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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Rocketman (2019) in Movies
May 27, 2019
Satalight Flight
#rocketman explodes, leaps, dazzles & shines filling the entire screen at every opportunity with colour, #camp & charisma. I can not pretend i know anything about #eltonjohn or his #music because ive gone through life with having little interest in his #career (apart from that cool #robertdowneyjr video) so for me to say how much i enjoyed this movie might actually be less than if i was a huge #fan so bare that in mind. This film isnt just your average paint by numbers #biopic... well no i lie... it is, & even though i #hated how obvious #Elton clearly had a lot of influence & choice over how he was portrayed (feeling at times like a pro Elton John promotional video at times) i really did admire its style & its ability to shake things up which is something other films in this genre dare not do. So what i mean by this is in a sense the film is a #fantasy musical, think of it as a theatre show but instead of in real life more like one in your #dreams & youve nailed it. Not only is this #super fun, visually interesting, #creative & flashy it gives us an in site into Eltons mind explaining to us how being on stage makes him feel or showing us all those #emotions he struggles to express. It doesnt shy over #drug abuse, #sex addiction or alcohol dependence either which is something #BohemianRhapsody failed to do & this brings the film back down to reality injecting #emotion & conflict. #Rocketman is a somewhat tragic #story about how lack of parent support in an upbringing can have devastating effects on someones mental state & life choices. Elton is #shy, reserved, confused & with no one willing to trully understand him he's alone so on stage seems to be his way of shouting out, being #loved & being someone everyone whats him to be. Well filmed with an impressive supporting cast too & #taronegerton gives the best performance of his career becoming/losing himself as Elton but giving off such an energetic, #charming & almost #showman like quality to the role also. While the film does have its flaws its a great time, well made & different enough to stand out from the rest. A good film especially for people #hungry for more music biopics. #pride #gaypride #gay #kingsman
ArecRain (8 KP) rated My Dirty Detour in Books
Jan 18, 2018
This is not my normal read (mafia/gangster/etc.) But the author personally contacted me, and I have a hard time saying no. I figure if the author can go out of her way to personally ask me, I can take time to read it and give my honest opinion especially since I feel that, despite having my preferences, I can usually look beyond my biases to give it a fair review. I did not accept the author's offer of a complimentary copy, though, and instead bought it from Amazon.
First of all, whoa. I wasnt not expecting this. At first, I felt the writing was a bit long winded. The first couple pages seemed filled with endless descriptions that I didnt care about. That stopped there. Once Violet meets Rocky (within the first couple pages) it only gets better and the writer flows smoothly.
I loved Violet. I honestly related with her a lot on multiple levels from her love of organization to her wanting to try new things but not really follow through to her hesitance with Rocky. Omg their interactions are just the best! At first, Rocky is a raging d***, but that changes. Honestly, Violets interactions and dialogue with him mirrored my own and how I would have done it. She is such a strong character but different from what other typically consider strong. What others would see as giving up, I saw as the strength to walk away, from abuse she didnt need and a situation that made her unhappy. Staying didnt make her strong, walking away did. And Rocky truly redeems himself on multiple counts.
I dont want to ruin any of the story for you because it is one of the best I have read in this genre. You can truly feel the blood, sweat, and tears the author put into this novel. It is such an intense powerful read both plot wise and erotically, that I had to put it down a couple times to pull myself together. The cast of characters is amazing. The steamy scenes full of fire. And the writing is spot on. Risata is clearly a skilled writer and story teller who knows how to bring everything together to make an entertaining story. So if you are looking for a powerful yet hot and hilarious Alpha male romance featuring a strong female, look no further!
First of all, whoa. I wasnt not expecting this. At first, I felt the writing was a bit long winded. The first couple pages seemed filled with endless descriptions that I didnt care about. That stopped there. Once Violet meets Rocky (within the first couple pages) it only gets better and the writer flows smoothly.
I loved Violet. I honestly related with her a lot on multiple levels from her love of organization to her wanting to try new things but not really follow through to her hesitance with Rocky. Omg their interactions are just the best! At first, Rocky is a raging d***, but that changes. Honestly, Violets interactions and dialogue with him mirrored my own and how I would have done it. She is such a strong character but different from what other typically consider strong. What others would see as giving up, I saw as the strength to walk away, from abuse she didnt need and a situation that made her unhappy. Staying didnt make her strong, walking away did. And Rocky truly redeems himself on multiple counts.
I dont want to ruin any of the story for you because it is one of the best I have read in this genre. You can truly feel the blood, sweat, and tears the author put into this novel. It is such an intense powerful read both plot wise and erotically, that I had to put it down a couple times to pull myself together. The cast of characters is amazing. The steamy scenes full of fire. And the writing is spot on. Risata is clearly a skilled writer and story teller who knows how to bring everything together to make an entertaining story. So if you are looking for a powerful yet hot and hilarious Alpha male romance featuring a strong female, look no further!
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated The Lovely Bones in Books
Jan 22, 2018
It was a while ago when I read this book, but I remember enough to write a review, I think.
Firstly, the book is not for the faint-hearted. The beginning is difficult to read for those who are a little sensitive to subjects such as child abuse, rape, and murder. That all happens near the beginning of the book.
The middle of the book it so much better. The reader and the protagonist, Susie Salmon, watch as her family grieve for the loss of their daughter. They do not know what happened to her. To them, she is just missing, most likely murdered. It is only us and Susie who knows what happened. We see Susie as she tries to interact with her family and help them to move on from what has happened to them. It is such a lovely section of the story it makes me want to rate it higher.
However, the ending ruined what the author had spent so much time building. The ending does the rest of the book no justice what so ever. Although to some, the story would feel unrealistic anyway, considering we are watching from the focalisation of a dead person. But it is still believable because of the purpose of the book. The ending completely pulls you from this beautifully written piece. When I was reading it I was like what? Really? This is happening? It was so unrealistic that it ruined the ending. It was like lazy writing. The author could not think of a better ending so she just threw one together and hoped no one would notice. I noticed. And if that isn't what she did, then she ruined a great piece of work.
The family also seemed a little too perfect for me. But I will leave that as it stands.
I'm going to stop ranting now. I have given this book a 6 because I loved the rest of the book up until the ending. If the ending was better, it would have gotten a higher rating. But alas, the book was an alright read. Something I would not really read again unless I had to. And I don't.
Firstly, the book is not for the faint-hearted. The beginning is difficult to read for those who are a little sensitive to subjects such as child abuse, rape, and murder. That all happens near the beginning of the book.
The middle of the book it so much better. The reader and the protagonist, Susie Salmon, watch as her family grieve for the loss of their daughter. They do not know what happened to her. To them, she is just missing, most likely murdered. It is only us and Susie who knows what happened. We see Susie as she tries to interact with her family and help them to move on from what has happened to them. It is such a lovely section of the story it makes me want to rate it higher.
However, the ending ruined what the author had spent so much time building. The ending does the rest of the book no justice what so ever. Although to some, the story would feel unrealistic anyway, considering we are watching from the focalisation of a dead person. But it is still believable because of the purpose of the book. The ending completely pulls you from this beautifully written piece. When I was reading it I was like what? Really? This is happening? It was so unrealistic that it ruined the ending. It was like lazy writing. The author could not think of a better ending so she just threw one together and hoped no one would notice. I noticed. And if that isn't what she did, then she ruined a great piece of work.
The family also seemed a little too perfect for me. But I will leave that as it stands.
I'm going to stop ranting now. I have given this book a 6 because I loved the rest of the book up until the ending. If the ending was better, it would have gotten a higher rating. But alas, the book was an alright read. Something I would not really read again unless I had to. And I don't.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Good Me, Bad Me in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Read my review here: http://bookbumzuky.wordpress.com/
AVAILABLE NOW!
<b><i>I promised to be the best I could. I promised to try… Forgive me.</b></i>
Wow. This book was far, far better than I was expecting it to be. I had left it in my library for so long that I had forgotten what it was even about when I picked it up to read. <i>Be warned,</i> there are <b>triggers</b> to note in this book (sexual, physical and emotional abuse of a child, self harm and child murder) but Land is decent enough not to delve too deeply into any of these topics.
The plot for this was new to me, I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with a similar plot line, though I may be forgetting (I won’t be forgetting about this one)! Annie, whose name is changed to Milly for protection reasons, is the daughter of a serial killer. And while her mother's trial looms, Milly is trying to move on, forget her old life and fit in with her foster family but nightmarish nighttime visits and a constant inner voice from her mother don’t make any of this easy. Stuck in a battle of nature and nurture, Milly is terrified of what she might become. Fighting with herself daily to be the “good me” is tough, because afterall, she is her mother's daughter.
The writing style of this novel is incredible. It was snappy, fast paced yet added to the mystery of the plot. It kept me wanting to know more, which is exactly why I read the novel in under 24 hours. My only, <i>tiny</i>, gripe with the writing, was sometimes, <i>very occasionally</i>, sentences were structured in a way that made it sound like Milly was Yoda... but I only noticed it a couple of times throughout the entire thing.
<b>Twisted, shocking, unputdownable and unforgettable.</b> This is set to be one of the best debuts of 2017 and is by far one of the best debuts I’ve read this year (I finished this in late 2016, not early 2017!!). I’m excited to see what other books Land can produce.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
AVAILABLE NOW!
<b><i>I promised to be the best I could. I promised to try… Forgive me.</b></i>
Wow. This book was far, far better than I was expecting it to be. I had left it in my library for so long that I had forgotten what it was even about when I picked it up to read. <i>Be warned,</i> there are <b>triggers</b> to note in this book (sexual, physical and emotional abuse of a child, self harm and child murder) but Land is decent enough not to delve too deeply into any of these topics.
The plot for this was new to me, I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with a similar plot line, though I may be forgetting (I won’t be forgetting about this one)! Annie, whose name is changed to Milly for protection reasons, is the daughter of a serial killer. And while her mother's trial looms, Milly is trying to move on, forget her old life and fit in with her foster family but nightmarish nighttime visits and a constant inner voice from her mother don’t make any of this easy. Stuck in a battle of nature and nurture, Milly is terrified of what she might become. Fighting with herself daily to be the “good me” is tough, because afterall, she is her mother's daughter.
The writing style of this novel is incredible. It was snappy, fast paced yet added to the mystery of the plot. It kept me wanting to know more, which is exactly why I read the novel in under 24 hours. My only, <i>tiny</i>, gripe with the writing, was sometimes, <i>very occasionally</i>, sentences were structured in a way that made it sound like Milly was Yoda... but I only noticed it a couple of times throughout the entire thing.
<b>Twisted, shocking, unputdownable and unforgettable.</b> This is set to be one of the best debuts of 2017 and is by far one of the best debuts I’ve read this year (I finished this in late 2016, not early 2017!!). I’m excited to see what other books Land can produce.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Last Boat Home in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
<i>The Last Boat Home</i> is the debut novel of Norwegian author Dea Brøvig. Set in a small village on the south coast of Norway, the story follows Else Dybdahl through two different time periods: then (1974-1976) and now (2009). The narrative begins in 1976 where Else, who we currently know nothing about, is in labour. After this the tale switches between then and now (then becoming 1974 and continuing up until the birth of Else’s daughter Marianne).
Else is living in the same area that she grew up in with her daughter and granddaughter, Liv. An ex-boyfriend from her childhood, Lars, has just moved back to the area with his wife and children. In the past Else and Lars snuck around keeping their relationship secret from the God-fearing community, in particularly from the rather strict pastor.
Brøvig keeps the reader engaged by leaving us wanting to know, and trying to work out who Marianne’s father is. We learn that Else was only in her teens at the time of her birth. Is Lars the father? Or was a member of the travelling circus that comes to one of the local farms responsible? In which case was it the strong man, or one of the other acts? Or was there someone else?
As well as the religious aspects this book also contains the topic of abuse, which Else and her mother, Dagny, are exposed to by their alcoholic father and husband. However, in my opinion, the strongest theme is secrets. Not only are there secret relationships, the Dybdahls keep themselves isolated to prevent their friends and church society from discovering their true home circumstances. And once Else becomes pregnant? Well that is yet another reason to isolate themselves. In the present day there are still secrets. Else does not want Marianne to know who her real father is and so has lied about the truth not only to her daughter and granddaughter, but also to Lars and everyone else she knows.
Personally I think the story line could have been stronger and possibly more drawn out to create a greater sense of suspense, however Brøvig successfully conjures up images of mountains, fjords and farmlands of a Norwegian community. Overall it was a good book and a fairly quick read too.
<i>The Last Boat Home</i> is the debut novel of Norwegian author Dea Brøvig. Set in a small village on the south coast of Norway, the story follows Else Dybdahl through two different time periods: then (1974-1976) and now (2009). The narrative begins in 1976 where Else, who we currently know nothing about, is in labour. After this the tale switches between then and now (then becoming 1974 and continuing up until the birth of Else’s daughter Marianne).
Else is living in the same area that she grew up in with her daughter and granddaughter, Liv. An ex-boyfriend from her childhood, Lars, has just moved back to the area with his wife and children. In the past Else and Lars snuck around keeping their relationship secret from the God-fearing community, in particularly from the rather strict pastor.
Brøvig keeps the reader engaged by leaving us wanting to know, and trying to work out who Marianne’s father is. We learn that Else was only in her teens at the time of her birth. Is Lars the father? Or was a member of the travelling circus that comes to one of the local farms responsible? In which case was it the strong man, or one of the other acts? Or was there someone else?
As well as the religious aspects this book also contains the topic of abuse, which Else and her mother, Dagny, are exposed to by their alcoholic father and husband. However, in my opinion, the strongest theme is secrets. Not only are there secret relationships, the Dybdahls keep themselves isolated to prevent their friends and church society from discovering their true home circumstances. And once Else becomes pregnant? Well that is yet another reason to isolate themselves. In the present day there are still secrets. Else does not want Marianne to know who her real father is and so has lied about the truth not only to her daughter and granddaughter, but also to Lars and everyone else she knows.
Personally I think the story line could have been stronger and possibly more drawn out to create a greater sense of suspense, however Brøvig successfully conjures up images of mountains, fjords and farmlands of a Norwegian community. Overall it was a good book and a fairly quick read too.
Lowri Catryn (229 KP) rated Playstation 4 in Tech
Jan 23, 2020
Software (2 more)
Design
Easy to use
Controller battery charge is poor (2 more)
Overheat easily
Playstation Plus expensive
Sleek design, great software
The playstation 4 was not cheap when it first appeared on the shelves, but it was a must have for most people, including me. The fashionable sleek design with the black panels against the blue light and touchpad controllers made it look incredibly stylish for a games console. Playstation Plus membership is unfortunately quite expensive, and the memory is poor on the console... having to download the game software to be able to play it.. not many different games can be played, depending on your memory. Simple to navigate and also the choice of installing applications. The touchpad controllers made it much easier to navigate on a keyboard, with quicker typing. The playstation allows you to connect with fellow players all around the world, and make new friends. The fact that there is an option for headphones and microphones is both positive and negative. It's great to communicate with others, however can lead to verbal abuse which is quite unsettling when gaming with trolls. The playstation consoles have always been my favourite and never will I change to an XBox, which is lumpy, ugly etc. The use of other applications such as YouTube and netflix on the playstation is amazing for people who do not have smart TVs or access to streaming sticks. Recently Playstation allowed players to change their username (a long and very much awaited change for users! Breathing a sigh of relief to get rid of cringy usernames, or usernames that included their ex lovers). However again, Playstation want to make money however they can... if you messed up the opportunity with the game tag change, you were only allowed one free opportunity so you had to consider wisely. Otherwise Playstation would charge you to change your game tag once more (slightly unfair I think!) A year ago I bought the PS4 VR headset.. exciting at first but a lumpy headset which is connected via cable (would have been much more effective to have had this wireless! Such as the controllers).. at first there is motion sickness, but you soon get the hang of it. Again a great selection of games, however quite pricey!
ClareR (5991 KP) rated You Let Me In in Books
Mar 10, 2020
A satisfyingly dark read!
You Let Me In is unlike anything I’ve read before. I signed up to read this on The Pigeonhole based purely on the cover. I didn’t read anything about it, in fact I thought it was going to be a thriller. The cover though: I actually thought it was a hand showing someone then bird’, and I was half right. It’s a dead bird, and the main character, Cassandra Tipp, does seem to spend most of her life metaphorically giving everyone ‘the bird’ (ie. telling them to leave her alone).
There is a mystery at the start of this. Cassandra Tipp has disappeared, and her niece and nephew have been told that after a year they can have her worldly goods if they go to her house, find the manuscript she has left them and deduce a code word.
This book is that story.
It transpires that Cassie has been involved in the death of three people: her husband Tommy Tipp, her father and her brother. But how did she get away with it? Or more importantly: who did it if she didn’t? And who is Pepper Man?
Ok, I don’t want to give too much away, but fairies are involved from the beginning, and they’re unlike the fairies I’ve read about in the past. They come with a fascinating origin story, and I’d be interested to know if they were a construct of the authors imagination, or whether they’re a Norwegian version of the fairies I’ve learnt about with my Anglo-Irish background. Either way, they’re great characters.
There’s also a chance that child abuse is involved, either by humans or fairies, it all depends on what you read in to things that happen, whether or not you believe that Cassie is in fact sane. Some of the violence is pretty graphic too, and did put some Pigeonhole readers off.
It’s a puzzling book, a book where you’re never sure whether the narrator is reliable. And I loved it. So, if you like quirky, puzzling, violent(ish), dark books, with fairies (or perhaps not) and potentially with characters with mental health issues, then you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did. It was a satisfying, startling ten days with The Pigeonhole!
There is a mystery at the start of this. Cassandra Tipp has disappeared, and her niece and nephew have been told that after a year they can have her worldly goods if they go to her house, find the manuscript she has left them and deduce a code word.
This book is that story.
It transpires that Cassie has been involved in the death of three people: her husband Tommy Tipp, her father and her brother. But how did she get away with it? Or more importantly: who did it if she didn’t? And who is Pepper Man?
Ok, I don’t want to give too much away, but fairies are involved from the beginning, and they’re unlike the fairies I’ve read about in the past. They come with a fascinating origin story, and I’d be interested to know if they were a construct of the authors imagination, or whether they’re a Norwegian version of the fairies I’ve learnt about with my Anglo-Irish background. Either way, they’re great characters.
There’s also a chance that child abuse is involved, either by humans or fairies, it all depends on what you read in to things that happen, whether or not you believe that Cassie is in fact sane. Some of the violence is pretty graphic too, and did put some Pigeonhole readers off.
It’s a puzzling book, a book where you’re never sure whether the narrator is reliable. And I loved it. So, if you like quirky, puzzling, violent(ish), dark books, with fairies (or perhaps not) and potentially with characters with mental health issues, then you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did. It was a satisfying, startling ten days with The Pigeonhole!
JT (287 KP) rated I'm Still Here (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
This film, is it, was it real, or was it in effect a massive hoax concocted by Phoenix and Affleck? Well, it has been revealed that it was the latter, and to be fair after watching it you’d have to be a total fool to actually believe that one of Hollywood’s brightest talents would jack it all in to become a rapper.
As far as performances go this is one of Joaquin’s best, and all he had to do was grow a grizzly beard, smoke a lot and write some of the most ridiculous rap lyrics ever! But if this is genuine satire then he put his heart and sole into it!
When he was interviewed by David Letterman (who had no idea the whole thing was a hoax) Phoenix looked like a shadow of his former self
Chewing gum, and slopped in his chair he was totally unresponsive to the abuse he was getting, and back stage vented his anger. The more outrageous scenes are the ones that create the most hilarious and deliver the shocking impacts, such as sniffing coke from the bosom of a prostitute, to having his face shat on by a so called friend.
What is the most cringe-worthy to watch is Phoenix’s pitiful attempts at rapping, the bloke has about as much musical talent as Jedward and he gets his fair share of heckles, in each venue that he some how manages to get a gig for.
“I’ve got a million dollars in the bank, what have you got!?” comes Pheonix’s response, and then he proceeds to hurl himself into the crowd fists swinging, followed by violent vomiting.
To think that a man of P Diddy’s calibre would even consider letting some disheveled tramp off the street play him tracks from his demo is unbelievable in itself. Diddy’s eyes say it all as he asks Phoenix to skip on to the next one, continually starring down the camera in sheer disbelief!
There is not a lot to suggest that an actor such as this would just suddenly melt down, of course we don’t deny the pressures in Hollywood might cause few to sink to a lowest ebb, but Affleck succeeds in making this a shocking and truly hilarious stunt.
As far as performances go this is one of Joaquin’s best, and all he had to do was grow a grizzly beard, smoke a lot and write some of the most ridiculous rap lyrics ever! But if this is genuine satire then he put his heart and sole into it!
When he was interviewed by David Letterman (who had no idea the whole thing was a hoax) Phoenix looked like a shadow of his former self
Chewing gum, and slopped in his chair he was totally unresponsive to the abuse he was getting, and back stage vented his anger. The more outrageous scenes are the ones that create the most hilarious and deliver the shocking impacts, such as sniffing coke from the bosom of a prostitute, to having his face shat on by a so called friend.
What is the most cringe-worthy to watch is Phoenix’s pitiful attempts at rapping, the bloke has about as much musical talent as Jedward and he gets his fair share of heckles, in each venue that he some how manages to get a gig for.
“I’ve got a million dollars in the bank, what have you got!?” comes Pheonix’s response, and then he proceeds to hurl himself into the crowd fists swinging, followed by violent vomiting.
To think that a man of P Diddy’s calibre would even consider letting some disheveled tramp off the street play him tracks from his demo is unbelievable in itself. Diddy’s eyes say it all as he asks Phoenix to skip on to the next one, continually starring down the camera in sheer disbelief!
There is not a lot to suggest that an actor such as this would just suddenly melt down, of course we don’t deny the pressures in Hollywood might cause few to sink to a lowest ebb, but Affleck succeeds in making this a shocking and truly hilarious stunt.
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