Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (5000)

Content

Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders in Books

Mar 15, 2018

I read this over a weeks period while on holiday, and I found it difficult to put down! I've always been interested in crime, especially that of murders and kidnappings, so Helter Skelter seemed the perfect book for me. I love how in depth Bugliosi gets in this book, there's not a single piece of information missing. Once you finish this book you will know the Manson case inside out.

The second half can become a bit tedious due to the fact that it's all about the court case, however it still manages to grip you just as you're feeling a bit sleepy.

I may even go back to read this book again.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies

Feb 12, 2018

Suburbicon (2017)

2017 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

6.0

(18 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Period-set black comedy-thriller with Matt Damon as a pillar of the titular planned community, struggling to recover from the death of his wife in a burglary-gone-wrong. (Or is he...?) Actually based on a script set aside by the Coen brothers decades ago; it's tempting but fruitless to speculate as to how much of their work remains.

Quite well directed by Clooney, and the plotting is very smart, but a subplot about toxic racism feels intrusive and disconnected from the rest of the film - as a result what could have been a clever and understated film just feels like it's indulging in clumsy virtue-signalling. Would have been much better without the preachiness.

Kudos

Caitlin Ann Cherniak (85 KP) rated The Frontman in Books

Oct 21, 2018

The Frontman

Ron Bahar | 2018 | Biography, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

There are a few books for me that made me feel for the characters in it. However, Bahar's The Frontman is one of those books that made me feel despite having some 80's cliche events happening it. I guess it felt real because this is more of a memoir than it is fiction, but for a story based on a period of this author's life, I actually understand what he was going through. Yes, he made stupid decisions, but he knows they were stupid, and he tried his best to fix it, no matter how much they worked or didn't. I was rooting for this guy, despite his horny mindset. (I can't believe I said that).

Kudos

David McK (3600 KP) rated Hornblower and the Hotspur in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Chronologically the 3rd Hornblower book (but 10th by publication date), this novel concerns the entirety of the period in which Hornblower is in command of the Hotspur, following the failure of the Peace of Amiens.

As such, this takes in numerous incidences, including (but not limited to) shore landings, running battles with enemy ships, a (brief) sojourn at home in which he comes face-to-face with his baby son for the first time, blockade duties in and around the vicinity of Brest, and travels to even more foreign shores *phew*.

In other words, a wide cross-section of the duties of a Royal Naval officer instead of concentrating on any one incident on its own.

Kudos

Milleen (47 KP) rated The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock in Books

Jan 14, 2019

This historical drama is unusual but entertaining for anyone who loves period pieces with detail and a slightly surreal flourish. It has a beautifully described backdrop of 18th century London and a cast of characters that fill the pages with their dreams, obsessions and whimsies. Jonah Hancock is shocked to discover that the Captain of his ship has sold the vessel in exchange for… a mermaid. The acquisition of such a rare find catapults Hancock into the highest circles of society and into the path of Angelica Neal, a beautiful courtesan in need of assistance. Their journey is changed by the creature, leading you to ponder the power of these mythical creatures. An enjoyable Georgian romp.