
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated The Wrong Missy (2020) in Movies
May 20, 2020

Watership Down
TV Show
Set in the idyllic rural landscape of southern England, this tale of adventure, courage and survival...
fantasy

The Last Days of John Lennon
James Patterson, Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge
Book
The greatest true-crime story in music history. A GLOBAL SUPERSTAR In the summer of 1980, ten...

Knight Terrors
Video Game
Witness the horrifying adventures of a mysterious suit of armor known only as "The Knight." Armed...
action
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Book
This semi-autobiographical and unforgettable story, of a Jewish family fleeing from Germany before...

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
Tabletop Game
Description from the publisher: Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is a fully cooperative,...

David McK (3547 KP) rated The Fallen Sword (The Hundred Years War, #3) in Books
Aug 3, 2024 (Updated Aug 3, 2024)
By which I mean I was expecting something Cornwell-like; an action-adventure set during the period of The Hundred Years War between France and England over the throne of France.
What I got instead was a (I felt) slow-burner of a mystery over three novels, with the war really only providing the backdrop as the herald Simon Merrivale investigates a shadowy conspiracy amongst the nobles of both sides
The fault in expectation, of course, was wholly mine.
This follows on from the largely-Scotland set A Clash of Lions, itself following on from A Flight of Arrows, with Merrivale now back in France as the English besiege the key city of Calais. I have to say, I did find parts of this novel to drag on a bit: for me, it never really gripped me as much as parts of the previous entry did. One of those novels (and series) that I'm happy enough to have read, but not to the point where I would - yet - search out more by the author.

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Flight Attendant in Books
Feb 26, 2018
This novel starts off with a bang, with Cassie waking up next to a dead man. Once Cassie gets back to the States, I found myself fascinated what could possibly happen for the other 80% of the book. (My mistake, a lot can happen.) The entire novel kept me wondering what on earth would come next. This is a crazy, unpredictable book that sucks you in and never lets you go. I was constantly wondering who the various characters were--who really was Alex, for instance? Is there more to Cassie than we are being told? I was honestly confused for a good portion of the book, which doesn't happen often when I read.
It was really fun and befuddling to piece things together in this one. The book was rather stressful, trying to decipher all the various characters and to deal with Cassie's high-risk behavior. As the end nears, I was actually shocked by a couple of twists, which I really appreciated. It's rare that a thriller truly shocks me anymore. I was truly impressed with this one. The ending was a little odd, but as I pondered it more, I think I'm good with it.
As for Cassie, she was a hard character to like, and there's certainly been no shortage of unreliable drunken female narrators in contemporary fiction as of late. Still, you can't help but get caught up in her story. It's compulsively readable. There are also lots of good flight attendant stories; Chris Bohjalian always well researches his books.
Cassie's chapters also alternate with a woman named Elena, which is an effective storytelling device, and only ratchets up the suspense. Her tale is just as befuddling as Cassie's--perhaps even more so--and just added to my desire to turn the pages and find out what on earth was going on and how these people were all connected. Bohjalian really weaved a fascinating story here, and I love how all of his books are so different. Whereas some can be emotional, this one was truly a thriller, and focused so much on the story and mystery. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was great.
I also found some amusing little personal tidbits in the book: references to Charlottesville (the second in a row in the novels I read--it's my hometown) and Cassie's Kentucky references, including her attendance at the University of Kentucky. We are, in fact, a UK and UVA household--my five-year-old twins are very divided between the two. It's funny how little things stick with you when you read a novel.
Overall, this was a great read. Completely befuddling, but incredibly suspenseful and just sort of fun. Not at all what I expected from Bohjalian, but a fascinating, enjoyable thriller. I was completely lost in Cassie and Elena's bizarre world for a few days--the sign of a great book. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; more at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Aeronauts (2019) in Movies
Oct 27, 2019
The second thing I would also like to mention is that you need to see this in IMAX, it's been filmed for it and though that's not how I saw it I know it will be amazing.
There's a lot in The Aeronauts that makes you stop and collect your thoughts. The experience of being in the balloon is captured perfectly through shots of the city below and the vast expanses of clouds and sky... the word wonderous is the only thing that seems fitting.
I like that the story doesn't dwell on filling in the audience on history before the main event. During their flight we jump back for relevant snippets as needed and it adds to the emotion of the scenes as we return to the context. It also helps to pad out the timeline in what is almost in real-time. The record breaking flight was roughly 2.5 hours, the film runs for 1 hour 40 minutes, having watched it I don't think I'd mind seeing a 2.5 hour version.
Eddie Redmayne is high on my "nope" list when it comes to movies, I can't watch Fantastic Beasts without getting annoyed and as such I haven't gone back to watch any of his other films. In The Aeronauts though I found him to be much less of a frustrating watch, some of the mannerisms are still there but I was definitely won over by his performance. (Please do recommend your favourite films from him in the comments.) He really managed to capture the obsession for knowledge in a very natural way and I found it very engaging.
Felicity Jones as out fictional Amelia Wren makes a great show of the theatrics and transition smoothly to the seriousness needed to convey their situation once they were in flight. I thought her role was incredibly well crafted and she made every moment up in that balloon very real for the audience.
The pair work amazingly together on screen and that's not really surprising seeing as they've worked together before on The Theory Of Everything. I would say that the chemistry they'd already developed helped to make that tiny basket really come to life for the viewer.
A special shout out to Bella who played Posey the dog, I have to assume that she didn't do her own stunts but regardless it was a great performance.
I was very pleased that they didn't feel the need to fill those beautiful silences. As they soared higher into the sky I'm sure they could have filled the gap with peaceful classical music and still been impressive but the visuals are so good that they really didn't need anything.
I don't want to touch much of the second half of the film because it really does need to be seen but it certainly doesn't disappoint. Everything escalates with the ascent and from camera work to effects it all comes together for a finale that has you glued to the screen.
As you can tell I really enjoyed The Aeronauts and I'm looking forward to an Unlimited Screening of it again soon. I have one tip for you, go in your summer clothes when you see it. No, I haven't gone mad(der), it's a great way to get a free 4DX experience by sitting near the air conditioning. You'll get colder and colder as the film progresses and you'll really feel like you're in the balloon with them.
Full review originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-aeronauts-movie-review.html