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New York, New York (1977)
9.0
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Movie Watch
Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro), an aspiring saxophone player, meets established USO band singer...
Turn Out the Lights by Julien Baker
5.0
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Album Watch
Julien Baker’s solo debut, Sprained Ankle, was one of the most widely hailed works of 2015. The...
indie alternative rock
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Blind Assassin in Books
Mar 4, 2018
Novel within a novel with great twists
Once again, literary maestro Margaret Atwood has produced another creative mega-feat. Her novel in a novel reminds me of her other work Hagseed, also exploring the theme of revenge.
However, there is very little to laugh about in this story in which narrator Iris, at the end of her life, describes the mysterious circumstances that her sister, husband and lover all died in. Younger sibling Laura is said to have been killed after her car edged off a cliff, all the while leaving the world with a controversial novel that describes a racy affair.
Iris reveals the truth about the incidents from her perspective, which means we always see Laura as child-like and naive, while her husband Richard and his sister Winifred are portrayed as cardboard villains. With that in mind, Atwood's characters are realistic because they are all just points of view from one person. Great twists in this book.
However, there is very little to laugh about in this story in which narrator Iris, at the end of her life, describes the mysterious circumstances that her sister, husband and lover all died in. Younger sibling Laura is said to have been killed after her car edged off a cliff, all the while leaving the world with a controversial novel that describes a racy affair.
Iris reveals the truth about the incidents from her perspective, which means we always see Laura as child-like and naive, while her husband Richard and his sister Winifred are portrayed as cardboard villains. With that in mind, Atwood's characters are realistic because they are all just points of view from one person. Great twists in this book.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Catch Lili Too in Books
Feb 15, 2021
Just when I thought I was near the end it turned out I was only halfway through.....bonus!
Lili isn't the easiest character to love but she grew on me. For all that she is, has been and has the potential to be, she has human traits that she never wanted. She is jaded, tired and depressed. The difference for her is that she isn't in her thirties or forties......she's thousands of years old with a past she'd like to forget.....
Catch Lili Too kept me guessing all the way through, everytime I thought I'd worked it out something else happened.....just how I like it.
The finger of suspicion spins slowly around a misfit group, casting doubts and leaving mistrust. Added in at the beginning of each chapter is a nice one liner of sarcastic humour, which I like.
A well written book that I didn't want to put down. It did exactly what it should do and pulled me into a different world......
Lili isn't the easiest character to love but she grew on me. For all that she is, has been and has the potential to be, she has human traits that she never wanted. She is jaded, tired and depressed. The difference for her is that she isn't in her thirties or forties......she's thousands of years old with a past she'd like to forget.....
Catch Lili Too kept me guessing all the way through, everytime I thought I'd worked it out something else happened.....just how I like it.
The finger of suspicion spins slowly around a misfit group, casting doubts and leaving mistrust. Added in at the beginning of each chapter is a nice one liner of sarcastic humour, which I like.
A well written book that I didn't want to put down. It did exactly what it should do and pulled me into a different world......
The Origins of the World's Mythologies
Book
In this comprehensive book Michael Witzel persuasively demonstrates the prehistoric origins of most...
Kieran Harvey (51 KP) rated Prometheus (2012) in Movies
Jul 18, 2017
Great storyline (5 more)
Effectively creates suspense
Good action
Fantastic visuals
Great cast
Very well directed
Some bad characters (1 more)
A bit cheesy in some places
Much better than everyone thinks
Prometheus is a prequel to Alien and a lot of fans weren't happy that it didn't include alien in the title however it's just a name at the end of the day and this film is very very good in my opinion.
The acting is great specifically from Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshal Green and Charlize Theron and the action is great despite coming in small amounts. The whole atmosphere of this world is fantastic because it really feels genuine despite all coming from the mind of Ridley Scott but it is evident that he is very passionate about this series and that makes the film better as it feels honest and dark and legitimately tense. It has some scenes in which I found hard to watch because of the high gore/ horror levels but apart from that it starts well and it ends terrifically as well.
The acting is great specifically from Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshal Green and Charlize Theron and the action is great despite coming in small amounts. The whole atmosphere of this world is fantastic because it really feels genuine despite all coming from the mind of Ridley Scott but it is evident that he is very passionate about this series and that makes the film better as it feels honest and dark and legitimately tense. It has some scenes in which I found hard to watch because of the high gore/ horror levels but apart from that it starts well and it ends terrifically as well.
Celia Davies spends her days helping the women of 1867 San Francisco via her free medical clinic. One of her patients, a former Chinese prostitute is found murdered, and Celia must know what happened to her. Meanwhile, Nicholas Greaves is the police officer assigned to the case, and he is determined to get justice for the young woman. But where will the investigation lead?
This is a good debut that will please any fan of historical mysteries. The characters are intriguing, and their history makes them seem even more real. The plot did bog down a few times, but never for very long, and we reach a logical conclusion before the end. The world of 1867 is brought to wonderful life as well, and it’s easy to get lost in another time.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-no-comfort-for-lost-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a good debut that will please any fan of historical mysteries. The characters are intriguing, and their history makes them seem even more real. The plot did bog down a few times, but never for very long, and we reach a logical conclusion before the end. The world of 1867 is brought to wonderful life as well, and it’s easy to get lost in another time.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-no-comfort-for-lost-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018
Should've Dreamed a Little Bigger
If brevity is the soul of wit, then at only 95 minutes The Dark Tower should have a few clever things to say for itself; not many of them seem to reach the screen, though. Very reminiscent of many other movies in which troubled young boys tumble into fantasy world which it proves to be their destiny to save.
Given it sets out to adapt a 4000+ page novel series with a devoted following, The Dark Tower was probably always on a hiding to nothing as a single movie aimed at a standalone audience. The disappointing thing is, really, that given it's about a vast multiversal setting filled with elementals and psychics and wizards and gunslingers and suchlike, it feels so timidly safe and familiar. The actual story is competently told, but at the end you really wonder what all the fuss was in aid of. Probably too weird for most newcomers and too short for fans of the books; good soundtrack, though.
Given it sets out to adapt a 4000+ page novel series with a devoted following, The Dark Tower was probably always on a hiding to nothing as a single movie aimed at a standalone audience. The disappointing thing is, really, that given it's about a vast multiversal setting filled with elementals and psychics and wizards and gunslingers and suchlike, it feels so timidly safe and familiar. The actual story is competently told, but at the end you really wonder what all the fuss was in aid of. Probably too weird for most newcomers and too short for fans of the books; good soundtrack, though.
Channel Shore: From the White Cliffs to Land's End
Book
The English Channel is the busiest waterway in the world. Ferries steam back and forth, trains...
Kaz (232 KP) rated Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in Books
May 15, 2019
The Best Book So Far in the Series
The 'Blurb':
'The Peculiar Children are back in the third installment in the bestselling series of YA novels by Ransom Riggs. Time is running out for the Peculiar Children. With a dangerous madman on the loose, and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, it's up to Jacob Portman to channel his newfound abilities and defeat Caul before he loses his friends--and their world--forever. This action-packed adventure features all-new Peculiar photographs from times and places all over the world.'
I've recently finished reading 'Library of Souls' by Ransom Riggs and I thought that this was the best book in the series. I'm not sure if this book was the last in a trilogy or the new book due to come out, follows on from what happened in 'Library of Souls', but I liked the plot of this novel.
Whilst I enjoyed the other two books, I think with 'Library of Souls', the story really gets going and this book was really well-paced and exciting.
I liked the development of the characters and I also thought that the themes running through the book, about how power use others to gain power for themselves, was thought provoking and mature. The teen romance is the only thing that lets this down slightly throughout the other books, but that element was dealt with well in 'Library of Souls'.
Also I think that the writing style is better in this novel. In the first novel, there were a few times where the writing seemed a bit awkward, but I think 'Library of Souls' is well written and at times, funny. At times, the story mirrored 'Harry Potter', but I still thought that it was still quite original.
I hope the new book continues Jacob's story, but even if that's the last thing we hear of this set of characters, this was a fitting end to their adventures.
My Rating **** 1/2 Stars
'The Peculiar Children are back in the third installment in the bestselling series of YA novels by Ransom Riggs. Time is running out for the Peculiar Children. With a dangerous madman on the loose, and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, it's up to Jacob Portman to channel his newfound abilities and defeat Caul before he loses his friends--and their world--forever. This action-packed adventure features all-new Peculiar photographs from times and places all over the world.'
I've recently finished reading 'Library of Souls' by Ransom Riggs and I thought that this was the best book in the series. I'm not sure if this book was the last in a trilogy or the new book due to come out, follows on from what happened in 'Library of Souls', but I liked the plot of this novel.
Whilst I enjoyed the other two books, I think with 'Library of Souls', the story really gets going and this book was really well-paced and exciting.
I liked the development of the characters and I also thought that the themes running through the book, about how power use others to gain power for themselves, was thought provoking and mature. The teen romance is the only thing that lets this down slightly throughout the other books, but that element was dealt with well in 'Library of Souls'.
Also I think that the writing style is better in this novel. In the first novel, there were a few times where the writing seemed a bit awkward, but I think 'Library of Souls' is well written and at times, funny. At times, the story mirrored 'Harry Potter', but I still thought that it was still quite original.
I hope the new book continues Jacob's story, but even if that's the last thing we hear of this set of characters, this was a fitting end to their adventures.
My Rating **** 1/2 Stars