The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada is a film I just didn't know why I have started to watch and kept watching until the end yet again. But I did. The book is better by the way. 

Behind Her Eyes

Behind Her Eyes got great reviews and I love murder mysteries with a twist. Unfortunately this reminded me a lot of The Girl On The Train. Not because it has a similar plot, no, more like multiple point of view chapters with Brit life of women from different financial and social stratas. I do like Brit literature and the last thing I normally would complain would be the Britness of a novel but this one kept reminding me of The Girl on The Train and the latter is superior (or I think that way because I heard it first I don't know). The readers were nice but they all sounded like the same person to me. One thing I'll say about this one, I never saw the twist coming. Not at all and was flabbergasted at the end. So I'm not unhappy. 

I Saw The Devil

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I Saw The Devil is a film I thought I wouldn't be able to watch again since it devastated me at the first viewing. But just as I did with Old Boy I returned to this and I'm happy that I did since this viewing was also very good and now knowing how the things will go on I was not emotionally unprepaid. It is very violent, gory and scary but also worth viewing in both cinematic and thematic senses. 

The Neon Demon

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The Neon Demon having loved this director's visual sensibilities, it was hard to watch Only God Forgives (I actually fell asleep and my mother kept watching until the end, declaring it not a good film but nevertheless watching it to the end). The Neon Demon is almost as good as Drive as far as I'm concerned. And the only good character is probably the one in the above photo. My mother again declared this to be not a good film but continued to watch it to the end. 

About Elly

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About Elly (Darbareye Elly) turned out to be a very good film that kept me on my toes for the most time. The characters were all amazingly true to life and one can't help but get sucked in to the story. The actors were all good too and I'm very happy with this film. Asghar Farhadi is becoming one of my favorite directors. 

Romeo+Juliet

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Romeo+Juliet I remember liking very much when I saw it in theatre back in the day. I like it even better now. 

The Doubt Factory

The Doubt Factory turned out to be a YA novel which is not necessarily good. I mean it is better than some of the ones I have read but still not on par with his other novels (especially The Wind-Up Girl)

Death Race (2008)

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Death Race (2008) turned to be not so bad but not so good either. I think Jason Statham is some sort of male ideal man. Looking decent and ripped despite being bold and ladies around him despite being bold kicks lots of ass despite being bold and on and on. However even though he is with a great looking supermodel I don't think he can be counted among hearthrobs for females. This one I only watched because I have started and didn't want to leave yet another film unfinished. Well, at least it ended well. 

Lego Batman Movie

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Batman Lego Movie turned out as entertaining as everyone said it was. I liked it a lot and actually laughed out loud. 

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

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Hunt for The Wilderpeople was very entertaining and emotional viewing for me. Cried a lot and laughed some and fell for the two flawed individuals who are trying to be free. Adorable teen actor and Sam Neil is simply amazing. 

Shelter

Shelter I really liked this novel right from the start. It tells a story in a different perspective. Its prose is very good and the tragic story is told wonderfully. 

The Rooster Bar

The Rooster Bar turned out to be a very dry story. I thought it was going to be an intense thriller similar to The Firm (the only other Grisham novel I have read) but it was not. And the reader (the very well liked Ari Fliakos) didn't work for me either. I'm glad I read it but it didn't meet my expectations. 

The Wedding Ringer

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The Wedding Ringer is very entertaining to me and I guess it is because I like Kevin Hart. 

Evil and The Mask

Evil and The Mask went to a different direction than I thought and I liked it better for it. 

Hello My Twenties Season 1

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Hello My Twenties (Cheongchunsidae) I chose at random to get rid of Suits withdrawal and I instantly fell in love with it. It is one of those funny and sad tv shows S.Koreans are great at and I laughed, I cried and had lots of feels during the viewing of the first season. However the first episode of the second season was a complety turn off as far as I'm concerned so I'll just remember the first season fondly and forget the rest. 

Mar Adentro

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Mar Adentro is not really a film I wanted to watch. Despite liking Senor Amenebar's films, I can't like Javier Bardem. I fully acknowledge that he is a great actor and always gives a perfect performance but it is just one of those things, I prefer to watch other films if I don't really care for the director that much. In this one, he is amazing but I still don't like her. Not one of the films that make me change my mind about actors. It is a touching film that approaches its subject matter respectfully and showing both sides. It is not a film that makes you happy but one that will remain with you. 

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

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Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade turned out to be great in this second viewing. I have actually watched Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom again and really disliked it for various reasons (and I have fallen asleep at some point to wake up to see that I didn't lose much) So I was not expecting much but this is the best Indiana film as far as I'm concerned, not only the evil nazis get their comeuppence the action, the stunts, the actors are all excellent and I had a great time with it. 

Big Daddy

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Big Daddy yes among all the films I have not seen, and films that I have seen and liked (like Logan for instance) I have opted yet another generic Adam Sandler film to watch. And I enjoyed it too. What is wrong with me?

Pan's Labyrinth (El Labertino Del Fauno)

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Pan's Labyrinth ok I shouldn't have watched this one since it was already 22:30 at the time I realised that I was actually able to do it (thanks Blutv for sorting that error out) but I have actually started viewing it at 23:30. The result, crying my heart out while wishing I have done this today (but not really-heh).  This one is a film that is tailor made for my sensibilities. The clean cinematography, close up shots, the theme and all the emotions. Maybe it is somehow a bit short of being a masterpiece but I love it to bits and this second time viewing was amazingly wonderful. 

Gloria

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Gloria I have been hearing about for some time however I was not really interested in. Then it was on Blutv and I thought why not? The film is not bad but I was not as impressed as I was with another similar film starring Isabelle Hubert. Not that the leading lady is not a good actress, I think her performance was perfect, the film though was not flowing properly. I don't know. The issues dealth with were good though and you see that a man behaves just as silly as when he is young, old, middle aged, it doesn't matter. His name was Rodolfo and I kept thinking of The Mysteries of Rodolpho or something. Anway I'm not sorry that I watched it but I was not as happy with it as the majority seem to be. 

In A Dark Dark Wood

In A Dark, Dark Wood turned out to be a great read/listen. I really like British literature whether old or new. This one didn't work for me as a whodunnit but I think that is as the author intended. We know - well not really know per se but easily guess- who the villain is but the protagonist doesn't and all in all I enjoyed it so much that I stopped reading the other novel and gave my full attention to this. I recommend it to the lovers of the genre. 

Suits Seasons 1-5

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Suits (Seasons 1-5) This is the reason why I have not been watching less films than usual. Because I have been sucked into this show from day one and despite not being that good, I love the good natured feel of the whole thing. Highlighting fairness, forgiveness and goodness in general. It does not have any intelligent or emotional depth and none of the lead actors appeal to me physically but I love watching it. And again Netflix only has 5 seasons of it. Season 5 ended in such a cliffhanger that I need to fight with myself not to watch it illegeally. 

On Body And Soul

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On Body and Soul my God I almost didn't watch this film. It was on dvdigi and I chose a horror film called Camara Oscura (Dark Camera, yay Spanish) but that one was no good and I had some time and decided to give this a go having vaguely heard about it on twitter. And I'm so happy that I did because it is simply a film to my own heart. That clean cinematography, the beautiful close up shots, the mise en scene (done rightly as seen in the above pic), the story, the actors all were very good and by the time it ended I was in tears (of joy). Highly recommended. 

The Ides of March

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The Ides of March  When this film was in theater I was at Hawaii the first time. Wheeew. At those times I didn't care for neither George Clooney nor Ryan Gosling. I still don't care for the former (I know but the only time I even remotely liked the guy was in From Dusk Till Down) and the latter while still not really attractive to me, I think he is a better actor than I gave him credit for at that time. The film that changed my opinion is Fracture. Anyway this film turned out to be very good but Mr. Clooney made the mistake of shoving mise en scene into our eyes. Mise en scene is very important but it should be made subtly (Bong Jun Ho's Memories of Murder could be a master class in that regard) in my humble opinion. When the director's sense of his/her own competence flows out of the screen to me, then it becomes insincere, fake. Wong Kar Wai for example is wonderful at mise en scene but feelings flow out of his scenes and you are left breathless from emotion while watching. Not so with Mr. Clooney. I liked the story and the disillusionment of the protagonist. The cast is amazing and they are clearly enjoying themselves. I liked the film but it could have been so much better.  

Burial Rites

Burial Rites I have purchased based on a recommendation from a booktuber. I purchased two novels one being And Again on Kindle and the other this one in audible. And Again turned out to be interesting and a pleasant read but I was not as impressed by it as the booktuber in question. (Her favorite novels of 2017 video is here I have not watched it yet). This novel however is tailor made for me. I loved every single sentence and I'm especially happy to get it in audible because the reader Morven Christie is sensational. I just got the literary pleasures all over during the reading and once again I wanted to find the writer (and reader) and shake their hands trying to express my gratitude. Wonderful novel of the story of a women in Iceland who is accused of murder and is forced to await the result of the appeal to her sentence at a farm with a family. This is 1800s btw and Ms. Kent has woven the story in such a way that it is not only a great drama but also a more than decent whodunnit. Highly recommended, especially in audible if you have the option.  

Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad is a novel purchased solely based on positive reviews. It didn't interest me but it was on discount and I thought why not? I'm very happy that I did because not only this novel is great storytelling, it has a distinct prose as well. The kind of prose most appeals to me, making it look easy but you are aware of the mastery and talent while reading and just this single fact causes shivers. The story was harrowing. Any form of slavery, but especially the kind practised in USA, makes me ashamed of being human whenever I encounter it. This book was like a slap in the face. The most horrific part of it is though the fact these and many more atrocities were committed against human beings in real life. As a person who can read almost any kind of horror fiction - apparently my limit is 120 Days of Sodom by De Sade (I have read all his other novels btw) however I can't read true crime novels of atrocities of war (Ann Rule's novel about Green River killer and another novel about Nanking Massacre was left unread after a few pages in). This novel made me keep reading and flinching but at the same time giving me the best of pleasures, the literary one. It is one of those novels where in the end I want to thank the writer in person, shake their hand, expressing my gratitude. Highly recommended. 

4N1K

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4N1K masal gibi bir film çıktı. Üst gelir seviyesindeki sanki bambaşka ülkelerde yaşıyormuş gibi davranan liseli gençlerin filmi. Biraz G.Kore film/dizilerine özenmişler ama pek olmamış, bir şeyler eksik kalmış. Yarım bırakmamamın sebebini de anlamıyorum. 

Evil Games

Evil Games is the second DI Kim Stone novel and I really liked it on kindle too (the first one I listened in audible) This is a non fat, concise and clear type of Detective novel I really like. And furthermore I like Kim Stone. She is badass. Of course this is not in the same leage as Ian Rankin or Jo Nesbo but still very good.

Oathbringer

Oathbringer well it had less Kaladin, a lot of stuff (actually everything but the kitchen sink) and did not evoke much emotion out of me. I actually cried during The Way of Kings but this one left me strangely cold. Some parts were good but overall I'm kind of dissapointed. 

T2 Trainspotting

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T2 Trainspotting loved it. I really liked the first film but it is a harrowing one that is not suitable for repeated viewings on the basis of emotional damage. This one has a lighter tone and it suits perfectly to me since I'm aging at a similar time line with the characters and I loved the nostalgia but also the truth and it is indeed one of those perfect sequels. Highly recommended. 

Fifty Shades Darker

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Fifty Shades Darker turned to be an OK soft erotica. It certainly turned out to be much better than the book or the first film. 

Hear The Wind Sing/ Pinball,1973

Hear The Wind Sing is the first novel written by Haruki Murakami. And this is important to me since he is one of my all time favorite writers. He manages to swing me from emotion to emotion with each sentence and I love how tidy his sentence structure is. I didn't read these for a long time (probably an unconscious decision just to keep one thing for the future, yeah I'm a hoarder) It immediately grabbed me and pulled me in. Loved it to bits.

Pinball, 1973 is a more complex story with a sinister undertone as in his future novels and it was so very good. Words fail me in trying to express. I'm very happy. 

Black Mirror Season 4

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Black Mirror Season 4 turned out to be a more merciful season. Still not as powerful as the first two seasons but more entertaining than anything else. Of course my favorite episode is Hang The DJ and not just because of The Smiths but because it ended up being very romantic. All in all it is an easier introduction to the concept and not as brutal (especially as the first two seasons) 

Monsters Inc.

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Monsters Inc. It was ok, I have cried a bit as usual. I can't believe I had not seen it yet. 

Baywatch

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Baywatch turned out to be really boring. I didn't particularly care for the TV show and this is one of those films where every joke somehow misses the mark. 

Blade of The Immortal

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Blade of The Immortal is a delightful surprise in the case that it showed up in Netflix (where there are no live Japanese films- all anime). I have watched the first episode of the anime series it was adapted from in expectation for the film but it didn't work for me. The film though really did. Firstly I love Takuya Kimura and he is so good in this. He was better than the anime version of the character (totally non biased opinion - heh). The film itself is a tame Takehi Miike movie. Too long but I enjoyed every part.