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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Nov 14, 2017 (Updated Nov 14, 2017)
A Serviceable Retelling
I'm not going to tell you that this is one of the greatest detective movies ever made, but it is a lot better than a lot of reviews are making it out to be and I had fun with it. Branagh does a good job with directing the all star cast and they each get a moment to shine. He is also brilliant as Poirot, working as the staple that holds the whole movie together. The lighting and the cinematography in the film is stunning. It does have it's cheesy moments and certain actors could be mistaken for being in a pantomime, but that comes with the territory with a period murder mystery story. I'm not saying it's brilliant, but it is good fun and as remakes go, it could have been a lot worse.
Jessica Del Fino (15 KP) rated OverDrive: eBooks & audiobooks in Apps
Jan 3, 2018
Puts your local library at your fingertips, literally. Use your phone to borrow books. (2 more)
You have a choice of formats for most books: Kindle, Ebooks, even Audio
No trekking through the snow, rain, heat to return overdue library books
I absolutely love this app, and use it almost daily! My favorite thing about it is that you can use it to read on your phone if you choose, i.e. if a book isn't available in Kindle format. I'm no longer afraid of the Library Police either, because the books are returned on their own on the date they are due! With my library and Overdrive, you can choose your lending period, 7, 14 or 21 days. You can put books on hold, create a wishlist, and view your reading history. Overdrive is a must for readers like me!
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Gorgon (1964) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
Every Day a Bad Hair Day
Hammer horror from the studio's imperial phase, with the period setting and star names (Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing) that might lead one to expect something quite distinguished. However, the premise is such an odd one - a monster from Greek mythology is lurking in German-occupied Europe, petrifying the unwary - that the film-makers really struggle to know what to do with it, settling in the end for a story structure partly knocked off from the less interesting kind of werewolf movie.
Well-directed in parts, with some good imagery and set piece scenes, but the movie struggles to give the cast the material they deserve and the meandering and repetitive storyline can only charitably be described as a plot. All a bit bleak and cheerless; inevitably comes across as slightly misogynistic too.
Well-directed in parts, with some good imagery and set piece scenes, but the movie struggles to give the cast the material they deserve and the meandering and repetitive storyline can only charitably be described as a plot. All a bit bleak and cheerless; inevitably comes across as slightly misogynistic too.
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) in Movies
Mar 23, 2018
Harmonica, and the orchestra of sounds (3 more)
The strength of a woman in this time period
a lesson in cinematography
Action has a lot of suspense before it, very thought out.
An epic opera of a western and an amazing feat of cinematography as well.
I adore this movie, it's my favorite western of all time, and the acting is top notch, it's visually stunning, it's a symphony of sounds to the ears. just the scene of the welcoming committee waiting on the train is an amazing piece of cinema. I could go on an on. I love how strong the women are in the film in unexpected ways. I love the traditional good guy as a bad guy. It's just plain amazing. It can be slow by modern standards, but isn't that also part of it's beauty, measured time.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made in Books
Sep 3, 2018
I cannot believe how boring this book is. I've always been fascinated by the Black Plague and the time period so I was rather excited to find this book. I wish I had looked through it before purchasing it as it has been a complete waste of time. It is the least engaging book I've ever read. Even Where's Waldo has more intrigue and adventure. I am halfway through it and I simply cannot remember anything that was written. None of the author's stories makes any sense. It's just pretentious drivel and as much as I hate to do it, I am going to throw the book away instead of finishing it and will NEVER buy anything from this author again. It's a sad state of affairs when an author cannot make one of the most interesting subjects come to life.
Milleen (47 KP) rated Birdcage Walk in Books
Nov 14, 2018 (Updated Nov 14, 2018)
This period drama has a dark, gothic uneasiness to it, but the tightly drawn characters, descriptive backdrop and DunmoreÕs powerful prose keep you reading. Lizzie Fawkes has been raised by a feisty mother, Julia an early advocate of women's rights and her stepfather Augustus who writes rousing political pamphlets. Lizzie has chosen to marry a sober, stoic gentleman, John Diner Tredevant, a property developer who has invested heavily in the construction of a terrace in Bristol and the entire household has moved to the Avon gorge to maintain their supportive, close-knit relationship. As the French Revolution rolls across the Channel, the house full of radicals await news from afar and the disruption echoes through their homes. Secrets and suspicions keep you interested in the story but it's the characters that provide the entertainment and emotional pull.
David McK (3716 KP) rated Master of Rome (Masters of the Sea, #3) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The third book in John Stack's 'Masters of the Sea' series, this continues the story of Atticus from the previous two novels. As I've said before, it's an interesting setting - the Roman Navy during the First Punic War - due to it's relative unfamiliarity to the reader: we're all aware of Hannibal crossing the Alps (which was during the Second Punic War), and of the might of the Roman army, but I can think of very few other books dealing with their navy!
This starts with teh Roman army defeated at Tunis, and then details the repercussions from this defeat and various other naval battles the fleet participates in. The novel also covers a long(ish) period of time: the events within are, sometimes, maybe a year or so apart.
Readable enough, but not a brilliant piece of writing.
This starts with teh Roman army defeated at Tunis, and then details the repercussions from this defeat and various other naval battles the fleet participates in. The novel also covers a long(ish) period of time: the events within are, sometimes, maybe a year or so apart.
Readable enough, but not a brilliant piece of writing.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Wicked Under the Covers (Carlisle Family, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This was my first book by this author, as well as being the first in her Carlisle Family series.
Although enjoyable, it's not a story I would be likely to pick up again. Early on in the book, the hero sees the heroine meet her mother in a restaurant - historical blunder there, as that type of establishment didn't exisit in that period.
I did like the hero, but felt that the ending was unsatisfactory. There were plenty of loose threads to tie up, but I felt it could have been handled better; I wanted to revel in the satisfaction of the villain and villainess getting their comeuppance but didn't quite get that, and the reunion of the hero and heroine pretty much decended into farce! It was too much.
Enjoyable enough, but I'm not tempted enough to pick up the sequel.
Although enjoyable, it's not a story I would be likely to pick up again. Early on in the book, the hero sees the heroine meet her mother in a restaurant - historical blunder there, as that type of establishment didn't exisit in that period.
I did like the hero, but felt that the ending was unsatisfactory. There were plenty of loose threads to tie up, but I felt it could have been handled better; I wanted to revel in the satisfaction of the villain and villainess getting their comeuppance but didn't quite get that, and the reunion of the hero and heroine pretty much decended into farce! It was too much.
Enjoyable enough, but I'm not tempted enough to pick up the sequel.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Roots of Betrayal (Clarenceux, #2) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The Roots of Betrayal carries on where Forrester's first novel, Sacred Treason, left off. Really you need to have read the first book before this as it will make much more sense.
It is a real page turner, but on reflection, the plot itself is almost a sideline to the characters and scenes of fighting, torture, etc going on around them! Plenty of blood is spilled during the novel, so not one for the faint hearted!
Forrester homself, alias historian Ian Mortimer, may rail against the description of his novels as historically accurate, but there is certainly a good period feel in the novel, although I'm not sure I'd be hopping in the TARDIS just yet to pay a visit to William Harley if these novels are an example of an average day at the office for him!
It is a real page turner, but on reflection, the plot itself is almost a sideline to the characters and scenes of fighting, torture, etc going on around them! Plenty of blood is spilled during the novel, so not one for the faint hearted!
Forrester homself, alias historian Ian Mortimer, may rail against the description of his novels as historically accurate, but there is certainly a good period feel in the novel, although I'm not sure I'd be hopping in the TARDIS just yet to pay a visit to William Harley if these novels are an example of an average day at the office for him!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Tell It to the Bees (2019) in Movies
Jul 24, 2019 (Updated Jul 25, 2019)
Well-staged hats-and-ciggies period drama struggles to find anything new to say, or indeed to surprise or engage in any way. Much-put-upon single mum (Grainger) meets newly-arrived town doctor (Paquin) in a laborious cute-meet; what follows you can probably write for yourself, with the exception of a really weird climax involving bees (the bees are a sort of motif throughout, but it's still weird).
Reasonably good acting, although Paquin's attempt at a Scottish accent is not particularly easy on the ear. The problem is that the film is deeply predictable and not especially subtle (the girl-on-girl stuff is classily handled, though). I found it quite heavy going; the bit with the magic bees is a genuine 'You WHAT?' moment bafflingly at odds with the dour realism of much of the rest of the film.
Reasonably good acting, although Paquin's attempt at a Scottish accent is not particularly easy on the ear. The problem is that the film is deeply predictable and not especially subtle (the girl-on-girl stuff is classily handled, though). I found it quite heavy going; the bit with the magic bees is a genuine 'You WHAT?' moment bafflingly at odds with the dour realism of much of the rest of the film.