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American Graffiti (1973)
American Graffiti (1973)
1973 | Comedy, Drama
The music! The humor! The drama! Young Harrison Ford! (Dreamy?) (0 more)
American awesomeness
The first time I watched this iconic movie, I am pretty sure I wasn't old enough to appreciate more than young Harrison Ford in his sweet ride, the music, and the great representation of souped up hot rods. When I watched it as an adult it was like watching a totally different movie! And even now, when I watch it I realize the depth and development of the characters, and the personal and political reflections of the time. This movie brought Coppola to my attention, and introduced the idea of how a good director can weave so many minute details into characters and themes.


America Graffiti is one of the best 'coming of age' movies I have seen. Well worth watching
  
The Happytime Murders (2017)
The Happytime Murders (2017)
2017 | Comedy
Disappointing
Whilst I'm not particularly surprised, I was expecting a little more from this film. I hadn't seen the trailer and didn't know much other than it was about puppets, so I went in with a fairly open mind.

I'm really not a fan of Melissa McCarthy and I think she really spoils the film, at least for me. She plays the same character in everything! I also didn't think the film was particularly funny and apart from a few odd lines, I didn't laugh at all. The puppets themselves were very well done though and the ingenious way they've come up with murdering puppets is quite good. I really wanted to like this as an adult version of the Muppets really appealed (and Avenue Q is absolutely hilarious), but sadly it doesn't work.
  
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
1980 | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Why do I love cheesy 70s and 80s sci-fi so much?
I think I watched this as a kid for the first time and was fascinated and spooked out all at the same time. Since I have been an adult, a purchased the VHS tapes, the original MG DVD release and will probably purchase the new Blu Ray editions some time soon (but haven't yet).

I am not a reader (wish I was), but this story of the first expeditions to Mars, what the humans find there and how they have to learn to set aside differences to peacefully coexist is still very enthralling.

Everything about it is cheese for sure, but I still very much enjoy the characters, stories and situations.

  
13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1)
13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1)
Maureen Johnson | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.8 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
13 Little Blue Envelopes was a delightful read. The author knows how to keep you hooked with short easy-to-read chapters and I found myself reading a chapter every chance I got!

It had me hooked from the first envelope and read the book over a couple of days - only to find there is a follow-on novel out too!

I was luck enough to get this as a free book on Amazon kindle which is a fantastic way of discovering new authors. The book is aimed at teenage/young adult but I would recommend it for any age group.

MoMo’s Book Diary loved this delightful novel and recommends 13 Little Blue Envelopes as a 4 star read. (read May 2011)

This review is also published on http://www.momobookdiary.com and http://www.amazon.co.uk
  
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins | 2014 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.5 (277 Ratings)
Book Rating
So, here is what I thought. This was a very entertaining story. I think that the romance was too contrived. It is a young adult fiction, so I sort of expect that, but it doesn't mean that I should expect that. Collins could have done a better job on that. Also, I was hoping for a bit more development in certain areas, and a more "in your face" to the Capitol ending, but there are two more books, so I'm sure that will come later. The writing could have been more polished as well. Other than that, I really enjoyed it. It has themes of redemption, loyalty, and forgiveness, and being set in a culture of death, I think that this book is very relevant to today's society.
  
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
2007 | Animation, Comedy
7
7.7 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Finally...
In 2007, the Simpson's finally hit the big screen.
following Lisa's failed attempts at getting her community to take responsibility for polluting Springfields water supply, they finally put an odd stop to this, homer ignores this and adds more to the already polluted water and sets of a dangerous chain of events. Springfield is then contained in a giant Dome and An angry mob descends on the Simpson home, splitting the family. With the towns fate in the balance, Homer sets out on a quest for redemption in order to save the world and earn Marge's forgiveness.

Some great gags, mature adult jokes with a few ideas the creators wanted to do for a long years.

Was great on release but Nothing special really, basically an 80 minute Simpson's episode.
  
Mary's the Name
Mary's the Name
Ross Sayers | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wee Mary is a great character. (0 more)
Predictable plot. Should be young adult novel. (0 more)
Good book from a new author
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was my first book of the year and it didn't disappoint. Mary is a great wee character that the reader is drawn to from page 1. This is a novel about an innocent child and a corrupt granddad - a diamond of a man who loves his granddaughter dearly. The author did a great job of writing from Mary's point of view when the character is so young. My only criticism would be the explaining of Scottish words - trust your reader. Otherwise, it was great. The plot was brilliant and I even had a gasp, right in the middle, but I won't spoil it for anyone. Well done Ross, looking forward to the next one.
  
La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust
La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust
Philip Pullman | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
8.5 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
My brother bought me this for Christmas last year, as he knows I loved his dark materials trilogy as a teenager.I have finally got round to reading it, and I have fallen in love with Phillip Pullmans writing style and character development again. I would be surprised if anyone who reads this does not connect with Malcom, what a fantastic character, you cannot help but feel sympathetic towards him.
In some ways it's similar to his old books, but this one is all about the thrill of the chase and it feels a bit more exciting.
My only criticism is that he had added some adult content,probably to appeal to an older audience, but it doesn't feel right reading it in a Pullman book.
Nevertheless I can't wait for the next two instalments.
  
The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)
The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)
Rin Chupeco | 2017 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.9 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Chupeco’s latest novel follows Tea as she first discovers her abilities as a bone witch and undergoes an apprenticeship, and years later as an adult. Secretly I am in love with The Young Elites by Marie Lu because Adelina is a villain and The Bone Witch is honestly similar because Tea is basically a villain.

It is a slow book. There are lots of descriptions and world-building, but the book definitely picks up a notch later.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/some-of-those-arcs-from-last-year/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>