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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Gregory and the Grimbockle in Books
Feb 11, 2018
Such a fun, imaginative read!
Gregory and the Grimbockle was one of the funniest and cute books that I’ve read with my child in a long time. It was so imaginative and fantastical. We loved the adorable illustrations, but were very glad that the Grimbockle was never illustrated going into or out of his temporary home. The sheer grossness of how that happened was so at odds with the cuteness of everything else, but it worked really well together strangely.
Melanie Schubert has enormous talent that Abigail Kraft complemented perfectly. This story of a boy who doesn’t quite fit in, who is teased and sometimes bullied, and is from a home that is neither loving nor abusive will resonate with a lot of younger readers, I believe. His situation isn’t one of extremes and as a result he’s more easy to relate to. The adventures that he goes on with the Grimbockle are pure fiction, but the truth he learns along the way about the large impact that small gestures can have means is not. As a parent, that truth – that our actions have much more an impact that we might think – is one that I enjoyed having a chance to talk about with my child through the lens of Gregory and the Grimbockle.
The only thing we didn’t like about Gregory and the Grimbockle was the way it ended. It just felt like it ended too abruptly. The transition from childhood to “okay, he’s growing up now” happened so quickly that we had to re-read to make sure we hadn’t accidentally missed a few pages. While I can see why the author did it the way she did, by the time closed the book, we were both already mourning the exiting of the Bockles from our world.
Gregory and the Grimbockle is a book that any parent should delight in picking up to read with their children. It’s an easy read, a short one, and it helps reinforce an important lesson. You’ll be missing out if you don’t give it a try.
This review appeared first at Sci-Fi & Scary.
Melanie Schubert has enormous talent that Abigail Kraft complemented perfectly. This story of a boy who doesn’t quite fit in, who is teased and sometimes bullied, and is from a home that is neither loving nor abusive will resonate with a lot of younger readers, I believe. His situation isn’t one of extremes and as a result he’s more easy to relate to. The adventures that he goes on with the Grimbockle are pure fiction, but the truth he learns along the way about the large impact that small gestures can have means is not. As a parent, that truth – that our actions have much more an impact that we might think – is one that I enjoyed having a chance to talk about with my child through the lens of Gregory and the Grimbockle.
The only thing we didn’t like about Gregory and the Grimbockle was the way it ended. It just felt like it ended too abruptly. The transition from childhood to “okay, he’s growing up now” happened so quickly that we had to re-read to make sure we hadn’t accidentally missed a few pages. While I can see why the author did it the way she did, by the time closed the book, we were both already mourning the exiting of the Bockles from our world.
Gregory and the Grimbockle is a book that any parent should delight in picking up to read with their children. It’s an easy read, a short one, and it helps reinforce an important lesson. You’ll be missing out if you don’t give it a try.
This review appeared first at Sci-Fi & Scary.
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated The Sleeper in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Interesting elements for a kids book
The Sleeper is a 96-page science fiction mystery early chapter book. It comes with a few accompanying discussion questions at the back, as well as with some writing prompts and a basic glossary. These writing prompts encourage the reader to continue to interact with the story on their own terms. It plunges the reader right into a world that is theoretically just a few days away from getting destroyed by aliens. But the viewpoint the story is being told from is different than you might expect.
The illustrations in The Sleeper are black and white and surprisingly creepy. The illustrator, Tom Percival, does a solid job doing things like showing how even a smile can be rather disturbing. Nothing is graphic or outright scary at all, and yet readers can definitely experience an unease just looking at the pictures.
The Sleeper introduces the concept of a sleeper agent to young readers. I thought this was interesting and wasn't expecting it even though the title should have been a dead giveaway. In my defense, the cover for The Sleeper and the two line synopsis don't exactly tell you what to expect other than aliens!
While there are several good points to The Sleeper, I can't say I particularly liked it. It felt too brief and even though the discussion questions invite the reader to continue the story, it ends on a massive cliffhanger regarding one of the kids' fate. This may be deliberate, and for younger readers, it may actually work out well. It enables the child to feel a sense of accomplishment that they finished a book, and yet provides the impetus for them to pick up the next one. (Still made me twitch as it reeks too much of the chop-job that some authors like to do to a plot to sell more books.)
Overall, The Sleeper was an okay read. If it gets even a handful of kids interested enough to pick up another book, then it is has done its job. And, as always, it's nice to see a beginning chapter book that focuses on science fiction!
The illustrations in The Sleeper are black and white and surprisingly creepy. The illustrator, Tom Percival, does a solid job doing things like showing how even a smile can be rather disturbing. Nothing is graphic or outright scary at all, and yet readers can definitely experience an unease just looking at the pictures.
The Sleeper introduces the concept of a sleeper agent to young readers. I thought this was interesting and wasn't expecting it even though the title should have been a dead giveaway. In my defense, the cover for The Sleeper and the two line synopsis don't exactly tell you what to expect other than aliens!
While there are several good points to The Sleeper, I can't say I particularly liked it. It felt too brief and even though the discussion questions invite the reader to continue the story, it ends on a massive cliffhanger regarding one of the kids' fate. This may be deliberate, and for younger readers, it may actually work out well. It enables the child to feel a sense of accomplishment that they finished a book, and yet provides the impetus for them to pick up the next one. (Still made me twitch as it reeks too much of the chop-job that some authors like to do to a plot to sell more books.)
Overall, The Sleeper was an okay read. If it gets even a handful of kids interested enough to pick up another book, then it is has done its job. And, as always, it's nice to see a beginning chapter book that focuses on science fiction!
Debbiereadsbook (1487 KP) rated Hardened Hearts in Books
Mar 8, 2018
VERY DIFFERENT!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this collection.
Most of the books I read these days have romance of some description in them. And inevitably, there will be a Happy Ever After.
So, it makes to change to read a collection of books that, while following the romance theme, there ain't no hearts and flowers, there ain't no Happy Ever After either. Because, just as much as falling in love can be the best thing that happens to you, it can also be the worst.
I didn't read all the stories here, about half I read. The ones I did read were very well written, in various ways from first and third person, and in past and present tense. Some about normal everyday people, some paranormal, some scary, and some were just plain weird. There was one book, that I could not read, that is written in the second person, as in YOU. Very odd.
But the one that stuck with me is possibly the shortest one here. Its only maybe 4 pages, but it proper had me bawling my eyes out!
It Breaks My Heart To Watch You Rot, by Somer Canon, 4 pages but 5 full stars!
It tells the story of a woman whose husband (partner, lover, it matters not) has clearly lost his mind but she still visits, still tells him the car is his, that SHE is his. She takes him out, every Saturday, as he used to do himself. And then she gets the call he is gone. No names are mentioned, just he/she and him/her, but it gets the point across.
"Love didn't provide the real happy ending. There is no such thing between two lovers such as them."
If you want something a little (and a LOT) different, this one will be for you. If you are feeling very anti-Valentine's, again, one for you.
Just don't expect Cupid's Bow to be anywhere around.
For the ten books that I read, 4 stars overall, with 5 Stars for the book mentioned.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Most of the books I read these days have romance of some description in them. And inevitably, there will be a Happy Ever After.
So, it makes to change to read a collection of books that, while following the romance theme, there ain't no hearts and flowers, there ain't no Happy Ever After either. Because, just as much as falling in love can be the best thing that happens to you, it can also be the worst.
I didn't read all the stories here, about half I read. The ones I did read were very well written, in various ways from first and third person, and in past and present tense. Some about normal everyday people, some paranormal, some scary, and some were just plain weird. There was one book, that I could not read, that is written in the second person, as in YOU. Very odd.
But the one that stuck with me is possibly the shortest one here. Its only maybe 4 pages, but it proper had me bawling my eyes out!
It Breaks My Heart To Watch You Rot, by Somer Canon, 4 pages but 5 full stars!
It tells the story of a woman whose husband (partner, lover, it matters not) has clearly lost his mind but she still visits, still tells him the car is his, that SHE is his. She takes him out, every Saturday, as he used to do himself. And then she gets the call he is gone. No names are mentioned, just he/she and him/her, but it gets the point across.
"Love didn't provide the real happy ending. There is no such thing between two lovers such as them."
If you want something a little (and a LOT) different, this one will be for you. If you are feeling very anti-Valentine's, again, one for you.
Just don't expect Cupid's Bow to be anywhere around.
For the ten books that I read, 4 stars overall, with 5 Stars for the book mentioned.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Louise (64 KP) rated Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I picked this up around Halloween time wanting some scary reads to get me in the mood. When I saw they were by Roald Dahl himself, I thought I was in for a treat. I was sadly disappointed, reading the introduction I found that this was not the case, however I continued on as I thought it would be interesting to read some different authors.
The book consisted of 14 short stories, some longer than others and some quiet spooky whilst the others were just a bit dark.
Here is a list of the stories in the book:
W.S by L.P.Hartley
Harry by Rosemary Timperley
The Corner shop by Cynthia Asquith
In the Tube by E.F.Benson
Christmas meeting by Rosemary Timperley
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie
Playmates by A.M. Burrage
Ringing the changes by Robert Aickman
The Telephone by Mary Treadgold
The Ghost of a Hand by J.Sheridan Le Fanu
The Sweeper by A.M Burrage
On the Brighton Road by Richard Middleton
Afterward by Edith Warton
The Upper Berth by Marion Crawford
The scariest one for me was the Ghost of a hand, that could be because I was reading it at 1am in the morning with everyone asleep, the sounds of the house creaking and the wind outside added to the spookiness.
My top three are The Ghost of a Hand, Harry and Ringing the Changes,however they weren't great. I felt really let down by this selection of short stories, they didn't seem to have very satisfying ends and they were somewhat predictable.
Also there is an introduction from Roald Dahl himself stating that he read over 700 short stories trying to find the best, I seriously can't believe these were the best ones he found and then he was rambling on about women being better at writing ghost stories and men being better at general fiction which I felt was irrelevant but I suppose he had a certain amount of words to fulfil.
Maybe I am being a little harsh, seeing as the book is 30 years old and the stories are even older than that.
Let me know if you have read this book, and what you thought.
Overall I gave this 3 out of 5 stars
The book consisted of 14 short stories, some longer than others and some quiet spooky whilst the others were just a bit dark.
Here is a list of the stories in the book:
W.S by L.P.Hartley
Harry by Rosemary Timperley
The Corner shop by Cynthia Asquith
In the Tube by E.F.Benson
Christmas meeting by Rosemary Timperley
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie
Playmates by A.M. Burrage
Ringing the changes by Robert Aickman
The Telephone by Mary Treadgold
The Ghost of a Hand by J.Sheridan Le Fanu
The Sweeper by A.M Burrage
On the Brighton Road by Richard Middleton
Afterward by Edith Warton
The Upper Berth by Marion Crawford
The scariest one for me was the Ghost of a hand, that could be because I was reading it at 1am in the morning with everyone asleep, the sounds of the house creaking and the wind outside added to the spookiness.
My top three are The Ghost of a Hand, Harry and Ringing the Changes,however they weren't great. I felt really let down by this selection of short stories, they didn't seem to have very satisfying ends and they were somewhat predictable.
Also there is an introduction from Roald Dahl himself stating that he read over 700 short stories trying to find the best, I seriously can't believe these were the best ones he found and then he was rambling on about women being better at writing ghost stories and men being better at general fiction which I felt was irrelevant but I suppose he had a certain amount of words to fulfil.
Maybe I am being a little harsh, seeing as the book is 30 years old and the stories are even older than that.
Let me know if you have read this book, and what you thought.
Overall I gave this 3 out of 5 stars
Debbiereadsbook (1487 KP) rated Escaping Mortality (Escape Trilogy #3) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
a very fitting end!!
I was gifted my copy of this book, direct from the author, that I write a review was not required. But since I read and reviewed the other two parts, it's only fitting I review this one, too, don't you think??
This is the third and final book in the Escape trilogy and you rally MUST read the other two books first. You need to know how Edmund and Andrew found themselves in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, looking for an Elder!
Only Andrew has a say in these books, and THIS one, more than the other two, I NEEDED Edmund I really did! Some things happen here, that made me want to hear what he had to say, so bloody bad and he doesn't. I KNEW that he probably would not have a say, but a girl can hope, right?
Edmund and Andrew and their friends are on a boat to England and to find the Elder. Once the Elder has located and Edmund turned, they continue on to visit Edmund's sick mother. The "friend" looking after her is vile and dealing with her and the gifts the Elder has bestowed upon him, pushes Edmund to his limits. Then WHY the Elder gave Edmund these gifts becomes clear and Edmund has a choice: Andrew or the Elder.
I found this one a little less sexy than the others, but a whole lot more bloody! The way Edmund deals with the friend was scary, but needed I think. The Elder? Well he choose his path, once it became clear that there is, and there will only ever be, ONE person for Edmund.
I did not see what the "friend" was up to, looking after Edmund's mother, nor did I see what the Elder had planned fro Edmund, so it was nice to be surprised by those things.
I LOVED the epilogue! Seriously well played with that one!
I have enjoyed these three short bursts of Andrew and Edmund, but I really think had Edmund been given a voice too, these would have been all 5 star reads.
Thank you, for letting me read your books, Ms Dobie Bauer!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is the third and final book in the Escape trilogy and you rally MUST read the other two books first. You need to know how Edmund and Andrew found themselves in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, looking for an Elder!
Only Andrew has a say in these books, and THIS one, more than the other two, I NEEDED Edmund I really did! Some things happen here, that made me want to hear what he had to say, so bloody bad and he doesn't. I KNEW that he probably would not have a say, but a girl can hope, right?
Edmund and Andrew and their friends are on a boat to England and to find the Elder. Once the Elder has located and Edmund turned, they continue on to visit Edmund's sick mother. The "friend" looking after her is vile and dealing with her and the gifts the Elder has bestowed upon him, pushes Edmund to his limits. Then WHY the Elder gave Edmund these gifts becomes clear and Edmund has a choice: Andrew or the Elder.
I found this one a little less sexy than the others, but a whole lot more bloody! The way Edmund deals with the friend was scary, but needed I think. The Elder? Well he choose his path, once it became clear that there is, and there will only ever be, ONE person for Edmund.
I did not see what the "friend" was up to, looking after Edmund's mother, nor did I see what the Elder had planned fro Edmund, so it was nice to be surprised by those things.
I LOVED the epilogue! Seriously well played with that one!
I have enjoyed these three short bursts of Andrew and Edmund, but I really think had Edmund been given a voice too, these would have been all 5 star reads.
Thank you, for letting me read your books, Ms Dobie Bauer!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) in Movies
Aug 15, 2019 (Updated Aug 15, 2019)
The script is excellent and a clever take on the classic mythology, with some good allusions to previous incarnations. (2 more)
The cast is amazing all around
The effects are stellar, with the undead warriors hitting the right balance between too scary and not threatening enough
Merlin's hand magic pulled me right out of the story and made me think "That's the stupidest thing I've seen in quite a while...." (1 more)
Pacing was a bit off; the runtime was a bit long and there was a false climax with about half an hour to go in the film.
Surprisingly good family-friendly fantasy
I'm not sure why this bombed, aside from the fact that I barely remember seeing it advertised. It's a good film, well-executed on nearly every level. It was a bit long, perhaps, dragged a bit in the middle, but otherwise the only thing I have to complain about is the hand-waving tomfoolery they gave Merlin to execute his magic - that crap looked dumb as @#$&. I've seen lots of complaining about young Merlin, but for me it was just that his magic looked dumb - he was weird, but Merlin's supposed to be like that. The acting was top-notch across the board, though Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson were under-utilized. What set it apart for me, though, was that it refused to dumb itself down for its audience as so many kids' movies do. This film references obscure versions of the legend and makes them integral to the story without feeling they have to over-explain everything. For example, Merlin ages backwards. It's not that he looks like Patrick Stewart and is in disguise as a sixteen-year-old, but that he looks like a sixteen-year-old and occasionally puts on the guise of Patrick Stewart to prove a point or gain credibility. (I think in the original take it's less that he ages backwards and more that he lives backwards, but close enough.) I'd have loved this as a kid, and one day I'm sure my kids will love it as well.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of The Evil Within in Video Games
Oct 30, 2019
Psychological Within
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Evil Within- is a fantasic horrorfying, thrilling, psychological terrorfying, scary game. That was published by Bethesa. Yes that Bethesa who did Skyrim and Fallout. So lets talk about it...
The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a third-person perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including bosses, using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using stealth, and finding collectables.
Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas.
Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding mirrors. The safe house is a mental hospital and has several accessible areas such as a save point, an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house.
Lets talk about the plot/story:
While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City police detective Sebastian Castellanos (Anson Mount), his partner Joseph Oda (Yuri Lowenthal), and Junior Detective Juli Kidman (Jennifer Carpenter) find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise.
Their are two DLC and their are called The Assigment and The Consequence. Which I havent played yet.
The player unlocks several bonuses for completing the game. Extra weapons, character models and bios, 'AKUMU' difficulty (the game's hardest difficulty level), and New Game+ are some of the unlocks.
It is a must play game, it will twist and turn your mind until the end credits.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clue to this review correct.
The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a third-person perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including bosses, using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using stealth, and finding collectables.
Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas.
Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding mirrors. The safe house is a mental hospital and has several accessible areas such as a save point, an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house.
Lets talk about the plot/story:
While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City police detective Sebastian Castellanos (Anson Mount), his partner Joseph Oda (Yuri Lowenthal), and Junior Detective Juli Kidman (Jennifer Carpenter) find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise.
Their are two DLC and their are called The Assigment and The Consequence. Which I havent played yet.
The player unlocks several bonuses for completing the game. Extra weapons, character models and bios, 'AKUMU' difficulty (the game's hardest difficulty level), and New Game+ are some of the unlocks.
It is a must play game, it will twist and turn your mind until the end credits.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clue to this review correct.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Condemned: Criminal Origins in Video Games
Oct 24, 2019
Scary Spooky
Condemned: Criminal Origins (known in Europe as Condemned) is a first-person survival horror video game, that is very good but underrated.
Condemned: Criminal Origins places an emphasis on melee combat and puzzle solving, including searching for fingerprints and gathering evidence. Lets talk more about the crime scene's, and gathing evidence.
Condemned directly involves the player in crime scene investigations, offering the ability to, at the press of a context-sensitive button, call upon a suite of forensic tools to find and record evidence. The player character is linked to an FBI lab via his mobile phone throughout the investigation, allowing (almost immediate) remote examination and analysis by his support worker, Rosa. Crime scene evidence can be used to solve puzzles, allowing the player to pass previously impassable barriers, and provide clues to the overall mysteries of the story.
Examples of evidence include fingerprints, footprints, fibers, fluids (such as blood or chemicals), particles, residues, markings/etchings, material, imprints, wounds, small objects, documents, and body parts.
The player character is gifted with the instinctual ability to detect when forensic evidence is nearby, allowing players to bring up the detection and collection tools when appropriate. However, the "instincts" of the character only vaguely highlight the area in which the evidence resides; it is up to the player to methodically sweep the scene and catalog any findings.
Lets talk about the plot: Condemned: Criminal Origins is set in the fictional American city of Metro. The player takes on the role of Ethan Thomas, a crime scene investigation agent with the FBI's Serial Crime Unit, as he traverses the seedier sides of the city. His journey takes him through a number of condemned buildings as he searches for the one who framed him for murder, the evasive Serial Killer X. Along the way, Ethan must use his investigative intuition and technology to examine evidence left behind by SKX, all the while fighting off the violently psychotic denizens of Metro City, who seem to be driven to such madness by a mysterious, yet seemingly extraneous force.
Their are two different ends: but really its the same ending.
If you do like psychological, crime solving horror games than you will like this one.
Condemned: Criminal Origins places an emphasis on melee combat and puzzle solving, including searching for fingerprints and gathering evidence. Lets talk more about the crime scene's, and gathing evidence.
Condemned directly involves the player in crime scene investigations, offering the ability to, at the press of a context-sensitive button, call upon a suite of forensic tools to find and record evidence. The player character is linked to an FBI lab via his mobile phone throughout the investigation, allowing (almost immediate) remote examination and analysis by his support worker, Rosa. Crime scene evidence can be used to solve puzzles, allowing the player to pass previously impassable barriers, and provide clues to the overall mysteries of the story.
Examples of evidence include fingerprints, footprints, fibers, fluids (such as blood or chemicals), particles, residues, markings/etchings, material, imprints, wounds, small objects, documents, and body parts.
The player character is gifted with the instinctual ability to detect when forensic evidence is nearby, allowing players to bring up the detection and collection tools when appropriate. However, the "instincts" of the character only vaguely highlight the area in which the evidence resides; it is up to the player to methodically sweep the scene and catalog any findings.
Lets talk about the plot: Condemned: Criminal Origins is set in the fictional American city of Metro. The player takes on the role of Ethan Thomas, a crime scene investigation agent with the FBI's Serial Crime Unit, as he traverses the seedier sides of the city. His journey takes him through a number of condemned buildings as he searches for the one who framed him for murder, the evasive Serial Killer X. Along the way, Ethan must use his investigative intuition and technology to examine evidence left behind by SKX, all the while fighting off the violently psychotic denizens of Metro City, who seem to be driven to such madness by a mysterious, yet seemingly extraneous force.
Their are two different ends: but really its the same ending.
If you do like psychological, crime solving horror games than you will like this one.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated The Silence of the Lambs (1991) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
The acting is 100% (2 more)
The story is fantastic
The way it is shot is genuinely awesome.
Have the lambs stopped screaming?
Okay so this is one of my favourite films because it just ticks every box.
Acting - Anthony Hopkins won an oscar for best actor because of this film. He is excellent, he is so creepy, elegant, scary, inviting, chilling, intriguing and he just oozes the sophistication, intelligence and depth of the character. He delivers his performance in this with a real passion. He is also so limited with what he can do physically (usually locked up) but he owns the set when the cameras are rolling.
Jodie Foster - I haven't seen her in anything else which I am actually embarrassed about because I loved her in this. No surprise, she won an oscar for best actress in this film. I genuinely feel like (towards the end mainly, as she has said in an interview that Anthony Hopkins did actually frighten her) she was terrified for her life. She could have been in the situation irl and i wouldn't be shocked. The character could have been played so many ways but Jodie played it perfectly. A clever, naive, strong, determined woman.
All other supporting actors were fantastic, such as Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill (my goodness he is so creepy he makes your skin crawl) and Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford (definitely feel the underlying tones of an unsavory character).
It is shot in such a way you dont see often, the talking to the camera shots, showing you things in Bills house like the pictures are all such subtle things but make it even more chilling. They also don't shy away with language(a word is said in this film atleast twice and it's so rare to hear on film) which sometimes, as not very nice this word is, the situation calls for it in this unnerving thriller, gross words and scenes need to be real to feel uneasy which you do in this.
Hats off to the wonderful Thomas Harris for writing such a gripping, interesting story that we were fortunate enough to see made to this magnificent film.
Acting - Anthony Hopkins won an oscar for best actor because of this film. He is excellent, he is so creepy, elegant, scary, inviting, chilling, intriguing and he just oozes the sophistication, intelligence and depth of the character. He delivers his performance in this with a real passion. He is also so limited with what he can do physically (usually locked up) but he owns the set when the cameras are rolling.
Jodie Foster - I haven't seen her in anything else which I am actually embarrassed about because I loved her in this. No surprise, she won an oscar for best actress in this film. I genuinely feel like (towards the end mainly, as she has said in an interview that Anthony Hopkins did actually frighten her) she was terrified for her life. She could have been in the situation irl and i wouldn't be shocked. The character could have been played so many ways but Jodie played it perfectly. A clever, naive, strong, determined woman.
All other supporting actors were fantastic, such as Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill (my goodness he is so creepy he makes your skin crawl) and Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford (definitely feel the underlying tones of an unsavory character).
It is shot in such a way you dont see often, the talking to the camera shots, showing you things in Bills house like the pictures are all such subtle things but make it even more chilling. They also don't shy away with language(a word is said in this film atleast twice and it's so rare to hear on film) which sometimes, as not very nice this word is, the situation calls for it in this unnerving thriller, gross words and scenes need to be real to feel uneasy which you do in this.
Hats off to the wonderful Thomas Harris for writing such a gripping, interesting story that we were fortunate enough to see made to this magnificent film.
Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) in Movies
Dec 4, 2019
It was a beautiful night in the theater, a beautiful night in the theater, would ya go see, could ya go see, won't you go see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. No shame in saying I cried throughout this whole movie. Tom Hanks is amazing as always, but the entire cast is great. I wrote a poem after watching the documentary last year and felt like it would be fitting on this review as well.
It's always a beautiful day in the neighborhood,
For in the worst of times you always made me see the good.
You would walk in with a smile on your face,
I knew that I was welcome at your place.
And no matter the weather,
You would put on your sweater.
Then you would sit down to put on more comfortable shoes,
Making me comfortable knowing I had a neighbor like you.
Together we would feed the fish,
Sometimes go to the kitchen and make a dish.
It was always my brain and heart that you were feeding,
As a kid you knew exactly what I was needing.
Messages would come from Mr. McFeely,
Who would show up with a speedy delivery.
When I'd hear the bell of the trolley,
I'd get excited and feel jolly.
For I knew we were off to visit our puppetry friends,
On the other side of the tunnel in make believe land.
You taught me what to do with my mad,
And that it was okay to be sad.
You helped in dealing with the bad and serious issues of the world,
But at the end of everyday in me the good you had restored.
In our daily meetings on television with me there is so much that you left,
I am special, amazing the way I am, and in the scary to be the one that helps.
It was in your words that I did find,
The key to success is being kind.
In many ways you were a savior whose love will always be savored,
Mister Rogers I will be forever grateful that you were my neighbor.
It's always a beautiful day in the neighborhood,
For in the worst of times you always made me see the good.
You would walk in with a smile on your face,
I knew that I was welcome at your place.
And no matter the weather,
You would put on your sweater.
Then you would sit down to put on more comfortable shoes,
Making me comfortable knowing I had a neighbor like you.
Together we would feed the fish,
Sometimes go to the kitchen and make a dish.
It was always my brain and heart that you were feeding,
As a kid you knew exactly what I was needing.
Messages would come from Mr. McFeely,
Who would show up with a speedy delivery.
When I'd hear the bell of the trolley,
I'd get excited and feel jolly.
For I knew we were off to visit our puppetry friends,
On the other side of the tunnel in make believe land.
You taught me what to do with my mad,
And that it was okay to be sad.
You helped in dealing with the bad and serious issues of the world,
But at the end of everyday in me the good you had restored.
In our daily meetings on television with me there is so much that you left,
I am special, amazing the way I am, and in the scary to be the one that helps.
It was in your words that I did find,
The key to success is being kind.
In many ways you were a savior whose love will always be savored,
Mister Rogers I will be forever grateful that you were my neighbor.