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Up is a beautifully crafted film that is full of child’s play and adult in jokes. The magicians at Pixar have again triumphed and added another winning film to a growing list of previous hits.
Carl Fredrickson (Edward Asner) is a 70s something old man who has spent his life in love with Ellie, an aspiring day dreaming adventurer he met when he was a small boy. The pair marry and seem to live happily ever after. When Ellie dies (shown in a tear jerking montage) Carl loses the biggest piece of his life yet but must battle on and keep a promise he made to her years before – to reach a set of falls deep in the South-American jungle.
The opening is extremely moving. It shows Ellie and Carl growing up together and facing life’s troubled times and happiest moments. Even for the most hardened film critic Pixar knows how to tap into our emotions. As with any Pixar film it’s the characters that make it. Up is no different. Russell (Jordan Nagai) is an over enthusiastic wilderness scout who teams up with Carl on his adventure. Russell also harbours a secret in his life which is not that dissimilar to Carl’s. Dug (Bob Peterson) is a loveable but slightly dimwitted talking dog, and as for Kevin, his (or should I say her) inclusion is the icing on the cake.
The moment Carl unleashes the balloons from his house in a explosion of colour you know that you’re in for the ride of your life. What follows is a true adventure story. The humour flows right from the beginning and the quirky simplicity of the jokes are brilliant. There are more tear jerking moments and of course a happy ending. Up may surely be Pixar’s finest work yet!
Carl Fredrickson (Edward Asner) is a 70s something old man who has spent his life in love with Ellie, an aspiring day dreaming adventurer he met when he was a small boy. The pair marry and seem to live happily ever after. When Ellie dies (shown in a tear jerking montage) Carl loses the biggest piece of his life yet but must battle on and keep a promise he made to her years before – to reach a set of falls deep in the South-American jungle.
The opening is extremely moving. It shows Ellie and Carl growing up together and facing life’s troubled times and happiest moments. Even for the most hardened film critic Pixar knows how to tap into our emotions. As with any Pixar film it’s the characters that make it. Up is no different. Russell (Jordan Nagai) is an over enthusiastic wilderness scout who teams up with Carl on his adventure. Russell also harbours a secret in his life which is not that dissimilar to Carl’s. Dug (Bob Peterson) is a loveable but slightly dimwitted talking dog, and as for Kevin, his (or should I say her) inclusion is the icing on the cake.
The moment Carl unleashes the balloons from his house in a explosion of colour you know that you’re in for the ride of your life. What follows is a true adventure story. The humour flows right from the beginning and the quirky simplicity of the jokes are brilliant. There are more tear jerking moments and of course a happy ending. Up may surely be Pixar’s finest work yet!
Lost Souls of Horror and the Gothic: Fifty-Four Neglected Authors, Actors, Artists and Others
Elizabeth McCarthy and Bernice M. Murphy
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Horror and Gothic in all of their various forms have penetrated the cultural mainstream in a manner...
Perfectly Unfinished: Finding Beauty in the Midst of Brokenness
Andrea Logan White and Cindy Lambert
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Andrea Logan White appeared to be living the "American dream" or what many would call a "perfect...
Kristina (502 KP) rated Crash (Crash, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2020
4.5 Stars
This story is not full of rainbows and butterflies. There are no moments that make your heart swell with overwhelming happiness, or when tears of joy threaten to spill over, or even when you feel that satisfaction of a happy ending. Heck no, Crash is absolutely not that story - and I've never been so grateful. I'm a romance fan, through and through, but sometimes I come across too many that are so sweet, I almost feel sick when I'm finished reading (once I come down from the high of a happily ever after, of course). I'd been searching for a book that had the romance quality but offered a twist, a dark element that would keep me on my toes and pique my interest. I found it, thanks to an e-mail that offers free Ebooks. From the beginning, I knew Stranger (as I've dubbed him) was different: his eyes were too cold, his expression was too rough, his demeanor was too rugged; which is how I immediately knew I'd found what I was looking for. Drew Jordan gave me the element of a love story, but she wrapped it up in a beautiful black bow accompanied with thorns. Each chapter had me falling more and more in love with the tale, even if that concerns me slightly. I love how honest and raw it is, how Laney is completely truthful, even if her thoughts don't make sense. The secrets were probably my favorite part - I believed Laney was this sweet little girl who was slowly becoming tainted by this stranger, but I eventually realized there's more to her than meets the eye. I'm very excited to read Hide, the next book in the Crash series, and I look forward to revealing more deep, dark secrets from both Laney and Stranger.
This story is not full of rainbows and butterflies. There are no moments that make your heart swell with overwhelming happiness, or when tears of joy threaten to spill over, or even when you feel that satisfaction of a happy ending. Heck no, Crash is absolutely not that story - and I've never been so grateful. I'm a romance fan, through and through, but sometimes I come across too many that are so sweet, I almost feel sick when I'm finished reading (once I come down from the high of a happily ever after, of course). I'd been searching for a book that had the romance quality but offered a twist, a dark element that would keep me on my toes and pique my interest. I found it, thanks to an e-mail that offers free Ebooks. From the beginning, I knew Stranger (as I've dubbed him) was different: his eyes were too cold, his expression was too rough, his demeanor was too rugged; which is how I immediately knew I'd found what I was looking for. Drew Jordan gave me the element of a love story, but she wrapped it up in a beautiful black bow accompanied with thorns. Each chapter had me falling more and more in love with the tale, even if that concerns me slightly. I love how honest and raw it is, how Laney is completely truthful, even if her thoughts don't make sense. The secrets were probably my favorite part - I believed Laney was this sweet little girl who was slowly becoming tainted by this stranger, but I eventually realized there's more to her than meets the eye. I'm very excited to read Hide, the next book in the Crash series, and I look forward to revealing more deep, dark secrets from both Laney and Stranger.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Dancing in Circles (Circles Trilogy #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
So once again I was stuck for choice for what book to read next so I random number generated (RNG) it and got this, #22, which just shows you how old it is (2012).
I'm hoping my tastes haven't changed that much that I won't like it but we'll see what happens.
Okay, I'm going to DNF this at 35%. It wasn't that bad a story but as I mentioned in my status update, I can't help but picture Robert/Bob as some sort of Mexican thug/drug lord/drug runner with how he talks. I know he's from the wrong side of town but I'm sure they don't necessarily have to talk like he was doing. Then the fact he's in a gang...meh.
The main reason I'm not going to finish this is because I got a little bored. It was a bit too predictable. Bad boy, good girl. Meet, fall in love. Live happily ever after. Now if it had been the other way around; bad girl, good guy...then I might have stuck around for completion because I haven't read that situation often and I find it much more intriguing.
The characters were also a little strange in their actions. Stuff happened that a normal person would freak out about and instead our characters just sort of got on with life as if nothing had happened.
My taste in books has changed a fair bit in the three years since I downloaded this, when I downloaded almost everything that was free in the romance category.
I'm now going to go read something that I've paid for and actively sought out.
Not necessarily a bad book just not to my tastes.
I'm hoping my tastes haven't changed that much that I won't like it but we'll see what happens.
Okay, I'm going to DNF this at 35%. It wasn't that bad a story but as I mentioned in my status update, I can't help but picture Robert/Bob as some sort of Mexican thug/drug lord/drug runner with how he talks. I know he's from the wrong side of town but I'm sure they don't necessarily have to talk like he was doing. Then the fact he's in a gang...meh.
The main reason I'm not going to finish this is because I got a little bored. It was a bit too predictable. Bad boy, good girl. Meet, fall in love. Live happily ever after. Now if it had been the other way around; bad girl, good guy...then I might have stuck around for completion because I haven't read that situation often and I find it much more intriguing.
The characters were also a little strange in their actions. Stuff happened that a normal person would freak out about and instead our characters just sort of got on with life as if nothing had happened.
My taste in books has changed a fair bit in the three years since I downloaded this, when I downloaded almost everything that was free in the romance category.
I'm now going to go read something that I've paid for and actively sought out.
Not necessarily a bad book just not to my tastes.
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Trying to Live Happily Ever After in Books
Oct 8, 2019
I received an advance review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Booksirens and Clive Lilwall for this opportunity.
I was very intrigued by the concept of Trying to Live Happily Ever After: bringing fairytales into the modern age is right up my street and, on the whole, Clive Lilwall did not disappoint.
With 17 short stories in total I must admit I did not enjoy every tale.
Cinderella, in my opinion, was just as vapid as her stepsisters and it felt like her owning an old model of a mobile phone justified her to get "the prince". Granted, this may have been Lilwall's aim to show how we associate technology with social standing. However, I would have appreciated a stronger role model as opposed to the slightly kinder but still materialistic Cindy we received.
Unfortunately some of the fables were also lost on me but that may be because I am not familiar with the originals.
Nevertheless, some of Lilwall's tales will possibly stay with me forever. Red's granny getting saucy under a wolf skin; Hansel and Gretal getting fat and baked in a whole new way and, of course, the blunt, shameless, no-holds-barred adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes, starring a certain "president".
The writing is overly simplistic at times but this only highlights the roots of these tales as stories and fables.
The writing does not need to be complex when human actions and consequences are under the spotlight in such a humorous, satirical and thought provoking manner.
These are not the fairy tales you remember, they're not even revolting-rhymes-sort-of-for-kids. Not in the slightest. You have been warned.
I was very intrigued by the concept of Trying to Live Happily Ever After: bringing fairytales into the modern age is right up my street and, on the whole, Clive Lilwall did not disappoint.
With 17 short stories in total I must admit I did not enjoy every tale.
Cinderella, in my opinion, was just as vapid as her stepsisters and it felt like her owning an old model of a mobile phone justified her to get "the prince". Granted, this may have been Lilwall's aim to show how we associate technology with social standing. However, I would have appreciated a stronger role model as opposed to the slightly kinder but still materialistic Cindy we received.
Unfortunately some of the fables were also lost on me but that may be because I am not familiar with the originals.
Nevertheless, some of Lilwall's tales will possibly stay with me forever. Red's granny getting saucy under a wolf skin; Hansel and Gretal getting fat and baked in a whole new way and, of course, the blunt, shameless, no-holds-barred adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes, starring a certain "president".
The writing is overly simplistic at times but this only highlights the roots of these tales as stories and fables.
The writing does not need to be complex when human actions and consequences are under the spotlight in such a humorous, satirical and thought provoking manner.
These are not the fairy tales you remember, they're not even revolting-rhymes-sort-of-for-kids. Not in the slightest. You have been warned.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Rotten Men (Rotten Love Duet #2) in Books
Aug 25, 2019
Sooo good
Contains spoilers, click to show
Envy.
Such an ugly sin.
Yet, here I am guilty of it.
See, I envy you.
You who wake up in the morning not knowing what your future will entail. A blessed uncertainty filled with hope and mystery, with the potential to make it whatever you aspire it to be.
Must be nice — to open your eyes and dream of such a promising existence.
I have no such hopeful misguided notions.
My fate has been written down on crumpled paper, made smooth and immaculate by bloody tainted hands for the outside world to behold, since the day I was conceived.
There is no happily ever after for me but I’ve come to terms with my gilded golden cage long ago.
It’s their destiny that keeps me up at night — the pieces of my soul.
They are the ones who I would defy the devil himself for and stare true evil in the eye, taunting it to do its worst.
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them, yet I know the wheel of fortune is not in our favor.
So, yes — I envy you.
While you dream of your colorful tomorrow, I dread its grayish arrival.
You see, we were all born rotten.
And rotten girls and boys don’t deserve a fairytale ending.
Rotten Girl is the first book in the duet -A Rotten Love
<strong>Sssoooo good</strong>
I loved this duet. Felt so good to finally see Selene home with her men! There is something to love in each of her men. I think I internally cheered when butcher was taken out,I'm also glad it was by her hand with both him an Ciro . Ivy Fox has a really good writing style that keeps you gripped from start to finish.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such an ugly sin.
Yet, here I am guilty of it.
See, I envy you.
You who wake up in the morning not knowing what your future will entail. A blessed uncertainty filled with hope and mystery, with the potential to make it whatever you aspire it to be.
Must be nice — to open your eyes and dream of such a promising existence.
I have no such hopeful misguided notions.
My fate has been written down on crumpled paper, made smooth and immaculate by bloody tainted hands for the outside world to behold, since the day I was conceived.
There is no happily ever after for me but I’ve come to terms with my gilded golden cage long ago.
It’s their destiny that keeps me up at night — the pieces of my soul.
They are the ones who I would defy the devil himself for and stare true evil in the eye, taunting it to do its worst.
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them, yet I know the wheel of fortune is not in our favor.
So, yes — I envy you.
While you dream of your colorful tomorrow, I dread its grayish arrival.
You see, we were all born rotten.
And rotten girls and boys don’t deserve a fairytale ending.
Rotten Girl is the first book in the duet -A Rotten Love
<strong>Sssoooo good</strong>
I loved this duet. Felt so good to finally see Selene home with her men! There is something to love in each of her men. I think I internally cheered when butcher was taken out,I'm also glad it was by her hand with both him an Ciro . Ivy Fox has a really good writing style that keeps you gripped from start to finish.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

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