xoliana
Member Since: July 31, 2016Reviews
A Single Man
A Single Man is a novel by Christopher Isherwood. It was published in 1964 and is quite short, at just 186 pages in length. It was later adapted into a film in 2009, starring Oscar winners Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, and directed by acclaimed... +
A Single Man is a novel by Christopher Isherwood. It was published in 1964 and is quite short, at just 186 pages in length. It was later adapted into a film in 2009, starring Oscar winners Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, and directed by acclaimed fashion and makeup designer Tom Ford.
The story is about a man named George, who works as an English professor at a university. He is greatly suffering after the loss of his partner, Jim. We follow him over the course of one day in his life as he struggles to carry on, often finding only the most fleeting moments of clarity before sinking back into depression.
This book is a truly heartbreaking, master work of prose. I bought it prior to the film's release and have since read it a handful of times. Because it's so short, it's easy to pick it up and go through it over a day or two. Isherwood was a gay man himself and most of his books have some sort of LGBTQ subject matter to them. Regardless of your sexuality or your beliefs, I feel that this is a stunning depiction of love, loss, and depression. The film is equally as good.
I recommend it if you're in the mood for a quick read, but be forewarned that you may need a tissue.
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Ponyo
Ponyo is an animated film both written and directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. The film was released in Japan in 2008 and North America in 2009. The story is Hayao Miyazaki's version of The Little Mermaid... +
Ponyo is an animated film both written and directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. The film was released in Japan in 2008 and North America in 2009.
The story is Hayao Miyazaki's version of The Little Mermaid. It's about a little boy named Sosuke, who becomes friends with Ponyo, a little goldfish-type creature from the sea. Ponyo is the princess of an underwater kingdom and she uses her father's magic to turn herself into a little girl so she can spend time with Sosuke. Unfortunately, we soon find out that the consequences of her doing this are disastrous.
It's pretty easy to see some of the similarities to The Little Mermaid, but this is definitely not a direct adaptation in any way. There is no real villain here. Instead, the film focuses on the importance of family, as well as cause and effect. It's a good lesson in how if we act without thinking, our actions can have enormous repercussions for those around us, and this is a good thing to learn at a young age.
The animation is 100% hand drawn in Ponyo, which makes for an utterly breathtaking film. It's definitely aimed at a younger audience, as opposed to some of Miyazaki-san's other films, but it's still worth seeing if you're a fan, and it is certainly enjoyable.
This is rated G with a running time of 101 minutes.
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Summer Wars
Summer Wars is an animated film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. It was released in 2009, and it is available with both Japanese and English audio and subtitles. The story is about a popular online virtual reality simulator called OZ... +
Summer Wars is an animated film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. It was released in 2009, and it is available with both Japanese and English audio and subtitles.
The story is about a popular online virtual reality simulator called OZ. Millions of new people sign up each day to create an avatar and use their account for various things, from gaming to email and banking. The entire systen is suddenly hacked one day by a rogue account, and the blame is put on a young man named Kenji, who is the furthest thing from a computer hacker.
Although the story has definite sci-fi elements to it, Summer Wars is also very much a family drama. The majority of it takes place at a 90th birthday party in the Japanese countryside, where we not only see how difficult it can be for the Jinnouchi family to communicate and relate to one another, but how they band together in the midst of a very real threat.
If you find that anime, particularly sci-fi anime, is too "out there" for you, I think this is more realistic fare for you to enjoy. It's got a lot of heart and relatability to it, and the animation is beautiful. The colours have to be some of the most vibrant that I've ever seen.
The film is rated PG and has a running time of 114 minutes.
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Vidal Sassoon 1875 Watt Hair Dryer
The Vidal Sassoon 1875 watt hair dryer comes with two heat settings as well as a cool air button. The high setting is quite hot, but not unbearably so. It doesn't feel like you're burning your scalp when you use it. This gets the job done quickly... +
The Vidal Sassoon 1875 watt hair dryer comes with two heat settings as well as a cool air button.
The high setting is quite hot, but not unbearably so. It doesn't feel like you're burning your scalp when you use it. This gets the job done quickly with its powerful air flow, and is a good option if you're short on time, or if you have a lot of hair and would like to dry it faster.
The low setting is still warm, but it's quite a bit cooler than the high setting as well as having a weaker air flow. This is the better setting to choose if you don't have a lot of hair to dry, or if you'd rather just dry your hair more gently rather than blasting it with more heat.
The cool lock setting is a small button you push which is meant to give a burst of cold air. This is supposed to lock your style into place for better longevity. I have short hair which doesn't require much styling under the dryer, so I don't really get much use out of this function, but it may be beneficial to those of you who have longerhair and take the time to style it out under the dryer.
This is a nice size, not too big or heavy, and it works very efficiently. I'd recommend it if you're in the market for a new hair dryer.
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Bath & Body Works Candle in Pumpkin Pecan Waffles
OH. MY. GOODNESS. This is the most delicious candle I have ever, ever smelled in my entire life. I am so regretting not buying the large, 3-wick candle! I love this so much. I can only hope they have it again this autumn as part of their... +
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
This is the most delicious candle I have ever, ever smelled in my entire life. I am so regretting not buying the large, 3-wick candle! I love this so much. I can only hope they have it again this autumn as part of their seasonal selection, because it is AMAZING.
This smells of a warm, inviting drink made with pumpkin, nuts and vanilla. It is the epitome of a great fall fragrance. You know what it kind of reminds me of? The hazelnut hot smoothie from Tim Horton's, which I used to obsess over in my teens. It smells very similar to that. It's such a sweet, gorgeous scent, and when it's lit, it fills an entire room. It makes me hungry!
I have trouble with heavy scents and, but this candle just smells delicious without smelling of anything perfumey. It also burns and melts down very evenly, which all of their candles do. I really hope I can get my hands on another one! I highly recommend this to any candle lover.
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Sherlock: The Mind Palace official colouring book
The Mind Palace is the official adult colouring book for the BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The illustrations were drawn by Mike Collins, and the book is 80 pages in length. The Mind Palace is a reference to... +
The Mind Palace is the official adult colouring book for the BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The illustrations were drawn by Mike Collins, and the book is 80 pages in length.
The Mind Palace is a reference to what Sherlock uses to solve mysteries. It helps him concentrate and remember small details which may or may not be linked, and I love that they chose to name the book after that.
The book itself has incredibly detailed drawings which are quite similar to a mosaic piece of art. This makes it a challenge to colour in each small detail with care, and it takes a great deal of time and effort just to complete onr page as the pages are quite large. This gives the book great value since you won't be able to simply rush right through it. It's also a good distraction for the mind, as you have to focus on the task at hand, instead of any outside interference, in order to achieve the result you want.
The book contains scenes from the first three seasons, or nine cases, from the show. Some of the pages literally look like some of my favourite scenes, whereas others are character portraits and others still are intricate patterns. One section is drawn to look like the wallpaper in 221b Baker Street, and let me tell you, it took ages to finish!
The pages are very thick, and the paper is of good quality. I use pencil crayons when colouring, but I don't imagine that using markers would pose a problem here. I don't think it would bleed through to the other side because of the thickness, but because the illustrations are on both sides of the paper, I would still exercise caution just in case.
If you're a fan of the show and you want to do some colouring, this is the perfect choice. The illustrator has done colouring books for other shows and films, so if you like his work, you can find more books with his drawings to colour.
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Chobits manga
Chobits is a Japanese manga that was originally released in 8 separate volumes, from 2000-2002. It was later compiled into two omnibus editions, four volumes in each, which are the editions I own. It was also adapted into a very faithful anime... +
Chobits is a Japanese manga that was originally released in 8 separate volumes, from 2000-2002. It was later compiled into two omnibus editions, four volumes in each, which are the editions I own. It was also adapted into a very faithful anime, which ran for 26 episodes in the year 2002. I also own that collection on DVD.
Chobits takes place in the not-so-distant future, where computers are now available in the form of Persocoms (Personal Computers), which are humanoid robots that come in a variety of genders and sizes. The only way to tell a Persocom from a human upon first glance is their ears, which look like small attachments at the side of their head. A Persocom can be programmed to do just about anything, from cooking and cleaning, to internet research, and even some seedy things which are discussed in the books.
The story revolves around Hideki, who is too broke to afford his own Persocom. Lucky for him, he comes across one that's been thrown away at the side of the road. She has the form of a beautiful young girl and appears non-functional. Hideki takes her home and boots her up, only to find out that her name is Chi and that she's far more special than he ever could have imagined.
I would classify this as a sci-fi comedy, or "slice of life". This is very easy to get into if you're not into hard sci-fi, but the themes are extremely relevant, and I feel as though I've seen other, more popular films, television shows,and even video games become influenced by Chobits. It definitely talks about AI in an accessible way, as well as touching upon our reliance on technology -- to the point of literally being in love with it. Moreover, I think it asks an important question about whether or not we're crossing the line into slavery, if we're ordering around beings that have intelligence and independent thought. There is a television series on AMC called Humans, which is extremely similar to Chobits, so if you're not into manga or anime, I would suggest that.
The artwork here is beautiful. Everything is in black and white, save for the covers, which are in full colour. CLAMP is known for their aesthetic in manga, and this is one of their prettiest series to date. It's also nice to see a company that has all females behind the scenes; this book was both written and drawn by women.
If you enjoy comics or manga of any kind, this has become a beloved classic which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
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Sherlock: The Casebook
Sherlock: The Casebook is a companion piece to the BBC television series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It was written by Guy Adams and released in 2012, at 160 pages in length. The Casebook details the first two seasons, or six... +
Sherlock: The Casebook is a companion piece to the BBC television series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It was written by Guy Adams and released in 2012, at 160 pages in length.
The Casebook details the first two seasons, or six cases, of the show. They are as follows:
-A Study in Pink
-The Blind Banker
-The Great Game
-A Scandal in Belgravia
-The Hounds of Baskerville
-The Reichenbach Fall
Each chapter focuses on a separate case, in the order in which they appeared on the show. They're examined through Watson's point of view as he writes his blog, which is very clever on the author's behalf! Watson delves further into each case to explain them in more detail, often trying to grasp how Holmes figured out the little things.
This book also includes information about the original stories that they're based on, as well as the hidden references, or "easter eggs", they've written into each episode. Cleverly, Sherlock will cut in with his point of view on each case via little notes, often berating Watson in some way or another.
While this is by no means a necessity, this is a great little book if you're a diehard fan and love collecting anything to do with Sherlock. I personally enjoyed it, and I hope they release a second casebook to discuss cases 7-12.
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Physicians Formula Gentle Cover Concealer Stick Yellow
I have very dark purple under eye circles, further accentuated by the fact that I have very pale skin. I was told that yellow cancels out dark circles, so I decided to pick this up and give it a try. While I enjoyed the creamy consistency of this... +
I have very dark purple under eye circles, further accentuated by the fact that I have very pale skin. I was told that yellow cancels out dark circles, so I decided to pick this up and give it a try.
While I enjoyed the creamy consistency of this stick and found that it glided on very smoothly, the yellow didn't blend out well on my complexion. It didn't cancel out any darkness, but rather left me looking quite jaundiced, even after I had applied my regular concealer and powder on top.
I have since heard that pink and peach work much better on dark circles, and considering the undertones of my skin, this would probably be a better option. Yellow may work better on medium skintones who already have a yellow undertone in their skin and therefore have a different shade to their dark circles. For me, this was simply ineffective.
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Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
I used to buy Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in smaller, see-through jars -- kind of like jam jars. It was always good, but then I bought it in the huge, white container at Costco, and somehow it's way better! The taste of this is absolutely... +
I used to buy Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in smaller, see-through jars -- kind of like jam jars. It was always good, but then I bought it in the huge, white container at Costco, and somehow it's way better! The taste of this is absolutely amazing. It tastes like pure, smooth coconut, through. As soon as you open it up, it smells just as good.
If you don't know how coconut oil works, it's a very temperature-sensitive product which will change in consistency with even the slightest drop or raise in temperature. It can become pure liquid when it's warm, a solid when it's cold, and a buttery, spreadable texture when it's somewhere in between. This can make coconut oil difficult to bake or cook with if you need it to be a particular consistency for your recipes, but let me tell you, it's worth it!
This stuff makes cookies taste so good. I can't eat gluten or dairy, so I've been eating a chocolate chip cookie recipe that contains coconut oil in place of butter. It gives the cookies such an amazing flavour, and they're always so soft and moist. I imagine this would work really well in some sort of cake recipe. Additionally, coconut oil is a natural moisturizer, and many people use it on dry patches, making this a very versatile product.
The price is high, but a container will last for a long time. This has the best flavour of any coconut product I've tried. Two thumbs up!
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