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50 books. 50 movies. 2015. (Follow Format in OP!)

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cocopuffs

Banned
why not

cocopuffs - 1/50 Books | 33/50 Movies

Films

1. The Guest (2014) - ★★★★ - Super well made film, had a great soundtrack and a super cool vibe to all the scenes. Ending could have been a bit more fleshed out but overall the characters (mostly the main guy and Mr. Lance from Fringe), music and atmosphere all work to create a cohesive film. Most definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

2. The Raid: Redemption (2011) - ★★★★★ - lawd those action sequences, lawd that level 100 boss fight at the end, lawd the music at times, lawd this whole movie, lawd why cant hollywood learn how to film action sequences from this, lawd you should definitely watch this and if you haven't, what's wrong with you.

3. Horrible Bosses (2011) - ★★★ - I liked the film but it wasn't really laugh out loud funny. Smiled at a few scenes but never really laughed that much. I'll probably check out the second one though I hear it isn't as good.

4. Tron Legacy (2010) - ★★★★ - Surprisingly enjoyed this film. While the plot definitely could have used some work (more to flesh out the world and answer some of the whys about how things are), the stellar Daft Punk soundtrack, great visual design and action sequences more than made the film. Olivia Wilde also definitely didn't hurt. ;)

5. Nightcrawler (2014) - ★★★★ - Okay, really well done movie. Lots of super intense scenes (the whole buildup to the Chinese restaurant) and even the ending where he ends up
actually getting away with it
. Enjoyed the film and esp. Gyllenhaal's performance.

6. Hot Fuzz (2007) - ★★★½ - Enjoyed it, was a pretty funny film and loved the whole action film parody feel in the second part. Think I may have enjoyed Shaun of the Dead a bit more though but this was still good. Now on to The World's End.

7. John Wick (2014) - ★★★★ - Awesome visceral action scenes, of course the story is nothing to write home about (its a fucking dog!) but it was definitely an entertaining watch. Loved watching John Wick's different ways of dealing with the baddies in the film and the general atmosphere of the film (the whole hitman hotel place). Also the club scene was pretty cool.

8. Kingsman - The Secret Service (2014) - ★★★★ - Great action, Samuel L Jackson was great as the villian, unexpected
main character death
, funny scenes like the German salute and Mcdonalds dinner, exploding head fireworks, parachuting off plane and church scene was good. overall i really enjoyed this.

9. The Wolf of Wall Street - ★★★ - The movie was entertaining. For the first hour or two. Then it went on. And on. And on. I get it. After three hours, all the debauchery and nonsense in the movie just became tiring not to mention that they never really made Belfort seem like a "bad irredeemable guy". I liked lots of moments (the drugs kicking in, the swiss "fuck", good fucking lord margot robbie, etc.) but it went on way too long for its own good.

10. Zodiac (2007) - ★★★★½ - Really liked the movie, didn't know the real-life ending
(or lack thereof)
to the Zodiac story so that whole story was pretty suspenseful to me. Loved the tension especially in that one basement scene near the end. The film also looked really nice. I did have slight issues with the length though as I find myself losing attention a bit at about the 2-hour mark, pacing was pretty good though. Overall I liked it but in terms of Fincher films I've watched, I'd rank The Social Network/Fight Club above this.

11. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - ★★★★ - I enjoyed the film, maybe even more than the first avengers. Highlights were the Hulkbuster fight, the whole Vision character that I didn't even know was going to be there (making him a pleasant surprise) and the Black Panther nods. And even with all the criticism of how Ultron was done here, I enjoyed his character a fair bit. Overall I have to say I liked it.

12. Unbreakable (2000) - ★★★★ - I really really really liked it (until the ending). It was a realistic superhero movie done right. Loved the way M Night built up Bruce Willis's character David, Elijah's origin story, the bench press scene (although I don't know if 350lbs is quite superhero level so I took it to mean 350 each side), and that gripping scene near the end where he nearly
drowns saving the kids from the janitor
. Honestly it was one of the best, if not the best, superhero movies I've seen and then it just had to end so anti-climatically. The twist came and while I liked it, came a bit too late and was resolved with a few lines of text. Then the end. Talk about a pretty lame ending to an otherwise super solid film.

13. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - ★★★★★ - Non-stop action, awesome soundtrack, FURIOSA, CHROME, that crazy guitar guy on the vehicle, a sparse but more than sufficient story, honestly the best movie I've watched this year. Saw it in 3D and was well worth the price of admission. Cannot wait for this to come out on Blu-ray so I can rewatch it all over again.

14. The Big Lebowski (1998) - ★★★★★ - how have i not seen this before, duuuuude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1SfzV67Bqw

15. Taken (2008) - ★★★★ - pretty entertaining, his daughter runs too much, liam neeson kicks ass, also that shoulder shot to the wife was pretty cool/unexpected. will probably check out the second one and hope it doesnt disappointed.

16. The Island (2005) - ★★★½ - insanely derivative, generic sci-fi plot, cognitive dissonance with whether the movie wants to be a serious sci-fi film or a michael bay action film but somehow surprisingly works together in the end. just try not to think of the plot too much.

17. World War Z (2013) - ★★★½ - It wasn't the most intelligent zombie film (oxymoron??) and it wasn't the most well-made (that one scene where the scientist guy dies by shooting himself in the head lolwut) but it certainly was entertaining and had a neat twist for the ending. The book was still a million times better and I think it would have been better adapted as an HBO miniseries or something but I still enjoyed this. Looking forward to a sequel.

18. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - ★★★★★ - Really loved this film, wasn't sure what to think when it started but quickly grew to love it. That perfume the guy kept spraying, some really funny scenes , and my god was the film gorgeous. Glad that I watched this in 1080p HD on a big-screen as that cinematography needed to be enjoyed on a big screen. A really good watch.

19. Collateral (2004) - ★★★★★ - A hidden gem. The Cruise-missile had an amazing performance here as Vincent and Jamie Foxx was pretty good. Highlights include that nightclub scene, the scene where he kills those muggers, the whole scene in that jazz place and mr. terminator-ass-motherfucker at the end on the train. Visually and in terms of the soundtrack, Michael Mann did a great job as well. Definitely a film I would both wholly recommend and will definitely rewatch.

20. We're The Millers (2013) - ★★½ - It really wasn't that funny. Maybe it was because I was so bored that I was on my phone half the time missing the jokes but really the movie wasn't all that funny. And no disrespect to Jennifer Aniston or whatever but the whole I'm middle age and still sexy shtick isn't really working that well anymore. There were at least a few funny jokes here though, the guy the 'daughter' wanted to date, the family kissing scene and the "gay" Mexican police officer.

21. End of Watch (2012) - ★★★★★ - Really fucking good film, loved everything about it. The documentary-esque filming style really worked well and it wasn't just no typical "buddy-cop" film. Great performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, music was well-suited for each scene and honestly the dialog while sometimes narrowing too close to cliche was good. And goddamn at that ending.
Thought both had died at first in that shootout but one of them survived. Really was pulling through for the both though
Watch this one.

22. Inside Man (2006) - ★★★ - Wasn't a bad film aside from the fact that I saw the "twist" coming a mile away. And then Spike Lee had to insert random social commentary in the film that really wasn't necessary and didn't fit (the cop yelling "a fucking Arab", Sikh dude yelling about his turban and the cop using racial terms). I mean, come on, this is a heist film, not a commentary on racial issues in modern day America. Even the actual bank heist wasn't too exciting, the ending was way too obvious and the actual story about the whole safe deposit box wasn't all that interesting. Denzel wasn't even that good in it, I mean he wasn't bad but really nothing too exceptional. That about sums up this movie, distinctly average. Nothing particularly bad about it but really derivative and kind of just boring.

23. Prisoners (2013) - ★★★★½ - Really fucking good, can't say I have any complaints about it. Was paced well, story was interesting and good lord the cinematography was really good (ending sequence with ). Acting by Wolverine (Jackman) and Jake Gyllenhaal were both great too. In fact, I'm really warming up to Gyllenhaal, he's been great in about every film I've seen him in. But yeah, really good riveting film.

24. Captain Phillips (2013) - ★★★★ - I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP. Great film and especially that last moment where Captain Phillips was being treated by the nurse after everything, incredible acting by Tom Hanks who played the character so composed for the majority of the film eventually breaking down after everything in the end, helped that the nurse was a real one (from what I've read) in making that scene seem more genuine, I ended up tearing up a bit at the part.

25. Beasts of No Nation (2015, Netflix) - ★★★★½ - Haunting film. Great cinematogrophy and really good performance by Idris Elba. The true standout performance was by the kid though who did a great job playing a character twisted by the horrors of war. This film was definitely worth the watch.

26. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977, Theatrical Cut) - ★★★★ - I watched the O.G Trilogy all within the course of a couple days so they may have blended in a bit to me but this film for as old as it is was enjoyable. This being the first film in the franchise that I watched though stood out. Really enjoyed everything about it, Obi-wan, Darth Vader, Han SOLO, Luke, the cool alien designs, the empire, was surprisingly not really dated.

27. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Theaterical Cut) - ★★★★½ - LUKE I AM YOUR FATHER. Okay this iconic moment was spoiled since this is the pop-culture quintessential spoiler but still a pretty harrowing moment. This is perhaps my favourite out of the three films and definitely the most jam-packed. It took what was great about the first one and multiplied it by 2. We got characters like Lando, Jabba the Hutt (his ugly ass), Boba Fett (for some reason, he became insanely popular), Yoda). That initial fight set-piece in the beginning was really cool too. Loved the film.

28. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983, Theatrical Cut) - ★★★★ - The last of the O.G trilogy and also a great film, actually I can't decide if this is my favourite or if V is. The plan to rescue Han Solo in the beginning was kinda dumb and drawn out but it was entertaining. The twin sister revelation, the new Death Star, the emperor, Ewoks (which apparently some people hated but I found their design pretty adorable), etc.) Highlights include the scene where the Ewoks come to take on the Stormtroopers and of course that final fight sequence with Luke and Vader. So much tension during that scene when Vader was silent while the Emperor was doing his electric sith magic to Luke until he finally snapped and pushed him down. Fuck that was so good.

29. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) - ★★★ - Oh my god, it's Star Wars in the new age, this should be cool! Wait who is this Jar Jar character...who thought this was a good idea, holy fuck I hate this character so much, MAN FUCK YOU JAR JAR. I mean this film was easily a step down from the original trilogy but at least it had a couple redeeming moments that being the Pod Race, the fight with the Sith and Liam Neeson Quigon Jim was alright.

30. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) - ½ - GARBAGE, straight trash, picked up the star wars franchise and threw it into a trash compactor. For one, fuck Anakin and everything about his whiny ass, I choose to believe this wasn't the real Darth Vader, because if so, he was a whiny little bitch and not anywhere near as cool as he presented. "Obi wan this, Obiwan that, blah blah master Jedi, blah blah I'm so smart, blah blah I love you queen". GARBAGE FILM.

31. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) - ★★★ - Yeah this was pretty good, may be the highlight of the new trilogy. While I think it went on a bit too long and Anakin was still annoying as ever and his conversion to a Sith was dumb, and RIP Jedi Samuel L Jackson and General Grievous looked like a Transformers, it wasn't that bad. Yoda's lightsaber duel with the emperor was pretty cool and it was oh so satisfying to see Obiwan absolutely handle that cocky Anakin at the end. Darth Vader's 'nooooooooooo' though, yeah uhhh, that didn't really work as well as Lucas probably expected.

32. Creed (2015) - ★★★★ - Fantastic film, that felt like a true sequel in the Rocky franchise and not just an imitation. Fights were very well-filmed and left you feeling like you were there with each hit and impact (that scene where he hit the floor at the last fight and got up "like he was possessed" was haunting as hell), the entrance of the other last boxer, Rocky getting
cancer[/cancer], and goddamn man that whole final fight, this was a great film. Great performances by both Michael B. Jordan (man he grew up from Wallace in The Wire, side-note, Avon was in the film too lol as that guy in the boxing gym he tried to get trained at) and Stallone. The scenes with the girl were a little drawn out though (we get it, you're going to be deaf).

33. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - ★★★★ - Great film and the start of a new trilogy that already seems like it will be 10x better than the prequels. Seeing all the old stuff reimagined or brought back really elevated this film a lot, like that "old ship", the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo who still got it, CHEWIE, C3PO and R2. And in terms of new stuff, it did that well too. John Boyega did a great job as Finn playing a reformed stormtrooper and for all the complaints about Rey being a Mary Sue, I disagree. Was really cool watching her slowly come to grasp her
Force powers
and absolutely dealing with Kylo Ren at the end. Lots of story cues borrowed from the very first film in the franchise (new Death-star-like thing, new "empire", similar story beats) but it worked for the film, not against. That scene on the bridge with
Han and Kylo Ren was pretty emotional especially with Chewie afterwards and honestly I know the series has to move on but man Harrison Ford still played a great Han, I would have liked to see more of him, RIP HAN
. Kylo Ren might still have to grow on me but at least he's already much better than Anakin. And of course, they had to end off with Luke.

Books:

1. Leviathan Wakes - ★★★★ - Really enjoyed it.
 

Cystm

Member
Cystm - 1/50 books | 15/50 movies

Books
  1. Fahrenheit 451

Movies

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy
  3. American Sniper
  4. Django
  5. Big Hero 6
  6. John Wick
  7. Side Effects
  8. Rounders
  9. Automata
  10. Interstellar
  11. Horrible Bosses 2
  12. The Raid: Redemption
  13. The Raid 2: Berandal
  14. Europa Report
  15. The Skeleton Twins
  16. Noah
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Another week down and still on track.

kinoki - 3 books | 9 movies

Books
  • Stoner (1965), John Williams - ★★★½ - It's like Revolutionary Road but far more cynical and bitter, if that was possible. I like how it shrugs off elements that other writers would dedicate entire chapters to. It's a ruthless picture of a man that's broken by the world around him. The bitterness is just icing on the cake.

Movies

  • Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014, dir. Kenneth Branagh) - ★★½ - I like Jack Ryan with The Sum of All Fears (2002) and The Hunt for Red October (1990) being my favorite of the bunch. This is an odd beast. At times it is good and Chris Pine manages to sell what I like about Ryan but the movie around him is so boring and uninteresting that it's hard to
  • Side Effects (2013, dir. Steven Soderbergh) - ★★★ - Discount David Finscher does a well enough story justice but fails to make it more than the sum of its parts. Watched for the Netflix Movie of the Week and was pleasently surprised. My belief that Soderbergh is a mediocre director still stands.
  • Kate & Leopold (2001, dir. James Mangold) - ★★ - The story is good but neither the screenwriter or director had any clue what to do with it so they did it by the numbers. What could have been something really interesting is just okay.
 
pete_townshend - 02/50 Books | 07/50 Movies

Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger ★★★★

Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
 
A bit late but here's my first update. It's a bit large since this is everything I've consumed since the start of the year. More stuff like albums/EPs/TV shows can be found in my OP.

Threads - 2/50 Books | 13/50 Films

Books

1. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn - ★★½
2. The Shining - Stephen King - ★★★★★

Films

1. Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013) - Abdellatif Kechiche - ★★★★★
2. The Omen (1976) - Richard Donner - ★★★
3. Resolution (2012) - Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead - ★★½
4. P2 (2007) - Franck Khalfoun - ★★
5. The Forest For The Trees (2003) - Maren Ade - ★★★★
6. Horns (2013) - Alexandre Aja - ★★★
7. After Tiller (2013) - Martha Shane, Lana Wilson - ★★★★
8. Palo Alto (2013) - Gia Coppola - ★★★½
9. Sebastiane (1976) - Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman - ★★★
10. The Den (2013) - Zachary Donohue - ★★½
11. Damien: Omen II (1978) - Don Taylor, Mike Hodges (uncredited) - ★★½
12. The Guest (2014) - Adam Wingard - ★★★★★
13. Honeymoon (2014) - Leigh Janiak - ★★★½​

---

Pretty decent start to the year quality wise. The Guest was absolutely amazing.
 

Vik

Banned
Vik - 0/50 books | 12/50 movies


Books

-

Movies

1. Gone Girl (2014) ★★★★
2. The Guest (2014) ★★½
3. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014) ★★★★½
4. Why Don't You Play In Hell? (2014) ★★½
5. Lucy (2014) ★
6. Boyhood (2014) ★★★★
7. The Imitation Game (2014) ★★★
8. John Wick (2014) ★★★★
9. Foxcatcher (2014) ★★★½
10. Blood and Ties (2013) ★★
11. Nightcrawler (2014) ★★★★½
12. Clue (1985) ★★★
13. Nameless Gangster (2012) ★★★★
14. Birdman ★★★★½
 

Guamu

Member
Updated original post.

I just finished "A Once Crowded Sky" for the second time. It's not as good as I remember, but then almost everything is better in your memory. The story itself is pretty well written, it's just that the characters are presented in such a hodgepodge manner that you, the omniscient reader, can't really figure out the story until it's spelled out for you. And it is literally spelled out for you in exposition and monologue. Well, monologue is being nice because the quality takes a sharp nosedive when people start talking. There are entire conversations where characters are talking but they're not talking to each other because no one acknowledges that anyone else is talking. Person A is talking about this, Person B is trying to talk about that, and poor Person C is confused because neither are talking to him. The dialogue really pulls this book down.
 

choodi

Banned

Books
  1. Foundation [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (A)
  2. Foundation and Empire [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (B)
  3. Second Foundation [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (B)
  4. Foundation's Edge [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (A)
  5. Foundation and Earth [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (B)
  6. Prelude to Foundation [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (B)
  7. Forward the Foundation [audio book] - Isaac Asimov (B)
  8. Ringworld [audio book] - Larry Niven (B)
  9. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain (C)
  10. Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett (B)
  11. )Almayer's Folly: a story of an Eastern river - Joseph Conrad (B)
  12. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell [audio book] - Susanna Clarke (B)
  13. Software - Rudy Rucker (B)
  14. Ender's Game [audio book] - Orson Scott Card (A)
  15. The Last Colony - John Scalzi (C)
  16. Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett (B)
  17. The Lies of Locke Lamora [audio book] - Scott Lynch (A)
  18. The Sagan Diaries/Questions for a Soldier - John Scalzi (B)
  19. In Cold Blood [audio book] - Truman Capote (A)
  20. Zoe's Tale - John Scalzi (C)
  21. The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson (B)
  22. Speaker for the Dead [audio book] - Orson Scott Card (B)
  23. The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson (A)
  24. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (B)
  25. Wetware - Rudy Rucker (B)
  26. The Nigger of the Narcissus: A Tale of the Forecastle - Joseph Conrad (B)
  27. The Dying Earth - Jack Vance (B)

Movies
  1. Horns (B)
  2. The Grand Seduction (B)
  3. Into the Woods (C)
  4. John Wick (B)
  5. Birdman (B)
  6. Big Hero 6 (B)
  7. Interstellar (B)
  8. Sex My British Job (D)
  9. The Lego Movie (B)
  10. Monsters (B)
  11. Today's Special (C)
  12. The Cove (C)
  13. La Haine (C)
  14. Avengers: Age of Ultron (C)
  15. Bigger, Stronger, Faster (C)
  16. The Wedding Ringer (C)
  17. Jurassic World (C)
  18. John Dies at the End (D)
  19. Obvious Child (D)
  20. Woman's Lake (B)
  21. The Raid Redemption (A)
  22. Straight Outta Compton (C)
  23. Jonestown: Paradise Lost (C)
  24. Ex Machina (B)
  25. The Martian (A)
  26. Circle (D)
  27. Friday (B)
  28. Amy (B)
  29. Dirty Wars (C)
  30. Last Days in Vietnam (B)
  31. The Dressmaker (B)
  32. Cinderella (2015) (C)
  33. Inside Out (A)
  34. Manson (C)
  35. Behind the Candelabra (C)
  36. The Ridiculous 6 (D)
  37. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (D)
  38. Star Wars The Force Awakens (A)
  39. Trainwreck (B)
  40. Mad Max Fury Road (A)
  41. The Kingsman (A)
 
pete_townshend - 02/50 Books | 08/50 Movies

Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger(Hitchens) ★★★★

Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
8. Dead Man's Burden ★★½
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
A quiet week. No time for movies.

kinoki - 4 books | 9 movies

Books
  • Dora Bruder (1997), Patrick Modiano - ★★★★ - Last year I read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. Dora Bruder is much in the same vein as that book. While Murakami's life focuses on running Modiano's life focuses more on walking the streets of Paris reflecting on the lives that have taken place there. It isn't fiction but it is an insight into an author and serves as a reminder whose eyes we're looking through when we're reading their books..

Movies

  • Nothing this week...
 

Sakwoff

Member
Updated original post.

Sakwoff - 4/50 Books | 1/50 Movies

Books


  1. Der Meister - Herbert Rosendorfer (German)
  2. Shopping and Fucking - Mark Ravenhill
  3. Blasted - Sarah Kane
  4. Phaedra's Love - Sarah Kane

Movies


  1. Fallen Angels - Wong Kar Wai

After reading Shopping and Fucking, I decided to read a few plays by Sarah Kane. Really put me into a weird place, mentally. Heavy stuff. Absolutely masterful, though. Whereas Ravenhill takes the classic form of comedy and escalates that in some really unpleasant directions, Kane riffs more on the tradition of shakespearean tragedy, e.g. King Lear. Probably the bleakest stuff I've read in a long time.

Would be really interesting to see them on stage though. I don't know how you would direct some of the stuff that's in there.
 

Tater Tot

"My God... it's full of Starch!"
50 Books
1- The Way of Men by Jack Donovan (25/01/2015) ★★★★
2- No More Mr Nice Guy by Robert Glover (27/02/2015) ★★★★\
3- Models by Mark Manson (16/07/2015) ★★★★★

Tater Tot - 3/50 books |
 
Updated original post.

Just a little write up about the last Haruhi Suzumiya books. This is sorta long series, considering there are 11 installments, but pretty doable to do in less than 3 months.

The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya
Coming from Intrigues, one may call this book as a respite, considering the main plot sort of stops in exchange of some carácter development. Here we have two stories, the main one being the fight between the brigade and the Student Council, a setup that lets the reader get insight into the main characters by the stories they write. The second one is somewhat of a daily life story, just with the spice of a mystery surrounding an area and the reactions of animals toward it.

The Dissociation / Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya
I group the three books because they are the same story, finally developing the threat that first appeared in the final story of Rampage and continued in Intrigues. Here we are presented with an opposing group to the brigade, centering around a figure in Kyon's past. Although the story has always introduced obscure concepts and references, and has progressively become more complex, in this instance I found myself going more commonly towards the web to understand what are they talking about. Tanigawa makes himself clear that he likes his physics and philosophy, considering how a certain character acts. Not spoiling much, the main plot ends leaving various questions about the factions in the air, which the author may or may not answer in future installments. But considering we haven't heard anything and we are close to four years since this book came out in Japan I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
roosters93 - 6/50 books | 5/50 movies​


First update!
Lots of Australia-centric books read. Also lots of books with long sub-titles!


new Books:

Breaking News: Sex, Lies and the Murdoch Succession: Sex, Lies and the Murdoch Succession - Paul Barry ★★★★
Bad News: Murdoch's "Australian" and the Shaping of the Nation (Quarterly Essay #43) - Robert Manne ★★★
The Party Thieves: The Real Story of the 2010 Election - Barrie Cassidy ★★★★
The News: A User's Manual - Alaine De Botton ★★
Ayoade on Ayoade - Richard Ayoade ★★★

Movies:

Paddington ★★★
Whiplash ★★★★
The Theory of Everything ★
The Imitation Game ★★½
American Sniper ★½
 

ChopstickNinja

Neo Member

Books
  1. Red Rising - Pierce Brown
  2. Golden Son - Pierce Brown
  3. Paddle Your Own Canoe - Nick Offerman
  4. Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
  5. The Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch
  6. Star Wars: Heir to the Empire - Timothy Zahn
  7. Star Wars: Dark Force Rising - Timothy Zahn
  8. Star Wars: The Last Command - Timothy Zahn
  9. The Martian - Andy Weir
  10. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
  11. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour bookstore - Robin Sloan
  12. A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  13. Annabel Scheme - Robin Sloan
  14. Star Wars: Scroundrels - Timothy Zahn
  15. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance
  16. Armada - Ernest Cline
  17. The Magicians - Lev Grossman
  18. The Magician King - Lev Grossman
  19. The Magician's Land - Lev Grossman
  20. Dragonwings - Laurence Yep
  21. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage - Haruki Murakami
Movies
  1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  2. Midnight in Paris
  3. The Big Lebowski
  4. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  5. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  6. Kingsmen: The Secret Service
  7. Dragon Ball Z - Battle of the Gods
  8. The Fast and The Furious
  9. 2 Fast 2 Furious
  10. Fast and Furious: Toyko Drift
  11. Fast & Furious
  12. Fast 5
  13. Fast and Furious 6
  14. Furious 7
  15. Better Luck Tomorrow
  16. Guardians of the Galaxy
  17. Foxcatcher
  18. Galaxy Quest
  19. Jurassic World
  20. The Rock
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
First year trying but this should give me an even better excuse to use my kindle.

Nelo Ice - 1/50 books | 4/50 movies


Books
1. The Fall of Hyperion-Dan Simmons
2. Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn


Movies
1.The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Wet Hot American Summer
3. Django Unchained
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. The Interview
6. The Equalizer
7. Act of Valor
 

suberzat

Member
Update
Suberzat 0 books/ 8 movies

Books:

Movies:
The Enemy
Predestination
Everly
Whiplash
Foxcatcher
Under the Skin
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
 

thomaser

Member
Thomaser - 2/50 Books | 0/50 Movies

Books:

1: Pratchett, Terry/Baxter, Stephen: The Long War
2: Sacks, Oliver: Musicophilia
3: Friend's master thesis about Rushdie's The Satanic Verses
----
4: Pynchon, Thomas: Inherent Vice (reading)
 

Verdre

Unconfirmed Member
Update




Books:

1. Labyrinth of Dreams by Sergei Lukyanenko - ★★★
2. Antarktos Rising by Jeremy Robinson - ★★ - Avoid
3. Vampire Hunter D Volume 12: Pale Fallen Angel - Parts Three and Four by Hideyuki Kikuchi - ★★★
4. Vampire Hunter D Volume 13: Twin Shadowed Knight by Hideyuki Kikuchi - ★★★
5. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka - ★★★
6. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice - ★★★
7. The Third Section by Jasper Kent - ★★★ - This series doesn't look as though it will ever reach the heights of the first book.
8. Ultima by Stephen Baxter - ★★★
9. Bro by Vladimir Sorokin - ★★ - I don't know what I read.
10. The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke - ★★★
Movies:

1. The Interview - ★★★
2. Transcendence - ★★★
3. Rob the Mob - ★★★
4. Taken 3 - ★★★
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - ★★★
 
Updated original post.
Finished Gone Girl this morning and it put me into a dark mood. I really don't want to watch the movie now but I feel like I have to, almost. I listened to the soundtrack while reading and it made me dislike the score, and I currently feel like it's the worst thing Trent Reznor's ever done. Though that's possibly because the book made me hate Amy so much that it made me hate the music.

King Kong was a train wreck. So much wasted screen time. He used the same camera tricks and shots even from the lotr movies and it just didn't work. Sure, let's linger on characters for no reason just like we lingered in lotr. And why not have pointless dialogue between characters we really don't give a damn about, even (especially) when you try to make us give a damn? And I couldn't help but think that poor Ann's head would have snapped right off with the physics it was stressed with in the t-rex fight. It's such a terrible movie with some really good action sequences.
 

choodi

Banned
I just felt it was useful to remind everyone that the whole idea of the challenge is to experience new films and books (not ones that you have read or watched before).

Therefore, the only rule that you really need to stick to is this one:

No really, what are the rules? It's that simple. Read 50 books you've never read before. Watch 50 movies that you've never seen before. Doesn't matter if it was filmed in 1939 or written in the seventeenth century. If it's new material for you, it counts!

Whether you count long books as 1 or 2 is entirely up to you. No one is going to check to see if you are lying or not and there is no prize at the end, except for your own personal sense of achievement.

Read new books, watch new films, tell us about how awesome or crap they were. That is all you need to do.

Two final things:
  • please don't repost your entire list every time you read a book or watch a film. Just update your first post and tell us the new entries since your last update with a link to your full list
  • there is a specific format that you need to follow to make Pau's job tracking everyone's lists easier. FOLLOW IT!
 

Cerity

Member
Trying to get better at excel and thought this would be a good thing to mess around with. Should be pretty interesting by the end of the year with all the things I'm planning to add to it and once the entries fill up.

Q5qIi0u.png
 

Ashes

Banned
# Master list

Ashes - 50/50 Books | 51/50 Films | 26/12 Seasons

Books

1. The Brothers Karamazov
2. The Science of Getting Rich
3. Around the World in 80 days
4. A Doll's House
5. Alice in Wonderland
6. As I Lay Dying
7. Down and Out in Paris and London
8. "Black and Blue" by Paul Canoville.
9. Tide of shadows and other stories
10. Three Men in a Boat
11. Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day
12. Barrayar
13. Junie B. Jones is (almost) a flower girl
14. Junie B. Jones has a monster under her bed
15. A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)
16. The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3)
17. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
18. The Communist Manifesto
19. The Symposium
20. Wuthering Heights
21. The Girl with the Golden Eyes
22. Utopia
23. Pnin
24. The Prince
25. The Art of War
26. Tao Te Ching
27. Oedipus Rex/ Oedipus the king
28. Oedipus at Colonus
29. Antigone
30. Common Sense
31. Euthyphron
32. Apology
33. Crito
34. Phaedo
35. Search Warrant
36. A room of one's own.
37. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
38. The Girl in the green raincoat
39. Do Android's dream of electric sheep
40. Darkness under the sun
41. The Phantom Tollbooth
42. From The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler
43. The Westing Game
44. Because of Winn-Dixie
45. Maniac Magee
46. Tuck Everlasting
47. The Tale of Despereaux
48. Little House in the Big Woods
49. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
50. Goodbye Mr Chips

Films

1. Lucy
2. John Wick
3. P.K.
4. 50 shades of Grey
5. Insurgent
6. Captain America: the first Avenger
7. Birdman
8. Out of Sight
9. Kingsman: the secret service
10. True Romance
11. Dances with Wolves
12. Ex Machina
13. Mad Max
14. Big Hero Six
15. Piku
16. Tanu Weds Manu Return
17. Tanu weds Manu
18. Frank
19. Bajrangi Bhaijaan
20. Bombay Velvet
21. Ek Villian
22. Jurassic World
23. Inside Out
24. Mad Max: Fury Road
25. Nightcrawler
26. Sean the sheep
27. Kocan Kadar Konus
28. The Imitation Game
29. Boyhood
30. Court
31. Prisoner
32. The Walk
33. The Martian
34. The Lavender Hill Mob
35. Journey into Fear
36. Spectre
37. The Abominable Snowman
38. Vivah
39. Fear it self
40. The Edge
41. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
42. Brooklyn
43. Hunger Games Mockinjay Part 2
44. Bridge of Spies
45. Tamasha
46. Carol
47. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
48. Sisters
49. Sicario
50. Bajirao Mastani
51. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Seasons

1. Sharks ( 3 episodes)
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
3. Game of Thrones Season 5
4. True Detective Season 2
5. Fairy Tail Season 1
6. Fairy Tail Season 2
7. Fairy Tail Season 3
8. Fairy Tail Season 4
9. Fairy Tail Season 5
10. Fairy Tail Season 6
11. One Piece Season 1
12. One Piece Season 2
13. One Piece Season 3
14. One Piece Season 4
15. One Piece Season 5
16. One Piece Season 6
17. One Piece Season 7
18. One Piece Season 8
19. One Piece Season 9
20. One Piece Season 10
21. One Piece Season 11
22. One Piece Season 12
23. One Piece Season 13
24. One Piece Season 14
25. One Piece Season 15
26. One Piece Season 16
 

Ashes

Banned
I know one thing most GAFers won't finish reading this year:
the OP

Could I count the podcast Serial as a book?

You could do whatever you like. But the average person will think it an unreasonable alternative to a book.
Serial is closer to a documentary film. But even then, I'd be weary of listing it under that.
I think it best to count under podcasts, or at a push seasons.
 
I just felt it was useful to remind everyone that the whole idea of the challenge is to experience new films and books (not ones that you have read or watched before).

Therefore, the only rule that you really need to stick to is this one:



Whether you count long books as 1 or 2 is entirely up to you. No one is going to check to see if you are lying or not and there is no prize at the end, except for your own personal sense of achievement.

Read new books, watch new films, tell us about how awesome or crap they were. That is all you need to do.

Two final things:
  • please don't repost your entire list every time you read a book or watch a film. Just update your first post and tell us the new entries since your last update with a link to your full list
  • there is a specific format that you need to follow to make Pau's job tracking everyone's lists easier. FOLLOW IT!
Are all rewatches considered equal? I ask because there are some Disney movies (and some others) that I quite literally have not seen in 15-17 years, and I'd like to rewatch them and actually appreciate them as an adult. I have no recollection of most of those movies, so I'm not sure if I should count them or not.
 
Are all rewatches considered equal? I ask because there are some Disney movies (and some others) that I quite literally have not seen in 15-17 years, and I'd like to rewatch them and actually appreciate them as an adult. I have no recollection of most of those movies, so I'm not sure if I should count them or not.

My suggestion is to rewatch them and enjoy them, but not count them for the purposes of this challenge. It's literally the only rule.
 

choodi

Banned
Are all rewatches considered equal? I ask because there are some Disney movies (and some others) that I quite literally have not seen in 15-17 years, and I'd like to rewatch them and actually appreciate them as an adult. I have no recollection of most of those movies, so I'm not sure if I should count them or not.

As i said, no one is going to check up on you to see if you are following the one rule of the challenge. It's not a competition, so if you are happy to make your own rules up, go ahead.
 
As i said, no one is going to check up on you to see if you are following the one rule of the challenge. It's not a competition, so if you are happy to make your own rules up, go ahead.
That's literally what you did 7 posts up. You remind me of Jonah Hill in Night at the Museum 2.
 
Guess I'll go ahead and start a list, since I'm trying to read more this year. Haven't completed any books but I've seen a good amount of movies. Here goes:

Movies:
Top Five - 4/5
The Interview - 3/5
Whiplash - 5/5
Inside Llewyn Davis - 4.5/5
Inherent Vice - 3.5/5
The Immigrant - 3.5/5

Books:
 
I've been rewatching some Disney movies on Netflix and I've listed them, but not as part of the challenge.
The reason why I asked was that the last time i "watched" them was as a little kid. Aside from stuff I've seen on the Internet in later years, I have little to no recollection of them. It seemed like less of a "rewatch" and more of a first watch with the comprehension of an adult.

I dunno. I might count them. I may also just never get to them.
 

choodi

Banned
I think he's implying that you made up rules. But, everything you posted is in the OP. So yeah, I don't know. Never saw Night at the Museum 2. lol

If only everyone bothered reading the OP we wouldn't have the whole thread clogged up with pointless posts.

The same thing happens every year...
 
I think he's implying that you made up rules. But, everything you posted is in the OP. So yeah, I don't know. Never saw Night at the Museum 2. lol

No, I'm saying that "As i said, no one is going to check up on you to see if you are following the one rule of the challenge." and then seven posts prior he's checking up on everyone and ensuring they're following the one rule of the challenge is a little wonky.

and in the interest of not taking up any more space: I have had less than 3 hours of sleep last night and am in a terrible mood so I'm just going to stop replying except for the requisite post as outlined in the OP.
 
No, I'm saying that "As i said, no one is going to check up on you to see if you are following the one rule of the challenge." and then seven posts prior he's checking up on everyone and ensuring they're following the one rule of the challenge is a little wonky.

and in the interest of not taking up any more space: I have had less than 3 hours of sleep last night and am in a terrible mood so I'm just going to stop replying except for the requisite post as outlined in the OP.

Aww... I'm sorry mate. I misunderstood. Get some rest. <3
 
I'll try to sum up what I've read this month.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Pere Dumas
Having seen the movie first, I wasn't sure what differences there would be. Mostly the revenge schemes were more complex, relied on societal mores which don't exist in the same way anymore, and were really quite likely to fail due to the chaotic nature of the universe.

Wrong Tails,
The Key, Jennifer Anne Davis
Apprentice Fool, Aldred Chase
Royal Fool, Aldred Chase
These are decent young adult fantasy novels. I read a bunch more but they range from "crap" to "we'll see".

Animal Cracker, Andi Brown
Basically 9 to 5 with a side of abused dogs.

What They DON'T Teach You, Erin Osborne
A book about current education standards in the u.s.a., since adding Core programs. It's not too optimistic about the future of education, attributed to: parents seem to want the school system to raise their children but will sue for any imperfections.

White Dwarf One, Dario Solera
A First Contact story which acknowledges that pre existing interstellar politics may be brutal. The difficulty of cabin fever on a long trip is explored well.

The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson, Robert Southey
There's nothing better than completely biased history, mmmm. Full of specifics that mean nothing to a landlocked person after the invention of steam power.
 

Pau

Member
Hey y'all, hope everyone has had a productive and enjoyable first month! I'll be going through these next couple of days and finishing adding everyone to the OP. On Saturday night/Sunday I'll be counting up the first month's totals.

If you haven't already, please read the OP for the update format and apply it to your posts if they aren't already following it. Makes my life easier and means we can look at pretty statistics faster!
 

survivor

Banned
Monthly update

survivor - 6/50 books | 5/50 movies​

Need to start watching more movies. I did manage to read more sci-fi this month with Foundation and Empire as well as Roadside Picnic. Both good books. Gonna try to finish the Foundation trilogy in the next coming weeks.
 
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