Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Year: 2009
Plot Summary: "1986, The Panama Hotel The old Seattle landmark has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made a startling discovery in the basement: personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to interment camps during the Second World War. Among the fascinated crowd gathering outside the hotel, stands Henry Lee, and, as the owner unfurls a distinctive parasol, he is flooded by memories of his childhood. He wonders if by some miracle, in amongst the boxes of dusty treasures, lies a link to the Okabe family, and the girl he lost his young heart to, so many years ago. With over a million copies sold worldwide, this captivating debut is a story of the sacrifices one boy makes for love and for his country." --Taken from Amazon
Overall out of 10: 10/10
Why: Now, I know this is my first book review so it's hard to take me at my word, but, I really, really don't rate books 10/10 very often. In fact, on two hands I can count the number of books I rate 10/10 (7 of them being Harry Potter xD). I'll go into more detail in the next categories. I haven't cried while reading a book series since the 7th grade, but this book had me crying from about halfway through to the end. There were literally tears streaming down my face. I, in fact, reread the last chapter several times and I continued to think of the book throughout the day and the rest of the week, I still think about it now and it brings tears to my eyes.Plot out of 10: 9/10
Why: The idea of the plot is, in part, not entirely original. A young boy falls in love with a young girl and his parents would never accept that. Basically, star-crossed lovers. But, the way the plot is executed is done in a surprisingly unique manner. It switches wonderfully from 1942 to 1986. The story takes twists and turns that surprised even me. (Who can often see them coming pretty far ahead)Characters out of 10: 10/10
Why: It's certainly been awhile since I've seen such characters developed so strongly from the beginning until the end. One of my favorite things to see in characters is how they grow up, and how they learn. Even if they are older characters, there is almost always some characters growth. And these characters definitely had it, even the minor characters seemed to have novels that defined them, novels that have not yet been written.I suggest it 110% ;)
Brave by Disney+Pixar
Month/Year: June 2012
Plot Summary: "Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, "Brave" features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right." --From IMDb
Overall out of 10: 6/10
Why: It definitely wasn't one of Pixar's better movies. The animation was amazing, but the plot, even for a kids movie, was not up to Pixar par and it fell short in many ways. It had great potential, but, the execution was not what it should've been.Plot out of 10: 5/10
Why: It was very, very predictable even for a kids movie. They set up many, many plot point and, yes, they answered all of them, but, I felt, they could've, and should've, been explored much, much more. As you'll come to find, I do not take lightly when there are major plot points that could've been explored and weren't. To an extent it is okay, especially for a movie, but, when there are too many unexplored plot points, it can become unforgivable.Acting out of 10: 8/10
Why: This was one of their strongest points. The acting was definitely up to par for a Pixar movie. The voice actors, which, I know how hard that can be to do voice acting, were very good in each of their roles. It's always a good sign when I forget that the voice actors aren't actually acting on the screen. They were excellent. :) Either that, or I'm just a sucker for Irish accents. xD xD Or both.Soundtrack out of 10: 10/10
Why: This was by far their strongest point. To me, one of the key elements to a story is it's background music. I love, love, love sound design almost more than I love acting (that's a lot, by the way). So, for me, not having a good soundtrack is a deadly sin. But, fortunately, Brave had a very, very good soundtrack. I absolutely love the Irish Folk sounding songs they used through out the story, it definitely kept me engaged.Overall, I wish they'd done better, other wise, it could've been my favorite Pixar movie, but, oh well, hopefully the next movie I see will cease to disappoint.
Sherlock by BBC
Years: 2010, 2012, 2014
Plot Summary: "A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London." --Taken from IMDb
Overall out of 10: 10/10
Why: The little plot summary up there does not at all do this show justice. Now, I have never been a fan of modern renditions of old stories, they usually turn out awkward and weird. But this, not only is it the best modern rendition of Sherlock Holmes, but, it is the best rendition period. I believe it is portrayed in the way that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wanted it to be, I'll explain in the next section.Plot out of 10: 10/10
Why: Sure, the plot was not written by Steven Moffat, but, the execution of the plot takes all. Sherlock Holmes is not exactly portrayed as a hero. Sure, he helps on the side of the law, but it shows a darker side to Sherlock. In the TV show, Sherlock is a genius, obviously, but, as a result he's rather bad in social situations(which gets hilarious, btw), also, he gets bored easily if a case is too easy to solve. There's also this nagging feeling that you get when he's on the screen, as put in the words of one of the characters: "I won't be surprised if one day Sherlock Holmes is helping us investigate a body and Holmes was the one who put in there himself." He is pretty much a classifiable sociopath, he borders on good and evil, which, is how he is portrayed in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels.Acting out of 10: 10/10
Why: They couldn't have cast it better. They are each so absolutely perfect for their roles, it's uncanny. Usually, when I watch a show in which I know the actors, I'll refer to them by their names instead of their characters. In this show, however, I sometimes forget that I'm watching Benedict Cumberbatch play Sherlock Holmes instead of just watching Sherlock.Soundtrack and Filmography out of 10: 10/10
Why: They must have the newest and best cameras of the 21st century, or something, because they're phenomenal. The soundtrack is also unique and very captivating as a soundtrack should be. Both of them enhance the story so much, it just wouldn't be the same without one or the other, we need them both.I will recommend this show until the very day I die, that's how much I love it. ;)
