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Drew Horner (8 KP) rated Locke and Key in TV

Mar 1, 2020

Locke and Key

2020 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

8.1

(35 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Intriguing concept that kept me curious about what the next key would do. (2 more)

Really liked Kinsey, the middle sister who seems to tie the show together.

The fun is in the discovery of the keys - not the story behind them.

A couple stiff characters - especially Tyler (the older brother) - who sometimes made confoundingly dumb decisions. (1 more)

Some of the more emotional moments failed to stick the landing.

Better than Expected

The marketing for the show gave me a Narnia vibe and I thought it would be a very childish affair. While the majority of the show, with some exceptions, was family-friendly, it wasn't as childish as I thought. We binged it in a weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The show revolves around the Locke family who moved to their ancestral home - Key House - after suffering the tragic loss of their father/husband. Shortly after arriving at Key House, the Locke children begin finding magical keys throughout the house that each have special properties. But, of course these keys attract a sinister force that hungers to possess the power of the keys.

The show was enjoyable, but left a lot of threads dangling for what will likely be a second season.

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated The Last Days On Mars (2013) in Movies

Mar 23, 2020

Visually OK (0 more)

Not original (1 more)

Character clichés

Another B-movie straight to DVD

Another B-movie, straight to DVD space horror that had the chance to be truly terrifying but ended up falling flat on its arse. A group of astronauts are winding up their last few days on the red planet as they wait for the next team to arrive.

When one of them makes a scientific discovery in the form of a new strain of bacteria they head out to claim it for themselves putting the entire crew in danger. There is nothing unique here that hasn’t already been tried before if this was to succeed at all then the execution had to be better.

Visually it ticks all the right boxes with set design and location being winning points. It’s the lack of originality that is the most frustrating. The cast is not given any credible dialogue and it’s as dry and barren as the planet that they are standing on.

Step back and look at it for what it is and you’ve got zombies in space. The acting is run of the mill and no one, in particular, stands out as personality cliches run thick. If the crew of the Nostromo had a reserve team this lot would fit the bill perfectly.

Kudos

ClareR (5945 KP) rated Stone Mothers in Books

Aug 6, 2019

Stone Mothers

Erin Kelly | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Stone Mothers was my first Erin Kelly book, and it really surprised me with its dark, melancholy story that evolved into a taut thriller.

It’s a story told in reverse. We meet the adults first before we begin to slip into their past, and we learn of their connection with the ‘Stone Mother’, or the mental hospital in their home town. Marianne and Jesse are unlikely sweethearts, very different personalities, yet they are both affected by the closure of the local psychiatric hospital, Nazareth, which employed most of their remote village. Including their own parents. With a random discovery comes their chance, in Jesse’s opinion, to improve their lives and some retribution.

I really enjoyed how this story unfolded: I liked how we found out more about the three main characters as we slipped into their pasts (I found Helens story particularly interesting, to be honest, and I would have happily read more). It’s a story where it’s really difficult to apportion blame to anyone - I ended up liking all of them, and could understand the motivation for their actions.

I will definitely be looking out for more books by Erin Kelly - this has without a doubt piqued my interest. Stone Mothers is well worth a read.