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I enjoyed this book. It was done well. I love the take on the uniqueness of names for each flavor. Bully Vanilli is a good one for the vanilla flavor. Mustachio Pistachio is clever, and I like that. Though his name is a bit hard to pronounce, that may be it for me to do. Otherwise, I did enjoy the naming concept.
I also really enjoyed each page. I like that there is a lesson that Bully Vanilli needs to learn about a few things. I like the way the author is teaching children about kindness and bullying through something sweet and tasty that children like.
This is a fun and wonderfully illustrated book. Children learn, and what a wonderful way to use ice cream. The pictures can tell the story of what is going on as well, which makes it even better.
I also really enjoyed each page. I like that there is a lesson that Bully Vanilli needs to learn about a few things. I like the way the author is teaching children about kindness and bullying through something sweet and tasty that children like.
This is a fun and wonderfully illustrated book. Children learn, and what a wonderful way to use ice cream. The pictures can tell the story of what is going on as well, which makes it even better.
ClareR (5885 KP) rated Becoming Ted in Books
Jan 19, 2023
I absolutely loved reading Matt Cain’s latest book “Becoming Ted” on The Pigeonhole.
After Ted’s marriage to his husband Giles breaks down, he decides that it’s time to do what makes him happy - rather than what makes everyone else happy.
Ted’s parents expect him to take over the running of the family business : an ice cream parlour in the quiet Lancashire seaside town of St. Luke’s-on-Sea. But Ted doesn’t want to do that. What he wants to do is very different.
I loved the characters in this book, but special mentions for me must go to Ted’s best friend Denise and his new friend Stanley. Both are fully supportive of his new venture.
Ted’s new boyfriend, Oskar, is on his own voyage of discovery, too.
This is a thoroughly lovely book about following your dreams and living your truth. I loved it, and would recommend it!
After Ted’s marriage to his husband Giles breaks down, he decides that it’s time to do what makes him happy - rather than what makes everyone else happy.
Ted’s parents expect him to take over the running of the family business : an ice cream parlour in the quiet Lancashire seaside town of St. Luke’s-on-Sea. But Ted doesn’t want to do that. What he wants to do is very different.
I loved the characters in this book, but special mentions for me must go to Ted’s best friend Denise and his new friend Stanley. Both are fully supportive of his new venture.
Ted’s new boyfriend, Oskar, is on his own voyage of discovery, too.
This is a thoroughly lovely book about following your dreams and living your truth. I loved it, and would recommend it!
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Legion (2010) in Movies
Jun 30, 2018
Filled with cheese, but the cheese just makes the other parts stick together so well.
Contains spoilers, click to show
This review does contain MILD spoilers.
Legion is one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it countless times and it has never lost it’s appeal. It’s ridiculous, filled with cliches, and definitely tries too hard for the reflective drama. It’s charmingly flawed and I love it.
Legion is filled with cheese, but the cheese just makes the other parts stick together so well. Like the Old Lady and the Ice Cream Man. My favorite scene in Legion involves the old lady. They made an excellent choice in casting there. You know from the moment that she says “But it’s gonna burn… your f*cking baby is gonna burn” that the evil is there, and it’s ON. What immediately always leaves me in stitches. (Yes, always. I’ve seen this movie like 5 times now.) And the Ice Cream man? Well, he defined the role for me. Freaking creepy.
And the cast members do their best to pull off the most ridiculous lines with a straight face. Willa Holland, whom you might be familiar with from The O.C., Gossip Girl, and Arrow, brings the sarcasm full bore. Dennis Quaid does disgruntled do-gooder father pretty well. (Although, I liked him better in this type of role in Day After Tomorrow.) Jeep – played by Lucas Black – is a very bland character, but that’s to be expected for the saintly protector type role he’s destined to play. Charles S. Dutton doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but when he’s there, you pay attention to him.
Legion is well-acted, nicely directed, and gives its horror a thin coating of humor. There’s plenty of action in the later half to keep almost anyone happy. There is really nothing new as this type of movie gets pretty endlessly recycled. However, put up against the others of its type, it stands out for me.
Legion is one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it countless times and it has never lost it’s appeal. It’s ridiculous, filled with cliches, and definitely tries too hard for the reflective drama. It’s charmingly flawed and I love it.
Legion is filled with cheese, but the cheese just makes the other parts stick together so well. Like the Old Lady and the Ice Cream Man. My favorite scene in Legion involves the old lady. They made an excellent choice in casting there. You know from the moment that she says “But it’s gonna burn… your f*cking baby is gonna burn” that the evil is there, and it’s ON. What immediately always leaves me in stitches. (Yes, always. I’ve seen this movie like 5 times now.) And the Ice Cream man? Well, he defined the role for me. Freaking creepy.
And the cast members do their best to pull off the most ridiculous lines with a straight face. Willa Holland, whom you might be familiar with from The O.C., Gossip Girl, and Arrow, brings the sarcasm full bore. Dennis Quaid does disgruntled do-gooder father pretty well. (Although, I liked him better in this type of role in Day After Tomorrow.) Jeep – played by Lucas Black – is a very bland character, but that’s to be expected for the saintly protector type role he’s destined to play. Charles S. Dutton doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but when he’s there, you pay attention to him.
Legion is well-acted, nicely directed, and gives its horror a thin coating of humor. There’s plenty of action in the later half to keep almost anyone happy. There is really nothing new as this type of movie gets pretty endlessly recycled. However, put up against the others of its type, it stands out for me.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Murder with a Cherry on Top in Books
Jul 6, 2019
Rival’s Murder Cools Off Opening Week
Kate McKay has returned to her hometown of Wolfet’s Roost in the Hudson River Valley of New York, and she has opened her own ice cream shop. Her only possibly concern is that it is across the street from the bakery owned by Ashley Winthrop. The two have known each other all their lives, and they have never gotten along. Sadly, Kate hasn’t even been opened a week before she gets proof that Ashley intends to continue their feud. But when Ashley is murdered the day after the two have a very public fight, Kate finds herself questioned by the police. Can she figure out what really happened before she is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit?
First books in series walk a fine line between introducing us to characters and giving us a good mystery. This one errs on the side of character backstory, which makes the first quarter very slow plot wise. Things do pick up as we go along, and by the second half the mystery is in full swing. Once it got going, I found the mystery good with an ending I didn’t suspect yet one that made sense. Kate, her Gran, and her niece are all solid characters and I enjoyed spending time with them. I am curious where Kate’s love life will go after what we learned and the characters we met here. The suspects don’t get much page time, but they seem real from the little bit of time we did get to spend with them. And there is plenty of talk about ice cream, which made me crave one of my favorite desserts. There are four delicious sounding recipes at the end, so you can bring a bit of Kate’s shop home with you. If you are looking for a new series to help you cool off as the summer heats up, this debut is for you.
First books in series walk a fine line between introducing us to characters and giving us a good mystery. This one errs on the side of character backstory, which makes the first quarter very slow plot wise. Things do pick up as we go along, and by the second half the mystery is in full swing. Once it got going, I found the mystery good with an ending I didn’t suspect yet one that made sense. Kate, her Gran, and her niece are all solid characters and I enjoyed spending time with them. I am curious where Kate’s love life will go after what we learned and the characters we met here. The suspects don’t get much page time, but they seem real from the little bit of time we did get to spend with them. And there is plenty of talk about ice cream, which made me crave one of my favorite desserts. There are four delicious sounding recipes at the end, so you can bring a bit of Kate’s shop home with you. If you are looking for a new series to help you cool off as the summer heats up, this debut is for you.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) in Movies
Jul 2, 2020
'Why would someone shoot at a police station?' John Carpenter's exemplary action exploitation movie is set in mid-70s Los Angeles but is basically a mash-up of a western and a zombie movie. Two convicts, a secretary and a highway patrol officer find themselves besieged in a soon-to-be-derelict police precinct by hordes of psychopathic street gang members.
One of those examples of a virtually perfect movie: an incredibly economical script with immaculate storytelling is brought to the screen with immensely charismatic performances by the three leads (you watch it now and it's genuinely baffling that none of them had more substantial movie careers). Also a fascinating mixture of old-style and new Hollywood - scenes pastiching the style of Howard Hawks movies sit alongside genuinely provocative moments like the ice cream scene. Overall, though, just a tremendously enjoyable action film, and exhibit A for the case that John Carpenter did his career backwards.
One of those examples of a virtually perfect movie: an incredibly economical script with immaculate storytelling is brought to the screen with immensely charismatic performances by the three leads (you watch it now and it's genuinely baffling that none of them had more substantial movie careers). Also a fascinating mixture of old-style and new Hollywood - scenes pastiching the style of Howard Hawks movies sit alongside genuinely provocative moments like the ice cream scene. Overall, though, just a tremendously enjoyable action film, and exhibit A for the case that John Carpenter did his career backwards.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Phantasm: Ravager (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2018
Great end to the Phantasm saga!
The final Phantasm film focuses mostly on everyone's favorite former ice cream man ,Reggie, and takes place through multi dimensions..
He keeps shifting through time and locations and is desperately trying to figure out which is real and how he can stop the Tall Man and his death spheres one final time.
The film find of reminded me of the final episode of Star Trek TNG when Captain Picard was kind of doing the same thing. It made the story interesting and not just more of the same. It also was mostly a continuation of the same story with some nostalgia since there had been almost twenty years since the last Phantasm film was made. I liked the continuity, but attempt to make something original.
The make up and special effects ranged from pretty good to almost Sharknado bad, so that was a little distracting.
I enjoyed watching and had a fun time with the Phantasm films in general. Generally speaking a cut above the normal generics horror schlock.
He keeps shifting through time and locations and is desperately trying to figure out which is real and how he can stop the Tall Man and his death spheres one final time.
The film find of reminded me of the final episode of Star Trek TNG when Captain Picard was kind of doing the same thing. It made the story interesting and not just more of the same. It also was mostly a continuation of the same story with some nostalgia since there had been almost twenty years since the last Phantasm film was made. I liked the continuity, but attempt to make something original.
The make up and special effects ranged from pretty good to almost Sharknado bad, so that was a little distracting.
I enjoyed watching and had a fun time with the Phantasm films in general. Generally speaking a cut above the normal generics horror schlock.
Morgan Sheppard (936 KP) created a post
Mar 5, 2020
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Jude (1996) in Movies
Jan 29, 2018 (Updated Jan 29, 2018)
Meh
Set in the late 1800's, Jude Fawley (Christopher Eccleston) leaves his country home to enroll in a university and finds a taboo love in the process. It's somewhat ironic that I'm reviewing this just after my dog vomited because the story unfolds just as slowly. Just as I screamed "Just do it already!" to my beagle, I felt Jude could have gotten to the point a little faster. I have some ideas about how this could have been accomplished, but I can't share them without spoiling the film.
The slow progression of the plot would have been fine had the ending been stronger. The last twenty minutes were a whirlwind and not in a good way. If the film is an unsettling ice cream sundae, the ending was an ugly cherry that tastes as bad as it looks.
For what it's worth, the story is definitely intriguing with simple, yet complex details. It's weird, yet somehow heartwarming. Despite my dislike for the film as a whole, Eccleston and Kate Winslet both played phenomenal roles. Two performances that were almost enough to carry the film.
Not quite. I give Jude a 67.
The slow progression of the plot would have been fine had the ending been stronger. The last twenty minutes were a whirlwind and not in a good way. If the film is an unsettling ice cream sundae, the ending was an ugly cherry that tastes as bad as it looks.
For what it's worth, the story is definitely intriguing with simple, yet complex details. It's weird, yet somehow heartwarming. Despite my dislike for the film as a whole, Eccleston and Kate Winslet both played phenomenal roles. Two performances that were almost enough to carry the film.
Not quite. I give Jude a 67.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated 100% Wolf (2020) in Movies
Aug 21, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
100% Wolf is a children's animated movie about werewolves, in particular, Freddy Lupin the soon to be leader of his pack.
The pack spend their full moon's rescuing people from fires and other disasters but still hiding from the public at large and especially from the local ice cream sales man who is convinced he has proof that the werewolves exist. By day the pack is trying to rid the city of dogs, who they see as inferior
on the night he is meant to take his roll as pack leader, Freddy steps into the moon light expecting to be transformed into a large, savage wolf but, instead emerges as a small poodle.
100% Wolf is about acceptance, Freddy has to accept that he is different, both from what he expected and from what his pack wants. He also needs to accept help from the local dog's who he has been taught to hate.
100% Wolf is a surprisingly good film, funny, with just the right amount of action and a good sound track. It's a bit predictable but only because it's a children's film.
The pack spend their full moon's rescuing people from fires and other disasters but still hiding from the public at large and especially from the local ice cream sales man who is convinced he has proof that the werewolves exist. By day the pack is trying to rid the city of dogs, who they see as inferior
on the night he is meant to take his roll as pack leader, Freddy steps into the moon light expecting to be transformed into a large, savage wolf but, instead emerges as a small poodle.
100% Wolf is about acceptance, Freddy has to accept that he is different, both from what he expected and from what his pack wants. He also needs to accept help from the local dog's who he has been taught to hate.
100% Wolf is a surprisingly good film, funny, with just the right amount of action and a good sound track. It's a bit predictable but only because it's a children's film.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated A Sprinkle in Time in Books
May 28, 2022 (Updated May 28, 2022)
The Corpse in the Trunk. Maybe.
Trinidad Jones is focused on the Alpenfest that is in town for the new two weekends, hoping that the tourists will provide a nice bump to her Shimmy and Shake Shop before business slows for the winter. Her life gets complicated, however, when her grandfather finds a corpse in the trunk of his classic car. When the police show up, the body is gone, only to turn up floating in the lake. What is going on?
I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one was even better. I was pulled in right away, and the plot never lagged. Because of how it impacted some of the characters we got to know in the first book, I found it compelling. I had part of the solution figured out, but there was a lot I hadn’t pieced together. The characters are strong again. I laughed at parts, but because of how things were impacting everyone, I also got chocked up a time or two. There are two recipes at the end to help with your cravings for ice cream and sweets in general. I’m already looking forward to visiting the gang again soon.
I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one was even better. I was pulled in right away, and the plot never lagged. Because of how it impacted some of the characters we got to know in the first book, I found it compelling. I had part of the solution figured out, but there was a lot I hadn’t pieced together. The characters are strong again. I laughed at parts, but because of how things were impacting everyone, I also got chocked up a time or two. There are two recipes at the end to help with your cravings for ice cream and sweets in general. I’m already looking forward to visiting the gang again soon.
