Search
Search results
Gisell Middleton (189 KP) rated The Raven Tower in Books
May 22, 2019
Reading, or listening (which I did), to this novel is like hearing an anecdote from an elderly relative who often goes off on tangents and digresses only to finally reach the point much later and seemingly at random. This story was a “detective mystery” that really, really wanted to incorporate gods somehow. The plot did not really come together until the very end and the rest of the novel was not compelling enough to really keep you interested throughout. The back and forth through time and different narrations, first and second person from the same narrator, was perplexing enough to be muddled and confusing for the majority of this seemingly endless novel. The more interesting details were never really addressed or explained and the richest characters remained as background noise. I wish this book had been better.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated What You See (Jane Ryland, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Reporter Jane Ryland is hoping that a freelance assignment she’s been given might be her ticket to a new job. She’s covering a stabbing in mid-day in a Boston park. However, she’s barely arrived on the scene when her sister calls with news that could lead to a family crisis. Can Jane balance the two?
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Really, this book deftly blends two different plots into one compelling book. I did find it a little slow at first as it the stories build and the new characters are introduced, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. Jane and her boyfriend, detective Jake Brogan, are fantastic lead characters, and it’s always great to see them back in action.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-what-you-see-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Bumblebee (2018) in Movies
Jan 9, 2019
I was not expecting to like this film at all, I only went to see it for something to do. I'm not a huge Transformers fan, they've all been the same, except for that last one, it was just awful. Most of the Transformers films are filled with overlong sequences with whatever female character running around in very little clothing.
I was pleasantly surprised, this was essentially an 80s buddy movie. It had a great soundtrack and I've been listening to it on repeat for the past few days. The plot was fairly simple and predictable, but it was a joy to watch and I was entertained throughout. Hailee Steinfeld was a compelling lead and her character was realistic, which I really liked. Jorge Lendeborg Jr (Memo) was also really amusing, and one of my favorite characters.
I was pleasantly surprised, this was essentially an 80s buddy movie. It had a great soundtrack and I've been listening to it on repeat for the past few days. The plot was fairly simple and predictable, but it was a joy to watch and I was entertained throughout. Hailee Steinfeld was a compelling lead and her character was realistic, which I really liked. Jorge Lendeborg Jr (Memo) was also really amusing, and one of my favorite characters.
Kacey Dunbar (6 KP) rated Love Never Dies - Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway Musical (2010) in Movies
Dec 14, 2018
Music (3 more)
Acting
Voices
Scene Transitions
Amazing Sequel of Epic Proportions
*NO SPOILERS, I promise* This being my very first musical, suffice it to say I was floored by the quality of the show. The actors really managed to bring the emotion out in this compelling sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. It follows the story of Christine and Erik 10 years later after their first fateful encounter. Nothing about the performance disappointed me. Minus a single technical difficulty that was resolved in less than 10 minutes, there were no interruptions. The music was also amazing. If you're not interested yet you might as well stop reading. For those of you who are, I seriously recommend following the crew for info on their upcoming shows. It's so worth the money and time you spend on it.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Black Hawk Down (2001) in Movies
Dec 31, 2018
One of the best war movies I have ever seen!
One of Ridley Scott's great films, Black Hawk Down tells the complicated story of American troops deployed in Somalia to take out a brutal warlord who has been committing genocide on his own people. When events do not go as planned, the troops are left in harm's way a lot longer than expected until reinforcements can be mobilized to assist them.
The intense combat footage, paralleled with the kinship the men gained by helpful one another through an almost no win situation is compelling, tragic and inspiring all at the same time.
The cinematography and realism in which the film was shot adds to the storytelling in a robust way and you really feel for the soldiers and their ordeal.
Fantastic film.
The intense combat footage, paralleled with the kinship the men gained by helpful one another through an almost no win situation is compelling, tragic and inspiring all at the same time.
The cinematography and realism in which the film was shot adds to the storytelling in a robust way and you really feel for the soldiers and their ordeal.
Fantastic film.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Near Dark (1987) in Movies
Feb 1, 2020
A relatively simple tale of a recently turned vampire and his initiation into a sadistic group of other vampires (we assume that’s what they are as the V word isn’t said once in the film) is an atmospheric and compelling watch that stylistically is more like a western than anything else. Kathryn Bigelow’s use of a fair chunk of future husband James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’ cast is largely successful (apart from some quite hammy overacting from Bill Paxton) and they make for thoroughly nasty adversaries (that bar scene being particularly brutal). I also liked the haunting Tangerine Dream score which adds nicely to the atmosphere but didn’t really buy the fact that vampirism could seemingly be so easily cured by a simple blood transfusion. That was a minor quibble though and overall I thought the film worked well.
Russell Evans (179 KP) rated Excalibur in Books
Mar 2, 2020
3rd and final part of the fantastic Warlord Chronicles!
Excalibur is the third and final book in the Warlord Chronicles series and is just a compelling and captivating as the first 2 books. (See my earlier reviews for the first 2 parts of this trilogy, ’The Winter King’ and ‘Enemy of God’)
Some epic battles and betrayals conclude this tale of Arthur, told by his loyal friend and Warlord Derfel, now an aged Christian Monk. Overall, the trilogy is a superbly realistic and gritty yet fictional account of the dark ages and the epic journey of Arthur and a magnificently strong cast of characters.
If you liked ‘The Vikings’ or ‘The Last Kingdoms’ series on TV, I would highly recommend that you give this trilogy a read – starting with The Winter King.
Some epic battles and betrayals conclude this tale of Arthur, told by his loyal friend and Warlord Derfel, now an aged Christian Monk. Overall, the trilogy is a superbly realistic and gritty yet fictional account of the dark ages and the epic journey of Arthur and a magnificently strong cast of characters.
If you liked ‘The Vikings’ or ‘The Last Kingdoms’ series on TV, I would highly recommend that you give this trilogy a read – starting with The Winter King.
Things You Need to Hear: Collected Memories of Growing Up in Arkansas, 1890-1980
Book
Things You Need to Hear gathers memories of Arkansans from all over the state with widely different...
Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters: An Outrageous Englishwoman and Her Lost Kingdom
Book
The biography of the last Ranee of Sarawak, born into the aristocracy as Sylvia Brett in 1885 and...
Dean Dixon: Negro at Home, Maestro Abroad
Book
In Dean Dixon: Negro at Home, Maestro Abroad, conductor and scholar Rufus Jones Jr. brings to light...