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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated One Night on the Island in Books
Feb 14, 2022
Cleo is heading to the remote Irish island of Salvation for work, but it's personal too. She's about to turn thirty, an age her father never reached, and she's trying to reconcile where she is in life. A columnist who writes about finding love, she's yet to discover it herself. On Salvation, she plans to "self-couple"--a concept brought up by her boss, but Cleo can't help but feel there's something to finding herself. As for Mack Sullivan, he's heading to Salvation to research his ancestry and photograph the island he's heard so much about from his mother and grandmother. Escaping his estranged wife and crumbling life is a bonus, though he'll miss his two sons terribly. It's only when they arrive on the island that Mack and Cleo realize they've booked the same one room cottage--a terrible mix-up on a tiny island with no other accommodations. Forced to live together until the next ferry arrives, the two can barely stand being in the same space. But as time passes on the lovely island, their attitudes change.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Ama (21 KP) rated Detroit (2017) in Movies
Sep 11, 2017
Shattering
The first couple of questions when writing a review here are What's good? and What's bad?
Now, as you've seen I have given this film a full score, but I could not for the life of me put into a sentence what was good about it. It's not a nice film. Nothing about it is good. Except the way it makes you feel with it. But then even that is not a good thing. It's ugly.
I watched Detroit yesterday at the local cinema. I had seen the trailer, knew it was gonna be a tearjerker, knew I would hate the world and myself after watching it.
What I realised is that I completely underestimated the film.
About half an hour to an hour in all I wanted to do was to turn it off. I had an urge to just turn the cinema off, go home and potentially have some chocolate.
It wasn't the fact that the film was bad (I repeat, I gave it a full score), nor was it surprising narrative (again, I had seen the trailer and my tiny bit of historical knowledge filled in the gaps), but something in the way it was presented somehow evoked that feeling of wanting it to go away.
When I walked out of the cinema and forced myself to think about it, I realised a couple of things (all of which eventually made me come to the conclusion that that might have been deliberate).
First of all that film was lit like a feature film and shot like a documentary. This means that watching it, my brain was trying to fool me into thinking this was real a lot more than it usually would. It's film like a documentary, so it's a documentary so this is exactly what must have happened, right? There was a camera at the scene, right?
Well, of course there wasn't. Of course it was still a feature film and of course before the credit it was even stated that besides the testimonies of the parties involved, there was still dramatic licence taken. But that didn't change the fact that it shook me. It shook me because that little shake of the camera that was a little more intense that I was used to and that little zoom every now and then to get closer to an action as though the camera had only just noticed it all lead to that convincing idea of this being real and having happened exactly as I was seeing it.
The acting was splendid. Again, upon contemplating the film, I wondered what it was like for all of these black people (the term used deliberately) to play these roles, having grown up in that country themselves. I wondered what it was like for Will Poulter to become an asshole from the work 'Action!' and while that isn't any different than any other set, somehow, in Detroit, it seemed like so much bigger a deal. On this note, kudos to all the actors in this piece. There was none of you that felt out of place or irrelevant. Each of you portrayed a character dealing with the situation at hand differently and on a spectrum that showed how truly diverse humans are - even if united in a cause, be it on the white side or the black.
I could go on for hours (which I did, with the friend I went to see it with) about how this film made me feel and how much insecurity in the current world it made me feel, but there is no point in doing that. Feelings are best felt, rather than read so just watch it and I'm sure you'll understand.
I do want to say this though:
This film made me realise that the world we live in today is not the product from its past, but rather a work in progress towards what is to come.
I in no way mean that I did not know that previously, but there is a difference between knowing and understanding.
On this note, this film is not for the faint hearted but it is one of those important films that need to be watched at the moment.
Now, as you've seen I have given this film a full score, but I could not for the life of me put into a sentence what was good about it. It's not a nice film. Nothing about it is good. Except the way it makes you feel with it. But then even that is not a good thing. It's ugly.
I watched Detroit yesterday at the local cinema. I had seen the trailer, knew it was gonna be a tearjerker, knew I would hate the world and myself after watching it.
What I realised is that I completely underestimated the film.
About half an hour to an hour in all I wanted to do was to turn it off. I had an urge to just turn the cinema off, go home and potentially have some chocolate.
It wasn't the fact that the film was bad (I repeat, I gave it a full score), nor was it surprising narrative (again, I had seen the trailer and my tiny bit of historical knowledge filled in the gaps), but something in the way it was presented somehow evoked that feeling of wanting it to go away.
When I walked out of the cinema and forced myself to think about it, I realised a couple of things (all of which eventually made me come to the conclusion that that might have been deliberate).
First of all that film was lit like a feature film and shot like a documentary. This means that watching it, my brain was trying to fool me into thinking this was real a lot more than it usually would. It's film like a documentary, so it's a documentary so this is exactly what must have happened, right? There was a camera at the scene, right?
Well, of course there wasn't. Of course it was still a feature film and of course before the credit it was even stated that besides the testimonies of the parties involved, there was still dramatic licence taken. But that didn't change the fact that it shook me. It shook me because that little shake of the camera that was a little more intense that I was used to and that little zoom every now and then to get closer to an action as though the camera had only just noticed it all lead to that convincing idea of this being real and having happened exactly as I was seeing it.
The acting was splendid. Again, upon contemplating the film, I wondered what it was like for all of these black people (the term used deliberately) to play these roles, having grown up in that country themselves. I wondered what it was like for Will Poulter to become an asshole from the work 'Action!' and while that isn't any different than any other set, somehow, in Detroit, it seemed like so much bigger a deal. On this note, kudos to all the actors in this piece. There was none of you that felt out of place or irrelevant. Each of you portrayed a character dealing with the situation at hand differently and on a spectrum that showed how truly diverse humans are - even if united in a cause, be it on the white side or the black.
I could go on for hours (which I did, with the friend I went to see it with) about how this film made me feel and how much insecurity in the current world it made me feel, but there is no point in doing that. Feelings are best felt, rather than read so just watch it and I'm sure you'll understand.
I do want to say this though:
This film made me realise that the world we live in today is not the product from its past, but rather a work in progress towards what is to come.
I in no way mean that I did not know that previously, but there is a difference between knowing and understanding.
On this note, this film is not for the faint hearted but it is one of those important films that need to be watched at the moment.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Dualed (Dualed, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
As <a href="http://thesocialpotato.maryfaye.net/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Faye from The Social Potato</a> puts it, this is about "assassin twins."
For some weird reason, I liked the idea. Come on, <b>thirty days to kill your supposedly "evil" twin before both of you self-detonate? Totally up my alley.</b>
That, however, does not mean I'm secretly a serial killer with a freakishly high IQ and gets a high off from killing people. (However, Lupe is still worried about my future regardless of my feeble protests. I think she's really just worried about the romance department, but I'm not exactly a mind reader despite our six-plus years of friendship.)
Anyways, I'm getting off-topic. <i>Dualed</i> is about assassin twins (I take no credit). In a bit of a contradiction to Faye, who summed this up perfectly, I'll say <i>Dualed</i> stalls. It's either the book stalling or West Grayer is a procrastinator. She's been training for years to kill her Alt (which I suppose are like "evil" twins, but Alts aren't necessarily "evil"), but then she finally gets her assignment.
As expected, it probably feels like a bulldozer has just plowed into you – I know I would be panicking all over the place. I totally understand why <b>West feels like she doesn't have enough training and decides to do something entirely illegal in The Board's eyes – killing someone else's Alt, otherwise known as a striker.</b> (Though in my case I'll probably turn into Hermione. Dye my hair blonde and make it curly than wavy. Claim I'm a Gryffindor and best friends with Harry Potter. Plan religiously and then go after my Alt with my wand crossed with my finger.)
I just felt that West waited until almost the last minute (read: the last couple of days) to go after her Alt. <b>She's going after everyone else's Alt as a striker while her days are counting down down down and when her friend Chord confronts her about it, she just makes an excuse.</b> It's one of those excuses you come up with lamely just to come up with one and when the "interrogator" fires back, you just end up speechless.
(Really it's just screaming "Lies lies lies so let me come up with an excuse in the hopes I won't be questioned further" all over.)
But the book just doesn't feel like it stalls. In fact, it doesn't stall. <b><i>Dualed</i> is very fast-paced, action-packed, and when West 1.0 (the main) meets West 2.0 (the Alt), it'll leave your heart pounding as the two go neck to neck for the chance to survive.</b> (The dark and evil side of me goes: Yeah! Blood and gore! *plays upbeat action music*) In comparison to a lot of dystopians out there, this is actually <b>a refreshingly new idea that'll attract bees to the honey.</b>
(I totally said that. Did it sound weird? My bad.)
So <b>here's my ultimatum: West Grayer is a procrastinator.</b> At the exact same time she starts questioning The Board while taking on striker duties and running away from her Alt. She finally realizes (or maybe Chord just verbally slaps her upside the head and it came through AT LAST) if she wants to live happily ever after as The Board says, she'll have to take the initiative and pounce before her Alt does it to her.
Overall, <i>Dualed</i> wasn't bad to listen to. Alicyn Packard definitely isn't my type of narrator, but I won't complain. I've finally figured out my favorite types of narrators are usually those who do a variety of different voices (one day I'm going to come across a cast and it'll be <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">MIND</span> EAR BLOWING). I give up on commenting on the narration of audiobooks unless it's really good or really bad.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-dualed-by-elsie-chapman/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
For some weird reason, I liked the idea. Come on, <b>thirty days to kill your supposedly "evil" twin before both of you self-detonate? Totally up my alley.</b>
That, however, does not mean I'm secretly a serial killer with a freakishly high IQ and gets a high off from killing people. (However, Lupe is still worried about my future regardless of my feeble protests. I think she's really just worried about the romance department, but I'm not exactly a mind reader despite our six-plus years of friendship.)
Anyways, I'm getting off-topic. <i>Dualed</i> is about assassin twins (I take no credit). In a bit of a contradiction to Faye, who summed this up perfectly, I'll say <i>Dualed</i> stalls. It's either the book stalling or West Grayer is a procrastinator. She's been training for years to kill her Alt (which I suppose are like "evil" twins, but Alts aren't necessarily "evil"), but then she finally gets her assignment.
As expected, it probably feels like a bulldozer has just plowed into you – I know I would be panicking all over the place. I totally understand why <b>West feels like she doesn't have enough training and decides to do something entirely illegal in The Board's eyes – killing someone else's Alt, otherwise known as a striker.</b> (Though in my case I'll probably turn into Hermione. Dye my hair blonde and make it curly than wavy. Claim I'm a Gryffindor and best friends with Harry Potter. Plan religiously and then go after my Alt with my wand crossed with my finger.)
I just felt that West waited until almost the last minute (read: the last couple of days) to go after her Alt. <b>She's going after everyone else's Alt as a striker while her days are counting down down down and when her friend Chord confronts her about it, she just makes an excuse.</b> It's one of those excuses you come up with lamely just to come up with one and when the "interrogator" fires back, you just end up speechless.
(Really it's just screaming "Lies lies lies so let me come up with an excuse in the hopes I won't be questioned further" all over.)
But the book just doesn't feel like it stalls. In fact, it doesn't stall. <b><i>Dualed</i> is very fast-paced, action-packed, and when West 1.0 (the main) meets West 2.0 (the Alt), it'll leave your heart pounding as the two go neck to neck for the chance to survive.</b> (The dark and evil side of me goes: Yeah! Blood and gore! *plays upbeat action music*) In comparison to a lot of dystopians out there, this is actually <b>a refreshingly new idea that'll attract bees to the honey.</b>
(I totally said that. Did it sound weird? My bad.)
So <b>here's my ultimatum: West Grayer is a procrastinator.</b> At the exact same time she starts questioning The Board while taking on striker duties and running away from her Alt. She finally realizes (or maybe Chord just verbally slaps her upside the head and it came through AT LAST) if she wants to live happily ever after as The Board says, she'll have to take the initiative and pounce before her Alt does it to her.
Overall, <i>Dualed</i> wasn't bad to listen to. Alicyn Packard definitely isn't my type of narrator, but I won't complain. I've finally figured out my favorite types of narrators are usually those who do a variety of different voices (one day I'm going to come across a cast and it'll be <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">MIND</span> EAR BLOWING). I give up on commenting on the narration of audiobooks unless it's really good or really bad.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-dualed-by-elsie-chapman/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
The timeless children’s tale of Jack and the Beanstalk gets a high-tech update in the new film Jack the Giant Slayer. Directed by Bryan Singer, the new version mixes in special effects with romance, action, and humor to provide a refreshing update of a fairytale that should appeal to adults and children alike. Nicholas Hoult stars as Jack, a simple farmer who’s raised by his uncle after the passing of his father. As a boy, Jack enjoyed the tales of long ago, especially those of the time when giants came down from the sky and attacked the earth before being thwarted by King Eric and his magical crown.
One day while in town to sell a cart and horse and earn much-needed funds for his uncle, Jack has a chance encounter with Princess Isabelle, (Eleanor Tomlinson), which leaves Jack’s starstruck. Unbeknownst to Jack and Isabelle, there is a dastardly plot afoot as the evil Count Roderick (Stanley Tucci), plots to rule the land once he has married Isabelle. The fact that the Princess has no interest in marrying Roderick is of little interest to the King (Ian McShane), as he is anxious to provide continuity for his kingdom following the loss of his wife. While Isabelle pleads her case with her father, Jack ends up in possession of beans which, he’s told, are magical.
Upon seeing what Jack has returned with, his uncle storms off into the night hoping to sell some of Jack’s remaining family possessions in order to make the money Jack had failed to acquire. While alone, Jack again encounters the Princess, who has decided to run away rather than be forced into a marriage she does not want. As if on cue, one of the magic beans that Jack had obtained earlier becomes wet in the rain storm and whisks the cottage and Princess into the heavens high above. The King and his men send a group of guards, under the leadership of Elmont (Ewan McGregor), to ascend the beanstalk and return the Princess. Jack and Roderick also accompany the soldiers, each with their own agenda.
Upon scaling the massive stalk, the group soon discovers that they are in the realm of giants long thought to be the stuff of legends. Complications arise which forces Jack to take command of the very perilous situation and soon finds himself battling not just to save the Princess but also for the very survival of the kingdom and surrounding world.
The film has some nice moments and while the CGI stuff may be a bit childish to some, it is important to remember that this is a fairytale and as such you are not going to see a lot of character depth and intricate plot twists. Instead, the film relies on a very likable cast made up of matinée quality villains and bad guys and some very nice visual effects to convey its simple but effective formula. Hoult follows up his leading role in “Warm Bodies” effectively and with several high-profile projects in the near future, seems poised to be a leading man to keep an eye on. The supporting cast does a very good job, especially McGregor and McShane who bring a gleeful energy to their roles as does Tucci as a villain who has everything short of the twirling mustache and black hat.
The 3-D offered some very good moments in the film and really enhanced some of the battle scenes in the film. Parents with younger children may want to note that there are some elements that may be frightening to very young children but for the most part this is a kid’s film. That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the movie. It’s certainly better than I expected and was, in my opinion, the best live-action retelling of fairytale in recent memory. We did get a chance to review the film in the IMAX format which certainly allowed for the impressive visuals of the film to have an even greater impact. If you’ve ever been a fan of the story then you definitely will want to take a trip up the beanstalk for this nostalgic, yet highly enjoyable, interpretation of the beloved classic.
One day while in town to sell a cart and horse and earn much-needed funds for his uncle, Jack has a chance encounter with Princess Isabelle, (Eleanor Tomlinson), which leaves Jack’s starstruck. Unbeknownst to Jack and Isabelle, there is a dastardly plot afoot as the evil Count Roderick (Stanley Tucci), plots to rule the land once he has married Isabelle. The fact that the Princess has no interest in marrying Roderick is of little interest to the King (Ian McShane), as he is anxious to provide continuity for his kingdom following the loss of his wife. While Isabelle pleads her case with her father, Jack ends up in possession of beans which, he’s told, are magical.
Upon seeing what Jack has returned with, his uncle storms off into the night hoping to sell some of Jack’s remaining family possessions in order to make the money Jack had failed to acquire. While alone, Jack again encounters the Princess, who has decided to run away rather than be forced into a marriage she does not want. As if on cue, one of the magic beans that Jack had obtained earlier becomes wet in the rain storm and whisks the cottage and Princess into the heavens high above. The King and his men send a group of guards, under the leadership of Elmont (Ewan McGregor), to ascend the beanstalk and return the Princess. Jack and Roderick also accompany the soldiers, each with their own agenda.
Upon scaling the massive stalk, the group soon discovers that they are in the realm of giants long thought to be the stuff of legends. Complications arise which forces Jack to take command of the very perilous situation and soon finds himself battling not just to save the Princess but also for the very survival of the kingdom and surrounding world.
The film has some nice moments and while the CGI stuff may be a bit childish to some, it is important to remember that this is a fairytale and as such you are not going to see a lot of character depth and intricate plot twists. Instead, the film relies on a very likable cast made up of matinée quality villains and bad guys and some very nice visual effects to convey its simple but effective formula. Hoult follows up his leading role in “Warm Bodies” effectively and with several high-profile projects in the near future, seems poised to be a leading man to keep an eye on. The supporting cast does a very good job, especially McGregor and McShane who bring a gleeful energy to their roles as does Tucci as a villain who has everything short of the twirling mustache and black hat.
The 3-D offered some very good moments in the film and really enhanced some of the battle scenes in the film. Parents with younger children may want to note that there are some elements that may be frightening to very young children but for the most part this is a kid’s film. That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the movie. It’s certainly better than I expected and was, in my opinion, the best live-action retelling of fairytale in recent memory. We did get a chance to review the film in the IMAX format which certainly allowed for the impressive visuals of the film to have an even greater impact. If you’ve ever been a fan of the story then you definitely will want to take a trip up the beanstalk for this nostalgic, yet highly enjoyable, interpretation of the beloved classic.
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Snooker Pool 8 Ball is game for all snooker fans. One of the most realistic and playable pool games,...