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Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Deep Blue Sea (1999) in Movies
May 12, 2018
Deep Blue Sea will always have a special place in my heart. At the time of its release, I was eight years old and it’s one of the few horror movies (if you can call it that) that I was allowed to watch. With that said, it’s a guilty pleasure and finding it on Netflix the other night was pretty amazing.
They say the path to Hell is paved with good intentions and Deep Blue Sea reminds us exactly how such proverbs can come true. Dr. Susan McAlester’s unhealthy obsession with finding a cure for Alzheimer’s guides her to costly extremes – and no price is too high in her book. It’s a classic example of sacrificing the few to aid the many, and it is, admittedly, a little overdone.
That said, this movie has some pretty awesome, if dated, death scenes – which I won’t go into detail about in case you haven’t seen it. What I can say is that this is actually a movie where Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t say “motherfucking.” (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall hearing it at all, which was a shocker.)
Naturally, Deep Blue Sea isn’t something that’s breathtakingly amazing. It’s got its moments though, and it is a fun jaunt through what goes wrong when you mess with things you don’t know about. Seriously, it’s worth a watch for some of its silly little comedic moments, at that. Pretty solid three out of five.
They say the path to Hell is paved with good intentions and Deep Blue Sea reminds us exactly how such proverbs can come true. Dr. Susan McAlester’s unhealthy obsession with finding a cure for Alzheimer’s guides her to costly extremes – and no price is too high in her book. It’s a classic example of sacrificing the few to aid the many, and it is, admittedly, a little overdone.
That said, this movie has some pretty awesome, if dated, death scenes – which I won’t go into detail about in case you haven’t seen it. What I can say is that this is actually a movie where Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t say “motherfucking.” (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall hearing it at all, which was a shocker.)
Naturally, Deep Blue Sea isn’t something that’s breathtakingly amazing. It’s got its moments though, and it is a fun jaunt through what goes wrong when you mess with things you don’t know about. Seriously, it’s worth a watch for some of its silly little comedic moments, at that. Pretty solid three out of five.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Restoring Love in Books
Feb 27, 2019
My Thoughts:
Let me get myself together for a moment. *Deep breaths*. Ok. There,that's better. Where was I? Oh yes. I was going to tell you my thoughts on this book. This is my first Jennifer Slattery book. It most certainly will not be my last. It's like this book is speaking to me. It's a book on second chances, on honesty, on restoring faith and hope. That's what this book did to me now, after recent troubles in my life.
Through the characters, both good ones and bad, I fell in love with this book. Their stories showed me that if I believe, if I have faith, my heart will be restored. Leaning on God and understanding that it's all in His time, His will, love can be restored no matter what. Letting go, forgiveness, and acceptance make up wonderful pages of this book. The characters blended perfectly with the plot line and captivated me, heart and soul.
Ms. Slattery's book is deserving of no less than 5 stars. If I could give it 5,000 stars I would. I highly recommend that you grab this book, devour it and feel the feels that I felt in this book. You won't be sorry when you do. I can't wait to read another amazing book by her talented hands. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/review-restoring-love-jennifer-slatterly/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Let me get myself together for a moment. *Deep breaths*. Ok. There,that's better. Where was I? Oh yes. I was going to tell you my thoughts on this book. This is my first Jennifer Slattery book. It most certainly will not be my last. It's like this book is speaking to me. It's a book on second chances, on honesty, on restoring faith and hope. That's what this book did to me now, after recent troubles in my life.
Through the characters, both good ones and bad, I fell in love with this book. Their stories showed me that if I believe, if I have faith, my heart will be restored. Leaning on God and understanding that it's all in His time, His will, love can be restored no matter what. Letting go, forgiveness, and acceptance make up wonderful pages of this book. The characters blended perfectly with the plot line and captivated me, heart and soul.
Ms. Slattery's book is deserving of no less than 5 stars. If I could give it 5,000 stars I would. I highly recommend that you grab this book, devour it and feel the feels that I felt in this book. You won't be sorry when you do. I can't wait to read another amazing book by her talented hands. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/review-restoring-love-jennifer-slatterly/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2275 KP) rated Restaurant Weeks are Murder in Books
Feb 28, 2019
Cooking with a Killer
Poppy McAllister is thrilled to be helping Tim during the Restaurant Week cooking competition as the third member of his team. While their relationship is complicated, she knows they can work well together. The weeks gets off to a shaky start when there is a problem with the hotel where the judges were going to stay, and Poppy volunteers the not quite open yet bed and breakfast she is working on with her aunt. Then, on the first day of the competition, someone sabotages the ingredients. As things spiral out of control, Tim and Poppy find themselves at the center of it all. Can Poppy figure out what is happening?
Fans of this series will be thrilled with the latest outing for Poppy and the rest of the crew. Yes, everyone is here and causing mayhem and laughs for us like normal. I did sympathize more with the victim of Figueroa’s antics since I allergic to cats as well, but I still found that subplot fun. As usual, Aunt Ginny and her friends steal the show. I do feel the pacing of the mystery could have been better, but this is something I’ve felt with all three books in the series. We definitely did get a good mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. There are seven Paleo friendly recipes at the back of the book to enjoy once you’ve finished the book.
Fans of this series will be thrilled with the latest outing for Poppy and the rest of the crew. Yes, everyone is here and causing mayhem and laughs for us like normal. I did sympathize more with the victim of Figueroa’s antics since I allergic to cats as well, but I still found that subplot fun. As usual, Aunt Ginny and her friends steal the show. I do feel the pacing of the mystery could have been better, but this is something I’ve felt with all three books in the series. We definitely did get a good mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. There are seven Paleo friendly recipes at the back of the book to enjoy once you’ve finished the book.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
Jun 15, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
A Fun Superhero Movie
Contains spoilers, click to show
When I started watching 'Shazam' , I assumed that this was a parody of a super hero film. Afterwards I realised that this is a DC comic book character in it's own right.
I liked the acting in this film. Both children and adults in this film are believable and are very good. You could believe that the adult versions of the younger actors were actually them, because they emulated their body language and speech really well (they even looked like the children, as adults!). I really liked the interaction between adult Billy and his friend Freddy, they have some really funny scenes together. It was also nice to see a character with a disability as a main character, who wasn't portrayed as weak or someone you should feel sorry for.
There were some really funny moments in this film and there were some really heartfelt ones too.
My only criticisms of this film would be that it took a long time for this to really get going. Also, the story really isn't that original. It's basically the plot of 'Big' (I liked the scene with the giant piano, as a nod to this film) , combined with a super hero movie.
Despite these issues, I thought that this was a really funny, fun movie and I would quite happily watch a sequel of this.
I liked the acting in this film. Both children and adults in this film are believable and are very good. You could believe that the adult versions of the younger actors were actually them, because they emulated their body language and speech really well (they even looked like the children, as adults!). I really liked the interaction between adult Billy and his friend Freddy, they have some really funny scenes together. It was also nice to see a character with a disability as a main character, who wasn't portrayed as weak or someone you should feel sorry for.
There were some really funny moments in this film and there were some really heartfelt ones too.
My only criticisms of this film would be that it took a long time for this to really get going. Also, the story really isn't that original. It's basically the plot of 'Big' (I liked the scene with the giant piano, as a nod to this film) , combined with a super hero movie.
Despite these issues, I thought that this was a really funny, fun movie and I would quite happily watch a sequel of this.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
Jun 15, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
Magical (I'm 30 years old dammit)
I was the exact target audience at the time of the original Pokémon cartoon series, and invested a fair portion of my childhood playing through Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, so seeing this all unfold on screen was quite something.
The action kicks off immediately, with Mewtwo (all of my friends bloody loved a bit of Mewtwo back in the day), ticking all the right nostalgia boxes from the start.
It's not long before were pushed into the wider world of Pokémon, both original and later generations, and it just filled me with childish joy to be honest.
The CGI is odd - in a way that I was aware that I was watching CGI creatures, but at the same time, they didn't feel out of place alongside the human characters, it all blends pretty well.
Looking past the blinding nostalgia, the story was engaging enough (even if it does get to absurd levels of silly towards the end), the action pieces were all pretty fun, and the cast were likable enough for the most part.
I spend more time than I probably should playing video games, so it's exited me to no end that we finally have a pretty decent video game movie, and I can only hope that Detective Pikachu is the start of something good, both for future Pokémon installments, and just video game adaptions in general.
The action kicks off immediately, with Mewtwo (all of my friends bloody loved a bit of Mewtwo back in the day), ticking all the right nostalgia boxes from the start.
It's not long before were pushed into the wider world of Pokémon, both original and later generations, and it just filled me with childish joy to be honest.
The CGI is odd - in a way that I was aware that I was watching CGI creatures, but at the same time, they didn't feel out of place alongside the human characters, it all blends pretty well.
Looking past the blinding nostalgia, the story was engaging enough (even if it does get to absurd levels of silly towards the end), the action pieces were all pretty fun, and the cast were likable enough for the most part.
I spend more time than I probably should playing video games, so it's exited me to no end that we finally have a pretty decent video game movie, and I can only hope that Detective Pikachu is the start of something good, both for future Pokémon installments, and just video game adaptions in general.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Feb 8, 2018
A highly entertaining account of an unusual childhood
I read this book, though I'd really like to listen to the audio book version. It's narrated by Trevor Noah himself, and apparently very, very good. I totally believe that - the man is hilarious on The Daily Show. I still really enjoyed the stories Noah told, though I wish he'd gotten more into his journey as a comedian, and not just his childhood and teenage years.
Noah has an uncanny way of explaining background information that you need to know while not giving away the (actually somewhat obvious in hindsight) punchline. Even the background information is told in an extremely entertaining way - you can feel Noah's everpresent grin through the pages. Even though the book begins (and sort of ends) on a sad note, the book itself is a happy, optimistic one. I didn't laugh myself silly, like the next book I read (Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy), but I did have to giggle and read parts to my husband. (And he actually laughed at them, instead of looking at me like I was insane, which is what happened with Furiously Happy.)
I've been a fan of Trevor Noah's since shortly after he took over The Daily Show, and this was an interesting peek at his background, and the very different culture he grew up in. I highly recommend this book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Noah has an uncanny way of explaining background information that you need to know while not giving away the (actually somewhat obvious in hindsight) punchline. Even the background information is told in an extremely entertaining way - you can feel Noah's everpresent grin through the pages. Even though the book begins (and sort of ends) on a sad note, the book itself is a happy, optimistic one. I didn't laugh myself silly, like the next book I read (Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy), but I did have to giggle and read parts to my husband. (And he actually laughed at them, instead of looking at me like I was insane, which is what happened with Furiously Happy.)
I've been a fan of Trevor Noah's since shortly after he took over The Daily Show, and this was an interesting peek at his background, and the very different culture he grew up in. I highly recommend this book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018 (Updated Feb 9, 2018)
Chop Sucky
One of those movies where a bunch of very talented people get together and somehow manage to produce something not all that great. The famous British horror movie studio Hammer gets together with Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers to produce a Gothic horror kung fu movie that also manages to pastiche The Magnificent Seven (et al).
You want to know the plot? Well, a gaggle of Chinese vampires feel they aren't getting the respect they deserve, and so they recruit Dracula as a sort of foreign signing to help with their brand awareness, or something. However, also on a lecture tour of China is Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing (Peter Cushing, using all his powers to elevate deeply suspect material), even though they've apparently never met before, and he sets off with a gang of local kung fu experts to sort the problem out. Cushing is not required to do any kung fu, the Chinese cast are not required to say 'Transylvania' more often than is absolutely necessary, and Christopher Lee flatly refuses to participate (Dracula, who appears to be overdoing his make-up, is played by another actor).
Nevertheless this is still schlocky good fun, although the script doesn't even make sense on its own terms and credited director Roy Ward Baker doesn't seem quite sure of what to do with the kung fu genre. One of the most bonkers of the late-period Hammer horror movies, not that this is necessarily a bad thing.
You want to know the plot? Well, a gaggle of Chinese vampires feel they aren't getting the respect they deserve, and so they recruit Dracula as a sort of foreign signing to help with their brand awareness, or something. However, also on a lecture tour of China is Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing (Peter Cushing, using all his powers to elevate deeply suspect material), even though they've apparently never met before, and he sets off with a gang of local kung fu experts to sort the problem out. Cushing is not required to do any kung fu, the Chinese cast are not required to say 'Transylvania' more often than is absolutely necessary, and Christopher Lee flatly refuses to participate (Dracula, who appears to be overdoing his make-up, is played by another actor).
Nevertheless this is still schlocky good fun, although the script doesn't even make sense on its own terms and credited director Roy Ward Baker doesn't seem quite sure of what to do with the kung fu genre. One of the most bonkers of the late-period Hammer horror movies, not that this is necessarily a bad thing.
Merissa (12374 KP) rated Double Alchemy (Double Alchemy #1) in Books
Mar 20, 2018
Double Alchemy (Double Alchemy #1) by Susan Mac Nicol
Double Alchemy is the first book in the Double Alchemy duology. We meet Quinn, the Grand Master of the Warlocks, who has grown up knowing his role in life, and takes it very seriously. However, when he meets Cade, the attraction they feel for each other is off the charts! Cade is 'just' a human, or so he thinks. Then they find out that Cade has some elemental in his genealogy, which goes some way to explain the attraction. What happens with Cade and Quinn takes a back seat though when an old enemy, who Quinn thought was dead, turns up to cause mayhem and chaos.
This is a wonderful paranormal book that delves into the world of witches, Warlocks, and Withinners (still not sure why witches is the only one not capitalised though). With an in-depth world and social structure, this book was a delight to read. The pacing was smooth, and the transition from one scene/time to the next flowed very nicely indeed. I am looking forward to finding out more about Quinn and Cade, being as they are both mysterious characters indeed.
A great paranormal book, and definitely 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 wonderful paranormal book that delves into the world of witches, Warlocks, and Withinners (still not sure why witches is the only one not capitalised though). With an in-depth world and social structure, this book was a delight to read. The pacing was smooth, and the transition from one scene/time to the next flowed very nicely indeed. I am looking forward to finding out more about Quinn and Cade, being as they are both mysterious characters indeed.
A great paranormal book, and definitely 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!
I am giving this first book a 4.5 stars, because, while I really enjoyed reading it, there were a few points where if got a bit too much for me. If you have read it, you'll understand what I mean. Also, like always, this is a spoiler alert as there will most likely be a bunch of spoilers in this review. So you have been warned.
I can honestly say that I loved the relationship between the two main characters. They have such a deep love for one another and it is refreshing to see. They also have a pretty healthy relationship for the circumstances they are under.
It was cool to start the series in the middle of so much chaos, just like how the characters are in their lives at that time. I like how they set up the rules of the world by explaining it through the daughter as if she is telling us the story.
All the characters, in general, are very compelling and multifaceted, something I (obviously) appreciate a lot.
This was a very good exposition graphic novel that is setting up the rest of the story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!
The artwork is phenomenal. I cannot express enough how amazing it is! Props to the artists who worked on this, because I feel like they don't get enough credit. So if you're reading this, very well done!!
I can honestly say that I loved the relationship between the two main characters. They have such a deep love for one another and it is refreshing to see. They also have a pretty healthy relationship for the circumstances they are under.
It was cool to start the series in the middle of so much chaos, just like how the characters are in their lives at that time. I like how they set up the rules of the world by explaining it through the daughter as if she is telling us the story.
All the characters, in general, are very compelling and multifaceted, something I (obviously) appreciate a lot.
This was a very good exposition graphic novel that is setting up the rest of the story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!
The artwork is phenomenal. I cannot express enough how amazing it is! Props to the artists who worked on this, because I feel like they don't get enough credit. So if you're reading this, very well done!!
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Akrotiri in Tabletop Games
Mar 14, 2018
map system is odd yet satisfying and interesting (1 more)
I like the theme
A two player tactical game of exploring temples with a very interesting map system.
Imagine you are in ancient greece looking at a map for an ancient buried temple. The map say there are 2 forests to the north, and 2 volcanoes to the south, and 3 mountains to the west. Now you have to not only find that place, but to discover the mountains, forests, and mountains as well. You physically discover them by placing the tiles, so you actually are creating the physical landscape to match the maps. This is the most interesting part of the game in my opinion. There's also a market system to gaining money, and a point based movement system to get around, but getting around is relatively easy with water routes you can use to get pretty far quickly, So movement is not really a hinderance, and does feel a bit like cheating sometimes. it's really only when the water routes don't connect and you have to traverse the land that makes it hard to get around. But you have to create the map that way to cause it. Overall it's an interesting 2 player game with some good replayability and as you get better at building the maps you get better and quicker at the game. I enjoyed it enough to own it.