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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Homecoming in Books
May 30, 2019
Dark family thriller - not for the faint hearted
There’s not a lot I want to say about this book plot wise, going into it blind is a real thrill, but the opening hook is:
Following the death of their father siblings Aaron, Franny and Bridge, along with their mother are brought to the Belfountain estate for the reading of his will. It turns out he had a lot more money than they thought but also an odd sense of humour. To get there share of the inheritance they have to stay at Belfountain with no contact with the outside world for 30 days. Sounds crazy but who wouldn’t when there are millions up for grab?
What follows is the ever increasing occurrence of creepy stuff and the realisation that none of them know who their father really was. It’s a very dark suspense tale once it gets going, with some strong horror elements.
By the end I felt I’d just read a great Black Mirror episode, so recommended for fans of that.
Following the death of their father siblings Aaron, Franny and Bridge, along with their mother are brought to the Belfountain estate for the reading of his will. It turns out he had a lot more money than they thought but also an odd sense of humour. To get there share of the inheritance they have to stay at Belfountain with no contact with the outside world for 30 days. Sounds crazy but who wouldn’t when there are millions up for grab?
What follows is the ever increasing occurrence of creepy stuff and the realisation that none of them know who their father really was. It’s a very dark suspense tale once it gets going, with some strong horror elements.
By the end I felt I’d just read a great Black Mirror episode, so recommended for fans of that.
Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science
Book
In An Appetite for Wonder Richard Dawkins brought us his engaging memoir of his first 35 years. In...
Really plays with your emotions (2 more)
Creepy
Twists and turns
Stalking through the eyes of the stalker!
Joe is just an ordinary man who works in a book store - or that is was he wants everyone to think.
Joe becomes fixated with women, and uses modern technology to stalk them, strategically placing himself in their way in order to get them to notice him, whilst at the same time getting rid of the opposition (literally). The series has him following Beck, an aspiring writer.
The cast was well picked, with particular credit to Penn Badgley, who plays Joe- who makes a really believable butter wouldn’t melt book guy, frequently turning into psychopathic killer!
The script uses dark humour very well, which add a little light heartedness into an otherwise very dark story. It is also truest scary from a personal perspective, as to how much information Joe is able to use form people’s fb/ twitter (e.t.c.) accounts!
What I particularly enjoyed about this show, was that it is primarily shown through the perspective of Joe, an unusual twist, as on one side we really want to support Joe (being the main character), and we are forced to try to empathise with him, however, deep down, we know that he is a truest dark character.
I do hope that there will be a second series of this.
Joe becomes fixated with women, and uses modern technology to stalk them, strategically placing himself in their way in order to get them to notice him, whilst at the same time getting rid of the opposition (literally). The series has him following Beck, an aspiring writer.
The cast was well picked, with particular credit to Penn Badgley, who plays Joe- who makes a really believable butter wouldn’t melt book guy, frequently turning into psychopathic killer!
The script uses dark humour very well, which add a little light heartedness into an otherwise very dark story. It is also truest scary from a personal perspective, as to how much information Joe is able to use form people’s fb/ twitter (e.t.c.) accounts!
What I particularly enjoyed about this show, was that it is primarily shown through the perspective of Joe, an unusual twist, as on one side we really want to support Joe (being the main character), and we are forced to try to empathise with him, however, deep down, we know that he is a truest dark character.
I do hope that there will be a second series of this.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Preacher - Season 1 in TV
Apr 1, 2019
I LOVED IT
This show is based on the comics of the same name, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, and retains all the black humour, sick scenes and top notch dialogue of the comics.
The plot sees Preacher Jesse Custer somehow imbued with Genesis, a divine presence that gives him the power to tell people what to do. His conflict with local businessman (meat and electricity, what an empire!), Quincannon sees him try to use Genesis to convince the town that God exists.
This is a gritty, dark comedy with moments of genuine laugh out loud jokes as well as truly disturbing but life-like scenes.
Given how well this was delivered, I cannot wait to see how Amazon's treatment of The Boys plays out!
The plot sees Preacher Jesse Custer somehow imbued with Genesis, a divine presence that gives him the power to tell people what to do. His conflict with local businessman (meat and electricity, what an empire!), Quincannon sees him try to use Genesis to convince the town that God exists.
This is a gritty, dark comedy with moments of genuine laugh out loud jokes as well as truly disturbing but life-like scenes.
Given how well this was delivered, I cannot wait to see how Amazon's treatment of The Boys plays out!
Arthur Rackham Masterpieces of Art
Book
Arthur Rackham was a Victorian born illustrator and artist who influenced much of the book and...
Ketchup Clouds
6.0
Rate It
Book
Winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2013, KETCHUP CLOUDS tells the story of one teenage...
How to Survive the End of the World (When It's In Your Own Head)
8.0
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Book
There are plenty of books out there on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, all-out nuclear war, or...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Guards! Guards! Discworld Novel 8 in Books
Mar 19, 2018
A great introduction to the City Watch
You've got to hand it to Terry Pratchett, he knows how to write a good fantasy novel.
Guards! Guards! is yet another great Discworld novel, and the first to introduce Captain Vimes and the City Watch. Vimes himself is a loveable anti-hero who develops greatly over the course of the novel and the same too can be said for the other members of the Watch. Carrot the 'dwarf' provides a real introduction to the Watch and also a lot of the humour from his exploits, and I loved seeing a lot more of the Librarian.
The plot itself on the face of it is a fantasy fairy tale filled story of dragons, maidens and heroes. But with every Pratchett novel, beneath it lies dark wit and humour, and a slightly sad social commentary on human greed and corruption. There are a lot of references in this to other media, like The Hobbit, which really poke fun at the myths and lore used in the fantasy genre.
A great read with some very engaging characters. A little rambling at times, but fortunately the rest of the book makes up for it! Discworld books are the only books that can really make me laugh out loud.
Guards! Guards! is yet another great Discworld novel, and the first to introduce Captain Vimes and the City Watch. Vimes himself is a loveable anti-hero who develops greatly over the course of the novel and the same too can be said for the other members of the Watch. Carrot the 'dwarf' provides a real introduction to the Watch and also a lot of the humour from his exploits, and I loved seeing a lot more of the Librarian.
The plot itself on the face of it is a fantasy fairy tale filled story of dragons, maidens and heroes. But with every Pratchett novel, beneath it lies dark wit and humour, and a slightly sad social commentary on human greed and corruption. There are a lot of references in this to other media, like The Hobbit, which really poke fun at the myths and lore used in the fantasy genre.
A great read with some very engaging characters. A little rambling at times, but fortunately the rest of the book makes up for it! Discworld books are the only books that can really make me laugh out loud.
The Error of Their Ways
Book
From a playwright rated by Alan Ayckbourn and Howard Barker to be the most exciting new voice in...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Not Another Teen Movie (2001) in Movies
Jul 3, 2021
Both Scary Movie and Not Another Teen Movie have a lot to answer for in regards to avalanche of actual pure shit that followed in terms of parody movies. The 00s were just full of them. It was a dark time.
However, NATM does a pretty decent job in pointing out all the ridiculousness that comes with this particular sub genre, and its brand of offbeat humour ranges from outright slapstick, to subtle throwaway lines. The cast are quite aware at how silly this film is, and the committent to the whole piece is admirable enough.
It might be low brow, but it weirdly works, and as such, NATM reamains an under appreciated, silly comedy, that has been tarnished by the same brush applied to absolute piss like Meet the Spartans.
However, NATM does a pretty decent job in pointing out all the ridiculousness that comes with this particular sub genre, and its brand of offbeat humour ranges from outright slapstick, to subtle throwaway lines. The cast are quite aware at how silly this film is, and the committent to the whole piece is admirable enough.
It might be low brow, but it weirdly works, and as such, NATM reamains an under appreciated, silly comedy, that has been tarnished by the same brush applied to absolute piss like Meet the Spartans.