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.