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The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Detail, intrigue (0 more)
This book has been on my list of books I want to read for years but I had felt a little daunted by it. When I finally picked it up I was in the right frame of mind for the challenge and it seemed a fitting read for my weekend away to a book town.

It would be fair to say that parts of the book which covered the more in depth discussions on the differences between the various types of heretics weren't the easiest of reads but given I'm no kind of expert on religion they did make sense and were important to the story.

What I really did love was the sections where William was using Sherlock Holmesesque deductions and the descriptions of the labyrinth style library. If you're a lover of books it's worth reading for those features alone.
  
A House Of Ghosts
A House Of Ghosts
W. C. Ryan | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Paranormal, Thriller
8
5.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The binding is gorgeous (1 more)
Had everything
A House Full of Ghosts
Well I loved this. It had everything. A thriller and a murder mystery with romance and ghosts as well. The story flowed magnificently, the characters were endearing and shone from the pages and the history and setting were also deliberate and engrossing. This is a book you can imagine being timeless and far reaching, I can imagine my teenage son or my grandad in his nineties enjoying it. A fantastic story difficult to put down and to top it off presented beautifully in this gorgeous black and gold hardback. Imagine Downton Abbey meets Sherlock Holmes with a bit of Spooky Dickens chucked in for good mrasure. Bring on the movie, it would work so well and I have absolutely no doubt that we will be seeing these characters again and I for one can't wait.
  
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David McK (3623 KP) rated Sherlock Holmes (2009) in Movies

Nov 1, 2020 (Updated Jan 13, 2024)  
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
2009 | Action, Drama, Mystery
Guy Ritchie's 2009 very different take on Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous literary creation, starring Robert Downey Jr as the great detective himself, Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler ('the woman') and Jude Law as Dr. Watson.

Unlike the more-contemporary set TV 'Sherlock', this is still set in Victorian times although, I have to say, that I never really took to the portrayal of Holmes in this film at all. It's also a completely-new (to the best of my knowledge) mystery for him to solve; not based on any of the Conan Doyle stories. That's both a good thing and a bad thing: it does mean that it's 'fresh' (unlike, say, another retelling of 'The Hounds of the Baskervilles'), but - I have to say - it also lacks the fun, the sense of mystery, the sheer enthrallment of the Conan Doyle stories.
  
Sherlock Gnomes (2018)
Sherlock Gnomes (2018)
2018 | Animation, Comedy
The original "Gnomeo & Juliet" movie was a sweet spin on the Shakespeare
inspired story of Romeo and Juliet, but with two clans of gnomes at war
with the main destruction being to each other's gardens. Two star-crossed
lovers, Gnomeo & Juliet fall in love and after all the chaos, hate, and
near death experiences, both "gnomes houses" seek a truce and learn to
co-exist.



In the sequel, the gnomes move to London. Juliet (Emily Blunt) is so
preoccupied with rebuilding the garden, she fails to notice Gnomeo's (James
MacAvoy) needs and feelings. In other parts of London, Sherlock Gnomes
(Johnny Depp) and his faithful companion Watson (Chiwetel Eljiofor) are
investigating the disappearance of several gnomes throughout London. One
day, Gnomeo attempts at a romantic gesture goes awry when he tries to steal
an orchid for Juliet from a flower shop. Juliet ends up saving Gnomeo,
causing them to bicker and squabble and not realize all their gnome friends
and family were kidnapped. One thing leads to another and they find
themselves teaming up with Sherlock and Watson to track down all the clues
in hopes of saving their loved ones.



From the director who brought us "Kung Fu Panda," this was a major misstep
for John Stevenson. The movie was fast paced, but the story line was very
disjointed. I understand what angle they were attempting to hit here:
Don't take your loved ones for granted, but I just could not connect with
the characters. In the first film, they really focused on the
relationships between Gnomeo and his mother, Juliet and her father, and both
 Gnomeo and Juliet. Those relationships were lost in this film. From the
adult perspective, the movie lacked depth, but was still entertaining.
However, the kiddos on hand loved it. They enjoyed all the high flying
suspenseful moments, the potty humor, and over the top one liners.