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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight in Books
Jun 6, 2018
This review also features on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>.
I had never heard about this book until I won it on a blog giveaway. I thought the synopsis sounded good, and I wanted a break from the paranormal genre I usually read. Unfortunately, I was left feeling disappointed by this book.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a story that takes place over a twenty-four hour time frame. Hadley is an American seventeen year old girl who is being forced to go to her father's wedding in London to another woman. Hadley hasn't forgiven him for leaving her and her mother. Hadley misses her original flight by four minutes and is put on the next flight. It is while waiting for her flight that Hadley meets Oliver, a British teen who is on his way to London for a different reason. As luck would have it, Oliver and Hadley are on the same flight and are sitting in the same row. They talk and laugh all throughout their flight but are separated upon going through customs. Hadley is left feeling devastated. Will she ever see Oliver again or will she be doomed to be even more miserable at her dad's wedding?
At first, I didn't really think the title of the book made much sense. I was constantly wondering what the title had to do with the book? I mean, it does feature insta-love, but that's as far as the title went as to matching up with the book. However, the title is spoken by one of the characters in the book, so then it made sense.
I love the cover!! I love the way how it seems as if time has slowed down for the couple on the front of it. It's such a cute cover. It's one of the first things that caught my attention on this book. I also love the basic colours of the book, white, grey and red. It works perfectly!
I thought the setting was fantastic! Jennifer E. Smith did a fantastic job at making London seem perfect. When I've been to a city, I'm a bit more critical when reading about it in a book. However, the author did me proud in this book. Miss Smith was 100 percent accurate when it came to writing about London.
However, the pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. Upon reading every chapter, I just felt bored. This book didn't really make me feel anything. I was really happy that this was a fairly short book for this reason.
The dialogue was great and easy to understand. It's perfect for a YA book. There's no swearing, so it's a great book even for younger teens. Plus, there's no hard words in it that had me running for a dictionary.
As for the characters, Hadley is an okay character. She seems a bit younger than seventeen though if I'm honest. I just could never really get into Hadley. She felt just a bit too one dimensional. There wasn't enough character building for me to really relate to her. I liked Oliver. I found him to be funny and charming. I just wish he was featured in the book more and that the author would've done a bit more character building for him as well.
All in all, I felt this book was lacking major character development. I would've liked to have had more insight into the main characters' lives. Plus, the pacing was just a bit off.
I had never heard about this book until I won it on a blog giveaway. I thought the synopsis sounded good, and I wanted a break from the paranormal genre I usually read. Unfortunately, I was left feeling disappointed by this book.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a story that takes place over a twenty-four hour time frame. Hadley is an American seventeen year old girl who is being forced to go to her father's wedding in London to another woman. Hadley hasn't forgiven him for leaving her and her mother. Hadley misses her original flight by four minutes and is put on the next flight. It is while waiting for her flight that Hadley meets Oliver, a British teen who is on his way to London for a different reason. As luck would have it, Oliver and Hadley are on the same flight and are sitting in the same row. They talk and laugh all throughout their flight but are separated upon going through customs. Hadley is left feeling devastated. Will she ever see Oliver again or will she be doomed to be even more miserable at her dad's wedding?
At first, I didn't really think the title of the book made much sense. I was constantly wondering what the title had to do with the book? I mean, it does feature insta-love, but that's as far as the title went as to matching up with the book. However, the title is spoken by one of the characters in the book, so then it made sense.
I love the cover!! I love the way how it seems as if time has slowed down for the couple on the front of it. It's such a cute cover. It's one of the first things that caught my attention on this book. I also love the basic colours of the book, white, grey and red. It works perfectly!
I thought the setting was fantastic! Jennifer E. Smith did a fantastic job at making London seem perfect. When I've been to a city, I'm a bit more critical when reading about it in a book. However, the author did me proud in this book. Miss Smith was 100 percent accurate when it came to writing about London.
However, the pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. Upon reading every chapter, I just felt bored. This book didn't really make me feel anything. I was really happy that this was a fairly short book for this reason.
The dialogue was great and easy to understand. It's perfect for a YA book. There's no swearing, so it's a great book even for younger teens. Plus, there's no hard words in it that had me running for a dictionary.
As for the characters, Hadley is an okay character. She seems a bit younger than seventeen though if I'm honest. I just could never really get into Hadley. She felt just a bit too one dimensional. There wasn't enough character building for me to really relate to her. I liked Oliver. I found him to be funny and charming. I just wish he was featured in the book more and that the author would've done a bit more character building for him as well.
All in all, I felt this book was lacking major character development. I would've liked to have had more insight into the main characters' lives. Plus, the pacing was just a bit off.
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Ever since Netflix have proven themselves as a fantastic streaming platform, everyone gets hyped about their ‘Originals’. Velvet Buzzsaw was no exception, and when the first trailer dropped I was so excited to watch it. Everything about it seemed great; it was written and directed by Dan Gilroy (the guy who gave us the fantastic Nightcrawler), and the cast was incredible. Who could say no to Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo AND Toni Collette? Not me. Unfortunately, this wonderful mix didn’t live up to my expectations at all and left me feeling very disappointed.
The main issue I had with Velvet Buzzsaw is that the pacing is horrendously slow. The first 45 minutes felt like nothing but exposition, when it was a relatively simple concept for the audience to grasp. The film follows a bunch of art critics, artists and patrons of the arts as they uncover a series of paintings from an unknown artist. However, they’re not your normal paintings because a supernatural force lurks within them waiting to enact revenge. That’s it, that’s the synopsis. So why waste so much screen time dragging things out? The trailer made this look like a fast paced, intense thriller, but the reality is nothing like that.
It’s a shame the pacing and screenplay is so weak, because Velvet Buzzsaw does have a few redeeming features. The quality of acting is very good, and visually it’s beautiful to look at, particularly the locations and the paintings that appear throughout. I especially enjoyed the characters Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo) and Gretchen (Toni Collette), as they embody the typically powerful, ruthless and bitchy personas one would expect from this industry. They satirise art lovers perfectly, which is partially why I haven’t rated this film lower. In all honesty, these actors deserved better than the script they were dealt, and it’s a shame such talent was wasted here. I’m having trouble understanding how you can take such an interesting concept and brilliant actors, and make it so boring.
Even the inevitable death scenes are pretty dull, and play like a straight to TV horror film that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Velvet Buzzsaw fails to execute any sort of suspense, or even terror, so when people eventually die you’re just sat there like “Huh, is that it?”. After such a slow first act, you expect some kind of payoff, but it never arrives. Again, the trailer had some pretty scary moments that made me expect a few jump scares or intense moments. I’m confused about why this was even marketed as a horror-thriller, when it lacks so many of the aspects that make both those genres great. I didn’t feel scared at all, and even when the characters we were supposed to hate met their demise, there was no morbid satisfaction in it. To be completely honest, I was apathetic towards the whole thing. I just wanted it to end.
If you are a fan of slow-burning films that take a while to get going, then you might enjoy Velvet Buzzsaw more than I did. I don’t necessarily have a problem with these types of films, but you still need to keep the audience gripped somehow. You need to give people a reason to keep watching.
Gilroy’s attempt to show the horrors of the art world falls flat, and certainly doesn’t live up to the expectations based on the success of Nightcrawler. Part of me even wondered how this was the same man, it felt so vastly different to his other work. Netflix Originals rarely let me down, but this time, they really did.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-velvet-buzzsaw-2019/
The main issue I had with Velvet Buzzsaw is that the pacing is horrendously slow. The first 45 minutes felt like nothing but exposition, when it was a relatively simple concept for the audience to grasp. The film follows a bunch of art critics, artists and patrons of the arts as they uncover a series of paintings from an unknown artist. However, they’re not your normal paintings because a supernatural force lurks within them waiting to enact revenge. That’s it, that’s the synopsis. So why waste so much screen time dragging things out? The trailer made this look like a fast paced, intense thriller, but the reality is nothing like that.
It’s a shame the pacing and screenplay is so weak, because Velvet Buzzsaw does have a few redeeming features. The quality of acting is very good, and visually it’s beautiful to look at, particularly the locations and the paintings that appear throughout. I especially enjoyed the characters Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo) and Gretchen (Toni Collette), as they embody the typically powerful, ruthless and bitchy personas one would expect from this industry. They satirise art lovers perfectly, which is partially why I haven’t rated this film lower. In all honesty, these actors deserved better than the script they were dealt, and it’s a shame such talent was wasted here. I’m having trouble understanding how you can take such an interesting concept and brilliant actors, and make it so boring.
Even the inevitable death scenes are pretty dull, and play like a straight to TV horror film that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Velvet Buzzsaw fails to execute any sort of suspense, or even terror, so when people eventually die you’re just sat there like “Huh, is that it?”. After such a slow first act, you expect some kind of payoff, but it never arrives. Again, the trailer had some pretty scary moments that made me expect a few jump scares or intense moments. I’m confused about why this was even marketed as a horror-thriller, when it lacks so many of the aspects that make both those genres great. I didn’t feel scared at all, and even when the characters we were supposed to hate met their demise, there was no morbid satisfaction in it. To be completely honest, I was apathetic towards the whole thing. I just wanted it to end.
If you are a fan of slow-burning films that take a while to get going, then you might enjoy Velvet Buzzsaw more than I did. I don’t necessarily have a problem with these types of films, but you still need to keep the audience gripped somehow. You need to give people a reason to keep watching.
Gilroy’s attempt to show the horrors of the art world falls flat, and certainly doesn’t live up to the expectations based on the success of Nightcrawler. Part of me even wondered how this was the same man, it felt so vastly different to his other work. Netflix Originals rarely let me down, but this time, they really did.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-velvet-buzzsaw-2019/
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Spin in Books
Jun 21, 2019
The synopsis for Spin by K.J. Farnham really grabbed my attention. I had to know why Jenna was acting out. Plus, I liked how the synopsis mentioned that diary entries would be involved. Luckily, I was not disappointed one bit.
Jenna is a 16 year old high school girl. She's the picture of perfection. She's beautiful, popular, makes good grades, athletic, and is a great friend and daughter. However, when a certain person from her past moves back to her town, Jenna's painful memories of the past resurface. When it all becomes too much, Jenna acts out by drinking, taking drugs, and other bad behaviors. One night, on the way to confront her abuser, Jenna disappears. Through Jenna's diary, her point of view, and the points of view from her friends and family, we are able to piece together what happened to Jenna during her childhood and leading up to her disappearance.
I found the plot for Spin to be very interesting. Although it has been done many times before, Farnham was able to keep it fresh as well as fascinating. The plot leaves no cliff hangers and every question I had was answered. The one thing that was a little annoying was that in the same chapter, in a few parts of the book, the tense would switch between past and present. This was obviously missed in editing since the whole book is written in past tense. Other than that, Spin was written beautifully.
I really did enjoy the characters in Spin. Jenna was very likable, and I felt bad for her. I wanted things to go back to normal for her throughout the book. She was so vulnerable, and I hated how her events of her childhood had robbed her of all she had going for her. Keeley and Delaney, Jenna's best friends, felt realistic. Their actions regarding Jenna's behavior seemed like what most friends would be like at that age. I enjoyed reading things from their point of view. Dustin, Jenna's boyfriend, was also a great character. I hated how Jenna was treating him. I understood why she was acting the way she was towards him, but I just hate that he never knew the reasoning behind her actions. It still wouldn't have made it right, but at least Dustin would have had some insight. Leighton was my favorite character in Spin. Even I wanted to be friends with Leighton. I love what a great friend she was to Jenna and how loyal she was. Yes, Leighton did make some bad decisions, but her love for Jenna was admirable. I do wish Bonnie, Jenna's mom, would have read more of her diary. My heart went out to Bonnie especially when she felt like it was her fault after reading an entry in Jenna's diary before she went missing. I did feel that Bonnie was a little strict with Jenna especially when it came to Dustin. I felt like the character of Joseph was written perfectly. Was he truly a changed man or was he still sick?
The pacing for Spin was fantastic. Not once did I feel like the pacing was too slow or slowing down. It was never too quick either where I became lost. This book held my attention throughout. I was buckled up to go wherever Spin wanted to take me!
Trigger warnings for Spin include underage drinking, drug use, sexual situations (although not graphic), rape, attempted rape, child and teen sexual abuse, incest, profanity, and death.
All in all, Spin is a great read with a fantastic set of characters and an enthralling plot. Yes, it is a dark and emotional read, but it will not be a disappointing one for sure! I would definitely recommend Spin by K.J. Farnham to those aged 16+!
Jenna is a 16 year old high school girl. She's the picture of perfection. She's beautiful, popular, makes good grades, athletic, and is a great friend and daughter. However, when a certain person from her past moves back to her town, Jenna's painful memories of the past resurface. When it all becomes too much, Jenna acts out by drinking, taking drugs, and other bad behaviors. One night, on the way to confront her abuser, Jenna disappears. Through Jenna's diary, her point of view, and the points of view from her friends and family, we are able to piece together what happened to Jenna during her childhood and leading up to her disappearance.
I found the plot for Spin to be very interesting. Although it has been done many times before, Farnham was able to keep it fresh as well as fascinating. The plot leaves no cliff hangers and every question I had was answered. The one thing that was a little annoying was that in the same chapter, in a few parts of the book, the tense would switch between past and present. This was obviously missed in editing since the whole book is written in past tense. Other than that, Spin was written beautifully.
I really did enjoy the characters in Spin. Jenna was very likable, and I felt bad for her. I wanted things to go back to normal for her throughout the book. She was so vulnerable, and I hated how her events of her childhood had robbed her of all she had going for her. Keeley and Delaney, Jenna's best friends, felt realistic. Their actions regarding Jenna's behavior seemed like what most friends would be like at that age. I enjoyed reading things from their point of view. Dustin, Jenna's boyfriend, was also a great character. I hated how Jenna was treating him. I understood why she was acting the way she was towards him, but I just hate that he never knew the reasoning behind her actions. It still wouldn't have made it right, but at least Dustin would have had some insight. Leighton was my favorite character in Spin. Even I wanted to be friends with Leighton. I love what a great friend she was to Jenna and how loyal she was. Yes, Leighton did make some bad decisions, but her love for Jenna was admirable. I do wish Bonnie, Jenna's mom, would have read more of her diary. My heart went out to Bonnie especially when she felt like it was her fault after reading an entry in Jenna's diary before she went missing. I did feel that Bonnie was a little strict with Jenna especially when it came to Dustin. I felt like the character of Joseph was written perfectly. Was he truly a changed man or was he still sick?
The pacing for Spin was fantastic. Not once did I feel like the pacing was too slow or slowing down. It was never too quick either where I became lost. This book held my attention throughout. I was buckled up to go wherever Spin wanted to take me!
Trigger warnings for Spin include underage drinking, drug use, sexual situations (although not graphic), rape, attempted rape, child and teen sexual abuse, incest, profanity, and death.
All in all, Spin is a great read with a fantastic set of characters and an enthralling plot. Yes, it is a dark and emotional read, but it will not be a disappointing one for sure! I would definitely recommend Spin by K.J. Farnham to those aged 16+!
Darren (1599 KP) rated Starship Troopers (1997) in Movies
Jul 7, 2019 (Updated Nov 25, 2019)
Verdict: Instant Classic
Story: Starship Troopers starts in a world where humans are not at war with a bug planet across the galaxy, students and young people are expected to join the federal service to become citizens. Johnny Rico (Can Dien), Dizzy (Meyer), Carl (Harris) and Carmen (Richards) all have their sights set on enlisting, Johnny and Dizzy are mobile infantry, while Carmen has bigger sights of being a pilot and Carl has his sights set on military intelligence, with his mind reading ability.
While Rico is going through his training and constant battles with the flashy Ace (Busey) battling for squad leader, Carmen is flourishing in the flight academy, but this is just training, now they must go into combat against the giant deadly bugs.
Thoughts on Starship Troopers
Characters – Johnny Rico comes from a wealthy family that want to send him to Harvard, but he has other plans, he wants to become a citizen, which means he must join the military, here he excels in training until a mistakes sees him disgraced. He loses his family and will remaining fighting under a new squad leader, proving himself as one of the best soldiers in the infantry. Dizzy has spent her school life crushing over Rico, she follows him to mobile infantry, proving herself as one of the best soldiers. Carmen is the girlfriend of Johnny’s through school, she has set her sights on becoming a pilot in the Starfleet, something her grades could make easy for her, she proves an asset to the fleet rising up the ranks with ease. Ace is the rival of Rico’s in training, they both want squad leader and with the rivalry they become brothers in arms.
Performances – Casper Van Dien in the leading role makes himself remember forever with his character, this will define his career without question. Dina Meyer shines too, while this cast is fantastic and understands just what movie they are in. Denise Richard has been criticised before, but here she works in the modern future world and Jake Busey add more comedy as times to his role.
Story – The story here takes us to the future where humans are waged in a war with bugs from across the galaxy, we see how the soldiers and pilots are dealing with the increasing threat they are going to be facing. This story does present itself in a satirical look at the military behaviour and how it can become a propaganda machine forcing young people into joining under false promises, it also shows how humans will always look to conquer another area no matter how outnumbered or out of place they are in their invasion behaviour. Plenty of this story over accentuates the idea of what is going on, which will add moments of comedy.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in the film is war style military attacks with laser bullets flying literally everywhere and the bugs ripping bodies apart. The sci-fi side of the film shows us just how far the human race has come with transportation across the galaxy, despite not giving them the brains when it comes to war.
Settings – The world created is fantastic with Earth looking futuristic without being all that different, while the bug planet feels like a battleground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are also flawless, with a mix of practical and CGI which barely look like they have dated even after being over 20 years old.
Scene of the Movie – The first battle shows the scale of the war.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best sci-fi films you will see, it is wildly over the top and doesn’t miss a beat with style that knows just what the film is meant to be.
Overall: Fun, Brilliant and Entertaining.
Story: Starship Troopers starts in a world where humans are not at war with a bug planet across the galaxy, students and young people are expected to join the federal service to become citizens. Johnny Rico (Can Dien), Dizzy (Meyer), Carl (Harris) and Carmen (Richards) all have their sights set on enlisting, Johnny and Dizzy are mobile infantry, while Carmen has bigger sights of being a pilot and Carl has his sights set on military intelligence, with his mind reading ability.
While Rico is going through his training and constant battles with the flashy Ace (Busey) battling for squad leader, Carmen is flourishing in the flight academy, but this is just training, now they must go into combat against the giant deadly bugs.
Thoughts on Starship Troopers
Characters – Johnny Rico comes from a wealthy family that want to send him to Harvard, but he has other plans, he wants to become a citizen, which means he must join the military, here he excels in training until a mistakes sees him disgraced. He loses his family and will remaining fighting under a new squad leader, proving himself as one of the best soldiers in the infantry. Dizzy has spent her school life crushing over Rico, she follows him to mobile infantry, proving herself as one of the best soldiers. Carmen is the girlfriend of Johnny’s through school, she has set her sights on becoming a pilot in the Starfleet, something her grades could make easy for her, she proves an asset to the fleet rising up the ranks with ease. Ace is the rival of Rico’s in training, they both want squad leader and with the rivalry they become brothers in arms.
Performances – Casper Van Dien in the leading role makes himself remember forever with his character, this will define his career without question. Dina Meyer shines too, while this cast is fantastic and understands just what movie they are in. Denise Richard has been criticised before, but here she works in the modern future world and Jake Busey add more comedy as times to his role.
Story – The story here takes us to the future where humans are waged in a war with bugs from across the galaxy, we see how the soldiers and pilots are dealing with the increasing threat they are going to be facing. This story does present itself in a satirical look at the military behaviour and how it can become a propaganda machine forcing young people into joining under false promises, it also shows how humans will always look to conquer another area no matter how outnumbered or out of place they are in their invasion behaviour. Plenty of this story over accentuates the idea of what is going on, which will add moments of comedy.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in the film is war style military attacks with laser bullets flying literally everywhere and the bugs ripping bodies apart. The sci-fi side of the film shows us just how far the human race has come with transportation across the galaxy, despite not giving them the brains when it comes to war.
Settings – The world created is fantastic with Earth looking futuristic without being all that different, while the bug planet feels like a battleground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are also flawless, with a mix of practical and CGI which barely look like they have dated even after being over 20 years old.
Scene of the Movie – The first battle shows the scale of the war.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best sci-fi films you will see, it is wildly over the top and doesn’t miss a beat with style that knows just what the film is meant to be.
Overall: Fun, Brilliant and Entertaining.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Knives Out (2019) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019
Knives Out was probably my most anticipated film of the festival, so much so that I brought a ticket to see it rather than deal with the hassle of the press screening.
If you take Clue, add some Agatha Christie and maybe a large helping of A-list cast you'll find yourself at the feet of Knives Out. I don't have a problem with any of that at all, the problem I had is that what we got was predictable. That can work, predictable is comforting, but here I watched and felt like I'd seen it before. It felt like I was watching a remake of something. It was Clue without being as fun and Agatha Christie without being as intriguing. Would it have been better had I not been so excited to see it? Potentially, though we'll never know now.
There are definitely things to like though.
We get the classic interview phase with each family member questioned alone, the whole scene has a wonderful flow to it. With the script, the actors and the clips of each character edited together so well you get the perfect comedic timing on everything.
Marta was an interesting character but Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049 and No Time To Die) gave what I felt was an almost forgettable performance, which is incredible considering Marta has a severe problem with lying that leads to hilarious situations. It's a solid performance, I don't want to say she did a bad job, but the other characters are larger than life and it would have been nice to see a little more of that in her. I know she's supposed to be the meek and mild help but you see little glimmers of it in there yet it doesn't come to anything.
Benoit Blanc is Knives Out's Poirot, though he's much more of a crossbreed of Poirot and Hastings. Excellent with the deductions and yet just a little oblivious. Daniel Craig plays him just slightly frustrating, which again is something you'd expect in this sort of thing but I wasn't entirely convinced. I did like Blanc's interactions with Marta, though only from his side of things, it did something interesting to his character but somehow made no impact on Marta's.
A brief special mention should go to Lakeith Stanfield and Noah Segan, their appearances felt fleeting but they were always amusing.
I thought the rest of the cast was good, as you'd expect, that might seems rather dismissive but how am I supposed to feel about it? A-listers in main roles... fantastic, A-listers in cameos... fantastic, but the rest of the characters in this was filled with powerful actors all in bit parts. When that went through my head all I could think was "please sir, I want some more." Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon... great performances but I'd happily have had an encore.
I did enjoy it, but as I sat in the audience and everyone around me roared with laughter at things I thought were just okay I had to wonder what I'd missed. Was it because I was so hyped for it in the first place? Was it festival fatigue? Or have I just seen so much of this that I just couldn't appreciate their take on the classic? I wish I knew.
Cineworld are putting on an Unlimited Screening of this a few days before it goes on general release, I'll definitely be checking it out again and I'm hoping that a second viewing will make me feel differently about it. In the meantime though it's nice to see so many people rating this one highly.
Full review originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/knives-out-movie-review.html
If you take Clue, add some Agatha Christie and maybe a large helping of A-list cast you'll find yourself at the feet of Knives Out. I don't have a problem with any of that at all, the problem I had is that what we got was predictable. That can work, predictable is comforting, but here I watched and felt like I'd seen it before. It felt like I was watching a remake of something. It was Clue without being as fun and Agatha Christie without being as intriguing. Would it have been better had I not been so excited to see it? Potentially, though we'll never know now.
There are definitely things to like though.
We get the classic interview phase with each family member questioned alone, the whole scene has a wonderful flow to it. With the script, the actors and the clips of each character edited together so well you get the perfect comedic timing on everything.
Marta was an interesting character but Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049 and No Time To Die) gave what I felt was an almost forgettable performance, which is incredible considering Marta has a severe problem with lying that leads to hilarious situations. It's a solid performance, I don't want to say she did a bad job, but the other characters are larger than life and it would have been nice to see a little more of that in her. I know she's supposed to be the meek and mild help but you see little glimmers of it in there yet it doesn't come to anything.
Benoit Blanc is Knives Out's Poirot, though he's much more of a crossbreed of Poirot and Hastings. Excellent with the deductions and yet just a little oblivious. Daniel Craig plays him just slightly frustrating, which again is something you'd expect in this sort of thing but I wasn't entirely convinced. I did like Blanc's interactions with Marta, though only from his side of things, it did something interesting to his character but somehow made no impact on Marta's.
A brief special mention should go to Lakeith Stanfield and Noah Segan, their appearances felt fleeting but they were always amusing.
I thought the rest of the cast was good, as you'd expect, that might seems rather dismissive but how am I supposed to feel about it? A-listers in main roles... fantastic, A-listers in cameos... fantastic, but the rest of the characters in this was filled with powerful actors all in bit parts. When that went through my head all I could think was "please sir, I want some more." Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon... great performances but I'd happily have had an encore.
I did enjoy it, but as I sat in the audience and everyone around me roared with laughter at things I thought were just okay I had to wonder what I'd missed. Was it because I was so hyped for it in the first place? Was it festival fatigue? Or have I just seen so much of this that I just couldn't appreciate their take on the classic? I wish I knew.
Cineworld are putting on an Unlimited Screening of this a few days before it goes on general release, I'll definitely be checking it out again and I'm hoping that a second viewing will make me feel differently about it. In the meantime though it's nice to see so many people rating this one highly.
Full review originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/knives-out-movie-review.html
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly in Books
Feb 5, 2020
After watching Sacred Lies on Facebook Watch and finding out it was based on a book, I knew I had to find a copy of the novel! I was beyond happy (and surprised) that my local library had a copy of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes lying around.
Minnow Bly has been part of the Kevinian cult since she was 5 years old. When police find her next to the badly beaten body of a teenage boy, they are shocked to learn that she has no hands. After being placed in juvenile detention, Minnow starts to learn new things about the world. After an FBI agent takes an interest in her case, Minnow must decide if she wants to tell him the truth of what really went on in the cult or if some things are better left unsaid.
The plot for The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was incredibly interesting. Oakes did a fantastic job of making Minnow's world come to life. I was instantly transported to the settings of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly quite easily each time I started reading this book. There are some really emotional scenes in this book such as some of the scenes with Minnow and Jude, Minnow's hands being chopped off, and the scene towards the end with Minnow's sister Constance. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was definitely an emotional roller coaster for sure. There were plenty of plot twists throughout the book which would leave me with my mouth hanging open quite a bit. The pacing is perfect throughout this novel. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book. However, the ending of the book is quite speculative about Minnow's future.
The characters in The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly were all very fleshed out and realistic sounding. Many times it felt as if I was reading about something that actually happened instead of a fictitious story. My heart went out to Minnow with all she had to go through, but I admired her strength and determination to not be a victim. I loved her curious nature and how she wanted to learn as much as possible. Minnow's resolve was so strong. I loved Jude so much. He was such a sweet and caring boy who had also been through more than he should. I loved how he wanted to take care of Minnow and how much he truly cared about her. I loved reading about Minnow's and Jude's relationship blossoming. Dr. Wilson was another great character. I wish there would have been a bit more back story for Dr. Wilson, but I did like how he cared about Minnow and her story and how he challenged her to think for herself. One of my favorite characters was Angel, Minnow's cellmate. She's another who challenged Minnow's beliefs and wanted to help educate Minnow. It was a nice touch to see this hardened girl really go out of her way to take care of Minnow and to make sure Minnow thrived.
Trigger warnings The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly include profanity, violence, death, sex (though not graphic at all), and brainwashing.
Overall, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was such a fascinating read. It had such a fantastic plot and a great cast of characters. It was too easy to get lost in their world. I would definitely recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes to everyone aged 15+ who want to get lost in a fantastically written novel! The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly won't leave you disappointed at all.
Minnow Bly has been part of the Kevinian cult since she was 5 years old. When police find her next to the badly beaten body of a teenage boy, they are shocked to learn that she has no hands. After being placed in juvenile detention, Minnow starts to learn new things about the world. After an FBI agent takes an interest in her case, Minnow must decide if she wants to tell him the truth of what really went on in the cult or if some things are better left unsaid.
The plot for The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was incredibly interesting. Oakes did a fantastic job of making Minnow's world come to life. I was instantly transported to the settings of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly quite easily each time I started reading this book. There are some really emotional scenes in this book such as some of the scenes with Minnow and Jude, Minnow's hands being chopped off, and the scene towards the end with Minnow's sister Constance. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was definitely an emotional roller coaster for sure. There were plenty of plot twists throughout the book which would leave me with my mouth hanging open quite a bit. The pacing is perfect throughout this novel. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book. However, the ending of the book is quite speculative about Minnow's future.
The characters in The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly were all very fleshed out and realistic sounding. Many times it felt as if I was reading about something that actually happened instead of a fictitious story. My heart went out to Minnow with all she had to go through, but I admired her strength and determination to not be a victim. I loved her curious nature and how she wanted to learn as much as possible. Minnow's resolve was so strong. I loved Jude so much. He was such a sweet and caring boy who had also been through more than he should. I loved how he wanted to take care of Minnow and how much he truly cared about her. I loved reading about Minnow's and Jude's relationship blossoming. Dr. Wilson was another great character. I wish there would have been a bit more back story for Dr. Wilson, but I did like how he cared about Minnow and her story and how he challenged her to think for herself. One of my favorite characters was Angel, Minnow's cellmate. She's another who challenged Minnow's beliefs and wanted to help educate Minnow. It was a nice touch to see this hardened girl really go out of her way to take care of Minnow and to make sure Minnow thrived.
Trigger warnings The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly include profanity, violence, death, sex (though not graphic at all), and brainwashing.
Overall, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was such a fascinating read. It had such a fantastic plot and a great cast of characters. It was too easy to get lost in their world. I would definitely recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes to everyone aged 15+ who want to get lost in a fantastically written novel! The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly won't leave you disappointed at all.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Story: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny starts 18-years after Yu (Yeoh) saw her love die returns to safeguard the sword of destiny, after a warlord Hades Dai (Lee) goes in search for the sword believing it will give him the power to conquer the land.
Needing to protect the sword, Yu puts out a call for warriors to come and help defend it, which sees Silent Wolf (Yen) put together a five-person army, while Yu takes on a new student Snow Vase (Bordizzo) with skills advanced of her age.
Thoughts on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Characters – Yu has returned from her isolation and mourning after 18-years away only to stumble into the next attempt to steal the Sword of Destiny, here she must learn who to trust, reunite with an old ally and put herself in the teaching position. Silent Wolf has lived a life in isolation, where his loved ones believed him to be dead, he returns to help defend the sword for the greatest honour in his life. Wei Fang is a young warrior that is being forced into stealing the sword to protect his master, he learns about his past and along with Snow Vase who also has a decision of her own to make, provide the unsure future for Yu on who to trust. Snow Vase is the talented young fighter knowing skills beyond her age, she askes to be taught even if she isn’t as disciplined as she should be.
Performances – Michelle Yeoh returns to this role, she brings the fight skills that made the first one fantastic and must play the role with an emotionless feeling of being broken, which she does with ease. Donnie Yen takes up the mysterious fighter role which is a role that he could take any day and never look out of place. it is the new comers that impress in the fighting side of things, where they struggle in places with the emotional factors at play in their characters.
Story – The story here returns Yu back to the land she once fought for, where she must defend it from a new warlord that wants the sword which could bring power to control the land. This is a sequel that does well to return one of the favourites which also dives into her past to bring a new character, while also offer people that could become the new leads if the series was going to continue. When we break down the story it does play into tradition of being loyal and honour. It would have been nice to see more from the villain which only has a few moments which are just generic villain style, without seeing him do anything truly villainous.
Action/Fantasy – The action in the film is the martial arts material we have enjoyed for years, we have the weightless effects which were famous from the first which add the style required to be unique. This does play into the fantasy of the action which goes against the physics of fighting.
Settings – The film brings back the settings we knew and still look fantastic, with the final showdown being in a new location which is used to add to the fight.
Special Effects – The effects are used to make the fights feel like they could be real, the weightless style is the best part of the fights.
Scene of the Movie – Final fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments of the Wei Fang and Snow Vase does drag at times.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel to a much more superior original, it will entertain without being anywhere near the level original.
Overall: Entertaining for the fans.
Needing to protect the sword, Yu puts out a call for warriors to come and help defend it, which sees Silent Wolf (Yen) put together a five-person army, while Yu takes on a new student Snow Vase (Bordizzo) with skills advanced of her age.
Thoughts on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Characters – Yu has returned from her isolation and mourning after 18-years away only to stumble into the next attempt to steal the Sword of Destiny, here she must learn who to trust, reunite with an old ally and put herself in the teaching position. Silent Wolf has lived a life in isolation, where his loved ones believed him to be dead, he returns to help defend the sword for the greatest honour in his life. Wei Fang is a young warrior that is being forced into stealing the sword to protect his master, he learns about his past and along with Snow Vase who also has a decision of her own to make, provide the unsure future for Yu on who to trust. Snow Vase is the talented young fighter knowing skills beyond her age, she askes to be taught even if she isn’t as disciplined as she should be.
Performances – Michelle Yeoh returns to this role, she brings the fight skills that made the first one fantastic and must play the role with an emotionless feeling of being broken, which she does with ease. Donnie Yen takes up the mysterious fighter role which is a role that he could take any day and never look out of place. it is the new comers that impress in the fighting side of things, where they struggle in places with the emotional factors at play in their characters.
Story – The story here returns Yu back to the land she once fought for, where she must defend it from a new warlord that wants the sword which could bring power to control the land. This is a sequel that does well to return one of the favourites which also dives into her past to bring a new character, while also offer people that could become the new leads if the series was going to continue. When we break down the story it does play into tradition of being loyal and honour. It would have been nice to see more from the villain which only has a few moments which are just generic villain style, without seeing him do anything truly villainous.
Action/Fantasy – The action in the film is the martial arts material we have enjoyed for years, we have the weightless effects which were famous from the first which add the style required to be unique. This does play into the fantasy of the action which goes against the physics of fighting.
Settings – The film brings back the settings we knew and still look fantastic, with the final showdown being in a new location which is used to add to the fight.
Special Effects – The effects are used to make the fights feel like they could be real, the weightless style is the best part of the fights.
Scene of the Movie – Final fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments of the Wei Fang and Snow Vase does drag at times.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel to a much more superior original, it will entertain without being anywhere near the level original.
Overall: Entertaining for the fans.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Steve Jobs (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Steve Jobs is written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle, stars Micheal Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Now that those formalities are out of the way I will just come out and say it. Steve Jobs is the best dramatic bio-pic I have seen. In fact, it is the best movie I have seen this year. Acted fantastically to the point of realism, the film takes the typical three act story arc and shows us the life of Steve Jobs at three periods of his life right before a product launch where we see Jobs as both innovator and villain alike. Each period consist of the 30-45 minutes of visually stimulating and aggressive cinematography leading up to each product launch and how the major people in Job’s life come in and out of those moments. These moments reveal that seemingly simple interactions with Jobs lead to a constant chess match of words and minds to maintain the reality distortion field of a seemingly great man but seemingly not a very good person. Clearly the film takes some Hollywood liberties, but with the screenplay based off the authorized biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson, the film Steve Jobs is probably the most realistic portrayal we may see of the man himself.
That portrayal is delivered splendidly by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender’s performance though each phase of the film is scary. That is to say he plays the egotistical narcissist to perfection. We get real moments of a cold and calculating manipulative intelligent person with quiet moments of compassion here or there. During arguments, Fassbender knows how to delivers bombs out of moments where you would not expect them and at points those arguments feel like high speed action scenes in an otherwise action less film. It is quite remarkable to witness.
Seth Rogen (uncredited) delivers the best dramatic performance of his career as Steve Wozniak. Michael Stuhlbarg likewise delivers a solid performance that stands in this film. While Jeff Daniels, coming off a great performance in the recently successful film The Martian, delivers an outstanding nuanced performance here across from Fassbender. When the two of them are on screen together it is as if they are speaking high prose to each other, albeit at times screaming. I would not be surprised if Daniels is nomination on his work for this film.
Finally we come to Kate Winslet who plays marketing executive Joanna Hoffman. To me she delivered the most fantastic performance in this film. Perhaps because she was the likable better half to Fassbender but more importantly we see this woman who is the only one to stand up to and in a sense understand Steve Jobs’s reality distortion field and work in and out of it as she desperately tries to hold everything together. We she her grow as someone who clearly loves and admires this man however recognizes his faults and is willing to call him out on them. Winslet reminds us yet again why she is one of the best actress in Hollywood and I predict she will be taking home a little gold statue to go with her performance in this film.
If you are still on the fence about watching this film, let me push you off it. Watch it. That may not mean in theaters, which is perhaps my only small complaint about this film. This is the type of film that would be great if it was released same day on digital distribution so you could watch it a few times from home over a few days while you think about it. But at some point you owe it to yourself to be amazed by the fantastic performances and cinematography of this film. While it may not be something you have to see on the big screen, it is absolutely worth the full price of admission. Do not miss it.
Now that those formalities are out of the way I will just come out and say it. Steve Jobs is the best dramatic bio-pic I have seen. In fact, it is the best movie I have seen this year. Acted fantastically to the point of realism, the film takes the typical three act story arc and shows us the life of Steve Jobs at three periods of his life right before a product launch where we see Jobs as both innovator and villain alike. Each period consist of the 30-45 minutes of visually stimulating and aggressive cinematography leading up to each product launch and how the major people in Job’s life come in and out of those moments. These moments reveal that seemingly simple interactions with Jobs lead to a constant chess match of words and minds to maintain the reality distortion field of a seemingly great man but seemingly not a very good person. Clearly the film takes some Hollywood liberties, but with the screenplay based off the authorized biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson, the film Steve Jobs is probably the most realistic portrayal we may see of the man himself.
That portrayal is delivered splendidly by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender’s performance though each phase of the film is scary. That is to say he plays the egotistical narcissist to perfection. We get real moments of a cold and calculating manipulative intelligent person with quiet moments of compassion here or there. During arguments, Fassbender knows how to delivers bombs out of moments where you would not expect them and at points those arguments feel like high speed action scenes in an otherwise action less film. It is quite remarkable to witness.
Seth Rogen (uncredited) delivers the best dramatic performance of his career as Steve Wozniak. Michael Stuhlbarg likewise delivers a solid performance that stands in this film. While Jeff Daniels, coming off a great performance in the recently successful film The Martian, delivers an outstanding nuanced performance here across from Fassbender. When the two of them are on screen together it is as if they are speaking high prose to each other, albeit at times screaming. I would not be surprised if Daniels is nomination on his work for this film.
Finally we come to Kate Winslet who plays marketing executive Joanna Hoffman. To me she delivered the most fantastic performance in this film. Perhaps because she was the likable better half to Fassbender but more importantly we see this woman who is the only one to stand up to and in a sense understand Steve Jobs’s reality distortion field and work in and out of it as she desperately tries to hold everything together. We she her grow as someone who clearly loves and admires this man however recognizes his faults and is willing to call him out on them. Winslet reminds us yet again why she is one of the best actress in Hollywood and I predict she will be taking home a little gold statue to go with her performance in this film.
If you are still on the fence about watching this film, let me push you off it. Watch it. That may not mean in theaters, which is perhaps my only small complaint about this film. This is the type of film that would be great if it was released same day on digital distribution so you could watch it a few times from home over a few days while you think about it. But at some point you owe it to yourself to be amazed by the fantastic performances and cinematography of this film. While it may not be something you have to see on the big screen, it is absolutely worth the full price of admission. Do not miss it.
Dinosaur Chess: Learn to Play!
Education and Games
App
** Appysmarts.com: 97/100 EDITOR'S FAVORITE! ** Previously nominated for a BAFTA (Best Interactive...
