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Everything Under
Everything Under
Daisy Johnson | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a book to take your time over. It’s not to be rushed, because there’s so much going on under the surface, and you might just miss something.

It’s a story about transitions of gender, family and home. It looks at language, how it can be manipulated and made into something new and different (Gretel and her mother have their own words for some things).
‘Leaving’ is another theme: Margot leaves her family, Gretel is left by her mother, and in a way, Margot leaves herself behind when she becomes Marcus. Everything Under is also a book that reworks the Oedipus legend, as well as using elements of Hansel and Gretel (beyond just the use of the name!), and a made up legend called the Bonak (which is actually a Tagalog word for a stupid child or a ‘dumb kid’) - a monster that destroys, stays and disrupts.

There’s a dreamlike quality to this novel, which really added to the fairytale element - the really menacing versions.

I loved this book.
  
Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
2021 | Action, Horror, Thriller
6
6.3 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Plenty of action (0 more)
Different vibe to the original (0 more)
Average Sequel
Well I'm surprised it took 5 years for a follow up to the surprise hit original. This did seem to creep up out of no where. It didn't get a long cinema run so just watched it on Sky.
Set a few years after the events of the original our blindman is now looking after a young child. Something from the past has caught up with him again. This time a group of military trained men attack his home can he outwit them?
Loses the claustrophobic, thriller feeling of the first film for more of an action packed with gory violence tone. Being even more far fetched in plot at times. The action is good and gore effects are decent. Though it does seem odd being on the blindman side this time.
An OK sequel but losing out on the elements that made the first film so good with a different direction and style of film this time.
  
Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
2000 | Crime, Horror
6
5.0 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The 5th entry in the Hellraiser series is certainly a mixed bag. It's has a script and narrative that clearly threw in Hellraiser elements as an afterthought, really scales back on the cenobite stuff, and has some truly dodgy effects work.
With all that being said, everything about Inferno that's surrounds those points is pretty positive. The corrupt cop who cheats on his wife/snorts coke/is a general asshole whilst trying to solve a huge case trope has been done a million times, but it lends itself well to the conditions of the lament configuration. The films whole vibe screams David Lynch, and there's some genuinely creepy imagery delivered with ambition by a feature-debuting Scott Derrickson, clearly showing off some stylistic choices that he would go on to hone in his future successful career.
Throw in some decent gore and a pretty solid cast, and we're left with a Hellraiser film that would 100% be seen in a more favourable light if it had been afforded a bigger budget.
  
The Flash (2023)
The Flash (2023)
2023 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
7
7.2 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
There's a graphic novel, called Flashpoint, where Barry Allen runs fast enough that he is able to travel back in time to stop the murder of his mum.

That's the basis for this film, which - indeed - at one point was event o be called 'Flashpoint'.

There's another one where Superman's pod arrives in Russia rather than the USA, and where he is experimented on and brought up by the Soviets.

Superman: Red Son.

There's elements of that in this too.

As - potentially - the last film in the current DCEU, this stars Ezra Miller's version of The Flash, alongside cameos from other DCEU characters and actors, and also - due the the 'multiversal' nature of the proceedings - makes no secret of the fact that it brings Michael Keeton's version of Batman into the fold. He's probably the best bit.

It's also rather surreal in parts - the term 'baby shower' takes on a whole new meaning - with Miller, IMO, not as good at embodying the role as Grant Gustin's version from TV.

That, I guess, is probably just a matter of taste ...
  
Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way
Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way
Donald J. Sobol | 1972 | Children, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ten More Mysteries with the World’s Smartest Ten-Year-Old
What is Encyclopedia up to this time around? He helps his father prove who stole an electric drill. He helps a kid get his harmonica back from Bugs. When a girl wants to figure out who got her kicked off a baseball team, Encyclopedia Brown takes the case. He figures out who stole a rattlesnake rattle from a display at a museum. And he helps a friend who thinks he saw a ghost.

The ten stories in this book are fairly short, which makes them easy to breeze through. I still find I rarely solve the case before Encyclopedia does, but that’s okay. I have fun with them. There isn’t time for much in the way of twists here, and the characters are fairly thin. I don’t think kids will mind either one. What they might find off putting is the dated elements of the books. Like, what’s an encyclopedia? Still, if they are willing to pick it up, they’ll find these stories fun.