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Nick Friesen (96 KP) rated Fight Club (1999) in Movies
Jul 15, 2017
Brad Pitt & Edward Norton, What a Duo! (2 more)
One of David Fincher's Best
Dark Humor with a Satisfying Twist
The Twist that Hits Harder than Any Punch
Fight Club is a classic at this point, itself a riveting adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's also classic novel. The first time you watch it, the twist hits harder than any punch thrown in the movie. The second time you watch it, it's fun to try and catch all the signs pointing to the twist. It's crazy good, mostly driven by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt's strangely powerful bro chemistry and director David Fincher's excellent vision. It is understandable that the casual movie-goer may be turned off by Fight Club however, as it is dark and a bit too nihilistic in places for its own good.
Domonique (0 KP) rated Who We Were Before in Books
May 12, 2018
This was so good, I really enjoyed it!! I liked how each chapter was told from the other person's perspective, either Edward or Zoey, and we got to see how each may have experienced the same thing on the same day but differently. This is a story of how two people losing their child have to grieve separately and kind of find out who they are again as individuals before they can come back together as a couple. It took them literally losing in each other in another country before they could truly appreciate what they had. Great read!
RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated Insurgent in Books
Jul 24, 2019
Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Read Dates: May 26th- July 23rd
Why did I choose to read this book?
I chose to read this book because it's the second book in the divergent series
Did I like it? Yes
Five things I liked about this book:
1. The story
2. The way Tris thinks
3. That Christina forgave her
4. The story between Tris and Tobias
5. The ending
One character I disliked: Edward
Do I recommend this book? Yes
Questions for you:
1. Do you like the Divergent Series?
2. If you haven't read it do you plan to?
3. Favorite Character?
Author: Veronica Roth
Read Dates: May 26th- July 23rd
Why did I choose to read this book?
I chose to read this book because it's the second book in the divergent series
Did I like it? Yes
Five things I liked about this book:
1. The story
2. The way Tris thinks
3. That Christina forgave her
4. The story between Tris and Tobias
5. The ending
One character I disliked: Edward
Do I recommend this book? Yes
Questions for you:
1. Do you like the Divergent Series?
2. If you haven't read it do you plan to?
3. Favorite Character?
Deborah (162 KP) rated The May Bride in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The May Bride is not, in fact, so much about Jane Seymour - although she is the first person narrator and was married in May (practically before her predecessor was cold.....) - as about her sister in law, Katherine Folliot, first wife of her eldest brother Edward (later Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector under Edward VI). Edward's second wife, Anne Stanhope, is probably better known to historians or lovers of historical fiction, but there remains something of a mystery around the fate of Katherine Folliot, which Dunn has chosen to take as the basis of this novel.
I realised I had read a couple of Dunn's previous works - The Queen of Subtleties and The Confession of Katherine Howard. Of the former, I remember thinking that Dunn must have done a lot of research into the history of confectionery, but I can't remember anything of the second book, other than it wasn't dreadful, but wasn't the best thing I'd ever read either. I feel a bit the same about this latest offering. There's a lot of detail in there about how a moderately wealthy Tudor family may have lived, but a couple of days after I finished reading it there is nothing that stands out for me. I think perhaps that Jane herself isn't very interesting and Dunn doesn't make her interesting. I think her point is that she's plain and dull and normal and gets on with things because it's just easier.... but it doesn't make for a very entertaining read somehow. Katherine herself, who is the focus of the novel also often doesn't seem very likeable, so it's difficult to like her story or to really feel sorry for her.
In summary, not a bad read and there are far worse out there, but someone it doesn't quite hit the mark for me - just a bit forgettably mediocre.
I realised I had read a couple of Dunn's previous works - The Queen of Subtleties and The Confession of Katherine Howard. Of the former, I remember thinking that Dunn must have done a lot of research into the history of confectionery, but I can't remember anything of the second book, other than it wasn't dreadful, but wasn't the best thing I'd ever read either. I feel a bit the same about this latest offering. There's a lot of detail in there about how a moderately wealthy Tudor family may have lived, but a couple of days after I finished reading it there is nothing that stands out for me. I think perhaps that Jane herself isn't very interesting and Dunn doesn't make her interesting. I think her point is that she's plain and dull and normal and gets on with things because it's just easier.... but it doesn't make for a very entertaining read somehow. Katherine herself, who is the focus of the novel also often doesn't seem very likeable, so it's difficult to like her story or to really feel sorry for her.
In summary, not a bad read and there are far worse out there, but someone it doesn't quite hit the mark for me - just a bit forgettably mediocre.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Teratologist in Books
May 15, 2018
Like a Buddy Cop movie directed by Satan
THE TERATOLOGIST--a researcher of physical abnormalities--is both a disgusting and fun (short) horror novel. Something like a Buddy Cop movie, a writer and photographer go to the mansion of a young billionaire who collects people with birth defects for a single nefarious purpose: to see God.
If you've read Edward Lee's Infernal Series, you may notice the similarities in theme. It isn't just good vs evil, it's Good vs Evil. It has the same dash of irreverent humor and more than enough depravity to make it a fun read for readers with iron stomachs.
That said, this is absolutely not for the faint of heart. If you're easily offended, why are you looking at a book by Edward Lee and Wrath James White to begin with? Both are masters of the splatterpunk genre, which has given birth to the "extreme horror" subgenre. This book will gross you out. Even seasoned readers might cringe at some of the acts depicted in THE TERATOLOGIST. They disgust on a moral and visceral level, but isn't that the point?
If you've read Edward Lee's Infernal Series, you may notice the similarities in theme. It isn't just good vs evil, it's Good vs Evil. It has the same dash of irreverent humor and more than enough depravity to make it a fun read for readers with iron stomachs.
That said, this is absolutely not for the faint of heart. If you're easily offended, why are you looking at a book by Edward Lee and Wrath James White to begin with? Both are masters of the splatterpunk genre, which has given birth to the "extreme horror" subgenre. This book will gross you out. Even seasoned readers might cringe at some of the acts depicted in THE TERATOLOGIST. They disgust on a moral and visceral level, but isn't that the point?
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2225 KP) rated The Truth We Hide in Books
Apr 12, 2023 (Updated Apr 12, 2023)
Betty Searches for the Truth About Her New Client
It’s May 1943, and Betty Ahern has quit her job at Bell Aircraft to pursue her dream of becoming a private investigator. She’s still studying for her license, but she’s been hired by Edward Kettle to find out who got him fired from his job at American Shipbuilding. Supposedly, he leaked secrets to a reporter, but he claims he is innocent. Then, the next morning, Betty learns that Edward was murdered during the night. It’s only then that Betty learns Edward was a homosexual. Was that the motive for his murder? Or was it something else?
The series has taken a step away from the initial premise, but it is a natural step thanks to the growth we’ve been seeing in Betty. And I also appreciate how it allows Betty to focus on the case, which keeps the pacing strong. There are plenty of suspects who could have done it. I figured it out, but only a few pages before Betty made the same deduction I did. I did miss the supporting characters, who take a back seat here, but Betty is still a great main character, and the suspects are good. I was worried that this book was going to turn into a lecture, but I didn’t find any anachronistic attitudes when it comes to Edward. We do see plenty of negative attitudes, but they are treated as they should be without feeling out of character for our heroes or the time. There are a couple of interesting threads introduced here, and I can’t wait to see if they are continued in future books. As always, the period came fully to life as I read. If you are looking for a strong historical series, be sure to pick this one up. If you are new to the series, you are in for a treat.
The series has taken a step away from the initial premise, but it is a natural step thanks to the growth we’ve been seeing in Betty. And I also appreciate how it allows Betty to focus on the case, which keeps the pacing strong. There are plenty of suspects who could have done it. I figured it out, but only a few pages before Betty made the same deduction I did. I did miss the supporting characters, who take a back seat here, but Betty is still a great main character, and the suspects are good. I was worried that this book was going to turn into a lecture, but I didn’t find any anachronistic attitudes when it comes to Edward. We do see plenty of negative attitudes, but they are treated as they should be without feeling out of character for our heroes or the time. There are a couple of interesting threads introduced here, and I can’t wait to see if they are continued in future books. As always, the period came fully to life as I read. If you are looking for a strong historical series, be sure to pick this one up. If you are new to the series, you are in for a treat.
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated The Dark Art: My Undercover Life in Global Narco-Terrorism in Books
Mar 2, 2018
Fascinating look at the empire of drug-related terrorism
An absolutely astounding look at undercover operations in the fight against narco-terrorism.
Edward Follis, a veteran undercover DEA agent, writes about his biggest drug busts in which major heroin, ecstasy and cocaine kingpins from across the globe, are apprehended using covert and exhaustive methods.
From learning Thai in order to intercede Khun Sa's major heroin drug routes, to befriending Afghan opium billionaire Taliban financier, Haji Juma Khan, Follis has had a long and fascinating career.
And at times, the bragging may feel over the top, however, it is completely understandable given what he has endured and some of the traumatic experiences included one of his own informants being brutally murdered. Obviously it is written with an American bias, so it's worth keeping that in mind.
Edward Follis, a veteran undercover DEA agent, writes about his biggest drug busts in which major heroin, ecstasy and cocaine kingpins from across the globe, are apprehended using covert and exhaustive methods.
From learning Thai in order to intercede Khun Sa's major heroin drug routes, to befriending Afghan opium billionaire Taliban financier, Haji Juma Khan, Follis has had a long and fascinating career.
And at times, the bragging may feel over the top, however, it is completely understandable given what he has endured and some of the traumatic experiences included one of his own informants being brutally murdered. Obviously it is written with an American bias, so it's worth keeping that in mind.
David McK (3453 KP) rated Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) in Movies
Oct 7, 2019
"Ah'll be back ..." (to rewatch this)
For may people the best film in The Terminator series, with big Arnie again reprising his most iconic role and with Linda Hamilton returning to her role as Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of the Resistance against Skynet, John Connor.
For reason that are never fully explained, after the failure of the first Terminator to kill Sarah Connor in the 1980s, a second Terminator is sent back in time, this time to the early 1990s, in an effort to track down and kill John Connor (played, here, by a then unknown Edward Furlong).
As before, the Resistance are able to send back a lone protector through time ...
And, I have to say, now nearly 30 years after they were first seen, the 'liquid metal' T-1000 effects still hold up pretty well!
For reason that are never fully explained, after the failure of the first Terminator to kill Sarah Connor in the 1980s, a second Terminator is sent back in time, this time to the early 1990s, in an effort to track down and kill John Connor (played, here, by a then unknown Edward Furlong).
As before, the Resistance are able to send back a lone protector through time ...
And, I have to say, now nearly 30 years after they were first seen, the 'liquid metal' T-1000 effects still hold up pretty well!
