Les Misérables, Tom Hooper 2012

There are emotive performances by Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, but the singing is often poor (Crowe is as awkward as a trombone playing in a woodwind orchestra). 

The cinematography and editing are a drunken hellscape, shifting disorientedly from slanted to close-ups to tracking shots, and hurl-inducing shaky cams. 

The scenes shift at such a fast pace of set expositions like a continuous string of advertisements attempting to sell the film. The neurotic melodrama verges on emotional torment. 

5/10

Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro 2025

 Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro 2025

The Gothic sheen can feel too cloying  typical of Netflix productions, and del Toro is scarcely on the nose. His sets and costumes inundate. The script often feels cliché and predictable, and many significant characters such as Isaacs' and Waltzs' feel hollow, and their performances of Isaac suffer from it. Dr. Frankenstein (Isaac) garners a modicum of sympathy from his childhood trauma, but this is quickly evicerated. In his adult ages he is just a narcissist with not a thought for life, strange for someone of his profession.

The movie picks up when the Monster emerges, though many cliches remain. The film often flirts admirably with Paradise Lost, and emphasizes the parallels. Elordis's eyes steal the show.

6/10 

A History of the World Book #1 Before History

A History of the World Book #1 Before History 

Before agriculture, history is long, very long and dark and murky. The basics are as follows

Humans diverged from great apes (chimps and bonobos) approximately 6-7 million years ago.

Australopithecus, is known as on of the earliest hominids, they were bipedal and found in eastern and southern Africa. They emerged around 4 million years ago.

Then Emerges Homo Habilis 2.4 million years ago. This species had a bigger brain and could use tools.

From this came Homo Erectus 1.5 million years ago, they had similar body proportions to modern humans, used tools and were the first to control and manage fire. This allowed them to manipulate their environment. This was though, a long process and actually learning how to make fire took time.  They expanded to the Near East and Asia. They engaged in big game hunting and used stone tools.

A distinction between male and female was made stronger in cultural life and reproductive life as females stopped entering in estrous cycles (entering in heat, activitly seeking a male). This made sexual selection a reality. 

Homo Neanderthalensis (named after a skeleton was found in the Neander Valley in Germany) emerged about 400,000 years ago and spread through much of Europe.

They were shorter but stockier. They had smaller frontal lobes than Homo Sapians but larger Occipital lobes, which benefited being big game hunters which they were. Their is evidence that they buried the dead some times. 

They seemed to maintain a low population and interbred. This made them very easily supplanted by Homo Sapians in 40,000 BC. 

Denisovans were a subspecies similar to Neanderthals who lived mostly in South East Asia. Most humans have some Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA.

Homo Sapians emerged from Africa around 300,000 years ago. 

They began to develop advanced cognitive skills, social cordination, burial of the dead, seafaring, toolmaking and the arts among other skills. Language developed but it's origins remain murky

They lived as hunter gatherers until 12,000 BC when the agricultural revolution took place (Neolithic Revolution). The revolution happened independently in many regions in the world where it was possible. 

Following the Agricultural Revolution, trade routes were established, travel was made easier through the usage of domesticated animals, and most importantly, societies could begin as you did not need a lot of space or to be nomadic to produce a lot of food. The Bronze Age began. 

7 Words and Their Origins, Vol 2. The Sun

7 Words and Their Origins, Vol 2. The Sun

1) SunOrigin: From Old English sunne, related to Proto-Germanic sunnōn, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sóhwl, the root for “sun” across many Indo-European languages (e.g., Latin sol, Greek helios).

2) SolarOrigin: From Latin solaris, meaning “of the sun,” from sol, “sun.”

3) DawnOrigin: From Old English dagian, meaning “to become day.” Related to the word day, both deriving from Proto-Germanic dagaz.

4) EclipseOrigin: From Greek ekleipsis, meaning “abandonment” or “failing to appear.”

5) ParasolOrigin: From French parasol, literally “sun-shield,” from para- (to protect) + sol (sun). Entered English via French and Italian. 

6) RiseOrigin: From Old English rīsan, meaning “to go up, rise, or ascend,” from Proto-Germanic rīsaną

7) GoldOrigin: From Old English gold, from Proto-Germanic gulþą, possibly from a root meaning “to shine” or “yellow,” 

7 Words and Their Origins, Vol 1. The Sea

7 Words and Their Origins, Vol 1. The Sea

1) Ocean Origin: From Latin ōceanus, via Greek ōkeanos, meaning “a vast or large body of water.”

2)Island Origin: From Old English īegland, meaning “island.” The s was added in the 16th century under the influence of isle (which previously lacked an s), and then carried over to island.

3)Tide Origin: From Old English tīd, meaning “time, season, or period,” etymologically related to “time.”

4)Drown Origin: From Old English druncnian, meaning “to sink or be submerged in water.” Shares its root with drunk.

5)Azure Origin: From Old French azur, from Arabic lazaward, meaning “lapis lazuli” (a blue stone).

6)Shark Origin: Borrowed into English between the 14th and 16th centuries from German Schurke, meaning “villain.”

7)Profound Origin: From Latin profundus, meaning “deep” or “bottomless.”