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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) in Movies
Jan 15, 2018 (Updated Jan 15, 2018)
One of the best scripts ever used in a movie (2 more)
Brilliant direction
Astonishing performances
One Of The Best Movies Of 2017
I was excited for this one ever since it first got announced, as I adore the last two movies written and directed by Martin McDonagh; Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges. This film did not disappoint me. The plot takes several unexpected turns, the dialogue is witty and darkly hilarious and the way that each scene is crafted is masterful. The cinematography compliments the tone set in each scene beautifully. The performances are all fantastic and if Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell don't get an Oscar nod for their respective performances, then there really is no justice.
Everything from the way that the film is structured to the more technical elements such as lighting and score, is absolutely flawless. This film's screenplay is one of the best I've ever seen play out onscreen and it is one of my favourite movies of 2017.
Everything from the way that the film is structured to the more technical elements such as lighting and score, is absolutely flawless. This film's screenplay is one of the best I've ever seen play out onscreen and it is one of my favourite movies of 2017.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated A Dog's Heart in Books
Sep 2, 2017
Fabulous Russian tale about human ethics
What a fantastic satirical book. Think about crossing Frankenstein with My Fair Lady, and then setting it in Soviet Russia. This book is about how human beings are essentially more enslaved to systems than a dog is. A doctor decides to do a science experiment, putting the pituitary gland and testicles of a man into a stray dog to see the results. Instead they end up with a man wolf, who is rude and obnoxious, and demands the same rights as a human being. No sooner is he a man, he is forced to be registered and take part in rebuilding the nation after tsarist Russia. However, as a man he's still treated as a lowly pauper or a dog by the doctor. So who is more free - the dog having to raid bins to search for scraps or the one owned by the doctor and the government? Fabulous little tale.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Girls Made of Snow and Glass in Books
Sep 5, 2017
One of my best books of 2017!
I received an ARC of this book through Goodreads and got to read it before the release date (September 5th! GO GET IT!) and I was SO excited to read it. It did not disappoint! This is her debut novel, and the story is absolutely fantastic. It’s billed as a “fantasy feminist fairy tale” and I think it lives up to that pretty well. There are no princes in this story. There are a couple of men – the King, the Queen’s father, and the Huntsman, but they are not who the story is about. The story really is about the relationship between the Queen/stepmother and her stepdaughter, the Princess.
You can read my full review here: https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/book-review-girls-made-of-snow-and-glass/
You can read my full review here: https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/book-review-girls-made-of-snow-and-glass/
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Ghostbusters (2016) in Movies
Aug 13, 2017
Effects (3 more)
Chris Hemsworth
Cameos
Plot
Melissa McCarthy & Kristen Wiig (1 more)
Character stereotypes
Better than expected
I'm really not a fan of Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, and I was completely against any sort of remake or sequel to the fantastic original, but with this I was pleasantly surprised.
I still didn't like McCarthy and Wiig although I'll admit they weren't as grating as usual. The character of Patty was so stereotypical too which just became very irritating. A lot of the humour too wasn't really my cup of tea but I can't say I'm surprised.
That said, I loved Chris Hemsworth's character and Holtzmann too, and they raised some of the few laughs I got from this film. The effects were brilliant and the plot itself was fairly well thought out. And I loved the cameos from the old Ghostbusters. Not great or a patch on the original, but nowhere near as bad as I'd anticipated.
I still didn't like McCarthy and Wiig although I'll admit they weren't as grating as usual. The character of Patty was so stereotypical too which just became very irritating. A lot of the humour too wasn't really my cup of tea but I can't say I'm surprised.
That said, I loved Chris Hemsworth's character and Holtzmann too, and they raised some of the few laughs I got from this film. The effects were brilliant and the plot itself was fairly well thought out. And I loved the cameos from the old Ghostbusters. Not great or a patch on the original, but nowhere near as bad as I'd anticipated.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Yellow Hummer in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Rating: 3.75
The Yellow Hummer is a Christmas story about a little boy named Jordan who gets a yellow Hummer with a remote control from Santa. His grandma helps him open it, but the wire gets cut and Jordan is upset that his toy won't work the way it's supposed to. He is upset for a while, but then forgives his grandma because even though it doesn't work the way it was made to work, the hummer isn't broken, and he loves his grandma more than his toy. The Yellow Hummer strives to show that people are more important than things.
The Yellow Hummer had nice illustrations, though they weren't fantastic, and was written pretty well. There are some pretty big words, like atmosphere and successfully and troublesome, as if the writer is trying to introduce some bigger words into children's literature and daily vocabulary. There isn't too much text on one page that you'd loose a kid's attention, either.
Recommendation: Ages 4-7
The Yellow Hummer is a Christmas story about a little boy named Jordan who gets a yellow Hummer with a remote control from Santa. His grandma helps him open it, but the wire gets cut and Jordan is upset that his toy won't work the way it's supposed to. He is upset for a while, but then forgives his grandma because even though it doesn't work the way it was made to work, the hummer isn't broken, and he loves his grandma more than his toy. The Yellow Hummer strives to show that people are more important than things.
The Yellow Hummer had nice illustrations, though they weren't fantastic, and was written pretty well. There are some pretty big words, like atmosphere and successfully and troublesome, as if the writer is trying to introduce some bigger words into children's literature and daily vocabulary. There isn't too much text on one page that you'd loose a kid's attention, either.
Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Fred (860 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
May 3, 2018 (Updated Jul 12, 2018)
I found myself many times during the movie wondering if there was ever going to be anything superhero-like in this superhero movie. I understand this is an origin story, but at some point, it needs to move along. It just dragged on too long. Could have been an hour long. There was also too much with the fighting that wasn't Panther. The girls were kicking more ass than Black Panther himself. It was ridiculous. Negatives aside, the acting was really good by everyone, with a great performance by Andy Serkis, of course. The Korea chase scene was fantastic. It's too bad there weren't more scenes like it. The battle scene at the end was very predictable. Bottom line is I did like it. I thought the story was well enough, but should have moved along at a better pace.
Connelly’s First Great Team Up
Former FBI agent Terry McCaleb is enjoying his new life on Catalina when he is asked to come back to the mainland and consult on a bizarre case. He zeros in on a clue – a plastic owl. Where will that lead him? Meanwhile, Harry Bosch is working closely with the prosecution on a case that he investigated. The defendant is a Hollywood director. Is their case strong enough to win?
Fans of Michael Connelly will enjoy getting to see these two characters team up in one book. We even get appearances by some characters from other Connelly books, which is a treat for fans, although not knowing the backstory doesn’t hamper anything if you start with this book. The characters are sharp, both returning and new. The pacing was a bit off as times since we can guess one twist early and Bosch’s scenes in court tend to slow things down, but overall, this is another great book with a fantastic climax.
Fans of Michael Connelly will enjoy getting to see these two characters team up in one book. We even get appearances by some characters from other Connelly books, which is a treat for fans, although not knowing the backstory doesn’t hamper anything if you start with this book. The characters are sharp, both returning and new. The pacing was a bit off as times since we can guess one twist early and Bosch’s scenes in court tend to slow things down, but overall, this is another great book with a fantastic climax.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2373 KP) rated Waste of Space in Books
May 7, 2018
Can Dash Find the Right Suspect?
When someone tries to poison Lars Sjoberg, no one is really surprised. This trillionaire has rubbed everyone the wrong way since he arrived on Moon Base Alpha. In fact, the real question becomes who didn’t want the man dead. Dashiell Gibson is roped into helping with the investigation. How did the poison get on base? And who tried to kill Lars?
This is another fantastic mystery for kids of all ages. The setting is creative, fun, and realistically handled. The mystery is great with good twists and turns. I did feel the pacing slowed down a little in the middle for a series long sub-plot, but that is a minor complaint. The characters are still strong, and there are moments that are guaranteed to make kids laugh and cheer. This is our final trip to the moon with these characters, and the series is wrapped up in a very satisfying way.
This is another fantastic mystery for kids of all ages. The setting is creative, fun, and realistically handled. The mystery is great with good twists and turns. I did feel the pacing slowed down a little in the middle for a series long sub-plot, but that is a minor complaint. The characters are still strong, and there are moments that are guaranteed to make kids laugh and cheer. This is our final trip to the moon with these characters, and the series is wrapped up in a very satisfying way.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Death Of Stalin (2017) in Movies
Feb 10, 2019
Needs more Jason Isaacs
This film has one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in a long time. There are some fantastic actors in this from both sides of the pond, and there isn't a single one that I'd criticise. The film itself isn't hilarious, but it is pretty funny and raises quite a few laughs. Its an ingeniously satirical take on the death of Stalin, and I'd love to see similar historical events re-enacted in the same manner, as it'd make them a lot more entertaining. It flits from scene to scene very quickly & it can be a little difficult to follow what's going on, but I don't think that really matters. For me though, the best thing about this film was Jason Isaacs. His general with a Yorkshire accent was absolutely hilarious, and I just wish he'd been in this film a lot more, as I probably would've rated it higher if he was.
Mothergamer (1574 KP) rated Kingdom Hearts III in Video Games
Feb 14, 2019
Great Adventure
I love the Kingdom Hearts series because it offered great characters and fantastic worlds from so many favorite Disney movies. I was quite excited for Kingdom Hearts III when it finally arrived. The combat is definitely better here and moves more fluidly. The attraction attacks are a lot of fun, but a couple aren't so great. I did have some favorites though and it was always a blast to use them. The addition of mini games definitely adds to the fun of the game. The story itself is interesting with familiar characters and great nods to previous Kingdom Hearts games. I have never liked the gummi ship because the controls for it were always awful. The gummi ship controls are a little better here, but they're still not great. The game is a bit short, but it's still a great game with amazing graphics and fun gameplay making it worth the wait.