Helpful votes received on reviews:
100% (5 of 5)
Location: East Lansing, MI
In My Own Words:
I'm a resident physician living in East Lansing. I've used Amazon to get competitive prices on books, DVD's, and a variety of household items. Most of my free time is wasted frivolously, when I do have some free time. I enjoy cooking, and a good number of my reviews reflect that. I also enjoy movies and books (of course).
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Reviews
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I've never read Connie Willis before, and getting into this book is difficult. You spend the first 50 pages trying to figure out what exactly a Bishop's Bird Stump is. However, once the ball starts rolling, the novel is engrossing. While it is billed as sci-fi, and indeed involves a healthy amount of time travelling, the book is mainly a humorous look at Victorian England and its absurdity. Willis's writing style lends itself to a sardonic humor that takes endless jabs at the prim and proper British upper crust. This book is far more than a sci-fi version of a period piece however. There is quite a bit of mystery to it. There is an incongruity in the space-time continuum, there is… Read more
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I should start by saying that I think Ikiru is the best movie I've ever seen, but I'll try to address some of the negatives. The story of Ikiru is that of a bureaucrat who upon learning he has stomach cancer begins a desperate search for meaning in his life. He tries family, liquor, and women, but eventually finds purpose in a cesspool that troubles a local community, and their attempts to have a playground built on the site. The story is absolutely compelling, and the intricate subtleties of Kurosawa's direction make this film very powerful, especially in the second half of the film, where Watanabe's (the protagonist) coworkers discuss his final few months at his wake. The acting is… Read more
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The world of Gattaca is one where people are stratified in society by their genetic composition. Racism and classism are things of the past. Those who are bred to be genetically superior are dominant in society compared to those conceived naturally and tethered with the possibilities of a plethora of medical problems. In this world, Vincent (Hawke) is a person trying to overcome his own DNA by impersonating a genetic superior. In this reality, impersonation isn't just looks... The movie takes great pains to show how appearance has become secondary in identification. This movie is not the best execution. It has an excellent cast, and the supporting cast tends to run away with the film… Read more
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