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Darren (1599 KP) rated Booksmart (2019) in Movies
Oct 12, 2019
Characters – Amy is the quieter of the two friends, she is planning on going to Africa for her next step, before college that would see her following the plan set in stone, she does enjoy her life without the wild parties, happy to follow the crowds, while dealing with being confidently out. Molly is the leader of the pair, she is class president and believes she is going to do better than all the other students. She does push Amy into a lot of different things and does believe they will follow a set path in life. We do meet a host of colourful characters from the high school and the teachers on this final day, that have all been a big part of the lives of the pair for years.
Performances – The film is centred on two key performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein who shows exceptional chemistry through the film, they also get to show their talents in the individual moments too, with Dever showing the awkward moments her character goes through while Feldstein shines in the over-confidence moments. Billie Lourd goes close to stealing every single scene in the movie, while the rest of the support cast are flawless.
Story – The story follows two high school friends who are ready to take the next step of their lives only to learn that they haven’t had as much fun as the other class mates and decide to spend the last night going for a party like the rest of the students, where they face life’s truths. This is a story that shows us that life needs to have fun, people will be there for people when they need them, only the pair need to learn this before it is too late. It is nice to see that the high schoolers are truly horrible to each other, while most of it is like life, you just don’t get on with everybody, but most of the time you just don’t know their story, their lives or anything about them outside rumours. Set in one 24 hour spell it also shows us just how quickly you can learn about life too.
Comedy – The comedy does come from how over the top certain characters are meant to be, without being anything you would expect to see in real life.
Settings – The film does seem to have a large-scale setting, with all the travelling the characters must do over the single night, it shows how far away the student might live from the school and shows different parties.
Scene of the Movie – Gigi’s boat moment.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The high school only seems to have one year of students in.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful look at how difficult for life can be for high school students, they are always trying to fit in and stay in their comfort zones, or trying to impress people, it does have the message about making sure you find time for fun in life too.
Overall: Heartfelt teen comedy.
Performances – The film is centred on two key performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein who shows exceptional chemistry through the film, they also get to show their talents in the individual moments too, with Dever showing the awkward moments her character goes through while Feldstein shines in the over-confidence moments. Billie Lourd goes close to stealing every single scene in the movie, while the rest of the support cast are flawless.
Story – The story follows two high school friends who are ready to take the next step of their lives only to learn that they haven’t had as much fun as the other class mates and decide to spend the last night going for a party like the rest of the students, where they face life’s truths. This is a story that shows us that life needs to have fun, people will be there for people when they need them, only the pair need to learn this before it is too late. It is nice to see that the high schoolers are truly horrible to each other, while most of it is like life, you just don’t get on with everybody, but most of the time you just don’t know their story, their lives or anything about them outside rumours. Set in one 24 hour spell it also shows us just how quickly you can learn about life too.
Comedy – The comedy does come from how over the top certain characters are meant to be, without being anything you would expect to see in real life.
Settings – The film does seem to have a large-scale setting, with all the travelling the characters must do over the single night, it shows how far away the student might live from the school and shows different parties.
Scene of the Movie – Gigi’s boat moment.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The high school only seems to have one year of students in.
Final Thoughts – This is a delightful look at how difficult for life can be for high school students, they are always trying to fit in and stay in their comfort zones, or trying to impress people, it does have the message about making sure you find time for fun in life too.
Overall: Heartfelt teen comedy.
Sue (5 KP) rated Murder at the Makeover in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Kaye twins Georgie and Aleta are invited to what they believe is an impromptu reunion with classmates from high school, but it turns out to be what Georgie calls a makeup Ponzi scheme. She doesn’t want to take part in a makeover using unusual ingredients and wants to high tail it out of there. Unfortunately, an old classmate is found dead in the ladies room and the girls find themselves on the case.
Georgia and Aleta are 60+-year-olds, full of spunk, and can’t resist tasty pastries. They often find themselves in the middle of murder investigations and often find themselves in trouble with Georgie’s ex-husband Stan. Did I mention that he is a homicide detective?
If you like humor, hijinks, cozy mysteries, and fun-loving characters then this book has what you are looking for.
Georgia and Aleta are 60+-year-olds, full of spunk, and can’t resist tasty pastries. They often find themselves in the middle of murder investigations and often find themselves in trouble with Georgie’s ex-husband Stan. Did I mention that he is a homicide detective?
If you like humor, hijinks, cozy mysteries, and fun-loving characters then this book has what you are looking for.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold in Books
Nov 21, 2018
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
I remember in high school that Shakespeare was the bane of my existence. For some reason, high schools in the US only choose to have you read Romeo and Juliet (woof). I had read a few sonnets then, just for fun, and was completely befuddled.
Luckily, this book has come along. The format is great, the original sonnet is on one page, and the reinterpretation is on the other. I thought the first section of procreation sonnets was... bizarre and I hope I never read them again. I enjoyed the 'Dark Lady' sonnets at the end. This book is definitely a must-read if you've ever been interested in the sonnets, but can't wade through the original text with ease.
I remember in high school that Shakespeare was the bane of my existence. For some reason, high schools in the US only choose to have you read Romeo and Juliet (woof). I had read a few sonnets then, just for fun, and was completely befuddled.
Luckily, this book has come along. The format is great, the original sonnet is on one page, and the reinterpretation is on the other. I thought the first section of procreation sonnets was... bizarre and I hope I never read them again. I enjoyed the 'Dark Lady' sonnets at the end. This book is definitely a must-read if you've ever been interested in the sonnets, but can't wade through the original text with ease.
To the Boys Who Wear Pink
8.0
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New Adult LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction
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Battle Royale
7.0
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Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of...
With the Fire on High
5.5
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With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has...
The Tiny Curse (Werewolf High book 2)
7.0
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A powerful enemy. An estranged love. And only one tiny girl to make things right. Life isn’t...
Hawthorne High
6.5
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Dylan Hatfield is the outcast in her new town. It isn’t just that her “crazy” grandmother...
TacoDave (3610 KP) rated Anna and the Apocalypse (2018) in Movies
Dec 10, 2018 (Updated Dec 10, 2018)
Acting (3 more)
Music
Pacing
Humor
"Anna and the Apocalypse" is Fantasticly Strange
I didn't expect a lot when I saw "Anna and the Apocalypse" yesterday. I knew a little about it. I knew it was a Zombie/Christmas musical that was supposed to be "Shaun of the Dead Meets La La Land," and I knew it was popular at film festivals last year, but I didn't have any other real feel for what I was in for.
Luckily, I *loved* this movie. The first 30 minutes or so just follow several high schoolers as their school prepares for a Christmas performance. The way they randomly break into song, then look at each other weirdly when the song ends and continue with their day was amusing. The songwriting was great - the singing too! - and, except for one song, I wanted to own the soundtrack.
The rest of the movie follows a group of parents and students trapped in a school with zombies outside and, concurrently, a small group of high schoolers who are trying to make their way to the school to see if their loved ones are still alive. Heads explode. Bodies are mangled. People get bitten. And there is quite a bit of gore.
Yet, at the same time, the movie is light and hilarious. It walks a fine balance between horror/comedy/Christmas/musical, and succeeds almost completely.
If you like horror movies mixed with comedy and you are a fan of musicals, this one is a no-brainer. Pun intended.
Luckily, I *loved* this movie. The first 30 minutes or so just follow several high schoolers as their school prepares for a Christmas performance. The way they randomly break into song, then look at each other weirdly when the song ends and continue with their day was amusing. The songwriting was great - the singing too! - and, except for one song, I wanted to own the soundtrack.
The rest of the movie follows a group of parents and students trapped in a school with zombies outside and, concurrently, a small group of high schoolers who are trying to make their way to the school to see if their loved ones are still alive. Heads explode. Bodies are mangled. People get bitten. And there is quite a bit of gore.
Yet, at the same time, the movie is light and hilarious. It walks a fine balance between horror/comedy/Christmas/musical, and succeeds almost completely.
If you like horror movies mixed with comedy and you are a fan of musicals, this one is a no-brainer. Pun intended.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Booksmart (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
"Superbad" For A New Generation
Booksmart is a 2019 coming-of-age comedy directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. It was produced by Annapurna Pictures and Gloria Sanchez Productions and distributed by United Artists Releasing. The movie stars Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, and Jason Sudeikis.
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are high school seniors and best friends. Molly confronts some of her peers when she overhears them making fun of her in the bathroom and tells them how she got into a good school. They, however, reveal that despite partying, they too got into good colleges. Angered, Molly tells Amy that they should have enjoyed their time in high school more and convinces her to go to an end-of-year party. Determined to make up for lost time, they decide to cram four years of fun into one night.
This movie was hilariously funny and full of funny relatable characters. It reminded me a lot of Superbad, but a female version. The main characters had awesome chemistry and you wind up liking them right away and the situations they find themselves in border on the absurd. This film definitely delivers on the laughs but it also makes some solid points about friendship and acceptance. It's full of femininity being that both the main characters, the director, and writers were all women, but I'm sure anyone would think this film is humorous. Olivia Wilde did an amazing job in her directorial debut.
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are high school seniors and best friends. Molly confronts some of her peers when she overhears them making fun of her in the bathroom and tells them how she got into a good school. They, however, reveal that despite partying, they too got into good colleges. Angered, Molly tells Amy that they should have enjoyed their time in high school more and convinces her to go to an end-of-year party. Determined to make up for lost time, they decide to cram four years of fun into one night.
This movie was hilariously funny and full of funny relatable characters. It reminded me a lot of Superbad, but a female version. The main characters had awesome chemistry and you wind up liking them right away and the situations they find themselves in border on the absurd. This film definitely delivers on the laughs but it also makes some solid points about friendship and acceptance. It's full of femininity being that both the main characters, the director, and writers were all women, but I'm sure anyone would think this film is humorous. Olivia Wilde did an amazing job in her directorial debut.