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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2387 KP) rated I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
It’s the week before Christmas, and a movie crew is coming to film at Flavia’s family home. While excited, Flavia is plotting how to trap Father Christmas when he shows up on Christmas morning. However, that takes a back seat when the lead actress is film is murdered. Fortunately for Flavia, the suspects are trapped in her home due to a massive snow storm. Can she figure out who the killer is?
While I do like the characters and didn’t find Flavia nearly as annoying in this book as I did the previous one, I found the plot way too slow. The murder happened half way through the book, and the tension and set up to justify that just wasn’t present. Once the murder took place, the book definitely picked up, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-i-am-half-sick-of-shadows.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I do like the characters and didn’t find Flavia nearly as annoying in this book as I did the previous one, I found the plot way too slow. The murder happened half way through the book, and the tension and set up to justify that just wasn’t present. Once the murder took place, the book definitely picked up, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-i-am-half-sick-of-shadows.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2387 KP) rated Scam Chowder (A Five-Ingredient Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Val Deniston’s grandfather is hosting a dinner party with a secret agenda. He’s hoping to confront Scott, a man who scams retirees out of their savings. However, before the confrontation can take place, Scott gets sick and leaves. The next day he is dead from poison. With the other dinner guests as suspects, Val must figure out what happened before the police arrest her grandfather.
The mystery in this book is very strong. I thought I could discount some of the suspects early on, but by the end, I felt they all could have done it. Yet, when the killer was revealed, it made perfect sense with clues pointing to his or her identity. I do wish that Val’s grandfather wasn’t so harsh to her, but the rest of the characters and their relationships are strong, and I’m anxious to see what happens to them next.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-scam-chowder-by-maya.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The mystery in this book is very strong. I thought I could discount some of the suspects early on, but by the end, I felt they all could have done it. Yet, when the killer was revealed, it made perfect sense with clues pointing to his or her identity. I do wish that Val’s grandfather wasn’t so harsh to her, but the rest of the characters and their relationships are strong, and I’m anxious to see what happens to them next.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-scam-chowder-by-maya.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Alicia S (193 KP) rated The Life of Anna: The Complete Story in Books
Sep 28, 2018
Read the entire series from start to finish... Dark, sick, twisted, so, so wrong and yet SO good!? By far the darkest series I've ever read and was surely tough to read at times, yet I simply can't put it down. Its all here... beyond anything you could imagine... and more. I kept hearing about this series and finally got my hands on it and my god.. My heart broke over and over again until I simply couldn't take any more (and then grabbed the next book of course!?). You know those books where your heart races, your blood boils and you find yourself shaking uncontrollably as you have a panic attack while reading....well, this is THAT series from start to finish!? Holy mindf$%k!!! Could NOT put it down!! A seriously evil, beautiful, heart-wrenching, loving, torturous book!? This series will make you feel everything.. from rage to love. HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who loves a dark, dark read!
David McK (3587 KP) rated Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) in Movies
Dec 31, 2019 (Updated Apr 28, 2020)
The first Indiana Jones film, with Harrison Ford in the role for which he would become iconic.
It's fair to say that this has permeated popular culture: the bullwhip, the hat, the fear of snakes are all intrinsic to the character and heavily copied over the years (Tomb Raider, anyone? The Uncharted series?), with even TVs The Simpsons doing a parody of the opening tomb robbing scene with Homer chasing Bart and ending up rolling down the stairs.
There's almost too many iconic scenes (and quotes) to count: that tomb robber bit at the start, the fed-up Indy shooting the sword-wielder in Cairo (initially storyboarded as a full on sword fight, except the actors all got sick), the Well of Souls sequence, the escape, "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage", the opening of the Ark by the Nazis and the final warehouse scene, to name but a few!
It's fair to say that this has permeated popular culture: the bullwhip, the hat, the fear of snakes are all intrinsic to the character and heavily copied over the years (Tomb Raider, anyone? The Uncharted series?), with even TVs The Simpsons doing a parody of the opening tomb robbing scene with Homer chasing Bart and ending up rolling down the stairs.
There's almost too many iconic scenes (and quotes) to count: that tomb robber bit at the start, the fed-up Indy shooting the sword-wielder in Cairo (initially storyboarded as a full on sword fight, except the actors all got sick), the Well of Souls sequence, the escape, "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage", the opening of the Ark by the Nazis and the final warehouse scene, to name but a few!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated District 9 (2009) in Movies
Jul 26, 2019 (Updated Jul 26, 2019)
When Aliens Attack
Contains spoilers, click to show
District 9- was a intresting film.
The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras witch is really intresting.
The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens are found aboard the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson tries to escape with his son and return home, crossing paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe.
It was Neill Blomkamp director debut and he did a great job.
District 9- mixs sci-fi with action, found footage, horror, suspense, thrills, chills, drama all into one film.
A highly reccordmend movie.
The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras witch is really intresting.
The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens are found aboard the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson tries to escape with his son and return home, crossing paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe.
It was Neill Blomkamp director debut and he did a great job.
District 9- mixs sci-fi with action, found footage, horror, suspense, thrills, chills, drama all into one film.
A highly reccordmend movie.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Princess Bride (1987) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Need I say more? Well, yes, a lot more. Because the joy of The Princess Bride is almost infinite! Told as a fairytale to a boy sick in bed, who doesn’t like the slushy stuff, until he finds he can’t do without it. Peter Falk as the grandfather anchors this contender for most uplifting film ever made, but it is the detail of the epic love story between Buttercup and Wesley where we find true joy. Swashbuckling, charming, surreal and incredibly funny at every turn – it is possible to point to almost every minute as your favourite bit. The one film I would insist parents show their children. I have heard many people say this is their favourite film of all time, and I am not going to argue with that. Almost crying talking about it; do you want your romance to be above reality? As you wish.
Reiko LJ (126 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of Mass Effect 3: Leviathan (DLC) in Video Games
Apr 22, 2020
Additional backstory on the Reapers (1 more)
Stunning visuals in one section
Poorly designed sections (2 more)
Reuse of assets/locations ad nauseum
Lots of padding
Should have stayed at the bottom of the ocean
Contains spoilers, click to show
This DLC shouldn't really exists.
The last section could easily have been part of the base game and I wouldn't be shocked if EA was a factor in forcing it into a separate package.
Whilst the concept was good, it was poorly executed. Lots of to and fro between different locations and having to repeatedly go back to the lab was frustrating. The whole thing just felt very poor.
In the second mission Shepard had to battle through Reapers, navigate a changing environment, go up and down ladders repeatedly all whilst the area was being bombarded with explosive projectiles. They added a massive camera shake every time this happened. The result was me coming away feeling very motion sick which I've never experienced in Mass Effect before. Poor show all round. Do not recommend.
The last section could easily have been part of the base game and I wouldn't be shocked if EA was a factor in forcing it into a separate package.
Whilst the concept was good, it was poorly executed. Lots of to and fro between different locations and having to repeatedly go back to the lab was frustrating. The whole thing just felt very poor.
In the second mission Shepard had to battle through Reapers, navigate a changing environment, go up and down ladders repeatedly all whilst the area was being bombarded with explosive projectiles. They added a massive camera shake every time this happened. The result was me coming away feeling very motion sick which I've never experienced in Mass Effect before. Poor show all round. Do not recommend.
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