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The Night Circus
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.1 (106 Ratings)
Book Rating
the amount of detail (3 more)
plot
characters
world building
No real magic battle (0 more)
So real you could smell the popcorn
Read in 2013
Review
I saw this book being mentioned on another site and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I just had to read it but after the first page I almost gave up because I would usually never be able to finish a book that has both second person narration(don't worry it doesn't really happen often) an over description but to my surprise both elements really did help make the Le Cirque des Rêves feel like it was a living and breathing entity.

The plot is wonderful but just about everything kind of just falls onto the back burner compared to the circus there is just so much thought and explanation in every chapter I found myself forgetting that there were actually two people supposed to be dueling to the death.

The characters are wonderful and I feel like even though there is a good amount of them you do get to know and form some sort of opinion on each one of them. The only character I really had a problem with was Marco from his introduction to his very last page I just didn't trust the guy.

The only thing that I was disappointed in was from the summary I definitely thought there was going to be actual magic dueling happening so I kept just kind of waiting and waiting and waiting for it to actually happen but it never really did it is explained why near the end but just couldn't shake off the slight disappointment.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Victor Frankenstein (2015) in Movies

Feb 25, 2018 (Updated Feb 25, 2018)  
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
2015 | Drama
I, Igor
If you're one of those people who thinks that the story of Frankenstein pays far too much attention to him actually making the monster, and not enough to the details and ups-and-downs of his relationship with Igor the hunchback, then this is the film for you (although if that's your attitude, you really don't deserve Frankenstein movies at all). Deformed circus clown becomes brilliant self-taught surgeon and anatomist, is rescued by unconventional medical student, gets put to work stitching.

James McAvoy could have been a great Frankenstein, but not with a script like this one - narration keeps banging on about how familiar we all are with this story, before going off into new and wildly eccentric territory - Igor has a romance with a trapeze artist, there are problems with steampunk zombie chimps, etc. Actual creation of famous monster only happens in last ten minutes. Film has zero feeling for historical setting (a version of Victorian London where nobody bats an eyelid if your name is Igor or Frankenstein).

All the major themes of Shelley's story are basically sidelined in favour of overwrought emotional drama. Best thing in it is possibly Andrew Scott as a detective looking to bust Dr F for interfering with zoo animals; his scenes with McAvoy are actually pretty interesting. The kind of film that seems to be afraid the audience will get bored and wander away if there isn't an outbreak of slow-mo or CGI or whatever every five minutes. How does Max Landis manage to keep selling scripts like this one? Moderately good-looking but a massive waste of potential.
  
Oh man, what do I say about this book.

It was my time to pick a book club book so I figured it was finally time to dust off my signed copy and finally read this book. I have put this book on the back burner simply because I knew that I was going to cry reading it. I've been reading some heavier books but with the recent tragedies that have happened in the past few years I knew I needed to finally read this book.

Media Circus by Kim Goldman was really interesting. It kept me turning the pages & I enjoyed how different this book was. I loved that it focused on the media and I loved that it brought victims in that many people leave out when thinking of victims. I also enjoyed seeing what each person was up to at the time that this book was written. It was very inspiring to see how many of them are using their voice to help others.

The only thing that I felt was lacking was a conclusion. I really felt that each story needed a conclusionary paragraph. It seemed to just not flow properly. I really would have loved to have the conclusion that could then pull in the next story. It would have helped the book progress instead of jumping to the next story.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. It was hard to read & I cried many times while reading this book. I was heartbroken, I was inspired, I was angry. This book sits under the skin & I think it will stay with me for a while.
  
Penguins Of Madagascar (2014)
Penguins Of Madagascar (2014)
2014 | Animation
8
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Those cute little feathery spy guys are back in an all new action packed adventure. If you are unfamiliar with the Penguins of Madagascar animated series on Nick there is no need to worry. Here is a quick rundown; Skipper is the leader, Kowalski is the brains, Rico is the loose cannon, and Private is the rookie. This film takes off right after Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted when the Penguins are trying to escape from the Afro Circus song that seems to be driving everybody insane but also shows how they became a group and got their start.

   This lighthearted film takes a break from all others that seem to always tug at those heartstrings. It is packed full of recognizable actors and a great script. The Penguins themselves are voiced by not so recognizable actors but are the ones who worked on Madagascar like animators directors etc. The real recognizable voices are those from the rival espionage crew the North Wind. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the gray wolf leader of a pack, Ken Jeong from the Hangover films, as a cute little seal, Annet Mahendru as an owl and Peter Stormare as a polar bear with a huge heart. Let’s not forget the big purple octopus villain played by John Malkovich whom has the perfect villain voice.
   The script is chalk full of great humor for both kids and adults and is very entertaining. The writers used a lot of clever word play and great gags to entertain the audience throughout the entire film. Visually though the film can be viewed in 3D but as in most films it is not necessary to enjoy the 90 minutes of sheer silliness. This is a great film to take the kiddies to and also the adults like myself who are big fans of the flightless feathered quartet.
4 out of 5 herring