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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Big Wishes for Little Feat in Books
Feb 24, 2021
I love children’s picture books, but I loved them with substance, <i>Big Wishes for Little Feet </i> gives me that and so much more!
Cheryl Olsten brought to life a vivid story of finding happiness right where you are planted, of never giving up even when things do not go your way, and that there is joy in the midst of sadness. I LOVED Lafitte and his story of perseverance. The narration was done beautifully (emphasized by the fantastic illustrations) and I enjoyed getting to watch him grow up. I also liked Ella’s story and how they intertwined together. I think there are a lot of kids who can relate to Ella and her family situation. I especially liked how Cheryl Olsten explained the phonics to say Ella’s nickname from her father <i>Brilliant étoile</i>. It was a fun interactive part of the story; plus, it reinforces dual language learning.
<b>“Little Feet, thought the horse. That is who I am—a horse of great courage, strength, and skill.”</b>
Paolo D’Altan’s work in this book is phenomenal. He truly conveyed the wonder and curiosity displayed by Ella and Lafitte and told their story in a colorful and eye-catching way. I want some of the pictures to hang in my home! As I look back over the story, I am again amazed by all the detailed work that went into this book and I am looking forward to showing my niece this book over Christmas to see which picture is her favorite. Well done Paolo D’Altan!
A definite 5 out of 5 stars for me! Some great themes combined with a good flowing storyline and some great imaginative art.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Cheryl Olsten brought to life a vivid story of finding happiness right where you are planted, of never giving up even when things do not go your way, and that there is joy in the midst of sadness. I LOVED Lafitte and his story of perseverance. The narration was done beautifully (emphasized by the fantastic illustrations) and I enjoyed getting to watch him grow up. I also liked Ella’s story and how they intertwined together. I think there are a lot of kids who can relate to Ella and her family situation. I especially liked how Cheryl Olsten explained the phonics to say Ella’s nickname from her father <i>Brilliant étoile</i>. It was a fun interactive part of the story; plus, it reinforces dual language learning.
<b>“Little Feet, thought the horse. That is who I am—a horse of great courage, strength, and skill.”</b>
Paolo D’Altan’s work in this book is phenomenal. He truly conveyed the wonder and curiosity displayed by Ella and Lafitte and told their story in a colorful and eye-catching way. I want some of the pictures to hang in my home! As I look back over the story, I am again amazed by all the detailed work that went into this book and I am looking forward to showing my niece this book over Christmas to see which picture is her favorite. Well done Paolo D’Altan!
A definite 5 out of 5 stars for me! Some great themes combined with a good flowing storyline and some great imaginative art.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Batman: Arkham Origins
Games and Entertainment
7.0
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App
Prove your worth as Gotham’s Dark Knight when you face-off against a slew of ruthless assassins...
The Awkward Storyteller
8.7
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Tabletop Game
All fun is in players' ability to create fun and hilarious stories with their answers | Players need...
Practice to Deceive
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#1 New York Times bestselling author and Queen of True Crime Ann Rule delivers another gripping...
True crime murder
Lee (2222 KP) rated The House (2017) in Movies
Jul 14, 2017
Worst movie I've seen in a very, very long time
Usually when I review comedies I start off by complaining about how disappointing they tend to be these days. Sometimes they manage to prove me wrong (Bad Moms), sometimes they’re not quite as bad as I was expecting (Baywatch). The last time I was seriously annoyed about how bad a comedy was it was Office Christmas Party, but even then that managed to raise a laugh or two. The House though, well that goes way beyond that, taking it to a whole other level by having absolutely no laughs in it at all!
Will Ferrell is Scott, Amy Poehler is his wife Kate. When their daughter Alex gets into the university she wanted, they’re over the moon. Especially as the town runs some kind of scholarship program, paying for one lucky students education each year. This years lucky recipient is due to be Alex but when sleazy city councilman Bob decides to cancel the program in favour of building a huge pool for the town, Scott and Kate need to come up with another way of raising the money. Recently divorced neighbour Frank has a big empty house and between them they hit upon the idea of building a casino in his home, somewhere for the locals to come and spend all their money. Things go well for a while, then things get way out of hand. Cue the opportunity for some riotous, hilarious humour…
Only there’s none of that. It’s riotous, but this is just such a lazily written movie that the humour is non-existent. Featuring a date rape ‘gag’ within the first five minutes(?!) it just gets progressively worse from there. Pointless, nonsensical playground style bickering, name calling and random violence feature heavily throughout in a scatter-gun attempt at trying to raise a laugh. All of this ends up coming across as either poorly written, badly improvised, or both. Even the editing is a total disaster – in one scene Amy Poehler has a guy standing right behind her, cut to another camera and he’s gone, cut back and he’s there again, cut back and he’s gone!
The biggest disappointment about this is the complete waste of talent. Admittedly, Will Ferrell is on a downward spiral anyway since his Anchorman days and the brilliant Step Brothers, but you’d still expect more from him than this. One of my favourite TV shows, Parks and Recreation, stars Amy Poehler as the hilarious Leslie Knope, so I’d expect way more from her too. Even her movie roles haven’t been too bad so far. I guess it just proves that if you’ve got a seriously dud script on your hands, there isn’t really much that anyone can do to fix it. This isn’t just a bad comedy, it’s a bad, bad movie.
Will Ferrell is Scott, Amy Poehler is his wife Kate. When their daughter Alex gets into the university she wanted, they’re over the moon. Especially as the town runs some kind of scholarship program, paying for one lucky students education each year. This years lucky recipient is due to be Alex but when sleazy city councilman Bob decides to cancel the program in favour of building a huge pool for the town, Scott and Kate need to come up with another way of raising the money. Recently divorced neighbour Frank has a big empty house and between them they hit upon the idea of building a casino in his home, somewhere for the locals to come and spend all their money. Things go well for a while, then things get way out of hand. Cue the opportunity for some riotous, hilarious humour…
Only there’s none of that. It’s riotous, but this is just such a lazily written movie that the humour is non-existent. Featuring a date rape ‘gag’ within the first five minutes(?!) it just gets progressively worse from there. Pointless, nonsensical playground style bickering, name calling and random violence feature heavily throughout in a scatter-gun attempt at trying to raise a laugh. All of this ends up coming across as either poorly written, badly improvised, or both. Even the editing is a total disaster – in one scene Amy Poehler has a guy standing right behind her, cut to another camera and he’s gone, cut back and he’s there again, cut back and he’s gone!
The biggest disappointment about this is the complete waste of talent. Admittedly, Will Ferrell is on a downward spiral anyway since his Anchorman days and the brilliant Step Brothers, but you’d still expect more from him than this. One of my favourite TV shows, Parks and Recreation, stars Amy Poehler as the hilarious Leslie Knope, so I’d expect way more from her too. Even her movie roles haven’t been too bad so far. I guess it just proves that if you’ve got a seriously dud script on your hands, there isn’t really much that anyone can do to fix it. This isn’t just a bad comedy, it’s a bad, bad movie.
The Cases That Haunt Us
John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
8.3
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Book
America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of seven of...
crime unsolved cases cold cases
Merissa (13159 KP) rated Voices (Irish Knights Hockey #1) in Books
Apr 17, 2025
VOICES is the debut novel by Joey Parker and the first book in the Irish Knights Hockey series. This is a dark story with plenty of Trigger Warnings, so consider yourself warned. Please take note of them!
Charlie is struggling majorly with his mental health, and with good reason. It doesn't all come out at once, but you do find the reasons why, and there are plenty of them. Let's just say that family doesn't mean much to Charlie after how they've treated him. To be honest, I don't fully understand why. I mean, I know some people are just ar$eholes, plain and simple, and it seems that way for most of the characters in here that make Charlie's life such a misery.
Shane is the opposite in pretty much every way. He has a good family, is doing well at school, and has friends as well as teammates. That all fades away once he meets Charlie, and he is determined to be there for the man who takes up so much space in his mind.
I loved how Shane was with Charlie. It was hot and spicy in places, but mostly it was warm and loving. Shane looked after Charlie without being overbearing or condescending. And Charlie blossomed under Shane's care. Unfortunately, the ick factors are still in Charlie's life, so healing isn't yet possible, although he did amazingly well during their Christmas trip. That is not only down to Shane but also his family, who got Charlie some amazing gifts that made my eyes leak. The ending is full-on and is horrible before it gets better. I could feel my breath catch at one point, and I was nearly shouting at Shane to ditch the party and go with Charlie!
There is a lot of pain in this book, with little snippets of happiness sprinkled throughout. I would have liked a smidgeon more happiness, but in a way that wouldn't detract from the horror Charlie has to live through. And, yes, I realise just how difficult it is to deliver what I'm asking for.
The book is long but the ending is a little abrupt. I'm really hoping to read more of these guys and get my HEA for Charlie and Shane. I can't wait to read Asher's story! All in all, this was an amazing debut that had me gripped and I need to read more by this author. Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 17, 2025
Charlie is struggling majorly with his mental health, and with good reason. It doesn't all come out at once, but you do find the reasons why, and there are plenty of them. Let's just say that family doesn't mean much to Charlie after how they've treated him. To be honest, I don't fully understand why. I mean, I know some people are just ar$eholes, plain and simple, and it seems that way for most of the characters in here that make Charlie's life such a misery.
Shane is the opposite in pretty much every way. He has a good family, is doing well at school, and has friends as well as teammates. That all fades away once he meets Charlie, and he is determined to be there for the man who takes up so much space in his mind.
I loved how Shane was with Charlie. It was hot and spicy in places, but mostly it was warm and loving. Shane looked after Charlie without being overbearing or condescending. And Charlie blossomed under Shane's care. Unfortunately, the ick factors are still in Charlie's life, so healing isn't yet possible, although he did amazingly well during their Christmas trip. That is not only down to Shane but also his family, who got Charlie some amazing gifts that made my eyes leak. The ending is full-on and is horrible before it gets better. I could feel my breath catch at one point, and I was nearly shouting at Shane to ditch the party and go with Charlie!
There is a lot of pain in this book, with little snippets of happiness sprinkled throughout. I would have liked a smidgeon more happiness, but in a way that wouldn't detract from the horror Charlie has to live through. And, yes, I realise just how difficult it is to deliver what I'm asking for.
The book is long but the ending is a little abrupt. I'm really hoping to read more of these guys and get my HEA for Charlie and Shane. I can't wait to read Asher's story! All in all, this was an amazing debut that had me gripped and I need to read more by this author. Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 17, 2025
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Mary Poppins (1964) in Movies
Apr 20, 2019
Practically Perfect In Every Way
After watching MARY POPPINS RETURNS, the BankofMarquis was itching to check out the original 1964 Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke/Walt Disney production of MARY POPPINS to see if it holds up as well as my memory has held it up. I was a little nervous when I put the DVD in the player and hit go.
And I shouldn't have worried, for MARY POPPINS is...pardon the expression..."Practically Perfect in Every Way".
Based on the series of books by P.L. Travers and set right around 1900, the film tells the tale of the London Banks' Family - Mr., Mrs., Jane and Michael - who need a new nanny. Both parents are too busy to spend time with their children - he with his job at the Bank (get it - Mr. Banks works at a Bank) and her involvement in the Women's Suffragette movement. Into their lives flies (quite literally) Mary Poppins - a nanny with magical qualities who, along with her friend and cohort Bert, casts a spell on the children - and the Banks' family.
Julie Andrews earned the Oscar for Best Actress for her feature film debut - and it is richly deserved. Her Poppins is stern, smart, brassy and loving - oh...and a marvelous singer and dancer. Just as strong as Andrews is Dick Van Dyke as Bert (though some will quibble with his Cockney accent). I say...don't worry about his accent and watch the wonderful comedic timing, dancing and joi de vivre that Van Dyke brings to this film. He is the "secret sauce" that makes this work. Julie would not be as good - nor would this film be as interesting - without Bert by her side.
EVERY major player shines in this film from David Tomlinson's befuddled, straight-laced British Gentleman Mr. Banks to Glynnis Johns as the enthusiastic supporter of Votes for Women, Mrs. Banks, to the children - Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber. Special notice should be made to Ed Wynn who's one scene/song/cameo as Uncle Albert - the "I Love To Laugh" scene - is pure gold.
Even the smaller, supporting roles are stellar. Reta Shaw and Hermione Baddely as the "domestics", Arthur Treacher (yes - he, of FISH AND CHIPS fame) as the Constable and Reginald Owen (Scrooge in the 1930's version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL) as Admiral Boom are all fun to watch and match the energy and timing of the leads in their limited screen time.
And...the music...Oh, the Music! Written by Richard M and Robert B Sherman - these songs are classic. Starting with the Oscar Winner for Best Song - Chim Chim Cheree and continuing through Feed The Birds, I Love To Laugh, Jolly Holiday and Let's Go Fly A Kite - ALL the songs are magical and lend a hand to the story - they serve a purpose and are not just a distraction. This film is worth watching just for the rooftop Step-In-Time song and dance number alone.
But the thing that makes this film go is the story - the characters, settings, costumes, songs and dances - are all in service to a touching, sentimental (but not cloying) simple story of a family coming together. It is charming in it's simplicity and leaves everyone with a heart full of joy.
Surprisingly to a modern audience, the special effects (especially the "Live Action and Animation" sequence) holds up really, really well. It is amazing to me how strong these effects are - even over 50 years later.
This is a wonderful, heartfelt family film that deserves a re-watch if you haven't seen it in awhile.
Letter Grade A+
10 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (OfMarquis)
And I shouldn't have worried, for MARY POPPINS is...pardon the expression..."Practically Perfect in Every Way".
Based on the series of books by P.L. Travers and set right around 1900, the film tells the tale of the London Banks' Family - Mr., Mrs., Jane and Michael - who need a new nanny. Both parents are too busy to spend time with their children - he with his job at the Bank (get it - Mr. Banks works at a Bank) and her involvement in the Women's Suffragette movement. Into their lives flies (quite literally) Mary Poppins - a nanny with magical qualities who, along with her friend and cohort Bert, casts a spell on the children - and the Banks' family.
Julie Andrews earned the Oscar for Best Actress for her feature film debut - and it is richly deserved. Her Poppins is stern, smart, brassy and loving - oh...and a marvelous singer and dancer. Just as strong as Andrews is Dick Van Dyke as Bert (though some will quibble with his Cockney accent). I say...don't worry about his accent and watch the wonderful comedic timing, dancing and joi de vivre that Van Dyke brings to this film. He is the "secret sauce" that makes this work. Julie would not be as good - nor would this film be as interesting - without Bert by her side.
EVERY major player shines in this film from David Tomlinson's befuddled, straight-laced British Gentleman Mr. Banks to Glynnis Johns as the enthusiastic supporter of Votes for Women, Mrs. Banks, to the children - Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber. Special notice should be made to Ed Wynn who's one scene/song/cameo as Uncle Albert - the "I Love To Laugh" scene - is pure gold.
Even the smaller, supporting roles are stellar. Reta Shaw and Hermione Baddely as the "domestics", Arthur Treacher (yes - he, of FISH AND CHIPS fame) as the Constable and Reginald Owen (Scrooge in the 1930's version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL) as Admiral Boom are all fun to watch and match the energy and timing of the leads in their limited screen time.
And...the music...Oh, the Music! Written by Richard M and Robert B Sherman - these songs are classic. Starting with the Oscar Winner for Best Song - Chim Chim Cheree and continuing through Feed The Birds, I Love To Laugh, Jolly Holiday and Let's Go Fly A Kite - ALL the songs are magical and lend a hand to the story - they serve a purpose and are not just a distraction. This film is worth watching just for the rooftop Step-In-Time song and dance number alone.
But the thing that makes this film go is the story - the characters, settings, costumes, songs and dances - are all in service to a touching, sentimental (but not cloying) simple story of a family coming together. It is charming in it's simplicity and leaves everyone with a heart full of joy.
Surprisingly to a modern audience, the special effects (especially the "Live Action and Animation" sequence) holds up really, really well. It is amazing to me how strong these effects are - even over 50 years later.
This is a wonderful, heartfelt family film that deserves a re-watch if you haven't seen it in awhile.
Letter Grade A+
10 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (OfMarquis)
Ronyell (38 KP) rated Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) in Movies
Jul 24, 2020
Boy Meets Dead Girl
When a young man named Victor Van Dort is engaged to a young woman named Victoria Everglot (Victor, Victoria, get it?) due to Victor's family, the Van Dorts wanting to get Victor to marry Victoria because they want to be in high society; while Victoria's parents, the Everglots, want Victoria to marry Victor in order to get more money from the Van Dorts, Victor ends up messing up his wedding rehearsals to Victoria and ends up going into the woods to practice his wedding vows. Unfortunately, Victor accidentally places his wedding ring on a bony finger that was embedded in the ground and he ends up being engaged to Emily, the Corpse Bride. Meanwhile, in the living world, a sly and diabolical gentlemen named Lord Barkis Bittern wants to take Victoria's hand in marriage in case Victor does not come back to the living world.
Can Victor get back to the world of the living and who will he choose: Victoria or Emily?
I have been watching many of Tim Burton's animated films and "Corpse Bride" happens to be one of his most ingenious works yet! I loved the fact that this movie was based off an ancient folktale about a man accidentally marrying a corpse as I love reading about folktales in general and this movie definitely has the ancient folktale feel to it. I also enjoyed seeing the two different worlds between the living world and the world of the dead as they contrast each other in a very unique way. In this case, the world of the living is seen as a dreary black and white world while the world of the dead is shown in a loud and colorful manner, which is surprising since you would expect to see the world of the dead as a dreary place while the world of the living is a colorful place. I also enjoyed the relationship shared between Victor and Emily, even though Victor at first didn't want to be in the world of the dead. Even though the idea of even communicating with a talking corpse is horrifying at best, this film managed to make the interactions between Emily and Victor be as charming as can be and I was able to really enjoy their innocent bantering with each other! I really loved the way that each voice actor portrayed the characters as they made them come to life, especially with the performance of Johnny Depp as Victor as he made Victor sound timid yet friendly at the same time. I really loved Helena Bonham Carter's performance as Emily the Corpse Bride as she was probably the most interesting character in the entire movie and I loved the way that Emily is so innocent and yet can be pretty frightening when she wants to be!
The only issue I had with this film was that I felt that the songs in this movie were not as memorable as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and they didn't really get me to feel so much for the characters' situations since they weren't catchy or emotional enough. I also wished that the movie actually explored the characters a bit more like explain how Victoria's family got into financial troubles in the first place and what was Lord Barkis Bittern like as a character before he is introduced into this film.
Overall, "Corpse Bride" is a great film for anyone who is a huge fan of Tim Burton's dark comedy films and who loves watching films starring dead characters in general!
Originally posted on: http://surrealmoviesandtvblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-corpse-bride-2005.html
Can Victor get back to the world of the living and who will he choose: Victoria or Emily?
I have been watching many of Tim Burton's animated films and "Corpse Bride" happens to be one of his most ingenious works yet! I loved the fact that this movie was based off an ancient folktale about a man accidentally marrying a corpse as I love reading about folktales in general and this movie definitely has the ancient folktale feel to it. I also enjoyed seeing the two different worlds between the living world and the world of the dead as they contrast each other in a very unique way. In this case, the world of the living is seen as a dreary black and white world while the world of the dead is shown in a loud and colorful manner, which is surprising since you would expect to see the world of the dead as a dreary place while the world of the living is a colorful place. I also enjoyed the relationship shared between Victor and Emily, even though Victor at first didn't want to be in the world of the dead. Even though the idea of even communicating with a talking corpse is horrifying at best, this film managed to make the interactions between Emily and Victor be as charming as can be and I was able to really enjoy their innocent bantering with each other! I really loved the way that each voice actor portrayed the characters as they made them come to life, especially with the performance of Johnny Depp as Victor as he made Victor sound timid yet friendly at the same time. I really loved Helena Bonham Carter's performance as Emily the Corpse Bride as she was probably the most interesting character in the entire movie and I loved the way that Emily is so innocent and yet can be pretty frightening when she wants to be!
The only issue I had with this film was that I felt that the songs in this movie were not as memorable as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and they didn't really get me to feel so much for the characters' situations since they weren't catchy or emotional enough. I also wished that the movie actually explored the characters a bit more like explain how Victoria's family got into financial troubles in the first place and what was Lord Barkis Bittern like as a character before he is introduced into this film.
Overall, "Corpse Bride" is a great film for anyone who is a huge fan of Tim Burton's dark comedy films and who loves watching films starring dead characters in general!
Originally posted on: http://surrealmoviesandtvblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-corpse-bride-2005.html
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Visitor in Books
Oct 5, 2020
An interesting and complex piece of work that covers memory loss and family love tightly together. A short read, but also a missed opportunity of what could be a lovely novel, if developed in a better way.
It is Christmas Eve, but the furnace has gone out, the breaker needs to be reset and the cupboards are empty. In her cold house, Mrs. Langstrum is waiting for her husband to arrive from his quick trip to the store. As a snowstorm is approaching, Mrs. Langstrum gets worried. But just as she decides to get help, someone knocks on her door. A visitor. A stranger. But before she can tell him to go, he says he has news about her husband.
The blurb was the main reason I picked up this book. You sort of get the idea of what this book might be about. A mystery person arrives, and he has a story. The woman has a story, and the setting makes you curious about how this will continue to unravel.
The plot is complex, and even though it’s a very short book, the story went incredibly slow. The plot twist happened at the begging, and knowing this, I expected another one, as the beginning was obvious. In the end, when no other plot twists happen, and the book ends exactly how you thought it would end at the beginning, you are felt disappointed and unsatisfied.
I really loved the idea of the woman who has a memory loss, and a person that reveals information bit by bit. Going from other perspectives and back in time, it was a nice concept. I also really enjoyed the family relationships captured, and all the challenges openly discussed. We have some big taboo subjects here, and not many people are brave enough to openly talk about this.
However, this whole concept, and idea, was not delivered as it should’ve been, as it had the capacity to. There was room for more development, more work, and more plot twists.
Some parts are confusing, and it was nice that the story was so short and you could go back to it and re-read it, but is that really a good thing? Would we go back and re-read a 300-page book if it was confusing? I wouldn’t.
It is Christmas Eve, but the furnace has gone out, the breaker needs to be reset and the cupboards are empty. In her cold house, Mrs. Langstrum is waiting for her husband to arrive from his quick trip to the store. As a snowstorm is approaching, Mrs. Langstrum gets worried. But just as she decides to get help, someone knocks on her door. A visitor. A stranger. But before she can tell him to go, he says he has news about her husband.
The blurb was the main reason I picked up this book. You sort of get the idea of what this book might be about. A mystery person arrives, and he has a story. The woman has a story, and the setting makes you curious about how this will continue to unravel.
The plot is complex, and even though it’s a very short book, the story went incredibly slow. The plot twist happened at the begging, and knowing this, I expected another one, as the beginning was obvious. In the end, when no other plot twists happen, and the book ends exactly how you thought it would end at the beginning, you are felt disappointed and unsatisfied.
I really loved the idea of the woman who has a memory loss, and a person that reveals information bit by bit. Going from other perspectives and back in time, it was a nice concept. I also really enjoyed the family relationships captured, and all the challenges openly discussed. We have some big taboo subjects here, and not many people are brave enough to openly talk about this.
However, this whole concept, and idea, was not delivered as it should’ve been, as it had the capacity to. There was room for more development, more work, and more plot twists.
Some parts are confusing, and it was nice that the story was so short and you could go back to it and re-read it, but is that really a good thing? Would we go back and re-read a 300-page book if it was confusing? I wouldn’t.