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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Girl of Ink & Stars in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is quite a short YA novel, a standalone book that I just picked up on impulse. I immediately got the impression that this was aimed at slightly younger teens - the protagonist was only thirteen, so I didn't really connect that much. It's that awkward age where you think you're old, but you're not. I could imagine thirteen-year-old me would enjoy this quite a bit.
Isabella lives alone with her father, a skilled cartographer. Her mother and twin brother had passed away, leaving the two alone. The Governor had taken control of the land, and his daughter, Lupe, attended the same school as Isabella. The two were very close, and Isabella's angered outburst causes Lupe to run off into the Hidden Territories to prove she wasn't "rotten". A classmate of theirs had recently been found dead, and Lupe was going to find the killer.
Isabella, disguised as her deceased brother, shows Lupe's note to her father and a small group begin going after her, Isabella included. They follow a map passed down to Isabella's mother, through blackened forests scattered with bones. They do find Lupe, along with the Banished and, worst of all, the hell dogs from Isabella's favourite myth.
This myth turns out to play an important role in their journey, and Lupe discovers something about her father when he sacrifices himself to fend off the wolves. They face Yote himself - the mythical fire demon - and Isabella finds herself returning home without Lupe.
It is quite a young teen book, as I said, and the plot develops all because of Isabella calling Lupe's family "rotten". This drama and exaggeration is pretty typical of a children's/teen book, I find, and seemed a little immature to me. The writing was great, I just couldn't get over the simplicity and immaturity of the plot at times.
For a teen book, it was quite dark at times - a lot of death was included. The ending was both happy and sad, which is nice. I get quite fed up of too many happy endings. 3 stars.
Isabella lives alone with her father, a skilled cartographer. Her mother and twin brother had passed away, leaving the two alone. The Governor had taken control of the land, and his daughter, Lupe, attended the same school as Isabella. The two were very close, and Isabella's angered outburst causes Lupe to run off into the Hidden Territories to prove she wasn't "rotten". A classmate of theirs had recently been found dead, and Lupe was going to find the killer.
Isabella, disguised as her deceased brother, shows Lupe's note to her father and a small group begin going after her, Isabella included. They follow a map passed down to Isabella's mother, through blackened forests scattered with bones. They do find Lupe, along with the Banished and, worst of all, the hell dogs from Isabella's favourite myth.
This myth turns out to play an important role in their journey, and Lupe discovers something about her father when he sacrifices himself to fend off the wolves. They face Yote himself - the mythical fire demon - and Isabella finds herself returning home without Lupe.
It is quite a young teen book, as I said, and the plot develops all because of Isabella calling Lupe's family "rotten". This drama and exaggeration is pretty typical of a children's/teen book, I find, and seemed a little immature to me. The writing was great, I just couldn't get over the simplicity and immaturity of the plot at times.
For a teen book, it was quite dark at times - a lot of death was included. The ending was both happy and sad, which is nice. I get quite fed up of too many happy endings. 3 stars.
Kelly Knows (95 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Jun 25, 2019
New Chucky Is My Favorite Chucky
I am a reborn Chucky fan after the wonderful 2019 reimagining that is Child's Play. It is not easy to follow a long-standing series with a history of both slasher success, and campy catastrophe. Child's Play is a fresh new story that puts a much-needed spin on a franchise that frankly had been run into the ground. At its heart, this movie is exactly what it is supposed to be, a thrilling tale of a killer doll run amok. Though I imagine some diehard fans are inevitably going to be disappointed, I call this a resounding win. I wasn't a fan of the Chucky design at first, but it won me over later during a hilarious teaching moment between Andy and his pal in the first act. The lighting and camera work are solid, with a haunting, playful score that draws out the tension like a blade. Parents be warned, there is plenty of brutality, and no shying from gore. Even jaded millennial kids should wait to see this one. The story is a fantastic satire of all things electronically assisted, and paints a believable portrait with bloody overtones. The thrilling premise really shines due to the superior talents of the cast and crew. Aubrey Plaza brings weight to a character that is almost unceremoniously sidelined for most of the movie. The real celebration is Gabriel Bateman's performance as Andy Barclay. The slower paced moments settle a pall of tension over events as you share in Andy's isolation and later persecution. The supporting cast won me over entirely. Even the cannon fodder characters are awesome, with a pleasant dose of likability that gives them depth, with varying levels of unpleasantness that will have you tongue in cheek rooting for Chucky at times. Good stories are enjoyable. Check. Great stories get us thinking. Double check. When top-tier tech meets malicious malfunction, Chucky will have us all asking ourselves... "Are you broken like me?
Johnny Messias (25 KP) rated The Irishman (2019) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Al Pacino as Hoffa (6 more)
Joe Pesci is wonderful
De Niro anchors the film
Scorsese on top form
Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing
Steve Zaillian’s script
De Niro and Pacino together
Marty’s marvellous Oldfellas
The Irishman – BFI London Film Festival Review Oct 13th 2019.
An extended cinematic love letter to some of the finest actors of the last 40 years, and to a bygone era of US history, The Irishman is reassuringly brilliant. Like the best Scorsese joints, its business is power brokers, mobsters and underground schemers, but often as a comedy of manners. De Niro anchors the story, yes as mob enforcer but also as a kind of killer Forrest Gump; “connected” to some key milestones in 1960s America; Bay of Pigs, Jimmy Hoffa’s teamsters, RFK, then later the shadow of Nixon. Famously, we see De Niro’s titular character Frank in his 20s, 30s, 40s, right up until the old age home. Scorsese uses computerised de-aging technology to achieve the effect make-up artists might have parlayed. It works well—mostly. What grips you and takes you in is the bravura acting. Al Pacino gives a wonderful performance as Jimmy Hoffa. He goes full “Pacino” with speeches and grandstanding but it is the lilt of this voice (all sing song) in quiet moments that makes this the best we’ve seen from Al in many a year. Joe Pesci as well. He’s kind of the centre of this world, as the mobster who links up De Niro to Pacino’s Hoffa. Pesci speaks quietly and carefully; you sense how much power he has without any of the violence that was trademark in his famous Casino and Goodfellas roles. Over nearly 3.5 hours (never seems long) what you get is a beautifully written, shot, edited and performed drama about loyalty, friendship and a creeping sense of regret. All with the backdrop of this fascinating period: JFK, Union movements, Cuba, Fidel Castro. It lingers long in the memory and it’s one to cherish, since we surely won’t see its like again.
An extended cinematic love letter to some of the finest actors of the last 40 years, and to a bygone era of US history, The Irishman is reassuringly brilliant. Like the best Scorsese joints, its business is power brokers, mobsters and underground schemers, but often as a comedy of manners. De Niro anchors the story, yes as mob enforcer but also as a kind of killer Forrest Gump; “connected” to some key milestones in 1960s America; Bay of Pigs, Jimmy Hoffa’s teamsters, RFK, then later the shadow of Nixon. Famously, we see De Niro’s titular character Frank in his 20s, 30s, 40s, right up until the old age home. Scorsese uses computerised de-aging technology to achieve the effect make-up artists might have parlayed. It works well—mostly. What grips you and takes you in is the bravura acting. Al Pacino gives a wonderful performance as Jimmy Hoffa. He goes full “Pacino” with speeches and grandstanding but it is the lilt of this voice (all sing song) in quiet moments that makes this the best we’ve seen from Al in many a year. Joe Pesci as well. He’s kind of the centre of this world, as the mobster who links up De Niro to Pacino’s Hoffa. Pesci speaks quietly and carefully; you sense how much power he has without any of the violence that was trademark in his famous Casino and Goodfellas roles. Over nearly 3.5 hours (never seems long) what you get is a beautifully written, shot, edited and performed drama about loyalty, friendship and a creeping sense of regret. All with the backdrop of this fascinating period: JFK, Union movements, Cuba, Fidel Castro. It lingers long in the memory and it’s one to cherish, since we surely won’t see its like again.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Tilling the Truth in Books
Aug 28, 2019
Tilling Through the Lies Until the Truth is Left
It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, but Lilly Jayne and the rest of the Garden Squad just as busy as every trying to make their town beautiful again. But there are some thorns among the blooms. The recent death of a friend has left Lilly, as executor of his estate, dealing with his greedy relatives. Meanwhile, Lilly’s best friend, Tamara, is finding her efforts to sell the dead man’s house meeting with sabotage, something that is only making her stress over the new relator in town worse. But things come to a head when Tamara is found standing over the dead body of Gladys Preston. Gladys didn’t have many friends in town, but she recently had a very public fight with Tamara. As the rumor mill begins to heat up, Lilly knows she needs to figure out what really happened to help her friend clear her name. Can she do it?
I fell in love with these characters with the first book in the series, and it was great to be back to visit them again. I will admit it took me a bit to get completely back in the flow of the characters and Goosebush, but it wasn’t long before I had. Lilly and many of her friends are on the older side, and I enjoy this break from the traditional cozy lead character. They and the new characters came to life for me as the story unfolded. The plot takes on quite a bit, so as a result the book appears to be wandering a little before Gladys dies, but everything is important and comes into play. I’m actually a little in awe of how it all came together, although the ending was a tad rushed. I also appreciated how the theme of old versus new or tradition versus change played out in the book. I suspect we will see that again in future books. For those who have a green thumb, some gardening tips are included at the back of the book. This second book is fun as we get to watch Lilly weed out another killer.
I fell in love with these characters with the first book in the series, and it was great to be back to visit them again. I will admit it took me a bit to get completely back in the flow of the characters and Goosebush, but it wasn’t long before I had. Lilly and many of her friends are on the older side, and I enjoy this break from the traditional cozy lead character. They and the new characters came to life for me as the story unfolded. The plot takes on quite a bit, so as a result the book appears to be wandering a little before Gladys dies, but everything is important and comes into play. I’m actually a little in awe of how it all came together, although the ending was a tad rushed. I also appreciated how the theme of old versus new or tradition versus change played out in the book. I suspect we will see that again in future books. For those who have a green thumb, some gardening tips are included at the back of the book. This second book is fun as we get to watch Lilly weed out another killer.
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Ronyell (38 KP) rated Les Escargots (1966) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Attack of the Killer Snails
Wow! I was quite amazed and a bit creeped out by this strange little short! After watching "Fantastic Planet," which was by the same creator and actually came out several years after this short, I was thinking to myself about whether or not I would actually see another animated film that was just as weird as "Fantastic Planet." Well, "The Snails" was definitely just as weird as "Fantastic Planet," although in a different way. "Fantastic Planet" took place on another planet, while "The Snails" takes place on Earth and yet, things get weird midway through the short once the snails appear. I loved the way that the short went in a completely different direction midway through as the short started off lighthearted with the farmer trying to grow his garden, to a bit odd as he used his own tears to make the garden grow and then to pure terror when the snails started growing in size and started terrorizing the people in the city. The animation was quite unique as the characters move in a very jerky way and always have exaggerated expressions on their faces that just adds on to the weirdness of this short. The animation also reminded me a bit of Terry Gilliam's animations in the animated segments of the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" TV series.
The only problem that I had with this short is that there were times where the short sort of dragged on and the pacing was a bit slow at some places that I was hoping that we actually got to the main point of the story much faster. Also, for anyone who does not like nudity, there is one brief scene of a topless woman that might be a bit problematic for some people. Also, I was a bit confused by some of the scenes, although the whole point of this short is to be as weird as possible.
Overall, "The Snails" is truly a treat to watch if you are a huge fan of "Fantastic Planet" and if you wanted to watch an animated short that is similar in tone and style to "Fantastic Planet!"
The only problem that I had with this short is that there were times where the short sort of dragged on and the pacing was a bit slow at some places that I was hoping that we actually got to the main point of the story much faster. Also, for anyone who does not like nudity, there is one brief scene of a topless woman that might be a bit problematic for some people. Also, I was a bit confused by some of the scenes, although the whole point of this short is to be as weird as possible.
Overall, "The Snails" is truly a treat to watch if you are a huge fan of "Fantastic Planet" and if you wanted to watch an animated short that is similar in tone and style to "Fantastic Planet!"
Vanished in the Sun (Carlos & Mia #2)
4.0
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VANISHED in the SUN, second edition of this exhilarating romance thriller series by powerfully...
Fearless (Scarlet Suffragette #1)
8.0
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Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series introduces a dark and sinister early settler...