The Caloris Network: A Scientific Novel: 2016
Book
The year is 2130. The first-ever expedition is sent to Mercury to search for the cause of an unknown...
Institutional Arrangements for Conservation, Development and Tourism in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Dynamic Perspective
Rene van der Duim, Machiel Lamers and Jakomijn van Wijk
Book
This book presents an overview of different institutional arrangements for tourism, biodiversity...
The Poison Keeper
8.0
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Book
Naples 1633 Aqua Tofana – One drop to heal. Three drops to kill. Giulia Tofana longs for...
Historical Fiction Renaissance Italian
Zero-G: Book 1: A Novel: Book 1
William Shatner and Jeff Rovin
Book
A new science fiction adventure from William Shatner, famous for his role as Captain Kirk on Star...
Marvel's Jessica Jones
8.1
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TV Show
This Netflix original chronicles the life of one of the darker Marvel characters, the mysterious...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Body Snatcher (1945) in Movies
Oct 17, 2020
The plot: Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
It is based on the short story "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline "The screen's last word in shock sensation!" The frequent mentions of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, all refer to the West Port murders in 1828.
The Body Snatcher was one of three films that Boris Karloff did with RKO Radio Pictures from 1945 to 1946, which were produced by Val Lewton. The other two films were Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).
Bela Lugosi, who became famous with another Universal classic, Dracula (1931), also signed a deal with RKO. Lewton and MacDonald eventually wrote a small role for him; it became the last film Lugosi and Karloff made together.
Robert Wise – later best-known for his work in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Sand Pebbles (1966) – was assigned to direct the film. Longtime film editor at RKO, he had replaced the original director on The Curse of the Cat People (1944) when it fell behind schedule and Lewton, who produced it, decided to promote him to his superiors.
Its a excellent film.
Girl Next Door (Jack Ryder Book 5)
7.0
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Book
Inspired by a true story. He came in the morning when they were still making lunches and getting...
police prodecural fiction adult series Jack Ryder suspense
Introduction to Modeling and Control of Internal Combustion Engine Systems
Lino Guzzella and Christopher Onder
Book
Internal combustion engines still have a potential for substantial improvements, particularly with...
David McK (3496 KP) rated Sword of Destiny in Books
Sep 1, 2019
As most gamers will know by now (Witcher III, anyone?), Geralt is a Witcher, who makes his living by hunting Monsters but who also follows his own moral code. While I've never (yet) played that game, I also know that Netflix have a very-soon-to-be-released series based on the character and his world, starring none other than the current incarnation of Superman (Henry Cavill).
As a result, I decided it might be worth-while reading the source material itself first, starting with The Last Wish and now moving onto this. Both those books are pretty much character studies, introducing some key characters in Geralt's life who I'm sure will play larger roles in the full-length novels.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated A Place Called Winter in Books
May 28, 2017
Loosely based upon a true story, one of Patrick Gale’s ancestors in fact, A Place Called Winter follows the life of Harry Cane during the early 1900s. The book begins with Harry being transferred from a mental asylum to a therapeutic community called Bethel Ranch. The story then backtracks to Harry’s life as a young, nervous, motherless boy and the time he met his future wife, Winnie.
Throughout the book the reader is trying to guess the reason Harry eventually finds himself at Bethel Ranch. Gale describes Harry’s marriage, his discovery of homosexuality and his move to Canada to his final stop at a homestead in a place called Winter. Does Harry develop a mental illness or is it something to do with his scandalous desires? Or, does something else happen later in the book?
After moving to Canada, Harry does not exactly have it easy and the reader feels for him as he perseveres with his new life style. We watch him grow from a timid young man into someone with his own farm and independence. It makes it all the more upsetting to read when certain things take a turn for the worse.
In this historical novel, Patrick Gale emphasizes on the way homosexuality was regarded in society. Entire families cut people out of their lives at the slightest hint of a scandal. Gale also touches on the techniques used within mental asylums during this period as well as racial discrimination.
Occasionally, the story was difficult to read as it alternated between being really interesting and then slightly dull. Overall, regardless of how much was based on actual events, it was a good storyline, and once you have started reading you feel the need to continue to find out what happens to Harry. I have only read one other book by Patrick Gale – Notes From an Exhibition – that I struggled with a little. A Place Called Winter, however, was a lot better than I was expecting.