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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Something Special in TV
Apr 7, 2020
Mr Tumble and Friends
Something special is a very unique children's television series following the clumsy clown character known as Mr Tumble.
Portrayed by Justin Fletcher and always includes children with disabilities & special needs, involving them in the fun activities of the show.
Over time, the show has created new characters like Aunt polly, Grandad Tumble, Lord Tumble & many more.
A very recognisable character with his polkadot covered patchwork clothes, mr tumble has become a welcoming household name & continues to evolve.
It has helped children with their creativity & imagination and has even spawned a live stage show.
What is also incredible is that Justin Fletcher is a trained Makaton signer who uses this skill on the show with children who have delayed learning & communication difficulties & has created many memories for so many young children.
It is also the longest running programme on Cbeebies.
Portrayed by Justin Fletcher and always includes children with disabilities & special needs, involving them in the fun activities of the show.
Over time, the show has created new characters like Aunt polly, Grandad Tumble, Lord Tumble & many more.
A very recognisable character with his polkadot covered patchwork clothes, mr tumble has become a welcoming household name & continues to evolve.
It has helped children with their creativity & imagination and has even spawned a live stage show.
What is also incredible is that Justin Fletcher is a trained Makaton signer who uses this skill on the show with children who have delayed learning & communication difficulties & has created many memories for so many young children.
It is also the longest running programme on Cbeebies.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Lost Heiress (Ladies of the Manor, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
A lost heiress has been found, but the past brings a danger that will threaten all she holds dear.
With a mysterious past, Brooke Eden recruits her closest friend, Justin Wildon, to find who her true family is. She has been raised in Monaco by the Grimaldi family, but she knows that they are not her true family. She is shocked to discover that she is a long lost daughter of The Earl of Whitby and even more surprised that her father receives her with open arms. Although, the rest of the family takes a little more convincing. Horrors of her mother's death haunt Brook and there are many secrets that have to be uncovered. When greed and lust for wealth and power threaten Brook's life, her faith keeps her strong. Will the secrets of the past be revealed? And will Brook return home after being lost for a second time?
"But God does not just instruct us to forgive - He instructs us to trust. To trust that, even though life hurts us, He will take care of us."
Roseanna White had me completely captivated from the first page of The Lost Heiress. Set in 1910, during the Edwardian Period it was a new experience for me. With society rapidly changing and new inventions around every corner, it was wonderful to see it through Brook Eden's eyes. I admire her courage and strength throughout this story. She is someone that I would love to know and to follow on one of her harebrained ideas. She can be rash and impulsive, but her faith is evident. We could all benefit by following her example of putting our trust in the Lord, even when the world seems to be crumbling down around us. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and love a little mystery with your historical fiction, you will quickly loose yourself between the pages of this book.
I received a free digital copy of The Lost Heiress from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
With a mysterious past, Brooke Eden recruits her closest friend, Justin Wildon, to find who her true family is. She has been raised in Monaco by the Grimaldi family, but she knows that they are not her true family. She is shocked to discover that she is a long lost daughter of The Earl of Whitby and even more surprised that her father receives her with open arms. Although, the rest of the family takes a little more convincing. Horrors of her mother's death haunt Brook and there are many secrets that have to be uncovered. When greed and lust for wealth and power threaten Brook's life, her faith keeps her strong. Will the secrets of the past be revealed? And will Brook return home after being lost for a second time?
"But God does not just instruct us to forgive - He instructs us to trust. To trust that, even though life hurts us, He will take care of us."
Roseanna White had me completely captivated from the first page of The Lost Heiress. Set in 1910, during the Edwardian Period it was a new experience for me. With society rapidly changing and new inventions around every corner, it was wonderful to see it through Brook Eden's eyes. I admire her courage and strength throughout this story. She is someone that I would love to know and to follow on one of her harebrained ideas. She can be rash and impulsive, but her faith is evident. We could all benefit by following her example of putting our trust in the Lord, even when the world seems to be crumbling down around us. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and love a little mystery with your historical fiction, you will quickly loose yourself between the pages of this book.
I received a free digital copy of The Lost Heiress from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Beckie Shelton (40 KP) rated The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com
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🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
"The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" by Anna Klein
Well Well Well!!! What a little gem this was.
And It's not very often I read a completely clean, no hanky-panky romance and actually enjoy it.
But this one just really appealed to me so I thought I would give it a chance.
And I'm so not joking folks, this is clean with a capital "C" there was one little kiss at the end of the book and it wasn't even a passion filled snog, just a sweet couple second smooch and you know what, it made my girly romantic heart go pitter-patter.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a clean contemporary romance that features heavily around the Renaissance Faire.
Connie is a dressmaker in the week but come the weekend she is lady Constance,
Dominic is a software programmer in his day to day job, and in his leisure, he is Lord Justin competing in jousts and making his own armour.
After Dom saves Connie from a runaway vehicle he tracks her down to ask her out but lacking self-confidence he manages to get himself in a right muddle pretending to be his own best friend.
What follows is a very amusing tale full of twists, turns and even intrigue and it was such a delight to settle in and read.
Connie and Dominic are both such likeable characters.
Dom is so obviously completely smitten over Connie and Connie herself is so confused by her feelings for what she thinks is two men.
Also just have to mention Lucas the best friend, he was a hoot probably my favourite person in this story, he had all the best lines.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a romance of old, it has a lovely old world feel to it, it shows a proper courtship between two imperfect people, both with a bucket load of insecurities to boot.
I was charmed all the way as Connie and dom found there own sweet HEA.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the Author for providing me with an arc of this book, this is my own honest opinion.
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Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.beckiebookworm.com
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🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
"The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" by Anna Klein
Well Well Well!!! What a little gem this was.
And It's not very often I read a completely clean, no hanky-panky romance and actually enjoy it.
But this one just really appealed to me so I thought I would give it a chance.
And I'm so not joking folks, this is clean with a capital "C" there was one little kiss at the end of the book and it wasn't even a passion filled snog, just a sweet couple second smooch and you know what, it made my girly romantic heart go pitter-patter.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a clean contemporary romance that features heavily around the Renaissance Faire.
Connie is a dressmaker in the week but come the weekend she is lady Constance,
Dominic is a software programmer in his day to day job, and in his leisure, he is Lord Justin competing in jousts and making his own armour.
After Dom saves Connie from a runaway vehicle he tracks her down to ask her out but lacking self-confidence he manages to get himself in a right muddle pretending to be his own best friend.
What follows is a very amusing tale full of twists, turns and even intrigue and it was such a delight to settle in and read.
Connie and Dominic are both such likeable characters.
Dom is so obviously completely smitten over Connie and Connie herself is so confused by her feelings for what she thinks is two men.
Also just have to mention Lucas the best friend, he was a hoot probably my favourite person in this story, he had all the best lines.
So "The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding a Knight" is a romance of old, it has a lovely old world feel to it, it shows a proper courtship between two imperfect people, both with a bucket load of insecurities to boot.
I was charmed all the way as Connie and dom found there own sweet HEA.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the Author for providing me with an arc of this book, this is my own honest opinion.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/images%201_zpsizg6zdjz.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/images%201_zpsizg6zdjz.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo images 1_zpsizg6zdjz.jpg"/></a>
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THE CONTENTS IN THIS REVIEW MY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON THE BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COMPLEATED FOR RELEASE AND THE AUTHOR MAY CHANGE THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ ON.
Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Red Sparrow (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Good Lord! How much sex and violence is acceptable for a UK-15 film?
I recognise that it’s a “thing” that I get into periodic ‘ruts’ of ranting about particular aspects of cinema. But it’s not spoilers in trailers this time! No, the most recent rut I’ve been in is concerned with the correctness or otherwise of the BBFC’s rating of UK 15-certificate films, which seems to have been the rating of every cinema film I’ve seen recently! In my view both “Phantom Thread” and “Lady Bird” should both have firmly been 12A’s to attract a broader teenage audience. But here’s a case on the other side of the balance.
“Red Sparrow”, the latest film from “Hunger Games” director Francis Lawrence, has Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy“, “mother!“) as Dominika Egorova, a Russian ballerina, who after a horrific accident (cringe) is forced to serve the State in order to keep her mother (Joely Richardson, “101 Dalmations”) in their Bolshoi-funded apartment and with the necessary medical treatment. She is sent to a spy “whore school”, ruled over by “matron” (Charlotte Rampling), to learn how to use sexual and psychological means to ‘get in the pants’ (and therefore the minds) of foreign targets.
Always elegant. Charlotte Rampling back on our screens as “Matron”.
And she turns out to be very good and – without nepotism of course, given that her creepy uncle Egorov ( Matthias Schoenaerts, “Far From The Madding Crowd“) is high up in the special services – she is sent on a mission to Budapest to try to uncover a high profile mole, who’s CIA handler is Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton, “The Great Gatsby“, “Black Mass“). Supervising Egorov’s operation are his two line managers General Korchnoi (Jeremy Irons, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice“) and Zakharov (Ciarán Hinds, “Harry Potter”). Sucked into a web of intrigue, Dominika needs to use all her skills and charms to complete her mission… which equates to keeping herself and her mother alive.
Now on the tarmac, Joel really wans’t looking forward to his Ryanair flight.
This is an extremely uneven film. In places it is quite brilliant, particularly the twist in the ending which leaves you thinking (like “Life“) that the film is actually better than it was. In fact – subject to a couple of severe reservations discussed below – the script by Justin Haythe (“A Cure for Wellness“) and based on a book by Jason Matthews, is quite sharp. But – man – in its direction the film seriously takes its time. In my book, a film needs to have a pretty good reason to extend its stay past 2 hours, and this outstays its welcome by an extra 20 minutes. Many of the scenes are protracted – leisurely walks across streets etc. – for no particularly good reason.
Pwoaahh – look at those. (I’m referring of course to Joel Edgerton’s buns in those speedos).
And so to those major reservations: the sex and the violence.
I’m no prude when it comes to sex, but some of the scenes in the ‘whore school’ left me feeling like this was less about a “Times Up” initiative of empowering women and more about providing an array of sordid titillation on the screen that just help entrench mysoginistic views about women. (Did anyone else hear Kenneth Williams saying “Oooooh, matron” to Charlotte Rampling’s character?) There were men and women attending this training camp, but did we see – later in the film – any of the men subjecting themselves to sexual humiliation or subjugation in the field: no, we did not. I love a really good erotic film… but this just left me feeling dirty and used.
Who wants to go to the f***ing party? No one seems to have remembered to bring a bottle.
And then there’s the violence. I’m definitely not a fan of the sort of violent-porn of the “Saw” type of films, but heavens – if there was a reason to make this an 18 certificate it was the violence involved. Violent rape, a vicious revenge attack, extreme torture, skinning alive: was there nothing in here that the censors thought, “hang on a minute, perhaps I don’t want a 15 year old seeing this”. I have seldom seen and heard more flinching and whimpering from women in a cinema audience than during this film. If you are adversely affected by screen violence, this is really one best to avoid.
“The Cold War hasn’t ended – it has splintered into thousands of dangerous pieces” intones the matron. Similarly, this film has potential but splinters into many pieces, some good but far more sharp and dangerous. With similarities in tone and content to “Atomic Blonde“, there’s a good ‘post cold war’ spy film in here trying to get out. Unfortunately, it never quite gets both legs over the wall.
“Red Sparrow”, the latest film from “Hunger Games” director Francis Lawrence, has Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy“, “mother!“) as Dominika Egorova, a Russian ballerina, who after a horrific accident (cringe) is forced to serve the State in order to keep her mother (Joely Richardson, “101 Dalmations”) in their Bolshoi-funded apartment and with the necessary medical treatment. She is sent to a spy “whore school”, ruled over by “matron” (Charlotte Rampling), to learn how to use sexual and psychological means to ‘get in the pants’ (and therefore the minds) of foreign targets.
Always elegant. Charlotte Rampling back on our screens as “Matron”.
And she turns out to be very good and – without nepotism of course, given that her creepy uncle Egorov ( Matthias Schoenaerts, “Far From The Madding Crowd“) is high up in the special services – she is sent on a mission to Budapest to try to uncover a high profile mole, who’s CIA handler is Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton, “The Great Gatsby“, “Black Mass“). Supervising Egorov’s operation are his two line managers General Korchnoi (Jeremy Irons, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice“) and Zakharov (Ciarán Hinds, “Harry Potter”). Sucked into a web of intrigue, Dominika needs to use all her skills and charms to complete her mission… which equates to keeping herself and her mother alive.
Now on the tarmac, Joel really wans’t looking forward to his Ryanair flight.
This is an extremely uneven film. In places it is quite brilliant, particularly the twist in the ending which leaves you thinking (like “Life“) that the film is actually better than it was. In fact – subject to a couple of severe reservations discussed below – the script by Justin Haythe (“A Cure for Wellness“) and based on a book by Jason Matthews, is quite sharp. But – man – in its direction the film seriously takes its time. In my book, a film needs to have a pretty good reason to extend its stay past 2 hours, and this outstays its welcome by an extra 20 minutes. Many of the scenes are protracted – leisurely walks across streets etc. – for no particularly good reason.
Pwoaahh – look at those. (I’m referring of course to Joel Edgerton’s buns in those speedos).
And so to those major reservations: the sex and the violence.
I’m no prude when it comes to sex, but some of the scenes in the ‘whore school’ left me feeling like this was less about a “Times Up” initiative of empowering women and more about providing an array of sordid titillation on the screen that just help entrench mysoginistic views about women. (Did anyone else hear Kenneth Williams saying “Oooooh, matron” to Charlotte Rampling’s character?) There were men and women attending this training camp, but did we see – later in the film – any of the men subjecting themselves to sexual humiliation or subjugation in the field: no, we did not. I love a really good erotic film… but this just left me feeling dirty and used.
Who wants to go to the f***ing party? No one seems to have remembered to bring a bottle.
And then there’s the violence. I’m definitely not a fan of the sort of violent-porn of the “Saw” type of films, but heavens – if there was a reason to make this an 18 certificate it was the violence involved. Violent rape, a vicious revenge attack, extreme torture, skinning alive: was there nothing in here that the censors thought, “hang on a minute, perhaps I don’t want a 15 year old seeing this”. I have seldom seen and heard more flinching and whimpering from women in a cinema audience than during this film. If you are adversely affected by screen violence, this is really one best to avoid.
“The Cold War hasn’t ended – it has splintered into thousands of dangerous pieces” intones the matron. Similarly, this film has potential but splinters into many pieces, some good but far more sharp and dangerous. With similarities in tone and content to “Atomic Blonde“, there’s a good ‘post cold war’ spy film in here trying to get out. Unfortunately, it never quite gets both legs over the wall.