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Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated Doctor who the giggle in TV
Dec 9, 2023
David Tennant (2 more)
Catherine tate
Neal Patrick harris
Wow just wow tonights episode was the best of the 3 specials just when I thought I knew what was gonna happen with the regeneration but omg that was different no spoilers was I sad saying goodbye to David Tennants doctor again yes it was emotional it had it all and then there's neal Patrick harris as the toymaker never in a million years would I ever imagined barney from how I met your mother would appear on doctor who he was brilliant as the toymaker accept for the accent dodgy German but never that's the only fault with the episode the rest of the episode was perfect
Morgan is my Name
10.0
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Book
An atmospheric, feminist retelling of the early life of famed villainess Morgan le Fay, set against...
Historical fiction Retellings Arthurian legend mythology Audiobook Historical Fantasy
The Fortuna Coin
10.0
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Book
Wendy Catalano, a newly remarried mother of four, finds herself, her husband and her children,...
Psychological Thriller
The Dictator’s Wife
8.0
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Book
WOMAN I learned early in life how to survive. A skill that became vital in my position. WIFE I...
Historical fiction Literary fiction Eastern Europe
Soldier Sailor
10.0
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Book
Well, Sailor. Here we are once more, you and me in one another's arms. The Earth rotates beneath us...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Mars Needs Moms (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Milo is your typical 9-year-old boy who doesn’t like doing chores, eating his vegetables or getting disciplined by his mother. But because his mother makes him do his chores and eat his vegetables and scolds him when he doesn’t, she’s made herself the prime target for Martians who need her great mothering skills. Apparently, Martians are “hatched” and raised by “nanny-bots” that are programmed with an Earthling mother’s caregiving and disciplinary abilities. Of course, not any Earthling mother will do. Bypassed are those who spoil their child or fail to care for their child’s safety and wellbeing. So when Milo is spied dutifully, albeit grudgingly, doing as he’s told by his mother, she becomes Mars’ candidate for abduction, because, as the movie title states, Mars needs moms.
On the night Milo’s mom is abducted, Milo (enacted by Seth Green, voiced by Seth Dusky) wakes up in time to witness her being loaded onto a spaceship and he quickly becomes a stowaway. On the red planet, he’s rescued by Gribbler, a chubby, fast-talking, tech-savvy human (voiced by Dan Fogler) who helps him devise a plan to save Milo’s mom, a recognizable Joan Cusack, in voice and, somewhat creepily, in CGI’d face. The two are up against an army of female Martians lead by The Supervisor (voiced by Mindy Sterling) a mean, old Martian. Think Frau Farbissina as a mean E.T. Luckily, Milo and Gribbler find an ally in a rebel Martian named Ki (voiced by Elisabeth Harnois). Milo has less than 6 hours to get to his mom before she’s programmed into the nanny-bots and destroyed by the process. Soon, it’s a race against time for Milo, Gribbler and Ki as they run around endless corridors, hurtle through chutes, tumble down trash mountains, splash into other-worldly caves and fall off cliffs.
Based on a children’s novel by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, the film is produced by Robert Zemeckis and directed by Simon Wells in performance-capture 3D, a technique pioneered by Zemeckis in Polar Express and used again in A Christmas Carol. In performance-capture filming, actors are covered in sensors that capture their actions and expressions to animate their digital characters. During the end credits, a sampling of outtakes show the actors in their sensor suits physically acting out various scenes. I have to admit, the most entertaining part of the movie for me was watching Seth Green and Dan Fogler literally throw themselves into their characters.
Even with a run time of 88 minutes, kids around Milo’s age and younger may remain enthralled to the end simply from the countdown suspense. Older kids, maybe not. Yes, the high-point of the tale is Milo’s realization of how truly important his mom is to him. But even with all the running and tumbling around, the story takes a long, meandering walk to get to that point. While the technological achievements of 3D animation get more and more impressive, if the story doesn’t captivate or inspire, it’s practically a wasted effort, especially when watching in 2D would not take much away from the effects.
On the night Milo’s mom is abducted, Milo (enacted by Seth Green, voiced by Seth Dusky) wakes up in time to witness her being loaded onto a spaceship and he quickly becomes a stowaway. On the red planet, he’s rescued by Gribbler, a chubby, fast-talking, tech-savvy human (voiced by Dan Fogler) who helps him devise a plan to save Milo’s mom, a recognizable Joan Cusack, in voice and, somewhat creepily, in CGI’d face. The two are up against an army of female Martians lead by The Supervisor (voiced by Mindy Sterling) a mean, old Martian. Think Frau Farbissina as a mean E.T. Luckily, Milo and Gribbler find an ally in a rebel Martian named Ki (voiced by Elisabeth Harnois). Milo has less than 6 hours to get to his mom before she’s programmed into the nanny-bots and destroyed by the process. Soon, it’s a race against time for Milo, Gribbler and Ki as they run around endless corridors, hurtle through chutes, tumble down trash mountains, splash into other-worldly caves and fall off cliffs.
Based on a children’s novel by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, the film is produced by Robert Zemeckis and directed by Simon Wells in performance-capture 3D, a technique pioneered by Zemeckis in Polar Express and used again in A Christmas Carol. In performance-capture filming, actors are covered in sensors that capture their actions and expressions to animate their digital characters. During the end credits, a sampling of outtakes show the actors in their sensor suits physically acting out various scenes. I have to admit, the most entertaining part of the movie for me was watching Seth Green and Dan Fogler literally throw themselves into their characters.
Even with a run time of 88 minutes, kids around Milo’s age and younger may remain enthralled to the end simply from the countdown suspense. Older kids, maybe not. Yes, the high-point of the tale is Milo’s realization of how truly important his mom is to him. But even with all the running and tumbling around, the story takes a long, meandering walk to get to that point. While the technological achievements of 3D animation get more and more impressive, if the story doesn’t captivate or inspire, it’s practically a wasted effort, especially when watching in 2D would not take much away from the effects.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
If you must blink, do it now” or you might miss any number of details the
beautifully animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings, has to offer. Our
culturally rich journey begins with Kubo (Art Parkinson) and his mother
fleeing from his evil grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), after he
leaves Kubo with only one eye. Soon they settle in a cave where Kubo builds
a community around himself in a nearby Japanese village by using his
talents as a storyteller to charm the town’s people. With his stack of
origami papers and his shamisen that brings them to life he weaves tales of
Hanzo the Samurai. Soon though the danger his mother has tried so valiantly
to hide him from finds him and the real magic begins.
After he inadvertently summons an evil spirit from the past, Kubo is lead
on a quest by a monkey (Charlize Theron) to the far lands to recover three
pieces of a magical suit of armor. On their journey they find companionship
with a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) that they learn once belonged to
Kubo’s father’s army. The three are plagued by appearances from his aunts
(Rooney Mara) who try their best to keep Kubo from fulfilling his quest. In
the end Kubo is faced with having to choose immortality or to stay human
which we learn has a kind of magic all in its own.
Though I found parts of the film a bit dark for younger viewers it seems it
is a theme of the animated film studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman). There
was some comic relief through the banter of Charlize Theron (monkey) and
Mathew McConaughey (beetle) but the movie always circled backed to a more
serious tone. I also felt it could have done a better job of giving us a
back story about how Kubo comes to posses his magical items (origami papers
and his shamisen) and it glossed over some important details, like why his
mother is so fragile after they reach the cave, which we are left to assume
for ourselves. Kubo does however emphasize the power of our memories and
how important stories become in telling what one holds in his or her heart.
Kubo is thoughtful and weaves a story of how family shapes us but how in
the end we must forge our own path.
beautifully animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings, has to offer. Our
culturally rich journey begins with Kubo (Art Parkinson) and his mother
fleeing from his evil grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), after he
leaves Kubo with only one eye. Soon they settle in a cave where Kubo builds
a community around himself in a nearby Japanese village by using his
talents as a storyteller to charm the town’s people. With his stack of
origami papers and his shamisen that brings them to life he weaves tales of
Hanzo the Samurai. Soon though the danger his mother has tried so valiantly
to hide him from finds him and the real magic begins.
After he inadvertently summons an evil spirit from the past, Kubo is lead
on a quest by a monkey (Charlize Theron) to the far lands to recover three
pieces of a magical suit of armor. On their journey they find companionship
with a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) that they learn once belonged to
Kubo’s father’s army. The three are plagued by appearances from his aunts
(Rooney Mara) who try their best to keep Kubo from fulfilling his quest. In
the end Kubo is faced with having to choose immortality or to stay human
which we learn has a kind of magic all in its own.
Though I found parts of the film a bit dark for younger viewers it seems it
is a theme of the animated film studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman). There
was some comic relief through the banter of Charlize Theron (monkey) and
Mathew McConaughey (beetle) but the movie always circled backed to a more
serious tone. I also felt it could have done a better job of giving us a
back story about how Kubo comes to posses his magical items (origami papers
and his shamisen) and it glossed over some important details, like why his
mother is so fragile after they reach the cave, which we are left to assume
for ourselves. Kubo does however emphasize the power of our memories and
how important stories become in telling what one holds in his or her heart.
Kubo is thoughtful and weaves a story of how family shapes us but how in
the end we must forge our own path.
Princess Olga, a Wild and Barefoot Romanov
Book
This is very much a human interest story, told with humour by a down to earth woman struggling to...
Church of Marvels
Book
'A SKILLFUL TRIUMPH' Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist - 'IRRESISTIBLE' Emma Donoghue, author...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Funhouse in Books
Nov 11, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'll start off by saying that this is a re release of the Funhouse which was originally written under the pseudonym of Owen West.
I found the Funhouse to be a little disappointing, the majority of the book spends it's time building up to a big confrontation between Conrad, the main antagonist and Amy. Over 200 something pages we switch between finding out how Conrad is searching for Amy and what he will do to her to get revenge on her mother and how the past has already affected Amy's mother only for the final confrontation to take around 10 pages, most of which Conrad is not involved in the action and, when he does show up he's dealt with in a couple of sentences.
In the edition I read there is an afterword by Dean Koontz where he explains the history of the book, it was to be a book based on a film and, he had hoped that it would be the fist of many which is why it was written under the pseudonym Owen West. One thing the author says is that, because he had to work form a film script there wasn't much in the way of character building and so he had to spend time working on the back story. And I think that's part of the problem, the book shows us how events in Amy's mother's past have affected her mothers out look on life and her children and we see how the same events led Conrad down his path of revenge but the book ends with Amy and her brother leaving the fun house after escaping Conrad, which is probably the films end, the protagonist deals with the bad guy, walks away and cut to credits. However, with all the time spent on the character building I felt like we, the reader could have done with a bit more, probably only one more chapter but I would have liked to know how Amy's mother would have reacted when she found out what Conrad had done (As the book ended she didn't even know Conrad was around) and how it would have changed her outlook on her family. Would she have found the peace and forgiveness she was looking for? and would she stop treating her own children as monsters?
Over all 'The Funhouse' had it's moments but the felt like a let down with its quick ending.
I found the Funhouse to be a little disappointing, the majority of the book spends it's time building up to a big confrontation between Conrad, the main antagonist and Amy. Over 200 something pages we switch between finding out how Conrad is searching for Amy and what he will do to her to get revenge on her mother and how the past has already affected Amy's mother only for the final confrontation to take around 10 pages, most of which Conrad is not involved in the action and, when he does show up he's dealt with in a couple of sentences.
In the edition I read there is an afterword by Dean Koontz where he explains the history of the book, it was to be a book based on a film and, he had hoped that it would be the fist of many which is why it was written under the pseudonym Owen West. One thing the author says is that, because he had to work form a film script there wasn't much in the way of character building and so he had to spend time working on the back story. And I think that's part of the problem, the book shows us how events in Amy's mother's past have affected her mothers out look on life and her children and we see how the same events led Conrad down his path of revenge but the book ends with Amy and her brother leaving the fun house after escaping Conrad, which is probably the films end, the protagonist deals with the bad guy, walks away and cut to credits. However, with all the time spent on the character building I felt like we, the reader could have done with a bit more, probably only one more chapter but I would have liked to know how Amy's mother would have reacted when she found out what Conrad had done (As the book ended she didn't even know Conrad was around) and how it would have changed her outlook on her family. Would she have found the peace and forgiveness she was looking for? and would she stop treating her own children as monsters?
Over all 'The Funhouse' had it's moments but the felt like a let down with its quick ending.