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Threats of Sky and Sea (Threats of Sky and Sea #1)
Threats of Sky and Sea (Threats of Sky and Sea #1)
Jennifer Ellision | 2014 | Religion, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I love Young Adult/Coming of Age Fantasy and this one ticked all my boxes. It tells the story of Bree, a young girl, daughter to the local innkeeper. It starts off in her home of Abeline but moves to the capital city, indeed to the royal 'palace' itself.

With secrets, mysteries and double-crossing every step of the way, Bree finds herself adrift in a new world; unable to trust anyone, even her own father. She still loves him and will defend him to anyone, but Bree now admits that he hasn't been honest with her and that shakes her to her very foundations.

It is excellent when the mere mention of a character makes you shudder, and that is exactly what happened to me every time the King makes an appearance. He is thoroughly loathsome and yet I can't wait to read more about him.

There is a hint of romance in this book, between the four main (young) characters. It is enough to keep the tension going, without overshadowing the main story.

Exceptionally well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found (although I will admit to being swept away with the story so I wasn't really on the lookout for them either!). This is an excellent start to a Fantasy series that I will definitely be continuing. Highly recommended.

* 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!
Apr 16, 2016
  
Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist (1982)
1982 | Horror
Verdict: Classic Horror

Story: Poltergeist starts as the Freeling family Steve (Nelson), Diane (Williams), Dana (Dunne), Robbie (Robins) and Carol (O’Rourke) who have moved into a new build, that Steve’s company has built. Robbie is struggling to deal with the strange shapes around the house at night, and Carol has started her sleepwalking again, talking to the static on the television.
The family soon find out they have a poltergeist that Diane sees as something friendly only for the events to become must more sinister, targeting the youngest members of the house, the family must figure out how to save their family, where they only learn more troublesome truths about the house, turning to Dr Lesh (Straight) to study what is going on.

Thoughts on Poltergeist

Characters – Steve is the real estate agent that has been selling the house on the new land, he moved his own family into one to show just how confident he is in the neighbourhood and does what ever concerned father would do once the haunting start. Diane is the wife and mother, she plays with the ghosts first thinking it is a harmless haunting, but when things get serious, she won’t leave the house until she gets her daughter back. Dr Lesh is the one that is hired to study the hauntings, she sets up the tests to figure out what is happening and prepares the family for the test they will be facing. Dana is the oldest daughter in the family, she is dealing with being a teenager with ease and must look after Robbie while the rest of the family deal with the hauntings.
Performances – Craig T Nelson and JoBeth Williams as the parents are both great through, they show the concern and worries they might not find their daughter. Beatrice Straight does bring the confident figure to life, while also showing the fear she sees in the house. The child stars are strong too through the film.
Story – The story here follows a family that’s new dream home turns into a nightmare when it turns out it is haunted by vengeful spirits forcing them to confront the spirits before losing their family. This is the original haunted house to a new level story, it spins what was designed before with an old house with history being haunted, to a brand-new house being the events of the hauntings, one that wouldn’t be filled with murder or history. This does help the events of the story seem scarier and gives it an original side too because it shows that anybody could be the ones getting haunted.
Horror – The horror in the film is hauntings, we start with friendly ones which seem harmless and soon become deadly as the children are being targeted, the final act will bring the most horror to the whole film.
Settings – The film uses the brand-new house build for the main setting, this helps because it changes everything we should know about haunting houses.
Special Effects – The effects are great considering this came out in 1982, they don’t look terribly like certain horror films since this.

Scene of the Movie – The last night in the house.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The builder’s mentality to a teenage schoolgirl.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror film that has stood the test of time and will be remembered as one of the best of the 80’s.

Overall: Brilliant Horror
  
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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) Nov 26, 2019

One of my favorite horror movies of all time!

Baby Teeth
Baby Teeth
Zoje Stage | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
Hanna is seven years old and the apple of her father's eye. In his mind, she is his perfect little girl, his "lilla gumman". Suzette is Hanna's mother and she does all she can for Hanna, by home schooling her. But Hanna refuses to speak and has gotten kicked out of a few schools for her bad behavior. Is she not speaking because something is wrong or because she chooses not to? After countless doctor's visits, Suzette and Alex are at their wits end to find out what is wrong with their daughter. Hanna does not like her mother and will stop at nothing until it's just her and Daddy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First, I want to say that I enjoyed this book and the story was very interesting. So, I don't know if it was me in a slump or the layout of the ARC, but I didn't find myself wanting to grab this book as soon as I could. Instead I found myself crushing candies and binge watching The Big Bang Theory.

What would you do if you had a non-verbal child who hated you? Her not speaking can not be explained by doctors, therapists or teachers. You know she has sound cause he makes weird noises and hums. But Hanna is determined to get her point across one way or another and that point is, Mommy must go. Her father is blinded by all her bad behavior since Hanna turns into an angel when he is around. When a series of events seriously harms Suzette, Alex can no longer be blinded by his daughter's niceness. Will they be able to get Hanna the help she needs or will Suzette live in fear of her own daughter for the rest of her life?

I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I have read anything quite like this about kids and their relationship with their parents. I'm thankful I don't have a child with behavioral problems, cause this book would have me watching my back all of the time. I think everyone who reads this will be able to sympathize with Suzette. Most mothers always try to do their best for their kids and at times it's seems it's never enough. But trying to survive your kid is a whole other story. I hope you will pick up this book and enjoy it like I did.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Matilda in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Matilda
Matilda
Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl | 2016 | Children
8
9.2 (31 Ratings)
Book Rating
You will never be too old to read a Roald Dahl book!

I really enjoyed this book, it was funny but also sad at times.

Matilda is a young girl of 5 who is ignored and not really wanted by her family, she is very different from them, her father a used car salesman and a dodgy one at that, a mum who plays bingo, self obsessed and dishes up microwavable meals. Matilda has a thirst for knowledge and unknown to her parents she takes herself to the local library and teaches herself to read. Once she has devoured the children’s section she starts on adult books. At 5 years old Matilda has read probably more fiction than most adults.

She is finally sent to school and befriends Lavender and also captivates the heart of her teacher Miss Honey, however school is not all rosy as Matilda was hoping, there is a nasty headteacher called Miss Trunchball, an ex-olympian for the hammer throw, she has a low tolerance for children and practices with some of them.

Me and my daughter both thoroughly enjoyed this book and the favorite scene has to be with Bruce Bogtrotter and the chocolate cake. I love with Roald Dahl books is that the horrible characters i.e Miss Truchball get their comeuppence. The relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda is so lovely, they have such great outlooks on life even though they have been treated fairly poorly as children. Miss Honey is a very gentle character with a lot of love to give, as soon as she realises that Matilda is a gifted child she wants to help her with her studies and get her the level of education that she requires.

The only thing that let this book down was near the end when she is able to use her powers and the fact that her parents are leaving, it didn’t explain why they were leaving and her use of powers was very rushed.

I would have to say on this instance that I do find the movie adaptation to be better than the book, I think it is explained better and not as rushed, however saying that, in the book I found it interesting to read how she felt when using her powers. My Daughter who is 8 really enjoyed this book, she really enjoyed Miss Trunchball and as there is a lot of dialogue in the book, she was reading aloud with a nasty voice.
  
A Monster Calls (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
2016 | Drama, Fantasy
Story – The story here is clear for everyone watching, this is one family a son, mother, grandmother and dad dealing with the impending death of a loved one. We get to see how Conor the son deals with everything in his own way that means he doesn’t get punished for anything, we get to see how the mother must stay strong for her son until the very end and how the grandmother must deal with the upcoming death of her daughter while being the only one there for grandson. This will make you cry it is as simple as that because his is one of the hardest hitting emotional punches you will ever receive.

Fantasy – We are thrown into a fantasy world that Conor creates to help him deal with the tragic events that are happening within his life, we are left to decide for ourselves which side of the story is real or not with the fantasy element too.

Characters/Performance – Conor is a character that we could see in so many situations when a parent is terminally ill, he struggles to find his place when he knows his future but can’t face it. When we look at the adults we get to see the struggling mother with her health, the father who isn’t around and the grandmother who doesn’t really know how to act because she will be losing her daughter but needing to be strong for her grandson. The tree monster is a great character in its own right, even if it is created to help Conor deal with the problems in his life.

When you look at the performance youngest Lewis MacDougall is brilliant in this role going through the full range of emotions while the bigger name actors let him take the centre stage.

Settings – The settings used make us feel like this is just a normal family that has had to deal with its ups and downs but now it will be taking on the biggest down. We don’t get any iconic settings but we get everything we need to feel the pain the characters go through.

Special Effects – The special effects here are brilliant making us fully believe there is in fact a monster with Conor helping him through this difficult time.

Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the most heart-breaking films of the year but shows just how difficult the situation would be for a young boy.

 

Overall: Bring your tissues to this film that will leave you emotional exhausted by the end.

https://moviesreview101.com/2017/01/26/a-monster-calls-2016/
  
The Tomorrow War (2021)
The Tomorrow War (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
7
7.3 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Amazon Prime’s purchase of The Tomorrow War from Paramount was a bold move as the FX-laden film starring Chris Pratt reportedly cost around $200 million to purchase and follows prior purchases of Paramount films by the streamer.

Pratt stars as an ex-soldier named Dan Forester who has just been turned down for a research job he has been seeking and must remain teaching science to less than enthusiastic students.

While watching a Soccer match with his wife, daughter, and friends, the world is stunned when a group of armed individuals appear in a flash of light and tell the televised audience that they have come from thirty years in the future and are seeking help to save humanity.

It is soon learned that an Alien threat they call the White Spikes suddenly appeared and has humanity on the verge of extinction. The nations of the world send forces into the future to help fight the war but with a very high casualty rate; a worldwide draft is soon instituted to replenish the numbers.

Dan is eventually drafted and told he has 24 hours to get things in order before he is deployed for seven days at which time he will be returned. Dan contemplates running and seeks out his estranged father (J.K. Simmons); who has a deep disdain for governments and conducts himself in a shady fashion to the point where Dan will not let him anywhere near his daughter.

Dan eventually deploys and finds a nightmare version of the future where cities are in ruin and the deadly and very tough enemy is everywhere.

As the tension mounts; Dan must team up with the leader of the resistance to develop a way to fight the aliens and save humanity before it is too late.

The film features some good FX and action and while there were many times I questioned why a different course of action was not attempted; the film eventually attempts to address many questions later in the film.

While the final act may seem overblown and too convenient; the film works as an enjoyable and action-filled escape as long as you are willing to just go along with the ride and not ask too many questions along the way.

While there are elements of prior Science Fiction and Horror films evident; the cast and premise work well and the movie is a step above most offerings that are sold to streaming services and is well worth a watch.
  
Why Him? (2016)
Why Him? (2016)
2016 | Comedy
5
6.4 (14 Ratings)
Movie Rating
When an “out of touch” Midwesterner owner of a paper factory (Bryan Cranston) decides to take his family to California to spend Christmas with his college student daughter (Zoey Deutch) and meet her new tech-millionaire, but socially inept boyfriend (James Franco), a typical father vs boyfriend faceoff ensues. For many, Why Him? will be enough to satisfy the comedy itch. Those expecting to find the next gut busting comedy will be disappointed, while those thinking it will be a dull comedy will be pleasantly surprised. This film is somewhere in the middle. A constant stream of chuckles with a few bigger laughs here or there. But ultimately forgettable at the lack of main characters to root for.

The highlights of this film include Cranston who reminds us that he has comedic timing from his years in Malcom in the Middle. His chemistry and timing is played well across Megan Mullally who perfectly delivers a few genuine laughs as a Midwestern suburban wife trying to maintain the niceties. Their son (Griffin Gluck) also adds to the humorous family affair as a teenage brother trying to be taken seriously as an adult but still being treated as a child. Lastly, the always funny Keegan-Michael Key hilariously plays Gustav, the “estate manager” to the tech-millionaire boyfriend and spices up the film every time he seems to appear.

James Franco on the other hand quickly wears out is welcome as the socially inept tech-millionaire boyfriend. At times he is funny, however after the dropping the “f-bomb” so many times you begin to sees him as a basic, depthless “caricature” only going for the low hanging fruit of crude jokes. Still, his crude, repeated, jokes are no longer funny after the first few times we see them. The film tries to give Franco some “mysterious depth” through an eluded troubled childhood and his genuine honesty. Only the film never gives you any payoff, as Franco’s character never actually evolves past his caricature shortcomings. It is a shame, because we actually like the girlfriend character (Zoey Deutch) and want to understand what she sees in Franco’s character, however since he never really evolves, there really is no reason to like or root for them to be together.

I also want to point out that this film acknowledges its biggest flaw. At one point in the film a character points out that there is a war going on between father and boyfriend, only the boyfriend isn’t actually fighting. That’s true, and thus there is no real conflict and no real reason to root for any of the characters. Franco’s boyfriend character never evolves past his caricature. While Cranston’s father character only evolves because the movie devolves into “paint by numbers” territory in the last 10 minutes. Since there is no one to root, we do not really care the outcome as we got our chuckles throughout the film but will forget about it shortly after walking out the theater.

Why Him? Has a solid cast, a few unexpected cameos and delivers constant chuckles throughout, however without giving us a likeable boyfriend or any characters to root for, the lack of memorable gut busting laughs has this film as nothing more than a typical forgettable comedy.
  
Jordskott - Season 1
Jordskott - Season 1
2015 | Drama
If you’re looking for something in the flavor of Grimm and Supernatural, the Swedish drama Jordskott may be right up your alley. Despite being found on horror streaming service Shudder, the series doesn’t have a whole bunch of the horror elements. What it does have, for the first season at least, is a decent storyline.

The characters in Jordskott are rather bland, unfortunately and they are not its strong point. The main character, Eva Thörnblad is an heiress who returns home to where seven years ago, her daughter Josefine disappeared. Much of her role in the series involved losing cars (she went through three in the first season), disobeying orders, brazenly rushing into things, and deflecting an all too beautifully sweet love interest. (I adore Tom Aronsson as a character.) After she’s put on leave from her job in Stockholm dealing with hostage negotiation, she manages to get herself brought onto the Silverhöjd case.

Wass is, perhaps, the strongest of the characters we meet, and certainly does the most actively throughout the first season.

In this world, myth blends into fantasy, bringing several creatures from Scandinavian and Norwegian lore into the story. These creatures are surfacing more and more frequently as the forest, facing certain doom from the company that Eva’s father founded, reacts angrily to human actions. It’s really a reminder that we should consider the natural world around us for what it is: a boon to our lives.

I lost interest in the second season, as it seems to mostly be a rehash of the first, with a slightly altered storyline. Now it’s something big in Stockholm that’s upsetting natural order, versus Silverhöjd. This series is definitely worth a watch of at least the first season.