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Luke (278 KP) rated La La Land (2016) in Movies

Jul 21, 2017  
La La Land (2016)
La La Land (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Emma Stone (0 more)
The Songs Are Very Good (1 more)
It Can't Decide What Kind Of Film It Wants To Be
The People Handing Out Awards & Praise For This Film Are In La La Land
As a man that loves musicals, I do not love this. There are amazing musicals such as Les Mis which is breath taking in everyway, then theres disappointments like this.
Its a shame becuase i love emma stone, any film she does automatically drags it up to a better standard. However the style of singing at parts was not her best, she has a beautiful voice when she sings, slow talk singing doesnt work best for her.
When me and my wife first saw the trailer we said "Deffinatly not watching that it looks like a mess" but after all the awards we thought we would give it a go.
The best way to summarise would be to describe the cinema, There a lot of people of all different ages. I look around near the end and i can see people putting there jackets on wanting to leave, as soon as it ends a older man stands up and turns to his wife and says "What a crock of S*%&"... I laughed quite hard that he said it that loud we heard it across the room, but that was the feel of the room
  
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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Insider in Books

Jan 15, 2018  
TI
The Insider
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a aurprisingly great read! I love reading books by authors that I've not read previously. I got into the book with the hope of finding a new favorite author or at least someone whose books I want to continue to watch for. On the downside, that has also lead to reading books that just don't even some close to fulfilling that place.
This one is not one of those books though, I'm thrilled to say! I am a HUGE fan of Steve Berry & David Baldacci & Reese Hirsch has come as close to anyone else in mathcing their writing style, plot twists, & wonderful character development. For an author I'd never heard of until picking up this book, I'd say that is pretty high praise.
This books tells the story of Will Connelly. A newly minted partner in a large corporate law firm in California. He decides to go out to celebrate his newfound partnership & unbeknownst to him, finds himself in the cosshairs of some ladder climber Russian mafia wannabes. This leads to investigations targeting Will by the SFPD, SEC, & DOJ among other law enforcement agencies. The characters are well developed & believeable. The plot twists & turns without becoming to weighed down by all the legal jargon or government agencies.
I look forward to more by this author!
  
TG
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Melissa Bank | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
4
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reaching the end of the book (0 more)
Uninspiring lead character (0 more)
Disappointing, dreary book
This book came with high acclaim and good reviews. Maybe that upped my expectations but I came away feeling quite disappointed and unsatisfied.
The writing felt very immature - a throwback to how I used to write when I was in primary school; he said "this" and she said "that".
There were very little descriptors about the settings and characters; everything felt flat and definitely not technicolour.
I had kept an open mind when I was reading the first section, the character was young, so perhaps she'd develop and the writing style would advance with it. No such luck.
I didn't warm to the characters at all and found I was grateful when I finished the book. Like a rubbish film, you have to get to the end just to make sure what you imagined actually happened.
The comparisons to Bridget Jones' Diary are too high a praise for this book. I thought, especially with the title, that she might be on a voyage to independence and develop into a strong woman but actually, it was very sexist and I felt quite frustrated by the outdated and misogynistic views of women. Disappointing read and I'd not recommend. Try it if you want, but that's my pennies worth...
  
Young Adult (2011)
Young Adult (2011)
2011 | Comedy, Drama
8
7.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Charlize Theron (2 more)
Patton Oswalt
Elizabeth Reaser
Patrick Wilson (0 more)
Adulting Not Suited For Everyone
First off, in order to enjoy this deliciously vapid slice of life film I highly recommend suspending your moral compass to get a truly enjoyable viewing. Charlize Theron is absolutely PERFECT as ghost writer Mavis Gary, who for the most part, hasn't matured beyond her glory days as a popular high school cheerleader and displays questionable morality traits as the film progresses. She's tall, blonde, and beautiful and as such was destined to go on to do amazing things in life...until life got in the way. Enjoying moderate success as a ghost writer of a once popular young adult series, Mavis's only real source of income is dwindling, as the series is coming to an end as she struggles to write a satisfactory ending which mirrors what's happening in her own personal life. As luck would have it, an old high school flame of Mavis's sends her an e-vite to a celebration for the birth of his first child and the events that unfold is anything short of cringe worthy, rage, and ultimately dissapointment. I highly recommend this quant little film that I feel doesn't get nearly as much attention and praise as it deserves, it makes for one heck of a Friday night in!
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Chernobyl in TV

Jun 11, 2019  
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
2019 | Action, Drama, History
Hauntingly moving.
Unlike a lot of TV I’ve watched lately this is non stop gripping from beginning to end. I was constantly on full alert to what was happening and didn’t even glance at my phone while watching (high praise from a phone addict!) This dramatisation of the 1986 nuclear accident is one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever watched.

The terrifying detail shown of the effects of a high dose of radiation had was hard to watch, even for my horror hardened eyes. Seeing dogs being killed almost broke me but it was the little personal narratives (on the whole very well acted) throughout that brought home what a huge tragedy this event was. The whole thing is depicted with perfectly haunting cinematography.

The timing of this seems to also have a poignant feel to it with a close look at the consequences of the secretive nature of the Soviet government and the spin they wanted to put on the accident in the news for the rest of the world to see. Fake news is no new phenomenon….

This is one of those important real life stories that has a lot for us to learn from it and also happens to be an incredibly well done piece of TV. Everyone should watch (age appropriately, of course.)
  
The Hills Run Red (2009)
The Hills Run Red (2009)
2009 | Horror
Awesome kills (2 more)
William Sadler is AMAZING as usual
Pretty good story line
Kinda predictable (0 more)
Indie Horror that kicks Mainstreams Ass
Going in to an indie film. I kinda hold my breath for the possibility that it could suck big time.
But, with this movie I was shockingly surprised with what transpired here.
Knowing a head of time the outcome of this film, because I have big mouthed friends, i was able to breathe comfortably and enjoy this movie.
It got right in to the death and disturbing story. It got all gross and disturbing just how I like them.
The only thing that truly bothered me about this movie is the incestual storyline that, while it made sense to the overall outcome of the film, it kind of put a damper on the last 30 minutes of the movie.
Incestual characters have been a staple in horror. From the Sawyers to the Wrong Turn mountain men. All of which provided amazing franchise horror movies.
The fact that this movie almost beats to death that Dollface is the product of incest is kind of annoying.
But all in all, this movie is fun, gross, disturbing and ultra cool.
All praise indie films folks, without them there would be almost no good horror films to view for sickening individuals such as myself.
  
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Different to other Marvel films (1 more)
Strong female characters
CGI (2 more)
Some under developed characters
Weak villain
Good but a little overrated
Considering the general praise for this film, I had been expecting great things and although for a Marvel origins film it's pretty good, I still found it a bit disappointing.

I like T'Challa as a main character and I love some of the strong female characters in this film. His sister especially is fantastic and brings some welcome humour too. This isn't your typical Marvel film, and feels like it has more meaning and depth, although this means the humour side is a little lacking. Its also good not to have this bogged down with other characters from the universe.


My problems were that it felt like it dragged a bit and I was almost getting bored. The CGI is very patchy in places to the point it gets distracting and despite some good characters, I feel a lot of others are very under developed, like Forest Whitaker and Daniel Kaluuya. Martin Freeman's character could have been removed from the film entirely with no impact. Also I felt Erik was a bit of a weak villain and Andy Serkis was much more better placed and would have brought a bit more character.


All in all its a good and different origin story, but not one of my favourites.
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Jun 23, 2018

Spot on review Sarah. Just watched for the first time tonight.

A Most Noble Heir
A Most Noble Heir
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Such a fun and unique story! Tensions are high as we begin this story and don't release until the end. I just had to know how it was all going to work out. Hannah has severe insecurities, and although relatable, a couple times I thought I was going to have to purse whomp her. Nolan...while sweet and charming, was a bit pig-headed on a couple of occasions. Watching Hannah and Nolan work through their insecurities and fears was real and heartbreaking. But I love, LOVE, how the author infuses the situation with GOD! It is truly amazing what can happen when we let HIM lead us, heal us, and strengthen us.

Set in the Victorian era, Susan Anne Mason brings to life the upstairs/downstairs aspects and the brilliance of them intertwining in an unexpected way. Conflicted between his heart and duty, will Nolan become the heir worthy of his father's praise and Hannah's heart? Can Hannah adjust to the changes in life now demanded of her?

Filled with surprises, excitements, devastations, and romance...This is a perfect book for reading on vacation this year! So grab your copy from the library or bookstore now.

I received a complimentary copy of A Most Noble Heir from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
    Zoo Train

    Zoo Train

    Education and Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Zoo Train features 5 different educational games plus sticker rewards for kids 2-5. Award-winning,...