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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Have a Match in Books
Jan 28, 2021
Abby only signs up for a DNA test to help her friend (and secret crush) Leo. But when the results come back, it's not Leo who gets a surprise, it's Abby. Apparently, she has an older sister. And not a half sister, but a full-fledged sister. A sister who just happens to be beautiful, polished, Instagram star, Savannah "Savvy" Tully, who is only a year and half older than Abby. Neither Abby or Savvy can figure out how this happened, so they hatch a plan. They'll both attend summer camp at Camp Reynolds, where they can learn more about their parents and each other. But they quickly learn that they are very different: Savvy is a rule follower who is addicted to her Instagram and follower count. Abby is more go-with-the-flow. And, of course, there's Leo, who turns up at the same camp. How on earth will Abby negotiate her newfound sister, her secret crush--oh, and the fact that her parents will soon realize she lied about going to camp?
"Normal isn't having a big, stupid, ridiculous crush on one of my best friends, especially when he most certainly doesn't have one on me."
So, this is a good book, but I have to admit that I was disappointed because it wasn't the same as TWEET CUTE. I absolutely loved that YA romance, and while this is an interesting read, it just didn't have the romantic twang of TWEET CUTE. It's probably not fair to compare the two, but I couldn't help it. MATCH focuses less on romantic chemistry and more on Abby finding her way/coming of age and meeting Savvy, her "new" sister.
I actually liked the sister piece overall. The DNA twist is different (rarely do we get full siblings!) and there's also a nice LGBTQIA relationship thrown in. But, I never felt like Abby and Leo's relationship fully gelled. It just didn't feel as fun and flirty as I wanted. And, much of the book's plot is propelled by misunderstandings. At some point, it got to be too much: if some characters had just spoken up, so much could have been avoided! There's so much going on--the sister aspect, romance, secrets, etc. At times, it feels like the plot is struggling to contain them all.
Still, there's a lot to enjoy about this story. Don't get me wrong at all. The camp setting is a lot of fun, and Abby and Savvy are both great characters. Watching Abby develop is rewarding, and there are plenty of humorous and tender scenes as the sisters get to know each other. Even though MATCH didn't meet my TWEET CUTE expectations, it's an enjoyable read. (I judge romances on whether I'll get a copy for my SIL and this one passes the test.) 3.5 stars.
"Normal isn't having a big, stupid, ridiculous crush on one of my best friends, especially when he most certainly doesn't have one on me."
So, this is a good book, but I have to admit that I was disappointed because it wasn't the same as TWEET CUTE. I absolutely loved that YA romance, and while this is an interesting read, it just didn't have the romantic twang of TWEET CUTE. It's probably not fair to compare the two, but I couldn't help it. MATCH focuses less on romantic chemistry and more on Abby finding her way/coming of age and meeting Savvy, her "new" sister.
I actually liked the sister piece overall. The DNA twist is different (rarely do we get full siblings!) and there's also a nice LGBTQIA relationship thrown in. But, I never felt like Abby and Leo's relationship fully gelled. It just didn't feel as fun and flirty as I wanted. And, much of the book's plot is propelled by misunderstandings. At some point, it got to be too much: if some characters had just spoken up, so much could have been avoided! There's so much going on--the sister aspect, romance, secrets, etc. At times, it feels like the plot is struggling to contain them all.
Still, there's a lot to enjoy about this story. Don't get me wrong at all. The camp setting is a lot of fun, and Abby and Savvy are both great characters. Watching Abby develop is rewarding, and there are plenty of humorous and tender scenes as the sisters get to know each other. Even though MATCH didn't meet my TWEET CUTE expectations, it's an enjoyable read. (I judge romances on whether I'll get a copy for my SIL and this one passes the test.) 3.5 stars.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Talking to friends about what this one could be was a roller coaster. Lots of us were hoping it would be Skyscraper, but our realistic guesses were somewhere nearer previous secret screening offerings. Films that looked good but were probably not going to make massive waves on their own. We mused on the possibility of The Incredibles 2, but it didn't get much further than "that would be the dream" kind of thinking.
I have never attended a screening that filled me (pretty much everyone) with so much glee. Glee is the only appropriate word there because I had a smile on my face the whole way through.
14 years of waiting and I wasn't disappointed. For me, this one was much more enjoyable than the first. I can't deny that that's partly from the rush of getting to see it before friends do and I get to rub it in their faces... yes I know. No I won't grow up.
Skip forward to getting out of the cinema after 10pm. What? How?! The film itself runs at just under 2 hours long. That's a long time to get a kid to sit still. Hell, that's a long time to get me to sit still. There are certainly parts of the film that could have been trimmed down. Some of them made little sense to me, and some just seemed unnecessary. That being said, it didn't detract from the enjoyment.
Neither did the fact that the villain was rather predictable, as was "big twist". Had this been a new movie with no previous incarnation to give me expectations then I'm not sure how I'd have felt about it. At a guess I probably would have been disappointed. The rush of what it was has probably helped the movie over these issues.
Months ago I joked that I would have just watched a movie of Jack-Jack and his powers. That feeling hasn't changed. Every time I see this film I will be giggling and laughing so hard at that I may embarrass myself. Jack-Jack and that raccoon stole the show. A whole screen full of grown adults wheezing and crying with laughter is something to behold.
Throughout the whole 2 hours little Jack-Jack is definitely the bright spot that put a grin on my face. The raccoon incident it definitely the top scene for me. Auntie Edna came into her own, and I feel like they were channeling some Baby Herman from Roger Rabbit when they came up with that scene. What had me mesmerised though was when Lucius/Frozone gave Jack-Jack a ball of ice to eat. The attention to detail had me a little speechless, just try and look at the lens effect on that sphere of ice and tell me it's not amazing
I have never attended a screening that filled me (pretty much everyone) with so much glee. Glee is the only appropriate word there because I had a smile on my face the whole way through.
14 years of waiting and I wasn't disappointed. For me, this one was much more enjoyable than the first. I can't deny that that's partly from the rush of getting to see it before friends do and I get to rub it in their faces... yes I know. No I won't grow up.
Skip forward to getting out of the cinema after 10pm. What? How?! The film itself runs at just under 2 hours long. That's a long time to get a kid to sit still. Hell, that's a long time to get me to sit still. There are certainly parts of the film that could have been trimmed down. Some of them made little sense to me, and some just seemed unnecessary. That being said, it didn't detract from the enjoyment.
Neither did the fact that the villain was rather predictable, as was "big twist". Had this been a new movie with no previous incarnation to give me expectations then I'm not sure how I'd have felt about it. At a guess I probably would have been disappointed. The rush of what it was has probably helped the movie over these issues.
Months ago I joked that I would have just watched a movie of Jack-Jack and his powers. That feeling hasn't changed. Every time I see this film I will be giggling and laughing so hard at that I may embarrass myself. Jack-Jack and that raccoon stole the show. A whole screen full of grown adults wheezing and crying with laughter is something to behold.
Throughout the whole 2 hours little Jack-Jack is definitely the bright spot that put a grin on my face. The raccoon incident it definitely the top scene for me. Auntie Edna came into her own, and I feel like they were channeling some Baby Herman from Roger Rabbit when they came up with that scene. What had me mesmerised though was when Lucius/Frozone gave Jack-Jack a ball of ice to eat. The attention to detail had me a little speechless, just try and look at the lens effect on that sphere of ice and tell me it's not amazing
Fred (860 KP) rated Mother! (2017) in Movies
Jul 10, 2019
What the hell did I just watch?
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay, so normally as soon as I watch a film, I review it. That keeps my initial thoughts fresh. But with "Mother", I just couldn't. Because I don't know what the hell I just watched. It was only at the very end, when I realized Javier Bardem was God, that I knew I had to think back & figure out what this mess was about. And so, I slept on it. And here's the way I see it.
Bardem is God, Jennifer Lawrence is Mother Earth, Ed Harris is Adam, Michelle Pfeiffer is Eve. Their sons are of course, Cain & Able & everyone else is the human race. So, now it clicks and I understand what the movie is about. It's a great premise. However, it's a terrible movie.
Let's start with the acting. It is terrible. Normally greats like Lawrence, Harris & Bardem would light up the screen, but here they come across as over-the-top novice actors. I blame the dialogue & the direction, of course. At no point during the film did I feel that any of the actors were even acting. This brings me to the next point.
No one in the film acts like they should act. Now, I get that they are playing people who are the interpretation of biblical beings. But come on. These people barge in to your home and you're like "Can you please...." and "Go downstairs..." when it should be "Get the f*ck out of my house!!!" Perhaps if I knew the meaning before I watched the movie, I would have picked up on the way they were acting in these situations, but even now knowing, I find it so goddamn annoying. That may be the one word that best describes this movie. Annoying. When you want to scream at the screen to tell people how to act in a situation, it's just annoying. There's nothing worse than a movie where someone is treated like shit & they don't do anything about it. That's the entire movie.
Sure, you can sit back & think that people are over-populating the Earth. And that God is super-interested in being worshipped and some people are trying to help the Earth, while others treat it like garbage. Blah blah blah. The movie is still not a good movie. The idea is great & should have made for a great movie, but it's execution is terrible. I would actually think about watching it again, knowing what I know now, but thinking about how bad the movie is, I doubt that would happen. This would probably have been better as a book. I'm giving it 4 points for the idea, but 0 extra points for the movie.
Bardem is God, Jennifer Lawrence is Mother Earth, Ed Harris is Adam, Michelle Pfeiffer is Eve. Their sons are of course, Cain & Able & everyone else is the human race. So, now it clicks and I understand what the movie is about. It's a great premise. However, it's a terrible movie.
Let's start with the acting. It is terrible. Normally greats like Lawrence, Harris & Bardem would light up the screen, but here they come across as over-the-top novice actors. I blame the dialogue & the direction, of course. At no point during the film did I feel that any of the actors were even acting. This brings me to the next point.
No one in the film acts like they should act. Now, I get that they are playing people who are the interpretation of biblical beings. But come on. These people barge in to your home and you're like "Can you please...." and "Go downstairs..." when it should be "Get the f*ck out of my house!!!" Perhaps if I knew the meaning before I watched the movie, I would have picked up on the way they were acting in these situations, but even now knowing, I find it so goddamn annoying. That may be the one word that best describes this movie. Annoying. When you want to scream at the screen to tell people how to act in a situation, it's just annoying. There's nothing worse than a movie where someone is treated like shit & they don't do anything about it. That's the entire movie.
Sure, you can sit back & think that people are over-populating the Earth. And that God is super-interested in being worshipped and some people are trying to help the Earth, while others treat it like garbage. Blah blah blah. The movie is still not a good movie. The idea is great & should have made for a great movie, but it's execution is terrible. I would actually think about watching it again, knowing what I know now, but thinking about how bad the movie is, I doubt that would happen. This would probably have been better as a book. I'm giving it 4 points for the idea, but 0 extra points for the movie.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated VOLUME 1 by Tash in Music
Sep 2, 2019
Tash is a talented singer-songwriter and gifted musician from Australia. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her lovely single, entitled, “The Signs”.
“I wrote ‘The Signs’ in a similar headspace to the way I wrote ‘DREAMING’. It’s about feeling suspicious that omens exist and that maybe I’d done something to deserve my own misfortune. I don’t actually believe in any of that stuff, but at the time I’d probably had a weird week and started wondering if opening umbrellas indoors is the cause of it.” – Tash
The audiovisual, equipped with a classic ‘80s flare, opt for sprinkles of VHS frames and subtle animation.
Also, the music video follows a relaxed Tash as she travels sonically through the bustling city at nighttime.
‘The Signs’ is featured on Tash’s latest EP, entitled, “VOLUME 1”. The likable 5-track project contains her previously released tune, entitled, “What a Lovely Mess”.
“Tash is such a prolific songwriter and we feel that anyone who listens to the EP is going to have a very special listening experience” – producer of the EP, Mark J Feist (Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Little Mix)
Tash was discovered by multi-platinum record producer and songwriter Mark J. Feist on Instagram.
She started by posting acoustic covers of popular songs and has since reached over 800K impressions a week.
Tash has quickly established herself as one of this year’s most exciting artists to watch.
She was born into a musical family to a guitar-teaching mother and bass-playing father.
At such a young age, she has sold out numerous shows including performances at Soho House NYC, Sayers Club Los Angeles, Peppermint Club, and Hotel Cafe.
So far, her music has amassed over 80M streams and garnered over 12M views online across various social media platforms.
“I’m questioning the way it works what did I do to deserve this change of rhythm so bitter, I’m getting butthurt about almost everything, it’s unsettling. Focus on better things. Stop, stop hiding in your euphemisms, believing your superstition, following your intuition ain’t always so good for you. I know if you bring bad, the bad will come to you. That doesn’t mean that all the black cat bullsh*t is actually true, nah. Don’t need my fortune told to tell me I’ve got unrequited love. I’ve got issues with my trust. I’ve got a conscience. That’s enough for me to think that’s enough for me.” – lyrics, “The Signs”
Tash is the first artist to ever perform on the roof at the Facebook Campus.
Her songs have been added to over 20+ Spotify, Amazon, and Apple playlists.
Also, she was placed on the Apple Music homepage in the USA as well as featured in their Swipe Up viral campaign.
“I wrote ‘The Signs’ in a similar headspace to the way I wrote ‘DREAMING’. It’s about feeling suspicious that omens exist and that maybe I’d done something to deserve my own misfortune. I don’t actually believe in any of that stuff, but at the time I’d probably had a weird week and started wondering if opening umbrellas indoors is the cause of it.” – Tash
The audiovisual, equipped with a classic ‘80s flare, opt for sprinkles of VHS frames and subtle animation.
Also, the music video follows a relaxed Tash as she travels sonically through the bustling city at nighttime.
‘The Signs’ is featured on Tash’s latest EP, entitled, “VOLUME 1”. The likable 5-track project contains her previously released tune, entitled, “What a Lovely Mess”.
“Tash is such a prolific songwriter and we feel that anyone who listens to the EP is going to have a very special listening experience” – producer of the EP, Mark J Feist (Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Little Mix)
Tash was discovered by multi-platinum record producer and songwriter Mark J. Feist on Instagram.
She started by posting acoustic covers of popular songs and has since reached over 800K impressions a week.
Tash has quickly established herself as one of this year’s most exciting artists to watch.
She was born into a musical family to a guitar-teaching mother and bass-playing father.
At such a young age, she has sold out numerous shows including performances at Soho House NYC, Sayers Club Los Angeles, Peppermint Club, and Hotel Cafe.
So far, her music has amassed over 80M streams and garnered over 12M views online across various social media platforms.
“I’m questioning the way it works what did I do to deserve this change of rhythm so bitter, I’m getting butthurt about almost everything, it’s unsettling. Focus on better things. Stop, stop hiding in your euphemisms, believing your superstition, following your intuition ain’t always so good for you. I know if you bring bad, the bad will come to you. That doesn’t mean that all the black cat bullsh*t is actually true, nah. Don’t need my fortune told to tell me I’ve got unrequited love. I’ve got issues with my trust. I’ve got a conscience. That’s enough for me to think that’s enough for me.” – lyrics, “The Signs”
Tash is the first artist to ever perform on the roof at the Facebook Campus.
Her songs have been added to over 20+ Spotify, Amazon, and Apple playlists.
Also, she was placed on the Apple Music homepage in the USA as well as featured in their Swipe Up viral campaign.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Mr. Holmes (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Sherlock Holmes is one of the iconic characters in any mystery tale, this time we following him in his latter years, as we follow the three moments, the last case he didn’t solve, the trip to Japan and how he is writing the story about his last case. This character is interesting to find because we see a great mind struggling to remember everything that he should. Mrs Munro is the housekeeper looking after Sherlock while he focuses on his projects and bees, she does want to move away with her son because she finds Sherlock more in need of a nurse than a housekeeper. Roger is her young son that Sherlock takes under his wing, he is eager to learn more about his stories and the bees which can leave him in trouble at times. Tamiki has invited Sherlock to Japan, claiming to be a big fan, but he has different motives for this, we don’t really see enough of this character though.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Groupers (2019) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Characters – Meg is the mastermind behind the plan, she wants to use the experiment for her studies and to get revenge on the bullies from her brother’s school experience, she does remain in control of the situation for the most part, until we learn she isn’t alone in her plan. Brad is the typical high school jock, he thinks he is gods gift to women and will pick on anybody different, including pushing homosexuals to limits they shouldn’t, he isn’t willing to accept them in his world and does struggle to deal with the situation. Dylan is the other bully, he is the type of bully that just follows the leader and when put in the situation the pair find themselves in, seems to start showing his true nature, one that Brad doesn’t like. Orin is the brother that was the victim of the hate crime, what happened to him pushes Meg into her actions. We do also have a couple of groups of colourful characters that put a spanner in the works of the plan.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
Performances – We have an excellent cast here, with Nicole Dambro taking centre stage on the more serious side of the film, while Cameron Duckett getting the most laughs from the main cast. Peter Mayer-Klepchick does a great job too and for the final act we do have everyone hitting the high points in the performance.
Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to experiment on a couple of school bullies that treated her brother homophobically and wants to prove that you can’t choose whether to be homosexual or not. This does start by coming off like a twisted revenge styled movie, with the story coming off like that, it is the second half of the film where we get to put over the message that was wanted to put forward, even if it is done with the comical tone at times. The story does have the prospective rewind idea, which does give each scene a new light, which is good to see. This is a story that does go in a different direction that you would expect and will surprise you at times.
Comedy – The comedy does come in strong in the second half of the film, where everything adds up and gives us laugh in every line.
Settings – The film is set entirely in one location, the pool in the abandoned neighbourhood, it does give the events a real-time feel too.
Scene of the Movie – Durant settles everything.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain moments do get repeated too much.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy that still manages to get the important message across too. It has great performance from the whole cast too.
Overall: Comedy that will make you laugh a lot.
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