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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Manchester by the Sea (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Wow! I’d heard all about the Oscar hype surrounding this film but to be honest, while I thought I would be seeing a solid and well-made indie film, I went into it without great expectations of having an ‘enjoyable’ time: the trailer had “angst” written all over it. And – sure – it is emotional and harrowing in places. However, I was completely knocked out by the depth, the intelligence and the humour of this masterpiece.
‘Family troubles’ is a common trope for the movies, and I was strongly reminded at times in watching this movie of a multi-Oscar winning classic of my youth: Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” back in 1980. In that film the relationship between parents (Mary Tyler-Moore and Donald Sutherland) and their teenage son (Timothy Hutton) is rocked by the accidental death of another family member. Similarly, in “Manchester by the Sea” a drifting handyman Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck, “Triple 9“, “Interstellar“) gets the shocking news that his only brother Joe (Kyle Chandler, “The Wolf of Wall Street“) has suddenly passed away, leaving behind a mid-teens son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) with no-one to look after him.
With the other option being an unstable and ex-alcoholic mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) – now divorced and living in a strictly pious household with new husband Jeffrey (Matthew Broderick) – Joe has legally plumped for naming Lee as the boy’s guardian. This is much to Lee’s surprise and annoyance. For Lee is a man-adrift: an antisocial loner with a very short fuse. Having any sort of responsibility is not in his game plan.
With the ground too frozen to bury his brother, Lee is forced to remain in Manchester-by-the-Sea for a few weeks: a town he can’t stand and a town that, for some reason, can’t stand him. Can Lee’s attitude be softened by his lively and over-sexed nephew? Or will he just continue his emotional and social decline towards a gutter and a brown-bag?
Where this film surprises – with a strong kick to the gut – is that while I have described the high-level story in the paragraphs above that the trailer depicts, there is a whole other dimension to the tale that is hidden and truly astonishing. No spoilers, but if you are not shocked and moved by it, then you need your humanity chip reset.
Casey Affleck is Oscar-nominated now for Best Actor and I would love to see him win for this. I had a real go at his brother, Ben, for a lack of facial variation in his performance in “Live By Night“. Here, while Casey has a similar dour and pretty rigid demeanour, his performance is chalk-and-cheese compared to Ben. He channels a shut-down rage in his eyes that is both haunting and disturbing in equal measure.
Young Lucas Hedges – overlooked by the BAFTAs (he is in the “Rising Star” category) but yesterday nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar – is equally strong, burying his teenage grief in guitars, sex and smart phones in a highly believable way.
Supporting roles are equally strong, with Michelle Williams – albeit only having limited screen time – delivering truly memorable scenes, notably the street encounter with Lee (as featured on the poster) which is electrifying. She is also Oscar nominated for the role.
What really makes these performances shine is the elegant directing by Kenneth Lonergan, better known for his screenplays on films like “Analyze This” and “Gangs of New York”. He gives the actors time… lots of time. A typical example is when young Patrick walks into Lee’s bedroom and stares at some photos on his bedside table before walking on. It must be a good 20 to 30 seconds used, but time really well spent. The film spectacularly uses flash-backs to great effect, with the only visual notification that you are in a different time-zone being the living and breathing appearance of Joe in the shot.
Lonergan also writes the screenplay, and I mentioned in my introduction the humour used. There are some outright belly laughs in this film, which feels incongruous with the morbid subject matter but which also feels guiltily appropriate (we’ve all surely had an experience where a tense funeral mood is lightened by an uncle loudly farting at the back of the church, or similar!).
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a picturesque place in Massachusetts, and the camera work by Jody Lee Lipes (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”, “Trainwreck”) lovingly makes use of that. There is incredibly crisp focus, with the opening boat scene looks like it is hyper-HD.
This is a truly stunning film, and one that will live with me for many years to come. For that reason it receives my highest accolade together with my best wishes for success at the forthcoming Oscars. If you haven’t yet, go see it.
‘Family troubles’ is a common trope for the movies, and I was strongly reminded at times in watching this movie of a multi-Oscar winning classic of my youth: Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” back in 1980. In that film the relationship between parents (Mary Tyler-Moore and Donald Sutherland) and their teenage son (Timothy Hutton) is rocked by the accidental death of another family member. Similarly, in “Manchester by the Sea” a drifting handyman Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck, “Triple 9“, “Interstellar“) gets the shocking news that his only brother Joe (Kyle Chandler, “The Wolf of Wall Street“) has suddenly passed away, leaving behind a mid-teens son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) with no-one to look after him.
With the other option being an unstable and ex-alcoholic mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) – now divorced and living in a strictly pious household with new husband Jeffrey (Matthew Broderick) – Joe has legally plumped for naming Lee as the boy’s guardian. This is much to Lee’s surprise and annoyance. For Lee is a man-adrift: an antisocial loner with a very short fuse. Having any sort of responsibility is not in his game plan.
With the ground too frozen to bury his brother, Lee is forced to remain in Manchester-by-the-Sea for a few weeks: a town he can’t stand and a town that, for some reason, can’t stand him. Can Lee’s attitude be softened by his lively and over-sexed nephew? Or will he just continue his emotional and social decline towards a gutter and a brown-bag?
Where this film surprises – with a strong kick to the gut – is that while I have described the high-level story in the paragraphs above that the trailer depicts, there is a whole other dimension to the tale that is hidden and truly astonishing. No spoilers, but if you are not shocked and moved by it, then you need your humanity chip reset.
Casey Affleck is Oscar-nominated now for Best Actor and I would love to see him win for this. I had a real go at his brother, Ben, for a lack of facial variation in his performance in “Live By Night“. Here, while Casey has a similar dour and pretty rigid demeanour, his performance is chalk-and-cheese compared to Ben. He channels a shut-down rage in his eyes that is both haunting and disturbing in equal measure.
Young Lucas Hedges – overlooked by the BAFTAs (he is in the “Rising Star” category) but yesterday nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar – is equally strong, burying his teenage grief in guitars, sex and smart phones in a highly believable way.
Supporting roles are equally strong, with Michelle Williams – albeit only having limited screen time – delivering truly memorable scenes, notably the street encounter with Lee (as featured on the poster) which is electrifying. She is also Oscar nominated for the role.
What really makes these performances shine is the elegant directing by Kenneth Lonergan, better known for his screenplays on films like “Analyze This” and “Gangs of New York”. He gives the actors time… lots of time. A typical example is when young Patrick walks into Lee’s bedroom and stares at some photos on his bedside table before walking on. It must be a good 20 to 30 seconds used, but time really well spent. The film spectacularly uses flash-backs to great effect, with the only visual notification that you are in a different time-zone being the living and breathing appearance of Joe in the shot.
Lonergan also writes the screenplay, and I mentioned in my introduction the humour used. There are some outright belly laughs in this film, which feels incongruous with the morbid subject matter but which also feels guiltily appropriate (we’ve all surely had an experience where a tense funeral mood is lightened by an uncle loudly farting at the back of the church, or similar!).
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a picturesque place in Massachusetts, and the camera work by Jody Lee Lipes (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”, “Trainwreck”) lovingly makes use of that. There is incredibly crisp focus, with the opening boat scene looks like it is hyper-HD.
This is a truly stunning film, and one that will live with me for many years to come. For that reason it receives my highest accolade together with my best wishes for success at the forthcoming Oscars. If you haven’t yet, go see it.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Duck Soup (1933) in Movies
Feb 18, 2019
“You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are” Rufus T. Firefly
And the one liners just keep on coming…
Here we have before you one of the most famous entries form The Marx Brothers as they made their indelible mark on Hollywood(land) and the silver screen back in the 1930’s, moving away from their Vaudeville roots to new level of immortally on celluloid.
The fifth film to credit the “The Marx Brothers”, Duck Soup in on one hand a sharply written satire on the weakness of mob mentality to willingly promote unwelcome change to their society and their willingness to follow just about any lunatic as long as they like what they hear; as well as a straight forward slapstick comedy of the time, in keeping with its music hall roots.
It is the music hall aspect of this classic which can be harder for a modern audience to take to, unless you are already disposed to this sort of rather dated humour. But as a satire, it is brilliant and still very funny over seventy years on.
Groucho Marx steals the show as Rufus T. Firefly as he leads his unwitting and possibly dimwitted fictional country of Fredonia (geddit?) to war and ultimate destruction. He is a character, whilst not in any way taking off Adolf Hitler, who was of course rising to power in Germany at this very moment, was clearly a reflection on this type of reckless and charismatic leader and as the hilarious final act demonstrates, is all too common in history and even in our present.
And the fact that Fredonia is ultimately doomed, was a coincidental foreshadowing of Nazi Germany’s fate a decade later, as well as a clear demonstration of the savvy writing.
Witty, whether it is the physical trademark Marx Brothers comedy or the sharp screenplay by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, based on the stage version of the same name, this a classic satire; whilst not being as hard hitting a s Chaplin’s works of the period, with The Great Dictator (1940) springing to mind, it still holds up and makes its point without hammering you over the head it.
So, you can just enjoy the show and/or take away the message, it is really up to you.
Here we have before you one of the most famous entries form The Marx Brothers as they made their indelible mark on Hollywood(land) and the silver screen back in the 1930’s, moving away from their Vaudeville roots to new level of immortally on celluloid.
The fifth film to credit the “The Marx Brothers”, Duck Soup in on one hand a sharply written satire on the weakness of mob mentality to willingly promote unwelcome change to their society and their willingness to follow just about any lunatic as long as they like what they hear; as well as a straight forward slapstick comedy of the time, in keeping with its music hall roots.
It is the music hall aspect of this classic which can be harder for a modern audience to take to, unless you are already disposed to this sort of rather dated humour. But as a satire, it is brilliant and still very funny over seventy years on.
Groucho Marx steals the show as Rufus T. Firefly as he leads his unwitting and possibly dimwitted fictional country of Fredonia (geddit?) to war and ultimate destruction. He is a character, whilst not in any way taking off Adolf Hitler, who was of course rising to power in Germany at this very moment, was clearly a reflection on this type of reckless and charismatic leader and as the hilarious final act demonstrates, is all too common in history and even in our present.
And the fact that Fredonia is ultimately doomed, was a coincidental foreshadowing of Nazi Germany’s fate a decade later, as well as a clear demonstration of the savvy writing.
Witty, whether it is the physical trademark Marx Brothers comedy or the sharp screenplay by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, based on the stage version of the same name, this a classic satire; whilst not being as hard hitting a s Chaplin’s works of the period, with The Great Dictator (1940) springing to mind, it still holds up and makes its point without hammering you over the head it.
So, you can just enjoy the show and/or take away the message, it is really up to you.
Not what I expected
I need to start off by saying that I wasnt a fan of Get Out, and I hadn't even see the trailer for Us, so I went into this with low/no expectations, and I was actually pleasantly surprised.
The first half an hour or so is a bit of a slow burn introduction to the family, almost lulling you into a false sense of security before abruptly flipping into full on horror film mode. There are a lot of things I liked about this film; it doesn't rely on obvious jump scares and instead focuses on being massively creepy and almost downright terrifying. I liked the pop culture references like Home Alone, and for me the bits of humour thrown in worked quite well to lighten up an otherwise tense film. And going against the usual horror movie tropes (I.e. victims not being so helpless after all) was refreshing. I also thought this was going to be a bog standard home invasion film, and it really isn't. The wider plot and story going on here is a great idea and the twist at the end too was brilliant, entirely unexpected and I usually pride myself on being able to spot these things coming a mile off.
However there are some things I really didn't like about this film which have led me to mark it down. The cast were great, but I could not stand the voice that Lupita Nyong'o gave Red. For me it wasn't creepy or scary, it was just silly and verging on the hysterically funny. I couldn't take her seriously every time she was speaking on screen. Also, I didn't like some of the more animalistic behaviours and vocalisms they gave the rest of the doppelgangers. It detracted from their overall creepy and terrifying appearance and I think they could have maybe made them a little quieter for a better effect. I hated the soundtrack - it seemed far too dramatic and over the top and not in keeping with the tone of the rest of the film. And I think the dancing scene in the final act, was very stylish but completely unnecessary and I found myself getting very irritated by it as it was just silly and a little confusing.
Overall this film isn't perfect by any means, but it was a lot better than I had ever expected. I feel like going into a film without having seen dozens of trailers etc beforehand actually makes for a far more enjoyable experience.
The first half an hour or so is a bit of a slow burn introduction to the family, almost lulling you into a false sense of security before abruptly flipping into full on horror film mode. There are a lot of things I liked about this film; it doesn't rely on obvious jump scares and instead focuses on being massively creepy and almost downright terrifying. I liked the pop culture references like Home Alone, and for me the bits of humour thrown in worked quite well to lighten up an otherwise tense film. And going against the usual horror movie tropes (I.e. victims not being so helpless after all) was refreshing. I also thought this was going to be a bog standard home invasion film, and it really isn't. The wider plot and story going on here is a great idea and the twist at the end too was brilliant, entirely unexpected and I usually pride myself on being able to spot these things coming a mile off.
However there are some things I really didn't like about this film which have led me to mark it down. The cast were great, but I could not stand the voice that Lupita Nyong'o gave Red. For me it wasn't creepy or scary, it was just silly and verging on the hysterically funny. I couldn't take her seriously every time she was speaking on screen. Also, I didn't like some of the more animalistic behaviours and vocalisms they gave the rest of the doppelgangers. It detracted from their overall creepy and terrifying appearance and I think they could have maybe made them a little quieter for a better effect. I hated the soundtrack - it seemed far too dramatic and over the top and not in keeping with the tone of the rest of the film. And I think the dancing scene in the final act, was very stylish but completely unnecessary and I found myself getting very irritated by it as it was just silly and a little confusing.
Overall this film isn't perfect by any means, but it was a lot better than I had ever expected. I feel like going into a film without having seen dozens of trailers etc beforehand actually makes for a far more enjoyable experience.
Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Iron Man 3 (2013) in Movies
May 10, 2019 (Updated May 10, 2019)
"i am iron man 2.0"
Marking the commencement of the second phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe after the first one culminated with The Avengers, Iron Man 3 presents a definite improvement over its insufferably insipid predecessor but it still falls short of the magical experience that was the first Iron Man film. However, it does carry a new energy & has a refreshing vibe to it, thanks to the new director at helm.
Iron Man 3 continues the story of Tony Stark who's recovering from post-traumatic stress caused by the events of The Avengers. Unable to sleep & genuinely afraid of losing what he loves, Stark's life is turned upside down after he issues a threat to a radical terrorist who retaliates by destroying his personal world, leaving him far more vulnerable than ever before & forcing him to rebuild from the scratch.
Co-written & directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 really benefits from a fresh perspective & is an enjoyable ride for the most part but is also marred by its attempt to try out way too many things at once, out of which only a few work out in a convincing manner. Technical aspects are finely executed for its Cinematography favours a slightly darker tone, Editing steadily paces its narrative while Brian Tyler's score adds more vibrancy to its plot.
Coming to the performances, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley & Rebecca Hall join the reprising cast & ably fill up their given roles while Robert Downey Jr. once again manages to impress the most. The best thing about this sequel is the position it puts Tony Stark in & Downey Jr. does a terrific job in bringing that vulnerability on the screen. Also, while I was a bit furious at what they did with Iron Man's arch-nemesis, I did later warm up to what their intent was here.
On an overall scale, Iron Man 3 is a solid follow up to Iron Man & you don't even have to go through the crap that was Iron Man 2 to get to this one. The film's intent to cover the darker issues at hand while keeping itself light-hearted & plenty of fun is a combination that doesn't gel so well, is at friction on many occasions & is bound to divide its viewers, but its improvement over everything that was so wrong with its predecessor nevertheless makes it a welcome chapter, if not a worthy one.
Iron Man 3 continues the story of Tony Stark who's recovering from post-traumatic stress caused by the events of The Avengers. Unable to sleep & genuinely afraid of losing what he loves, Stark's life is turned upside down after he issues a threat to a radical terrorist who retaliates by destroying his personal world, leaving him far more vulnerable than ever before & forcing him to rebuild from the scratch.
Co-written & directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 really benefits from a fresh perspective & is an enjoyable ride for the most part but is also marred by its attempt to try out way too many things at once, out of which only a few work out in a convincing manner. Technical aspects are finely executed for its Cinematography favours a slightly darker tone, Editing steadily paces its narrative while Brian Tyler's score adds more vibrancy to its plot.
Coming to the performances, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley & Rebecca Hall join the reprising cast & ably fill up their given roles while Robert Downey Jr. once again manages to impress the most. The best thing about this sequel is the position it puts Tony Stark in & Downey Jr. does a terrific job in bringing that vulnerability on the screen. Also, while I was a bit furious at what they did with Iron Man's arch-nemesis, I did later warm up to what their intent was here.
On an overall scale, Iron Man 3 is a solid follow up to Iron Man & you don't even have to go through the crap that was Iron Man 2 to get to this one. The film's intent to cover the darker issues at hand while keeping itself light-hearted & plenty of fun is a combination that doesn't gel so well, is at friction on many occasions & is bound to divide its viewers, but its improvement over everything that was so wrong with its predecessor nevertheless makes it a welcome chapter, if not a worthy one.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Liar's Key in Books
Mar 30, 2018
Reading Mark Lawrence books, while seeing the outpouring of adoration for his works on facebook and goodreads, is quite a complicated situation to find yourself in.
I love Mark Lawrence's writing style - that is, his flowing prose and sense of humour. I love the world of the Broken Empire - a post-apocalyptic version of the world after the use of nuclear weapons (all very much implied) and where the sea level has risen, changing the geography of Europe. I like most of the characters (in that I like all aspects of some of them and some aspects of the rest of them if that makes sense).
The tricky thing is, I have mixed feelings about the way Lawrence lays his books out - to my understanding he has a high level idea of the plot but then just ... writes. He just lets it happen. Now, this isn't a car crash like it might sound, there are enough hints and pointers strewn throughout the book (or trilogy) to make it all hang together, but at times things happen that just don't quite feel right. I'm not sure if its a deus ex machine type thing or just his characters being spontaneous, but at times I found that the right thing happens despite no suggestions this should be so. Characters making illogical decisions etc.
This has been the case throughout all 5 of his books I have read now and it is starting to become an irritant. The thing is, I tend to enjoy the overall story and am glad I have read them, it's just that at times I don't enjoy the journey.
That was very much the case here - the book is considerably longer than its predecessor but without any tangible benefit from that extra word count. The first half of the book is quite a slow boring journey and except for meeting two new characters/companions and some minor plot points, there is very little purpose to it. Snorri, my favourite character from the Prince of Fools, is almost absent here - just a massive, injured, sulking lump. This puts the focus on Jalan, our thoroughly detestable narrator.
The second half sees Jalan separate from the group and head home, only to run off once again, almost without reason. There then follows a very dull section of the book where he seems to be getting ahead at last, making money on the derivatives exchange (makes Phantom Menace trade quota discussions seem positively riveting).
The conclusion of the book is excellent and points to an exciting third book.
I love Mark Lawrence's writing style - that is, his flowing prose and sense of humour. I love the world of the Broken Empire - a post-apocalyptic version of the world after the use of nuclear weapons (all very much implied) and where the sea level has risen, changing the geography of Europe. I like most of the characters (in that I like all aspects of some of them and some aspects of the rest of them if that makes sense).
The tricky thing is, I have mixed feelings about the way Lawrence lays his books out - to my understanding he has a high level idea of the plot but then just ... writes. He just lets it happen. Now, this isn't a car crash like it might sound, there are enough hints and pointers strewn throughout the book (or trilogy) to make it all hang together, but at times things happen that just don't quite feel right. I'm not sure if its a deus ex machine type thing or just his characters being spontaneous, but at times I found that the right thing happens despite no suggestions this should be so. Characters making illogical decisions etc.
This has been the case throughout all 5 of his books I have read now and it is starting to become an irritant. The thing is, I tend to enjoy the overall story and am glad I have read them, it's just that at times I don't enjoy the journey.
That was very much the case here - the book is considerably longer than its predecessor but without any tangible benefit from that extra word count. The first half of the book is quite a slow boring journey and except for meeting two new characters/companions and some minor plot points, there is very little purpose to it. Snorri, my favourite character from the Prince of Fools, is almost absent here - just a massive, injured, sulking lump. This puts the focus on Jalan, our thoroughly detestable narrator.
The second half sees Jalan separate from the group and head home, only to run off once again, almost without reason. There then follows a very dull section of the book where he seems to be getting ahead at last, making money on the derivatives exchange (makes Phantom Menace trade quota discussions seem positively riveting).
The conclusion of the book is excellent and points to an exciting third book.
Louise (64 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion*
The Sun is Also a Star is Nicola Yoon’s second novel and they just keep getting better. She is becoming the queen of contemporary and I will definitely be reading everything that she writes. This book is so much better than Everything, Everything.
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l41YleLHixOeCWNe8/giphy.gif"; width="140" height="180" alt="description"/>
Natasha is an undocumented immigrant living in New York with her family, she is being deported back to Jamaica after living in America for 8 years. Desperate and at the end of her tether she will do anything to stop this from happening. Natasha has her future planned out and her friends in New York.
Daniel is a Korean-American and has his entrance exams for college.He’s to study medicine as his parents have always wanted but this is not Daniel’s dreams,he wants to be a poet and write about love and fate.
Natasha and Daniel meet on the streets of New York City the day that Natasha is to be deported and Daniel has his entrance exam. Believing in fate and destiny, Daniel tries to convince Natasha that she will fall in love with him by the end of the day and in doing so asks her questions that scientists have tested and proved.
This book is really amazing, it has everything going for it! First off we have that stunning cover the colours and design are just beautiful. Nicola Yoon’s writing is very addictive. It had all the romance and then scientific facts and whilst writing about serious topics she then blends in the humour. I also loved that there were excerpts from other characters such as their history or future and it really added and made it such a fulfilling story.It made you realise that things happen for a reason and everyone’s actions lead to someone else’s fate/destiny.
The characters are great, they are three-dimensional but also they have their flaws,they are totally different from one another in what they believe in and want from life.
This does seem like insta-love because the book is set over the course of day, but it’s not insta-love as Natasha wants nothing to do with Daniel and it takes time for her to warm to him.
I would definitely recommend this book.
I rated this 5 out of 5 stars
The Sun is Also a Star is Nicola Yoon’s second novel and they just keep getting better. She is becoming the queen of contemporary and I will definitely be reading everything that she writes. This book is so much better than Everything, Everything.
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l41YleLHixOeCWNe8/giphy.gif"; width="140" height="180" alt="description"/>
Natasha is an undocumented immigrant living in New York with her family, she is being deported back to Jamaica after living in America for 8 years. Desperate and at the end of her tether she will do anything to stop this from happening. Natasha has her future planned out and her friends in New York.
Daniel is a Korean-American and has his entrance exams for college.He’s to study medicine as his parents have always wanted but this is not Daniel’s dreams,he wants to be a poet and write about love and fate.
Natasha and Daniel meet on the streets of New York City the day that Natasha is to be deported and Daniel has his entrance exam. Believing in fate and destiny, Daniel tries to convince Natasha that she will fall in love with him by the end of the day and in doing so asks her questions that scientists have tested and proved.
This book is really amazing, it has everything going for it! First off we have that stunning cover the colours and design are just beautiful. Nicola Yoon’s writing is very addictive. It had all the romance and then scientific facts and whilst writing about serious topics she then blends in the humour. I also loved that there were excerpts from other characters such as their history or future and it really added and made it such a fulfilling story.It made you realise that things happen for a reason and everyone’s actions lead to someone else’s fate/destiny.
The characters are great, they are three-dimensional but also they have their flaws,they are totally different from one another in what they believe in and want from life.
This does seem like insta-love because the book is set over the course of day, but it’s not insta-love as Natasha wants nothing to do with Daniel and it takes time for her to warm to him.
I would definitely recommend this book.
I rated this 5 out of 5 stars
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Out of the Ordinary (Apart From the Crowd, #2) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Jen Turano's books are on my to be read list...before I even know she has started writing a new book. Not only is she a fabulous author, but she is an even more fabulous woman.
Out of the Ordinary was placed at the very tippy top of my list for one very important reason...Harrison Sinclair! 😍 Gertrude is one lucky lady! No doubt about that. Between his handsome face, his....unique....style, his caring and compassionate heart....Oh! and he is wealthy...Harrison is simply a dreamboat if there ever was one. Gertrude has definitely not had an easy life. From losing her family to working for Mrs. Davenport...It has been one thing after. Mrs. Davenport is, eccentric to say the least, but when you find out a little more of her history, your heart will shift in her favor.
Several times the words jumped right off the page and embedded themselves into my heart. "God doesn't expect His children to live ordinary lives, but extraordinary ones." I never want to settle for the way things "should" be. Why not make life an adventure? Why not step out in faith and follow God's leading on a new (maybe even difficult) path! Trusting in Him to guide and care for us. And when things get bleak in our lives...Do we wall God off? Question His motives? I know I have asked "Why?" too many times to count. But I am learning, that even if we never know the "Why" behind the circumstances we are given, that God will be by our side through every moment. And that along the way, there will be people whose lives are changed for the better because we were put in their lives.
If you enjoy a book that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and want to set sail on the....big...blue....wet....thing....(Muppet Treasure Island reference)...Then Out of the Ordinary is for YOU! (This is book 2 of a series, but CAN stand alone.) Harrison will sweep you off your feet (and Gertrude will probably push you overboard for it) and take you on a wild adventure filled with humour, mystery, escapades, jewel heists, the Ticklish Water Polka, and you are sure to devour this story in no time.
I received a complimentary copy of Out of the Ordinary from the Publishers through this Celebrate Lit Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Out of the Ordinary was placed at the very tippy top of my list for one very important reason...Harrison Sinclair! 😍 Gertrude is one lucky lady! No doubt about that. Between his handsome face, his....unique....style, his caring and compassionate heart....Oh! and he is wealthy...Harrison is simply a dreamboat if there ever was one. Gertrude has definitely not had an easy life. From losing her family to working for Mrs. Davenport...It has been one thing after. Mrs. Davenport is, eccentric to say the least, but when you find out a little more of her history, your heart will shift in her favor.
Several times the words jumped right off the page and embedded themselves into my heart. "God doesn't expect His children to live ordinary lives, but extraordinary ones." I never want to settle for the way things "should" be. Why not make life an adventure? Why not step out in faith and follow God's leading on a new (maybe even difficult) path! Trusting in Him to guide and care for us. And when things get bleak in our lives...Do we wall God off? Question His motives? I know I have asked "Why?" too many times to count. But I am learning, that even if we never know the "Why" behind the circumstances we are given, that God will be by our side through every moment. And that along the way, there will be people whose lives are changed for the better because we were put in their lives.
If you enjoy a book that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and want to set sail on the....big...blue....wet....thing....(Muppet Treasure Island reference)...Then Out of the Ordinary is for YOU! (This is book 2 of a series, but CAN stand alone.) Harrison will sweep you off your feet (and Gertrude will probably push you overboard for it) and take you on a wild adventure filled with humour, mystery, escapades, jewel heists, the Ticklish Water Polka, and you are sure to devour this story in no time.
I received a complimentary copy of Out of the Ordinary from the Publishers through this Celebrate Lit Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Naomi Forrest (42 KP) rated What Lexie Did in Books
Jan 9, 2019
This book was a Christmas book from a friend and I thought it looked quite cute. The first couple of pages were really easy to fall in to and after that, the pace is just perfect.
I know little bits about Greek culture but this book really sucked me in to that way of life and made me a bit jealous! To have such a strong sense of family and heritage must be a truly amazing thing. I like that the relationship between Lexie and Eleni goes one step further and there is even deeper bond that seems both unbreakable and yet incredibly fragile at times. I'm not giving any spoilers but the beginning and ending tie together beautifully and though the ending isn't completely happy, it was satisfying.
Shevah infuses humour throughout the novel, leaning on a truly authentic 9 year old voice and Lexie's perceptions of her family, God and halloumi. The pages were so sweet as well, with doodles around the outside as if it was Lexie's diary we are reading.
On the face of it, this novel is funny and sweet and full of friendship and family yet it digs deeper. The story centres around honesty. Lexie 'snitches' on a new friend and is reprimanded by the adults, who preach telling the truth, and upsets her friends and siblings. When she doesn't tell on a different friend for something else, she is also punished. She is expected to tell the truth by the adults and told to lie by Eleni but when she does lie, it upsets Eleni and has huge consequences. I thought Shevah exploited the notions of deception and truth cleverly through Lexie, who reflects on adults preaching the importance of honesty while lying about things to, if we are quite truthful, manipulate children. It highlighted that the answer is not as black and white as we want it to be and I enjoyed having my perceptions challenged.
All in all, I found this to be a vibrant, contemporary and culturally novel that shows Shevah has researched and engaged with Greek-Cypriot family life to an extremely high standard. Novels such as this are the reason I love Chicken House and the books they publish; their novels and authors are original, cutting edge and excite and engage children. I can't wait to read more of Shevah's work in future and get my year 6's fired up about this.
All in all, I found this to be a vibrant, contemporary and culturally novel that shows Shevah has researched and engaged with Greek-Cypriot family life to an extremely high standard. Novels such as this are the reason I love Chicken House and the books they publish; their novels and authors are original, cutting edge and excite and engage children. I can't wait to read more of Shevah's work in future and get my year 6's fired up about this.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Queen Camilia in Books
Jul 15, 2019 (Updated Jul 15, 2019)
A Royal 'What if' story
Contains spoilers, click to show
I remember reading 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' when I was a teenager and really enjoying it. So when I saw this book, I was looking forward to reading this.
This novel is based on what would happen if the institution of the Royal Family was in exile and were living on a council estate. Britain is divided into many different zones, depending on your social standing and no one can cross zones without an I.D card. Also the police know your every move, thanks to cameras which are installed everywhere and they can access all information about the residents, using the Vulcan computer system.
Firstly, I liked how Sue Townsend characterized the members of the Royal family, they are all very likable characters, funny characters. I also liked that we got the perspectives of the royal pets too, on what was going on.
However, I found a few things wrong with this book. I personally like the British Royal Family, but, even though this book is funny, I could tell that the author wasn't entirely in favour of them and so I felt that at times, the jokes were a bit cutting and were laughing at the Royal Family, rather than laughing with them.
Secondly, at the beginning of the book, I felt like this was making some interesting observation on modern British life. However, as the book progressed, what could have been a humorous insight into these issues, turned into a bit of a mess.
Thirdly, the construction of the plot was very sloppy. The plot didn't seem to focus on one specific thing. What was a book about the Royal Family and the illegitimate son of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles , randomly turned into a farce about the dogs in the area. The comedy with the dogs at the beginning was funny, as I said before,, but it escalated into farce.
Also, plot line involving a police officer having a crush on one of the lower class women in 'Slapper Valley', one of the exclusion zones, never got an resolution at all..
Finally, the ending for me, was very poor. It ended quite abruptly and was quite frankly, bizarre and unsatisfying.
I started out really enjoying this book, but in the end, it turned into a bit of a mess. This was occasionally funny, but overall, a very disappointing read.
This novel is based on what would happen if the institution of the Royal Family was in exile and were living on a council estate. Britain is divided into many different zones, depending on your social standing and no one can cross zones without an I.D card. Also the police know your every move, thanks to cameras which are installed everywhere and they can access all information about the residents, using the Vulcan computer system.
Firstly, I liked how Sue Townsend characterized the members of the Royal family, they are all very likable characters, funny characters. I also liked that we got the perspectives of the royal pets too, on what was going on.
However, I found a few things wrong with this book. I personally like the British Royal Family, but, even though this book is funny, I could tell that the author wasn't entirely in favour of them and so I felt that at times, the jokes were a bit cutting and were laughing at the Royal Family, rather than laughing with them.
Secondly, at the beginning of the book, I felt like this was making some interesting observation on modern British life. However, as the book progressed, what could have been a humorous insight into these issues, turned into a bit of a mess.
Thirdly, the construction of the plot was very sloppy. The plot didn't seem to focus on one specific thing. What was a book about the Royal Family and the illegitimate son of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles , randomly turned into a farce about the dogs in the area. The comedy with the dogs at the beginning was funny, as I said before,, but it escalated into farce.
Also, plot line involving a police officer having a crush on one of the lower class women in 'Slapper Valley', one of the exclusion zones, never got an resolution at all..
Finally, the ending for me, was very poor. It ended quite abruptly and was quite frankly, bizarre and unsatisfying.
I started out really enjoying this book, but in the end, it turned into a bit of a mess. This was occasionally funny, but overall, a very disappointing read.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 3 in TV
Aug 10, 2019
Almost perfect
I toyed between giving this an 8 or 9, and in the end I’ve decided to be generous although I’m still not entirely sure. I was worried I’d hate this series as I’ve heard some say it’s not great, but I actually enjoyed this much more than series 2 and possibly even slightly more than the first series.
My first negative is the story. The whole Russian thing is a little bit ridiculous and far fetched (even for this show), which is a shame as the rest of the plot is intriguing and really rather good. The horror and gore aspects of this are brilliant. I thought this was by far the scariest of the seasons as the Mind Flayer is truly terrifying and beyond creepy. The mixture of retro references, humour and horror works so well and makes it really enjoyable to watch. All of the characters shine, even the new ones like Robin or new-ish ones like Erica, are well developed and fit in well with the rest of the originals. I of course still have a soft spot for Hopper who is just marvellous yet again in this, often rather sinister and darkly hilarious. And the pairing yet again of Steve and Dustin is such fun. The childhood romance thing is a little bit cheesy and sickly sweet, but fortunately bearable for the most part as it takes a backseat to the rest of the action.
My biggest issue with this show, other than the over the top and strangely stupid Russians, and the reason why I was debating giving it a lower score, is the ending. Or rather the end credits scene that ruined everything. The actual ending to this show is one of the most emotional things I’ve seen in a long time in a tv show, and I’m not ashamed to admit I was virtually in tears at the ending. It was such a heartwarming and fitting way to end the show, and really quite lovely in a sad way. It was a great way to round off a show and finish the entire series on a massive high without the need to make another season. However, the end credits scene is pure ‘sequel baiting’ and whilst Netflix haven’t officially confirmed, it already sounds like season 4 is in the making. And I can’t even begin to describe how angry I am at this, why do they insist on ruining a perfectly good ending?! I really wish they hadn’t done this. But this aside, I enjoyed this series quite a lot.
My first negative is the story. The whole Russian thing is a little bit ridiculous and far fetched (even for this show), which is a shame as the rest of the plot is intriguing and really rather good. The horror and gore aspects of this are brilliant. I thought this was by far the scariest of the seasons as the Mind Flayer is truly terrifying and beyond creepy. The mixture of retro references, humour and horror works so well and makes it really enjoyable to watch. All of the characters shine, even the new ones like Robin or new-ish ones like Erica, are well developed and fit in well with the rest of the originals. I of course still have a soft spot for Hopper who is just marvellous yet again in this, often rather sinister and darkly hilarious. And the pairing yet again of Steve and Dustin is such fun. The childhood romance thing is a little bit cheesy and sickly sweet, but fortunately bearable for the most part as it takes a backseat to the rest of the action.
My biggest issue with this show, other than the over the top and strangely stupid Russians, and the reason why I was debating giving it a lower score, is the ending. Or rather the end credits scene that ruined everything. The actual ending to this show is one of the most emotional things I’ve seen in a long time in a tv show, and I’m not ashamed to admit I was virtually in tears at the ending. It was such a heartwarming and fitting way to end the show, and really quite lovely in a sad way. It was a great way to round off a show and finish the entire series on a massive high without the need to make another season. However, the end credits scene is pure ‘sequel baiting’ and whilst Netflix haven’t officially confirmed, it already sounds like season 4 is in the making. And I can’t even begin to describe how angry I am at this, why do they insist on ruining a perfectly good ending?! I really wish they hadn’t done this. But this aside, I enjoyed this series quite a lot.
