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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Turn It Up! in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<i>Turn It Up!</i> was a totally random pick I chose from my library's OverDrive catalog because they didn't have the book I so desperately wanted in my hands right at the very moment. <span style="font-size: small;">Come on, American Panda. Come to meeee.</span>
Or maybe they did but I didn't feel like reading any fantasy. I've been wanting more and more cute contemporary romances lately. <b>Give me all the cute contemporaries, bookwyrms.</b> I need to feed my latest addiction until I'm tired of it and go back to my usual fantasy groove.
Anyways...
<b>Jen Calonita's latest novel is about acapella groups.</b> I love and admire acapella (Pentatonix is one of my favorite groups) so this novel caught my eye <i>really</i> quick. <b><i>Turn It Up!</i></b><b> is essentially Pitch Perfect set in a high school setting instead of college.</b> I was hoping that I would enjoy the book a lot since it <i>is</i> about music and acapella.
Unfortunately, <strong>the book focuses too much on Lidia's and Sydney's problem with little to no progress</strong> and an ending that was basically handed over to the characters on a plate adorned with musical notes and shoes. <i>Boom.</i> Happily ever after for everyone.
This is basically the summary of the book:
<ul>
<li>Girl has a crush on a guy</li>
<li>Other girl ends up falling in love with the guy</li>
<li>Girl catches other girl and guy kissing, creates tension among friendship</li>
<li>Girl develops other interests and chases after it because it conveniently keeps her away from other girl and guy as well</li>
<li>Other girl tries to push guy but really, she's in love but she values friendship</li>
<li>Girl falls in love slowly with another guy</li>
<li>Guy somehow gets between girl and other guy by accident - oopsies</li>
<li>Girl and other girl realizes they don't have to be this way</li>
<li>Somehow they become best friends again and everyone lives happily ever after</li>
</ul>
I was expecting more... I don't know, music to be involved? There's certainly conflict among the acapella group, but it felt like the musical angle wasn't even needed to create drama among the characters since there seemed to be issues well before the acapella group became a thing. 🤷
A lot of the issues seemed to have roots since middle school/early high school - they just seemed to have escalated. And <strong>while the Pitch Perfect movie had their drama, it was at least entertaining and catchy.</strong> I can't say the same for the book.
<strong>The writing felt off</strong> - there were times where it felt awkward due to punctuation usage, mainly exclamation points. Sentences that didn't need an exclamation had one, or maybe it's just the phrasing of the sentences themselves. It didn't really help me enjoy the book more.
And then there were the characters. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time thinking of how old most of the characters are. I know <i>Turn It Up! </i>is set in high school, but there were times where I felt they were a little younger. 🤔
<b>But hey, there were <em>maybe</em> a few parts that were good!</b>
<ul>
<li>Eventually, everyone got past their differences - hooray</li>
<li>There <em>is</em> a cute romance, and I definitely ship it</li>
<li>Sometimes I wanted to smush the two characters together</li>
<li>Lidia's family is cute and adorable</li>
</ul>
Anyways, those smol little bits that were good didn't make up for the bad. I wanted more from <em>Turn It Up!</em> and <strong>I got a Pitch Perfect version in book form that was less entertaining than the movie.</strong>
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/turn-it-up-by-jen-calonita-ya-pitch-perfect/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Or maybe they did but I didn't feel like reading any fantasy. I've been wanting more and more cute contemporary romances lately. <b>Give me all the cute contemporaries, bookwyrms.</b> I need to feed my latest addiction until I'm tired of it and go back to my usual fantasy groove.
Anyways...
<b>Jen Calonita's latest novel is about acapella groups.</b> I love and admire acapella (Pentatonix is one of my favorite groups) so this novel caught my eye <i>really</i> quick. <b><i>Turn It Up!</i></b><b> is essentially Pitch Perfect set in a high school setting instead of college.</b> I was hoping that I would enjoy the book a lot since it <i>is</i> about music and acapella.
Unfortunately, <strong>the book focuses too much on Lidia's and Sydney's problem with little to no progress</strong> and an ending that was basically handed over to the characters on a plate adorned with musical notes and shoes. <i>Boom.</i> Happily ever after for everyone.
This is basically the summary of the book:
<ul>
<li>Girl has a crush on a guy</li>
<li>Other girl ends up falling in love with the guy</li>
<li>Girl catches other girl and guy kissing, creates tension among friendship</li>
<li>Girl develops other interests and chases after it because it conveniently keeps her away from other girl and guy as well</li>
<li>Other girl tries to push guy but really, she's in love but she values friendship</li>
<li>Girl falls in love slowly with another guy</li>
<li>Guy somehow gets between girl and other guy by accident - oopsies</li>
<li>Girl and other girl realizes they don't have to be this way</li>
<li>Somehow they become best friends again and everyone lives happily ever after</li>
</ul>
I was expecting more... I don't know, music to be involved? There's certainly conflict among the acapella group, but it felt like the musical angle wasn't even needed to create drama among the characters since there seemed to be issues well before the acapella group became a thing. 🤷
A lot of the issues seemed to have roots since middle school/early high school - they just seemed to have escalated. And <strong>while the Pitch Perfect movie had their drama, it was at least entertaining and catchy.</strong> I can't say the same for the book.
<strong>The writing felt off</strong> - there were times where it felt awkward due to punctuation usage, mainly exclamation points. Sentences that didn't need an exclamation had one, or maybe it's just the phrasing of the sentences themselves. It didn't really help me enjoy the book more.
And then there were the characters. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time thinking of how old most of the characters are. I know <i>Turn It Up! </i>is set in high school, but there were times where I felt they were a little younger. 🤔
<b>But hey, there were <em>maybe</em> a few parts that were good!</b>
<ul>
<li>Eventually, everyone got past their differences - hooray</li>
<li>There <em>is</em> a cute romance, and I definitely ship it</li>
<li>Sometimes I wanted to smush the two characters together</li>
<li>Lidia's family is cute and adorable</li>
</ul>
Anyways, those smol little bits that were good didn't make up for the bad. I wanted more from <em>Turn It Up!</em> and <strong>I got a Pitch Perfect version in book form that was less entertaining than the movie.</strong>
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/turn-it-up-by-jen-calonita-ya-pitch-perfect/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Lee (2222 KP) rated A Star Is Born (2018) in Movies
Oct 6, 2018 (Updated Oct 6, 2018)
Bradley Cooper (1 more)
Lady Gaga
Disappointing
Last night I took Mrs B along to see this, much anticipated, much hyped movie. And to say we came away disappointed is an understatement.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are both amazing in this, particularly in the early parts of the movie as we're introduced to both characters - music legend Jackson Maine and aspiring singer/songwriter Ally. The songs they sing, the story of them meeting up, falling in love and touring together, it's all good. But then things begin to go downhill for Jackson, while Ally gradually becomes more and more like Lady Gaga. There are some great moments in the latter half of the movie, but it's mostly Jackson slurring his words while you try and work out what he's saying and Ally doing choreography with her dancers and playing big gigs. And it drags, it really drags.
I actually heard some people behind me in the cinema complaining how boring it was. That's a little unfair, but there are certainly a lot of boring moments and I didn't feel it was worthy of all the hype.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are both amazing in this, particularly in the early parts of the movie as we're introduced to both characters - music legend Jackson Maine and aspiring singer/songwriter Ally. The songs they sing, the story of them meeting up, falling in love and touring together, it's all good. But then things begin to go downhill for Jackson, while Ally gradually becomes more and more like Lady Gaga. There are some great moments in the latter half of the movie, but it's mostly Jackson slurring his words while you try and work out what he's saying and Ally doing choreography with her dancers and playing big gigs. And it drags, it really drags.
I actually heard some people behind me in the cinema complaining how boring it was. That's a little unfair, but there are certainly a lot of boring moments and I didn't feel it was worthy of all the hype.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) in Movies
Dec 21, 2020
I've reviewed a few musicals here and there, and always feel I need to make a comment about how I don't really like musicals in general... The Rocky Horror Picture Show is of course a huge tight wearing exception to this stubborn rule of thumb I have.
TRHPS is just a blast from start to finish. Richard O'brien's song writing is top notch - it's clever, catchy, cheesy when it needs to be, funny, and classy.
Pretty much every character is iconic, none more so than Tim Curry's Frank-N-Furter, easily the most sympathetic, enthralling, occasionally psychopathic mad transvestite scientist to ever grace a cinema screen - definitely in my top 10 movie characters of all time.
Beneath all of the absurdity is a solid narrative, that is equal parts weird and tragic, and manages to meld together B-Movie schlock, Universal Monsters vibes, dark comedy, rock n' roll, and cheesy horror, and does it all phenomenally well. It's a joy to watch all these years later.
Rocky Horror was ahead of its time in many ways, and is the ultimate cult movie. It's a damn masterpiece.
TRHPS is just a blast from start to finish. Richard O'brien's song writing is top notch - it's clever, catchy, cheesy when it needs to be, funny, and classy.
Pretty much every character is iconic, none more so than Tim Curry's Frank-N-Furter, easily the most sympathetic, enthralling, occasionally psychopathic mad transvestite scientist to ever grace a cinema screen - definitely in my top 10 movie characters of all time.
Beneath all of the absurdity is a solid narrative, that is equal parts weird and tragic, and manages to meld together B-Movie schlock, Universal Monsters vibes, dark comedy, rock n' roll, and cheesy horror, and does it all phenomenally well. It's a joy to watch all these years later.
Rocky Horror was ahead of its time in many ways, and is the ultimate cult movie. It's a damn masterpiece.
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