Search

Search only in certain items:

American Gods  - Season 1
American Gods - Season 1
2017 | Drama
Acting (1 more)
premise
I was hoping for so much more, yet it delivered, but not what it could've.
I read the book a while back, and had forgotten enough of it for this to feel new. But although it was pretty and gritty the way it should be, it was missing something that I can't put my finger on. The scenes were confusing on purpose, so you didn't really understand what's going on the way the lead charecter didn't. I think it would have been much better if you'd been let in on the secrets earlier on, and got to see the whole thing unfold. instead you have to watch it again to really get it, and by that point you really don't want to revisit it.
  
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
2017 | Drama, Mystery
Bad mustache, decent movie
The impressive cast assembled for this film is definitely the high point in this latest remake. "Perfect" looking movies like this are always very pretty, but almost too good. The train/outdoor CGI looked a little fake to me and took me out of the film during a few of the outdoor shots.

The acting was all very good and the complicated story was interesting and kept me guessing as to the eventual perpetrator; however, I thought it was a tad anticlimactic.

The suspects slowly reveal their motives and partial truths which make the ending a little more interesting.

Overall, I was never bored while watching, but just thought it was missing something which kept it from greatness.

  
Marvel's Iron Fist  - Season 1
Marvel's Iron Fist - Season 1
2017 | Action
This series is by far the weakest of the first batch of Defenders components on Netflix, and I really didn't like Jessica Jones. It really feels like a poorly executed version of DC's Arrow - the characters and storylines are so very similar (rich boy goes missing, comes back with new talents, friends' father is an evil mastermind, corruption). There was nowhere near enough action for what should have been a very heavily kung-fu based series. The series was padded out to make the necessary 13 episodes, and there was a lot of nothing in between. Good to have some of the Iron Fist background but this was badly carried out (compared to the excellent equivalent in Luke Cage!).
Glad I got through it at last.
  
Meal prepping is the “in” thing for anyone that has a busy lifestyle. You take one day to shop and prep so that you don’t have to take the time later on.

What I like most about this cookbook is that the meal selections were not only easy to prepare but used wholesome and nutritious ingredients. You could easily swap for veggies that your family enjoy or even add more to fill up your plate and give you more fiber. But what do you expect from a book written by a dietician?!

This book is filled with not only meal plans and recipes, but tips, shopping lists, and great storage solutions. The only thing missing for this foodie were pictures.
  
40x40

speaker357 (212 KP) rated The Greatest Showman (2017) in Movies

Oct 2, 2018 (Updated Jun 14, 2019)  
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
2017 | Drama, Musical
Hugh Jackman singing again! (2 more)
Circus oddities!
Broadway music.
Michelle Williams (Honestly, I just don't like her.) (1 more)
Too family friendly to truly paint Barnum's character.
A glance into the antics of P.T. Barnum
I do genuinely enjoy this movie, it's got a really great story that starts with a adolescent Barnum realizing what may be his calling all while pursuing a young girl. As the story progresses he begins to use the methods which gave him the prestige he's earned.

For the most part I believe that this is pretty close to the truth. Missing some of the few antics that I recalled from reading the "48 Laws of Power."

Overall, I think I wish that they showed the true colors of Barnum.
  
40x40

Milleen (47 KP) rated Reservoir 13 in Books

Nov 14, 2018 (Updated Nov 14, 2018)  
Reservoir 13
Reservoir 13
Jon McGregor | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
5.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a slow meditative read but that is the skill of McGregor's hypnotic prose. A girl goes missing and the nearby village and it's inhabitants react to the trauma, search the surrounding moors and resevoirs and then absorb the loss in their everyday lives. The absense of drama makes this novel more of a continuing observation, pulling you into the intensity of the local community as time passes. McGregor notices the little things that compose life, the seasons, nature and the thread of unease that haunts the the village as life continues. This has won many awards and it's an outstanding piece of literature, not for any dramatic narrative but in recognition of McGregor's skillfully crafted depiction of life after tragedy.
  
Our Souls at Night (2017)
Our Souls at Night (2017)
2017 | Drama
Heartwarming... but kind of pointless
Of course always love seeing screen legends together again; however, they really didn't have much to do in this film.

When an aging woman decides to spice up her life by asking her neighborhood infamous fellow senior to come spend the night at her house, they become the talk of the small town. Both reveal intimate details of their lives to each other as their friendship grows. Soon, her grandson comes to live with her and the three of them enjoy each other's company.

I was never bored while watching this film, but afterwards I kind of felt it was missing a point. If you enjoy slice of life films you will love this one.

  
Reaper Man (Discworld, #11; Death, #2)
Reaper Man (Discworld, #11; Death, #2)
Terry Pratchett | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.2 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Death is missing, presumed ... errrr .... gone, and that leads to the sort of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn.

So reads the blurb on the back of the edition I read, with this being the novel where Death himself starts to really live, to come alive, as it were, when he is forced to (temporarily) retire from his position:

'Death has to happen. Tha'ts what bein' alive is all about. You're alive, and then you're dead. It can't just stop happening.'

This is also the book to introduce the Death of Rats (SQUEEK), as well as the Auditors of reality, both of whom will go on to appear and have larger roles in later books as well.
  
The Couple Next Door
The Couple Next Door
Shari Lapena | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (75 Ratings)
Book Rating
Easy to read and follow (0 more)
Lots of twists
Contains spoilers, click to show
Started this book and got into it from the first chapter. A couples baby goes missing while they are having dinner at their neighbours. The husbands business is failing and hes desperate for money, and so I thought "okay I know what happened". This book starts you off thinking it's super predictable, but then more twists show all those involved. At the end when the baby is finally home, it appears all is well and a happy ending.... in the last chapter one last twist means no happy ending after all. All in all easy to read and follow, just 300 or so pages of plot twists that make you want to keep reading to get the full truth.