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Mists of the Serengeti
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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Leylah Attar, comes a compelling, emotionally...
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From Nora Roberts, the incomparable New York Times bestselling author of Sanctuary and Montana Sky,...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Cabin in the Woods (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Joss Whedon (of Buffy/Firefly/Avengers fame) has written one of the most interestingly confusing scripts in recent history (with the help of co-writer Drew Goddard, who also directed the film). Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as “the jock,” and a cast of other young folk, The Cabin in the Woods tackles what’s best described as an entirely new genre of filmmaking. This became obvious to me immediately after experiencing the last 30 seconds of the film.
The movie starts off with two disjointed storylines. In one plot thread, you have five college kids heading out for a weekend at a cabin on a lake. In the other, you have two professionally dressed desk jockeys going to work in what seems to be a mission control center. It becomes evident very early on that the organization for which these two men work is tracking the five vacationers.
The college group is comprised of the usual roles: the Jock, the Stoner, the Attractive Nerd, the Other Attractive Nerd, and the Slut. The five find themselves in a stereotypical horror film cabin. As the plot thickens, confusion sets in, and it becomes evident that their actions and fates are being controlled to some degree.
The most important observation I can share with you is that this movie was nothing like what I expected. It kept getting stranger and more unique the longer it went. Aside from the cheesy use of word graphics when the title was displayed, the cinematography is great. The acting is only decent, but the writing is entertaining. The film didn’t follow the normal conventions of a horror movie, but instead seemed to be an amalgamation of fantasy, horror and comedy; it was strongly reminiscent of the Evil Dead series.
I recommend watching The Cabin in the Woods purely for its unique and interesting take on a familiar story. You will be entertained.
The movie starts off with two disjointed storylines. In one plot thread, you have five college kids heading out for a weekend at a cabin on a lake. In the other, you have two professionally dressed desk jockeys going to work in what seems to be a mission control center. It becomes evident very early on that the organization for which these two men work is tracking the five vacationers.
The college group is comprised of the usual roles: the Jock, the Stoner, the Attractive Nerd, the Other Attractive Nerd, and the Slut. The five find themselves in a stereotypical horror film cabin. As the plot thickens, confusion sets in, and it becomes evident that their actions and fates are being controlled to some degree.
The most important observation I can share with you is that this movie was nothing like what I expected. It kept getting stranger and more unique the longer it went. Aside from the cheesy use of word graphics when the title was displayed, the cinematography is great. The acting is only decent, but the writing is entertaining. The film didn’t follow the normal conventions of a horror movie, but instead seemed to be an amalgamation of fantasy, horror and comedy; it was strongly reminiscent of the Evil Dead series.
I recommend watching The Cabin in the Woods purely for its unique and interesting take on a familiar story. You will be entertained.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Flight Attendant in Books
Feb 26, 2018
Compulsively readable (1 more)
Fascinating, befuddling story
Unpredictable book that sucks you in from the start
Cassandra Bowen is a flight attendant with a history of bad decisions--most of them tied to her predilection to heavy drinking. Mostly her drinking leads to sexual encounters with dubious men, topless dancing, and a few bouts of blackouts. But when Cassie's work takes her to Dubai, she spends the night with a gentleman she met on the plane, drinking heavily with him all evening; in the morning she wakes up next to him in bed and finds him dead, covered in blood. Alone and female in Dubai, Cassie sneaks out of the hotel room and returns home on the plane with her fellow flight attendants, setting off a trail of lies that will haunt her. And in the back of her mind, she fears the worst: could she have killed Alex while drunk? And what will happen when the authorities discover her deception?
This novel starts off with a bang, with Cassie waking up next to a dead man. Once Cassie gets back to the States, I found myself fascinated what could possibly happen for the other 80% of the book. (My mistake, a lot can happen.) The entire novel kept me wondering what on earth would come next. This is a crazy, unpredictable book that sucks you in and never lets you go. I was constantly wondering who the various characters were--who really was Alex, for instance? Is there more to Cassie than we are being told? I was honestly confused for a good portion of the book, which doesn't happen often when I read.
It was really fun and befuddling to piece things together in this one. The book was rather stressful, trying to decipher all the various characters and to deal with Cassie's high-risk behavior. As the end nears, I was actually shocked by a couple of twists, which I really appreciated. It's rare that a thriller truly shocks me anymore. I was truly impressed with this one. The ending was a little odd, but as I pondered it more, I think I'm good with it.
As for Cassie, she was a hard character to like, and there's certainly been no shortage of unreliable drunken female narrators in contemporary fiction as of late. Still, you can't help but get caught up in her story. It's compulsively readable. There are also lots of good flight attendant stories; Chris Bohjalian always well researches his books.
Cassie's chapters also alternate with a woman named Elena, which is an effective storytelling device, and only ratchets up the suspense. Her tale is just as befuddling as Cassie's--perhaps even more so--and just added to my desire to turn the pages and find out what on earth was going on and how these people were all connected. Bohjalian really weaved a fascinating story here, and I love how all of his books are so different. Whereas some can be emotional, this one was truly a thriller, and focused so much on the story and mystery. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was great.
I also found some amusing little personal tidbits in the book: references to Charlottesville (the second in a row in the novels I read--it's my hometown) and Cassie's Kentucky references, including her attendance at the University of Kentucky. We are, in fact, a UK and UVA household--my five-year-old twins are very divided between the two. It's funny how little things stick with you when you read a novel.
Overall, this was a great read. Completely befuddling, but incredibly suspenseful and just sort of fun. Not at all what I expected from Bohjalian, but a fascinating, enjoyable thriller. I was completely lost in Cassie and Elena's bizarre world for a few days--the sign of a great book. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; more at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
This novel starts off with a bang, with Cassie waking up next to a dead man. Once Cassie gets back to the States, I found myself fascinated what could possibly happen for the other 80% of the book. (My mistake, a lot can happen.) The entire novel kept me wondering what on earth would come next. This is a crazy, unpredictable book that sucks you in and never lets you go. I was constantly wondering who the various characters were--who really was Alex, for instance? Is there more to Cassie than we are being told? I was honestly confused for a good portion of the book, which doesn't happen often when I read.
It was really fun and befuddling to piece things together in this one. The book was rather stressful, trying to decipher all the various characters and to deal with Cassie's high-risk behavior. As the end nears, I was actually shocked by a couple of twists, which I really appreciated. It's rare that a thriller truly shocks me anymore. I was truly impressed with this one. The ending was a little odd, but as I pondered it more, I think I'm good with it.
As for Cassie, she was a hard character to like, and there's certainly been no shortage of unreliable drunken female narrators in contemporary fiction as of late. Still, you can't help but get caught up in her story. It's compulsively readable. There are also lots of good flight attendant stories; Chris Bohjalian always well researches his books.
Cassie's chapters also alternate with a woman named Elena, which is an effective storytelling device, and only ratchets up the suspense. Her tale is just as befuddling as Cassie's--perhaps even more so--and just added to my desire to turn the pages and find out what on earth was going on and how these people were all connected. Bohjalian really weaved a fascinating story here, and I love how all of his books are so different. Whereas some can be emotional, this one was truly a thriller, and focused so much on the story and mystery. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was great.
I also found some amusing little personal tidbits in the book: references to Charlottesville (the second in a row in the novels I read--it's my hometown) and Cassie's Kentucky references, including her attendance at the University of Kentucky. We are, in fact, a UK and UVA household--my five-year-old twins are very divided between the two. It's funny how little things stick with you when you read a novel.
Overall, this was a great read. Completely befuddling, but incredibly suspenseful and just sort of fun. Not at all what I expected from Bohjalian, but a fascinating, enjoyable thriller. I was completely lost in Cassie and Elena's bizarre world for a few days--the sign of a great book. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; more at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Faster Than Light, Volume 1: First Steps in Books
Jan 12, 2018
The time is now. Humanity has deciphered an alien message that basically says, "we're dead, bad things are coming for you, take our technology and get the hell out." Of course, the message arrived in 1945, so we're a little behind. Faster Than Light marries the hard science fiction of The Martian, 2010, and Gravity with the idealism of the original Star Trek. I love it. It's a very grounded series, with realistic characters doing realistic things.
The story comes in small 2 or 3 issues arcs, so the adventure of the week is easily digestible, but somehow it still feels choppy. Like in one instance an entire mission wasn't there, and we just got the end of it, but it didn't link up with anything else. Theres a nifty gimmick, where a free downloadable app can be used in conjunction with the comic. Scan pages and get access to the alien encyclopedia, Captains logs, a translation matrix for the alien dialogue, etc. (This may be the cause of the stories choppiness, as there may simply be pieces I'm missing out on.)
Unfortunately, some of the art isn't as up to par as the story telling, which can make it difficult to tell crew members apart, which causes the story to suffer. But overall this is definitely a title to keep an eye on, looking forward to Volume 2...
The story comes in small 2 or 3 issues arcs, so the adventure of the week is easily digestible, but somehow it still feels choppy. Like in one instance an entire mission wasn't there, and we just got the end of it, but it didn't link up with anything else. Theres a nifty gimmick, where a free downloadable app can be used in conjunction with the comic. Scan pages and get access to the alien encyclopedia, Captains logs, a translation matrix for the alien dialogue, etc. (This may be the cause of the stories choppiness, as there may simply be pieces I'm missing out on.)
Unfortunately, some of the art isn't as up to par as the story telling, which can make it difficult to tell crew members apart, which causes the story to suffer. But overall this is definitely a title to keep an eye on, looking forward to Volume 2...
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Bone Tomahawk (2015) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018
The Citizen Kane of horror westerns
First of all, any time a movie combines two of my favorite things, in this case, a western and Kurt Russell, you have a recipe for success.
Certainly not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the horribly awesome brutality in this film rivals any I have seen in my life and that's saying a lot.
The plot is your basic four men set out to find and rescue several townspeople who have been kidnapped by horrible cave-dwelling "Indians" who no one seems to know anything about. Along the way, they have to face the elements of the weather, their own injuries and the eminent threat of encountering the ferocious beats that they are always on edge.
Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox are all also wonderful as the men who set off with Russell on their rescue quest.
For what the movie sets out to do, it succeeds wholeheartedly. Thoroughly engaging throughout, I was glued to my seat the entire time and the 135 minute runtime goes by in a flash.
In reading about it afterwards, it is unbelievable to me the movie was shot in only 21 days and for only $1.8 million.
Who says creativity is dead in Hollywood? Just takes great writing. I'd watch this before Iron Man 12 anytime.
Certainly not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the horribly awesome brutality in this film rivals any I have seen in my life and that's saying a lot.
The plot is your basic four men set out to find and rescue several townspeople who have been kidnapped by horrible cave-dwelling "Indians" who no one seems to know anything about. Along the way, they have to face the elements of the weather, their own injuries and the eminent threat of encountering the ferocious beats that they are always on edge.
Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox are all also wonderful as the men who set off with Russell on their rescue quest.
For what the movie sets out to do, it succeeds wholeheartedly. Thoroughly engaging throughout, I was glued to my seat the entire time and the 135 minute runtime goes by in a flash.
In reading about it afterwards, it is unbelievable to me the movie was shot in only 21 days and for only $1.8 million.
Who says creativity is dead in Hollywood? Just takes great writing. I'd watch this before Iron Man 12 anytime.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The First Time I Died in Books
Jun 22, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Thank you to Hidden Gems for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my review!
I expected this to be quite an angsty, sad and maybe romantic novel. While it did have some of these aspects, it turned out to be far more of a detective novel than I ever anticipated.
I hate including spoilers in my review, and this isn't strictly a spoiler at all, but I found the anticipation leading up to the revelation of Colby's murder to be fantastic. As the reader, we are slowly given tiny bits of information, glimpses into the past, as Garnet recalls his disappearance. And after finding out that he was, in fact, dead, I was absolutely hooked on finding out what happened.
Toward the end of the book, Garnet seems to link everything together pretty fast. I'm not sure if it was too fast, honestly, but it's not a huge issue.
There was also a lot more behind his death than I'd ever anticipated, in terms of legalities and the family business. This was quite interesting, though in retrospect perhaps a little obvious.
The ending of this book was also nice - neat, satisfying, but not overly sweet. There was no big reunion between lovers. It just simply... ended.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
I expected this to be quite an angsty, sad and maybe romantic novel. While it did have some of these aspects, it turned out to be far more of a detective novel than I ever anticipated.
I hate including spoilers in my review, and this isn't strictly a spoiler at all, but I found the anticipation leading up to the revelation of Colby's murder to be fantastic. As the reader, we are slowly given tiny bits of information, glimpses into the past, as Garnet recalls his disappearance. And after finding out that he was, in fact, dead, I was absolutely hooked on finding out what happened.
Toward the end of the book, Garnet seems to link everything together pretty fast. I'm not sure if it was too fast, honestly, but it's not a huge issue.
There was also a lot more behind his death than I'd ever anticipated, in terms of legalities and the family business. This was quite interesting, though in retrospect perhaps a little obvious.
The ending of this book was also nice - neat, satisfying, but not overly sweet. There was no big reunion between lovers. It just simply... ended.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
Owen McCafferty: Plays 2: Absence of Women; Titanic; Quietly; Unfaithful; Death of a Comedian; Beach
Book
Owen McCafferty's second collection includes plays that span from the sinking of the Titanic to the...
Ancillary Justice
10.0
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The record-breaking debut novel that won every major science fiction award in 2014, Ancillary...