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Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
2004 | Comedy, Horror
Good Fun
With the help of a close friend, Shaun (Simon Pegg) sets out to his rescue his mum during a zombie apocalypse and hole up at their favorite pub The Winchester.

Acting: 10
Pegg delivers a strong performance in his role as Shaun. You can’t decide whether Shaun is just a plain loser or if he’s just oblivious to the people around them and their feelings, particularly his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). Pegg has a way of keeping you guessing from one scene to the next. Just when you think you can figure his character out, he evolves just a little bit, enough to remain interesting. The entirety of the cast breathes life into this comedy horror film.

Beginning: 3

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 10
The film is shot in a very unique way that helps to drive the narrative. It has the feel of a horror movie, but you’re never really frightened. It’s just as gory and in-your-face as any zombie movie I’ve seen, but sometimes those same scenes will have you cracking up. It was very cool how they capture the graduation of the first twenty-four hours. It started with a couple of one-off strange incidents. Before long, the streets were swarming and things were out of control. Very well-done.

Conflict: 10
Zombie films/shows should never be about the zombies, but about survival and the reality of the human spirit. You wanna find out who you really are? Get thrown into the middle of an apocalypse. Shaun of the Dead takes the nature of the human spirit and fleshes it out over the course of the film. Some people see tragedy and they run from it while others, like Shaun, take the bull by the horns and go right at it. The conflict succeeds in the group not just taking on the zombies but handling their internal squabbles as well.

Genre: 6

Memorability: 7
There were a number of funny, memorable events that stick out. I won’t ruin them, but my personal favorite was the car scene where seven survivors had to squeeze into a little sedan. The hilarity that ensues as they move from Point A to B is pretty awesome. There is also a touching moment within that same scene that adds emotional power to the movie. There are a number of scenes like this here, scenes that can make you laugh and make you feel at the same time.

Pace: 10

Plot: 10

Resolution: 7

Overall: 83
Shaun of the Dead is one of those movies where you fall in love with it more and more the more times you revisit it. I wasn’t a fan my first viewing, but noticed a lot of things the second time around that made sense and added to the overall strength of the movie in a subtle way. Good watch.
  
Eleanor & Park
Eleanor & Park
Rainbow Rowell | 2016 | Young Adult (YA)
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).


The feels with this book, seriously! I even had a book hangover after reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. That's how good it was!

15 year old Eleanor is starting a new school. What's even worse is she gets bullied for being overweight and for dressing differently then everyone else. On the first day of school, Eleanor sits beside Park on the bus. At first, they ignore each other, but eventually, Park and Eleanor become closer and closer. Eleanor's family is less than perfect. Her step-dad hates Eleanor. Eleanor thinks Park's family is perfect. Will their love survive?

The title of this book is quite simple, but it works. It's very straightforward. It's a book about Eleanor and Park plus their relationship.

When I first picked up this book, the cover reminded me of a book from the 1980's or 1990's which is perfect considering this book takes place in 1986. Like the time, it is also simplistic, but it works.

I loved the world building! It was quite easy to imagine something like this happening. While the story takes place in 1986, it feels like it could happen in almost any decade. There's talk of cassette tapes and walkmans which were very 80's and 90's. There's talk of bands that were popular around 1986, but when I read it, I felt like it could even take place now.

The pacing was fantastic! From the first page, I was hooked. Every page just kept getting better and better, and by the end of the story, I was sad that it was over. I felt as if I had lost two really good friends.

I enjoyed the plot. A girl from a broken and abused household falls in love with a boy from a "normal" household. She gets her first boyfriend and is overjoyed. The boy swears he has never felt that way before. Yes, it's been done, but I assure you, Rowell makes this story original and unique. I felt that the ending of the book leaves you to form your own opinion of what happens next though. I do wish it was written in black and white because I hate speculating.

I was in love with Eleanor and Park! I can relate to Eleanor though because I was that overweight kid in high school that was sometimes made fun of. I didn't dress like her, but I get how she feels. I hated that Richie, her step-dad, was so mean to her. I kept wanting Richie to just leave. He was such a horrid person! Park was a sweetheart, and I love how he was willing to endure the teasing just to be with Eleanor. Park had a very big heart when it came to Eleanor.

The dialogue was absolutely perfect! I loved the interactions between Park and Eleanor. I also enjoyed how the story would switch between Park and Eleanor so we'd get more of an insight as to what each character was thinking and feeling. There is some swearing in this book and some mild violence.

Overall, Eleanor & Park is such a sweet and emotional read. The characters are easy to love, the pacing is fantastic, and the world building is brilliantly done!

I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who would like to get lost in a great book!


(I won an ARC paperback of this title in a competition. I was not required to write a review)
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Gone Girl in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
Gone Girl
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.7 (142 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was what I was looking for in an adult suspense novel. It was thrilling. The characters were not likable in a way you were still somehow rooting for. I honestly have no idea why I like Amy, why she is my favorite character in this book even though she is cunning and manipulative and sadistic, but I do. Flynn did a phenomenal job writing these characters in a way that I hate to love them, and love to hate them.

There were not many slow parts to this book. The plot twists just kept coming, hitting me in the face over and over and over which was so brilliant. I loved it.

I love not knowing what is going to happen next. I think it worked very well in this book, because thinking back, I could see where it was going. But in the moment, I had no idea. It was brilliant.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read more of Gillian Flynn's books.
  
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Mark Arm recommended Black & White by The Stranglers in Music (curated)

 
Black &amp; White by The Stranglers
Black & White by The Stranglers
1978 | Punk
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I just love that record. I love the early Stranglers. The bass always sounds so good. It just drives everything. It's almost the lead instrument. The Stranglers were such a weird band. They've got this sort of Rick Wakeman-esque classical keyboard going all over the place but sometimes, like on Black And White, it's more synthesiser stuff which is cool. It's got my favourite Stranglers songs on it culminating in the last song 'Enough Time'. I think that's just a brutal and great song. I love 'The Tank', 'Toiler On The Sea', 'Do You Wanna', 'Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front)', 'Outside Tokyo' the whole thing about the watches with a strap to sell is really funny. 'Nice 'N' Sleazy' has a really great groove. The bad pun bugs me a little bit but it's still pretty great. Rattus Norvegicus was a great record too, but No More Heroes, of the first three albums, seems the weakest. Or maybe it's the one I haven't listened to as much. Black and White just feels more brutal than the first two records."

Source
  
A Guide To Second Date Sex (2020)
A Guide To Second Date Sex (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Drama
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Talk about burying the lead. Marie Claire offered its readers the chance to see A Guide To Second Date Sex free online for Valentine's Day, after seeing the cute little into from the lead actors I knew I had to give it a try.

Laura and Ryan have a chance meeting in a club after their friends abandon them, their awkward meeting turns into flirty banter and the two agree to a second date.

Both fresh off break-ups and clueless about how to go about dating they turn to their friends for help, but do too many cooks spoil the broth?

What a film. It's so awkward, but you just can't look away. I envy you if there isn't a moment in this that you can identify with. [Mum, if you're reading this I am of course playing it up for effect, I've never done any of this.] [Everyone else, 😬]

The keyword that kept popping up throughout my notes was "awkward", I truly hate awkward viewing. It's one of the reasons I don't like reality TV for the most part [when I do watch it I record it so I can fast forward through those bits]. I have actively walked out of the room because I couldn't cope watching things. How I managed to sit through this film I do not know. I was laughing out loud, I was burying my head in my hands, and yet I sat through it.

I can well and truly say at this point that I love George MacKay, put him in everything please. He plays Ryan, Ryan is somewhat unsuccessfully trying to get over his ex and his little experience with dating is being helped along by his flatmate Dan... but he's all for the conquest rather than the romance. Laura, played by Alexandra Roach has the backup of the internet, her mother and a friend, but she seems a little more sceptical about all the suggestions she's offered.

The setup gives you a very quick insight into our two main characters including some of the advice that's offered above. I've moaned in the past about short intros not setting up enough of the film that follows but with the way this film is laid out and the fact that the main action happens in the space of one evening means that everything unfolds very quickly and you don't need anything more.

When the present day story happens I really love the internal monologue that cuts in, the underlying insecurities and anxiety gets to bubble up. It absolutely needed it too, there's no way the film would have worked without this extra layer of humour. Without the audio the actors still do a great job, they mastered the art of the awkward silence, add the voiceover in and you get that chance to identify and match it to your own experience and internal commentary. I could write several stories in this vein based on my own experience. [Mum, again, I've never done any of this.] [Everyone else, 😬]

The film is based on the director's play that was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I would love to have seen how that was done, I'm visualising something crossed between a play and Fleabag.

A Guide To Second Date Sex expresses those hideous memories that you really wish had been erased with the evening full of alcohol that accompanied them. It reflects so many girls' nights in and morning after phones calls I've been part of that it had that nostalgic feel which I think is how I stayed engaged despite my awkward reaction. It's an amusing and charming tale of dating that develops into a hilarious romp through young love and its perils.

This was an immensely entertaining watch but I really wish it ended one clip earlier than it did, and that's the only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars.

[Note to friends when you see it... Yes, that scene... I know, right?!]

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-guide-to-second-date-sex-movie-review.html
  
TA
Turned at Dark (Shadow Falls, #0.5)
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
As you may know from reading <i>Born at Midnight</i>, the first book of the <i>Shadow Falls</i> series, Della Tsang is Kylie Galen's Vampire friend. Here, we learn how Della was turned into a vampire and how she came about Shadow Falls. We also go into a bit more depth of Della's life before <i>Shadow Falls</i> and a brief history about Supernaturals. Warning though: like <i>Forgotten Lyrics</i> by Amanda Hocking (which I'm currently reading), it's a quick read. Actually, even more quick since it's only 32 pages long.

To be frank, I don't think I was expecting Vampirism to be a virus. I was expecting Della to get bitten by an actual vampire when I first met her in <i>Born at Midnight</i>. And was I so very very wrong at that assumption. The fact that Della had a Vampire virus in her blood was an unexpected twist in the series.

If I were Della's shoes, I probably would've reacted the same way as she did if I found out that *insert spoiler* wasn't actually dead and I was carrying a virus that could turn me into a vampire (It might even be cool). And that the fact blood will taste yummy. o_o

As for Della's issues in real life, I can totally compare my own life to her life. High expectations? yep. Sometimes too high? yep! Super harsh? Harsh, yes, but not like Della's parents in a way. Therefore, Della is now one of my favorite characters from Shadow Falls. Don't worry, there's plenty of room for the rest of them as well. Della just has that "twin-like" quality. :)

Overall, I love the humor that Hunter has woven into this story and find that Turned at Dark is a great prequel to Born at Midnight. It's not necessary to read Born at Midnight first, but if you want to, feel free to do so. I actually enjoyed the series and the shortstory. :)

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-turned-at-dark-by-c-c-hunter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Bryn Greenwood | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.4 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!

Full review here too: http://bit.ly/1qZtGhP

<i><b>”Right up until that moment it was sweet and funny. Odd couple that they were, they had a real connection. Then he tugged her boot off and kissed the bottom of her bare foot. I could see him doing that kind of thing to his own kid, but she wasn’t. She was somebody else’s little girl.”</i></b>

I am an <b>emotional wreck.</b> How has this book set my moral compass so askew? How could I have possibly been crying over a relationship between a grown man and a minor? I was distraught kinda crying, not a horrified or disgusted kinda crying either! I know I’m being a sheep when I say this but <b>wow, this is amazing!</b> I was so worried I'd dislike this book because it was so hyped up but it did not disappoint, not even a little bit.

You’ll be amazed at how well Greenwood has reinvented the adult-male-child-female relationship that we see all too often in novels and films. She’s managed to completely turn the disgusting, abusive image on its head. The love between Kellen and Wavy is the truest and realist love I've seen in a book for a seriously long time. There is absolutely <i>no</i> comparison between Kellen and Wavy with Humbert and Lolita, it’s not that sort of book. There are some people who, undoubtedly, are not going to like this book or the message it’s putting across, but you have to know that there is nothing evil in this age gap relationship as you would first guess there to be.

I can almost understand why Kellen and Wavy fall in love so quickly and so passionately. Wavy has had such a horrible existence, with her abusive, drug addicted father and her horrible mother who doesn’t care for anyone but herself. Wavy is her own person, even from the beginning of this story, she may only be 8 years old but she’s already a woman, she’s had to live her life looking after herself and her baby brother, she already knows what it is to be an adult, so it’s no surprise she springs into adulthood at such a full force. And then there is Kellen, he’s lonely and undesirable <i>(apparently)</i> and he’s also bullied by the people around him he calls “friends”. So when Wavy comes along and looks at him and treats him like he’s the most wonderful person in the world, it’s not really a surprise that a strong bond grows between them almost instantly.

I believe that at the beginning of their relationship there is no sexual desire, I honestly think their relationship is one of friendship and love in a more uncle and niece kind of way, but soon enough these feelings become something more. Kellen, although he does desire sexual gratification, knows his feelings are misplaced and so there is nothing dark and evil about his feeling towards Wavy, and for me, this makes him one of the best male character I’ve read about in a long time, no matter if he’s a paedophile or not. He's an incredible man and I absolutely loved him.

This book is a serious roller coaster of emotions and had me blubbering like a baby for the last 10%, or more, of the book. I am in love with this book, so thank you <i>very</i> much Bryn Greenwood for this amazing novel and giving me the chance to read it before publication! I’ve already recommended this to friends and family and I can’t wait to read more of Greenwood’s writing.


<spoiler>I am over the moon with how this ended, I was rooting for their relationship to last throughout the whole thing, as sick as that makes me sound. Thank you Greenwood for the happy ending!</spoiler>