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Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Jan 26, 2018
Exceptional remake
Based on the famous book written by Agatha Christie Novel Murder On The Orient Express. The story of thirteen different strangers and one famous Detective are on one of the most luxurious trains in the eastern hemisphere. One man gets murdered and it is up to famous detective Hercule Poirot to solve the case. The train passengers contain a mixture of classes from a Princess, to countess, a Doctor, a Dancer, The valet, The professor, the gold digger a antiquities dealer and a nurse, a governess, a Count, the Italian fan and the Conductor. They are the suspects in this cold blooded murder. During the murder the an avalanche knocks the train off the tracks and during this is when the body is discovered. It is this stoppage of time that allows our Hero to question the suspects and try to make sense of all the evidence what ever there maybe.
I can't divulge more because there are so many different plot points that it would ruin the chance for you to see the movie and enjoy it.
The Book can never be beat, The first movie was ok but, the remake was fantastic. Stars Melanie Griffith, Judi Dench, William Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Deep, Josh Gad, Penople Cruz and Kenneth Branagh. This is an excellent cast for this movie and it is amazing. I do suggest you read the book first but, that is just a suggestion
I can't divulge more because there are so many different plot points that it would ruin the chance for you to see the movie and enjoy it.
The Book can never be beat, The first movie was ok but, the remake was fantastic. Stars Melanie Griffith, Judi Dench, William Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Deep, Josh Gad, Penople Cruz and Kenneth Branagh. This is an excellent cast for this movie and it is amazing. I do suggest you read the book first but, that is just a suggestion
Heathere' (25 KP) rated Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo in Books
Mar 21, 2018 (Updated Mar 21, 2018)
A tale of tolerance and advocacy for both children & adults
Contains spoilers, click to show
A beautiful tale about a boy bunny, Marlon Bundo, who falls in love with another boy bunny, Wesley. Marlon's grandpa happens to be, Vice President Mike Pence. In real life, Pence has held a strong opposition to LGBTQ rights; young children will probably not be aware of this and so the humor is there for the parents. There is no sexual content in this book and is merely about love. The artwork is amazing and Marlon looks very dapper in his fantastic bow-ties. The stink bug declares that there will only be love between boy/girl bunnies and not boy/boy bunnies and that because Marlon loves Wesley, he is different and bad. Of course the stink bug resembles Pence. I bought this book on Kindle for my 6 month old granddaughter and I read it to her immediately and am eagerly waiting the hardcover version. I also read it to my 2 male and very gay cats and both the baby and 2 cats enjoyed it immensely! This book is a great teaching aid for children born to heterosexual parents or children of same sex parents, not to mention adults!
Merissa (14068 KP) rated Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (Law of the Lycans #4) in Books
Mar 26, 2018
Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (Law of the Lycans #4) by Nicky Charles
Betrayed: Days of the Rogue promised to be an intriguing read, highlighting one of my favourite characters - Damien. However I will admit to being slightly disappointed as he wasn't in it as much as I wanted. Now, don't get me wrong. He still plays a major part in this book, but mainly it is about Eve and Rafe (which I guess is as it should be being as they're the romantic stars!) Still, Damien is such a fantastic character that I wanted more.
Moving on - this book has plenty of twists and turns, and you don't know until the end just which side Damien is on. There are murders happening of those with Fae blood, and it looks like Eve will be the next one. Rafe knows all about rogues from his time working with them. He also knows that the man on his territory is Damien. Rafe thinks Damien is the one doing the killing - he is a rogue after all. With old friends showing up, this is a great story and also shows that Eve is more than capable of rescuing herself!
Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this was a great addition to the series, and definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Moving on - this book has plenty of twists and turns, and you don't know until the end just which side Damien is on. There are murders happening of those with Fae blood, and it looks like Eve will be the next one. Rafe knows all about rogues from his time working with them. He also knows that the man on his territory is Damien. Rafe thinks Damien is the one doing the killing - he is a rogue after all. With old friends showing up, this is a great story and also shows that Eve is more than capable of rescuing herself!
Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this was a great addition to the series, and definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated The Philosopher's Flight in Books
May 29, 2018
For anyone who has been suffering withdrawal from the end of a certain magical boy wizard series, The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller is the perfect antidote! It's clever, and sharp, but also a quick read based on alternative history where special "powers" can do different things, and one boys journey to"fit in" this world where girls rule! The opposite sexism is interesting (women typically have the most refined powers and go to war, do the dangerous stuff, etc.) and Robert wants to do everything the women do - and we see if he attains that goal, while facing some pretty crazy "roadblocks" along the way.
I love stories that take me away to another place - get me out of reality and imagine what life would be like if things were "different". And this book does just that. It's very clever how it's pretty historically accurate, just with this twist of Sigilry, these signs and symbols drawn to move energy and ultimately produce some sort of effect (hovering/flying, restoring health, moving an object, sending messages). There are great stories of friendship, interesting characters, and stories of love as well. All wrapped up in a creative story of action, adventure and social-awareness.
There are a few "racy" scenes...so I'd recommend a more mature audience, but its fantastic all-around in general. I'm excited to see if the Philosopher Flies Again! Thanks NetGalley!
I love stories that take me away to another place - get me out of reality and imagine what life would be like if things were "different". And this book does just that. It's very clever how it's pretty historically accurate, just with this twist of Sigilry, these signs and symbols drawn to move energy and ultimately produce some sort of effect (hovering/flying, restoring health, moving an object, sending messages). There are great stories of friendship, interesting characters, and stories of love as well. All wrapped up in a creative story of action, adventure and social-awareness.
There are a few "racy" scenes...so I'd recommend a more mature audience, but its fantastic all-around in general. I'm excited to see if the Philosopher Flies Again! Thanks NetGalley!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Fortitude - Season 1 in TV
Dec 9, 2018
A genre-spanning atmospheric thriller
I watched Fortitude when it first aired a few years ago, and have decided to give it another watch now to refresh my memory now the final series has aired.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Merissa (14068 KP) rated Voodoo Butterfly (Voodoo Butterfly #1) in Books
Jul 12, 2018
Voodoo Butterfly (Voodoo Butterfly #1) by Camille Faye
Voodoo Butterfly is the first book in the Voodoo Butterfly series, and from the start you can tell that research has been done for this story. Sophia is alone in the world, or at least she thinks she is. Her mother moved away from New Orleans, and told Sophia everyone was dead. However, after her mother's death, Sophia finds out that her grandmother had been alive, but no longer. She is told she has inherited half of a shop, and goes to the funeral to pay her last respects to a woman she never knew about.
This is a gripping and interesting story, with many facets to keep your attention. It is well written, with plenty of character development throughout. And come on, admit it, if you were handed a voodoo shop in New Orleans, you'd be sceptical too! I loved the interaction between all the characters, although I was unsure of just what Jacques was playing at.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, and I definitely would like to continue with this series. A fantastic start that leaves you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a gripping and interesting story, with many facets to keep your attention. It is well written, with plenty of character development throughout. And come on, admit it, if you were handed a voodoo shop in New Orleans, you'd be sceptical too! I loved the interaction between all the characters, although I was unsure of just what Jacques was playing at.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, and I definitely would like to continue with this series. A fantastic start that leaves you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated The Cruel Prince in Books
Sep 15, 2018
A great start to the series
THE CRUEL PRINCE was a great start to this series and it holds so much promise in terms of future book potential. The strengths of this series lie in the meeting of mortal and faerie worlds and the mixing of mortal and faerie beings, with hierarchy and prejudice being prominent. The book is full of strong characters to like, love, dislike and hate. Each character was developed so well, even some of the lesser characters. However, there are many lead characters and this exemplifies Holly Black’s talent.
Jude, the female main character was a strong young women who had had a life of hardship, trauma, bullying and adversity. She went through a coming of age that was forced on her during this read and she was just fantastic to focus on. The family relationships were complex and fascinating; the potential romantic relationships were unexpected and intriguing.
I listened to this on audio and I have to admit to feeling a lack of focus mid-way, where it either lost pace or the audio wasn’t working for me. The narration was good however. I can see myself flipping to the book a re-read before book two and continuing in this format.
I am truly excited at the continuation of the series and the final 15% was thrilling. Most YA fantasy fans will roll around in the muddy hype on this one, feeling satisfied.
Jude, the female main character was a strong young women who had had a life of hardship, trauma, bullying and adversity. She went through a coming of age that was forced on her during this read and she was just fantastic to focus on. The family relationships were complex and fascinating; the potential romantic relationships were unexpected and intriguing.
I listened to this on audio and I have to admit to feeling a lack of focus mid-way, where it either lost pace or the audio wasn’t working for me. The narration was good however. I can see myself flipping to the book a re-read before book two and continuing in this format.
I am truly excited at the continuation of the series and the final 15% was thrilling. Most YA fantasy fans will roll around in the muddy hype on this one, feeling satisfied.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Princess Bride in Books
Sep 19, 2018
Nostalgia (2 more)
Characters
Plot
Great Nostalgia!
For the past week or so I have been struggling to read. Nothing has seemed to grab my attention and due to stress & drama in my life I had to put down books that I would have otherwise loved. Needless to say, I needed something that would help put a smile to my face. I've been putting off reading The Princess Bride simply because I love the movie so much. It's one of those books where I have always worried that it would ruin the movie so I've always put it off even though I owned the book for years. With the mood I've been in, I figured that this was the perfect time to revisit old characters in a new way and boy am I happy I did.
The Princess Bride is a cute quick read. The audiobook has a fantastic narrator & I loved Rob Reiner reading the book to me. It just made it that much better. Don't expect this book to be a beautifully written masterpiece because it isn't. The writing is basic and it's definitely a midgrade book. It's something that you can read to your children and know that they too will enjoy the actionpacked book.
All in all, I'm giving this 5 caffeinated stars. Partially due to nostalgia but mainly due to it being a dang good midgrade book that is sure to pull you into the story.
The Princess Bride is a cute quick read. The audiobook has a fantastic narrator & I loved Rob Reiner reading the book to me. It just made it that much better. Don't expect this book to be a beautifully written masterpiece because it isn't. The writing is basic and it's definitely a midgrade book. It's something that you can read to your children and know that they too will enjoy the actionpacked book.
All in all, I'm giving this 5 caffeinated stars. Partially due to nostalgia but mainly due to it being a dang good midgrade book that is sure to pull you into the story.
Best British drama in a long time
I don't really do British tv dramas, mainly because most of them are all very similar or just not my cup of tea, however after the hype surrounding this, I decided to give it a chance.
This is by far the best British drama I've seen in a long time (albeit I may not have seen many recently). Richard Madden is superb as David Budd and I really hope he goes far with his career. There's Bond rumours flying about (although to be fair those same rumours are fixed to every British actor within a certain age range) and i honestly think he would make a great Bond as long as he doesn't go with his native Scottish. The story itself is interesting and there are some fantastic twists and turns. Some of it may be a tad predictable, over the top and cliched - I almost stopped watching after episode 2 when the bodyguard slept with his ward - and you have to suspend your disbelief in parts. If only real police work in the UK was this dramatic! However I was particularly impressed with the final episode. Never before have I felt so tense and terrified watching a British drama, the tension and suspense in this episode alone was marvellous. The final scene itself was a tad disappointing as I'd expected a little more action, but the rest of the episode and series more than made up for it.
This is by far the best British drama I've seen in a long time (albeit I may not have seen many recently). Richard Madden is superb as David Budd and I really hope he goes far with his career. There's Bond rumours flying about (although to be fair those same rumours are fixed to every British actor within a certain age range) and i honestly think he would make a great Bond as long as he doesn't go with his native Scottish. The story itself is interesting and there are some fantastic twists and turns. Some of it may be a tad predictable, over the top and cliched - I almost stopped watching after episode 2 when the bodyguard slept with his ward - and you have to suspend your disbelief in parts. If only real police work in the UK was this dramatic! However I was particularly impressed with the final episode. Never before have I felt so tense and terrified watching a British drama, the tension and suspense in this episode alone was marvellous. The final scene itself was a tad disappointing as I'd expected a little more action, but the rest of the episode and series more than made up for it.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Oct 10, 2018
Oscar worthy performances from the cast (2 more)
A genuinely complex approach to character based horror
Grounded horror, exploring reality and supernatural settings
It may be a little too slow for some (1 more)
This is not an easy viewing, and not a popcorn flick, you will need to pay full attention!
We Are family...
This movie is....intense.
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
It is painful.
It is uncomfortable.
It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.
The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.
They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.
The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.
The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.
It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.
Watch it!
