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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Children of Hare Hill in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Set in the National Trust owned gardens in Cheshire, Scott McKenzie writes about the loss of a parent from the perspective of young children. <i>The Children of Hare Hill </i>deals with the grief and confusion of those too young to fully comprehend the impact a death has upon the remaining family members. Charlotte, aged 8, and Ben, aged 5, lost their father two years ago and now it is time to say goodbye.
McKenzie sets the story in Hare Hill Gardens, a place he loves to visit with his own children. It is here that the two protagonists are scattering their father’s ashes. Around the gardens are thirteen wooden hares that visitors are encouraged to find, something that the children enjoyed doing with their father numerous times. After their difficult task, Charlotte and Ben fall asleep in the walled garden and, on waking, discover the secret of Hare Hill.
Although still in the same place they fell asleep, Charlotte and Ben are now in a magical version of the gardens where the hares are real animals that have been turned into wooden statues. In order to release them from the spell they have to complete several tricky quests. From riddles to number puzzles the children rely on each other’s knowledge and strengths to save the hares and discover who is waiting for them at the end.
When thinking about magical lands we tend to expect witches and wizards, broomsticks and complicated spells, however that is not the case in <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i>. The tasks that befall the siblings are ones that can be solved by “normal” children with the help of their memories of their father. It is an interesting concept and a beautiful way of remembering the life of a loved one.
It is not clear who the target audience is for this novel. Presumably the ages of the characters and the shortness of the story (166 pages) are more inclined to the younger reader, however the narrative and language suggests otherwise. A child of Charlotte’s age is unlikely to read books containing words such as “serendipitous”, “reminisced” and “crescendo”. Scott McKenzie is such an intellectual writer with a beautiful way with words, yet it backfires when targeted at children.
Putting the target audience issue aside, <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i> is a delightful short story that manages to evoke many emotions in the reader. The sadness that comes with reading about death is overshadowed by the bravery of the siblings, their love for one another and the fun they have solving the riddles and tasks as they race around the gardens. Instead of dwelling on the negative feelings the characters are inevitably feeling, McKenzie focuses on happy memories, making what could have been a heart-wrenching story into a heart warming one instead.
Set in the National Trust owned gardens in Cheshire, Scott McKenzie writes about the loss of a parent from the perspective of young children. <i>The Children of Hare Hill </i>deals with the grief and confusion of those too young to fully comprehend the impact a death has upon the remaining family members. Charlotte, aged 8, and Ben, aged 5, lost their father two years ago and now it is time to say goodbye.
McKenzie sets the story in Hare Hill Gardens, a place he loves to visit with his own children. It is here that the two protagonists are scattering their father’s ashes. Around the gardens are thirteen wooden hares that visitors are encouraged to find, something that the children enjoyed doing with their father numerous times. After their difficult task, Charlotte and Ben fall asleep in the walled garden and, on waking, discover the secret of Hare Hill.
Although still in the same place they fell asleep, Charlotte and Ben are now in a magical version of the gardens where the hares are real animals that have been turned into wooden statues. In order to release them from the spell they have to complete several tricky quests. From riddles to number puzzles the children rely on each other’s knowledge and strengths to save the hares and discover who is waiting for them at the end.
When thinking about magical lands we tend to expect witches and wizards, broomsticks and complicated spells, however that is not the case in <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i>. The tasks that befall the siblings are ones that can be solved by “normal” children with the help of their memories of their father. It is an interesting concept and a beautiful way of remembering the life of a loved one.
It is not clear who the target audience is for this novel. Presumably the ages of the characters and the shortness of the story (166 pages) are more inclined to the younger reader, however the narrative and language suggests otherwise. A child of Charlotte’s age is unlikely to read books containing words such as “serendipitous”, “reminisced” and “crescendo”. Scott McKenzie is such an intellectual writer with a beautiful way with words, yet it backfires when targeted at children.
Putting the target audience issue aside, <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i> is a delightful short story that manages to evoke many emotions in the reader. The sadness that comes with reading about death is overshadowed by the bravery of the siblings, their love for one another and the fun they have solving the riddles and tasks as they race around the gardens. Instead of dwelling on the negative feelings the characters are inevitably feeling, McKenzie focuses on happy memories, making what could have been a heart-wrenching story into a heart warming one instead.
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Lee (2222 KP) rated Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020) in Movies
Sep 2, 2020
Like being back with old friends....
Tenet? I’m sorry, no, THIS was actually the biggest movie release of last week. Well, it is when you’re currently having to isolate at home and cannot go to the cinema for a few weeks. Despite that, I was actually way more excited for this to hit Disney+ this morning than a man my age probably should have been, and I have been for sometime, since it was first announced. I even managed to convince my daughter to get up early and watch with me, recreating those wonderful days when we both used to get up bright and early on a Saturday morning and sit and watch back to back episodes.
For the uninitiated, Phineas and Ferb are two step-brothers who spend their summer holiday coming up with highly elaborate ways to occupy every day, usually resulting in some wacky adventures and an extremely frustrated sister, Candace. Candace is forever trying to bust the boys and get their mum to catch them in the act, only to fail every time as some last second incident conveniently erases any evidence. Oh, and they also have a pet platypus called Perry, who without their knowledge works as an agent for a secret animal organisation, trying each episode to thwart the latest evil scheme hatched by Dr Doofenshmirtz. It’s very funny, features some incredibly catchy songs, and is just an extremely well written show for both kids and adults to enjoy. Running for four seasons, and racking up over 200 episodes before ending in 2015, the show also spawned a number of crossover specials involving Marvel and Star Wars.
Candace against the universe is the second feature length Phineas and Ferb movie and opens with Candace, lamenting the sad fact that no matter what she does, she never manages to successfully bust her brothers. All of this is delivered in the form of a song, and acts as a nostalgic reminder of some of the crazy inventions and adventures the boys have been involved in over the course of the series. The song ends with another perfect chance for Candace to bust the boys, who are currently enjoying themselves with their friends in the back garden. But of course, she fails. After heading out to the front of the house, and meeting up with friend Vanessa, she spots an alien spaceship. Believing her brothers to be behind it somehow, she and Vanessa are sucked up inside, before taking off and shooting up into the sky.
The boys see Candace flying away in the ship, and after photographing the alien license plate, are able to quickly identify where she’s headed (as you do…). They round up the gang and quickly rustle up a portal in their back garden (as you do…), in order to jump to the planet where Candace is being taken. The portal takes them via Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc, where they pick up Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus (unknowingly), before heading off in a spaceship of their own. When they do catch up with Candace, they discover that she is being hailed as ‘the chosen one’ by the alien race that captured her. But does the queen of the planet have a more sinister reason for bringing Candace all this way?
It’s fair to say that, unless you’re already a fan of the show, you’re unlikely to have any interest whatsoever in watching Candace Against the Universe. For fans of the show though, this is a wonderful trip down memory lane, unless you’ve already spent all of lockdown recently catching up on all of the episodes on Disney+, and it feels so good to be back in the company of such wonderful characters. There’s a lot of comfort to be had from the running gags and themes of the episode format of the show, and the only thing I found with this movie, and the crossover shows, is that they end up feeling like a dragged out episode at times, tending to sag a little around the middle.
It’s a very minor complaint though. The songs are as good as ever, including a song from Doofenshmirtz about ‘adulting’, and the humour is still smart and on point, although Buford does tend to get some of the funnier lines in my opinion. And when Buford gets ridiculed for bringing a canoe with him on their trip to the alien planet, and Doofenshmirtz gets laughed at for inventing something as stupid as a “Chicken Replace-inator” – basically a gun which swaps whatever you fire at with the nearest chicken – you just know they’re working on delivering us some great gags later on throughout the movie. And obviously, Perry the Platypus gets to save the day as usual, and without anyone even realising it. It’s like being back in the company of old friends. Fingers crossed that this isn’t the last we see of Phineas, Ferb and the gang.
For the uninitiated, Phineas and Ferb are two step-brothers who spend their summer holiday coming up with highly elaborate ways to occupy every day, usually resulting in some wacky adventures and an extremely frustrated sister, Candace. Candace is forever trying to bust the boys and get their mum to catch them in the act, only to fail every time as some last second incident conveniently erases any evidence. Oh, and they also have a pet platypus called Perry, who without their knowledge works as an agent for a secret animal organisation, trying each episode to thwart the latest evil scheme hatched by Dr Doofenshmirtz. It’s very funny, features some incredibly catchy songs, and is just an extremely well written show for both kids and adults to enjoy. Running for four seasons, and racking up over 200 episodes before ending in 2015, the show also spawned a number of crossover specials involving Marvel and Star Wars.
Candace against the universe is the second feature length Phineas and Ferb movie and opens with Candace, lamenting the sad fact that no matter what she does, she never manages to successfully bust her brothers. All of this is delivered in the form of a song, and acts as a nostalgic reminder of some of the crazy inventions and adventures the boys have been involved in over the course of the series. The song ends with another perfect chance for Candace to bust the boys, who are currently enjoying themselves with their friends in the back garden. But of course, she fails. After heading out to the front of the house, and meeting up with friend Vanessa, she spots an alien spaceship. Believing her brothers to be behind it somehow, she and Vanessa are sucked up inside, before taking off and shooting up into the sky.
The boys see Candace flying away in the ship, and after photographing the alien license plate, are able to quickly identify where she’s headed (as you do…). They round up the gang and quickly rustle up a portal in their back garden (as you do…), in order to jump to the planet where Candace is being taken. The portal takes them via Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc, where they pick up Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus (unknowingly), before heading off in a spaceship of their own. When they do catch up with Candace, they discover that she is being hailed as ‘the chosen one’ by the alien race that captured her. But does the queen of the planet have a more sinister reason for bringing Candace all this way?
It’s fair to say that, unless you’re already a fan of the show, you’re unlikely to have any interest whatsoever in watching Candace Against the Universe. For fans of the show though, this is a wonderful trip down memory lane, unless you’ve already spent all of lockdown recently catching up on all of the episodes on Disney+, and it feels so good to be back in the company of such wonderful characters. There’s a lot of comfort to be had from the running gags and themes of the episode format of the show, and the only thing I found with this movie, and the crossover shows, is that they end up feeling like a dragged out episode at times, tending to sag a little around the middle.
It’s a very minor complaint though. The songs are as good as ever, including a song from Doofenshmirtz about ‘adulting’, and the humour is still smart and on point, although Buford does tend to get some of the funnier lines in my opinion. And when Buford gets ridiculed for bringing a canoe with him on their trip to the alien planet, and Doofenshmirtz gets laughed at for inventing something as stupid as a “Chicken Replace-inator” – basically a gun which swaps whatever you fire at with the nearest chicken – you just know they’re working on delivering us some great gags later on throughout the movie. And obviously, Perry the Platypus gets to save the day as usual, and without anyone even realising it. It’s like being back in the company of old friends. Fingers crossed that this isn’t the last we see of Phineas, Ferb and the gang.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) in Movies
Jul 24, 2017
The limited cast is great (1 more)
The sound design is amazing
Expect the Unexpected
Contains spoilers, click to show
I remember when the first Cloverfield movie was released, it was made in secret and after the trailer dropped people were really hyped. Then the movie came out and it was okay, but nowhere near as good as the trailer and most people quickly forgot about it and it has kind of faded into obscurity since then, remembered only as an interesting experiment that never really lived up to its full potential. So when a follow up movie set in the same universe was announced at the start of this year, you can imagine the surprise of movie fans. Again this movie was made in secret, not an easy thing to do in this day and age and although it shared a name with the first movie, this isn’t necessarily a sequel or a prequel. This review will contain a spoiler free section then a section where I will spoil the hell out of everything in the movie, but don’t worry I’ll give you fair warning before I do that.
This movie is an example of why sometimes it is better to have a small, focused team of people working on a restrictive budget towards a collective aim and end product, because what we end up with is a concentrated, purposeful film, in which each aspect has been handled with care. First off, this movie has three characters and that’s it, so the performances have to be nothing less than stellar for the piece to work. Luckily they are here. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a young girl called Michelle who has just left her man, however it is when she is driving away that she has a car accident and wakes up in the basement of Howard’s Doomsday bunker, the character played by John Goodman. As the film’s traumatising event unfold, she shows resilience, persistence, tenacity and resourcefulness and she pulls it off in a believable way. John Gallagher Jr plays a man called Emmet who has known John Goodman’s character from before the events of the movie play out. He is the comic relief of the movie, but his character is just as important as the other two and he delivers a spot on performance. However John Goodman’s performance in this film is of a different class, he runs away with the movie and steals every scene he is in. This film is a great reminder of why he is considered one of the great character actors of our time. it is very rare that I will say that an actor is perfect in a role, to be a perfect performance, the character must have no lines or scenes that I dislike, steal every scene that they are in and make me totally forget about the actor playing the part and only see the character that they are portraying. The last person to successfully pull it off was JK Simmons in Whiplash, that is the level of quality that we are talking about here, definitely Goodman’s best performance of the last decade.
The other star of this film is the audio, both the score used and the sound effects are so well timed and effective. The various tracks played throughout mixed with the straight up terrifying noises of simple things in the environment, especially the door of Michelle’s room, which honestly sounds like a woman screaming every time it is opened or closed. Also, I don’t know if John Goodman’s breathing was amplified in any way, but it is terrifying. The editing in this movie is also fantastic, best executed during Michelle’s crash at the start of the movie, the abrupt nature of the scenes and sound effects instantly let you know what kind of ride you are in for, for the next 90 minutes.
Okay, from this point on major plot points and twists will be spoiled, you have been warned.
As the film progresses, we learn that Howard had a daughter called Megan, but Emmet and Michelle suspect that he may have killed his daughter or at least some other young girls, so they hatch a plan to break out. Howard finds evidence of the plan and confronts the pair, Emmett takes the blame and what is one of the most shocking scenes I have seen in cinema, Howard shoots him point blank in the head with a thunderous gunshot. After this, Michelle realises he really is crazy and she has to get out, but he also catches her with evidence of the escape plan and chases her around the bunker. Michelle then kicks acid over him and makes for the exit hatch in a terrifying chase sequence. After she gets out the bunker explodes, but she soon realises she isn’t in the clear yet. A dog like monster chases her around the garden which she runs from, then a large alien ship lifts her up, but just as it is about to devour her, she makes a Molotov cocktail and throws it into the mouth of the beast blowing it up, she then drives away and the movie ends. People have a problem with the end of this movie after Michelle leaves the bunker, but although I will say that the first half is definitely superior, I still enjoyed the ending and overall this is probably my favourite movie of 2016 so far.
This movie is an example of why sometimes it is better to have a small, focused team of people working on a restrictive budget towards a collective aim and end product, because what we end up with is a concentrated, purposeful film, in which each aspect has been handled with care. First off, this movie has three characters and that’s it, so the performances have to be nothing less than stellar for the piece to work. Luckily they are here. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a young girl called Michelle who has just left her man, however it is when she is driving away that she has a car accident and wakes up in the basement of Howard’s Doomsday bunker, the character played by John Goodman. As the film’s traumatising event unfold, she shows resilience, persistence, tenacity and resourcefulness and she pulls it off in a believable way. John Gallagher Jr plays a man called Emmet who has known John Goodman’s character from before the events of the movie play out. He is the comic relief of the movie, but his character is just as important as the other two and he delivers a spot on performance. However John Goodman’s performance in this film is of a different class, he runs away with the movie and steals every scene he is in. This film is a great reminder of why he is considered one of the great character actors of our time. it is very rare that I will say that an actor is perfect in a role, to be a perfect performance, the character must have no lines or scenes that I dislike, steal every scene that they are in and make me totally forget about the actor playing the part and only see the character that they are portraying. The last person to successfully pull it off was JK Simmons in Whiplash, that is the level of quality that we are talking about here, definitely Goodman’s best performance of the last decade.
The other star of this film is the audio, both the score used and the sound effects are so well timed and effective. The various tracks played throughout mixed with the straight up terrifying noises of simple things in the environment, especially the door of Michelle’s room, which honestly sounds like a woman screaming every time it is opened or closed. Also, I don’t know if John Goodman’s breathing was amplified in any way, but it is terrifying. The editing in this movie is also fantastic, best executed during Michelle’s crash at the start of the movie, the abrupt nature of the scenes and sound effects instantly let you know what kind of ride you are in for, for the next 90 minutes.
Okay, from this point on major plot points and twists will be spoiled, you have been warned.
As the film progresses, we learn that Howard had a daughter called Megan, but Emmet and Michelle suspect that he may have killed his daughter or at least some other young girls, so they hatch a plan to break out. Howard finds evidence of the plan and confronts the pair, Emmett takes the blame and what is one of the most shocking scenes I have seen in cinema, Howard shoots him point blank in the head with a thunderous gunshot. After this, Michelle realises he really is crazy and she has to get out, but he also catches her with evidence of the escape plan and chases her around the bunker. Michelle then kicks acid over him and makes for the exit hatch in a terrifying chase sequence. After she gets out the bunker explodes, but she soon realises she isn’t in the clear yet. A dog like monster chases her around the garden which she runs from, then a large alien ship lifts her up, but just as it is about to devour her, she makes a Molotov cocktail and throws it into the mouth of the beast blowing it up, she then drives away and the movie ends. People have a problem with the end of this movie after Michelle leaves the bunker, but although I will say that the first half is definitely superior, I still enjoyed the ending and overall this is probably my favourite movie of 2016 so far.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Night Circus in Books
Oct 2, 2020
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I don’t even know how to start my book review for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It was too magical, that I feel like everything I write will not do this book justice. To me, it felt like I was a part of one big secret. And in this book, Widget has something to say about secrets:
<b><i>“Secrets have power," Widget begins. "And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person, will change them. Writing them down is worse, because who can tell how many eyes might see them inscribed on paper, no matter how careful you might be with it. So it’s really best to keep your secrets when you have them, for their own good, as well as yours.”</i></b>
Therefore, I feel like everything I might say will make this magical book a little less magical than it already is. I feel like this is an experience that you need to read for yourself, get acquainted with this Circus, with its characters, and feel like a part of it.
Two people, brought up in different circumstances, have been getting ready for the challenge all their lives. They can’t avoid it, they are bonded to it. Their task is to be better than the other person, be a better magician, be a better illusionist. Their destiny is magical and dangerous, and the circus is their arena.
<b><i>“You need to understand your limitations so you can overcome them.”</i></b>
The circus is a beautiful place.It is magical. It is everything you’ve ever wanted as a kid. The lights, the music, the mystery, the performers… Everything that happens in the circus has its own story. Many characters involved and their own adventures mix, get tangled and interfere with the two competitor’s destiny. I loved the descriptions of the different tents, the ice garden, the labyrinth, the cloud maze, the tent with the bottles...
<b><i>“People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.”</i></b>
The writing in The Night Circus is beautiful. It is slow-paced and very imaginative. Slowly, it takes you to a place where people perform illusions, read tarot and foresee the destiny, tell stories, build magical clocks. If you’ve ever been to a circus, you will feel like you are there again. If you haven’t experienced that before, this book will give you the best possible introduction. A story of magic, love, destiny and storytelling like you’ve never seen before and you’re unlikely to see soon. It’s no wonder this book receives such hype.
<b><i>"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
- Oscar Wilde, 1888</i></b>
The Night Circus is a favourite. The ultimate favorite. Today, tomorrow, and probably until the rest of my life. For all the characters inside it that mattered. For the happy ever afters. But most importantly, for the storytellers. For my grandma, for Widget and for Erin. And for the other storytellers like them - because without them, we wouldn’t be able to truly find magic.
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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Book-Review-Banner-81.png"/>;
I don’t even know how to start my book review for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It was too magical, that I feel like everything I write will not do this book justice. To me, it felt like I was a part of one big secret. And in this book, Widget has something to say about secrets:
<b><i>“Secrets have power," Widget begins. "And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person, will change them. Writing them down is worse, because who can tell how many eyes might see them inscribed on paper, no matter how careful you might be with it. So it’s really best to keep your secrets when you have them, for their own good, as well as yours.”</i></b>
Therefore, I feel like everything I might say will make this magical book a little less magical than it already is. I feel like this is an experience that you need to read for yourself, get acquainted with this Circus, with its characters, and feel like a part of it.
Two people, brought up in different circumstances, have been getting ready for the challenge all their lives. They can’t avoid it, they are bonded to it. Their task is to be better than the other person, be a better magician, be a better illusionist. Their destiny is magical and dangerous, and the circus is their arena.
<b><i>“You need to understand your limitations so you can overcome them.”</i></b>
The circus is a beautiful place.It is magical. It is everything you’ve ever wanted as a kid. The lights, the music, the mystery, the performers… Everything that happens in the circus has its own story. Many characters involved and their own adventures mix, get tangled and interfere with the two competitor’s destiny. I loved the descriptions of the different tents, the ice garden, the labyrinth, the cloud maze, the tent with the bottles...
<b><i>“People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see.”</i></b>
The writing in The Night Circus is beautiful. It is slow-paced and very imaginative. Slowly, it takes you to a place where people perform illusions, read tarot and foresee the destiny, tell stories, build magical clocks. If you’ve ever been to a circus, you will feel like you are there again. If you haven’t experienced that before, this book will give you the best possible introduction. A story of magic, love, destiny and storytelling like you’ve never seen before and you’re unlikely to see soon. It’s no wonder this book receives such hype.
<b><i>"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
- Oscar Wilde, 1888</i></b>
The Night Circus is a favourite. The ultimate favorite. Today, tomorrow, and probably until the rest of my life. For all the characters inside it that mattered. For the happy ever afters. But most importantly, for the storytellers. For my grandma, for Widget and for Erin. And for the other storytellers like them - because without them, we wouldn’t be able to truly find magic.
Angelicalynnn (21 KP) Jul 6, 2018
iamsara (130 KP) Jul 19, 2018