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Lindsay (1693 KP) created a post

Oct 12, 2020 (Updated Oct 12, 2020)  
September was my biggest book haul by far. I would like to say Thank you to all the Publishers and authors that send me books for September. They are all over the place for this past month. They are all review books. Some were send as gifts and other were review books. I requested some. They are seasonal and children and some are part the of #Fall2020Stacks.

Here are the books I received from several different publishers.Thank you to some authors as well. All are review books. Two are Book Tour Books I want to say Thank you to @IreadBookTours. I want to say Thank you all.

    The Naughty List by Thomas Conway
    Evergreen Forevermore by T.A. Cline
    The Proctor Hall Horror by Bill Thomas
    Beholden by Jody Hedlund (Review)
    The Red Ribbon by Pepper D. Basham (Review)
    Piecing It All Together by Leslie Gould
    This is The Earth by Deedee Cummings
    In the Nick of Time by Deedee Cummings
    The Goose on the Roof by Sarah Sommers
    The Endangereds by Philippe Cousteau and Austin Aslan
    Animals at the Office by Sarah Sommers
    Caley Cross and the Hadeon Drop by Jeff Rosen


All are on my radar to read. I hope to read these books soon. This is my Book haul for this month.

https://nrcbooks.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-haul-3-september-2020.html
     
What Are Friends For by Charlottefield
What Are Friends For by Charlottefield
2008
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I was obsessed with them when I was in The Edmund Fitzgerald, so much so that I'd try to get on every bill with them. They were the most incredible live band I'd ever seen and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they didn't change the generation in Britain. They definitely changed a lot of things for me. When that record came out, not only did I love the sound of it but also that it kind of made it feel possible to make a record and put it out. What's becoming clear to me as I go through this list is that there's something to do with people's voices that connect directly. All of Charlottefield were incredible musicians but there was something so animalistic about Thomas [House]'s scream - both live and the way they captured it on the first record. It's just so raw, there's something about his scream in particular - I could never quite grasp what he was singing about or what he was singing, but there was something searing about that scream that made me wanna play guitar obsessively and play shows and get on bills with them and made me wanna lose myself in music even further than I had done at that point."

Source
  
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1991 | Horror, Thriller
The acting is 100% (2 more)
The story is fantastic
The way it is shot is genuinely awesome.
Have the lambs stopped screaming?
Okay so this is one of my favourite films because it just ticks every box.
Acting - Anthony Hopkins won an oscar for best actor because of this film. He is excellent, he is so creepy, elegant, scary, inviting, chilling, intriguing and he just oozes the sophistication, intelligence and depth of the character. He delivers his performance in this with a real passion. He is also so limited with what he can do physically (usually locked up) but he owns the set when the cameras are rolling.
Jodie Foster - I haven't seen her in anything else which I am actually embarrassed about because I loved her in this. No surprise, she won an oscar for best actress in this film. I genuinely feel like (towards the end mainly, as she has said in an interview that Anthony Hopkins did actually frighten her) she was terrified for her life. She could have been in the situation irl and i wouldn't be shocked. The character could have been played so many ways but Jodie played it perfectly. A clever, naive, strong, determined woman.
All other supporting actors were fantastic, such as Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill (my goodness he is so creepy he makes your skin crawl) and Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford (definitely feel the underlying tones of an unsavory character).
It is shot in such a way you dont see often, the talking to the camera shots, showing you things in Bills house like the pictures are all such subtle things but make it even more chilling. They also don't shy away with language(a word is said in this film atleast twice and it's so rare to hear on film) which sometimes, as not very nice this word is, the situation calls for it in this unnerving thriller, gross words and scenes need to be real to feel uneasy which you do in this.
Hats off to the wonderful Thomas Harris for writing such a gripping, interesting story that we were fortunate enough to see made to this magnificent film.
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Nov 7, 2019

One of my favorites!

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Versusyours (757 KP) Nov 7, 2019

My dad had this on repeat in my childhood and it still holds up today.

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
2021 | Animation, Family
When I imagined the first time back into my Cineworld I was of course envisioning an epic first film back, something monumental... I succumbed to peer pressure and saw Peter Rabbit 2, but it was in a double bill with Spiral, what a combo. Bunnies and butchery.

Following Thomas and Bea's wedding, things start to change for this country family. Bea's story has become so popular that there's a book deal on the horizon, and the family head off to the big city to talk to the publisher. But Peter isn't happy about the way things are changing. He wanders off into the city streets where he meets a mysterious stranger that shows him a new way of living where he can be the bunny he wants to be.

Where do I begin? Peter doesn't like being cast as a brat, disappears and... does some brattish things. It's on brand for the bunny, so feels right for this second outing.

The animal antics felt right throughout the film, but the humans one... no so much. I know I'm probably overthinking about this film a little, but I honestly don't think this situation would have happened at all, not with the sort of person Bea was. That's the card we were dealt though so I guess we have to accept it.

I found the film to be very slow going at the start, it essentially wasn't very different from the first. Thankfully, somewhere at the midpoint it does pick up and you get more of the crazy action that, let's face it, was the only reasons that us adults are seeing this. (Apart from Hannah, Hannah is here for some Gleeson goodness as well as the bunnies.)

It seems a little daft to go over most of the things about this film as it really is a carbon copy where everything but the storyline is concerned. There are a few moments that even taking artistic license into account didn't sit right with me, but they would all constitute spoilers so I won't elaborate, rest assured though, you will have the same quibbles if you watch it.

Peter Rabbit 2 The Runaway. (not that anyone remembers the second bit), would have been good competition with the first had the beginning had the same pace as the rest of the film. What we've got is a sequel that is really just for the kids to enjoy, we'll just hang around for the action.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/peter-rabbit-2-runaway-movie-review.html
  
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
2019 | Action, Comedy, Horror
I think it was a fairly safe bet to assume this was going to be entertaining. Comedy hijinks and zombies? Yes please!

Our band of merry zombie hunters have been living a great life in what's left of the world since the zombie legion rose, but things are becoming a little too samey. Little Rock is growing up and looking for something more than just their dysfunctional family, so when the first eligible bachelor appears she's all for leaving.

Wichita is set on going after her, the hippy boyfriend was headed to Babylon, a utopia of peace where there's no need of weapons, so that's where they're headed. Trouble is, they're not the only ones.

You can't be mad at this film, it's so much fun. Every time I think of Harrelson's gleeful face as he bodyslams a zombie I get a warm feeling inside. I love the way it mocks itself in the recap intro. I don't think there's a single thing in this movie I didn't like. It was pure pedal to the metal fun and it made a great break from a lot of the serious things I've been watching recently.

I always think that these sorts of things can be judged at least partly on its audience. There were teens and OAPs, couples, loners, groups of friends, it was such a cross-section. From what I could tell we were all laughing and having a good time. Any film that can do that has got its balance right.

The only I could grumble about is actually in the trailer, we get the inclusion of a Bill Murray scene and being that it isn't in the actual film seems like a bit of a daft thing to give away. The full scene is great but I don't know that putting it in the trailer made any difference to anyone wanting to see the film.

Continuing a story so long after the original was going to be difficult but I think the path they chose to go down nicely brought the characters back for us. It made sense where they focused the change and they managed to get across the jump of time really well. I still have my doubts about surviving in an apocalypse, but for the sake of this comedy I'm willing to overlook them.

The cast were great again, though Breslin didn't seem to have much enthusiasm for her part. The star-studded support cast helped to break the film up and add something even dafter into the mix. Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch made fun doppelgangers but the gag might have gone on a little too long.

Double Tap still makes great action like the original, the opening sequence that we partially see during the trailers brought a smile to my face. The all-out murdery goodness really does calm the soul.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/12/zombieland-double-tap-movie-review.html
  
Titanic (1997)
Titanic (1997)
1997 | Drama, Romance
Shame about the romance
Film #13 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: Titanic

Titanic is a rather divisive film. There are many that absolutely love it, the creators of this list among them I don’t doubt. And then there are those that can’t stand it, despite it’s 11 Oscar wins. When it was first released, Titanic’s popularity was immense and it was all the rage at my high school. At that time I loved it like everyone else, but over the years I’ve grown to notice its flaws as well.

Titanic is another epic from the mind of James Cameron and unsurprisingly tells the real life story behind the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. As the true story wasn’t enough, the sinking is shown from the point of view of a love story between Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team are searching the wreckage of the Titanic for a rare diamond and instead come across a preserved drawing of Rose, who meets with Brock and tells the story of her experiences onboard. These experiences involve a class divide, a fiancé with anger management issues (Billy Zane) and some nice (Kathy Bates) and not very nice (Frances Fisher) female aristocrats.

While I can understand why Cameron has intertwined a romance into this real life tragedy, for me it’s this story that lessens the impact of such a horrific tale and makes this into not quite the masterpiece he wanted it to be. There are the obvious plot holes and irrational actions – the hugely memorable water door scene that could blatantly fit more than one person, and the motives for keeping a invaluable diamond hidden for 80+ years only to throw it away in the ocean – are just two of the laughably bad scenes in this. Paired with a sometimes dodgy script (there’s a scene where Rose says “Jack” over half a dozen times in less than a minute) and some cheesy exposition and narration from the older Rose, do not make for an endearing story.

However if you can ignore the romance and poor fictional story, the rest of Titanic is an impressive bit of filmmaking. From the opening shots featuring real life footage of the actual wreckage of the Titanic to the effects used to bring the ship to life, they are truly stunning. You can really appreciate the love and care that has gone in to making this film, and the cinematography is faultless. Water is not an easy element to film yet James Cameron has mastered it with ease and including shots of the real wreckage only adds to the emotions that this evokes, especially as there are a lot of facts interlaced within the romance – the band continuing to play despite impending death is particularly moving. The cast too are strong despite the sometimes questionable material they have to work with. This is undoubtedly the film that made both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet megastars in their own rights, although for me I much preferred the more low key performances from the likes of Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill (as Captain Smith) and Victor Garber (as ship builder Thomas Andrews).

Titanic is not perfect. It is a drawn out and overly long romance set aboard a disaster movie and it can’t justify being longer than 3 hours. However despite it’s flaws, it is still a masterpiece in filmmaking and truly an epic film.