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Isle of Dogs (2018)
Isle of Dogs (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation
8
7.8 (39 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brilliantly done
I'll be honest, except for Grand Budapest I'm not a massive fan of Wes Anderson. So I wasn't particularly bothered about this, and even more so after seeing the trailer when it was first released at the cinema - it just looked a little too weird. However I'm pleased to say that this was a surprisingly good film.

The best thing about this film is the execution. The stop motion is absolutely superb and truly flawless, it's beautiful to see stop motion made like this. And the voice cast too are brilliant. Unlike a lot of animated films, the entire cast fits perfectly and there aren't any voices that don't fit. The plot itself is interesting, dark and definitely not a kids film. It's also surprisingly funny in parts. Some of this gets a little "talky" at times and despite the short run time, the film feels a lot longer than it actually is. But it's still worth a watch for the stop motion alone.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Leah (: (569 KP) Feb 5, 2019

I may watch this film now, I only ever heard radio adverts for it which was very confusing, then watched one trailer and was unsure but I’m tempted to give it a go now (:

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Ross (3284 KP) Feb 7, 2019

I watched some of it with the kids but had to go and start cooking dinner so missed the last half hour or so. If you enjoyed it, I heartily recommend you check Fantastic Mr Fox out: same animation studio and an equally stellar cast of big name voices.

A Place Called Here
A Place Called Here
10
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow, I really enjoyed this, With Cecelia Ahern you really can't go wrong.
I am in aww I think her imagination is off the charts, who else would have come with writing about a place where missing things go, makes me wonder where all my socks go.
I love the story of Sandy finding herself in this missing place and actually finding out who she is realising she has lost a lot of her life to her obsession with finding missing things and as well as the story of Jack on a similar journey but wasting his life away obsessively searching for his brother.
I love how it all comes together.
My favourite quote is...
"I can only assume that there's only one thing more frustrating than not being able to find someone, and that's not being found. I would want someone to find me, more than anything."
A truly brilliant read.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Mile 22 (2018) in Movies

Mar 11, 2019 (Updated Mar 11, 2019)  
Mile 22 (2018)
Mile 22 (2018)
2018 | Action
Depressing, pointless action movie that doesn't seem to know how to make use of its assets. Sociopathic American black-ops officer Marky Mark must take double-agent Iko Uwais 35.4 kilometres in order that he will spill the beans on some terrorist McGuffin or other; lots of people shoot at them on the way.

The premise is decent high-concept stuff, but the director clearly felt it was a bit too straightforward and so a potentially engaging thriller is smothered by too many dead-wood subplots and over-wrought plot twists and character bits. Iko Uwais is a brilliant martial artist, but you'd never know that from the frenetic way this film has been directed and edited (his acting performance is a bit of a revelation though). Much too low-key and down-beat for what's ultimately a thick slab of jingoistic nonsense; a surprisingly bad film considering all the talent involved.
  
I’ve not actually read Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, but I was happy when I realised that this could easily be read as a standalone novel – there were only a small amount of moments when I felt like I was missing some information that came from the main novel.

It’s only a very short book, but that made it all the better for me because I prefer reading short stories over Christmas than trying to dig into a really big novel, just because I struggle for time over Christmas.

The characters were all brilliant. I loved Becca because I know people with the same attitude over Christmas as her, so it made me laugh a bit seeing people I know as Characters in a book.

It was a cheesy festive romance, and there were a few parts where I wasn’t too sure on how far the novel was going to go, but thankfully it balanced out the romance with the plot really well.
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated The Help in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
The Help
The Help
Kathryn Stockett | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
I LOVED this. I actually don’t know how many times I’ve read it now.

My favourite character is Minny. I love that despite the fact that she has to be careful with what she says and does, she still has no filter between her brain and mouth and says exactly what she thinks. She acts out before thinking about the consequences but always serves up karma to the people who have wronged her in life.

Skeeter is brilliant. She doesn’t see the race division and just wants to help others around her. She wants to share the stories of maids after she had a close relationship with the maid who brought her up – Constantine. I find her character heartwarming and reassuring that not everyone back in that period was a racist.

This is my absolute favourite novel on race. It shows the struggles people have gone through in the past whilst not sugar-coating it and also not telling a story of a worst-case-scenario.
  
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch
Games Consoles > Games Consoles
Portable (2 more)
Fantastic choice of games
Fun to play
Would have liked the switch screen to be 1080p (0 more)
It's Currently in its prime!
If you don't own a Nintendo Switch, now is the time to buy! The Switch is currently in its prime. There are so many titles to choose from with more great games on the way, I am constantly torn between which games to buy. Nobody makes games like Nintendo, they're just fantastic and their innovation just keeps surprising me, recently with it's Labo sets (especially Labo VR). The Switch does not disappoint (other than the screen not being 1080p - the quality is still good tho) and the fact its portable and you can pick it up and take it with you is brilliant. The Switch is what the Wii U should have been, the Switch has got it right and I am very pleased with what it has achieved so far.
  
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - Thames Murders
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - Thames Murders
2017 | Deduction
Sherlock Holmes-
This game leads you through the twists and turns of a Sherlock Holmes. Murder mystery. You start each case reading an introduction which out lines a mystery. Then you control the investigation deciding what locations to visit. As you find clues or red herrings, you must decide why you have all the pieces of the puzzle. Then comes the best part. Once you have decided what happened you open the question envelope what you know or don't and how many locations you visited will determine your score. Then finally Sherlock himself will tell you how he solved the case makinging you grone as you can't believe you missed on clue or another.

This game is a great gateway for non gamers and a brilliant way to spend an afternoon or evening.

10 mysteries in the box 20+ hours for your money. A group of 4-5 players. But it's a great game for 1 or more amateur detectives.
  
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
7
8.0 (41 Ratings)
Book Rating
Messes with your head
This is a story that will mess with your head over and over… One revelation after another. I loved it. The Woman in the Window is set out in days and short chapters making it an easy to read story which can be devoured easily.

At first I thought hmm this woman (Anna) is a bit strange maybe she is just one of those nosy neighbours we all hate, boy was I wrong. Readers are in for a treat with this story. I must admit I thought with the story being based in just one specific location that it was going to be dull and dragged out, yet again I was wrong.

I awarded four stars for this story as I found it took a while to get to the good bits but it still turned out to be a brilliant brain twister of a story to dive into. Highly recommend!
  
Snatch (2001)
Snatch (2001)
2001 | Comedy, Crime
One of, if not THE best Brad Pitt role. (0 more)
Nothing. (0 more)
Do ya like dags?
The direction is fantastic, Guy Richie is such an amazing Director! The introduction scene with the diamond is awesome, the music is perfect and the story is brilliant.
Brad Pitt was rumoured to have approached Guy Richie after Lock Stock, but he couldn't get the cockney accent right so he was cast as Mickey. When someone told me (before I had seen it) that an American was playing an Irish Traveller I was seriously sceptical. No need to be, he did it perfectly.
The story flows so well and the way everyone links together works so well, that kind of storyline can fall apart but it goes smoothly and keeps you interested right until the end.
An awesome film everyone should atleast try and watch - it might not be everyones cup of tea but it should be tried.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Darkest Hour (2017) in Movies

Jan 23, 2018 (Updated Jan 23, 2018)  
Darkest Hour (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017)
2017 | Drama, History, War
Fantastic turn from Gary Oldham
This is a very fascinating story about Churchill and a hugely interesting film. Gary Oldman's performance deserves all of the hype, he's almost unrecognisable and he really convinces both with the serious, vulnerable and numerous sides to Churchill. Indeed the film itself shows a different vulnerable side to Churchill that I never knew existed and it was nice to see. My knowledge on this part of history is lacking, so I found the wartime politics really interesting. The supporting cast do well and the dialogue is brilliant.

But the dialogue is the problem with this film too as it's far too dialogue heavy. They throw in a few bits of action and humour, but it doesn't quite break the dialogue heavy scenes. Which I found made the film drag a little and I think they could've cut parts out without being of a detriment to the story.

Worth seeing for Oldman's performance alone, although not one I'd necessarily rush to see again.