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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 31, 2020
Why
So the main question of this film is..."why does this movie exist"? Cause of $, thats why. "Who decided it was a good i idea to re-remake Black Christmas"? Blumhouse. I like Blumhouse, but not one asked for a Black Christmas remake. In the year of remakes of 2019, Black Christmas came out. And no one saw it, and no one liked it. This is not even a Black Christmas movie. The only reason its called Black Christmas because of $ and Blumhouse decided "lets remake Black Christmas", cause we can.
The plot: Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays as students travel home to spend time with their families. But as Riley and her sorority sisters prepare to deck the halls with seasonal parties, a mysterious cloaked figure starts to leave a bloody trail throughout the campus. Refusing to become hapless victims, Riley and her friends decide to band together and fight back against the psychotic Christmas killer.
Unlike the previous two version of Black Christmas, the remake was rated PG-13 by the MPAA, a rating Takal sought in hopes of making it accessible to new audiences, especially young women who were interested in horror, and opening up discussions on major issues like sexual assault, although she was ready to fully commit to utilizing the higher R rating if the ratings board would not grant it. However, she would not use the PG-13 rating to water down the film's violence to a large degree, making it only slightly less violent than the original film.
This film should of never been made or existed. Cause their was no reason to remake Black Christmas, and $$$$$ was the answer.
The plot: Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays as students travel home to spend time with their families. But as Riley and her sorority sisters prepare to deck the halls with seasonal parties, a mysterious cloaked figure starts to leave a bloody trail throughout the campus. Refusing to become hapless victims, Riley and her friends decide to band together and fight back against the psychotic Christmas killer.
Unlike the previous two version of Black Christmas, the remake was rated PG-13 by the MPAA, a rating Takal sought in hopes of making it accessible to new audiences, especially young women who were interested in horror, and opening up discussions on major issues like sexual assault, although she was ready to fully commit to utilizing the higher R rating if the ratings board would not grant it. However, she would not use the PG-13 rating to water down the film's violence to a large degree, making it only slightly less violent than the original film.
This film should of never been made or existed. Cause their was no reason to remake Black Christmas, and $$$$$ was the answer.
Becs (244 KP) rated Confined to His Basement: The Complete Dark Romance Series in Books
Oct 2, 2019
Audience/ Reading Level: 18+
Interests: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Heartbreak, Depression, and Murder.
Point of View: Third Person
Insights: When I first picked this eBook up, I was surprised by the style of read this was. It honestly wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I was expecting a more romance/erotica feel of things, but this read more as a thriller. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the overall story was alright, but I wouldn’t reread it again and actually deleted it off my kindle once I finished it. It was fast-paced for me, almost too fast-paced. Causing parts of this series to be written in a very juvenile way and in turn, that made it just plain hard to read.
Will I reread? No. But that’s just because it wasn’t an appealing storyline worth a reread. Do I recommend? I mean, if you like cheesy written thriller’s that are just average. Then sure, read it.
Favorite Quotes: “He was supposed to shoot for the stars, not me…”
“Have you ever felt so carefree about something that you just forget that time affects your every action and you feel okay with losing all of it.”
○ interested in its physical book
○/● a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ I’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY
Interests: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Heartbreak, Depression, and Murder.
Point of View: Third Person
Insights: When I first picked this eBook up, I was surprised by the style of read this was. It honestly wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I was expecting a more romance/erotica feel of things, but this read more as a thriller. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the overall story was alright, but I wouldn’t reread it again and actually deleted it off my kindle once I finished it. It was fast-paced for me, almost too fast-paced. Causing parts of this series to be written in a very juvenile way and in turn, that made it just plain hard to read.
Will I reread? No. But that’s just because it wasn’t an appealing storyline worth a reread. Do I recommend? I mean, if you like cheesy written thriller’s that are just average. Then sure, read it.
Favorite Quotes: “He was supposed to shoot for the stars, not me…”
“Have you ever felt so carefree about something that you just forget that time affects your every action and you feel okay with losing all of it.”
○ interested in its physical book
○/● a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ I’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY
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Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Rowan & Aldred (Ambrosia #2) in Books
Aug 17, 2024
HEED the triggers, I have none but this really pushed my boundaries!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2in the Ambrosia series, and I have not read book one. I want to, though. Oh how I WANT!
I wasn't sure how this was gonna go, since it came with a stern, VERY STERN warning to note the triggers. I, after reading, STRESS that point.
Rowan is a bully and Aldred the God of Justice and Retribution. Who better to meek out the punishment the boy deserves. But something is off with Rowan and it takes a bit of time for Aldred to get deep into Rowan's reasons for being a bully. What he discovers shocks him, and makes him oddly protective of the boy. There is also the issue of the god going around, giving ambrosia out to humans, which is deadly if not managed correctly.
So, triggers:
Explicit smex: Oh yes, once Aldred decides he's keeping Rowan, the God loves his boy, and he loves him HARD.
Torture: Aldred, in the beginning, is brutal to Rowan. It was painful, reading about it, and it goes way darker than anything I've read before. I will admit, I came close to stopping, but something begged me to continue and I am so glad I did.
Mention of past abuse: Rowan's reasons for being a bully aren't immediately clear, and it does take some time for Aldred to get to the bottom of them.
Sexual assault: If it's the scen I'm thinking of, it's not a full on page assault, just the threat is there, and but for a kitty cat, there would have been.
It's a very different read than my usual fare, and I'm not tagging it as romance, because, let's be honest, I'm not sure Aldred could love in the hearts and flowers sense, but he cares, DEEPLY for Rowan, and I think, in time, his hearts and flowers will come.
Told from both Rowan and Aldred's point of view, this book is powerful in it's intensity; dark in it's violence; and in the end, the reason's for Rowan being a bully is paid back a hundred fold.
I've had a look, and can only see two books by this author name, and I question that! Why?? Cos if this is book 2 by this author, what is Lucie Fleury gonna be like at book 4, 6 or ten?? Sign me up, mate, I'm-a following this author!
Again though, HEED the triggers, I have none but this really pushed my boundaries!
But dear lord I cannot give it anything other than. . . .
5 full and shiny stars! (but more if I could!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2in the Ambrosia series, and I have not read book one. I want to, though. Oh how I WANT!
I wasn't sure how this was gonna go, since it came with a stern, VERY STERN warning to note the triggers. I, after reading, STRESS that point.
Rowan is a bully and Aldred the God of Justice and Retribution. Who better to meek out the punishment the boy deserves. But something is off with Rowan and it takes a bit of time for Aldred to get deep into Rowan's reasons for being a bully. What he discovers shocks him, and makes him oddly protective of the boy. There is also the issue of the god going around, giving ambrosia out to humans, which is deadly if not managed correctly.
So, triggers:
Explicit smex: Oh yes, once Aldred decides he's keeping Rowan, the God loves his boy, and he loves him HARD.
Torture: Aldred, in the beginning, is brutal to Rowan. It was painful, reading about it, and it goes way darker than anything I've read before. I will admit, I came close to stopping, but something begged me to continue and I am so glad I did.
Mention of past abuse: Rowan's reasons for being a bully aren't immediately clear, and it does take some time for Aldred to get to the bottom of them.
Sexual assault: If it's the scen I'm thinking of, it's not a full on page assault, just the threat is there, and but for a kitty cat, there would have been.
It's a very different read than my usual fare, and I'm not tagging it as romance, because, let's be honest, I'm not sure Aldred could love in the hearts and flowers sense, but he cares, DEEPLY for Rowan, and I think, in time, his hearts and flowers will come.
Told from both Rowan and Aldred's point of view, this book is powerful in it's intensity; dark in it's violence; and in the end, the reason's for Rowan being a bully is paid back a hundred fold.
I've had a look, and can only see two books by this author name, and I question that! Why?? Cos if this is book 2 by this author, what is Lucie Fleury gonna be like at book 4, 6 or ten?? Sign me up, mate, I'm-a following this author!
Again though, HEED the triggers, I have none but this really pushed my boundaries!
But dear lord I cannot give it anything other than. . . .
5 full and shiny stars! (but more if I could!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated A False Report in Books
Jul 12, 2018
When I learned of this book, I knew it was either going to be really good or really awful. I loved the concept of this book. I've worked as a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Coordinator and I was a Victim Advocate so this book was completely up my alley. I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy from NetGalley so I jumped right in the second I could.
T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong were able to show all of the intricacies that go into investigating a rape. They also showed how one wrong move on an investigator's part can derail an investigation. Though I liked how detailed they were, I felt that they got stuck too much in certain areas. It seemed that they would go off on a tangent on how or why something was created. This pulled you out of the story and most of the time, I would ask myself why this was in the book. It really dragged down the flow of the book and in the first half of the book, it almost made it unbearable.
I did almost DNF this book. I felt that the first half dragged on and on and jumped from tangent to tangent. I understand that some of the details needed to be in there but not everyone here needs to know how a rape kit was invented or how other tools were created. Several pages could have easily been written as a paragraph explaining why this was important and how it was useful to investigators. I found myself thinking "we got it, move on" on more than one occasion. Honestly, it broke up the story and made it less powerful.
One of the things that I did love about this book is how it portrayed the victims. It didn't vilify them. It was matter of fact and I really appreciated it. Though the authors focused on details, I truly appreciated how they did not give too many details on the sexual assaults. I think that too many authors would sensationalize what these victims went through so it was refreshing to get a "this is what happened" without going into the gory details.
Once the first half was over, the last half was quick paced and fascinating. I enjoyed learning more about the story and how it unfolded. I remember seeing this on the news (I live in Colorado) and being thankful that they caught the guy. The last half of this book salvaged it. I'm glad I stuck with this book. It was insightful though slow.
Ultimately, I would rate this book 2 1/2 stars which is why I rounded it up to 3 stars.
T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong were able to show all of the intricacies that go into investigating a rape. They also showed how one wrong move on an investigator's part can derail an investigation. Though I liked how detailed they were, I felt that they got stuck too much in certain areas. It seemed that they would go off on a tangent on how or why something was created. This pulled you out of the story and most of the time, I would ask myself why this was in the book. It really dragged down the flow of the book and in the first half of the book, it almost made it unbearable.
I did almost DNF this book. I felt that the first half dragged on and on and jumped from tangent to tangent. I understand that some of the details needed to be in there but not everyone here needs to know how a rape kit was invented or how other tools were created. Several pages could have easily been written as a paragraph explaining why this was important and how it was useful to investigators. I found myself thinking "we got it, move on" on more than one occasion. Honestly, it broke up the story and made it less powerful.
One of the things that I did love about this book is how it portrayed the victims. It didn't vilify them. It was matter of fact and I really appreciated it. Though the authors focused on details, I truly appreciated how they did not give too many details on the sexual assaults. I think that too many authors would sensationalize what these victims went through so it was refreshing to get a "this is what happened" without going into the gory details.
Once the first half was over, the last half was quick paced and fascinating. I enjoyed learning more about the story and how it unfolded. I remember seeing this on the news (I live in Colorado) and being thankful that they caught the guy. The last half of this book salvaged it. I'm glad I stuck with this book. It was insightful though slow.
Ultimately, I would rate this book 2 1/2 stars which is why I rounded it up to 3 stars.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated The Queens Corgi (2019) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
The Queen's Corgi is a vicious mongrel
There’re so many problematic aspects to “The Queen’s Corgi” it’s kind of baffling it ever made it to cinema screens. A cute cartoon fable about the Queen’s beloved pets may seem like a slam-dunk for the Saturday kid’s club crowd and, if you’re determined to see it, it’s definitely worth waiting for it to reach the bargain screening circuit. Nobody should pay full price to see this.
At its core, it’s a story of Rex (Jack Whitehall), an adorable but arrogant Corgi who lets being the ‘top dog’ go to his head and ends up in the doghouse, stranded outside the Palace and at the mercy of the ferocious leader of the pack at the local dog pound. So far, so predictable.
Where “The Queen’s Corgi” surprises is in its decision to include in cutesy cartoon the divisive figure of President Trump and his current wife, especially as it involves the real-life self-confessed sexual predator in a sub-plot about mating his (fictional) Corgi with one of the Queen’s pets, a storyline rife with casual coercion and canine sexual assault. From that tawdry and uncomfortable opening, we progress onwards to the meat of the plot which sees Rex encounter an underground dogfighting ring operating at the Pound.
Add in a couple of pretty scary sequences involving nearly getting run over, a surprisingly graphic near-drowning and an attempted murder by arson and you start to understand why this European production has been rated PG when its subject should be an easy-U. It earns it.
Some of this will, of course, pass over the heads of younger children, at least on a conscious level, but there’s such a nasty undertone to the whole movie that you should be thinking twice about seeing it. To UK children, of course, Donald Trump is something of a distant, already cartoonish figure, possibly a bit of a bogeyman but the casual humanisation and normalising of a figure like Trump is a dangerous and slippery slope (as Jimmy Kimmel can attest to) and sets an unpleasant precedent for future ‘family entertainment’. The fact that it pokes fun at him up to and including him getting bitten in the dick by a Corgi doesn’t mitigate his appearance, it just makes it more inappropriate.
I’m genuinely surprised this has been allowed to pass without comment from the Royal Household but perhaps they hope it will quickly fade into obscurity, even though this would benefit from a more activist Royal prerogative – this is one movie that should be sent to The Tower for the rest of its life.
At its core, it’s a story of Rex (Jack Whitehall), an adorable but arrogant Corgi who lets being the ‘top dog’ go to his head and ends up in the doghouse, stranded outside the Palace and at the mercy of the ferocious leader of the pack at the local dog pound. So far, so predictable.
Where “The Queen’s Corgi” surprises is in its decision to include in cutesy cartoon the divisive figure of President Trump and his current wife, especially as it involves the real-life self-confessed sexual predator in a sub-plot about mating his (fictional) Corgi with one of the Queen’s pets, a storyline rife with casual coercion and canine sexual assault. From that tawdry and uncomfortable opening, we progress onwards to the meat of the plot which sees Rex encounter an underground dogfighting ring operating at the Pound.
Add in a couple of pretty scary sequences involving nearly getting run over, a surprisingly graphic near-drowning and an attempted murder by arson and you start to understand why this European production has been rated PG when its subject should be an easy-U. It earns it.
Some of this will, of course, pass over the heads of younger children, at least on a conscious level, but there’s such a nasty undertone to the whole movie that you should be thinking twice about seeing it. To UK children, of course, Donald Trump is something of a distant, already cartoonish figure, possibly a bit of a bogeyman but the casual humanisation and normalising of a figure like Trump is a dangerous and slippery slope (as Jimmy Kimmel can attest to) and sets an unpleasant precedent for future ‘family entertainment’. The fact that it pokes fun at him up to and including him getting bitten in the dick by a Corgi doesn’t mitigate his appearance, it just makes it more inappropriate.
I’m genuinely surprised this has been allowed to pass without comment from the Royal Household but perhaps they hope it will quickly fade into obscurity, even though this would benefit from a more activist Royal prerogative – this is one movie that should be sent to The Tower for the rest of its life.
Mandi S (1 KP) rated Anatomy of a Scandal in Books
Jan 23, 2018
WOAH. This book was a rush. I flew through it and I can tell this is one that will stick with me for a while. Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan is set in London and follows a cast of characters, Sophie, James, Kate, Holly, and Alison. After owning up to an affair, prominent government worker James gets accused of rape and must face trial for his supposed actions. Told in both present day and flashbacks, the reader soon realizes that there are more ties that bind this group together than originally thought, and that everyone is not always who they seem to be.
This novel deals very heavily with sexual assault and rape. As this is a prominent topic in our society today, I think this book is both timely and necessary. Revealing how deeply a rape can impact an individual, how celebrity and prominence can play a role in prosecution, and how easily someone's guilt can be questioned, it speaks to the deep set issues that for many years our society has ignored that are finally coming to light.
While this was a tough topic to swallow, I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters, especially Kate. The plot was fast moving and interesting, and even though there were flashbacks it was very easy to piece together. The ending was so satisfying as well, even if it isn't what you initially expect it will be, and there are a few plot twists along the way that keep you engaged. Each character's section was the perfect length, enough to let you know what was happening and what they were thinking but not too long to get bored of them before moving on, and I really enjoyed Vaughan's detailed yet simple writing style.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
A huge thanks to Atria and Goodreads for allowing me early access to an ecopy of this fantastic read.
This novel deals very heavily with sexual assault and rape. As this is a prominent topic in our society today, I think this book is both timely and necessary. Revealing how deeply a rape can impact an individual, how celebrity and prominence can play a role in prosecution, and how easily someone's guilt can be questioned, it speaks to the deep set issues that for many years our society has ignored that are finally coming to light.
While this was a tough topic to swallow, I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters, especially Kate. The plot was fast moving and interesting, and even though there were flashbacks it was very easy to piece together. The ending was so satisfying as well, even if it isn't what you initially expect it will be, and there are a few plot twists along the way that keep you engaged. Each character's section was the perfect length, enough to let you know what was happening and what they were thinking but not too long to get bored of them before moving on, and I really enjoyed Vaughan's detailed yet simple writing style.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
A huge thanks to Atria and Goodreads for allowing me early access to an ecopy of this fantastic read.
TacoDave (3838 KP) Dec 31, 2020
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Dec 31, 2020