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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.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Post (2017) in Movies

Jan 26, 2018  
The Post (2017)
The Post (2017)
2017 | Biography, Drama, Thriller
Meryl Streep (0 more)
The first half of the movie (0 more)
I saw The Post earlier this week and it's taken me quite a while to think about how to review it. To be honest, it didn't really do much for me at all. It's clearly a very important part of recent history, an interesting story with huge relevance in these current times, but the first half was just so dull!

Tom Hanks is obviously brilliant, playing Ben Bradlee, editor of The Washington Post. But it's Meryl Streep that really shines here as Katharine Graham, the country's first female newspaper publisher and Bens boss. Following her journey through the male led news industry as she gradually finds the strength and confidence she needs.

The second half ramps up the tension somewhat and is a great improvement over the first half. Unfortunately for me though it just wasn't enough to leave any kind of lasting impression.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Shining in Books

Mar 7, 2018 (Updated Mar 7, 2018)  
The Shining
The Shining
Stephen King | 1977 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
9
8.5 (66 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another King masterpiece
I'm ashamed to say that I've only just read The Shining for the first time, and I'm regretting taking so long to get around to it.

It's a brilliant and creepy supernatural tale, with great characters and development. It works well by switching between the viewpoints of each of the 4 main characters, and the transformation and depth of Jack especially is very well written. The plot itself is very interesting without verging on the side of bizarre (which a lot of supernatural/horror stories tend to do).

I've read King really hates the Kubrick film adaptation and now having read the book, i can see why. The film is almost a bare bones version of the book with barely a passing resemblance to the original story. Character development and depth is so prevalent in this book yet majorly lacking in the film.

If you like the film, read the book to see how it's really meant to be done.
  
On the day Winnie Johnson has to close her bakery due to a huge rent increase, she inherits an antique ambulance. She decides to use it to reopen her bakery as a mobile business, rushing her desserts to those in need. But when her neighbor is murdered, it puts a definite damper on her plans. Who would kill an elderly man?

The mystery aspect takes a back seat at times to getting the new business up and running, but I find the concept of this business absolutely brilliant. I’m wondering why no one hasn’t tried this in real life. The mystery does reach a logical conclusion that wraps things up. The characters are strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing where relationships go in future books. Rush out and get this debut.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-eclair-and-present-danger.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)
1970 | Comedy, Horror
(The other) Young Frankenstein
At the start of the 1970s Hammer tried to relaunch both their main series with new leading men (Ralph Bates replacing Christopher Lee in this case); this was the only reboot which eventually happened. The basics of the Frankenstein story are (just about) retold; young Victor decides to make a man, if not of himself, then from some body parts.

There's no doubt that Ralph Bates could have been a brilliant Frankenstein, but not in a film with a script like this one's. The film attempts to appeal to a hip young audience by including cleavage by the yard and lots of sub-Carry On film humour; script is also thick-headed and repetitive. The moment Frankenstein's experiments included resurrecting a tortoise everyone involved should have realised there was a serious problem here. Not funny, not scary, not interesting, barely worth watching except for Hammer fans. They got Peter Cushing back for the next one.