Cynical and Sad. Skip is downer
580014
Cynical and Sad. Skip is downer, unless you are one of those people that believe humanity (or dogs) have no redeeming qualities, what so ever.
3893520
The first book felt like I was being debriefed but the bud lime thing let me give it a pass.  This one has been pure struggle.  Skippy is weak, incapable, not funny and so annoying I was praying for them to find his collective.  Worse he made Joe seem a complete wimp for standing for it.  Skippy needs to die so my biggest complaint can be the narrative style and its slow pace.  Both things I can tolerate..  Skippy I cannot.
1152329
I did not read other reviews, just finished it, and as I type this, the credits are still on the screen. I have to return it to the library tonight.
The movie is sad, and artistically so. This sadness it presents is very quiet, lingering sadness, and people who are naturally tuned into emotion of others will be affected most by it. By the way, I do not glorify sadness, yet, every now and then it's OK to taste it, only to keep one's capacity to feel sadness alive.
The movie is about  a bunch of dead-end people, in a somehow dead-end community/town. Very depressing, stagnant surrounding. A psychotherapist will find a lot of areas that the characters can work on. The movie has quite a few stereotype, small town scenes--the lame parties, teenage drugs, broken families, single mother competing with the pubescent daughter, and series of painful outcomes which could easily have been avoided in a different set up of life.
The ending could be a scene to desperation as well as a hope of new beginning.
The movie has the vibe of a short story, that takes one to a different world, to lives of others and makes one feel sorry about vulnerability of human heart. If you are as sensitive as I am, you would think about similar characters around you, and wished you could do something.
Recommended to those who are mature enough to observe sadness without being overwhelmed by it.
Otherwise, the overall desolation of heart-space may linger too heavily on some.
By the way,the prairie scene was beautiful.
Seeing two young love birds getting close and finding each other cute as well.
I am not a love-story type person, but I was touched by quite a few scenes.
4278736
Wow. Henry Rollins is kind of an idiot. That actually surprised me. I was really looking forward to reading this. I was severely disappointed. It'd be sad to read about the never ending misery of his chosen life as the singer of one of the most esteemed punk bands ever (yeah, tough life pal), if it weren't so apparent that he brings it all upon himself with a tunnel vision that ignores anything outside his head (yeah, that's a song). We don't hear much at all about his bandmates, the bands Black Flag played with, interesting people he met or uh ... stories. The pearls revealed are things like, "People hurt. Things hurt. It just hurts. Alone doesn't always work ... together doesn't work well either." or "I died. Not much going on.(?!)" Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie a break! Hey! There are other people in the world besides Henry Rollins! Try talking to some! The self-love/hate this guy has for himself is just ridiculous. It really becomes funny after a while to see how into himself he is while ignoring everyone around him. It's like reading a typical teenage diary or the journal of a confused caveman. Everything is redundant and lacking in any insight. Boring. Stupid. I'm all for self-exploration and trying to come to terms with the human condition, etc., but I can't find any sympathy for Mr. Rollin's pain. Some people just love being a Martyr. Ha ha.
3761114
So in the end you see both - sad and happy face. That in the end kills the idea :(
3571251
Bad ending. Good guys die, bad guys get away. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd just read the news. Oh well...
3574955
I feel sorry for those who rush to register their dislike of Lena Dunham and this movie: if I didn't get the humor of something, I wouldn't be so loud in proclaiming it. But I guess it's hard to know that you didn't get something if you didn't get it.

Oh, but what about the self-absorbed, unlikeable priviliged rich kids that the film supposedly endorses? It's self-effacing. Lena Dunham has channelled all the guilt from coming from the priviliged elite in New York City into this rather cutting expose that serves to confirm what most of us already suspected: that rich people are just as flawed as everyone else. It's a comedy People, not a trial to determine if Lena Dunham is a witch (if she floats, she is, if she drowns, she's not).

I found it consistently funny throughout; leaving the general good feeling that comedy brings. It really helps to have a pre-conceived dislike for the silly idiosyncracies of the digital age, and to be able to recognize satire when you see it. I would give the movie 4 stars but since I feel that the film has been extremely unfairly reviewed elsewhere, I'm going to give it 5.
1654471
Yes it's sad Hannah killed herself and the reasons leading up to it. Double narrative felt jumpy. A little too teenage angst for me.
3777055
It's about life in general and all the twists and turns that life throws at us. Although developed fairly well, I didn't feel passionate about any of the characters, which is a disappointment. There's far more sadness and loss in it than hope--who knows, could be a sign of the times.
682250
If you want a shred of positivity/happiness left in you, then try to avoid this novel/movie by all means
3223860
Rookie police officer, Skip Langdon is called to stand in the crowd in one of the Mardi Gras parades. She watches socialite, Chauncy St. Amant, who was crowned Rex waving at the crowd from his float. She sees a woman dressed as Dolly Parton twirling her gun toward him as he waves back. A shot is fired, and Langdon, although stunned, struggles to get to St. Amant, whose dead body lays in the middle of the stalled parade. Who killed Chauncy St. Amant and why? Skip Langdon is on the case! This book was one of the most depressing reads ever in my life. Skip Langdon's feeling sorry for herself by the third chapter. The victim's family is all dysfunctional alcoholics.  A dialogue after the parade between Langdon and a filmmaker highlighted negative differences between New Orleans' cultures. Overuse of obscenities and editing issues prevailed. I really tried to finish this adult mystery, but I just couldn't.
3110837
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, stars of "Titanic," reunite for the first time in eleven years for "Revolutionary Road," but their new film's tone is far from romantic. That is no surprise as the film is directed by Sam Mendes, known for his "American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition," and when the critics and reviewers say "Revolutionary Road" is a depressing film, they are exactly telling you the truth.

The real point is, however, that depressing mood comes not from the nature of the story itself - see what happened to Jack at the end of "Titanic." It was sad, but not depressing. No, the film's depressing tone comes from seeing too much of unhappy characters who choose to be depressing.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio play a married couple April and Frank, who settle in a beautiful house on "Revolutionary Road" in the mid-50s. After the brief scene of April's disastrous amateur stage production, we realize their married life is not going well.

I am not particularly against the film's vision about American dream turned nightmare. The problem for me is that "Revolutionary Road" overstates the point. The characters talk much about themselves. Their efforts are all fertile. What they do is meaningless. Life is miserable and empty. They are not happy even having affairs with someone else. OK, their life is hollow, I know, but what else does the film offer besides what we realize in the first 30 minutes?

The acting of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio is fine. And throughout the film we are aware that they are acting. Their acting is too good (or serious) for these characters they play, which rather belong to melodramatic world. This is why Michael Shannon (deservedly nominated for Oscar) steals every scene from them as a mentally troubled teacher, who relentlessly tells these characters what we have already known. His character has a mystery, or originality, that "Revolutionary Road" ultimately needs.
1803101
When I saw this movie the first time, I was in a fine mood, with two lovely girls, and I thought it was one of the most hilarious things I'd seen in my life. A few months later, I had just graduated from university, felt lost in the real world, was in a particularly bad mood, so I thought that I'd watch it again, to cheer myself. It was one of the most heart-wrenchingly depressing movies I'd ever seen. When the Flint authorities announced that they were sinking their last few million into "Auto World" I almost burst into tears. Any work that has such potential to provoke such disparate emotional reactions IN THE SAME VIEWER is noteworthy.
However, throughout both viewings, I kept thinking to myself, "Yeah, it's sad that these people will be out of work, but what the hell does Moore want GM to do? Continue operating the Flint plant and hemorraging money, thus destroying not only the livelihoods of Flint residents, but also jeapordizing the lives of GM employees nationally?" The notion that an enterprise can give up all operational considerations save that of job security is just a ridiculous idea to which not even Marx himself would subscribe. The whole thing just seemed like a humorous exercise in class envy, wealth-coveting, and sour grapes.
He then competently proceeds to completely drain any sympathy we might have developed for the residents of Flint, making both the rich and poor seem like pathetic dolts with not a brain in their collective head. I actually began to WANT Flint to fail because the citizens were portrayed as being so creepy and contemptible. I highly doubt that I was left with an accurate impression of this beleaguered city.
Anyway, I thought it was cowardly of Roger Smith to not grant the interview. He should have sat the obviously-not-missing-any-meals Moore down and unflinchingly explained to him why it was unfeasible to continue operations in Flint. Had he done so, he would have been the hero of the film. Or perhaps there would have been no film.
4242641
This is a collection of unconnected very short vignettes, so short that you hardly get to know the characters at all. The gloom is unremitting. You open the next one, hoping for a glimmer of hope, gladness or success, but are invariably disappointed. Sorrentino's sneering at the New Yorker stories takes the cake; clearly he got turned down by the New Yorker. It is hard for me to think of a good reason why one would want to read this. Don't read it when you're happy; it will make you sad and hopeless. Don't read it when you are sad; it will make you worse. So what is a good time to read it?
4476932
I was hoping it would be an uplifting story about second chances as one ages, and ideally would have a bit of humor or whimsy, but no.  Harold was about as gloomy a protagonist as I've read of, bitter wife, sad sack neighbors, no friends to speak of, and the mystery of why he was taking this 500 mile on foot to see a woman he hadn't know well forty years previously was not compelling and indeed unlikely.  Good for his soul, but not for mine.
1671393
Our redoubtable author is not experiencing a good patch of life right now.  She's married and her kids are young and she's dealing with floods and famine.  It's depressing and she's depressed, and that's of interest to anyone who is following her career (and kudos to you) but I find I'm also depressing and depressed while I'm reading it because, well, the typical mode for reading Ms Holland's works is a sensual enjoyment of the pleasures of life, and in this book she's busy dealing with the absurd inequities and painful realities of life.  Even her book on living alone is less depressing, because the more progressive readership of hers is at least familiar with the feminine struggle in a patriarchal world.  In this book?  It's more about the struggle of the average non-upper-class in a world that doesn't much care about the non-upper-class.

If she were alive, I wouldn't leave this review.  She died while divorced, of cancer, and I wish her life could be better.  I'm still finishing the last few chapters.  It's a bit of a slog.  You stand warned.
3107841
Book 3 is the downer, a time for grief and depression. Did I do the right thing? Why am I here? I hurt him...Darrows constant introspection and Debbie Downer attitude grated my nerves. Each scene he seems to stop and mentally reflect on some loss or emotion. Wasted time when his life and the lives of his teammates hangs in the balance. Not to mention those who died so he may face the rebellion with his spine straight. Its like ok ok you feel bad, captured, broken and suffered many losses. This was terrible, yes. But he was rescued and brought back to life.

The dialogue continues with the same hum drum broken hero disposition and the same sentiment repeat over and over. It grew boring and not the tone of a leader fighting for survival. The shift was dramatic from the creative word play in previous books. Depressingly flat and never picked up. His refusing to kill a former friend hell bent on betraying the Howlers or those associated with the band of rebels was like what?! Why??

This aside I loved the reunion of friends and finding love: one of the howlers smallest but bravest survivor finds a mate! It was for love, not looks or wealth. This turn for the little pit bull was awesome. I write this review late so my memory on specific names is lacking since I got the book within a week or more of its release. Then to learn theres a book 4, left me smh. One of favorite authors, Michael Sullivan, mentioned how some series continue when a story should have ended. Book two was powerful with the loss of our beloved Ragnar which had me in tears. Book three was welcome and I was excited.

The fighting and take-downs were similar to the other books. I was confused by the incorporation of Earth as a new destination. Thought Earth was a broken poisonous wasteland? Also, without giving away too much, how is the child of a Red born with the strength and features of a Golden God? When a Red was surgically enhanced to a Gold, I thought their physical bodies changed not their inherent DNA, almost like gender reassignment surgery. The male chromosomes do not change to female. Idk Ill have to possibly read the book again and edit this review! Had so much to say initially, I failed to submit the review. Now I don't recall my opinions and supporting details because its so late.

I definitely didn't expect the conclusion and honestly shocked by events. I more or less love the direction Pierce went with book three. Pierce is pushing this story to its brink. Book two was amazing. Maybe it should have been extended and broken up into two books (like Game of Thrones' Dance with Dragons). You couldn't get better after Regnar's sacrifice and defeat. What imagery! I'll read book four of course but I'm skeptical.