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MissCagey (2652 KP) rated The Holiday (2006) in Movies
Feb 1, 2018
This film is saved by Kate Winslet and Jack Black, I just love their understated relationship and how it develops, their characters seem genuine and I root for them every time! Cameron Diaz overacts her role, I am not a lover of Jude Law and the scenes with his children are twee. Nevertheless in the UK this film is on every Christmas and I watch it every Christmas!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Holiday (2006) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019
Would've been better without Cameron Diaz...
I really wish Cameron Diaz hadn't been in this world. Theres something about her in this that is just so grating, she really overacts and just seems completely out of place.
It's a shame really, because everything else in this film is quite likeable. The plot is straightforward (I'm currently googling how to do a house exchange with a stranger from LA) and the rest of the cast are great. Jude Law is a loveable English gent - maybe a little too OTT at times but he's still adorable. Jack Black and Kate Winsley are by far the best things about this film though. Their interactions and relationships both together and with others (her neighbour) are just so damn cute and fun to watch. This definitely isn't no Love Actually, but if it hadn't have been for Cameron Diaz this would actually be pretty good.
It's a shame really, because everything else in this film is quite likeable. The plot is straightforward (I'm currently googling how to do a house exchange with a stranger from LA) and the rest of the cast are great. Jude Law is a loveable English gent - maybe a little too OTT at times but he's still adorable. Jack Black and Kate Winsley are by far the best things about this film though. Their interactions and relationships both together and with others (her neighbour) are just so damn cute and fun to watch. This definitely isn't no Love Actually, but if it hadn't have been for Cameron Diaz this would actually be pretty good.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Death Doesn't Bargain in Books
Aug 5, 2019
Another fab Instalment from the pirates
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Deadmen are back...
But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind's destruction. The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn...and has the perfect lure to destroy them all. One of their own.
Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to the cruelest of mer-races, he sacrificed himself for his crew and is in Vine's hands. He expects no mercy or rescue.
Yet Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser, it's her calling, and she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation.
To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn't seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron's resolve.
I absolutely love Sherrilyn Kenyon! I struggled with the first book and sometimes this one was a bit of a struggle too but overall another great book from a very talented writer! I got so excited to see Savitar, Archeron and Simi!! No Dark hunter novel is complete without Simi and her BBQ sauce!!
I did find it funny swapping from normal to pirate talk my husband thought I was crazy laughing to myself!
⭐⭐⭐⭐

But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind's destruction. The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn...and has the perfect lure to destroy them all. One of their own.
Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to the cruelest of mer-races, he sacrificed himself for his crew and is in Vine's hands. He expects no mercy or rescue.
Yet Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser, it's her calling, and she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation.
To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn't seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron's resolve.
I absolutely love Sherrilyn Kenyon! I struggled with the first book and sometimes this one was a bit of a struggle too but overall another great book from a very talented writer! I got so excited to see Savitar, Archeron and Simi!! No Dark hunter novel is complete without Simi and her BBQ sauce!!
I did find it funny swapping from normal to pirate talk my husband thought I was crazy laughing to myself!
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Merissa (12058 KP) rated Shifter Woods: Snarl (Esposito County Shifters #3) in Books
Nov 21, 2018
Shifter Woods: Snarl (Esposito County Shifters #3) by Nicola M. Cameron
Shifter Woods: Snarl is the third novella in the Esposito County Shifters series, and this time we are at the snow resort at Cougar Ridge. As you might expect, there are plenty of cougar shifters around, including Commander Robert Chandler, and his daughter, Kate. When a down-on-his-luck Alpha turns up, citing an offer the Commander had made for him, Kate is willing to give him a chance. He fits in with their life easily enough, but Kate wants more.
I loved how this story progressed. The instant 'Mate' bond is there for Jack, but I loved how it was different for Kate being as she had anosmia. Jack has his morals, but is prepared to bend them to get what he wants. Of course, when he realises the Commander gave him a loophole right at the start, well, that was just downright funny!
With fast pacing, character cameos, and very smooth though, this story transitioned without any hitches from one scene to another. There were also no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. With a full story that is hot and steamy in places packed within the pages, this is sure to delight. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I loved how this story progressed. The instant 'Mate' bond is there for Jack, but I loved how it was different for Kate being as she had anosmia. Jack has his morals, but is prepared to bend them to get what he wants. Of course, when he realises the Commander gave him a loophole right at the start, well, that was just downright funny!
With fast pacing, character cameos, and very smooth though, this story transitioned without any hitches from one scene to another. There were also no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. With a full story that is hot and steamy in places packed within the pages, this is sure to delight. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Titanic (1997) in Movies
Feb 5, 2021
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.
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.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Black Midnight (True Crime #7) in Books
Aug 4, 2020
If you are a history lover and enjoy England, you will enjoy this book. Well, you will get a bit of a tour of London. Though we start in Austin, Texas. We are introduced to every strong Pinkerton detective and her partner. We seem to have unsolved murders in Texas. But our detectives seem to be quite busy otherwise while chasing down a killer.
Will Annie and her partner Isaiah solve the murders in Austin and London? Will they find the killer that is killing women in their beds in Austin and the connection with the killing in London? The queen seems to want her great-granddaughter to look into them with her friend from Texas.
The pages will make you want to read until the last page. You will be on your toes and turning or sliding your pages up reading until the end. Is the killer Jack the Ripper, or is it someone else? You will be trying to guess and figure out along with the Pinkerton detectives in their investigations.
I felt like I was investigating along with them trying to find the killer of the mysterious deaths. You do get pulled into experience the London along the way. Who or What is the Black Midnight? Is the Midnight Assassin the same person as The Black Midnight or Jack the Ripper?
All fans of historical fiction and crime will love this book and the series. It had me wanting more. It is in does go into details about investigations but not a lot into the deaths of killings. This is good in that way. What does the Prince want with his daughter? Why is he trying to bring his daughter home? Who is Annie Walters? Will she give herself away? What up with Cameron Blake and his reporting. Some entertaining story plots are going on. We go on as adventure with this one.
Will Annie and her partner Isaiah solve the murders in Austin and London? Will they find the killer that is killing women in their beds in Austin and the connection with the killing in London? The queen seems to want her great-granddaughter to look into them with her friend from Texas.
The pages will make you want to read until the last page. You will be on your toes and turning or sliding your pages up reading until the end. Is the killer Jack the Ripper, or is it someone else? You will be trying to guess and figure out along with the Pinkerton detectives in their investigations.
I felt like I was investigating along with them trying to find the killer of the mysterious deaths. You do get pulled into experience the London along the way. Who or What is the Black Midnight? Is the Midnight Assassin the same person as The Black Midnight or Jack the Ripper?
All fans of historical fiction and crime will love this book and the series. It had me wanting more. It is in does go into details about investigations but not a lot into the deaths of killings. This is good in that way. What does the Prince want with his daughter? Why is he trying to bring his daughter home? Who is Annie Walters? Will she give herself away? What up with Cameron Blake and his reporting. Some entertaining story plots are going on. We go on as adventure with this one.