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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies

Sep 25, 2019

This isn't a bad film all in all, it certainly fills a more traditional (?) magical gap in recent releases.

The best thing about The House With A Clock In Its Walls is definitely Cate Blanchett, she plays eccentric beautifully in this one and I don't think there were any of her scenes that I wasn't fond of. She bounces well with Jack Black, and their little moments of bickering are amusing and express their playful friendship really well.

Jack Black is very, well, Jack Black in this. He's a good comedic actor, but his roles are always quite similar in ways. That's not a negative thing as such, I like that he's consistent and you know you'll enjoy his performance.

We've been blessed with some great performances from kids in films recently, Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying in The Meg and Jacob Tremblay as Rory McKenna in The Predator, were both brilliant in their roles and were blessed with some great scenes and lines. Owen Vaccaro in this portrayed the awkward Lewis with conviction and was on point for what the film set out for him, but what he was given was on par with the film as a whole. It was good, but it didn't have any oomph behind it.

The story itself seemed to be jogging along nicely in the background, but I'm always left wondering about the baddie reveals. Would the film have felt better if there was less lead up and more of the spooky bad guy moments? I'm honestly not sure, but he seemed to appear and then disappear in a puff of smoke. I wonder how much screen time he had in total?

I will say this... I don't ever need to see "baby" Jack Black ever again. It was creepy, the graphics were horrendous and it was completely inaccurate to the events that were about to unfold, as was evident with the rest of the town who we see experiencing the same thing.

Based on the book The House With A Clock In It's Walls by John Bellairs.

What should you do?

It's not a bad family film to go and see if you've got a couple of hours to spare.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Having the magic would be too cliché, I'd like a topiary winged lion please.

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Book and Education

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Rasul Allah SallAllahu Alihi wasallam did not leave any worldly affliction for which he did not...

Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Thing on the Doorstep in Books

Mar 15, 2018

Wow. I wasn't sure what to I was going to think of this, as several state it's not his best of stories, but as I'm a new reader of Lovecraft, I have nothing to compare this to, so I enjoyed it hugely!

The opening line of this story, <b><i>It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer,"</b></i> is enough to completely suck you in to the story. You'll find yourself getting lost in this piece of fiction, coming out the other side of it dazed, horrified and delighted.

This story has some of the best tension building, leaving you to decide what is happening to the ever changing Edward and his mysterious wife Asenath.

The hints to black magic and the occult make this story really ominous, dark and brooding. This is really a terrific horror story. If this isn't one of his best, I'm excited to see what his other stories bring!

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Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Thief's Gamble (The Tales of Einarinn #1) in Books

Dec 3, 2018

Revenge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, that’s what Livark is learning. Blackmailed she turns thief for a wizard and lands herself in a plot that threatens the existence of the known world.

Livark is a gambler basically a grifter. She is the main character and her story is told in 1st person pov. There are other povs involved that are third person? Which include but are not limited to Casuel a wizard that is so easy to hate. That sorry sycophant. And Planir the Black Archmage.
You also meet Shiv another wizard that partners with Livark (blackmails really) he is also the first character that I had ever read that was openly gay. Or how did he put it. “Doesn’t cross the dance floor to find his partner.” Maybe not a direct quote but close. Also, Darni and Rashad warriors as well as a few other characters. If you want excitement danger and magic, this is a book for you. Edited: It is also very violent, blunt, and graphic in its content.