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Records of Shelley, Byron and the Author
Rosemary Ashton and Edward John Trelawny
Book
In February 1822 the writer and adventurer Edward John Trelawny arrived in Pisa to make the...
Warlords Classic - official port from Mac/PC/Amiga
Games
App
Warlords Classic is an official port of the fabulous game you have been playing in your childhood on...
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Rest of Us Just Live Here in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the second book I've read by Patrick Ness, the first being More Than This which I adored. So I was really looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live Here, and I was not disappointed!
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
The theme of this novel was basically what if you're not the Chosen One? As in, what if you aren't the one who slays the vampires, or exorcises all the demons? What if you don't fall in love with a Goddess or an angel? What if you're just a regular kid, like Mike?
At the start of each chapter, there's a short summary of what's happening in the "main story" - the indie kids fighting the Immortals, saving the world and that kinda thing. But that's all we get of their story; the rest is dedicated to Mike and his friends and family, struggling to lead happy, normal lives.
Each character is so unique and realistic. This is the important bit. There are characters with OCD, alcoholic parents, eating disorders. All of them are so well developed and relatable (expect perhaps Jared, who happens to be 1/4 God of Cats). I just love how their lives are normal lives, and how that doesn't mean they don't get a book written about them. Okay, Henna and Mikey nearly die, Jared can heal people and they encounter blue-eyed creatures a few times, but for the most part they aren't the heroes. They are just people.
I loved how you could compare the normal lives of the gang to what's happening with the indie kids. You can see how certain things affect each group of people differently, and how everything changes what they do. Such as the ending with Finn #2, which decides Jared's fate and alters the indie kids' story completely.
The writing is sometimes a little simplistic, like the kind of thing you read when you're a pre-teen or something. But it's easy to read, and really does draw you in. I have a few other Ness books I'd like to read, and I really am loving his work so far.
As you may or may not know, I'm a sucker for books featuring mental health problems. Anxiety, OCD, anorexia... They need to be addressed! It's great seeing how Mike and his sister get on with their lives despite the problems they're facing, and how they get involved without being judged based on their issues. Like I said, this is a really honest book, which we really need! I'd say 4 stars for this; I love it, but it's not quite in my favourites.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated A Quiet Place (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
When the trailer for this one was running I honestly thought I was going to be scared witless. It made me so uneasy that I was seriously contemplating not going to see it. I don't mind watching horror films, but I feel a lot more comfortable about it when I'm at home in a brightly lit room.
I sucked it up though and went anyway figuring that having a double bill with something I knew would definitely entertain me would be an easy way to calm my nerves.
We start the film 89 (was is 89? I've got a brain like a sieve) days into the events of A Quiet Place. The monsters are here, and those that are left are doing their best to stay quiet and survive. I've already reached a point where I am a little grumbly. When it announced where it was in the story I was hoping for some kind of jumping timeline showing you a before and after style tale... because surely they're not just going to gloss over the whole "how" of the aliens coming to Earth... Oh.
I can't really fault the bit in the middle of the film. I found it quite enjoyable. There are lots of questions that you wonder about, that I always wonder about in apocalyptic movies. But that's where you have to give them leeway for artistic license I guess.
The part of the story that this film tells is good, and you can follow the journey of the family understanding everything even with the limited dialogue. There's some superb acting at work from everyone involved and I've been recommending it to anyone that asks about it.
With quite a few of us in the cinema it was amusing to see everyone's reaction throughout the movie. Every time someone crinkled a packet or opened a fizzy drink there were noticeable pauses as if we'd all just thought "Oh my god that was too loud" before realising that it's just a movie we're watching.
The main reason this one gets a three star rating and not a four is not only for the lack of origin story but for what I consider to be a cheesy ending suitable for a comedy action film and not what I had been to see. The locked and loaded ending was the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie where the end credit are punctuated by shots of our heroes going into battle. A perplexing end.
When the trailer for this one was running I honestly thought I was going to be scared witless. It made me so uneasy that I was seriously contemplating not going to see it. I don't mind watching horror films, but I feel a lot more comfortable about it when I'm at home in a brightly lit room.
I sucked it up though and went anyway figuring that having a double bill with something I knew would definitely entertain me would be an easy way to calm my nerves.
We start the film 89 (was is 89? I've got a brain like a sieve) days into the events of A Quiet Place. The monsters are here, and those that are left are doing their best to stay quiet and survive. I've already reached a point where I am a little grumbly. When it announced where it was in the story I was hoping for some kind of jumping timeline showing you a before and after style tale... because surely they're not just going to gloss over the whole "how" of the aliens coming to Earth... Oh.
I can't really fault the bit in the middle of the film. I found it quite enjoyable. There are lots of questions that you wonder about, that I always wonder about in apocalyptic movies. But that's where you have to give them leeway for artistic license I guess.
The part of the story that this film tells is good, and you can follow the journey of the family understanding everything even with the limited dialogue. There's some superb acting at work from everyone involved and I've been recommending it to anyone that asks about it.
With quite a few of us in the cinema it was amusing to see everyone's reaction throughout the movie. Every time someone crinkled a packet or opened a fizzy drink there were noticeable pauses as if we'd all just thought "Oh my god that was too loud" before realising that it's just a movie we're watching.
The main reason this one gets a three star rating and not a four is not only for the lack of origin story but for what I consider to be a cheesy ending suitable for a comedy action film and not what I had been to see. The locked and loaded ending was the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie where the end credit are punctuated by shots of our heroes going into battle. A perplexing end.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Oct 11, 2019
Oof
I had a horrible horrible feeling that Justice League was going to be rubbish. After the double whammy of raw sewage that was BvS and Suicide Squad, my hopes for a third ensemble film weren't high at all.
The finished result was worse than I thought it was going to be be though...
Firstly, we will start with the characters - a collection of some of the finest heroes the world of comics has to offer.
Batman, who I thought was the best part about BvS, is relegated to a boring and tired waste, who acts as occasional comic relief. It doesn't help that at this point, Ben Affleck seems completely uninterested in even being involved (can't blame the guy).
After a pretty good solo outing, Wonder Woman has gone from an empowered female badass, to someone who mopes around about her ex boyfriend (but is still admittedly badass).
The Flash (one of my favourite DC characters) is LITERALLY useless from start to finish.
Cyborg has the remnants of a potential interesting back story, but the rushed nature of the whole affair gives us next to nothing there.
Aquaman isn't too bad, but is there, like Batman, for light comic relief whilst he shouts generic gym-bro nonsense everywhere.
Superman, when he turns up, is ok. Just not really given much to do - it's all just a big mess.
The villain of the piece is Steppenwolf, a bland, forgettable and generic CGI demon who has little-to-no impact as he shouts his way through the bare bones narrative.
Talking of the CGI, it's just not that great, again. I'm not sure how this keeps happening with the amount of money being pumped into these things?
The third act of the film is draped in CGI, and it all looks cheap! And I just can't get my head around it! Ahhhhh!
(I'm not even going to talk about Henry Cavill's now infamous and hideous CGI mouth)
When it comes to the DCEU, the better films have been the solo outings, and it really shows here - the three characters who had not yet appeared properly at this point (Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash) just seem hugely wasted in a movie that is obviously trying to play catch up with the MCU - something that's not necessary! DC has a wealth of great source material to draw from, and it's yet to be utilised properly!
It would seem that going forward, Warner Bros are concentrating more on these solo films, and judging by the putrid mess of Justice League, that's is definitely the right direction to go in.
The finished result was worse than I thought it was going to be be though...
Firstly, we will start with the characters - a collection of some of the finest heroes the world of comics has to offer.
Batman, who I thought was the best part about BvS, is relegated to a boring and tired waste, who acts as occasional comic relief. It doesn't help that at this point, Ben Affleck seems completely uninterested in even being involved (can't blame the guy).
After a pretty good solo outing, Wonder Woman has gone from an empowered female badass, to someone who mopes around about her ex boyfriend (but is still admittedly badass).
The Flash (one of my favourite DC characters) is LITERALLY useless from start to finish.
Cyborg has the remnants of a potential interesting back story, but the rushed nature of the whole affair gives us next to nothing there.
Aquaman isn't too bad, but is there, like Batman, for light comic relief whilst he shouts generic gym-bro nonsense everywhere.
Superman, when he turns up, is ok. Just not really given much to do - it's all just a big mess.
The villain of the piece is Steppenwolf, a bland, forgettable and generic CGI demon who has little-to-no impact as he shouts his way through the bare bones narrative.
Talking of the CGI, it's just not that great, again. I'm not sure how this keeps happening with the amount of money being pumped into these things?
The third act of the film is draped in CGI, and it all looks cheap! And I just can't get my head around it! Ahhhhh!
(I'm not even going to talk about Henry Cavill's now infamous and hideous CGI mouth)
When it comes to the DCEU, the better films have been the solo outings, and it really shows here - the three characters who had not yet appeared properly at this point (Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash) just seem hugely wasted in a movie that is obviously trying to play catch up with the MCU - something that's not necessary! DC has a wealth of great source material to draw from, and it's yet to be utilised properly!
It would seem that going forward, Warner Bros are concentrating more on these solo films, and judging by the putrid mess of Justice League, that's is definitely the right direction to go in.
Fieldrunners 2
Games and Entertainment
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OVERVIEW The fieldrunners are back! With legions of soldiers and a gaggle of new tricks, they’re...
Benedick Lewis (3001 KP) rated Nothing Lasts Forever (Die Hard, #1) in Books
Sep 30, 2020
Good to see origins to a great film (1 more)
Quick read - less than 250 pages
Only one perspective- feels like it needs more character viewpoints (1 more)
Prose can be difficult to follow
Surprising: film better than book
Nothing Lasts Forever was the framework for the great film Die Hard. Being a massive fan of the film as well as putting it under academic scrutiny, it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between book and film.
However, having seen Die Hard multiple times, it was sometimes difficult to picture the protagonist, Joe Leland, doing the John McClane things. Further more, the book only depicts Leland’s point of view and the story could have benefited from being told from multiple perspectives: Leland’s, the terrorists and the hostages. Unfortunately, the terrorists’ motive is summed up in one page and it doesn’t wholly satisfy, especially given in the film, the plot is more devious and fiendishly clever giving cinema one of its all time greatest villains.
To talk more about the comparisons is doing literature an injustice. Time and again, it needs to be reminded that they are two different mediums with different requirements. That said, there is definitely one big major difference that really distinguishes the two products of this idea and the only thing that can be said is that it is towards the end. Those that know the film and decide to read this book will know when you get to that part but it is one that really sets it apart.
Frank Sinartra played Leland in the prequel to this book, The Detective. It’s not essential that you read that book first to understand this one. Author Roderick Thorp plays catch up in the opening chapters. He does however spoil that story so if you are looking to read that, best put this to one side.
Thorp’s style is a little all over the place, especially regarding the set pieces and it can be difficult to imagine the scenes he is trying to depict. Leland is not the most likeable of heroes either and it can be difficult to root for him but it is a short story and can be done in one sitting so it’ll be over before you have the time to really dislike him.
Read this if you haven’t seen Die Hard. Read this but make sure you watch Die Hard rather adjacent to that. It would be surprising if you found the book better. In this case, the film is superior. A rare case indeed.
However, having seen Die Hard multiple times, it was sometimes difficult to picture the protagonist, Joe Leland, doing the John McClane things. Further more, the book only depicts Leland’s point of view and the story could have benefited from being told from multiple perspectives: Leland’s, the terrorists and the hostages. Unfortunately, the terrorists’ motive is summed up in one page and it doesn’t wholly satisfy, especially given in the film, the plot is more devious and fiendishly clever giving cinema one of its all time greatest villains.
To talk more about the comparisons is doing literature an injustice. Time and again, it needs to be reminded that they are two different mediums with different requirements. That said, there is definitely one big major difference that really distinguishes the two products of this idea and the only thing that can be said is that it is towards the end. Those that know the film and decide to read this book will know when you get to that part but it is one that really sets it apart.
Frank Sinartra played Leland in the prequel to this book, The Detective. It’s not essential that you read that book first to understand this one. Author Roderick Thorp plays catch up in the opening chapters. He does however spoil that story so if you are looking to read that, best put this to one side.
Thorp’s style is a little all over the place, especially regarding the set pieces and it can be difficult to imagine the scenes he is trying to depict. Leland is not the most likeable of heroes either and it can be difficult to root for him but it is a short story and can be done in one sitting so it’ll be over before you have the time to really dislike him.
Read this if you haven’t seen Die Hard. Read this but make sure you watch Die Hard rather adjacent to that. It would be surprising if you found the book better. In this case, the film is superior. A rare case indeed.
The Gourmands’ Way: Six Americans in Paris and the Birth of a New Gastronomy
Book
“In The Gourmands’ Way, Justin Spring brilliantly recounts the French odyssey of six remarkable...
Biography food
Lonely Undead
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Tabletop Game
The life of a zombie can be a lonely one. Like anyone, zombies crave companionship. It's just too...