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The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins | 2014 | Young Adult (YA)
3
8.5 (277 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I gave The Hunger Games trilogy a chance, I really did, but I found myself so frustrated with these books. I know all about the comparison to Battle Royale and here and there I do see where Suzanne Collins was influenced by it, but the books are different. For one thing Koushun Takami's book is better.
 The problem for me, mainly was with the heroine Katniss. I wanted to like her, but I found I could not care about her at all, even after she did the noble sacrifice of taking her sister's place in The Hunger Games. She seems very cold, apathetic, and just drifting along. For a main character there isn't any depth to her and that's sorely disappointing considering the theme of these books. Then we have this pointless love story that is completely unnecessary to the book and it just seems awkward and forced. The only character who seems real to me at all is Peeta while the other characters seem one dimensional. I also found myself frustrated with Katniss because at so many intervals in the story she just gives up so easily like it's as simple as changing her hair color. Are you kidding me with this nonsense?
 I had to keep reminding myself that these were books for young adults and while the writing wasn't bad, the story was not great. If the writing is so poor that you find you can not even care about the characters especially the main one, that's a serious problem. This didn't feel like a dystopian novel at all, sure it was dark and depressing, but that's pretty much it. I need more from something claiming to be a dystopian story. This was more like Dystopia with training wheels. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read Fahrenheit 451 and Battle Royale again.
  
Evil Never Dies by Lesbian Bed Death
Evil Never Dies by Lesbian Bed Death
2016 | Rock
New vocals are powerful (2 more)
Awesome Rock
More classic horror references\songs
New Vocals, same great Rock!
Sienna Venom is absolutely awesome as the new vocals for Lesbian Bed Death. I was introduced to this band at the time of Kittie Racchea being the vocalist and was saddened to hear she was departing from the band, but also couldn't wait to hear someone new take over and bring us the new era of LBD music. Myself, like many fans were not disappointed.

Sienna Venom is strong and sexy and that comes across in her vocals. Songs like Book of the Dead, Drag Me To Hell and Son of a Thousand Maniacs show her strong dominating attitude whilst songs like Evil Never Dies, and Make Your Wish, bring out the sexiness that comes with having a female as the lead vocalist. That's not to say that Male vocalist's can't sound sexy to certain audiences, but I am simply stating that this band has always been lead by female vocals and that those vocals have always shown strength, beauty and sexiness, and Sienna Venom is carrying on that tradition in her own new way.

Book of the Dead is a song about the Necronomicon from Evil Dead, and Son of a Thousand Maniacs, (Watch the music video) is inspired by and certainly has aspects of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The horror movie connections have always been something I love about this band, and the lyrics are always brilliantly written and performed to a rocking beat, that'll easily get stuck on repeat in your head.

If you haven't listened to this album yet, then what are you waiting for? Watch the music video's above, and listen to the rest of the album. They're awesome and so is their music!
  
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Story and Acting (0 more)
Han and Chewbacca meeting (0 more)
Another Good Anthology
Contains spoilers, click to show
I must say despite the protest for this movie for the last...well you know; I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. The characters were spot on. Donald Glover did the best job in my opinion. The story was good, Han looking for his lost love may have been a little stretch at that point in his career but it worked. The one thing I didn't like was the way Han and Chewy met. I know they wouldn't do it like the old canon, which would have been hard to do but I wish it could have been done a little different. Aside from the this movie met my expectations, as a Star Wars fan. I even liked the way they incorporated Lando's sidekick droid into the Falcon. We can now understand it's really a she. The part that excited me most was the ending. That was very unexpected for me. One of my favorite Sith Lords of all time made a showing. Darth Maul!! I hope this story arc continues with him in future anthology movies. This movie is a solid 8 for me. We will see what the future holds for more movies like this
  
Audition (1999)
Audition (1999)
1999 | Horror, Thriller
Be careful what you wish for!
A middle-aged man with a teenage son and a dead wife is longing for love. He is encouraged to start dating and devises a plan to find hiss new love. With his friend, they concoct an elaborate ruse placing an ad for an "audition" for a fictitious movie where actresses will come seeking the part. From there, the man may be able to find the new love of his life. After long hours he finally meets the seemingly young, timid and demure Asami whom he is immediately infatuated with.

His friend soon discovers she is not what she seems when her resume references do not check out. Mr. Infatuation doesn't care and continues to pursue his new mysterious love anyways. After a few dates, they meet at a hotel for sex. However, before the relationship is consummated, he must profess his undying love for her. (Boy was that a mistake!).

Without wanting to ruin the ending for you, it is one of the most unique, riveting and disgusting I have ever seen. It sort of seems like it comes from nowhere as you are watching, but makes sense the more you think about it. The are flashback scenes scattered throughout the film giving more backstory to Asami and helps the audience understand her motivations. Her solution to her problems is extreme and has been going on for some time, and the current widower boyfriend is just the latest victim.

The cold, heartless treachery is almost unbelievable and will definitely turn off anyone who is not in the mood for this type of film. The slow buildup and entertaining romance and detective story doesn't prepare you for what is to come.

Be warned!

  
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Colin Newman recommended Church Of Anthrax by John Cale in Music (curated)

 
Church Of Anthrax by John Cale
Church Of Anthrax by John Cale
1971 | Jazz
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I'm an enormous Terry Riley fan. For me, Steve Reich and Terry Riley are the twin pillars of minimalism. Simplicity, harmony and repetition: they're very important things in what I do and what I really like. And I chose this album as opposed to A Rainbow In Curved Air because I heard that both John Cale and Terry Riley hated it, and I think it's a record that deserves love. 'The Mirrors In The Great Hall of Versailles' is a fantastic track and one which I just listen to over and over again. It's a really beautiful record. For years I hated the song. There's a song called 'The Soul of Patrick Lee' on it. But then I heard it somewhere and I thought it was quite good. But it's a strange hybrid record, and you can see how Terry could be dissatisfied with hearing something that has repetitive riffs and drums playing underneath it, and how John would feel like it didn't really accord with anything he was doing. Someone had obviously decided that they would make a good pairing because of their history. But they never made another record together which kind of tells you quite a lot. There hasn't been a Church Of Anthrax Revisited. Also it's a fantastic title. It's very dystopian."

Source
  
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Jeff Lynne recommended Please Please Me by The Beatles in Music (curated)

 
Please Please Me by The Beatles
Please Please Me by The Beatles
1963 | Pop, Rock
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Oh, this is brilliant! And the sound George Martin got on it! I love the opening drumbeat and the bleed with all the drums leaking onto the guitar mics and sometimes onto the vocals if they did the whole track live. The sound of it, to me, was real, raw excitement. They were a great group, they really were. From their days in Hamburg, they were so tight and on that record it really shows how brilliant they were. I think ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ was probably the greatest ever English rock’n’roll song. I would imagine that it’s a good as any old American rock’n’roll song, like the real thing. The real stuff. As good as a Chuck Berry tune or something. It was as solid as anything I’d ever heard or better. With the rock’n’roll records I’d started playing a bit by then – not bad, but a bit – and this song was nice and simple but don’t let that simplicity fool you. Some of the hardest stuff to do is the simple stuff, to make it effective and make it real and make it worthwhile. I thought it was unbelievable and I still do. Today, I still think, ""how the fuck did you do that""? It was like giving it back to the Americans: ""'ere y'are – we can do this as well!""

Source
  
Seducing the Sorcerer
Seducing the Sorcerer
Lee Welch | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fenn is a homeless drunk that has no job is wondering around trying to find his next meal when he stumbles on a farm and asks if they need any jobs doing that is when his life takes a strange turn of events.


The style this book has been written is very detailed and interesting. It is so poetic and beautiful in some places and in others its a bit cut to the core say how it is and no more. I suppose its like the 2 main characters Fenn and Morgrim have actually written it.


I loved the story of the relationship growing between Fenn and Morgrim it certainly isn't for the faint hearted. It's rather steamy when it comes to the sex scenes in my opinion. Not a lot of violence but there doesn't need to be.


I love the way that both the main characters learn from each other, fenn is prepared to learn and listen about magic and where it comes from, Worple horses and their history, Morgrim learns how to trust, feel and let somebody in also how to be himself which when you find that someone you have a connection with is fantastic


I would really like to read more of this style and will definitely recommend it for reading
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Fisherman's Friends (2019) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
Fisherman's Friends (2019)
Fisherman's Friends (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Drama, Musical
I'm a sucker for this sort of film. There's a soothing consistency to them that makes for an entertaining and wholesome watch.

Daniel Mays as Danny us just adorable, he's always good for an amusing role. If you haven't caught Swimming With Men then you probably should. Danny isn't quite the same as his music exec counterparts, while he has the bullshitting down to a t he also cares much more for others than he does himself. I absolutely love the way he is with Alwyn and her daughter.

One thing that concerns me about this film is that it made me aware that James Purefoy is now old enough to be cast as someone's grandad. When did that happen? Purefoy along with all the other actors in the gang are a vision of camaraderie. There's a great scene where they head out to London, it's funny from start to finish and filled with toe-tapping enjoyment.

As much as I loved Noel Clarke when he was in Doctor Who it can't rescue him from the stereotypical American exec role. That accent was like a punch in the face every time I heard it. Has any American ever genuinely sounded like that or is it just reserved for British actors putting on American accents?

Obviously a lot of this film is dedicated to music, the sea shanties have me goosebumps as soon as they all started singing. It doesn't necessarily matter what they're singing about, the crescendos of it are just so beautiful. I will admit that generally I wouldn't be able to tell you if films had music in the background, unless it's bad or amazing it will largely pass me by, but Fisherman's Friends had one of those rare occasions where I noticed.

There are a lot of things happening in the film, several of the main characters have something going on around them but at no point did it feel like anything was surplus to requirements. In films with a larger cast it can often end up missing or skipping over a storyline but all of them seemed to be tied up neatly at the end of this.

The ending has a very emotional sequence in it, I spent a significant amount of it crying into my cuffs. James Purefoy and Daniel Mays manage to have an incredibly powerful moment together. There was so much emotion in it that just recalling it now is making me well up as I write.

While I might not buy this one I would certainly watch it again. It's a film that I'm certain almost anyone would enjoy, you'll certainly learn a few life lessons while you watch it.

What you should do

Definitely one to see, I know not everyone is a fan of musical numbers but there's plenty to go on to keep you amused.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

Where do I get myself a group to sing with? I miss a good old fashioned singalong.
  
The One And Only
The One And Only
Julia Ash | 2018 | Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
When bio-terrorism threatens to obscure humanity, one woman has the power to restore hope.

Ruby Spencer is a wife and a mother. She also happens to be the only person that could save the people on Earth from dying! In moments when she is planning to resign from the U.S. Special Warfare Council, Ruby and her husband Clay are sent to one last mission.

With the last assignment being a low-risk mission to Taiwan where they need to analyze the zombie infection and consult with scientists, it seems like they are about to go on a long-deserved mini honeymoon.

But everything goes wrong! They get kidnapped, the biggest world powers all plan a war ahead, and it seems that only the ones that have Ruby are likely to win the war. They all fight over her, and she has no clue why. What makes her so special?

Review:

First of all, I have to thank the author, Julia Ash, for sending over this amazing book to me, in exchange for an honest review!

The beginning of The One and Only is extremely breathtaking! I believe that the beginning might be the best part of the book, actually! The flow of the story is well-thought, and I especially loved the scenes where the author refers to the past, and made me feel like there was another book before that. It is quite easy to catch up with the beginning and the brief details of the past, but if in the future there is a prequel that explains it all – I would love to be the first one to know about it!

Now, the characters are probably the reason that made the book the way it is! We have Ruby, who is our heroine, a brave lady, ready to give all the love, courage and wisdom in the world. She is a mother, a wife, and a brave fighter that never gives up and is never afraid to stand up against evil.

On the other hand, we have her husband – Clay. He was… alright. I suppose? His love for Ruby and their daughter is incredible, but somehow, I could think of him as a manly enough figure in their relationship. He was smart and brave, but not as smart and brave as Ruby.

I couldn’t somehow connect with him.

The character that intrigued me the most is Ox. I loved how Julia has shown us the psychological profile of this man, and the way he thinks. It was lovely reading about his part of his story, and even though he was on the wrong side, it is what he believes in. And the way it is written in so extraordinary, that at times I could see myself giving him an excuse.

The only part that I couldn’t agree with, and I am refusing to accept is – THE ENDING! I will withdraw myself from spoilers, but that’s not how things should have ended! That is not the ending I wanted, that is not the ending I was hoping for. No, no, no. It made me upset, and angry, and I wanted to break something very bad! That was a huge disappointment for me and it changed my whole perception of the story and the book itself.

If you ever get the chance to read this book – you should expect a lot of twists, a lot of ups and downs, and if you are like me and are trying hard to not bite your nails – well, you’re about to fail. This is not your typical book about zombie apocalypse. This is not your usual book about a heroine being kidnapped. This is not your usual book of how a person saves the world. This will be nothing like you expected, and everything you hoped for.