Orlando

I wasn’t expecting to like this; it’s an extremely political film, to the point of bordering on manifesto, and centres on a supremely obnoxious character. And yet, I did like it. I really did. Reality and film blends, person and character blends, and it’s such an intelligent, but delightful romp, that I really couldn’t help enjoying it.

3/5

I am Curious (Yellow)

I wasn’t expecting to like this; it’s an extremely political film, to the point of bordering on manifesto, and centres on a supremely obnoxious character. And yet, I did like it. I really did. Reality and film blends, person and character blends, and it’s such an intelligent, but delightful romp, that I really couldn’t help enjoying it.

4/5

Past Imperfect

I picked this up at random, mostly because I liked the cover. And this is a case where judging a book by its cover was absolutely the right decision. This is one of the greatest collections of poetry I’ve ever come across, and certainly the best in the past year or two. I can’t pinpoint what I like about it so much, so I’m just going to buy it and then read it again and again until I can properly enunciate what is so amazing about this. But it is amazing.

5/5

The Picture of Dorian Gray

This was my second time reading Wilde’s magnum opus, and it stands up well to a second reading. Wilde writes fiction in a lush, heady manner, immersing the reader in the aesthetics he espouses via his characters. There is so much talent put into this it is insane. However, despite all this, I still can’t entirely fall into this book; I always remain at the edges, far too alert for my own good.

3.5/5

A Precocious Autobiography

I’ve never read Yevtushenko’s work, so I can’t comment on his poetry; however, his autobiography is very, very good. I admit to crying multiple times, particularly in his depiction of Stalin’s funeral, however, it collapses toward the end, wherein Yevtushenko spends twenty pages being very smug, very self-congratulatory, and very, very arrogant. When he writes about the Russian people, he is incredibly moving; when he writes about himself, he just comes off like a pompous ass.

3.5/5

Surviving Desire

I’m unsure if this was adapted from a play, because if it wasn’t, it should certainly be revised and performed theatrically. The entire thing smacked of theatre, down to overblown gestures that would have been much more acceptable on a stage. While I understand that this was a purposeful move by the director, it was still jarring, and the slim amount of plot was not enough to carry the hour long short film. There were inspired moments, but that too was not enough to sustain this.

2.5/5

Home of Sudden Service

I had to write an essay on two of the poems contained within this slim little volume, and I was so excited by them that I picked up Bachinsky's book. All I can say is that my professor has good taste, because those were the best poems in the collection. While her poetry is certainly not bad, the collection runs unevenly, and I was generally underwhelmed. Mediocre, though I don’t mean that in a bad sense, just a bland one.

3/5