Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2334)

Content

Awix (3310 KP) rated Dirty Work (1933) in Movies

Feb 19, 2019

Dirty Work (1933)

1933 | Comedy

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

A cautionary tale of hubristic science operating beyond the constraints of morality, and poor health and safety standards too. Stan and Ollie's latest venture is sweeping people's chimneys for them; they pitch up at the home of mad scientist Professor Noodle who is working on a rejuvenation elixir.

Not quite one of the boys' first-rate shorts - obviously there is boundless potential in the notion of Laurel and Hardy as chimney sweeps (Ollie falls down the chimney, off the roof, etc, etc, while Stan destroys the interior decorations of the house), but the mad scientist plotline feels oddly grafted on and the concluding scenes are peculiar rather than funny. First two-thirds makes the film more than worthwhile, though.

Kudos

Dean (6927 KP) rated Time Trap (2017) in Movies

May 23, 2019

Cool ideas (0 more)

A good low budget surprise

I stumbled across this on Sky cinema the other night. Never heard of it before but saw good reviews for it, so tried it out. It's quite a simple film in terms of plot. Some kids go looking down a cave for a missing professor. Things go from bad to worse once they are down there. If you like sci-fi films about time travel or the like you will like this quite a bit. The budget is low and the acting isn't great but the ideas in the film make up for it. Worth checking out if you are stuck with what to watch.

Kudos

Chrissy (8 KP) rated An Equation For Murder in Books

Jan 25, 2018

An Equation For Murder

Jayne Nichols | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I found myself quickly interested in the story of Sam and Lilly. The older woman, who gives so much of herself to everyone else and finally decides to do something for herself. The slightly younger man, a professor, who usually tries to avoid all of the women in his classes. It's a forbidden romance, that is just so right.

I was frustrated when the story would shift from their lives to these other characters that I couldn't figure out why I was reading about them. Then when the two stories merged everything got so much more intense and I couldn't stop until I finished.

Wonderful read.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Kudos

Erika (17789 KP) rated Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded in Books

Feb 1, 2020

This novel is commonly known as the first true English novel, as well as the first epistolary novel. I've taken numerous British and English Literature classes, but had not been introduced to this novel until I studied in England and took an English novel class taught by a German professor who learned English solely so he could read Shakespeare in the vernacular. I'm glad that this prof included this wonderful novel. It was a nice change from just assigning Jane Eyre and Great Expectations.
It's an interesting study on Pamela, and spawned so many great, satirical novels. This is definitely a must read if you like classic literature and enjoy reading the novels that shaped the literature of today.

Kudos

David McK (3600 KP) rated Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason in Books

Apr 12, 2020

At first, I must admit, I wondered what a Sherlock Holmes story that had not been written by Arthur Conan Doyle would be like.

And then I listened to this.

Set in the 'traditional' Sherlock Holmes setting of late in Queen Victoria's reign (in this case, after Reichenbach Falls) - instead of the more contemporary setting popularised by TVs Sherlock - this did take me a bit to get into.

However, it is impeccably produced and acted - even if it relies quite heavily on flashbacks - taking in such key characters as Sherlock himself, Dr Watson, Sherlock's brother Mycroft and Professor Moriarty, in a mystery around the kidnapping of the Queen!
(I was never taught that in school …)