Search
Search results
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 3 in TV
Nov 2, 2019 (Updated Nov 2, 2019)
Season 3 of AHS is a firm fan favourite - subtitled 'Coven', it centres around a school for young witches to discover and nurture their powers, all whilst preparing for trials to determine who will become the next Supreme witch.
Front and centre once again are Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. I enjoy Sarah Paulson in pretty much every season of AHS, and Coven is no different.
Her character, Cordelia Foxx, is her most likable character to date.
Jessica Lange plays her mother, Fiona Goode, and I struggled to get on board with her character. Unlike her character from Asylum, there's just nothing redeemable about her. Jessica Lange is still a powerhouse though...
It's nice to see Frances Conroy also.
The rest of the Coven are made up younger witches, and this is where the season trips up for me. I have nothing against any of the actors, but Coven very much feels like a high school drama for a good chunk of the runtime, and after the darker first two seasons, it's a bit jarring. I feel like a lighter touch can definitely the work (the currently running '1984' has been pretty fun for example), but first time round here, it didn't hit the right notes for me, and I grew quickly tired and bored of the constant high school bickering between characters.
Elsewhere, we're introduced to Voodoo magic, with characters such as the mysterious Papa Legba, Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), and Madame Delphine LaLaurie, played by Kathy Bates.
Her first role for AHS is possibly her best and she is definitely the season highlight for me.
The Voodoo side of Coven was much more appealing and entertaining.
There's still a bucket load of very well done and gratuitous violence and gore on display, and the music score is pretty good.
Coven is certainly one of my least favorite seasons of AHS, but it's by no means bad, and it's still great to have a horror show this entertaining on prime time television.
Front and centre once again are Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. I enjoy Sarah Paulson in pretty much every season of AHS, and Coven is no different.
Her character, Cordelia Foxx, is her most likable character to date.
Jessica Lange plays her mother, Fiona Goode, and I struggled to get on board with her character. Unlike her character from Asylum, there's just nothing redeemable about her. Jessica Lange is still a powerhouse though...
It's nice to see Frances Conroy also.
The rest of the Coven are made up younger witches, and this is where the season trips up for me. I have nothing against any of the actors, but Coven very much feels like a high school drama for a good chunk of the runtime, and after the darker first two seasons, it's a bit jarring. I feel like a lighter touch can definitely the work (the currently running '1984' has been pretty fun for example), but first time round here, it didn't hit the right notes for me, and I grew quickly tired and bored of the constant high school bickering between characters.
Elsewhere, we're introduced to Voodoo magic, with characters such as the mysterious Papa Legba, Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), and Madame Delphine LaLaurie, played by Kathy Bates.
Her first role for AHS is possibly her best and she is definitely the season highlight for me.
The Voodoo side of Coven was much more appealing and entertaining.
There's still a bucket load of very well done and gratuitous violence and gore on display, and the music score is pretty good.
Coven is certainly one of my least favorite seasons of AHS, but it's by no means bad, and it's still great to have a horror show this entertaining on prime time television.
JT (287 KP) rated The Way Back (2020) in Movies
Mar 25, 2020
A film about more than basketball
Everyone loves an underdog story especially when it has a sporting theme – but this underdog story is a little different.
Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham a former high school basketball star who is battling alcoholism. In his younger days, he had the chance to go to the big time but instead turned his back on a promising career. He is still lauded in the town and is given the chance to coach at his alma mater by Father Devine (John Aylward), who runs the Catholic high school where Jack played.
He initially shows no interest but reluctantly accepts the position to coach a struggling team who haven’t been to the playoffs since he was at school. The team is not devoid of talent but lack discipline and team dynamics something which Jack can help them with.
There is more to Jack’s story and slowly we discover the reasons for his dependence on alcohol. He has separated from his wife and he opens up about the reason why he turned his back on the game. But there is another heartbreaking twist in the tale as to why Jack is bottling up his emotions and prone to bursts of anger, the majority of which spill over onto the basketball court.
Sporting films follow a tight blueprint which involves someone coming back from the brink to triumph. It’s the feel-good moment that makes us want to punch the air. But while there are a few inspirational sequences on the court I didn’t want to punch the air, not least when Affleck is on screen – I just felt sad.
His performance is brilliant as it is emotional and it might be one of his best yet. But the more we connect with Jack the less it becomes about winning basketball games and more about his road to recovery.
Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham a former high school basketball star who is battling alcoholism. In his younger days, he had the chance to go to the big time but instead turned his back on a promising career. He is still lauded in the town and is given the chance to coach at his alma mater by Father Devine (John Aylward), who runs the Catholic high school where Jack played.
He initially shows no interest but reluctantly accepts the position to coach a struggling team who haven’t been to the playoffs since he was at school. The team is not devoid of talent but lack discipline and team dynamics something which Jack can help them with.
There is more to Jack’s story and slowly we discover the reasons for his dependence on alcohol. He has separated from his wife and he opens up about the reason why he turned his back on the game. But there is another heartbreaking twist in the tale as to why Jack is bottling up his emotions and prone to bursts of anger, the majority of which spill over onto the basketball court.
Sporting films follow a tight blueprint which involves someone coming back from the brink to triumph. It’s the feel-good moment that makes us want to punch the air. But while there are a few inspirational sequences on the court I didn’t want to punch the air, not least when Affleck is on screen – I just felt sad.
His performance is brilliant as it is emotional and it might be one of his best yet. But the more we connect with Jack the less it becomes about winning basketball games and more about his road to recovery.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2273 KP) rated It All Began with a Scream in Books
Nov 11, 2021 (Updated Nov 11, 2021)
Uneven History of the Scream Franchise
This book covers the history and production of all four movies released to date in the franchise. With new interviews and research into previously released articles, Padraic dives into what went into the creation of each movie in the franchise. He starts with the origins behind Kevin Williamson writing the first script and covers casting, production, releases, and everything in between for all of the films.
Despite my normal cozy mystery reads, I am obsessed with the Scream franchise, so as soon as I learned about this book, I knew I had to get it. I appreciated the interviews and research that went into this book. There were fewer bits of trivia I didn’t know about the original movie, but the sections on Screams 3 and 4 made me understand some of my issues with those films better. I did feel that the writing lacked a bit of passion that kept me out, and many of the quotes could have been cleaned up for clarity to make the reading better. I would have really appreciated it if the author had included a person’s full name and their position in the crew more than the first time he mentioned them. There are a handful of typos throughout the book, and that wouldn’t bother me, except that each time my alma mater was mentioned by name, it was listed as Santa Rosa high school instead of Santa Rosa High School. Yes, it’s silly, but it bugged me. I also take exception to the producer interviewed about that controversy saying not getting to film at the school was censorship. While there is much to be said on the subject (and both sides behaved poorly during the controversy), it was never censorship. Overall, the writing issues keep me from giving the book a full recommendation, but I am glad I read it.
Despite my normal cozy mystery reads, I am obsessed with the Scream franchise, so as soon as I learned about this book, I knew I had to get it. I appreciated the interviews and research that went into this book. There were fewer bits of trivia I didn’t know about the original movie, but the sections on Screams 3 and 4 made me understand some of my issues with those films better. I did feel that the writing lacked a bit of passion that kept me out, and many of the quotes could have been cleaned up for clarity to make the reading better. I would have really appreciated it if the author had included a person’s full name and their position in the crew more than the first time he mentioned them. There are a handful of typos throughout the book, and that wouldn’t bother me, except that each time my alma mater was mentioned by name, it was listed as Santa Rosa high school instead of Santa Rosa High School. Yes, it’s silly, but it bugged me. I also take exception to the producer interviewed about that controversy saying not getting to film at the school was censorship. While there is much to be said on the subject (and both sides behaved poorly during the controversy), it was never censorship. Overall, the writing issues keep me from giving the book a full recommendation, but I am glad I read it.
My Search for Ramanujan: How I Learned to Count: 2016
Ken Ono and Amir D. Aczel
Book
"The son of a prominent Japanese mathematician who came to the United States after World War II, Ken...
Dead of Winter (Aspen Falls #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
She’s hiding from her past. He’s the only exception. She’ll get one chance to clear her...
Romance Suspense
Aerofly FS 2 Flight Simulator
Games
App
DESCRIPTION Aerofly FS 2 lets you explore the world of flying in a quality never seen before. Fly...
My First: Jason & Katie
9.0
Rate It
Book
Jason Sloan is known as Harper’s Crossing’s resident Romeo, and he’s never had to work too...
If I Die Tonight
9.5
Rate It
Book
Reminiscent of the bestsellers of Laura Lippman and Harlan Coben—with a dose of Big Little Lies or...
suspense fiction thriller
Merissa (12363 KP) rated Reborn (The Awakening Series #1) in Books
Apr 11, 2023
This is the story of Selene, a high school girl who has inner strength and wisdom but is trying to keep her head down and be as invisible as she can be until high school is over. This is mainly because her dad works at the local factory that is owned by the father of the bane of her life, Sandra. Sandra is a bully and is content to pick on Selene. This appears as nothing more than a spoilt little rich girl to start with but, as is typical in Dean's stories, nothing is quite as it seems.
These characters are all multi-dimensional with very real fears, laughs and loves. There is no insta-love in this story (thank goodness) although there is a reconnection that is made. The back story is given to you in a drip-feed fashion so that it doesn't overpower the current story but you are still getting the information needed for a deep understanding of what is happening.
This is a gripping story that will draw you in but one warning, it does come with a cliffhanger ending that will sucker-punch you and leave you gasping. If you like paranormal romance that comes complete with intense emotion then I can highly recommend this one. Another fantastic series by Dean Murray starts with a bang!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 28, 2016
These characters are all multi-dimensional with very real fears, laughs and loves. There is no insta-love in this story (thank goodness) although there is a reconnection that is made. The back story is given to you in a drip-feed fashion so that it doesn't overpower the current story but you are still getting the information needed for a deep understanding of what is happening.
This is a gripping story that will draw you in but one warning, it does come with a cliffhanger ending that will sucker-punch you and leave you gasping. If you like paranormal romance that comes complete with intense emotion then I can highly recommend this one. Another fantastic series by Dean Murray starts with a bang!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 28, 2016
We Should Hang Out Sometime
Book
Josh Sundquist had only ever had one girlfriend. For 23 hours. In eighth grade. Why was Josh still...