Search
Search results
Film and stuff (30 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
May 15, 2019
Better than prequels. Not so much the originals.
Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Harrison Ford.
With the weight of the entire franchise and fans who have been burnt once before, Abrams had a monumental task to achieve in revitalising the Star Wars saga. Having had a huge amount of success with Star Trek, Abrams was the obvious choice for Disney.
With elements from all three of the original films and completely ignoring the second trilogy in every way it could, it would appear that 'The force Awakens' knew what it was doing, with enough nostalgia to take anyone back to the 70's.
Unfortunately that's where things go wrong.
The film shifts tone with such regularity it just seems confused and panicked as to what needs to be done. Instead of moments of humour and clever nods to the previous films, it vomits bucket loads of both which is more distracting than entertaining.
This is possibly the closest you can get to a remake without calling it a remake, where the ethos just seems to be "make it the same but bigger."
Instead of a continuation of the story, we are offered a setting up film. Don't we have six of those?
With the weight of the entire franchise and fans who have been burnt once before, Abrams had a monumental task to achieve in revitalising the Star Wars saga. Having had a huge amount of success with Star Trek, Abrams was the obvious choice for Disney.
With elements from all three of the original films and completely ignoring the second trilogy in every way it could, it would appear that 'The force Awakens' knew what it was doing, with enough nostalgia to take anyone back to the 70's.
Unfortunately that's where things go wrong.
The film shifts tone with such regularity it just seems confused and panicked as to what needs to be done. Instead of moments of humour and clever nods to the previous films, it vomits bucket loads of both which is more distracting than entertaining.
This is possibly the closest you can get to a remake without calling it a remake, where the ethos just seems to be "make it the same but bigger."
Instead of a continuation of the story, we are offered a setting up film. Don't we have six of those?
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Before I Met Him in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Before I Met Him is another gripping book from author John Nicholl featuring DI Gareth Gravel. With not enough evidence to prosecute abuser Sheridan, the best thing the cops can do now, is to wait for him to slip up. Oh, right. Tell that to the little six year old girl and her family, and see what happens next… and that’s just how Nicholl played this story. Seventeen years later we get to see exactly what damage was done. The hunted does in fact become the hunter.
Wow! As depressing as this sounds this is a fantastic, gory, and engrossing read. Before I Met Him blends the psychological thrills expected in a crime book with elements of pure horror. Who wouldn’t want the abused to get their own back? But is there ever a right way to do it? Is an eye for any eye justice, or plain old revenge? If you can’t hunt the one that did it to you, will any other abuser do? There are just some of the questions this book had me thinking as I dissected each twist and turn and raced towards the blood curdling end.
It’s dark, sadistic, and totally creepy. It’s another brilliant, well-written John Nicholl book!
Bloody marvellous!
Literally.
Wow! As depressing as this sounds this is a fantastic, gory, and engrossing read. Before I Met Him blends the psychological thrills expected in a crime book with elements of pure horror. Who wouldn’t want the abused to get their own back? But is there ever a right way to do it? Is an eye for any eye justice, or plain old revenge? If you can’t hunt the one that did it to you, will any other abuser do? There are just some of the questions this book had me thinking as I dissected each twist and turn and raced towards the blood curdling end.
It’s dark, sadistic, and totally creepy. It’s another brilliant, well-written John Nicholl book!
Bloody marvellous!
Literally.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Invaders in TV
Mar 15, 2018 (Updated Mar 15, 2018)
One of the classic TV alien invasion shows; the theme tune and the various visual gimmicks (aliens with crooked little fingers who incinerate when killed) are quite well-remembered, along with (possibly) the fact that many of the episodes aren't actually any good.
Larry Cohen's original concept - a paranoid thriller with few overt SF elements - was rapidly abandoned, and Cohen himself had little involvement. The programme is really a victim of the time it was made: episodic storytelling means that the aliens come up with bizarrely different schemes on a weekly basis (weather control, infiltrating industry, man-eating butterflies), and there are nagging problems with the format - it is required that the aliens never just kill Vincent, and that he never manages to get evidence of their activity, either. Some would say that Roy Thinnes' intensely dour performance is not exactly what a show like this needs.
Still, there are some good individual episodes, and the iconography of the show does hang around in your head (it's clearly one of the shows that was a major influence on The X Files). It's a shame this kind of story has since been done to death as you could easily imagine a contemporary Invaders remake being really good (even though the 90s mini-series really wasn't).
Larry Cohen's original concept - a paranoid thriller with few overt SF elements - was rapidly abandoned, and Cohen himself had little involvement. The programme is really a victim of the time it was made: episodic storytelling means that the aliens come up with bizarrely different schemes on a weekly basis (weather control, infiltrating industry, man-eating butterflies), and there are nagging problems with the format - it is required that the aliens never just kill Vincent, and that he never manages to get evidence of their activity, either. Some would say that Roy Thinnes' intensely dour performance is not exactly what a show like this needs.
Still, there are some good individual episodes, and the iconography of the show does hang around in your head (it's clearly one of the shows that was a major influence on The X Files). It's a shame this kind of story has since been done to death as you could easily imagine a contemporary Invaders remake being really good (even though the 90s mini-series really wasn't).
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging in Books
Mar 11, 2018
An important and necessary conversation
There is a wealth of insight crammed into this book about race and identity in Britain, describing how important it is to have a cohesive self by accepting that you may have other identities alongside being a UK citizen.
What hinders this process is the apparent racism that plagues British society, from being 'colour-blind' and thus ignoring the issue, to the awkward and troubled relationship with Britain's history and its origins. The author, Afua Hirsch, also discovers her own Ghanaian roots throughout her journey of self-awareness, making this book both a memoir and social commentary. Hirsch checks her privilege immediately, which makes a refreshing change.
While I can completely relate to her opinions on the racist structures in place and the microagressions that have become normalised, the historical and anthropological elements were the most fascinating parts for me. Learning about the racist views upheld by leading western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Huhne, as well as how the 1919 race riots ensued over the perception of 'white cleansing' was deeply concerning.
Hirsch's call for change on Britain's selective amnesia is not new but it has a contemporary angle following the country's move to leave the EU. Incredibly engaging.
What hinders this process is the apparent racism that plagues British society, from being 'colour-blind' and thus ignoring the issue, to the awkward and troubled relationship with Britain's history and its origins. The author, Afua Hirsch, also discovers her own Ghanaian roots throughout her journey of self-awareness, making this book both a memoir and social commentary. Hirsch checks her privilege immediately, which makes a refreshing change.
While I can completely relate to her opinions on the racist structures in place and the microagressions that have become normalised, the historical and anthropological elements were the most fascinating parts for me. Learning about the racist views upheld by leading western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Huhne, as well as how the 1919 race riots ensued over the perception of 'white cleansing' was deeply concerning.
Hirsch's call for change on Britain's selective amnesia is not new but it has a contemporary angle following the country's move to leave the EU. Incredibly engaging.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated The Hunger in Books
Jun 28, 2018
Either narrow the focus or expand the scope
Contains spoilers, click to show
This book was so hyped. I was getting emails about it for months; Stephen King recommended it up and down. And it was good! Sort of.
As others have noted, Katsu does an excellent job of building atmosphere and tension in the first half of the book, but when things start to unravel for the Donner Party, so does the narrative. There are too many characters to keep track of interspersed with too many flashbacks. It weakens the impact of what happened up in those mountains. In fact, it barely mentions them at all.
Yes, there are supernatural elements woven into an historical event. But—you know, it wasn’t really necessary. I thought the idea of linking it (the hunger) to a disease was an interesting one that ultimately went nowhere. It all just got too convoluted. I continuously had to keep rechecking who each character was, because some would disappear between chapters. There is so much that is lost between pages, including the fates of (what the reader is led to believe are) key characters.
Do yourself a favor if you pick this one up, and read the Wikipedia article on the Donner Party first. At least then you can maybe keep track of the characters.
As others have noted, Katsu does an excellent job of building atmosphere and tension in the first half of the book, but when things start to unravel for the Donner Party, so does the narrative. There are too many characters to keep track of interspersed with too many flashbacks. It weakens the impact of what happened up in those mountains. In fact, it barely mentions them at all.
Yes, there are supernatural elements woven into an historical event. But—you know, it wasn’t really necessary. I thought the idea of linking it (the hunger) to a disease was an interesting one that ultimately went nowhere. It all just got too convoluted. I continuously had to keep rechecking who each character was, because some would disappear between chapters. There is so much that is lost between pages, including the fates of (what the reader is led to believe are) key characters.
Do yourself a favor if you pick this one up, and read the Wikipedia article on the Donner Party first. At least then you can maybe keep track of the characters.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Things Fall Apart in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I received this book as part of a book exchange for my book club. I was excited because it finally gave me a reason to read a book that has been on my "I should read this" list. I finished this book and I honestly have no idea what my thoughts are. I'm trying to put them into words and I'm failing.
I liked this book for the multicultural issues that it proposes. It had elements that I have never grasped or read before which I enjoyed. I loved learning about the culture and customs of this tribe. I also loved how complex the main character was. I loved how at moments you're wanting him to be shunned and at other moments you want him to be fully embraced by his tribe.
I didn't like how abrupt the ending was. It was leading to the climax of the story and then just halted leaving me extremely unsatisfied. I want a resolution and I want a cookie cutter ending where everything is wrapped up tight with a cute little bow. Unfortunately, that isn't this book.
All in all, I'm happy that I read this book. I'm thrilled that I finally found time to read it. I'm just not so sure how I feel about it either.
I liked this book for the multicultural issues that it proposes. It had elements that I have never grasped or read before which I enjoyed. I loved learning about the culture and customs of this tribe. I also loved how complex the main character was. I loved how at moments you're wanting him to be shunned and at other moments you want him to be fully embraced by his tribe.
I didn't like how abrupt the ending was. It was leading to the climax of the story and then just halted leaving me extremely unsatisfied. I want a resolution and I want a cookie cutter ending where everything is wrapped up tight with a cute little bow. Unfortunately, that isn't this book.
All in all, I'm happy that I read this book. I'm thrilled that I finally found time to read it. I'm just not so sure how I feel about it either.
Steph (468 KP) rated Eldritch Horror in Tabletop Games
Jul 10, 2018
One of my all-time favorites!
Eldritch Horror is a difficult, horror-themed, co-operative board game. You and your fellow teammates play as characters with different abilities and, together, you are trying to stop an elder monster from awakening and destroying the world. If you'd played Arkham Horror, Eldritch is a streamlined version of it. There are TONS of expansions (I have all of them) that really add to the game through different characters, mechanics, bad guys, etc.
I wouldn't say this game was friendly to people who don't usually play board games because of all of the different rules and elements, though because of it's co-operative nature, it's not too hard to teach to people who do usually play board games.
This game has GREAT re-playability. It scales fairly well for different numbers of players, but does not play as well with odd numbers (the difficulty is the same as the even number one higher, but you have fewer turns). Because it's co-operative, you can have some players control more than one character. This is what we usually do if we play with odd numbers. It's challenging to do this, though, if everyone is new to the game.
I wouldn't say this game was friendly to people who don't usually play board games because of all of the different rules and elements, though because of it's co-operative nature, it's not too hard to teach to people who do usually play board games.
This game has GREAT re-playability. It scales fairly well for different numbers of players, but does not play as well with odd numbers (the difficulty is the same as the even number one higher, but you have fewer turns). Because it's co-operative, you can have some players control more than one character. This is what we usually do if we play with odd numbers. It's challenging to do this, though, if everyone is new to the game.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated One Hundred Years of Solitude in Books
Aug 5, 2018
Weird and a little overrated
I thought this book was more of a historical epic, and although it's based around the history of one family, I hadn't expected the deep fantasy elements throughout the story.
To begin with this book was a revelation - it was weird and wonderful, entertaining and a little bit bonkers. However this for me could only keep me going so far. Around 2/3 of the way through I started to get a little bit bored and getting through the remainder of the book was such a drag. The book has a sort of dreamlike quality to it and the plot and narrative moves and jumps around quite a lot and it did become a little difficult to follow. It wasn't helped by the fact that nearly all characters had different variations of the same 3 names, so it was a massive issue trying to remember which person was being spoken about. The characters themselves were also fairly unlikable and you can only read for so long when you don't like the characters.
It's an interesting story and a very unusual plot and writing style, but I just wish it had been at the very least a little shorter. Not one I'd read again.
To begin with this book was a revelation - it was weird and wonderful, entertaining and a little bit bonkers. However this for me could only keep me going so far. Around 2/3 of the way through I started to get a little bit bored and getting through the remainder of the book was such a drag. The book has a sort of dreamlike quality to it and the plot and narrative moves and jumps around quite a lot and it did become a little difficult to follow. It wasn't helped by the fact that nearly all characters had different variations of the same 3 names, so it was a massive issue trying to remember which person was being spoken about. The characters themselves were also fairly unlikable and you can only read for so long when you don't like the characters.
It's an interesting story and a very unusual plot and writing style, but I just wish it had been at the very least a little shorter. Not one I'd read again.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Terrifier (2017) in Movies
Oct 31, 2018
Intriguing new character "Art" (1 more)
Gore galore
Doesn't seem to really have any depth (1 more)
Style over substance?
Does what it promises...but little more
So I finally got around to watching Terrifier, and yeah, it was pretty good.
Art the Clown is a captivating antagonist, with the playful tendencies of pennywise combined with the raw savagery of Jason, with just a pinch of the sadistic in there too.
The kills are largely effective, and brutal, the other characters are mostly fine and bearable, and certainly this is a film worthy of a sequel.
However, there is a niggling criticism that Terrifier is just a series of largely unrelated scenes, where they try to make Art as Brutal/Weird/Unsettling as possible, without really concerning themselves with any sort of a deeper plot, lore or moral.
The rules and motivations surrounding Art are unclear, at times hinting at mother issues, him just being an ordinary lunatic, but also having some supernatural elements too.
Its enjoyable enough without the lore and background, but for Art to transcend from a one off (if you ignore the short film starring him) we need to understand more.
Still, if you like your 80's gore horror, I am sure you will find something to like here.
Art the Clown is a captivating antagonist, with the playful tendencies of pennywise combined with the raw savagery of Jason, with just a pinch of the sadistic in there too.
The kills are largely effective, and brutal, the other characters are mostly fine and bearable, and certainly this is a film worthy of a sequel.
However, there is a niggling criticism that Terrifier is just a series of largely unrelated scenes, where they try to make Art as Brutal/Weird/Unsettling as possible, without really concerning themselves with any sort of a deeper plot, lore or moral.
The rules and motivations surrounding Art are unclear, at times hinting at mother issues, him just being an ordinary lunatic, but also having some supernatural elements too.
Its enjoyable enough without the lore and background, but for Art to transcend from a one off (if you ignore the short film starring him) we need to understand more.
Still, if you like your 80's gore horror, I am sure you will find something to like here.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Cover Me - Single by Camille Miller in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Camille Miller is a German-born singer-songwriter who was raised on military bases all over Canada. Not too long ago, she released a cool indie-alternative tune, entitled, “Cover Me”.
“Stand before me, let me your soul. Let me feel the warmth of your touch. Hearts unguarded, bodies perfect in their flaws. I can’t do this on my own. Modern life through the telephone staring in and fading out. We’re all covered in lonely, we’re all covered in doubt.” – lyrics
‘Cover Me’ contains a relatable narrative, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with indie-pop and alternative elements. Also, the track possesses a tasty guitar solo.
“Thinking about how technology and social media sometimes make us doubt ourselves. How something that can brilliantly bring us together, can also keep us separated in ways we have never experienced before. How the need and want of human interaction is so important and deeply needed.” – Camille Miller
Camille Miller was brought up on a hearty diet of Motown, Carly Simon, The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and the Rolling Stones.
With the sound of these greats of yesteryear oozing through her veins, she continues her global trend of turning listeners into lifelong fans.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/camille-miller-cover-me/
“Stand before me, let me your soul. Let me feel the warmth of your touch. Hearts unguarded, bodies perfect in their flaws. I can’t do this on my own. Modern life through the telephone staring in and fading out. We’re all covered in lonely, we’re all covered in doubt.” – lyrics
‘Cover Me’ contains a relatable narrative, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with indie-pop and alternative elements. Also, the track possesses a tasty guitar solo.
“Thinking about how technology and social media sometimes make us doubt ourselves. How something that can brilliantly bring us together, can also keep us separated in ways we have never experienced before. How the need and want of human interaction is so important and deeply needed.” – Camille Miller
Camille Miller was brought up on a hearty diet of Motown, Carly Simon, The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and the Rolling Stones.
With the sound of these greats of yesteryear oozing through her veins, she continues her global trend of turning listeners into lifelong fans.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/camille-miller-cover-me/