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Maya Flowers sees a new commuter on her train, and knows that he’s The One, so she becomes obsessed, imagining what his life is like and who he is until she plucks up the courage to give him a note.
When I realised that this was based on a true story, I decided to read it, thinking that because it was meant that it wouldn’t to be too pink and fluffy. And I was quite glad that I picked it up because it was entertaining.
I really liked Maya, the fact that she seemed so normal. I loved that her obsession with James was so obvious, it made her such a relatable character.
I did struggle a bit with the pace of the novel. It was quite slow all the way through, when I’m more into novels that jump straight into a good juicy plot. But I should have expected this from a book that’s about missed chances.
It was definitely an enjoyable read, with some funny parts. It also definitely made me smile. However I did definitely struggle with it, and to say that it’s only short, it took me a bit longer to read than I thought it would. It just seemed to be missing something.
But since it’s based on a true story, I’m not sure I can really comment much on the plot.
It’s definitely worth reading if you like Jojo Moyes, and I did enjoy it. My only comment is that the pace seemed to let it down.
When I realised that this was based on a true story, I decided to read it, thinking that because it was meant that it wouldn’t to be too pink and fluffy. And I was quite glad that I picked it up because it was entertaining.
I really liked Maya, the fact that she seemed so normal. I loved that her obsession with James was so obvious, it made her such a relatable character.
I did struggle a bit with the pace of the novel. It was quite slow all the way through, when I’m more into novels that jump straight into a good juicy plot. But I should have expected this from a book that’s about missed chances.
It was definitely an enjoyable read, with some funny parts. It also definitely made me smile. However I did definitely struggle with it, and to say that it’s only short, it took me a bit longer to read than I thought it would. It just seemed to be missing something.
But since it’s based on a true story, I’m not sure I can really comment much on the plot.
It’s definitely worth reading if you like Jojo Moyes, and I did enjoy it. My only comment is that the pace seemed to let it down.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
May 10, 2019
Isn’t even entertainingly bad
You know to have low expectations when watching a Jason Statham film, especially one about giant sharks. I had hoped for something similar to Sharknado, a proper cheesy laughingly bad B movie, but sadly The Meg can’t even live up to these very low standards.
For starters, I don’t think this film has any idea what it’s meant to be. Is it serious, is it silly? It ends up being a bizarre mixture of the two which just doesn’t work as both aspects just seem out of place. Whilst I absolutely love the Thai version of Mickey that plays over the end credits, again it kind of seems a bit confused. The script is awful, and the acting for the most part is horrendous. I wanted it to be entertainingly bad, but sadly it was just cringeworthy to the point I was almost embarrassed for them. The only person who comes out of this relatively unscathed is Cliff Curtis as Mac, who is at least pretty funny although sadly underused. Also, what on earth was going on with Jason Statham’s accent? Was it English or American?! And then there’s the plot. It’s very predictable, the first hour is ridiculously dull and then changes into completely farce and unbelievability at the end, with stupid characters doing silly things that just don’t make any sense. Even the CGI was average and nothing exceptional.
I really wanted to like this, at least in a “it’s so bad it’s good” way, but sadly this is just plain old bad.
For starters, I don’t think this film has any idea what it’s meant to be. Is it serious, is it silly? It ends up being a bizarre mixture of the two which just doesn’t work as both aspects just seem out of place. Whilst I absolutely love the Thai version of Mickey that plays over the end credits, again it kind of seems a bit confused. The script is awful, and the acting for the most part is horrendous. I wanted it to be entertainingly bad, but sadly it was just cringeworthy to the point I was almost embarrassed for them. The only person who comes out of this relatively unscathed is Cliff Curtis as Mac, who is at least pretty funny although sadly underused. Also, what on earth was going on with Jason Statham’s accent? Was it English or American?! And then there’s the plot. It’s very predictable, the first hour is ridiculously dull and then changes into completely farce and unbelievability at the end, with stupid characters doing silly things that just don’t make any sense. Even the CGI was average and nothing exceptional.
I really wanted to like this, at least in a “it’s so bad it’s good” way, but sadly this is just plain old bad.
Fred (860 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
Jun 3, 2019
Long Live the King!
Funny how people complained about the 2014 Godzilla movie saying there wasn't enough Godzilla in it. Anyone who is a fan know most Godzilla movies don't have a lot of Godzilla in it. Anyway, now they're complaining about too many monsters. Ridiculous. Let me tell you, this film is for Godzilla fans & boy does it deliver. The story is good enough. I won't give too much away, but the monsters (Titans as they are called here) are woken up & only Godzilla can stop them.
The movie is still pretty heavy on the human story, but it's just the right amount. It ends with a grand Godzilla fight. I'm sure you all know which monsters are involved in the film. By using CGI, they not only look spectacular, but you can get many angles & views of them that you couldn't get by guys in rubber suits. There are so many cool scenes, my favorite maybe being Rodan against the jets. Mothra also appears in the film. Sorry, no tiny singing ladies. But, the song is in the movie! In fact, all of the songs are in the movie! It was great hearing the monster's themes play when they appeared on the screen. Nothing gets you going more than hearing the Godzilla theme playing while he stomps towards the enemy.
The human actors do the job moving things along. There's some corny dialogue (You're a monster!") but we're not talking Shakespeare here anyway. If you're looking for something fun to see, go right out & see this now!
The movie is still pretty heavy on the human story, but it's just the right amount. It ends with a grand Godzilla fight. I'm sure you all know which monsters are involved in the film. By using CGI, they not only look spectacular, but you can get many angles & views of them that you couldn't get by guys in rubber suits. There are so many cool scenes, my favorite maybe being Rodan against the jets. Mothra also appears in the film. Sorry, no tiny singing ladies. But, the song is in the movie! In fact, all of the songs are in the movie! It was great hearing the monster's themes play when they appeared on the screen. Nothing gets you going more than hearing the Godzilla theme playing while he stomps towards the enemy.
The human actors do the job moving things along. There's some corny dialogue (You're a monster!") but we're not talking Shakespeare here anyway. If you're looking for something fun to see, go right out & see this now!
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Texas Rose Forever (Texas Rose Ranch, #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
Who doesnt love a story about second chances? There are few things more heart warming than someone who has been burned but finds love again anyway and discovers they are worthy of love. Most of us have been there. For those of us who received another chance, whether it be a second or 22nd, we know that love comes when you least expect it.
Thats what happened to CanDee and Cinco. Neither was looking for love, but they certainly found it. It was lovely to read their falling for each other because it seemed to happen at a natural, logical procession. Its easy to see why they would fall in love too! CanDee is a strong, funny heroine not without her faults whereas Cinco is a hardworking cowboy who knows how to play just as hard. They fit together nicely as did the supporting characters.
What I loved about this novel is how neither CanDee nor Cinco stayed hung up on their less than stellar past relationships. They were open to a new partner rather than dwelling in their own pity party.
What I didnt like? Their names. Cincos didnt bother me, but CanDee really? I feel that there is this trend in among authors to try and give their characters unique names. Call me petty, but I found her name annoying rather than unique or innovative. This clearly did not interfere with my enjoyment of the novel (Im not THAT petty) and I appreciated the authors easy style.
Thats what happened to CanDee and Cinco. Neither was looking for love, but they certainly found it. It was lovely to read their falling for each other because it seemed to happen at a natural, logical procession. Its easy to see why they would fall in love too! CanDee is a strong, funny heroine not without her faults whereas Cinco is a hardworking cowboy who knows how to play just as hard. They fit together nicely as did the supporting characters.
What I loved about this novel is how neither CanDee nor Cinco stayed hung up on their less than stellar past relationships. They were open to a new partner rather than dwelling in their own pity party.
What I didnt like? Their names. Cincos didnt bother me, but CanDee really? I feel that there is this trend in among authors to try and give their characters unique names. Call me petty, but I found her name annoying rather than unique or innovative. This clearly did not interfere with my enjoyment of the novel (Im not THAT petty) and I appreciated the authors easy style.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Plank (1967) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018
Genius British Comedy Film-Making
If ever a film deserved the accolade 'classic' this is it. Not in the sense that it is the best of it's genre, but in the sense that it is typical of it. If you needed to to have just one exemplar of British 'silly' humour, this would fit all the requirements. Reminiscent of it's predecessors The Goons, Dad's Army and (early) Carry On, and probably inspirational to followers such as The Goodies and The Comic Strip.Packed with 'faces' that anyone over forty who grew up here will recognise.
Two builders find themselves one floor-board short of a house. So they go to the timber yard to get one.
And that's the story. All of it...except the details. It's the details that make the rest of the film, and make it so damn funny, as the hapless pair unwittingly wreak mayhem and chaos.
It shouldn't need to be said - but I'll say it any way :-) - that there is a level of genius required to make an entire film out of just that. But then it is the work of Eric Sykes (more recently seen in 'Harry P & the Goblet of Fire' and 'The Others', for younger viewers) who has been a mainstay of British humour, both as a writer and performer, for several decades now.
Incindentally if you don't quite 'get' the image of the incompetent British workman portrayed in this film find a copy of Bernard Cribbens' 'Right, Said Fred' and listen to it. Everything will become clear!
Oh, and there's a kitten, too.
Two builders find themselves one floor-board short of a house. So they go to the timber yard to get one.
And that's the story. All of it...except the details. It's the details that make the rest of the film, and make it so damn funny, as the hapless pair unwittingly wreak mayhem and chaos.
It shouldn't need to be said - but I'll say it any way :-) - that there is a level of genius required to make an entire film out of just that. But then it is the work of Eric Sykes (more recently seen in 'Harry P & the Goblet of Fire' and 'The Others', for younger viewers) who has been a mainstay of British humour, both as a writer and performer, for several decades now.
Incindentally if you don't quite 'get' the image of the incompetent British workman portrayed in this film find a copy of Bernard Cribbens' 'Right, Said Fred' and listen to it. Everything will become clear!
Oh, and there's a kitten, too.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Friends With Benefits (2011) in Movies
Mar 22, 2018
Sleeper Hit
Friends With Benefits succeeds largely because of the chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. This movie could have had the most honest of intentions, but would have easily fallen flat without a couple you can get behind. That's not to say that their relationship didn't annoy me at times. Realistically had they just come clean with each other sooner, you could cut the run time of the film by about thirty minutes. It's a movie, however, and alas this is what movies are known to do at times.
Mila's character Jamie continued to win me over as the film progressed. She's spunky, witty, and has a vulnerability that you can appreciate. I appreciate Mila's ability to switch emotion on a dime when she needed to (going from happy to hurt, etc.).
I was surprised by the number of funny moments throughout. The comedy carries from beginning to end successfully which makes it all the more easier to sit back and enjoy. The ongoing Captain Sully joke was a nice touch along with the clever way the film kicked off having the opening Screen Gems intro being a part of a computer screen.
Friends With Benefits is a sleeper hit. It's the story of two friends who start a just-sex relationship that blossoms into something else. Cameos from Andy Samberg and Emma Stone ("We missed 'Your Body is a Wonderland'!") in the first few minutes sets a hilarious tone that never lets up. Highly recommended from me, I give the film a 92.
Mila's character Jamie continued to win me over as the film progressed. She's spunky, witty, and has a vulnerability that you can appreciate. I appreciate Mila's ability to switch emotion on a dime when she needed to (going from happy to hurt, etc.).
I was surprised by the number of funny moments throughout. The comedy carries from beginning to end successfully which makes it all the more easier to sit back and enjoy. The ongoing Captain Sully joke was a nice touch along with the clever way the film kicked off having the opening Screen Gems intro being a part of a computer screen.
Friends With Benefits is a sleeper hit. It's the story of two friends who start a just-sex relationship that blossoms into something else. Cameos from Andy Samberg and Emma Stone ("We missed 'Your Body is a Wonderland'!") in the first few minutes sets a hilarious tone that never lets up. Highly recommended from me, I give the film a 92.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Loney in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also find my review here: http://bit.ly/25IFVT7
<b><i>’”It’s funny, int it?” he said. “How you church people can have more faith in something that can’t be proved than something that's standing right in front of you? I suppose it comes down to seeing what you want to see, dunt it?”’</i></b>
<b>3.5 stars!</b>
I had really high hopes for this book, more because I’d been wanting to read it since before it came out than due to others reviews, so I really didn’t want it to let me down, and I can’t seem to make up my mind as to whether it did or not.
Let’s just put it this way, <b>there was a lot left unsaid.</b>
This book classes itself as a horror, but I don’t see it that way myself, though I’m not sure what genre I would place it in. There were parts of the book that did in fact freak me out and I had to stop reading it at 2am in the pitch black because I was just a tad scared but in the end there was not a lot to be scared of. Just things to be curious about.
I’ve actually found it quite difficult to write a review for this <i>(hence the very short review)</i> because I’m not sure what there is to talk about. I loved the writing of this book, the characters and the setting but I’m not sure how to feel about the plot.
<b><i>’”It’s funny, int it?” he said. “How you church people can have more faith in something that can’t be proved than something that's standing right in front of you? I suppose it comes down to seeing what you want to see, dunt it?”’</i></b>
<b>3.5 stars!</b>
I had really high hopes for this book, more because I’d been wanting to read it since before it came out than due to others reviews, so I really didn’t want it to let me down, and I can’t seem to make up my mind as to whether it did or not.
Let’s just put it this way, <b>there was a lot left unsaid.</b>
This book classes itself as a horror, but I don’t see it that way myself, though I’m not sure what genre I would place it in. There were parts of the book that did in fact freak me out and I had to stop reading it at 2am in the pitch black because I was just a tad scared but in the end there was not a lot to be scared of. Just things to be curious about.
I’ve actually found it quite difficult to write a review for this <i>(hence the very short review)</i> because I’m not sure what there is to talk about. I loved the writing of this book, the characters and the setting but I’m not sure how to feel about the plot.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Fall of Lisa Bellow in Books
Mar 15, 2018
This novel was one I had been highly anticipating since late last year, and unfortunately, it just wasnt for me. Ive read a number of character driven novels in the past couple of months and I think Im just getting a bit sick of them. Because of this, my review is going to be skewed, theres no way around that, it just wasnt the kind of novel I was hoping to read at this point in my reading journey.
The novel was very well put together. The writing was wonderful and the characters were incredibly well developed, but my problem was the plot. As a lot of others have said, this promised suspense and a bit of action, but it was instead a slow moving, poetic family drama.
The characters, I didnt care enough about to really get invested in their stories. Meredith was fine, and like I previously said, often funny, but I had no empathy for her, so her story meant very little to me. Claire I didnt like, not even a little bit. Ive never experienced motherhood, but there was something so immature about her when it came to certain situations with her kids, that I ended up hating her for her behaviour and thoughts.
I hate that I didnt like this novel, but there we are.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
The novel was very well put together. The writing was wonderful and the characters were incredibly well developed, but my problem was the plot. As a lot of others have said, this promised suspense and a bit of action, but it was instead a slow moving, poetic family drama.
The characters, I didnt care enough about to really get invested in their stories. Meredith was fine, and like I previously said, often funny, but I had no empathy for her, so her story meant very little to me. Claire I didnt like, not even a little bit. Ive never experienced motherhood, but there was something so immature about her when it came to certain situations with her kids, that I ended up hating her for her behaviour and thoughts.
I hate that I didnt like this novel, but there we are.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Sorry to Bother You (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
This movie was funny, poignant, and sure did take a turn in the third act. The world that Cassius Green ("cash is green") lives in is a not-quite bizarro version of our own world--take all the issues the United States is having and turn them to 11 and you'll understand. It reminded me a bit of Idiocracy in that way. But I digress. Cassius Green just wants stability. He wants to make money to eventually move out of his uncle's (Terry Crews) garage, and he wants to impress his girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson). He finds a job working as a telemarketer, and, what's more, he finds success by adopting a "white voice," voiced by David Cross. He soon faces a moral crisis when he finds out what he's actually selling, and who he's selling out.
Brilliantly shot and directed, Sorry to Bother You is a delight to watch. Every actor is on point, and the comedic timing never skips a beat. But it's not without a message, and it won't be hard to decipher. Sorry to Bother You is a satire in the purest of forms--and what is being satirized is us. After it's over, it invites you to take a moment to reflect on your own life, and what part you play in the world. Excellent, relevant film. Highly recommend.
(Also, I have to add that I saw this at a weekday afternoon matinee, and the audience was full of old white people. They looked less than pleased as we were walking out. What did you think this was??)
Brilliantly shot and directed, Sorry to Bother You is a delight to watch. Every actor is on point, and the comedic timing never skips a beat. But it's not without a message, and it won't be hard to decipher. Sorry to Bother You is a satire in the purest of forms--and what is being satirized is us. After it's over, it invites you to take a moment to reflect on your own life, and what part you play in the world. Excellent, relevant film. Highly recommend.
(Also, I have to add that I saw this at a weekday afternoon matinee, and the audience was full of old white people. They looked less than pleased as we were walking out. What did you think this was??)
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Jul 19, 2018
Great cast (2 more)
Lots of action
Interesting story
The typical marvel formula (2 more)
Too many characters to develop each one
Boring villain
Are we finally feeling marvel fatigue?
I do feel this movie is very overrated. It was good sure but not as good as what people have made it out to be.
This could just be superhero fatigue. Or maybe it's just marvel fatigue because I'm still interesyed in what DC will offer. This just didn't feel very unique to me. Marvel seems to focus a lot on action, set pieces, CGI than its characters. The villain was boring and underdeveloped. It did have strong female characters, I'll give it that but was very underused. Black panther is well cast.
There were parts of this movie that felt very ironman and other parts that felt very James bond weirldy enough. There were times the CGI was distracting and when they tried to be too funny it didn't work. I'm talking about the car chase scene.
I knew nothing about black panther going in except was was in civil war and I'm not sure where they are going to go with the character.
I know I'm talking negatively but don't get me wrong the action was fun. The fight scenes were well choreographed, I live Martin Freeman in everything and it was interesting to see wakanda with all the technological advances. It's nots a bad movie, it was just overrated and just didn't live up to expectations. They falled flat in many areas.
This could just be superhero fatigue. Or maybe it's just marvel fatigue because I'm still interesyed in what DC will offer. This just didn't feel very unique to me. Marvel seems to focus a lot on action, set pieces, CGI than its characters. The villain was boring and underdeveloped. It did have strong female characters, I'll give it that but was very underused. Black panther is well cast.
There were parts of this movie that felt very ironman and other parts that felt very James bond weirldy enough. There were times the CGI was distracting and when they tried to be too funny it didn't work. I'm talking about the car chase scene.
I knew nothing about black panther going in except was was in civil war and I'm not sure where they are going to go with the character.
I know I'm talking negatively but don't get me wrong the action was fun. The fight scenes were well choreographed, I live Martin Freeman in everything and it was interesting to see wakanda with all the technological advances. It's nots a bad movie, it was just overrated and just didn't live up to expectations. They falled flat in many areas.
