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<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Arranged</i> is a contemporary, chick-lit by Catherine McKenzie about love and marriage. Anne Blythe, a thirty three year old <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> look alike, has been unlucky in love. After breaking up with her most recent boyfriend she despairs that she will remain alone for the rest of her life. But that very day she finds a business card titled “Blythe & Company Arrangements Made”. Intrigued by the surname and assuming it is a dating company she books herself an appointment.
Anne soon discovers that <i>Blythe & Company</i> is actually an arranged marriage service, however she decides to go along with it and ends up in Mexico marrying a man named Jack who she has only just met. Now comes the hard part – living together, coming up with a plausible story to tell her friends and family and dealing with their mixed reaction. But just as Anne begins to feel she may have got her happy ever after she learns something about Jack that could ruin everything.
This story is a brilliant concept that makes the reader want to keep on reading. All the main characters are likable, particularly Anne, which ensures the reader will not get bored of the storyline. For over three quarters of the novel McKenzie writes as though everything is going to turn out ok, leaving the reader feeling sure that something must go wrong somewhere along the line, yet also wishing that it will not.
Admittedly, chick-lit is not my first choice of genre to read and many of these books are nothing special. However this concept was really interesting and I enjoyed the novel. I would definitely recommend it to lots of female readers particularly the hopeless romantics.
Arranged</i> is a contemporary, chick-lit by Catherine McKenzie about love and marriage. Anne Blythe, a thirty three year old <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> look alike, has been unlucky in love. After breaking up with her most recent boyfriend she despairs that she will remain alone for the rest of her life. But that very day she finds a business card titled “Blythe & Company Arrangements Made”. Intrigued by the surname and assuming it is a dating company she books herself an appointment.
Anne soon discovers that <i>Blythe & Company</i> is actually an arranged marriage service, however she decides to go along with it and ends up in Mexico marrying a man named Jack who she has only just met. Now comes the hard part – living together, coming up with a plausible story to tell her friends and family and dealing with their mixed reaction. But just as Anne begins to feel she may have got her happy ever after she learns something about Jack that could ruin everything.
This story is a brilliant concept that makes the reader want to keep on reading. All the main characters are likable, particularly Anne, which ensures the reader will not get bored of the storyline. For over three quarters of the novel McKenzie writes as though everything is going to turn out ok, leaving the reader feeling sure that something must go wrong somewhere along the line, yet also wishing that it will not.
Admittedly, chick-lit is not my first choice of genre to read and many of these books are nothing special. However this concept was really interesting and I enjoyed the novel. I would definitely recommend it to lots of female readers particularly the hopeless romantics.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) in Movies
May 28, 2017
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow (4 more)
Great Cast
Great effects for the time
Great action
Hilarious
Why is the Rum gone?
Fun fact: This film was born from an idea that was inspired by a theme park ride at Disney Land. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was thought of by Walt Disney himself as well.
The first film in this action, adventure, fantasy comedy franchise, is an unforgettable installment to the franchise as it still remains to be probably the best film of the franchise. With brilliantly written comedy executed on screen by Johnny Depp and a handful of other cast members such as Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (McKenzie Crook) as the two foolish members of Barbossa's crew who always end up in their own mischief throughout the franchise.
The film, which was released back in 2003 (I know...makes me feel old as well and I'm only in my early 20's) had incredible special effects for the time with the Aztec curse that turned Barbossa's and his crew into the undead skeletal pirates that are able to walk along the bottom of the ocean.
Perfectly timed comedy, brilliant visuals and a fun plot to lose yourself in, this film is a great film for the whole family and one of the best Pirate films out there, which takes you on an adventure from Port Royal, to Tortuga, and Isla de Muertos. This film is a great watch, which leaves you with one question;
Why is the rum gone?
The first film in this action, adventure, fantasy comedy franchise, is an unforgettable installment to the franchise as it still remains to be probably the best film of the franchise. With brilliantly written comedy executed on screen by Johnny Depp and a handful of other cast members such as Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (McKenzie Crook) as the two foolish members of Barbossa's crew who always end up in their own mischief throughout the franchise.
The film, which was released back in 2003 (I know...makes me feel old as well and I'm only in my early 20's) had incredible special effects for the time with the Aztec curse that turned Barbossa's and his crew into the undead skeletal pirates that are able to walk along the bottom of the ocean.
Perfectly timed comedy, brilliant visuals and a fun plot to lose yourself in, this film is a great film for the whole family and one of the best Pirate films out there, which takes you on an adventure from Port Royal, to Tortuga, and Isla de Muertos. This film is a great watch, which leaves you with one question;
Why is the rum gone?
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Last Night in Soho (2021) in Movies
Nov 11, 2021
Edgar Wright’s Haunting Love Letter to the Swinging Sixties.
A young 21st-century teen walks in her nightclothes down a darkened alley emerging into a bustling 60’s Soho street across from a theatre showing “Thunderball”. She enters the Cafe de Paris with a reflection mimicking her actions but showing a very different girl. So it was that the trailer for Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” hit earlier this year.
The trailer grabbed me by the gut and firmly cemented it as a “must see” in my movie-watching schedule. Frustratingly, Covid got in my way. But now free of the wretched virus, this had just HAD be my first outing.
Plot Summary:
Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) is a Cornish teen whose fashion and music tastes are firmly rooted in the ’60s. She is also blessed (or plagued) with having visions of people who’ve passed, including her dead mother.
Travelling to a London fashion school, Eloise is a lost soul in a raucous world. But at night, she is mystically transported back to the swinging 60’s into the body of aspiring singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Sandie is under the thrall of ‘manager’ Jack (Matt Smith), and Eloise witnesses events that she needs to tell people about. But who would possibly believe such a tale?
Certification:
US: R. UK: 18.
Talent:
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg.
Directed by: Edgar Wright.
Written by: Krysty Wilson-Cairns (based on a story by Edgar Wright).
“Last Night in Soho” Review: Positives:
This is SUCH a tour de force of filmmaking. Honestly, there were moments in here, particularly in the first half of the movie, where I was beaming from ear to ear at the audacity of it all. That ‘time travel’ reveal is even better in ‘the flesh’ than it was in the trailer, enhanced by the vibrant cinematography of Chung-hoon Chung.
Thomasin McKensie again impressed me immensely. She was of course the ‘girl in the attic’ from “Jojo Rabbit” and the best thing in the lacklustre M. Night Shyamalan feature “Old“. Anya Taylor-Joy is as spectacular as you would expect and Matt Smith also delivers, although I wasn’t completely convinced by Smith’s cockney accent. And what a wonderful thing to watch veteran actors Terence Stamp and Diana RIgg strut their stuff on the big screen. (This was Rigg’s final screen performance, and the film is dedicated to her: “For Diana”. RIP Ms Rigg.)
The combination of ‘in camera’ and special effects here are gob-smackingly effective. Some of the ‘mirror’ effects involving Eloise, Sandie and Jack in the club are gleeful. And I’m not sure how they were all done. And a dance sequence where Eloise switches to Sandie and back again is just so clever.
The Production Design is just brilliant. It oozes a combination of 60’s style and sleaze. Surely an Oscar nomination is due here.
As with other Edgar Wright movies (like “Baby Driver“) the choice of music is superb. The score is by Oscar winning composer Steven Price, but you can be sure that Wright was heavily involved in the track selections. These prominently feature a Cilla Black track – heralded by 15 string beats of total perfection – that is in my top 5 songs from the 60’s. And Anya Taylor-Joy’s haunting version of “Downtown” is just superb.
Acting Royalty…. Diana Rigg in her last role, and….
Negatives:
The second half of the film just doesn’t *quite* live up to the promise of the first half (which was running as a clear 5*s).
While the inevitable twist in the tale is clever (and unexpected), I thought it was rather clumsily introduced. (I can’t go into details without introducing spoilers, but an envelope is involved). Something more subliminal would have been my preference; something that you would have had to watch the film again to catch.
A stunning starring role for Thomasin McKenzie. Just wonderful.
Summary Thoughts on “Last Night in Soho”
I loved this one. It lived up to my expectations, and came close to “classic status”. I need to give this careful consideration as to where this sits in my “Top 10 Films of the Year”, but it is undoubtedly up there in the list.
Highly recommended, if you are content to stomach some violent (and quite disturbing) horror imagery.
The trailer grabbed me by the gut and firmly cemented it as a “must see” in my movie-watching schedule. Frustratingly, Covid got in my way. But now free of the wretched virus, this had just HAD be my first outing.
Plot Summary:
Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) is a Cornish teen whose fashion and music tastes are firmly rooted in the ’60s. She is also blessed (or plagued) with having visions of people who’ve passed, including her dead mother.
Travelling to a London fashion school, Eloise is a lost soul in a raucous world. But at night, she is mystically transported back to the swinging 60’s into the body of aspiring singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Sandie is under the thrall of ‘manager’ Jack (Matt Smith), and Eloise witnesses events that she needs to tell people about. But who would possibly believe such a tale?
Certification:
US: R. UK: 18.
Talent:
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg.
Directed by: Edgar Wright.
Written by: Krysty Wilson-Cairns (based on a story by Edgar Wright).
“Last Night in Soho” Review: Positives:
This is SUCH a tour de force of filmmaking. Honestly, there were moments in here, particularly in the first half of the movie, where I was beaming from ear to ear at the audacity of it all. That ‘time travel’ reveal is even better in ‘the flesh’ than it was in the trailer, enhanced by the vibrant cinematography of Chung-hoon Chung.
Thomasin McKensie again impressed me immensely. She was of course the ‘girl in the attic’ from “Jojo Rabbit” and the best thing in the lacklustre M. Night Shyamalan feature “Old“. Anya Taylor-Joy is as spectacular as you would expect and Matt Smith also delivers, although I wasn’t completely convinced by Smith’s cockney accent. And what a wonderful thing to watch veteran actors Terence Stamp and Diana RIgg strut their stuff on the big screen. (This was Rigg’s final screen performance, and the film is dedicated to her: “For Diana”. RIP Ms Rigg.)
The combination of ‘in camera’ and special effects here are gob-smackingly effective. Some of the ‘mirror’ effects involving Eloise, Sandie and Jack in the club are gleeful. And I’m not sure how they were all done. And a dance sequence where Eloise switches to Sandie and back again is just so clever.
The Production Design is just brilliant. It oozes a combination of 60’s style and sleaze. Surely an Oscar nomination is due here.
As with other Edgar Wright movies (like “Baby Driver“) the choice of music is superb. The score is by Oscar winning composer Steven Price, but you can be sure that Wright was heavily involved in the track selections. These prominently feature a Cilla Black track – heralded by 15 string beats of total perfection – that is in my top 5 songs from the 60’s. And Anya Taylor-Joy’s haunting version of “Downtown” is just superb.
Acting Royalty…. Diana Rigg in her last role, and….
Negatives:
The second half of the film just doesn’t *quite* live up to the promise of the first half (which was running as a clear 5*s).
While the inevitable twist in the tale is clever (and unexpected), I thought it was rather clumsily introduced. (I can’t go into details without introducing spoilers, but an envelope is involved). Something more subliminal would have been my preference; something that you would have had to watch the film again to catch.
A stunning starring role for Thomasin McKenzie. Just wonderful.
Summary Thoughts on “Last Night in Soho”
I loved this one. It lived up to my expectations, and came close to “classic status”. I need to give this careful consideration as to where this sits in my “Top 10 Films of the Year”, but it is undoubtedly up there in the list.
Highly recommended, if you are content to stomach some violent (and quite disturbing) horror imagery.
