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Darren (1599 KP) rated Swiss Family Robinson (1960) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – The characters focus on a family, Jack the father, the man that will do everything to keep his family safe, even if it means taking risks by saving strangers, he doesn’t back down from enemies or threats, but is forced into decisions he doesn’t want to make. Nell is the wife and mother, we don’t really learn too much about her though, she falls in the woman being protected circle. Birdie is the daughter that doesn’t fully understand the world and wants to just be a child in this world. Kyle is one of the people that Jack has saved in the past.
Performances – The performances from the cast are great throughout, we feel their bleak outlook on the life they are living which is what we want to see, the final act shows them at their best too.
Story – The story here follows a family in a post-apocalyptic world where the biggest threats marauders and the virus that has wiped out most of the world. This is a bleak story that helps show us just how desperate the world now is and not having any sort of zombie side to everything giving us the only enemy the human one. This keeps everything simple because it is all we need, even though it does follow the typical mistakes being made by the characters.
Thriller – This does try to keep us on the edge of our seats about whether our characters will survive and what is next in line for them.
Settings – The film keeps us in the bleak locations from start to finish, they show where people will survive and keeps us away from the big city.
Scene of the Movie – The break in.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just shot them.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best looking bleak virus outbreak movies, it does have questionable character decisions but that does add to the drama.
Overall: Simple and effective.
Performances – The performances from the cast are great throughout, we feel their bleak outlook on the life they are living which is what we want to see, the final act shows them at their best too.
Story – The story here follows a family in a post-apocalyptic world where the biggest threats marauders and the virus that has wiped out most of the world. This is a bleak story that helps show us just how desperate the world now is and not having any sort of zombie side to everything giving us the only enemy the human one. This keeps everything simple because it is all we need, even though it does follow the typical mistakes being made by the characters.
Thriller – This does try to keep us on the edge of our seats about whether our characters will survive and what is next in line for them.
Settings – The film keeps us in the bleak locations from start to finish, they show where people will survive and keeps us away from the big city.
Scene of the Movie – The break in.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just shot them.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best looking bleak virus outbreak movies, it does have questionable character decisions but that does add to the drama.
Overall: Simple and effective.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated A Legacy of Murder in Books
Oct 9, 2019
Kate Finds a Christmastime Murder
Kate Hamilton has traveled to the small village of Long Barston in England. Her daughter, Christine, is spending her semester break working at Finchley Hall as one of several college aged interns who work on the premises, and Kate can visit Christine and her new friend Tom Mallory, a policeman she met in Scotland and is falling for, before heading back home to Ohio to spend Christmas with her mother. On her first day, Kate is taking a tour of Finchley Hall. The guide is talking about the murders that have taken place on the estate when a scream interrupts her. Kate and several others run to find one of the interns dead. The police are quick to label it murder. With Tom on the case, it is cutting into the time Kate thought they would have together. But she can’t help but worry. Is Christine in danger since she is an intern?
I’ve just teased the first couple of chapters, so things obviously get off to a fast start. However, the pace is uneven, especially early on in the story. I know part of that is me since Kate loves England much more than I do, and her wonder at spending time there didn’t translate to me. However, there is a good mystery here, with some decent twists and surprises. The climax is page turning and perfect logical. The characters are absolutely wonderful. We have a rather large cast, but I never had any issue keeping everyone and their relationship to the events unfolding around Kate straight. While the book is set in December, there is so much going on we don’t get lots of scenes directly related to Christmas, although I certainly enjoyed the references to the season we did see. This book isn’t quite as strong as the first one, but I’m glad I read it. This is a series that anyone who loves the British Isles needs to pick up today.
I’ve just teased the first couple of chapters, so things obviously get off to a fast start. However, the pace is uneven, especially early on in the story. I know part of that is me since Kate loves England much more than I do, and her wonder at spending time there didn’t translate to me. However, there is a good mystery here, with some decent twists and surprises. The climax is page turning and perfect logical. The characters are absolutely wonderful. We have a rather large cast, but I never had any issue keeping everyone and their relationship to the events unfolding around Kate straight. While the book is set in December, there is so much going on we don’t get lots of scenes directly related to Christmas, although I certainly enjoyed the references to the season we did see. This book isn’t quite as strong as the first one, but I’m glad I read it. This is a series that anyone who loves the British Isles needs to pick up today.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Monster of Farewell (Blacklighters #1) in Books
Aug 28, 2019
Kickass females!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Mercury Havenworth
My mother always told me I had nothing. No place in civilized society. No moral compass. No soul...
But despite all my shortcomings, there is one thing I do have: Farewell. It's my home. My sanctuary and birthright. It's everything to me, and one day soon, I will oversee this feral matriarchy which gave me life.
The men who step through our gates see a crumbling mansion, they see a handful of women willing to bleed for a cause, but Farewell is so much more than that.
It's an empire.
MY empire.
Kessler Lawson
After eight years of incarceration, I'm a free man...for approximately two hours.
That's how long it takes to ruin my life.
Wedged between freedom and the officer who put me behind bars in the first place, I'm given a choice: Help the New Liberty Police Department infiltrate a band of criminals ruling over Farewell, Missouri...or score a one-way ticket back to prison.
With enemies on both sides, falling into bed with the boss's murderous daughter probably isn't the best idea, but there's no going back now...not after undressing the monster of Farewell.
(Warning: This book includes dark themes, offensive language, and explicit scenes that may make some readers uncomfortable. Read with caution.)
<strong>Very good</strong>
I don't know what one as expecting but I really really enjoyed it. The whole women kicking ass and the men do the "woman's work" was brilliant . The book was so well written it had a touch of violence but not to the point of being over the top, it had seriously hot sex scenes , strong female roles as well as some strong male characters it was well balanced read!
Watching Mercury develop through the book was empowering in a way. If I had one thing I thought could have bee better maybe the end not so rushed.
Highly recommend

My mother always told me I had nothing. No place in civilized society. No moral compass. No soul...
But despite all my shortcomings, there is one thing I do have: Farewell. It's my home. My sanctuary and birthright. It's everything to me, and one day soon, I will oversee this feral matriarchy which gave me life.
The men who step through our gates see a crumbling mansion, they see a handful of women willing to bleed for a cause, but Farewell is so much more than that.
It's an empire.
MY empire.
Kessler Lawson
After eight years of incarceration, I'm a free man...for approximately two hours.
That's how long it takes to ruin my life.
Wedged between freedom and the officer who put me behind bars in the first place, I'm given a choice: Help the New Liberty Police Department infiltrate a band of criminals ruling over Farewell, Missouri...or score a one-way ticket back to prison.
With enemies on both sides, falling into bed with the boss's murderous daughter probably isn't the best idea, but there's no going back now...not after undressing the monster of Farewell.
(Warning: This book includes dark themes, offensive language, and explicit scenes that may make some readers uncomfortable. Read with caution.)
<strong>Very good</strong>
I don't know what one as expecting but I really really enjoyed it. The whole women kicking ass and the men do the "woman's work" was brilliant . The book was so well written it had a touch of violence but not to the point of being over the top, it had seriously hot sex scenes , strong female roles as well as some strong male characters it was well balanced read!
Watching Mercury develop through the book was empowering in a way. If I had one thing I thought could have bee better maybe the end not so rushed.
Highly recommend

CleverCards: Greeting Cards & eCards for Facebook
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1.0
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CleverCards is your very own personalised greeting card store. Send FREE eCards to the ones you love...
From Scratch
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A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian...
The Other Daughter
8.0
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Twenty-one year-old Scarlett Strohman has had to walk a difficult path thus far in her young life....
Contemporary Romance
The Island of Sea Women
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A new novel from Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird...
Unaccustomed Earth
9.0
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Eight stories—longer and more emotionally complex than any Lahiri has yet written—that take us...
India immigrants short stories
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Run (2020) in Movies
Oct 10, 2021
For starters, the general premise of Run is a scary one. In a world where everything seems to be getting more tempestuous by the day, it can be difficult to place your trust in other humans, but if there is one person you should be able to trust unconditionally, it's your own mother. It becomes rapidly apparent during the runtime just how much control Diane (Sarah Paulson) has over her daughter Chloe's (Kiera Allen) day-to-day life. When Chloe begins to suspect that things aren't quite what they seem, shit quickly hits the fan. What follows is a thriller that touches upon how damaging and overbearing love can be.
There are some genuinely tense moments sprinkled throughout, and some scenes that are quite uncomfortable to watch (with a few creepy shots thrown in for good measure). It wears it's inspirations on its sleeve - Misery is a clear influence here, both thematically and visually, but it feels like there is homage being paid rather than any ripping off.
The main issue I had was with the pacing. There isn't really much of a build up before Chloe starts to figure out that there's some fuckery afoot - kudos for getting straight to it - but it results in a narrative that takes forever to get to its climax. This is a minor gripe, thanks in no small part to the two lead actresses. I love Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story - even in that shows' low points, she always remains a constant positive - so I'm always happy to see her in other projects. Kiera Allen is the show stealer though, and the two have them share a great dynamic that really bolsters all the other positives.
In short, Aneesh Chaganty has crafted a tight and tense thriller with Run, and after this and Searching, I look forward to whatever he next brings to the table.
There are some genuinely tense moments sprinkled throughout, and some scenes that are quite uncomfortable to watch (with a few creepy shots thrown in for good measure). It wears it's inspirations on its sleeve - Misery is a clear influence here, both thematically and visually, but it feels like there is homage being paid rather than any ripping off.
The main issue I had was with the pacing. There isn't really much of a build up before Chloe starts to figure out that there's some fuckery afoot - kudos for getting straight to it - but it results in a narrative that takes forever to get to its climax. This is a minor gripe, thanks in no small part to the two lead actresses. I love Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story - even in that shows' low points, she always remains a constant positive - so I'm always happy to see her in other projects. Kiera Allen is the show stealer though, and the two have them share a great dynamic that really bolsters all the other positives.
In short, Aneesh Chaganty has crafted a tight and tense thriller with Run, and after this and Searching, I look forward to whatever he next brings to the table.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Ophelia Girls in Books
Jan 18, 2022 (Updated Jan 18, 2022)
There is no denying that The Ophelia Girls is a beautifully written, all-consuming novel. The main characters of Ruth and her daughter Maeve, are similar, in that they are both still searching for their place in the world. Ruth seems to feel uncomfortable back in her childhood home, where memories of the summer of 1973 seem to still consume her. Maeve on the other hand, is at the start of being able to make good memories, after being officially told that she’s in remission from leukaemia. But she still feels like a child - and she doesn’t want to be.
And then along comes Stuart: her mother’s childhood friend, and a friend of her fathers as well. Stuart makes Maeve feel seen. And this is where my internal klaxon went off. Stuart comes across as a predator. He notices Maeve’s infatuation and revels in it, finally taking advantage of her feelings. At least this is how I interpreted it.
Maeve is a girl who has led a sheltered life - a life mainly in hospital. She hasn’t had the opportunity to mix with other children, boys specifically, and has little life experience with the opposite sex. Regardless of that, Stuart’s character truly made me see red. I know, I know, it’s a book, but if I could have reached in, pulled him out and disposed of him (not thought that through properly, obviously), I would have. I will say that the sex scenes between Maeve and Stuart aren’t written in a titillating way. It’s seen through Maeve’s eyes, and she truly believes that he loves her. All the same, if this doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to steer clear.
In contrast to her mother, Maeve does follow her heart, and the reader is left to decide whether she was actually any better off.
Do I recommend it? Yes, of course. It’s written with gorgeous, lyrical prose, and really makes you empathise with the characters. I’m glad I read it.
And then along comes Stuart: her mother’s childhood friend, and a friend of her fathers as well. Stuart makes Maeve feel seen. And this is where my internal klaxon went off. Stuart comes across as a predator. He notices Maeve’s infatuation and revels in it, finally taking advantage of her feelings. At least this is how I interpreted it.
Maeve is a girl who has led a sheltered life - a life mainly in hospital. She hasn’t had the opportunity to mix with other children, boys specifically, and has little life experience with the opposite sex. Regardless of that, Stuart’s character truly made me see red. I know, I know, it’s a book, but if I could have reached in, pulled him out and disposed of him (not thought that through properly, obviously), I would have. I will say that the sex scenes between Maeve and Stuart aren’t written in a titillating way. It’s seen through Maeve’s eyes, and she truly believes that he loves her. All the same, if this doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to steer clear.
In contrast to her mother, Maeve does follow her heart, and the reader is left to decide whether she was actually any better off.
Do I recommend it? Yes, of course. It’s written with gorgeous, lyrical prose, and really makes you empathise with the characters. I’m glad I read it.