Movie Review - Carnival of Souls (1962)

I don't normally watch sci fi films or horror flicks from the 50s or 60s, but a friend recommended this to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Carnival of Souls is a 1962 horror film. It is unrated but would be PG for mild terror and is appropriate for most audiences.

The Good

Cinematography. Whoever was behind the camera did an excellent job of making the most of every shot. Even though this was past the film noir era, many of the shots really took advantage of the darks and lights to create beautiful patterns.

Silent Passages. This film has long stretches of action with no sound with not only helps draw the viewer in, but also adds to the creepy factor.

Story. The story is nothing special, and the twist at the end was pretty obvious, but the story was still pretty solid and entertaining.

The Bad

50s Pacing. This is a 1962 film, but it's paced like a 50s TV show or film. For those who like that it isn't a problem, but it feels slow to someone who is used to more recent films.

50s Acting. The 50s and 60s weren't known for the best dialogue or acting, and this movie is no exception. The delivery of lines is a little stilted.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish there had been more to the story. I recognize this was a low budget flick, but the best way to make up for that is to spend more time working on a stronger story.

Overall

Carnival of Souls is a 1962 low-budget horror film. Whoever was behind the camera did an excellent job of making the most of every shot. Even though this was past the film noir era, many of the shots really took advantage of the darks and lights to create beautiful patterns. This film also features long stretches of action with no sound with not only helps draw the viewer in, but also adds to the creepy factor. The story is nothing special, and the twist at the end was pretty obvious, but the story was still pretty solid and entertaining. The pacing was a little slow compared to contemporary movies, and the acting and dialogue could have been a little stronger. If you enjoy films from this era, this is a solid flick. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

  

 

Book Review - Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex by Aubrey Marcus

Years ago I had read a couple of books that discussed expert achievement and the 10,000 hour rule to achieve greatness. I was really impressed with the ideas. I didn't realize the authors were misquoting and misrepresenting the research.

Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex by Aubrey Marcus is a nonfiction book that discusses several simple ways one can improve one's life in several areas. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Presentation. This book is really well written in a very conversational style that sounds like your buddy sharing information with you over dinner.

Simple. The ideas the author presents are simple enough that most people will be able to implement most of them.

Comprehensive. The author presents ideas that cover a wide range of areas that are important for most people's lives and could use improvement.

The Bad

Recommends Drugs. While I understand the author's arguments for using drugs (tobacco, marijuana, etc.), there are healthier and safer alternatives that are just as effective if not more so.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

While I agree with most of the ideas the author presents, it would have been nice if the author had backed up all his claims with research and not just anecdotal evidence.

Overall

Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex by Aubrey Marcus is a nonfiction book that discusses several simple ways one can improve one's life in several areas. This book is really well written in a very conversational style that sounds like your buddy sharing information with you over dinner. The ideas the author presents are simple enough that most people will be able to implement most of them. The author presents ideas that cover a wide range of areas that are important for most people's lives and could use improvement. I did not agree with his views on using drugs. While I understand the author's arguments for using drugs (tobacco, marijuana, etc.), there are healthier and safer alternatives that are just as effective if not more so. While I agree with most of the ideas the author presents, it would have been nice if he had backed up all his claims with research and not just anecdotal evidence. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Book Review - Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Years ago I had read a couple of books that discussed expert achievement and the 10,000 hour rule to achieve greatness. I was really impressed with the ideas. I didn't realize the authors were misquoting and misrepresenting the research.

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool is a nonfiction book discussing research conducted on several performers who reached the top of their field. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Information. This book presents a lot of information and several studies about how those at the top of their fields reached their field. It describes the studies and also lists the limitations and deficiencies of the science and research.

Presentation. This book is well written with all the information clearly laid out and presented in an easy-to-understand manner that isn't trying to talk down to anyone.

The Bad

Speculation. The research covered very few different disciplines, and the authors speculated on a whole lot more based on the little research. While their speculation sounds reasonable, so do the ideas their research refutes.

Author Conclusions. The authors offer some conclusions and possible implications of this research, but they are very limited in their scope and ignore the fact that greatness takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of focus, and most people aren't capable of that even if they are capable of learning the the skills for greatness.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would have enjoyed more research. The studies were very limited to just a few categories.

Overall

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool is a nonfiction book discussing research conducted on several performers who reached the top of their field and how they did it. It refutes the notions of innate talent, the idea you must be born with the ability to reach greatness, and the 10,000 hour rule Maxwell Gladwell mistakenly took from their research. The studies are laid out and the information is clearly presented. The main weaknesses are the small number of areas that have been studied and the authors' limited view of what the ramifications of their research could be. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.