that I love the all American loser athlete Kevin Costner type (I have a weakness for Tin Cup) and he is pretty much in his prime in this making lovely eyes at the adorable Susan Sarandon. I still feel disappointed though. 

Celeste and Jesse Forever

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Celeste and Jesse Forever is a film I hear good things about and I thought I'd give it a chance. This film was long but it was nice. Spoiler! Real looking people going through a love that does not unite our two characters but it is kind of a happy ending for both.

Big Driver

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Big Driver was a great story in Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King adn I fully expected this to be similar to all the other Stephen King adaptations, nowhere near as good as the book. In this case I was pleasantly surprised since even though it is nowhere near as good, still it was good viewing. Being a woman, it was not so hard to identify with the main character (who is raped and then decides to take vigilante justice) and I really like Maria Bello.