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Awix (3310 KP) rated Frankenstein (1931) in Movies
Jan 20, 2021
Iconic version of the novel by (it says here) 'Mrs Percy Shelley'; might even be definitive if the story was anything like the one in the book. The nature of the piece and its brief running time mean that characterisation and motivation take second place to atmosphere and incident: Henry Frankenstein wants to learn the secrets of life and death, and builds his own creature in the hope of bringing it to life. All does not go well.
Some parts of this film stand up remarkably well 90 years on: the sets, the direction, some of the performances (Karloff is obviously excellent, Colin Clive perhaps doesn't get the props he deserves); it's quite atmospheric. On the other hand, making the Creature mute removes any possibility of discourse between him and Frankenstein (which is really the heart of the novel) - this is a cautionary gothic melodrama without much interest in exploring the ideas that underpin Mary Shelley's work. Still, obviously, a massively influential movie, and well-done for what it is.
Some parts of this film stand up remarkably well 90 years on: the sets, the direction, some of the performances (Karloff is obviously excellent, Colin Clive perhaps doesn't get the props he deserves); it's quite atmospheric. On the other hand, making the Creature mute removes any possibility of discourse between him and Frankenstein (which is really the heart of the novel) - this is a cautionary gothic melodrama without much interest in exploring the ideas that underpin Mary Shelley's work. Still, obviously, a massively influential movie, and well-done for what it is.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Enter the Dragon (1973) in Movies
May 6, 2020
Irresistible slice of 70s schlock. Bruce Lee goes off to the island of the drug dealing white slaver who's a renegade from his temple and whose men killed his sister (he's certainly not short of motivation) to take part in a martial arts tournament and bring the bad guy to justice. The plot is as rudimentary as that: there's a good guy, a bad guy, and a hell of a lot of fighting.
You do sense the American producers didn't quite understand what they were dealing with in Lee, for it's obvious he had a range and charisma far beyond what's required here. He's also partnered with John Saxon, who's an able leading man but really supernumerary (Saxon may have been a black belt in real life but his fight scenes have a whiff of dressage about them). Sleazy to the point of tackiness in places, and not much more than a live-action comic book, but tremendous action and some iconic sequences (the fight in the mirror-maze, for instance). Terrific entertainment if you're in the right mood.
You do sense the American producers didn't quite understand what they were dealing with in Lee, for it's obvious he had a range and charisma far beyond what's required here. He's also partnered with John Saxon, who's an able leading man but really supernumerary (Saxon may have been a black belt in real life but his fight scenes have a whiff of dressage about them). Sleazy to the point of tackiness in places, and not much more than a live-action comic book, but tremendous action and some iconic sequences (the fight in the mirror-maze, for instance). Terrific entertainment if you're in the right mood.
ClareR (5577 KP) rated The Cutting Place (Maeve Kerrigan #9) in Books
Mar 31, 2023
I’m becoming addicted to these Maeve Kerrigan books. Ok, I’ve only read Cruel Acts before this, but I’ve now bought all the others, and I’m writing this having read the book that comes AFTER The Cutting Place. So.
The characters of Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are, I’ll be honest, my main motivation for reading these books. The chemistry between them is quite something!
The cases are fascinating too. A mud lark on the Thames finds a human hand. DNA results say it belongs to a missing journalist, and so Maeve is pulled into what the journalist was last investigating: The Chiron Club. A private members club for rich, privileged men.
It’s not all about the case, and that’s what I like most about these books - the mix. Maeve’s new boyfriend Seth, isn’t as he at first seems, and a secret that Maeve has been keeping from Josh is revealed in the worst possible way.
These are just fantastic books, and I will be reading the backlist. That should keep me occupied 😳
The characters of Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are, I’ll be honest, my main motivation for reading these books. The chemistry between them is quite something!
The cases are fascinating too. A mud lark on the Thames finds a human hand. DNA results say it belongs to a missing journalist, and so Maeve is pulled into what the journalist was last investigating: The Chiron Club. A private members club for rich, privileged men.
It’s not all about the case, and that’s what I like most about these books - the mix. Maeve’s new boyfriend Seth, isn’t as he at first seems, and a secret that Maeve has been keeping from Josh is revealed in the worst possible way.
These are just fantastic books, and I will be reading the backlist. That should keep me occupied 😳
ClareR (5577 KP) rated This Brutal House in Books
Nov 4, 2021
I had high hopes for this book, but I really don’t think that I “got” it. As it was all written in the third person, I struggled to work out who some chapters were about until I was a good way into them. And considering the subject matter, the ballroom culture, the missing children, it was just quite uninspiring. Perhaps I’m just not the target audience for this book. Actually, I DON’T agree with this. I was really keen to read a book about Drag culture and to learn something from it, and to some degree, I did. I just wish there had been a bit more “oomph”. Even the scene with the gun barely raised a gasp from me - it was more of a “but why?” Maybe I missed the motivation. I don’t know. This book has a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads, which just goes to show that what doesn’t work for one person works really well for another. I’m glad I tried it though.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Undone (Will Trent, #3) in Books
May 10, 2018
Will Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell are in the emergency room of Grady Hospital. Faith had just passed out. As they are there a woman is brought into the emergency room. She had been held captive, raped, tortured and then hit by a car. Together, Will and Faith try to find out who this woman is and where she came from. Most importantly who did this to her and are there others.
This is the first book I have read by Karin Slaughter. I am hooked already. I will be going back now to read the first two Will Trent books so I can get a better grasp of who this man is.
No one believes he is a cop. He is too quiet and gets down on himself too easily. I guess he doesn't have that cop ego(that's why I like him).
My main motivation for reading this book was to prepare for a Q&A Karin Slaughter will be doing on April 8th. If interested in joining the discussion, join the group A Good Thriller. I'm already filling with questions to ask.
This is the first book I have read by Karin Slaughter. I am hooked already. I will be going back now to read the first two Will Trent books so I can get a better grasp of who this man is.
No one believes he is a cop. He is too quiet and gets down on himself too easily. I guess he doesn't have that cop ego(that's why I like him).
My main motivation for reading this book was to prepare for a Q&A Karin Slaughter will be doing on April 8th. If interested in joining the discussion, join the group A Good Thriller. I'm already filling with questions to ask.
Juame Collet-Serra recommended Die Hard (1988) in Movies (curated)
Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated The Time Of Our Lives in Books
Feb 7, 2019
I really enjoyed The Wish List by Jane Costello, so when I picked up this book I was quite keen to get stuck in.
The back of the book states 'even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong.' Well let me just say there are things going wrong and then there are things going WRONG.
It is all well and good having a few unfortunate events happening to the main character but I didn't believe that it was then essential to make her awkward, accident prone and a complete sap.
I don't know if I was meant to love or hate Imogen. I grew to really dislike her. I wanted to shake her and tell her to be stronger. There is no need for women to be portrayed in such a pathetic way.
It wasn't a wholly predictable tale though. There were a couple swings that I hadn't expected that gave a bit more substance to the novel.
I read to escape life, find inspiration and motivation. In my opinion, this book reaffirmed the idea that women are weak. Please create a strong, intelligent, independent woman as a main character! It will give girls a better role model for life!
The back of the book states 'even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong.' Well let me just say there are things going wrong and then there are things going WRONG.
It is all well and good having a few unfortunate events happening to the main character but I didn't believe that it was then essential to make her awkward, accident prone and a complete sap.
I don't know if I was meant to love or hate Imogen. I grew to really dislike her. I wanted to shake her and tell her to be stronger. There is no need for women to be portrayed in such a pathetic way.
It wasn't a wholly predictable tale though. There were a couple swings that I hadn't expected that gave a bit more substance to the novel.
I read to escape life, find inspiration and motivation. In my opinion, this book reaffirmed the idea that women are weak. Please create a strong, intelligent, independent woman as a main character! It will give girls a better role model for life!
Ashley Valencia (5 KP) rated Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) in Movies
Mar 31, 2019
This film was just a mess. There are so many characters thrown in that it's hard to care about any of them. They aren't given enough time to be fully fleshed out or even memorable. I don't remember the names of even half of them. And while we see Grindelwald commit a few crimes, in the end his motivation is to stop police brutality and prevent World War 2 from even happening. If he's painted as anything in this film I would maybe say he was more of an anti hero than a villain and that's not what he was supposed to be. Don't even get me started on his non relationship with Dumbledore. JK Rowling wants all of the credit for having a gay character without doing any of the work. I find it to be annoying. In the trailer, Dumbledore is shown in front of the Mirror of Erised, that shows him Grindelwald. So I had some hope that their relationship would at least be mentioned in the film. Nope. Not even a little. They had a gay character in the same way the live action of Beauty and the Beast did - in that they didn't. Unless you squint.
ClareR (5577 KP) rated Stone Mothers in Books
Aug 6, 2019
Stone Mothers was my first Erin Kelly book, and it really surprised me with its dark, melancholy story that evolved into a taut thriller.
It’s a story told in reverse. We meet the adults first before we begin to slip into their past, and we learn of their connection with the ‘Stone Mother’, or the mental hospital in their home town. Marianne and Jesse are unlikely sweethearts, very different personalities, yet they are both affected by the closure of the local psychiatric hospital, Nazareth, which employed most of their remote village. Including their own parents. With a random discovery comes their chance, in Jesse’s opinion, to improve their lives and some retribution.
I really enjoyed how this story unfolded: I liked how we found out more about the three main characters as we slipped into their pasts (I found Helens story particularly interesting, to be honest, and I would have happily read more). It’s a story where it’s really difficult to apportion blame to anyone - I ended up liking all of them, and could understand the motivation for their actions.
I will definitely be looking out for more books by Erin Kelly - this has without a doubt piqued my interest. Stone Mothers is well worth a read.
It’s a story told in reverse. We meet the adults first before we begin to slip into their past, and we learn of their connection with the ‘Stone Mother’, or the mental hospital in their home town. Marianne and Jesse are unlikely sweethearts, very different personalities, yet they are both affected by the closure of the local psychiatric hospital, Nazareth, which employed most of their remote village. Including their own parents. With a random discovery comes their chance, in Jesse’s opinion, to improve their lives and some retribution.
I really enjoyed how this story unfolded: I liked how we found out more about the three main characters as we slipped into their pasts (I found Helens story particularly interesting, to be honest, and I would have happily read more). It’s a story where it’s really difficult to apportion blame to anyone - I ended up liking all of them, and could understand the motivation for their actions.
I will definitely be looking out for more books by Erin Kelly - this has without a doubt piqued my interest. Stone Mothers is well worth a read.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The New Husband in Books
Apr 23, 2020
I will give it to this novel--it's a page-turner. I might not have really liked any of the characters (Daisy the dog exempted), but I certainly flew through the book. The narrative style wasn't exactly my favorite; it just felt off to me.
"There was, however, one truth Nina took from the terrible ordeal, an abstract notion that with time and rumination calcified into a harsh new understanding: just because you love someone doesn't mean you know them."
There is no one in this book that I felt the desire to root for, beyond Daisy and poor Maggie, Nina's thirteen-year-old daughter, who is bullied and neglected thanks to all that's going on. I'm sorry, but her clueless mom makes some terrible decisions. I wanted to shake her multiple times.
This book is crazy and honestly, a little too far-fetched for me at times. I love a book filled with twists and turns, but this one might take the cake. Especially since some of them seemed to lack any motivation or backup.
Still, it's a page-turner and a fast read. If you can suspend your disbelief more than I did, you'll probably really enjoy it.
"There was, however, one truth Nina took from the terrible ordeal, an abstract notion that with time and rumination calcified into a harsh new understanding: just because you love someone doesn't mean you know them."
There is no one in this book that I felt the desire to root for, beyond Daisy and poor Maggie, Nina's thirteen-year-old daughter, who is bullied and neglected thanks to all that's going on. I'm sorry, but her clueless mom makes some terrible decisions. I wanted to shake her multiple times.
This book is crazy and honestly, a little too far-fetched for me at times. I love a book filled with twists and turns, but this one might take the cake. Especially since some of them seemed to lack any motivation or backup.
Still, it's a page-turner and a fast read. If you can suspend your disbelief more than I did, you'll probably really enjoy it.