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Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
Feb 11, 2019
This wonderful movie is about loss, love and growing up.
It follows the lives of Hiccup and his dragon Toothless. When the dragons and Hiccup's clan start to outgrow their island, they start the search for a new place.
A villain, out to destroy dragons, sets a plan and trap to capture Toothless.
In escaping and foiling the villain they discover they are growing up and moving on. Do the two go their separate ways and do they find what they are ultimately looking for?
I loved this colourful film. The CGI is so good I questioned it wasn't just a live film in a real setting!
The characters are loveable, even some that you might like to give a good shake too!
I have to admit, in the last quarter of an hour I lost count of the number of times and ways I cried - with sadness, with relief and from happiness.
I love how it shows you sometimes have to do something that feels difficult if you know it's the right thing to do and makes someone else happy. I loved how it depicted a disabled boy but that didn't stop him from achieving what he set his heart to. I love how it shows that everyone effectually has to grow up, it isn't necessarily easy, but you do come out a stronger and well rounded person for it.
A lovely family film well worth a watch, even if you haven't seen the other films in the series. The story kept my attention throughout and I really rooted for them and I loved the ending!
It follows the lives of Hiccup and his dragon Toothless. When the dragons and Hiccup's clan start to outgrow their island, they start the search for a new place.
A villain, out to destroy dragons, sets a plan and trap to capture Toothless.
In escaping and foiling the villain they discover they are growing up and moving on. Do the two go their separate ways and do they find what they are ultimately looking for?
I loved this colourful film. The CGI is so good I questioned it wasn't just a live film in a real setting!
The characters are loveable, even some that you might like to give a good shake too!
I have to admit, in the last quarter of an hour I lost count of the number of times and ways I cried - with sadness, with relief and from happiness.
I love how it shows you sometimes have to do something that feels difficult if you know it's the right thing to do and makes someone else happy. I loved how it depicted a disabled boy but that didn't stop him from achieving what he set his heart to. I love how it shows that everyone effectually has to grow up, it isn't necessarily easy, but you do come out a stronger and well rounded person for it.
A lovely family film well worth a watch, even if you haven't seen the other films in the series. The story kept my attention throughout and I really rooted for them and I loved the ending!
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Whisper to Me in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This book is fantastic. I know it sounds cheesy, but I literally could not put it down.
The plot isn't just one simple story line; it's twists and turns and ups and downs all over the place. Cass is writing to someone - who is never named, actually - recapping events. The style means that she can switch from talking about the past to describing her current situation and feelings, in the present. She's able to reflect on the past, add a whole new level to the story. I loved it. And when "you" are in the story, she describes you but also skips the mundane details that you would already know, keeping the story really interesting. It really sounded like she was writing to someone.
Cass's letter/email is an apology, an explanation, for hurting someone. She acknowledges this right from the start, but it takes a long, long time to get into what really happened. Not in a boring, dragged-out way, but in a suspenseful way. Constantly, I wanted to know what she was referring to, what had happened to require the writing of this email.
So the plot is, as I said, not a straight line at all. But some important things are:
Cass starts to hear a voice. A voice that's not there, not really.
Cass meets "you" and the voice is quiet and everything is great. But things go wrong. Things go so, so wrong.
Cass's dad has issues - untreated PTSD from serving as a MARINE.
Cass has some, uh, unacknowledged issues caused by the death of her mother.
Cass meets Paris. Paris is sunshine and love and happiness.
There's a serial killer on the loose.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in this book. I won't tell you how all the things link together, but it's so clever. And oh, so heartbreaking.
Let's just say that you know it's coming - you can tell by Cass's choice of language that something is going to happen - but you still hope for some miracle.
Leading on from that last point, the characters are fantastic. Paris is honestly just amazing; I really fell in love with her. Probably more than Cass's actual love interest. Oops. And Cass's dad is so complex, clearly struggling with some stuff, and although he does wrong and he gets angry and he scares Cass sometimes you don't hate him, not really, and neither does Cass. He's her dad and she loves him, and he's trying his best and I could really feel that.
Some books really do just click with you, and this was one of those for me. I made excuses to read for longer than planned, stayed up later. It was lovely to have that excitement back when reading, even if I do feel kind of sad and empty now it's finished.
Part of me wants some kind of follow-up, but I also know that that would kind of ruin the whole mysterious, imaginative element that the ending leaves. I don't know.
I would completely definitely certainly recommend it. It covers so much - mental illnesses and single parents and love and death and sex workers and just so many different aspects of life that you maybe wouldn't expect to find thrown together into one book. But Cass doesn't seem crazy, isn't made out to be some kind of mental patient. And no single theme dominates the story - this isn't just about love, or just about murder. It's about life.
Definitely 5 stars. I adored this book.
The plot isn't just one simple story line; it's twists and turns and ups and downs all over the place. Cass is writing to someone - who is never named, actually - recapping events. The style means that she can switch from talking about the past to describing her current situation and feelings, in the present. She's able to reflect on the past, add a whole new level to the story. I loved it. And when "you" are in the story, she describes you but also skips the mundane details that you would already know, keeping the story really interesting. It really sounded like she was writing to someone.
Cass's letter/email is an apology, an explanation, for hurting someone. She acknowledges this right from the start, but it takes a long, long time to get into what really happened. Not in a boring, dragged-out way, but in a suspenseful way. Constantly, I wanted to know what she was referring to, what had happened to require the writing of this email.
So the plot is, as I said, not a straight line at all. But some important things are:
Cass starts to hear a voice. A voice that's not there, not really.
Cass meets "you" and the voice is quiet and everything is great. But things go wrong. Things go so, so wrong.
Cass's dad has issues - untreated PTSD from serving as a MARINE.
Cass has some, uh, unacknowledged issues caused by the death of her mother.
Cass meets Paris. Paris is sunshine and love and happiness.
There's a serial killer on the loose.
As you can see, there is a lot going on in this book. I won't tell you how all the things link together, but it's so clever. And oh, so heartbreaking.
Let's just say that you know it's coming - you can tell by Cass's choice of language that something is going to happen - but you still hope for some miracle.
Leading on from that last point, the characters are fantastic. Paris is honestly just amazing; I really fell in love with her. Probably more than Cass's actual love interest. Oops. And Cass's dad is so complex, clearly struggling with some stuff, and although he does wrong and he gets angry and he scares Cass sometimes you don't hate him, not really, and neither does Cass. He's her dad and she loves him, and he's trying his best and I could really feel that.
Some books really do just click with you, and this was one of those for me. I made excuses to read for longer than planned, stayed up later. It was lovely to have that excitement back when reading, even if I do feel kind of sad and empty now it's finished.
Part of me wants some kind of follow-up, but I also know that that would kind of ruin the whole mysterious, imaginative element that the ending leaves. I don't know.
I would completely definitely certainly recommend it. It covers so much - mental illnesses and single parents and love and death and sex workers and just so many different aspects of life that you maybe wouldn't expect to find thrown together into one book. But Cass doesn't seem crazy, isn't made out to be some kind of mental patient. And no single theme dominates the story - this isn't just about love, or just about murder. It's about life.
Definitely 5 stars. I adored this book.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Simple Art Of Flying in Books
Mar 4, 2019
Characters (2 more)
Messages
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First, can we just take a minute to talk about this cover? It’s absolutely adorable! I love the birds, and the books, and the colors. That alone would pull me into the book. Second, can I just tell you that I wish we had books like this when I was a kid! Don’t get me wrong, Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, The Baby Sitters Club, and a few others were awesome. But, books like TSAOF would have been happily devoured then, too!
I absolutely adored Alastair. I’m not a fan of birds, but it they were all like Alastair I would have a dozen! I loved his curmudgeon quirkiness, and his ability to pull you into the story, along with his sister Aggie. His poetry was awesome and captivating! And, Fritz. Let me tell you what. I saw a lot of my own kiddos in Fritz. He was just lovable. And, Bertie! The perfect “grandma” for the story. I loved her laugh-out-loud moments in the story.
This debut novel by the amazingly talented Cory Leonardo is one that should be on every young reader’s shelves. It’s filled with life lessons, lots of laughter, characters who will become friends, and lots of fun. If you have a younger reader, age 8 and up, I would definitely recommend you get this for them. It’s worthy of 4 stars, for sure! Great job on your debut, Leonardo!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Aladdin and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
I absolutely adored Alastair. I’m not a fan of birds, but it they were all like Alastair I would have a dozen! I loved his curmudgeon quirkiness, and his ability to pull you into the story, along with his sister Aggie. His poetry was awesome and captivating! And, Fritz. Let me tell you what. I saw a lot of my own kiddos in Fritz. He was just lovable. And, Bertie! The perfect “grandma” for the story. I loved her laugh-out-loud moments in the story.
This debut novel by the amazingly talented Cory Leonardo is one that should be on every young reader’s shelves. It’s filled with life lessons, lots of laughter, characters who will become friends, and lots of fun. If you have a younger reader, age 8 and up, I would definitely recommend you get this for them. It’s worthy of 4 stars, for sure! Great job on your debut, Leonardo!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Aladdin and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
BookInspector (124 KP) rated This is the House in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I would like to begin by saying that this book left me confused. When I began reading it, I was so bored that I was thinking I made a bad decision by starting reading it. Once I got to Raoul’s murder, that’s when I started changing my mind to the positive side. The whole book is written in very interesting manner. It has this mixture of ” French meets English “ style. The language used in the book is very refined, sophisticated but at the same time not difficult to read. It seems like the story was happening in old times but at the same time it felt really modern.
The characters in this book were really interesting and had personalities. All of them were really mysterious, it seemed that every each of them has a secret which they were trying to hide. The main character, Mr. Seal, feels like Sherlock Holmes in French environment to me, which is quite entertaining and amusing. What I really liked about the book was twists and turns. There were things constantly happening and it wasn’t dragged uselessly. It has a good ending which leaves you satisfied with how the story turned out. Even though the beginning of the book wasn’t quite interesting and went slow for me, it is quite good book, which takes you in as you continue reading it. And if you love crime, black magic, and romance in the same place, give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised.
The characters in this book were really interesting and had personalities. All of them were really mysterious, it seemed that every each of them has a secret which they were trying to hide. The main character, Mr. Seal, feels like Sherlock Holmes in French environment to me, which is quite entertaining and amusing. What I really liked about the book was twists and turns. There were things constantly happening and it wasn’t dragged uselessly. It has a good ending which leaves you satisfied with how the story turned out. Even though the beginning of the book wasn’t quite interesting and went slow for me, it is quite good book, which takes you in as you continue reading it. And if you love crime, black magic, and romance in the same place, give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised.
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Katie Guinn (34 KP) rated Behind Her Eyes in Books
Dec 7, 2018
I received an ARC of Sarah Pinborough’s new novel, Behind Her Eyes, from FlatIron Books to spread anticipation for the upcoming release. My thoughts on this book, in a nutshell? Absolute, addictive, insanity. Considering the only other Pinborough book I’ve read involved giant spiders that use humans as breeding vessels, triggering a horrific arachnid apocalypse, I didn’t really know what to expect from this one. It was billed as a psychological thriller, which is pretty generic these days; everything is a Gone Girl wannabe. But this thriller is seriously like no other thriller I’ve ever read, with twists that you wouldn’t see coming if you were Professor X.
The novel is told from multiple viewpoints, which has the danger of becoming confusing, but each character’s voice is so clear that it’s not hard to keep them straight. The plot at first doesn’t seem that interesting, you think it’s the standard love triangle, a married man attracted to his secretary, yawn. But there are clever twists from the very beginning and you’re constantly left questioning who you can trust, whose version of events to believe. In fact, it’s really hard to discuss this book at all without giving anything away.
Which makes it very difficult to explain the one thing I didn’t like. This is an entirely personal opinion, I’m definitely not trying to discourage you from reading this book, it was amazing. Having said that, ambiguity always makes me uncomfortable, especially in endings, which I prefer straight-forward, just, and (ideally) happy. But I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time watching rom-coms, and couldn’t sleep after any Mentalist episode involving Red John. So make of that what you will.
The novel is told from multiple viewpoints, which has the danger of becoming confusing, but each character’s voice is so clear that it’s not hard to keep them straight. The plot at first doesn’t seem that interesting, you think it’s the standard love triangle, a married man attracted to his secretary, yawn. But there are clever twists from the very beginning and you’re constantly left questioning who you can trust, whose version of events to believe. In fact, it’s really hard to discuss this book at all without giving anything away.
Which makes it very difficult to explain the one thing I didn’t like. This is an entirely personal opinion, I’m definitely not trying to discourage you from reading this book, it was amazing. Having said that, ambiguity always makes me uncomfortable, especially in endings, which I prefer straight-forward, just, and (ideally) happy. But I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time watching rom-coms, and couldn’t sleep after any Mentalist episode involving Red John. So make of that what you will.
Jeremy King (346 KP) rated Mad Shelia (2016) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
You have to watch 1000 bad films to understand what make a film great
Where to start. I love watching films that are out of left field. So when I heard about this i had to look for it, i found it on youtube in 2 parts, it was to be to 60min tv movies but it works better as 1 1h film.
What is China known for? Yes that is it knock offs. Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for Best Picture so lets rip it off. So i have seen that in the past but this was so low budget. We are talking looking for change in tbe couch low budget.
Some of the vehicles look like they used cardboard on them as props.
CG effects that were not needed that you can point out and would look better if left out.
In seens with motorcycles they were going so slow that the front tired would wobble to try to stay balanced.
The best acting came from the goofy sidekick.
Shelia was trying to look like a male in the beginning, you would half to be deaf and blind not to figure out she was a female.
They are in a wasteland and everyone is clean.
Acting skills or the lack of.
And many more problems.
If you ever think about watching this movie
DONT DO IT!! I WATCHED IT FOR YOU
You will get more enjoyment out of the trailer. If i had seen this in the theater i would have walked out. My friend and i could say after watching this was. WTF and we will never talk about this again. But after tradhing it i can say it had 1 or 2 good songs on the sound track
What is China known for? Yes that is it knock offs. Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for Best Picture so lets rip it off. So i have seen that in the past but this was so low budget. We are talking looking for change in tbe couch low budget.
Some of the vehicles look like they used cardboard on them as props.
CG effects that were not needed that you can point out and would look better if left out.
In seens with motorcycles they were going so slow that the front tired would wobble to try to stay balanced.
The best acting came from the goofy sidekick.
Shelia was trying to look like a male in the beginning, you would half to be deaf and blind not to figure out she was a female.
They are in a wasteland and everyone is clean.
Acting skills or the lack of.
And many more problems.
If you ever think about watching this movie
DONT DO IT!! I WATCHED IT FOR YOU
You will get more enjoyment out of the trailer. If i had seen this in the theater i would have walked out. My friend and i could say after watching this was. WTF and we will never talk about this again. But after tradhing it i can say it had 1 or 2 good songs on the sound track
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Witch's Exile (Unholy Trinity #4) in Books
Feb 25, 2020
We’re on the run and not even my mind is safe.
The nightmares won’t stop. I can’t sleep at all. My enemies have planted my worst fears in my head to exhaust me of my magic. If I don’t uncover the final element I need soon, they just might succeed.
To make matters worse, my heart is breaking. Raum hasn’t spoken to me in nearly a week. I can’t share with him the single shred of happiness that’s keeping me going through all this. If he leaves me, I’m not sure how I’ll go on.
Constantly on the move, our latest home comes with mysterious new neighbors. I can only hope they’re friendly. I can’t handle more enemies.
18+
Reverse harem
These books are not standalones and should be read in order.
Noooooooooo you can not end a book like that!!! Omg!!! I love this series so much and it gets better and better each time!! Can't believe it's ended like that. I really need the next one. I love the characters in this series you get emotionally invested with each and every one!
Highly recommended
The nightmares won’t stop. I can’t sleep at all. My enemies have planted my worst fears in my head to exhaust me of my magic. If I don’t uncover the final element I need soon, they just might succeed.
To make matters worse, my heart is breaking. Raum hasn’t spoken to me in nearly a week. I can’t share with him the single shred of happiness that’s keeping me going through all this. If he leaves me, I’m not sure how I’ll go on.
Constantly on the move, our latest home comes with mysterious new neighbors. I can only hope they’re friendly. I can’t handle more enemies.
18+
Reverse harem
These books are not standalones and should be read in order.
Noooooooooo you can not end a book like that!!! Omg!!! I love this series so much and it gets better and better each time!! Can't believe it's ended like that. I really need the next one. I love the characters in this series you get emotionally invested with each and every one!
Highly recommended
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Click (2006) in Movies
Apr 21, 2020 (Updated Apr 21, 2020)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me paint you a picture. It's day 39 of quarantine. My roommate and I are working our way through my Netflix list and he's never seen Click. I think, oh my gosh, I love this film we have to watch it. Little did I know, I forgot how it ends. So we get to the last 20 minutes of the film and Michael dies outside the hospital and I am bawling my eyes out - ugly crying, hysterical, the world is ending, I'm losing it. I call my mom to calm down but it doesn't really work that well. I'm still just CRYING like a maniac. We finish the film and I end up crying even more because he lives and it was just a dream and he gets a chance to live the life he truly wants.
Needless to say, I liked this film. Obviously it's cheesy and a bit dumb, given that it's an Adam Sandler film, but I still enjoyed it. It pulls at the heartstrings, makes you laugh, it's a feel-good that will make you feel good.
Needless to say, I liked this film. Obviously it's cheesy and a bit dumb, given that it's an Adam Sandler film, but I still enjoyed it. It pulls at the heartstrings, makes you laugh, it's a feel-good that will make you feel good.