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Hamilton Public Library
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1aa's rating:
Added Feb 12, 2024
CoinedCoined, Audiobook CDThe Rich Life of Money and How Its History Has Shaped Us
by Sehgal, KabirAudiobook CD - 2015Audiobook CD, 2015
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 21, 2023
Comment:
This book was well read, but not so well written. It was more like a bunch of lengthy anecdotes and very informal discussions, mostly just repeating others' points in social psychology. It was also poorly structured, with numismatics coming at the very of the book.This book was well read, but not so well written. It was more like a bunch of lengthy anecdotes and very informal discussions, mostly just repeating others' points in social psychology. It was also poorly structured, with numismatics coming at the…
The Diary of A Young GirlThe Diary of A Young Girl, Audiobook CDThe Definitive Edition
by Frank, AnneAudiobook CD - 2010Audiobook CD, 2010
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 21, 2023
Comment:
This is certainly not the best thing to listen to before Christmas, but it was nonetheless very touching. Chatty, bratty, judgmental, conceited, perceptive, and reflective, her character in the process of its blossoming is very heart warming to get a glimpse of through her diary. I disliked the narrator, whose voice had mild throat fry that was very irritating and distracting, so, half star penalty.This is certainly not the best thing to listen to before Christmas, but it was nonetheless very touching. Chatty, bratty, judgmental, conceited, perceptive, and reflective, her character in the process of its blossoming is very heart warming to get…
Fully Automated Luxury CommunismFully Automated Luxury Communism, BookA Manifesto
by Bastani, AaronBook - 2019Book, 2019
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 21, 2023
Comment:
An interesting suggestion (more correctly, a group of suggestions) as to what to do with the new technological and economic developments and the social and political problems they are creating and will create in the future. He makes numerous oversights, such as the risk of decline of development. Patents, other forms of rent, incentives, and ecological "overshoot" (environmental degradation of major systems beyond repair), are not much discussed. The clash between the ideals and the current technological trends that militate against their realization are left a bit opaque because the ideals are not clearly articulated. Lengthy bibliography which can double as a further reading guide.An interesting suggestion (more correctly, a group of suggestions) as to what to do with the new technological and economic developments and the social and political problems they are creating and will create in the future. He makes numerous…
Call Northside 777Call Northside 777, DVD
DVD - 2004DVD, 2004
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 18, 2023
Comment:
I was a little disappointed with this, although its a decent one-time watch (I'm not going to re-watch it). Its plot driven: a reporter investigates the murder of a policeman 12 years earlier for which there was a conviction, but a false one. The imagery at times has some terrific noir moments which stand out because most of the film lacks it. The main character is just Stewart responding to another name (that is, Stewart's persona outshines the character he is supposed to portray). The commentary track is awful.I was a little disappointed with this, although its a decent one-time watch (I'm not going to re-watch it). Its plot driven: a reporter investigates the murder of a policeman 12 years earlier for which there was a conviction, but a false one. The…
The Landmark HerodotusThe Landmark Herodotus, BookThe Histories ; A New Translation
by HerodotusBook - 2009Book, 2009
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 12, 2023
Comment:
WOW! Just an absolutely fabulous and thorough edition of one of the most enjoyable and perspective expanding books ever written (yes, in my experience even more than Shakespeare!). Curious, chatty, worldly-wise and world-weary, and above all, humane. Definitely worth re-reading and studying every few years. This edition has many maps, pictures of artifacts, bottom of page notes, many scholarly articles on specific topics included as appendices, and a lengthy glossary.WOW! Just an absolutely fabulous and thorough edition of one of the most enjoyable and perspective expanding books ever written (yes, in my experience even more than Shakespeare!). Curious, chatty, worldly-wise and world-weary, and above all,…
Masters of MoneyMasters of Money, DVD
DVD - 2013?DVD, 2013?
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 12, 2023
Comment:
Three parts t 50 minutes each, giving brief overviews of Keynes, Hayek, and Marx, mostly in the sense of how they looked at the economy as a whole (well, not a complete whole (globally) but just from the state's point of view). None are given their due in some subtopic within economics, such as development, labour, international trade, etc. its all quickly summarized.Three parts t 50 minutes each, giving brief overviews of Keynes, Hayek, and Marx, mostly in the sense of how they looked at the economy as a whole (well, not a complete whole (globally) but just from the state's point of view). None are given their…
PossessedPossessed, DVD
DVD - 2005DVD, 2005
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 12, 2023
Comment:
I didn't quite like this film as much as I anticipated that I would have. I expected a noir film, and it isn't one, although it does have some noir aspects about it. I didn't like or care for the main character, and the story itself wasn't particularly interesting either. The part of this DVD I liked most was the commentary, which was quite enthusiastic and informative.I didn't quite like this film as much as I anticipated that I would have. I expected a noir film, and it isn't one, although it does have some noir aspects about it. I didn't like or care for the main character, and the story itself wasn't…
Pickup on South StreetPickup on South Street, DVD
DVD - 2004DVD, 2004
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 06, 2023
Comment:
I really liked this rather short, taught film (its only 80 minutes long!). A lot of plot and dialogue, much of it snappy and clever. There is some good noir imagery, but most of the film is taken up by moving the action along. There is one especially touching scene where an elderly informant is talking to an intruder who is going to kill her (and she is killed). The bonus material is pretty good to: an essay that one has to navigate on the dvd interspersed with some pictures (mostly movie posters) about the life and career of Sam Fuller, and a short French doc with an elderly Fuller talking about some of the early moments in the film and his getting to learn about the kinds of people he made the film about.I really liked this rather short, taught film (its only 80 minutes long!). A lot of plot and dialogue, much of it snappy and clever. There is some good noir imagery, but most of the film is taken up by moving the action along. There is one…
I Wake up ScreamingI Wake up Screaming, DVD
DVD - 2006DVD, 2006
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 06, 2023
Comment:
I really liked this film, even though the main character had a rather womanly mouth. Its one of the first of the noir genre (not yet a genre when it was made) and has basically two musical themes running through the film, and lots of great noir imagery.
The commentary track is also pretty good, certainly better than most.I really liked this film, even though the main character had a rather womanly mouth. Its one of the first of the noir genre (not yet a genre when it was made) and has basically two musical themes running through the film, and lots of great noir…
Phone Call From A StrangerPhone Call From A Stranger, DVD
DVD - 2008DVD, 2008
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 06, 2023
Comment:
I perhaps would have rated this higher, but the item I got stopped at scene 16 and even the later scenes didn't play at all, so I was more than halfway through when it didn't play further. Very frustrating.
Nothing on EarthNothing on Earth, DVD
DVD - 2017DVD, 2017
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 06, 2023
Comment:
An awful film about a filmmaker making a film. there is rather little shown of Greenland, and lots of the filmmaker his crew and assistants. Waste of time.
Lady in the WaterLady in the Water, DVD
DVD - 2006DVD, 2006
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2023
Comment:
Allegorical and with some unexpected plot twists near the end make this film rather enjoyable and at times exciting. Ultimately, its a story about stories and their structure, and that is what I disliked about it: a kind of self reference that academics might enjoy, but comes off as without substance and snobbishly clever, with little intelligence or insight.Allegorical and with some unexpected plot twists near the end make this film rather enjoyable and at times exciting. Ultimately, its a story about stories and their structure, and that is what I disliked about it: a kind of self reference that…
Luka and the Fire of LifeLuka and the Fire of Life, Audiobook CD
by Rushdie, SalmanAudiobook CD - 2010Audiobook CD, 2010
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2023
Comment:
I really liked this book - one quickly gets lost in all the allusion, symbolism, and the next part of the plot, much like the earlier book 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories'. Its read extremely well, at times even sung.
Commanding Heights, the Battle for the World EconomyCommanding Heights, the Battle for the World Economy, DVDDisc 3, The New Rules of the Game
DVD - 2002DVD, 2002
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2023
Comment:
This is the final episode, focussed on the topic of globalisation. Trade policy and macroeconomic strategy are not even discussed, not to mention international commercial law (a field whose practitioners earn more than heart surgeons)! Nonetheless, its well paced, informative, and gives a feel for the social disputes, events, and how issues were perceived at the time.This is the final episode, focussed on the topic of globalisation. Trade policy and macroeconomic strategy are not even discussed, not to mention international commercial law (a field whose practitioners earn more than heart surgeons)! Nonetheless,…
12 Angry Men12 Angry Men, DVD
DVD - 2011DVD, 2011
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2023
Comment:
I really liked this film! Considering its minute set and many characters it could easily have been boring. Its characters, their development, and the themes and issues make this a film that is very engaging. Certainly worth rewatching. I disliked the bonus material... and there was a lot of it!I really liked this film! Considering its minute set and many characters it could easily have been boring. Its characters, their development, and the themes and issues make this a film that is very engaging. Certainly worth rewatching. I disliked…
1aa's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2023
Comment:
I must confess that I was somewhat disappointed with this novel. It reads rather flat, with some brief essay-istic bits. Some are great and some ... uh... worrisome (?). Consider on page 135ff talking about beauty, creativity, life and death, and having a conclusion that "...death is the unique form of life." (p.136). Sexuality is also written about and on page 229 comes this whopper: "'Tell me truly, sir, has there never been one time when you have felt something?' 'Other than sexual desire, no.'"
Just two years after this book was finished and published (back then it could take four months, but today one and half to two years(!)) he had a spectacular suicide, making the last chapter of this book especially ominous.I must confess that I was somewhat disappointed with this novel. It reads rather flat, with some brief essay-istic bits. Some are great and some ... uh... worrisome (?). Consider on page 135ff talking about beauty, creativity, life and death, and…
Dear Mr. WattersonDear Mr. Watterson, DVDAn Exploration of Calvin & Hobbes
DVD - 2013DVD, 2013
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 27, 2023
Comment:
I was disappointed with this film because Watterson himself was totally absent from it, and it ended up being about 90 minutes of praise for his comic. It was well put together, though.
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
WOW! This was a phenomenally well written and very touching book, from beginning to end. Poetic passages abound: "It was just a sweat mark on the surface of the desert, the meagre gift of an arid God, the last shudder of life" (p.5); the whole paragraph ("The man lying..." on page 17; "She knows every stain on the roughcast, every crack, every dribble of dust." (p.244); the entire first full paragraph on page 252; "And so, in all of those women's wombs, the void is born, an intense and icy void that escapes from their bodies and blows like a wind along the streets and alleys, endlessly shooting out new spirals." (p.254)
Definitely worth rereading!!WOW! This was a phenomenally well written and very touching book, from beginning to end. Poetic passages abound: "It was just a sweat mark on the surface of the desert, the meagre gift of an arid God, the last shudder of life" (p.5); the whole…
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
This was a much vaunted science fiction book, but its just a novella about insecticide
and herbicide poisoning. I often got lost as to who was speaking since it lacked speech tags. Quite disappointed, and I won't reread it.
The Big MythThe Big Myth, BookHow American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
by Oreskes, NaomiBook - 2023Book, 2023
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
An extended history of the concept of the free market and corporatism as it was promoted in the USA during the twentieth century. Its very long, and I found it often boring. It also has little in the way of philosophical objections to economic libertarianism. It came off as an academic polemic against some key ideas of conservatism and the right wing generally. Many notes and extensive bibliography.An extended history of the concept of the free market and corporatism as it was promoted in the USA during the twentieth century. Its very long, and I found it often boring. It also has little in the way of philosophical objections to economic…
Pirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean, DVDAt World's End
DVD - 2007DVD, 2007
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
A rather entertaining film, which also had incredible special effects. Its really long at 170 minutes, but it never lags or gets boring. There are numerous extended battle scenes, but there is much less humour in this volume than in the previous two. The music was quite good, never overbearing or too loud.A rather entertaining film, which also had incredible special effects. Its really long at 170 minutes, but it never lags or gets boring. There are numerous extended battle scenes, but there is much less humour in this volume than in the previous…
Beyond the Valley of the DollsBeyond the Valley of the Dolls, DVD
DVD - 2006DVD, 2006
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
This is an intelligent and very funny satire of the film "Valley of the Dolls", and in my opinion a better movie, one which might bear rewatching. There's nudity, some really over the top one-liners, madness, drugs, and murder.
Valley of the DollsValley of the Dolls, DVD
DVD - 2006DVD, 2006
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
I watched this because I heard it described as a classic... but actually its ridiculous. The topic and story is serious, but the way its told is often comical. There is a great deal of use of the word "fag". Lots of cutbacks, and the music was late sixties pop. I have no interest in rewatching it.I watched this because I heard it described as a classic... but actually its ridiculous. The topic and story is serious, but the way its told is often comical. There is a great deal of use of the word "fag". Lots of cutbacks, and the music was late…
Commanding Heights, the Battle for the World EconomyCommanding Heights, the Battle for the World Economy, DVDDisc 2, The Agony of Reform
DVD - 2002DVD, 2002
1aa's rating:
Added Nov 22, 2023
Comment:
This, the second part of a three part series, continues where part one left off, giving an account of the end of subsidization of industries and the end of the Soviet Union, so roughly the 1980s and 1990s. Interestingly, other markets which continued to be protected and their monopolies coddled, like medical devices, medical labour, and law market labour, were all - rather too conventiently - omitted, as was all discussion of economic rents, but derivatives markets were briefly mentioned.This, the second part of a three part series, continues where part one left off, giving an account of the end of subsidization of industries and the end of the Soviet Union, so roughly the 1980s and 1990s. Interestingly, other markets which…
Comment: