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Charley (64 KP) rated The Book Thief in Books

Feb 16, 2019  
The Book Thief
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (129 Ratings)
Book Rating
Shows you an alternative view of the second world war. (0 more)
The writer gives away spoilers throughout the book. You know how it ends before it does. (0 more)
Powerful and moving.
I was unable to put this book down from the start.
The book Thief is set in a WW2 Germany and follows the life of Leisel Merminger and her struggles in a Nazi Germany.
Before I go into more detail of the storyline I want to first mention how moving it is to see the second world war from a different perspective. I knew that the German people didn't have it easy during the war as well as the allies but it isn't often spoken about. The pressure that the German people were under to conform to the Nazi regime was imense and this book shows this perfectly. It outlines the day to day struggles of a regular family.
This book is a brilliant read and I feel the best part about it is that it is narrated by Death. This gives a little bit of humour to an otherwise quite intense and dark read.
I feel everyone should give this brilliant book a go.
  
Two Months and Three Days
Two Months and Three Days
Tatiana Vedenska | 2018 | Erotica, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Erotic And Emotional
"Two Months and Three Days" is an unusual combination of a romance and a detective story. It is one of the best contemporary romance books that I have read in a while.

It is the first in a trilogy of books by Tatiana Vedenska that was originally published in Russian under the pen-name of Alisa Klever. A complete best-selling contemporary romance series in Russia, the trilogy very loosely adapts ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ by E.L. James. For me, Tatiana Vedenska is in a league of her own with her individual style of writing, and steamy sex scenes!
This, the opening book of the #SinisterRomance series is a steamy, sensual and emotional read. It is a wonderful tale of a spoiled billionaire and an ordinary student that explores themes such as family bonds, experience and relationships, as well as happiness, belonging and naivety.
 
This English translation is nicely done and keeps the moments of humour and spicy sex scenes that make "Two Months and Three Days" such a fulfilling and enjoyable read.

{Thank you to NetGalley, LitHunters and Tatiana Vedenska for a free copy and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
  
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy
2018 | Action, Fantasy
Characters (2 more)
Storyline
Klaus ❤
Family... the other 'F' Word
I was seriously late to the party on this show but still managed to avoid all spoilers (yay!) What can I say except this is literally the greatest thing I watched all year and it is an utter masterpiece which will be forever in my heart. I finished the final episode last night and I had a fandom hangover for like 3 hours, I must have sat there for ages just wondering where the hell it's going now. Every character is their own unique mess and I love them. Oh and Klaus, good gravy, Klaus is just a beautiful mess of a human being who I just want to bundle up in a blanket and feed him hot chocolate ❤. There's so much realness to the characters, such utterly human flaws that make it feel like you're surrounded by your own insane super family. I'm freaking dying for the next season. If you're looking for something sci fi/super heroish with a dash of apocalypse, a sprinkle of humour then this is definitely the show for you. It's just - *sighs* I loved it.
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated X-Men (2000) in Movies

Jun 7, 2019 (Updated Jun 8, 2019)  
X-Men (2000)
X-Men (2000)
2000 | Action, Sci-Fi
The first X-Men has not aged particularly well, but it's important to recognise it's impact on the movie landscape, especially for comic book films.
Although there has been comic book movies before, X-Men paved the way for everything that has come since, the good and the awful!

At the time it was almost magical, seeing characters I had grown up with flying about the screen (I was 12 when it was released), and the casting was inspired for the most part - Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin in particular.

It also started the trend of lacing the theatrics and seriousness with subtle humour thought, and the balance here is pretty good.

Even now, the CGI isn't terrible (certainly better than the later released Origins)

By the same merit, the costumes look goofy these days, some of the scripting is very 2000s, and why on Earth did they cast Tyler Mane as a weirdly mute Sabretooth will always be beyond me.

All in all, there are much better X-Men films out there, and there are a lot worse, and I'll always have a soft spot for it!
  
TR
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Just for reference - I will not be giving anything away in my review. Don;t wanna spoil it for all you potential readers. What I will say is: Wow.

As you can guess, The characters are a reaper, as in grim reaper... and a cop.

Well. I have a thing for cops ;) And Troy is soooo hot and domineering, yet with a caring side. As heroes go, he is perfect in my opinion.

Laney is a great heroine. She has a fantastic attitude and is incredibly sarcastic to boot. She is who she is, and if the other person doesn't like it? Tough. I love that about her. She's strong and independent, and to me feels very confident. What every woman aspires to be. Awesome sense of humour too.

Short read so I like that I can get through it in an evening. These sort of books are a god send to a mother of two - or a person busy via other reasons I guess.

Well written. Well thought out story line and left me wanting more. Loved it and would definitely suggest to others. <3
  
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David (771 KP) rated Hey Duggee in TV

Jan 20, 2018  
Hey Duggee
Hey Duggee
2014 | Animation, Family
The whole package (0 more)
Pre-school programme (suitable for adults too)
"I wonder what Duggee has planned for you today"Follow the Squirrels (group of 5 children) on their adventures with Squirrel group leader, Duggee (Large brown dog, breed unknown) who awards them a different badge at the end of each episode relating to what they have learnt or been doing. The situations and characters they encounter are very funny and have humour in for the adults. The music and songs are fantastic and very catchy (The stick song, need I say more). The narration from the very British Alexander Armstrong completes this modern children's cartoon that is both educational and fun, teaching kids that the outside world is an exciting place and to respect and love each other regardless of how different we all are.

Favourite episodes of mine (*cough* and my 2 year old daughter):
The tadpole badge
The acorn badge
The paddling pool badge
The stick badge
The omelette badge
I could go on but would end up listing every episode. Get your kids, grandkids, cousins, nieces and nephews watching, they will thank you for it, "Ah....woof!"
  
Show all 4 comments.
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Tamsin Clark (15 KP) Jan 20, 2018

Try Ben and Holly, same voice actors as Peppa and lots more adult subtleties :D

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David (771 KP) Jan 20, 2018

Sorry, of course Ben & Holly how could I forget. ?

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Better than The Last Jedi
Did we really need a Han Solo origin story? Even after watching this I'm not entirely sure.

The cast are fantastic, there are some great performances here and you can't really go wrong when you throw Woody Harrelson into the mix. The film plods along at a fairly decent pace and the plot is engaging, albeit fairly predictable. Some of the dialogue is a bit stilted and the humour seems very misplaced. With l3 it seems like they've tried to add a new version of K2S0 from Rogue One to generate some laughs, but sadly unlike K2S0, L3 just doesn't really work.

 I feel like this film is just trying to tick some boxes and cover the Solo basics (how he meets Chewie, Lando, and wins the Falcon), and it seems to gloss over all of these in a few minutes. Far too quickly. As an origin story it should almost show us how Han changes into the person he is in the later films, but it doesn't. You don't see the jaded untrusting cynic he becomes.

Don't get me wrong this film is fairly fun and enjoyable, it's just a little forgettable.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Hot Fuzz (2007) in Movies

Aug 24, 2018  
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Fuzz (2007)
2007 | Action, Comedy
9
8.2 (54 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Hilarious
I've re-watched this again recently and it's just as funny now as it was when I first saw it in the cinema.

It's hilarious, full of wit and British humour. Not only is it a brilliant comedy, it's a great action and mystery flick too. The pairing of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost works as well here as it did in Shaun of the Dead, and there's a great supporting cast in Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine and the rest, including those blink and you'll miss it cameos.

Whilst I work for a large urban police force, there are a lot of areas of policing I recognise in this film, which for me makes it even funnier watching it back. From having to bring cake (bribes) in for colleagues, to the old school Vauxhall cars, office banter and the more onerous side of policing, they really have done their research. Although I can safely say I've never met an officer quite as dedicated as Angel! But I do reckon a lot of our new recruits have the same view of policing as Danny does...

Such an entertaining film that doesn't get old.
  
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (Død snø 2) (2014)
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (Død snø 2) (2014)
2014 | Action, Comedy, International
9
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dark sense of humour (1 more)
Uses bigger budget to good effect
EXTREMELY violent (1 more)
Some of the kills may be a little too much for some
Bigger, Funnier and Bloodier
if you had asked me after my first viewing, I may have given a 7/10 but a recent rewatch has reaffirmed just how great this film is.

It takes all of the self-awareness, over-the-top violence and ludicrous setpieces from the original, and just pumps more of all of it straight into its zombified heart.

It becomes more fantastic, more violent, more ruthless...no one is safe, not people in wheelchairs, not women with babies, not children...

Fortunately the brutality is ridiculous enough that it quickly becomes comic-book in terms of its realism, but the gore is plentiful indeed!

The plot is funny in itself, and some of the side characters were great fun, including the world's most unfortunate zombie...

If you haven't seen 'Dead Snow', watch that first (great in its own right) and then watch this.

For fans of Shaun Of the Dead, Tucker & Dale Versus Evil or Troll Hunter
  
Scream 3 (2000)
Scream 3 (2000)
2000 | Horror
A very inferior sequel
It's such a shame that Scream 3 loses the magic that Scream 2 had in abundance.

There's no wit, no humour and the film within a film concept is tired and very poor. All of the new characters are under developed meaning you care so little when they get bumped off one by one. Patrick Dempsey's character is so creepy and slimy in parts that it's laughable and builds no tension or intrigue whatsoever. And even the returning characters have lost their edge, repeating the same old squabbles and experiences as in the first two films. Ghostface too loses his edge here, there's no shocking deaths and the voice changer that can mimic other voices is ridiculous and farfetched. The ending too isn't particularly clever or interesting. The only things I really liked about this film was the brief return of Randy and the cameos from Silent Jay & Bob and Carrie Fisher.

I remember really looking forward to seeing this when it first came out, but it is such a disappointment. It isn't helped by the fact that I spend the entire film wondering what the hell is going on with Courtney Fox's fringe...