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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Adults in Books

Mar 20, 2019  
The Adults
The Adults
Caroline Hulse | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Quick read with its funny moments
Matt and Claire are no longer married, but both want to spend the Christmas holiday with their seven-year-old daughter, Scarlett. It's not quite clear whose idea it was, or how the whole thing came about, but suddenly Matt, Claire, their new partners, and Scarlett are spending a long weekend at the Happy Forest holiday park. Oh yes, and we can't forget that Posey, Scarlett's giant imaginary friend--a nearly life-size rabbit--is along for the ride too. Claire has brought Patrick, a fellow lawyer, a seemingly rational guy who loves Scarlett and is training for an Ironman. And Matt has brought Alex, his scientist girlfriend, who is skeptical about the whole affair. Suddenly the group is jammed into a small lodge, subject to the whims of a mercurial seven-year-old (and her pretend rabbit), and stuck doing a variety of "fun family activities." It's no wonder that this all leads to an event so horrific that the police are called.

This book was an odd one, as if it couldn't decide to be serious or funny. It starts out with a call to the police, so we know that someone has been shot at archery, but we don't yet know who. Then things unfold from the beginning of the holiday, slowly building back up to the incident. Interspersed with the characters' narratives are bits and pieces of the police's discussion with various people at the holiday park involved with the shooting. It's interesting, but it's a little disconcerting: partial mystery/partial character-driven novel/partial "humorous look at family fun gone wrong."

Unfortunately for me, I didn't find a lot of the book all that fun. Yes, I could see the humor in some of the situations, but honestly, a lot of it just made me uncomfortable. Perhaps it's being a child of divorce myself. Maybe too much hit close to home. I felt the most for poor Alex, who was tortured by Scarlett (and that darn fake bunny) and then forced to witness her boyfriend in a series of cozy moments with her ex. Patrick was slightly insane, Claire too good to be true, and Matt, honestly, an infuriating wuss for most of the book. As everyone got more and more tired of each other, I would have had a feeling of doom reading this even without knowing someone gets shot. You just know no good can come of this.

Now, yes, there is some dark humor here, and I did laugh at times. There are definitely some funny places. But I think Scarlett and Posey were supposed to be more funny than they were (I've been that kid angry at her parents for divorcing, but man, Scarlett was really irritating sometimes). When you really only feel for one of the characters (Alex), it's hard to stay invested in the book. Luckily, things improved a bit closer to the end, and I found myself getting a more into the story. Still, I couldn't help but find things a bit implausible and frustrating at times, and I really longed for more of the hilarity the book promised.

Overall, this is a quick read, and it has its funny, crazy moments. Still, the characters are tough to feel invested in and sometimes the plot was almost too zany and stressful for me. I liked this one, but didn't love it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and LibraryThing in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
  
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    Persian Calendar Pro

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8-BIT CHRISTMAS (2021)
8-BIT CHRISTMAS (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Family
7
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Charming, Nostalgic and HeartWarming
If I told you that I just watched a charming Holiday movie where the Narrator reminisced about a Christmas of his youth - when he was 10 or 11 - and the Narrator desperately wanted a special present brought to him by Santa - but said item is strictly forbidden in his household, so the Narrator heads off on an adventure to get this item, you would think I was talking about the classic Holiday perennial A CHRISTMAS STORY - and you would be wrong.

I’m speaking about the HBO MAX Original Film 8-BIT CHRISTMAS starring Neil Patrick Harris as the Narrator of the story that reminisces about his life as a 10-11 year old around the Holidays in the late 1980’s.

And, darn it all, if it doesn’t work well (despite my indignation that all they are doing is ripping off A CHRISTMAS STORY) for there is enough nostalgia and heart to melt the emotions of even the most miserly of Ebenezer Scrooge’s this holiday season.

Written by Kevin Jakubowski (based off his book) and Directed by Michael Dowse (the underrated comedy STUBER), 8-Bit Christmas tells the tale of 11 year old Jake Doyle who wants nothing more in this world than to receive the mother of all Christmas presents - a Nintendo 8 Bit system. Along with a “Goonies” collection of friends, Jake sets off to find this hard to find item - and convince his parents to get it for him for Christmas.

In the hands of young actor Winslow Fegley (Disney’s TIMMY FAILURE), young Jake is a pleasant enough protagonist to head off on this journey with. His ragtag group of friends are a group of generic nerds that pretty much check-off the “nerd friend group” list (and this is meant as a compliment). We spend quite a bit of time with these kids and they are a good enough group of kids to spend time with.

This film does hit a few of the same notes as A CHRISTMAS STORY, there is an obsessed, seemingly out of touch Dad, this time played by Steve Zahn (RESCUE DAWN) in a heart-warming portrayal and the coupon-cutting, cost saving Mom played by June Diane Raphael (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) who is putting up with it all. This film even has a younger sibling, this time a sister Lizzy, who wants her own elusive gift - a Cabbage Patch kid.

A highlight for me was the performance of Kathy Greenwood as the teacher with the constant sniffles. I know many a teacher and they almost ALWAYS have colds given to them from their charges.

This film is a fine post card of Chicago in the late 1980s and skewers (and honors) the pop-fads of the time (complete with fashion and styling) and is an entertaining enough 2 hour escape during the Holidays.

Oh, and did I mention that at one point in this film, I had to dab at my eyes with a tissue? Yes, despite my skepticism, this film managed to touch my heart even though I fought like crazy to deny that.

If you’re looking for a fun family entertainment this Holiday season, 8-BIT CHRISTMAS can fill the bill nicely.

Letter Grade: B+

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Joe Elliott recommended Obsessions by UFO in Music (curated)

 
Obsessions by UFO
Obsessions by UFO
2008 | Metal, Rock
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I wanted to pick the Pistols or the first Clash record, because they did mean a lot to me, but I’ve had to go with Obsession by UFO, because they were such a huge influence. Def Leppard were on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads, and we happened to read a local paper which said that UFO were playing the Ipswich Gaumont, which was a taxi and a bus ride away from where we were parking the boat. We’d yet to play a gig when we saw UFO, and they opened up with three brand new songs, which was very brave: Hot And Ready, Cherry, and (I think) Only You Can Rock Me. And then they went on to do more familiar material, and we were just gobsmacked. The dynamic on stage between Pete Way’s lunacy and Phil Mogg’s attention-grabbing stance in the middle, and then the mad German on the right with his bucket boots and Flying V. It was insanely brilliant. Steve Clarke turned around to me and said, “Right. That’s it. I’m leaving if we don’t start playing shows.” Because all we’d done was rehearse for nine months to try and become relatively good at what we did. That show — and that album — were a massive influence on us, because we were listening to the album all the way through the boating holiday. UFO were and still remain a major influence on us for all sorts of reasons. They were very British, and they had a sense of humour So with the greatest of respect to Never Mind The Bollocks and the first Clash album, I’m going with that one."

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A Creepshow Holiday Special (2020)
A Creepshow Holiday Special (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Horror
7
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Creepshow delivers the holiday themed goods once again with this Christmas special. Unlike the Halloween Special, this one is fully live action, and instead of being the regular two segments, it's one big 45 minute story.

The first half focuses on a dude attending a support group for people who are shape shifters, keen to find out exactly what he shapeshifts into. The group is filled with a few colourful characters who transform into all sort of things - tortoises, cheetahs, werewolves, boars. It's mostly dialogue but it's pretty fun. Adam Pally and Anna Camp head up the cast, and both seem to be aware just how silly the episode is and both ham up proceedings well enough. IMDb has listed Barbara Crampton, Marilyn Manson, Ali Larter and Keith David among others in the cast, but I'll be fucked if I spotted them anywhere!

The second half is when it gets festive when *SPOILERS* out of nowhere, it's revealed that Santa Claus hunts shapeshifters for a living and employs an army of shopping mall Santas to help him in his fight. Shit gets ridiculous as everyone transforms, Santa turns up in some crazy demon armour with actual robotic claws for hands, blood flies everywhere, scores of Santas are mown down by gunfire - it's so so dumb, but goddam entertaining.

There isn't really any underlying message here. Writer/Director Greg Nicotero just wanted to go all out and schlocky as possible, and I'd say he achieved his goal pretty effectively.

This holiday special is a boat load of fun, and another solid piece of evidence as to why Creepshow is an essential part of horror television. Ho Ho Fucking Ho!
  
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    Prepare for this amazing holiday by carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns and looking for the best...