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Awix (3310 KP) rated Faust (1926) in Movies
Oct 28, 2019
You can't really judge a film this old (93 years and counting) by modern standards, as it is the product of an entirely different sensibility and is in a mode we rarely see nowadays - it's not naturalistic and doesn't want to be, instead presenting an almost impressionistic series of images as it tells its story.
You might expect it to be slow and heavy, but for the first hour and a bit this rattles along at a tremendous pace - the Devil makes a bet with an Archangel for the soul of the alchemist Faust, granting him eternal youth, wealth, worldly pleasures, and so on. It's still visually impressive and often unexpectedly funny (Emil Jannings as the Devil gives a great comic performance)- a bit earnest and melodramatic in places, but you kind of expect that. Very watchable - I hope I look this good when I'm 93.
You might expect it to be slow and heavy, but for the first hour and a bit this rattles along at a tremendous pace - the Devil makes a bet with an Archangel for the soul of the alchemist Faust, granting him eternal youth, wealth, worldly pleasures, and so on. It's still visually impressive and often unexpectedly funny (Emil Jannings as the Devil gives a great comic performance)- a bit earnest and melodramatic in places, but you kind of expect that. Very watchable - I hope I look this good when I'm 93.
David McK (3576 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) in Movies
Aug 11, 2019
Oft-forgot-about (or so it seems) 4th instalment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series, this is the one with Penelope Cruz that also sees Jack set off to find the Fountain of Youth: the Fountain itself also sought after by both English and Spanish factions, and by the notorious pirate Blackbeard (as portrayed by Ian McShane) who, here, also dabbles in Vodoo and is also (inexplicably) able to control his ship the Queen Anne's revenge by magic.
With no Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightley in sight, the focus on this one is firmly on Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow (a character who initially, remember, way back in the first film, was not the main focus), although it has to be said that his Keith Richards schtick is perhaps getting old by this point in the franchise.
Standout sequence of the film? That would be the Whit Cap bay mermaid bit.
With no Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightley in sight, the focus on this one is firmly on Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow (a character who initially, remember, way back in the first film, was not the main focus), although it has to be said that his Keith Richards schtick is perhaps getting old by this point in the franchise.
Standout sequence of the film? That would be the Whit Cap bay mermaid bit.
Gerry Anderson Collectables
Book
This book covers the whole range of collectables from the Gerry Anderson shows, from the 1960s to...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8) in Books
Sep 19, 2019
Once again, I find myself enthusing about one of Jane Casey's books starring the unparalleled partnership of Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. This might be the 8th outing in this series, but it doesn't show and remains fresh and a riveting read from start to finish. I won't go into any of the plot as the blurb explains it well enough and to say more would give the game away but what I will advise is that you be prepared for twists and turns, tension and scenes of peril!
With fantastic characters, a gripping plot and enough back story so it can be read as a standalone, this is one not to be missed for all you fans of police-procedural/crime/suspense/thriller/etc/etc., lovers out there.
Thank you once again to the Publisher via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
With fantastic characters, a gripping plot and enough back story so it can be read as a standalone, this is one not to be missed for all you fans of police-procedural/crime/suspense/thriller/etc/etc., lovers out there.
Thank you once again to the Publisher via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
ClareR (5911 KP) rated The Hunter in Books
May 11, 2025
I enjoyed The Hunter as much as I did the first in the series (The Searcher). For a thriller it’s a very measured, thoughtful pace - and I really liked that slow burn. Cal Hooper is dark and brooding, and so is this book. We get a little light relief from the farmers and other inhabitants of the village - right up until they show their true colours.
Trey’s absentee father suddenly returns, and he has a way for everyone to get rich quick. Or does he? Johnny Reddy brings chaos to the calm of the village and Carl’s life.
The real star of this novel is the landscape - I enjoyed reading these passages. Cal and Trey are pretty special characters, too. What a double act. I do wonder though, if the ending of this didn’t seem a bit ‘final’? Will we see them in another book or not? I hope so.
Trey’s absentee father suddenly returns, and he has a way for everyone to get rich quick. Or does he? Johnny Reddy brings chaos to the calm of the village and Carl’s life.
The real star of this novel is the landscape - I enjoyed reading these passages. Cal and Trey are pretty special characters, too. What a double act. I do wonder though, if the ending of this didn’t seem a bit ‘final’? Will we see them in another book or not? I hope so.
Kelly (279 KP) rated Orphan Black - Season 1 in TV
Dec 6, 2018
Unique plot line (1 more)
Fantastic actors
Hooked!
I was originally drawn to the series after reading the synopsis, and was hooked in the first 10 minutes. The story centres around Sarah, who assumes the identity of a woman who looks identical to her, trying to escape her own troublesome past, but instead finding she has just stepped into more trouble. As the story develops, we find out that they are actually clones of each other, and are not alone in the world.
The plot thickens quickly as the series develops, becoming more sinister as Sarah tries to protect her foster family and young daughter. In all, I could the plot line unique and refreshing in comparison to what is currently out their.
The clones are played by Tatiana Maslany, who acts each one individually, the fact that she is able to demonstrate a clear identity of several characters at the same time, is a credit to her acting career.
The show itself does have a lot of drama, suspense and a little violence throughout the series, however it never takes itself too seriously, with regular breaks to add a little light heartedness into the show. The clone Alison/ soccer mom, in particular adds an air of humour to the show, particularly with her turbulent relationship with her husband and the stark contrast between herself and Sarah.
The series itself is worthy of a complete box set binge, and is definitely not one that you want to stop until the very end. This has made it to my list of favourite TV shows of all time.
The plot thickens quickly as the series develops, becoming more sinister as Sarah tries to protect her foster family and young daughter. In all, I could the plot line unique and refreshing in comparison to what is currently out their.
The clones are played by Tatiana Maslany, who acts each one individually, the fact that she is able to demonstrate a clear identity of several characters at the same time, is a credit to her acting career.
The show itself does have a lot of drama, suspense and a little violence throughout the series, however it never takes itself too seriously, with regular breaks to add a little light heartedness into the show. The clone Alison/ soccer mom, in particular adds an air of humour to the show, particularly with her turbulent relationship with her husband and the stark contrast between herself and Sarah.
The series itself is worthy of a complete box set binge, and is definitely not one that you want to stop until the very end. This has made it to my list of favourite TV shows of all time.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The latest game in the Dishonored series: Death of the Outsider is a stand-alone adventure that casts player in the role of Billie Lurk who fans of the series will know as the Captain of the Dreadful Whale.
A series of dark dreams leads her to her former mentor and on the path of a deadly cult that has taken control of several regions of the kingdom.
Using her considerable abilities, Billie uses stealth and brutal combat as well as special powers gained along the way to investigate, infiltrate, and destroy key members of the cult as well as gaining new abilities and weapons along the way.
The game has a” play your way” mode which is great for players like myself who are not as big on stealth and prefer a more combat oriented approach. While this works some of the time, the enemies are clever and numerous and will come at you in waves, so players must set traps, plan strategies and find honor in running away when the game calls for it.
The game also has a few puzzles players will need to solve and there is plenty to explore and loot along the way as well as numerous side quests players can take in the thriving and highly detailed cities.
While the weaponry will be familiar to fans of the series, the clever way that the pistol was incorporated as part of a wrist gauntlet was a nice touch as were the various ammunitions offered such as incendiary and shock bolts.
While not as long as Dishonored 2, there was still plenty of gameplay as I was shocked to see that I had invested over 17 hours of gameplay when I had completed the game as I was so engrossed in the characters and story that time seemed to fly by when I played.
The game offers adjustable difficulty settings which are great as some segments offer a real challenge depending on which type of gameplay approach you use.
The graphics and sounds of the game are in keeping with what you would expect from the prior games in the series and if this is the finale to the series, then it goes out in grand style as Death of the Outsider is an enjoyable adventure for action fans everywhere.
http://sknr.net/2017/09/20/dishonored-death-outsider/
A series of dark dreams leads her to her former mentor and on the path of a deadly cult that has taken control of several regions of the kingdom.
Using her considerable abilities, Billie uses stealth and brutal combat as well as special powers gained along the way to investigate, infiltrate, and destroy key members of the cult as well as gaining new abilities and weapons along the way.
The game has a” play your way” mode which is great for players like myself who are not as big on stealth and prefer a more combat oriented approach. While this works some of the time, the enemies are clever and numerous and will come at you in waves, so players must set traps, plan strategies and find honor in running away when the game calls for it.
The game also has a few puzzles players will need to solve and there is plenty to explore and loot along the way as well as numerous side quests players can take in the thriving and highly detailed cities.
While the weaponry will be familiar to fans of the series, the clever way that the pistol was incorporated as part of a wrist gauntlet was a nice touch as were the various ammunitions offered such as incendiary and shock bolts.
While not as long as Dishonored 2, there was still plenty of gameplay as I was shocked to see that I had invested over 17 hours of gameplay when I had completed the game as I was so engrossed in the characters and story that time seemed to fly by when I played.
The game offers adjustable difficulty settings which are great as some segments offer a real challenge depending on which type of gameplay approach you use.
The graphics and sounds of the game are in keeping with what you would expect from the prior games in the series and if this is the finale to the series, then it goes out in grand style as Death of the Outsider is an enjoyable adventure for action fans everywhere.
http://sknr.net/2017/09/20/dishonored-death-outsider/
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Boy Caught in the Starlight in Books
Feb 29, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Boy Caught In The Starlight by Michael J H Taylor is a wonderful adventure where the heroes never go any farther than a cabin a little ways from home. This tale is expected to be the first in a series.
Jake lives with his mother who loves bragging about him a little too much. He is smothered by her overwhelming pressure to be perfect and longs for adventure. However, there really is not much in the lines of adventure for a young teenager these days. So being board Jake asks his mother if he can spend the weekend with his father, mostly for a change. Jake goes with his father to pick up an old Bubble Car that his father recently purchased from Professor Septimus Kneebone, self-proclaimed genius. It is this trip that sets Jake on the course for the dangerous adventure that he so longs for.
It turns out that the Bubble Car is no longer a car but a very special machine. This machine has the unique ability to show images of things past to those who know how to work it. Although no one can interact with the images in anyway they can show wondrous things, such as the location of treasure. As luck would have it a gang of thieves know about the machine and have been using it to find long lost treasurer to get rich. Yet what would such a gang do when they discover the Professor has decided to dismantle the machine forever.
This book was surprisingly unique. It offered multiple turns that I did not expect. The story brought me to many different theories along the way to discovering the truth. I hope the promised second book is just as entertaining as the first. What I did not like was that at first, I pegged this book to be much like back to the future. As it turns out I was wrong. This is a problem because the description of the book comes off differently. I just don’t want anyone to go into this book with the wrong expectations.
Young adults and children alike will enjoy this tale. Though a little on the long side for very young children a tale of adventure such as this would be good spread out over multiple days as a wonderful bedtime story. I rate this book 3 out of 4. I was very happy with this book. The slightly misleading description lost a rating point for me, but other than that I found no major complaint. I believe this book to be a good story for all who pick it up.
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https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/
Jake lives with his mother who loves bragging about him a little too much. He is smothered by her overwhelming pressure to be perfect and longs for adventure. However, there really is not much in the lines of adventure for a young teenager these days. So being board Jake asks his mother if he can spend the weekend with his father, mostly for a change. Jake goes with his father to pick up an old Bubble Car that his father recently purchased from Professor Septimus Kneebone, self-proclaimed genius. It is this trip that sets Jake on the course for the dangerous adventure that he so longs for.
It turns out that the Bubble Car is no longer a car but a very special machine. This machine has the unique ability to show images of things past to those who know how to work it. Although no one can interact with the images in anyway they can show wondrous things, such as the location of treasure. As luck would have it a gang of thieves know about the machine and have been using it to find long lost treasurer to get rich. Yet what would such a gang do when they discover the Professor has decided to dismantle the machine forever.
This book was surprisingly unique. It offered multiple turns that I did not expect. The story brought me to many different theories along the way to discovering the truth. I hope the promised second book is just as entertaining as the first. What I did not like was that at first, I pegged this book to be much like back to the future. As it turns out I was wrong. This is a problem because the description of the book comes off differently. I just don’t want anyone to go into this book with the wrong expectations.
Young adults and children alike will enjoy this tale. Though a little on the long side for very young children a tale of adventure such as this would be good spread out over multiple days as a wonderful bedtime story. I rate this book 3 out of 4. I was very happy with this book. The slightly misleading description lost a rating point for me, but other than that I found no major complaint. I believe this book to be a good story for all who pick it up.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews/
https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/
SG
Shallow Graves: The Hunt for the New Bedford Highway Serial Killer
Book
Eleven women went missing over the spring and summer of 1988 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, an old...
John Christie of Rillington Place: Biography of a Serial Killer
10.0
Rate It
Book
Sixty years ago, the discovery of bodies at 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, London, led to one...