Search

Search only in certain items:

Zoo (2018)
Zoo (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Horror
I'm not sure how this came into the watching loop, I honestly think it was the fact it was only about an hour and a half long.

John and Karen have fallen out of love with each other, their future might have been very different if it wasn't for the mysterious and dangerous plague going on outside their flat. Can they wait out the danger with the promise of rescue on the horizon?

From the outset the music comes across as quite jarring. I would expect it to be for this sort of topic, however I didn't find it easy to listen to, or that it fit well into the overall film. It's something I noticed several times, and you know me, I only notice music if it's amazing or terrible.

John and Karen, played by Ed Speleers and Zoë Tapper, take most of the screen time in their flat. We see their relationship change over the course of the film, from their rocky beginning they use their time together to become reacquainted with each other. At the beginning I wasn't entirely sure about them as a couple, the chemistry between the two actors seemed a little off, even when taking into account the divide in their character's relationship. Once we're underway though I found the power dynamic became more apparent and that helped move things along.

Despite them being confined, you never get that claustrophobic feeling, and that seemed rather strange. That spacious flat almost felt welcoming with its size, and that's at odds with the point of the film. Their spacious flat almost felt welcoming with its size. Had it "opened up" as we progressed, that would have made some sense, but all the space was used fairly early on even as extra people get added. At no point did their environment inside the flat have any real sense of danger.

The character of Karen is never massively likeable even in vulnerable moments, and her actions often seem to contradict themselves during the proceedings. When the neighbours are added into the mix I genuinely didn't see the reality in their interactions. It became a struggle between two alphas and their clueless partners, but it lacked chemistry and was a low point in the film for me.

At the beginning as the couple montage their way to trying to survive I started to engage more, but the middle chunk didn't really click with me. But somewhere along the way it seemed to get back on track... but again, more of that contradiction came and it became a real miss match.

Because of the way Death Do Us Part decided to handle the catastrophe you actually get a lot less gore than you'd expect. There are still violent moments to be seen, but it does quite a good job of hiding most of it away.

Death Do Us Part was an intriguing take on a zombie movie, with definite highs and lows. And while it was eventually an enjoyable watch, it does leave you with few answers about the story outside their flat, which was both fine and yet frustrating.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/02/death-do-us-part-movie-review.html
  
Dancing In Your Head by Ornette Coleman
Dancing In Your Head by Ornette Coleman
2016 | Jazz
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It’s early 70s, with the Master Musicians of Joujouka. That’s partly why I chose it, because they’re on a couple of tracks. That record is one of the earliest jazz records I found myself listening to a lot. Somebody handed it to me and I was really impressed by it. I didn’t know anything about these Joujouka guys at that point except for the fact that their name always came up in relationship to the Rolling Stones and Brian Jones. At that point I don’t think I’d even heard of that Pipes of Pan At Jajouka record that Brian Jones recorded but I started to get really interested into Dancing In Your Head. Ornette went to Morocco with this music critic named Robert Palmer. Palmer was a really important music writer and I’d read some of his stuff, so when I saw his name on the back of that record I was even further intrigued. It was a kind of an early avenue into free jazz for me, because this record led me to Miles and to Coltrane and to Thelonious Monk and Albert Ayler and all this other stuff. I think probably at the same time I was also listening to African “world music” as they called it later, and a lot of Gamelan was really important to me. I was looking for world music that I felt I could find stuff in, that could inform my interest in rock & roll and certainly the Gamelan music had a lot of that just because it was metallic and loud and it had these furious beats and Dancing In Your Head did too because it was really drone-y in ways that reminded me of the Velvet Underground and was also really loud. It also tied directly with jazz music because The Master Musicians of Jajouka playing those rhaitas were circular breathing in the way the jazz players were, just going around, you never felt like the music broke for breath. They were just going around in this endless loop, which also tied it in with my interest in tape music and tape loops and things like that. It wasn’t really until I went there and played with these guys in the 90s – we went to the village and spent a couple of days there and kind of played all night long with them – they had a cheap generator and an electric guitar – I could see that it was loud and kind of stomping in a way that related to rock & roll but it also had this circular trance-y thing where you started to lose track of time. Had it been going on for ten minutes or forty minutes or whatever it was? It had a very druggy quality with or without the drugs. There was just something about Ornette Coleman and when I heard this record I felt like I was hearing someone who was a great force. He did all these amazing ground breaking records and it opened up the whole world of jazz for me."

Source
  
Tamarillo Tart (Southern Lights #2)
Tamarillo Tart (Southern Lights #2)
Jay Hogan | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
LOVED this book!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Southern Lights series, but you don't NEED to have read book 1, Powder & Pavlova, before this one. Ethan and Tanner DO pop up, but their story is not necessary for this one to make sense. However, personally, I recommend you DO read it, if only because that was a great read, and you knwo, I said so!

Stefan is a city boy, through and through, but his friend booked this trip, so he was gonna enjoy a trip up the mountian to see some Lord of The Rings scenery. Then his friend pulled out, and Stefan is faced withthe trip on his own, he is here already, so why not? How hard can it be? Cass is the tour guide, and Stefan pushes all kinds of buttons he didn't know needed pushing. How can they keep their hands off each other, when the attraction is scorching hot?

Oh my days, I loved this book!

Loved the snark, the jokes, the witty comments that Stefan throws at Cass, knowing that he is using every single double entrendre he can think of. Stefan KNOWS he wants Cass, but it's at a level he never had before. Cass is, though, a country boy and Stefan a city boy. However being in the country? It does something to Stefan, and it makes him think. Getting Cass off the mountian, when he was injured, was just what Stefan needed to show he wasn't just a pretty boy, he was someone who can get it done. Stefan just needs Cass to see that they would be great together.

Cass is mostly in the closet, and he does, bless him, TRY to fight his attraction to Stefan but it isn't long before he cannot any longer. I mean the whole book takes place over couple days, so it really isn't long but once they give in? OOOOEEEEEE these boys burn HOT!

While that hotness is great, what I particularly loved about this book was the soul-searching that both Stefan and Cass do. Both men are stuck in their lives, and they are *mostly* happy, but they know something is missing. Stefan is more profound in his musings, I must admit, and he does break your heart a couple of times, he really does. I was very impressed with his outward portrayal of being in control when Cass was sick, and how he managed to keep it together till Cass was safe. THEN he lost it.

Loved that Ethan and Tanner (book 1) pop up, even if it was near the end just to kick Stefan out his stupor, but they are referenced a lot by Stefan throughout the book, as it is THEIR relationship, while not jealous, he wants what they have.

Loved Stefan's t-shirt slogans and why he got them in the first place.

I love this series, I especially love the covers that reflect where the book takes place.

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
40x40

Lee (2222 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies

Nov 6, 2017 (Updated Nov 9, 2017)  
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
2017 | Drama, Mystery
Kenneth Branagh (1 more)
Stunning cinematography
Wasted all-star cast (1 more)
Not very interesting
All style, no substance
This review is possibly a little unfair, as I actually managed to fall asleep watching Murder On The Orient Express. In a busy cinema, early evening on a Sunday. I've only ever managed to do this a couple of times previously - once, while watching a midnight screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I'm an old man, it was way past my bedtime). Another occasion was during the last Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while watching with my daughter (and I quite rightly got a dig in the ribs from her when she caught me out).

Unfortunately for me though, Kenneth Branaghs lavish retelling of this classic murder mystery is all style and no substance. Branagh himself is actually very good, and hugely entertaining as the worlds greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. However, most of the remaining all star cast just seem wasted in their roles and I just felt like I was watching a big, glossy BBC detective drama on a Sunday evening rather than a thrilling cinematic experience.

I made it through the setup and the murder itself. I also made it through some of the questioning of the many suspects too. But I think that's where my body gave up. I don't think I missed much though, and I was awake again in time for the ridiculous reveal and the explanation as to why whodunit actually dunit, but overall this was just a pretty big disappointment for me.
  
Master of None  - Season 2
Master of None - Season 2
2017 | Comedy
A huge improvement on season 1
It's taken me a long time to catch up on season 2 of Master of None but I'm so glad I finally did. Season 1 didn't really grab me as much as I hoped it would and I probably only stuck with it out of my love of Aziz Ansari from his time on the brilliant Parks and Recreation. The supporting characters, with the exception of his parents, didn't really work for me and conversations between them never seemed interesting or natural at all.

Season 2 opens with Dev, now living in Italy in order to escape the heartache he experienced in New York. He's learning to make pasta and is enjoying life. The first episode is shot entirely in black and white and it steers the show into an interesting new direction, the absence of the supporting characters from season 1 greatly improves things. However, when Arnold does visit Dev in episode 2, it's not as bad as before and it's a nice compliment to the story.

After a couple of episodes in Italy, we're back to New York, with a very mixed bag of entertaining episodes. From a story involving a number of different New Yorkers with intersecting lives, to a story involving Dev and Denise celebrating Thanksgiving together over the years, the season goes from strength to strength. The final 2 episodes, covering Devs love for Francesca, a friend from Italy who is also engaged, just had me gripped from beginning to end.
  
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Lisa Carlisle | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2) by Lisa Carlisle
Dress Blues is the second novella in the Recalled to Love series, and is a complete standalone from the first. In this one, we meet Vivi who left the military after a devastating injury, and Jack, who has now left the military too but is unsure of what to do now. The sparks flew between these two when they first met, but nothing was allowed to come of it as Vivi was enlisted and Jack was an officer. Now though, they don't have those rules to get in the way, so it's all dependent upon whether they can work it as a couple.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I have to say that Stella stole the show! There is uncertainty in both of them for different reasons, and they will have to overcome those before they can move forwards together. I loved that Jack was pushy for all the right reasons, but could also completely understand where Vivi was coming from. I admired the fact that she admitted the fault, and worked on it to conquer it, rather than letting it beat her.

The story flowed at an even pace, and there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. This story has the feel-good factor, and is definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Bearly Restrained
Bearly Restrained
Paige Conners | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bearly Restrained (Dunn Playing #1) by Paige Conners
Bearly Restrained is the first book in the Dunn Playing series. It starts with a kidnapping and quickly becomes a brilliant story involving lumberjacks and an author's PA! Because Meigs is a PA to a paranormal author, she knows all about shifters, so there isn't much shock involved when she meets Jax for the first time. In fact, she accepts it so well that Jaxon is very shocked! I loved how this was swapped around to a 'normal' paranormal story. Jaxon and Meigs are a brilliant couple, and he is there for her every step. In fact, his whole family is brilliant (apart from one), and I loved his dad's attitude.

Whilst steamy in places, there is enough romance here to melt my heart. And the parts involving being a PA, working for an author, signing events, and the amount of books Meigs had, well, that just had me laughing out loud at the truth written in every word! With a love story, an author's event, AND a touch of suspense, this book has something for everyone. This was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I would definitely recommend this to all PNR fans, and I can't wait for the next one!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
40x40

Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated The Bletchley Circle - Season 1 in TV

Feb 8, 2019 (Updated Feb 8, 2019)  
The Bletchley Circle  - Season 1
The Bletchley Circle - Season 1
2012 | Drama
Strong female lead (0 more)
Series over too soon (0 more)
This short series, set post world war II, follows the lives of four women who previously held very important yet highly classified and secret roles during the war.
Susan, the main protagonist, has the Daily Times each day to compete the crossword (a small way to keep get highly intelligent mind engaged) and realises there might be a link and pattern emerging during a couple recent murders of women. She notifies the police but they can't see the pattern themselves so she reconnects with some of her former colleagues from Bletchley to discover what has happened and they try and predict and prevent the next murder from happening.
They end up putting themselves in very dangerous positions and Susan's husband starts to get suspicious that his wife may be dabbling in an extramarital affair due to her recent absences and secrecy.
The characters are all very likable in their own ways and each brings different strengths to the table.
It's refreshing to see a group of women building each other up rather than belittling each other with cattiness. It's also refreshing to see such strong and intelligent women portrayed in this series.
I felt myself going along with this group of ladies, as a fellow investigator, figuring out the connection between the cases and predicting whodunit.
It kept me on the edge of my seat and I really felt the fear and energy the ladies went through as the uncovered the reality.
My only gripe is that the series wasn't long enough!
  
AS
A Seat by the Hearth
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another hit! I can't sing the praises high enough. Mrs. Clipston has brought us Mark's story. I've been waiting patiently (or, those that TRULY know me, know it's not all that patient!) to see what Amy Clipston had in store for Mark and Priscilla. Let me tell you this: she truly had a wonderful story for them. They were absolutely perfect in every way for this moving, heartfelt, gripping addition to the Amish Homestead series. 

Mark and Priscilla had to endure an "arranged" marriage but they didn't let that stop them from making the best of it, and learning about one another. Their pasts catch up to them, they learn a lot about what it means to wholly accept oneself, and they learn that there will always be a seat by the hearth for each other to continue their journey in life as not just friends, but as an actual couple. 

This book is filled with ups, downs, hope and understanding. Amy Clipston's trademark messages of acceptance and love are woven perfectly through out this incredible journey. God is definitely working on Mark and Priscilla within these pages and I won't soon forget them! They are on my keeper shelf to stay.  Mark's play boy ways, and Priscilla's uneasiness are over come by the true love of friendship. Definitely a 5 star worthy novel in this reader's honest opinion! I can't wait for another beautifully chiseled novel from this talented author! 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
Halloween (2018)
Halloween (2018)
2018 | Horror
Great tension throughout (2 more)
John Carpenter returns for the music
Jamie lee curtis is back
Makes all movies after the original pointless (0 more)
The best halloween movie?
I loved this movie. There was so much tension all the way through and i enjoyed every second. A lot of that is down to the amazing but eerie score in which we see John Carpenter return for.

Another return is Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode who is great as usual. The whole cast does a good job. With a couple of familiar faces.

This is a direct sequel to original movie. In some ways i like that. It retcons some stupid stuff where they turned Michael Myers into a supernatural entity. But in other ways it means Halloween H20 is pointless and nor canon which i actually enjoyed. It wasnt as scary but it was entertaining.

This movie goes back to scary Michael. He is brutal and for some someone who does not say a single word, speaks volumes with just his presence and proves to be a real threat to anyone he comes into contact with. We even see the original Myers actor, Nick Castle, see a return for a cameo in a window shot which was a nice touch.

Its easily 1 of the creepiest horrors ive seen in a while and 1 of the greats of 2018 and would happily watch again. From what i hear, development is already going for a sequel with a story already written and i am excited. I just hope they can keep that tension.