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Oh Buoy (Voyagers #1)
8.0
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Andrew: I’ve traveled the world as a yacht steward for the past year, trying to outrun a broken...
Contemporary MM Romance Billionaire
Camping with the Boss (Pride Summer Camp 2025)
9.0
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“You have four hours to find your brother or take his place.” CEO Wade Darian is beastly in...
Contemporary MM Romance
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Super
#pixar #disney #incredibles2 is an exceptional #sequel with a much more mature tone & flawless #animation. After doing a double bill of the incredibles films today in #4k I found myself awe of the technical achievement on show. This #film is stunning & I mean visual #perfection, particle effects are complex & mesmerising, #eyes house tiny red veins, faces blush & cloths contain intricate stitching too with character animation also being fluid & #natural. Subject matter is dark this time around & deals with extremely #adult themes, parents might want to think twice before taking kids to see this one as id say almost 80% of the film is a heavily dialog driven #drama. I wont lie at times its incredibly intense, heavy going & hard work but its also always fascinating & higly rewarding housing many very real world/mature themes with great complexity & depth. With things getting very serious the film does break things up every now & again with just enough huge scale top notch memorable action set pieces & slick comedy to let your brain rest briefly (however I found most #Kids in my screening were getting restless & bored by then so parents may want to think twice before taking the #family). Themes of death, jealousy, trust, lies, parent roll reversal, balancing home #life & family with work, teaching kids to be themselves while also making sure they obey the law & fit in, as well as metaphors about technology enslaving us all & how superhero films are only pushed on us to distract us from real world problems & belief someone else will solve all our problems for us (this is not only refreshing but expertly handled & over flowing with intelligence giving the #film a more human, realistic & relevant tone). Voice work is simply top notch with #bobodenkirk being the most interesting & going the extra mile. Score & #sound design are also on point & at times I swear I thought #jackjack was a #kid in my screening running around behind me. The last 20mins felt a tad rushed but with such likeable & well fleshed out characters & a more mature story #incredibles 2 might just be the most intelligent & #fun #superhero film or the year. #odeon #odeonlimitless #beautiful #hero #super
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Breakfast Club (1985) in Movies
Mar 22, 2018
Classic 80's
Five teenagers form a bond while dealing with their personal issues during Saturday detention.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 7
The Breakfast Club gets off to a decent start as you're introduced to all the players, quickly getting a small taste of each of their personalities. Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) gets off to a roaring start where you come to hate him fairly quickly. The first ten minutes was enough to make me want to learn more about each of these characters and what in the world landed them in detention in the first place.
Characters: 10
All six of the primary characters had a solid foundation with their own personal story that made them unique. It fleshes out the idea that you never know what people are going through no matter how great their life must seem. Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) was the star wrestler and one of the most popular kids at his school. On the surface, he seemed to have it all together but ultimately he was suppressed by the desire to make his father happy. The characters all had their own story that defined them.
I appreciate that each of the characters had their share of flaws as well. I found myself hating them and loving them at the same time, sometimes with only a few minutes in between. It's the mark of real, well-developed characters you can actually get behind.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 10
Genre: 8
What are we calling this? Comedy? Drama? 80's film? While it certainly has its share of funny moments, I would consider it more of a drama. As dramas go, particularly 80's dramas, I think the film ranks right up there as a solid one that provides its share of conflict and depth.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
Plot: 9
Resolution: 5
Overall: 85
While The Breakfast Club hit me with the typical 80's vibe, it steps it up a notch by hitting you with serious issues to chew on. There are real moments here that leave an impact.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 7
The Breakfast Club gets off to a decent start as you're introduced to all the players, quickly getting a small taste of each of their personalities. Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) gets off to a roaring start where you come to hate him fairly quickly. The first ten minutes was enough to make me want to learn more about each of these characters and what in the world landed them in detention in the first place.
Characters: 10
All six of the primary characters had a solid foundation with their own personal story that made them unique. It fleshes out the idea that you never know what people are going through no matter how great their life must seem. Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) was the star wrestler and one of the most popular kids at his school. On the surface, he seemed to have it all together but ultimately he was suppressed by the desire to make his father happy. The characters all had their own story that defined them.
I appreciate that each of the characters had their share of flaws as well. I found myself hating them and loving them at the same time, sometimes with only a few minutes in between. It's the mark of real, well-developed characters you can actually get behind.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 10
Genre: 8
What are we calling this? Comedy? Drama? 80's film? While it certainly has its share of funny moments, I would consider it more of a drama. As dramas go, particularly 80's dramas, I think the film ranks right up there as a solid one that provides its share of conflict and depth.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
Plot: 9
Resolution: 5
Overall: 85
While The Breakfast Club hit me with the typical 80's vibe, it steps it up a notch by hitting you with serious issues to chew on. There are real moments here that leave an impact.
Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated The Little Shop of Found Things in Books
Dec 9, 2018
Plot (1 more)
Writing
A nice story that is a little too obvious
I was looking forward to reading this, the story sounded very interesting and something that is right up my alley. However, I was underwhelmed and dissapointed.
The Main character is like a cardboard cutout, glossy blonde ringlets, Dr Martens, beautiful singing voice, antique expert and a psychic gift, but no real depth till the end. You want to like her, her gist is interesting. You want to feel for her, looking after her sick mother, innocent and sent to jail, she has had a trying time. You want to root for her, but you can't, she's too 2 dimensional. I found Xanthe tinny and annoying, with an impulse to slap her, had she been real.
I wanted to like the story, love it, it was such a good idea. There are so many good elements, that put together right, should've made the book shine. But the whole book just hangs there, hollow. You don't feel anything much for the characters or their plight, it maybe stirs you a little in the second half of the book, but too little too late. The story plods along and doesn't build up intrigue like it should.
I was dissapointed, expecting so much more, it failed to deliver that imaginational jump. it is nothing more than words on a page, with no depth or room for your imagination. I found Blackburns writing too descriptive, she has a tendency to state the obvious to the reader when readers are not stupid, it is annoying and takes something away from the story. From the descriptions it is clear Blackburn has done her historical research and in that respect, she does bring to life the past.
One of the saving graces of the story is the telling of the relationshop between Xanthe and Samuel, it brings an emotional aspect to the book, that up until that point, was lacking.
Overall the story is predicatable, the writing ok, and the only reason you read to end is the optimistic hope that there will be some kind of twist or an unxpected resolution; you are left feeling underwhelmed and frustrated.
The Main character is like a cardboard cutout, glossy blonde ringlets, Dr Martens, beautiful singing voice, antique expert and a psychic gift, but no real depth till the end. You want to like her, her gist is interesting. You want to feel for her, looking after her sick mother, innocent and sent to jail, she has had a trying time. You want to root for her, but you can't, she's too 2 dimensional. I found Xanthe tinny and annoying, with an impulse to slap her, had she been real.
I wanted to like the story, love it, it was such a good idea. There are so many good elements, that put together right, should've made the book shine. But the whole book just hangs there, hollow. You don't feel anything much for the characters or their plight, it maybe stirs you a little in the second half of the book, but too little too late. The story plods along and doesn't build up intrigue like it should.
I was dissapointed, expecting so much more, it failed to deliver that imaginational jump. it is nothing more than words on a page, with no depth or room for your imagination. I found Blackburns writing too descriptive, she has a tendency to state the obvious to the reader when readers are not stupid, it is annoying and takes something away from the story. From the descriptions it is clear Blackburn has done her historical research and in that respect, she does bring to life the past.
One of the saving graces of the story is the telling of the relationshop between Xanthe and Samuel, it brings an emotional aspect to the book, that up until that point, was lacking.
Overall the story is predicatable, the writing ok, and the only reason you read to end is the optimistic hope that there will be some kind of twist or an unxpected resolution; you are left feeling underwhelmed and frustrated.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Kindle E-Reader in Tech
Dec 6, 2018
Couldn’t live without it
I’m one of those people that loves real books. I collect real books, and used to enjoy going to the library and borrowing stacks of books all the time. I always mocked Kindles, because you couldn’t borrow books like in a normal library and I just didn’t see the benefit to owning one. However as time went on, I began to reconsider a Kindle, especially as I found out some of my local libraries were closing down and they had instead launched an e-book borrowing service with a fairly decent catalogue of books. Eventually I caved and bought a Kindle last year in the Black Friday sales, and I’ve never looked back since.
I bought a Paperwhite (3rd gen) and I absolutely love it. The screen is fantastic and is perfect to read in any type of light, and there are enough functions available to adjust the display to meet your own personal requirements. It has only 3gb of space, which sounds terribly small, however I have over 500 books saved on mine and have used only 800mb, so storage space definitely isn’t a problem. The battery life is impressive, to the point where I forget it actually has a battery that needs charging, it lasts that long. It’s fairly light and is so easy to carry around and take out, no matter how small my bag is.
My only criticism is around the user interface itself. I like that it allows you to create collections to be able to sort your books easily and also that it can be easily linked to your Goodreads account. However the interface itself is very clunky and quite slow at times. When you’re used to tapping away on smart phones and tablets, it can be frustrating to navigate through the Kindle’s menus which are a lot slower than I’d like. But that said, the interface minor issues are never usually a problem when you’re reading a book, it’s only on the menu/store screens.
But this is only a really minor criticism. I absolutely love my Kindle, and although I do still enjoy reading normal books, the Kindle is definitely here to stay.
I bought a Paperwhite (3rd gen) and I absolutely love it. The screen is fantastic and is perfect to read in any type of light, and there are enough functions available to adjust the display to meet your own personal requirements. It has only 3gb of space, which sounds terribly small, however I have over 500 books saved on mine and have used only 800mb, so storage space definitely isn’t a problem. The battery life is impressive, to the point where I forget it actually has a battery that needs charging, it lasts that long. It’s fairly light and is so easy to carry around and take out, no matter how small my bag is.
My only criticism is around the user interface itself. I like that it allows you to create collections to be able to sort your books easily and also that it can be easily linked to your Goodreads account. However the interface itself is very clunky and quite slow at times. When you’re used to tapping away on smart phones and tablets, it can be frustrating to navigate through the Kindle’s menus which are a lot slower than I’d like. But that said, the interface minor issues are never usually a problem when you’re reading a book, it’s only on the menu/store screens.
But this is only a really minor criticism. I absolutely love my Kindle, and although I do still enjoy reading normal books, the Kindle is definitely here to stay.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Magic - Single by ABC Dialect in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Abc Dialect is an electronic duo based in Barcelona, Spain. Not too long ago, they released a lovely music video for their “Magic” single.
The audiovisual tells an interesting tale of a young man who purchases a bird from a pet store.
Later, the video follows him as he adapts a loving companionship between him and his new pet.
‘Magic’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and groovy instrumentation flavored with funky synthesizers, glistening keys, clean guitar chords, and enchanting flute.
Also, the likable tune showcases the group’s harmonically bright production which evokes a sense of smooth laidback euphoria.
“For this track, we’ve decided to go with a more organic approach. Recording live drums together with keyboards and bass and then adding some guitars, synths, flute, and vocals. We tried to keep the instrumental as simple and groovy as possible in order to give more space to the vocals and the flute which are the key elements on this track. The lyrics are simple but effective and relatable. The song had started being much more electronic and fast until we understood that it was meant to be much more real and pure.” – Abc Dialect
Abc Dialect formed in 2017 by London-based Argentinians, Tomás Susevich and Luca Oliva Knight.
The origin of their name was inspired by a trip to Japan, where they realized the dialect of their music was different than that of other cultures on the eastern side of the world.
This was a defining moment for the songwriters as they knew that they wanted their music to extend past the western hemisphere.
Therefore, they selected their name as a play on words addressing the dialect in which their music is created. Their goal is to have their music universally accepted by all.
Abc Dialect cites influences from both the past and present and draws inspiration from legacy acts such as Kool & The Gang, The Whispers, The Whitest Boy Alive, and Jamiroquai.
‘Magic’ is the first single from their upcoming EP, entitled, “Real Life”, available on June 13, 2019, via Casablanca Sunset.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/abc-dialect-magic/
The audiovisual tells an interesting tale of a young man who purchases a bird from a pet store.
Later, the video follows him as he adapts a loving companionship between him and his new pet.
‘Magic’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and groovy instrumentation flavored with funky synthesizers, glistening keys, clean guitar chords, and enchanting flute.
Also, the likable tune showcases the group’s harmonically bright production which evokes a sense of smooth laidback euphoria.
“For this track, we’ve decided to go with a more organic approach. Recording live drums together with keyboards and bass and then adding some guitars, synths, flute, and vocals. We tried to keep the instrumental as simple and groovy as possible in order to give more space to the vocals and the flute which are the key elements on this track. The lyrics are simple but effective and relatable. The song had started being much more electronic and fast until we understood that it was meant to be much more real and pure.” – Abc Dialect
Abc Dialect formed in 2017 by London-based Argentinians, Tomás Susevich and Luca Oliva Knight.
The origin of their name was inspired by a trip to Japan, where they realized the dialect of their music was different than that of other cultures on the eastern side of the world.
This was a defining moment for the songwriters as they knew that they wanted their music to extend past the western hemisphere.
Therefore, they selected their name as a play on words addressing the dialect in which their music is created. Their goal is to have their music universally accepted by all.
Abc Dialect cites influences from both the past and present and draws inspiration from legacy acts such as Kool & The Gang, The Whispers, The Whitest Boy Alive, and Jamiroquai.
‘Magic’ is the first single from their upcoming EP, entitled, “Real Life”, available on June 13, 2019, via Casablanca Sunset.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/abc-dialect-magic/
This is the second Neil Gaimen book I read, my first taste was American Gods which I really enjoyed. I had been thinking of reading Stardust for quite some time. Having watched the film version many times (love it by the way) I was intrigued to see how the book measured up. Normally I read a book and then see the film, but in this instance I was unaware there was a book. I won’t really compare the two together as actually they are pretty different and, I do love the film. That said I really enjoyed reading Stardust, I have to say I was really surprised by the content. Having assumed it was more of a children’s story I must say I was taken aback by the more adult themes included. But I am a reader who does not shy away from more graphic details, in fact I prefer their inclusion. It makes stories feel less teen-angst like. In real life that’s what sexual tension brings. I didn’t feel it was overdone or smutty, it was just there right where it was meant to be.
Basically this was a children’s tale for adults. I enjoy Gaimen’s writing style and found myself completely immersed in this world he created. It was a fairly short book and I wish it had been longer, just because I wasn’t ever bored or feeling like the story wasn’t going anywhere. I think I could have happily journey along with Tristran and Yvaine for another 200-300 pages. Although with it being a nice small book I can see myself returning to it again in the future for a happy quick read. Just as my one little bug bear I would have like more character development with Tristran, from his puppy love beginnings to him becoming real man. This may just be because I’ve seen the film first and I feel they brought that out of his character more so. Anyway, I think I will now have to read all of Gaimen’s other books, I feel really behind on the Gaimen Train.
Basically this was a children’s tale for adults. I enjoy Gaimen’s writing style and found myself completely immersed in this world he created. It was a fairly short book and I wish it had been longer, just because I wasn’t ever bored or feeling like the story wasn’t going anywhere. I think I could have happily journey along with Tristran and Yvaine for another 200-300 pages. Although with it being a nice small book I can see myself returning to it again in the future for a happy quick read. Just as my one little bug bear I would have like more character development with Tristran, from his puppy love beginnings to him becoming real man. This may just be because I’ve seen the film first and I feel they brought that out of his character more so. Anyway, I think I will now have to read all of Gaimen’s other books, I feel really behind on the Gaimen Train.
ClareR (5991 KP) rated Happy Family in Books
Oct 29, 2019
One to look out for next year!
Happy Family is set in the near future, where people game via glasses and one augmented reality game in particular is very popular: Happy Family. This game was invented by Tom Hannah, also an artist, who has hidden himself away with his suicidal thoughts in Spain in the middle of nowhere, after the death of his mother. Germaine Kiecke, an art academic, is a huge fan of Tom’s and wants to interview him for her new book. But Tom is guarded by a strange girl and three huge dogs who are named after the Marx brothers. Germaine has had a traumatic upbringing as an orphan in Belgium in a notorious orphanage called ‘Motherhood’. Thus she finds it impossible to express her feelings except through Tom’s game Happy Family. So when she finds out that something threatens this game for her and millions of others, she’s forced to take a look at how she lives her life.
Germaine was a difficult character to get an understanding of, but I think in view of her childhood that was reasonable. The other characters who also relied on Tom Hannah in some way were actually very amusing - whether they were supposed to be or not, I don’t know, but towards the end of the novel, their antics descended (or ascended!) into slapstick. For various reasons that I won’t go into (I don’t want to spoil it!), this was both sad and funny - there was a healthy dose of black humour throughout really.
I read this on The Pigeonhole, and the other readers had a real mix of opinions: it seems to have been a real ‘marmite’ book. Personally, I loved it. It ticked a lot of boxes for me, first and foremost being it’s quirkiness. There was some gaming talk, but it was relevant to the story and the characters, and I don’t actually think there was that much considering that it was set against the backdrop of the game (and lets face it, I have two teenage sons who are obsessed with the Xbox 🙄).
I really enjoyed this book, and thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising it.
Germaine was a difficult character to get an understanding of, but I think in view of her childhood that was reasonable. The other characters who also relied on Tom Hannah in some way were actually very amusing - whether they were supposed to be or not, I don’t know, but towards the end of the novel, their antics descended (or ascended!) into slapstick. For various reasons that I won’t go into (I don’t want to spoil it!), this was both sad and funny - there was a healthy dose of black humour throughout really.
I read this on The Pigeonhole, and the other readers had a real mix of opinions: it seems to have been a real ‘marmite’ book. Personally, I loved it. It ticked a lot of boxes for me, first and foremost being it’s quirkiness. There was some gaming talk, but it was relevant to the story and the characters, and I don’t actually think there was that much considering that it was set against the backdrop of the game (and lets face it, I have two teenage sons who are obsessed with the Xbox 🙄).
I really enjoyed this book, and thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising it.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Queen's Gambit in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This wasn't a bad début novel by any means and it seems that lots of people really enjoyed it. I didn't dislike it, I actually found it a pleasant read, but it was also fairly undemanding. You might want that from a book sometimes or you may want something a bit more challenging. It may be that there are so many historical novels out there and of these ones about the Tudors top the leaderboard by a mile, so for me, a Tudor historical novel needs to really outstandingly good to make it stand out from the crowd. I also read a fair bit of 'proper' history (i.e. non-fiction books), so perhaps I know too much for there to be any surprises awaiting me? I do tend to get riled by bizarre deviations from historical fact.
Anyway, the novel deals with part of the life of Katherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII, starting with the death of her second husband and continuing just past her own demise. I suppose an historical novel will give the author more leeway to explain real events and there is a sort of expectation that a book should be a nice tidy package, explaining everything within its covers. I don't really feel that Fremantle does this with the Parr/Seymour relationship. It's not easy to see why an intelligent woman could be taken in by a man like this anyway, but in the book it was as if Katherine actually was attracted to him against her will, so the relationship never sat quite happily for me. The other main protagonist is a woman called Dorothy (Dot) Fownten, who acts very much as a maidservant to Katherine, and her stepdaughter, Meg Neville. I was interested to learn that Dot was a real historical character, but so little is known of her that Fremantle has had the liberty of embroidering her story.
As I said, not a bad book. Good if you want something fairly undemanding, such as a beach read. I suspect it will appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, but those who prefer Penman may find it a little lacking.
Anyway, the novel deals with part of the life of Katherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII, starting with the death of her second husband and continuing just past her own demise. I suppose an historical novel will give the author more leeway to explain real events and there is a sort of expectation that a book should be a nice tidy package, explaining everything within its covers. I don't really feel that Fremantle does this with the Parr/Seymour relationship. It's not easy to see why an intelligent woman could be taken in by a man like this anyway, but in the book it was as if Katherine actually was attracted to him against her will, so the relationship never sat quite happily for me. The other main protagonist is a woman called Dorothy (Dot) Fownten, who acts very much as a maidservant to Katherine, and her stepdaughter, Meg Neville. I was interested to learn that Dot was a real historical character, but so little is known of her that Fremantle has had the liberty of embroidering her story.
As I said, not a bad book. Good if you want something fairly undemanding, such as a beach read. I suspect it will appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, but those who prefer Penman may find it a little lacking.