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David McK (3562 KP) rated Elementary - Season 3 in TV
Apr 10, 2023
The third season of CBS's modern-day American-set reinterpretation of Sherlock Holmes, with this season - IMO - very much one of two halves: during the first season we have the whole Sherlock and Kitty plot arc (whilst he is initially estranged from Watson), while the back half is more akin to the first two series in set-up.
I must admit, also, that - while initially I found her to be quite annoying - the Kitty character did actually grow on me over the course of the season.
I must admit, also, that - while initially I found her to be quite annoying - the Kitty character did actually grow on me over the course of the season.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Ghostbusters (1984) in Movies
Oct 31, 2021
Who you gonna call? Ghost breakers!!
Classic 1980s supernatural comedy horror, that originally was going to be called Ghost breakers if they couldn't get the rights to the name, and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver.
A bit dated by today's standards, and I recently found out that it was also rushed to meet a deadline (which might explain the sometimes ropey effects), but it does have a bangin' theme tune alongside an interesting take on the 'going into business' scthick.
A bit dated by today's standards, and I recently found out that it was also rushed to meet a deadline (which might explain the sometimes ropey effects), but it does have a bangin' theme tune alongside an interesting take on the 'going into business' scthick.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Trigger Point in TV
Feb 28, 2022 (Updated Feb 28, 2022)
Good but not explosive
From the same team as Line of Duty and the Bodyguard series comes this shot series following an Explosive Officer on the Police force. It's interesting and feels realistic in terms of the police side of things dealing with a series of explosive devices are found in London. Good production values but the main plot is quite simple compared to the intricate plots of Line of Duty. It's very short at 6 episodes as well.
David McK (3562 KP) rated A Clash of Lions (100 Years War, book 2) in Books
Mar 31, 2024
The second of AJ MacKenzie three 100 Years War novels following the exploits of the Herald Simon Merrivale, which - this time - moves the setting from France across to the Scottish border.
I'm also finding this a little bit hard to rate: whilst the *story* was interesting, as was the history, I found the prose itself to be a little bit too dry; never really grabbing me and sucking me in the way a, say, Bernard Cornwell might.
I'll still read the next in the series, though.
I'm also finding this a little bit hard to rate: whilst the *story* was interesting, as was the history, I found the prose itself to be a little bit too dry; never really grabbing me and sucking me in the way a, say, Bernard Cornwell might.
I'll still read the next in the series, though.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Hello Again in Books
Dec 26, 2018 (Updated Dec 26, 2018)
Held my Interest (1 more)
Interesting Premise
Not enough character backstory (2 more)
Pacing all over the place
Not very paranormal
Not Very Paranormal
I love the premise of Hello Again by Stan Schatt. I'm very much into ghosts, so I knew I had to read this book. When it came up for review, I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, this book was just okay, nothing special.
The plot for Hello Again sounded interesting enough. I loved the idea of a guy getting texts from his dead girlfriend. However, there just wasn't enough of the paranormal aspect for me which was disappointing. Personally, I wouldn't really label Hello Again as a paranormal read at all. It was fun to read about though. I kept trying to figure out who was sending the texts from Amber's phone after she died especially since they were coming from her apartment. I also found it interesting to read about Bill's cafe and how he was struggling to get the money to renew the lease. Anyway, the story did take awhile to get going before he meets his girlfriend, Amber Love, at a speed dating event. Amber is very mysterious and doesn't reveal too much of herself to Ben. I found their relationship to be a bit forced and stagnant myself. They hadn't even been on very many dates before she is blown up by a car bomb. What I found weird was that Ben never even googled Amber's name when he found out she had given him a false last name. If it were me, this day in age, I would have been googling her as soon as I had free time. I also felt like we need more information about how Ben found out about Amber's funeral. I will say that by the time this book ended, all of my questions were answered. There are no cliff hangers, and I felt like what was supposed to be the plot twist was too predictable.
I never really connected to any of the characters in Hello Again, and as much as I tried, I never really found myself caring for any of them. I would have liked a bit more backstory into Ben and Amber. I would have liked it if Ben and Amber's relationship had a chance to flourish instead of them just going on about 3 or 4 dates. I would have even liked more backstory for Josh, the psychic. It was hard to connect to these characters when I didn't know much about them. Oh, one of the characters is described as looking like a terrorist and of Middle Eastern descent. I found this to be stereotypical and thought that some readers may find this offensive.
The pacing for Hello Again starts out slow. About halfway through, the pacing does pick up, but I feel it does go too fast in many places which left scratching my head wondering what had happened. Sometimes, I had to go back to see if I missed anything which I didn't. The pacing just didn't flow very well in the second half. However, this book did hold my attention until the very end though, but I wasn't in a rush to finish it. Luckily, it's a short read.
Trigger warnings for Hello Again include some profanity, a couple of sex scenes although they aren't graphic, violence, murder, and alcoholic drinking.
All in all, Hello Again was an okay albeit disappointing read for me. I had been expecting more of a paranormal read which this really wasn't. I could never connect to the characters which left me feeling empty. However, I did find that this book held my attention on the plus side. Because it held my attention and was a short read, I would recommend Hello Again by Stan Schatt for those aged 18+ who are looking for a short read.
--
(A special thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of Hello Again in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
The plot for Hello Again sounded interesting enough. I loved the idea of a guy getting texts from his dead girlfriend. However, there just wasn't enough of the paranormal aspect for me which was disappointing. Personally, I wouldn't really label Hello Again as a paranormal read at all. It was fun to read about though. I kept trying to figure out who was sending the texts from Amber's phone after she died especially since they were coming from her apartment. I also found it interesting to read about Bill's cafe and how he was struggling to get the money to renew the lease. Anyway, the story did take awhile to get going before he meets his girlfriend, Amber Love, at a speed dating event. Amber is very mysterious and doesn't reveal too much of herself to Ben. I found their relationship to be a bit forced and stagnant myself. They hadn't even been on very many dates before she is blown up by a car bomb. What I found weird was that Ben never even googled Amber's name when he found out she had given him a false last name. If it were me, this day in age, I would have been googling her as soon as I had free time. I also felt like we need more information about how Ben found out about Amber's funeral. I will say that by the time this book ended, all of my questions were answered. There are no cliff hangers, and I felt like what was supposed to be the plot twist was too predictable.
I never really connected to any of the characters in Hello Again, and as much as I tried, I never really found myself caring for any of them. I would have liked a bit more backstory into Ben and Amber. I would have liked it if Ben and Amber's relationship had a chance to flourish instead of them just going on about 3 or 4 dates. I would have even liked more backstory for Josh, the psychic. It was hard to connect to these characters when I didn't know much about them. Oh, one of the characters is described as looking like a terrorist and of Middle Eastern descent. I found this to be stereotypical and thought that some readers may find this offensive.
The pacing for Hello Again starts out slow. About halfway through, the pacing does pick up, but I feel it does go too fast in many places which left scratching my head wondering what had happened. Sometimes, I had to go back to see if I missed anything which I didn't. The pacing just didn't flow very well in the second half. However, this book did hold my attention until the very end though, but I wasn't in a rush to finish it. Luckily, it's a short read.
Trigger warnings for Hello Again include some profanity, a couple of sex scenes although they aren't graphic, violence, murder, and alcoholic drinking.
All in all, Hello Again was an okay albeit disappointing read for me. I had been expecting more of a paranormal read which this really wasn't. I could never connect to the characters which left me feeling empty. However, I did find that this book held my attention on the plus side. Because it held my attention and was a short read, I would recommend Hello Again by Stan Schatt for those aged 18+ who are looking for a short read.
--
(A special thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of Hello Again in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow in Books
Jan 4, 2019
The Plot (2 more)
The Pacing
The Characters
A Great Spooky Read!
I've read two other novels by Nancy Gray, Empty Eyes and Krampus, so when I read the synopsis of The Scarecrow, I know I had to read it. It sounded really interesting. I was not disappointed.
All of the previous books in the Spine Chillers series have been short, and The Scarecrow was no exception. I love how each book in the series can be read as a standalone.
I found myself enthralled by the plot of The Scarecrow from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I was immediately thrust into all the action. Yes, the plot about a scary scarecrow come to life has been done many times before, but I loved the way Nancy Gray made her story a bit different. There are a couple of plot twists, and there was even one I didn't see coming. The Scarecrow is a scary read, but it's not overly scary for its targeted audience. I found the world building to be believable. It was easy to be transported to Sophie's world with each word I read.
The pacing for The Scarecrow is done fantastically. Not once did it slow down to where it became boring, and it was never too fast paced where I was just left confused. The pacing is spot on, and I found myself wanting to know more about the scarecrow, Hunt, Sophie, and Edward with each page. This was a definite page turner. Luckily The Scarecrow is a short read because I never wanted to stop reading. I had to know how everything would turn out.
I loved the characters in The Scarecrow. I found Sophie to be incredibly brave and sweet the way she was willing to put her life on the line to look for and save her cousin. Edward was an interesting character in a good way. Even the adults in this book were likable as well as believable.
Trigger warnings for The Scarecrow include one minor profanity (one of the characters says "what the hell"), violence, and disobeying adults.
Overall, The Scarecrow is a great read for those that like to be spooked. It has a great story line, interesting characters, and fantastic pacing. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray to those aged 11+. Even though this is written for the middle grade age group, I really think adults would enjoy it too.
All of the previous books in the Spine Chillers series have been short, and The Scarecrow was no exception. I love how each book in the series can be read as a standalone.
I found myself enthralled by the plot of The Scarecrow from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I was immediately thrust into all the action. Yes, the plot about a scary scarecrow come to life has been done many times before, but I loved the way Nancy Gray made her story a bit different. There are a couple of plot twists, and there was even one I didn't see coming. The Scarecrow is a scary read, but it's not overly scary for its targeted audience. I found the world building to be believable. It was easy to be transported to Sophie's world with each word I read.
The pacing for The Scarecrow is done fantastically. Not once did it slow down to where it became boring, and it was never too fast paced where I was just left confused. The pacing is spot on, and I found myself wanting to know more about the scarecrow, Hunt, Sophie, and Edward with each page. This was a definite page turner. Luckily The Scarecrow is a short read because I never wanted to stop reading. I had to know how everything would turn out.
I loved the characters in The Scarecrow. I found Sophie to be incredibly brave and sweet the way she was willing to put her life on the line to look for and save her cousin. Edward was an interesting character in a good way. Even the adults in this book were likable as well as believable.
Trigger warnings for The Scarecrow include one minor profanity (one of the characters says "what the hell"), violence, and disobeying adults.
Overall, The Scarecrow is a great read for those that like to be spooked. It has a great story line, interesting characters, and fantastic pacing. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray to those aged 11+. Even though this is written for the middle grade age group, I really think adults would enjoy it too.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Extinction: Jurassic Predators (2014) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Michelle is the presenter of the documentary and we barely see her do any presenting, we have a small moment early on but otherwise the camera spends a lot of time to following her ass on screen. Professor Howson is the expect in the field and meant to be the star alongside Michelle in the documentary, he must lead them to safety through the rainforest. Rob is the second in command being a lot more laid back when dealing with any danger believing in his own abilities. James is the cameraman that at one moment states the obvious, another moment does all the stupid things and somewhere along the lines becomes the bravest member of the crew.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Puzzle (2018) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Michelle is the presenter of the documentary and we barely see her do any presenting, we have a small moment early on but otherwise the camera spends a lot of time to following her ass on screen. Professor Howson is the expect in the field and meant to be the star alongside Michelle in the documentary, he must lead them to safety through the rainforest. Rob is the second in command being a lot more laid back when dealing with any danger believing in his own abilities. James is the cameraman that at one moment states the obvious, another moment does all the stupid things and somewhere along the lines becomes the bravest member of the crew.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialogue is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.