Movie Review ***** To All The Boys I've Loved Before

https://youtu.be/E0X0aj_3Kjs

Directed by: Susan Johnson
Produced by: Jordan Levin, Matthew Kaplan, Dougie Cash
Written by: Sofia Alvarez
Based on: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han***
Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo
Production companies: Overbrook Entertainment, Awesomeness Films***
Distributed by: Netflix***
Release date: August 17, 2018

This film was done very well and the pace moves along quickly.  I thought that the story was represented and in my opinion, shows about an 80% or so accuracy to the book itself.  If you have not read my book review prior to this, (CLICK HERE to read book review now!)

Anyone who has read the book prior to watching this fun movie is looking for some of those fun Easter Eggs that are common in today's media.  If that is the case there are a few to look for - including another of the author's books!

I absolutely loved the story at its base.  Lara Jean and Peter touched my heart in a way that just cannot be compared.  I wanted to do justice by them and review both the book and the movie so my readers could see that book adaptions can be done well.  By the ratings and the volume of those watching I think I am in good company!  I give this adaptation a 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***Clip is official teaser trailer available on Netflix own Youtube page.  No Copyright Infringement Intended.  Copyright is only to the above listed persons/companies.***   

Should you choose to create an account in order to watch this film you can get to their website here: https://www.netflix.com/title/80203147.

Here is a concise, comprehensive, well-told story of the establishment and combat history of Germany's Legion Condor's fighter squadron component (Jagdgruppe 88) during the Spanish Civil War. Jagdgruppe 88 was the fighter element within the Legion (4 squadrons), which along with its bomber, anti-aircraft, and reconnaissance/transport units, had been sent to Spain in 1936 by Hitler to assist the rebel forces (i.e. Nationalists) fighting against the leftist Republican government in Madrid. Indeed, the war itself was to be a proving ground for Jagdgruppe 88, which had entered combat flying what was at the time Germany's standard fighter plane, the Heinkel 51, a biplane not far removed from its First World War antecedents. 

Within a few months, the Heinkel 51 was found to be inferior to the Republican fighters (i.e., the I-15 'Chato' biplane fighter and the I-16 'Rata' monoplane fighter - both of which were supplied by the Soviet Union to the Republican forces) it encountered in combat. Consequently, the decision was made to send the new Messerschmitt 109 monoplane fighter (which represented in 1936 a revolutionary leap in aircraft design) to Spain for wartime evaluation and testing. This would be done in stages over the length of the conflict. (The numbers of Heinkel 51 fighters in the Legion would be reduced, til by war's end in 1939, only one squadron would be flying it as a ground attack fighter.) Indeed, as was pointed out in the book: "The Legion Condor had played a significant role in winning Spain for Franco, and the importance of the Civil War had demonstrated the importance of air power to battlefield victory. The success of every major Nationalist offensive and defensive operation was dependent upon clear air superiority." 

Like similar books in the Osprey Aircraft Series, "ACES OF THE LEGION CONDOR" is chockful of photos and richly rendered illustrations. It will make a welcome addition to any aviation enthusiast's library.

The Focke Wulf FW 200 Condor, a four-engined aircraft, initially served as a civil airliner in the late 1930s. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the Condor was pressed into service with the Luftwaffe as a maritime reconnaissance and anti-shipping aircraft.

With the subsequent acquisition of bases in Norway and France, the range of the Condor to venture deep into the heart of the Allied convoys in the Atlantic and the Far North was extended considerably. During 1940-41, Condors enjoyed considerable success in sinking Allied shipping and guiding U-boats to convoys in both the Atlantic and in the waters around Northern Russia. But as Allied countermeasures to counter the Condors grew in effectiveness, their successes against the convoys declined significantly. Nevertheless, FW 200s soldiered on to the end of the war in the anti-shipping role on other fronts (e.g. the Mediterranean), as transports (e.g. in the attempts to keep the German 6th Army supplied in the Stalingrad pocket), in maritime reconnaissance, and as airliners.

This is a well-written, well-researched book about a largely unsung aircraft that, despite its own shortcomings and the challenges it faced through 6 years of war, performed creditably the roles allotted to it. There are also lots of fantastic photos and illustrations of the FW 200, which will thrill any aviation enthusiast and scale modeler.

Niemieccy księgarze zauważyli, a może i doświadczyli na własnej skórze, w jaki sposób restrykcje dotyczące wagi bagażu w samolotach wpływają na wakacyjne czytelnictwo. Najwyraźniej rozterki turystów, czy zapakować do walizki kolejny strój kąpielowy czy książkę, kończyły się zbyt często konstatacją, że ta druga może spowodować przekroczenie wyśrubowanego limitu wagi walizek. Zależność wydaje się oczywista, im więcej osób lata na wakacje, tym mniejsze czytelnictwo. Przynajmniej w przypadku mniej aktywnych czytelników i miłośników wydań papierowych. Papierowe książki zwyczajnie przegrywa z “ekonomią”. Kultura przegrywa w starciu z “niskokosztowymi liniami”.

Reklamówka akcji “Buch an Bord" (źródło: condor.com)

Specjalizujące się w przelotach wakacyjnych linie lotnicze Condor podjęły współpracę z niemieckimi księgarzami (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels), która ma na celu odwrócenie tego niekorzystnego trendu. W lipcu i sierpniu trwa akcja “Buch an Bord". Można się o niej więcej dowiedzieć na stronie linii lotniczych, czy oficjalnym profilu na Facebooku.

Wzór naklejki “Buch an Bord" (źródło: condor.com)

Zasady są proste: na mapie można znaleźć stacjonarną księgarnię biorącą udział w akcji i przy okazji zakupu papierowej książki trzeba poprosić o specjalną naklejkę. Co ciekawe, w akcji uczestniczą księgarnie, które sprzedają również e-booki. Nie mamy tu więc do czynienia z wojną wydań papierowych z elektronicznymi.

Mapa z lokalizacją stacjonarnych sklepów biorących udział w akcji “Buch an Bord" (źródło: https://vorsichtbuch.de)

Uzyskana w sklepie naklejka ostatnia powinna zostać umieszczona w widocznym miejscu na walizce. Dzięki temu, podczas odprawy na lotnisku, wczasowicze mogą liczyć na dodatkowy kilogram dozwolonego bagażu. Wszyscy powinni być zadowoleni. Linia lotnicza pokazuje ludzką twarz, księgarze zwiększają obroty i reklamują się na walizkach, turyści mogą na wakacje zabrać bez strachu wydawniczą nowość. Pozostaje tylko liczyć na to, że w lipcu na Majorce będzie lało jak z cebra i znajdzie się czas na lekturę… albo zawczasu zaopatrzyć się w czytnik e-booków :)

Noooooo! I really dislike when a character has a sudden miracle cure. The heroine is blind, from a fall that happened when she was a child and now that she remembers the accident, she can see. But not 20/20 vision mind you, because that would be unbelievable.