roystreet
The Seattle Public Library
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The White LotusThe White Lotus, DVDThe Complete Second Season
DVD - 2023DVD, 2023
roystreet's rating:
Added Jan 21, 2024
roystreet's rating:
Added Dec 10, 2023
roystreet's rating:
Added Nov 09, 2023
Comment:
Wilson's very readable translation, though in places uneven, is never less than adequate; but it fairly takes wing whenever a woman is involved, as when in Books V & VI we meet Calypso and Nausicaa. (The Introduction has a lot of interesting background material, particularly on female characters. The glossary of names, on the other hand, is best avoided as misleading and at times plain wrong.)Wilson's very readable translation, though in places uneven, is never less than adequate; but it fairly takes wing whenever a woman is involved, as when in Books V & VI we meet Calypso and Nausicaa. (The Introduction has a lot of interesting…
The Banshees of InisherinThe Banshees of Inisherin, DVD
DVD - 2022DVD, 2022
roystreet's rating:
Added Sep 06, 2023
Comment:
"Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life - or finger - for another." Beautifully acted and photographed meditation. "The pain of life is the joy of art."
Though many have painted this as 'about' the Irish civil wars. I believe the significance runs the other way: the war is a kind of litmus test revealing character."Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life - or finger - for another." Beautifully acted and photographed meditation. "The pain of life is the joy of art."
Though many have painted this as 'about' the Irish civil wars. I believe the…
roystreet's rating:
Added Jun 20, 2023
roystreet's rating:
Added Apr 02, 2023
Comment:
As a gay vet, I found my visit to Winn's World War One Horror-Land Theme Park (mostly) fascinating.
Overall, I liked the way the writing succeeds in 1) following the masculine mode of feeling, while 2) striking a balance between modern sensibilities and historical verisimilitude.
FRIENDS: 5 stars. this ride keeps the reader fully engaged with tightly-woven strands of history, romance novel and real-life men & women.
LOVERS: 4 stars. On the 'Romance Ride' the pace slackens and characterizations flatten.
OTHERS: 3 stars. This reader lost interest and started skipping pages as the author takes us on a few more rides in her World War I Theme Park.
Finally, after knitting up the last threads, she shows us the exit and takes her leave.As a gay vet, I found my visit to Winn's World War One Horror-Land Theme Park (mostly) fascinating.
Overall, I liked the way the writing succeeds in 1) following the masculine mode of feeling, while 2) striking a balance between modern…
White LotusWhite Lotus, DVDThe Complete First Season
DVD - 2022DVD, 2022
roystreet's rating:
Added Jan 27, 2023
Comment:
It's not perfect, by any means, but if you can get past the first two episodes, you'll find an entertaining mix of satire and humor, including a serious take on the question of reparations. Oh, and the music!
The NorthmanThe Northman, DVD
DVD - 2022DVD, 2022
roystreet's rating:
Added Sep 29, 2022
Comment:
Surprisingly dull, despite the considerable effort to reproduce viking culture. One-dimensional, predictable, and choppy. Skarsgard, though astonishingly fit, is frankly too old for the part. Furthermore, there's no chemistry - neither love nor hate - between the leads.Surprisingly dull, despite the considerable effort to reproduce viking culture. One-dimensional, predictable, and choppy. Skarsgard, though astonishingly fit, is frankly too old for the part. Furthermore, there's no chemistry - neither love nor hate…
Evil GeniusesEvil Geniuses, BookThe Unmaking of America : A Recent History
by Andersen, KurtBook - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added Aug 05, 2022
Comment:
Journalism of the highest order.
Tangled up in BlueTangled up in Blue, BookPolicing the American City
by Brooks, RosaBook - 2021Book, 2021
roystreet's rating:
Added Jan 15, 2022
Comment:
Beautifully written. Brooks conveys not only WHAT happens on patrol, but how it FEELS.
There Is Nothing for You HereThere Is Nothing for You Here, BookFinding Opportunity in the Twenty-first Century
by Hill, FionaBook - 2021Book, 2021
roystreet's rating:
Added Nov 21, 2021
roystreet's rating:
Added Aug 13, 2021
Comment:
For scholars: small type; few maps, detailed, lots of confusing names
The Black ChurchThe Black Church, BookThis Is Our Story, This Is Our Song
by Gates, Henry Louis, JrBook - 2021Book, 2021
Added Aug 04, 2021
The CandidateThe Candidate, BookWhat It Takes to Win-- and Hold-- the White House
by Popkin, Samuel L.Book - 2012Book, 2012
roystreet's rating:
Added Aug 04, 2021
Comment:
What makes a campaign successful?
Still very relevant in its analysis of how presidential candidates are obliged to decide, on the basis of imperfect information, among a myriad of possible alternative actions.
Nobody gets it exactly right.
CrackupCrackup, BookThe Republican Implosion and the Future of Presidential Politics
by Popkin, Samuel L.Book - 2021Book, 2021
roystreet's rating:
Added Aug 04, 2021
Comment:
What's behind Congressional dysfunction?
Reviewing the politics of the period since the 2004 election, Popkin shows how both Democrats and Republicans, like the general store owner in a Hollywood western, are simply outgunned by hit-and-run interest groups taking advantage of McCain-Feingold and Citizens United.
Of the two, the Republican Party has been worst affected. Deprived of funding to enforce party discipline and compromises among its constituent interest groups, it succumbed to a hostile Trump takeover.
You're sure to find some new, forehead-smacking takes on US politics, even if you've paid close attention since "Bush v Gore."What's behind Congressional dysfunction?
Reviewing the politics of the period since the 2004 election, Popkin shows how both Democrats and Republicans, like the general store owner in a Hollywood western, are simply outgunned by hit-and-run…
AlexanderAlexander, DVD
DVD - 2005DVD, 2005
roystreet's rating:
Added Jun 17, 2021
Comment:
What a wasted opportunity! All that talent and money for a first-class Hollywood production and this is what results. Stone wrote the script himself, and I suspect that Alexander's character owes a lot to Stone's idea of himself, though the way the film shies away from discussing Alexander's gay side, makes one wonder.
Sad! It badly needs editing and reimagining, but this flick can't be fixed, not with all the re-cuts in eternity.What a wasted opportunity! All that talent and money for a first-class Hollywood production and this is what results. Stone wrote the script himself, and I suspect that Alexander's character owes a lot to Stone's idea of himself, though the way the…
The Storm Before the CalmThe Storm Before the Calm, BookAmerica's Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond
by Friedman, GeorgeBook - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added May 19, 2021
Comment:
Recommended for Friedman's original and illuminating presentation of the state of the Union and the direction it is likely to take in the next decade.
God's ShadowGod's Shadow, BookSultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World
by Mikhail, AlanBook - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added May 12, 2021
Comment:
Adds to the understanding of an important period of history with a well-researched book. Not always as vivid and smooth a recounting as one might wish; at times it reads as though the author is checking points off a list.
Tikhiĭ DonTikhiĭ Don, DVDQuiet flows the Don
DVD - 2007 | RussianDVD, 2007. Language: Russian
roystreet's rating:
Added Mar 27, 2021
Comment:
The best of the three treatments of Sholokhov's novel (a silent version from 1930, this one, and a version for television from 2005).
Added Mar 27, 2021
Comment:
This is the conclusion of "Tixiy Don" (The opening was published under the title "And Quiet Flows the Don") Without doubt the greatest novel to come out of Soviet Russia.
It has everything: magnificent characters in a sweeping historical background, set in a powerfully rendered landscape, told with a superb command of language.This is the conclusion of "Tixiy Don" (The opening was published under the title "And Quiet Flows the Don") Without doubt the greatest novel to come out of Soviet Russia.
It has everything: magnificent characters in a sweeping historical…
Years and YearsYears and Years, DVD
DVD - 2020DVD, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added Feb 22, 2021
Comment:
It certainly checks all the PC boxes - diverse cast, strong women characters, refugees, etc. The actors are terrific, though the plot might give you whiplash.
On the other hand, for all that it preaches diversity and inclusiveness, the treatment of straight white men is downright criminal.It certainly checks all the PC boxes - diverse cast, strong women characters, refugees, etc. The actors are terrific, though the plot might give you whiplash.
On the other hand, for all that it preaches diversity and inclusiveness, the treatment…
Disunited NationsDisunited Nations, BookThe Scramble for Power in An Ungoverned World
by Zeihan, PeterBook - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added Dec 26, 2020
Comment:
Invaluable for the reader wondering WTF the world is headed.
Like a hand of poker, Zeihan explores how each country's strengths and weaknesses in geography, security, economy, & demography influence its 'play.' It's not exactly obvious, for instance, given that people are the same everywhere, why China is not America, and vice-versa. Why is the position of the US nonpareil, and what does the prospect of US disengagement forebode? His conclusions are often surprising and unsettling.
Zeihan has a snappy style and keeps you involved with what can, after all, be pretty dry stuff.Invaluable for the reader wondering WTF the world is headed.
Like a hand of poker, Zeihan explores how each country's strengths and weaknesses in geography, security, economy, & demography influence its 'play.' It's not exactly obvious, for…
MediocreMediocre, BookThe Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
by Oluo, IjeomaBook - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added Nov 29, 2020
Comment:
The reader must understand at the outset that the purpose of this work is not to explore reality (science). Instead it is designed to appeal to emotion and to motivate - to promote 'social justice.' In other words, it is merely one person's opinion, not scientific fact.
Everyone, of course, is entitled to have an opinion, and many readers will accept hers at face value. But by the same token, the rest of us are equally free to dismiss it as simplistic and bigoted.
"Our world is still designed to benefit white men over everyone else," Oluo said in a recent interview.
(Sigh) Then explain the fact that every 18-year-old white American man is required to register for the draft and potentially put his life on the line for other people's benefit, not excluding women. Or that my great grandfather was killed fighting to free the slaves in the Civil War, and my father fought in WWII to defeat the nazis. and that I risked my life in Kuwait to roll back Saddam.
Oluo writes that white men scapegoat women and people of color. She writes of 'the desperation, the despair, the rage' of white men who feel cheated out of what they feel is their due,
Actually, no; Oluo is projecting. I submit that it's men who are being made the scapegoats by left-wing radicals like Oluo who want to vent their rage that their Marxist power-trips have never - yet - gained widespread acceptance.
Meanwhile, in the real world, it's the *absence* of men that causes problems. In the opinion of professionals, the absence of a father in a child's life is probably the single most influential cause of most of the contemporary problems in Black and poor White communities.
Children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse, drop out of school, and suffer from health and emotional problems. Boys are more likely to be involved in crime and girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens.The reader must understand at the outset that the purpose of this work is not to explore reality (science). Instead it is designed to appeal to emotion and to motivate - to promote 'social justice.' In other words, it is merely one person's…
Me and White SupremacyMe and White Supremacy, BookCombat Racism, Change the World, and Become A Good Ancestor
by Saad, Layla F.Book - 2020Book, 2020
roystreet's rating:
Added Nov 28, 2020
Comment:
Today's version of Mao's 'Little Red Book.' So sure of herself, so self-righteous… too bad that the author never examines her own assumptions with the same candor she urges on the rest of us.
roystreet's rating:
Added May 26, 2020
Comment:
"The Karamazov Brothers"* is, like its successors "Life and Fate" and "The Fountainhead," a philosophical novel. To the psychologist, it is holy writ.
So, beware: here you'll find no historical sweep, communion with nature, or exuberance of language. Unlike Tolstoy, say, where you know where you are even in the midst of his most complex ideas, Dostoevsky's twisty, tricksy sentences leave you unmoored, sometimes until the very last word. The plot struggles, lurching from one character to the next like a cart on a rutted road. Of tirades, homilies. diatribes, expatiations, oh, plenty. Interrogation - "What did you do?" "Then what?" "Why?" - follows interrogation. But conversation?
Paradoxically, despite the never-ending talk of 'Karamazov sensuality,' the book does not appeal to the senses: no delight in touch, taste, hearing, or sight. It's all intellectualized.
Final score: Philosophy - 10, Novel - 1.
(As it happens, though, there exists on YouTube a marvelous novelistic adaptation in 12 parts. With sensitive acting, period costumes, and limpid photography, it beautifully recaptures the time and setting. Produced for Russian TV in 2007, only the first part, alas, has English subtitles.)
*In Russian, the title - Brát'ya Karamázovy - is the ordinary and normal order in that language. In English, though, the normal order is the reverse: we say "The Marx Brothers," not "The Brothers Marx." "Warner Brothers" not "The Brothers Warner." The customary translation of the title into English therefore makes Dostoevsky sound pretentious and affected, which he emphatically is not."The Karamazov Brothers"* is, like its successors "Life and Fate" and "The Fountainhead," a philosophical novel. To the psychologist, it is holy writ.
So, beware: here you'll find no historical sweep, communion with nature, or exuberance of…
Comment: