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Awix (3310 KP) rated Mamma Mia! (2008) in Movies
Feb 16, 2018 (Updated Feb 16, 2018)
Licensed to Kill Songs
Massively successful Swedish power-pop jukebox musical. Proof that, when it comes to musicals, high-quality songs and music more than make up for dubious plotting, general cheesiness, and stars who can't actually sing or dance. Greek-island-hotelier's daughter is about to get wed, as a result she discovers her promiscuous youth coming back to haunt her - meanwhile a wounded howler monkey takes up residence in the hotel... oh, sorry, my mistake, that's just what Pierce Brosnan's vocals sound like.
Screenplay is sort of admirable for crossword-setter-like ability to crowbar in as many Abba songs as possible, no matter how tenuous their connection to the plot; cast hurl themselves into the spirit of proceedings with considerable courage. You do come away reminded of what brilliant songwriters Benny and Bjorn are; actual movie is more reminiscent of arriving late at office party and finding everyone else is much more drunk than you. Long-threatened sequel arrives this year; fingers crossed they find a way to include 'The Day Before You Came' and 'Dum Dum Diddle'.
Screenplay is sort of admirable for crossword-setter-like ability to crowbar in as many Abba songs as possible, no matter how tenuous their connection to the plot; cast hurl themselves into the spirit of proceedings with considerable courage. You do come away reminded of what brilliant songwriters Benny and Bjorn are; actual movie is more reminiscent of arriving late at office party and finding everyone else is much more drunk than you. Long-threatened sequel arrives this year; fingers crossed they find a way to include 'The Day Before You Came' and 'Dum Dum Diddle'.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August in Books
Mar 15, 2018
What an amazing book! I was intrigued by the rather minimal plot synopsis on the jacket and so had to check this book out, and I am very glad I did. I found the principal character of Harry August to be engaging and interesting and quite enjoyed all the ancillary characters as well, but it was the plot that really hooked me on this one. Without giving anything away I'll just say that it involves reincarnation, time travel, quantum physics, espionage, world history, revenge, and in its own weird way, love. It is somewhat unfair to pigeonhole the book into the science fiction category, as it is really somewhat more of a cat-and-mouse suspense story, although seeing as the plot spans several decades, repeatedly, it does seem as though sci-fi could be the best fit. No matter where you would categorize though, this is easily my favorite read of the year so far, and quite possibly one of my favorite books of all time. Absolutely brilliant.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hidden Figures (2016) in Movies
Mar 15, 2018
Possibly the most sedentary movie ever to be the subject of a proposed Lego set is one of those which you feel obliged to enjoy on moral grounds. Three African American women do sterling service in the early days of NASA, overcoming racial divisions to do so (well, they're brilliant mathematicians, so division should be easy for them).
Well made and all, but not exactly full of surprises, and if the whole point of the film is that this is a historical true story, why have the facts been stretched and edited and generally tweaked? Does the fact that this is a Serious Issue Movie mean that it gets a pass on what would usually be called historical inaccuracy? One gets the sense this movie is more interested in putting a message across than in telling the story of the real-life events it supposedly depicts. Capably done, with some good performances (a nice turn from Costner as, guess what, a wholly fictitious character), but just a little bit on-the-nose.
Well made and all, but not exactly full of surprises, and if the whole point of the film is that this is a historical true story, why have the facts been stretched and edited and generally tweaked? Does the fact that this is a Serious Issue Movie mean that it gets a pass on what would usually be called historical inaccuracy? One gets the sense this movie is more interested in putting a message across than in telling the story of the real-life events it supposedly depicts. Capably done, with some good performances (a nice turn from Costner as, guess what, a wholly fictitious character), but just a little bit on-the-nose.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Feb 18, 2018
I'm only giving this movie a 9, because I've honestly seen the same story line in dozens of movies. AND, I felt like the previews gave way too much away.
But, although the story was predictable, it was still very well done. The afro-futurism was so amazing, the costumes were so good, and I loved that they brought in all sorts of different cultures on the continent to Wakanda.
The cast did a brilliant job, and I loved that the warriors were women.
Now, Killmonger: Micheal B Jordan did a fantastic job with the villain. This villain was one of the better ones in the MCU, in a sea of generic villains (Loki excluded). Killmonger (as well as Loki) was a sympathetic (IMO) villain, there was a reason for his fall into villainy, being a product of his circumstances. You understood where he was coming from, and damn, his last line was intense.
Now: Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. I had a major Hobbit flashback when Ross went to Klaue, I was half-hoping they were fixin to have a riddle-off.
But, although the story was predictable, it was still very well done. The afro-futurism was so amazing, the costumes were so good, and I loved that they brought in all sorts of different cultures on the continent to Wakanda.
The cast did a brilliant job, and I loved that the warriors were women.
Now, Killmonger: Micheal B Jordan did a fantastic job with the villain. This villain was one of the better ones in the MCU, in a sea of generic villains (Loki excluded). Killmonger (as well as Loki) was a sympathetic (IMO) villain, there was a reason for his fall into villainy, being a product of his circumstances. You understood where he was coming from, and damn, his last line was intense.
Now: Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. I had a major Hobbit flashback when Ross went to Klaue, I was half-hoping they were fixin to have a riddle-off.
Mitchell Knutzen (16 KP) rated Till We Have Faces in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Best Lewis Novel By Far
More than a simple retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, this is a masterwork of storytelling by an author often hobbled by his well known and, in my opinion, laughably ridiculous religious beliefs. Yet unlike so many others that let these beliefs dissolve their efforts of mainstream fiction into so many pieces of nonsense too hamstrung by foolishness to ever assemble something coherent, let alone worth reading, Lewis often managed to rise above it, as with (for the most part) his deservedly beloved Narnia chronicles. Till We Have Faces is nothing short of brilliant, beautiful, at times achingly sad, and very profound. Those of you not fooled by the Jesus parade, but who love a damn good book written by a master of his craft, do yourself a HUGE favor and read this gem of a book. Then do the literary world a favor by passing along the good word (lol, couldn't help myself) that this may be the best book that nobody has heard of.
Sharpie0499 (114 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Jul 10, 2018
Surprise ending (2 more)
All-star cast
Heart-wrenching
Poirot's moustache (1 more)
Kenneth Brannagh isn't David Suchet
Intriguing Agatha Christie Adaptation
I was very excited to watch the most recent adaptation of Agatha Christie's Poirot and for very good reason. It was a very well-rounded film filled with humour, intrigue, and devastation. I particularly loved the surprise plot twists so the audience can never really tell (unless extremely clever) who the culprit actually is until revealed by Hercules Poirot himself. The camera angles used were absolutely brilliant and refreshing. The all-star cast was a plus as it was nice to see familiar faces in unexpected roles. The acting, costumes, writing, and set all contributed to making the film have that true Agatha Christie feeling to it. On the downside, I was not a huge fan of Poirot's moustache and found it to be over-the-top and irritating. I also find myself leaning more towards David Suchet's version of Poirot than Kenneth Brannagh's. But, overall, this film was extremely entertaining and had my brain doing somersaults trying to figure out who the culprit was.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Yellow Submarine (1968) in Movies
Jul 12, 2018
Much-loved and iconic musical animation, with the Beatles setting sail on psychedelic oceans to save the idyllic Pepperland from kill-joy blue meanies. Quite charming in its way, but if it was anyone other than the Beatles I think it would be rather less beloved, considering that the story doesn't actually have any depth and it often feels like a contractual obligation for the Fab Four - the producer suggested they were only contributing sub-standard new songs to the soundtrack (he may have had a point), while the Beatles themselves only appear in person for about a minute near the end. As Lennon said of Hey Bulldog, it's a good-sounding song that really means nothing.
That said, some brilliant individual moments and sequences, and hey, it's the Beatles, so even if the songs are impenetrable or simply nonsense, they still sound awesome. You could watch the movie with your eyes shut and still have a pretty good time. But if so, you may as well just listen to the soundtrack album.
That said, some brilliant individual moments and sequences, and hey, it's the Beatles, so even if the songs are impenetrable or simply nonsense, they still sound awesome. You could watch the movie with your eyes shut and still have a pretty good time. But if so, you may as well just listen to the soundtrack album.
Beth Ingham (28 KP) rated Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in Apps
Jul 9, 2018
Meet characters (1 more)
New storyline
This game is a must if, like me you are a complete potterhead. Being able to ‘explore’ Hogwarts, and the Grounds, and advance through a brand new story set in the world of Harry Potter is exciting. The storyline is interesting, if a little slow, but once you get into the game, you can’t put it down!
This being said though, the graphics of the game leave something to be desired, but what do you expect when playing on a phone.
A negative of the game is that everything you need to advance through the storyline of the game requires energy, which you run out of super quick, so it’s more of a stop-start kind of game. They have added the option to watch a short video in exchange for 3 energy in the latest update, so I can imagine the developers have been reading similar reviews to this one.
Altogether a brilliant story-led game to tie in with the Harry Potter book, and movie franchise.
This being said though, the graphics of the game leave something to be desired, but what do you expect when playing on a phone.
A negative of the game is that everything you need to advance through the storyline of the game requires energy, which you run out of super quick, so it’s more of a stop-start kind of game. They have added the option to watch a short video in exchange for 3 energy in the latest update, so I can imagine the developers have been reading similar reviews to this one.
Altogether a brilliant story-led game to tie in with the Harry Potter book, and movie franchise.
What could be better than free books??
I love getting by daily email of book bargains (: most days I end up downloading a free book, not quite sure I will get round to reading them all so I now have to be quite selective over my books.
Everyday there are some free recommendations and some which you have to pay for but are still a bargain. I only ever get the books which are free as there are that many books and not enough time to read them that I have to whittle down the list somehow.
I also only look at amazon as a retailer although there were most other common ebook sellers available to pick and you could pick multiple retailers. I always get a good selection so I assume the others are similar.
Overall just a brilliant idea and it saves me loads of time finding books to read as I get daily suggestions based on the genre preferences (: seriously if you read then sign up now!!
I love getting by daily email of book bargains (: most days I end up downloading a free book, not quite sure I will get round to reading them all so I now have to be quite selective over my books.
Everyday there are some free recommendations and some which you have to pay for but are still a bargain. I only ever get the books which are free as there are that many books and not enough time to read them that I have to whittle down the list somehow.
I also only look at amazon as a retailer although there were most other common ebook sellers available to pick and you could pick multiple retailers. I always get a good selection so I assume the others are similar.
Overall just a brilliant idea and it saves me loads of time finding books to read as I get daily suggestions based on the genre preferences (: seriously if you read then sign up now!!
Deborah (162 KP) rated Normal People in Books
Jun 18, 2019
Badly written and just really dull
This was another book club pick - not my choice. It seems to be pretty hyped up everywhere, but from a personal viewpoint, it's pretty much the worst book I've ever read and I read a lot!
It's written in the third person, present tense, which was unusual, but I didn't think the writing was brilliant as I kept wanting to rearrange sentences into better English. The author for whatever reason, has decided not to use quotation marks. I found this a little hard on the eye and also just silly. There was no real reason for it and it just seemed a bit pretentious!
Other than that, the character were really quite flat and uninteresting. I just couldn't care about this book at all. Reading is one of life's pleasures for me and this was just a chore.
Even the people at my book club who said they liked it didn't give it more than 4 out of 5, but I was far from the only one who wasn't impressed.
It's written in the third person, present tense, which was unusual, but I didn't think the writing was brilliant as I kept wanting to rearrange sentences into better English. The author for whatever reason, has decided not to use quotation marks. I found this a little hard on the eye and also just silly. There was no real reason for it and it just seemed a bit pretentious!
Other than that, the character were really quite flat and uninteresting. I just couldn't care about this book at all. Reading is one of life's pleasures for me and this was just a chore.
Even the people at my book club who said they liked it didn't give it more than 4 out of 5, but I was far from the only one who wasn't impressed.