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Awix (3310 KP) rated Village of the Damned (1995) in Movies
Nov 16, 2019
Thumpingly unsubtle SF remake turns up the horror dial but doesn't seem aware that sometimes less is more. After a strange town-wide blackout, the citizens of Midwich (do they really have 'villages' in Northern California, anyway?) discover ten women have simultaneously become pregnant. They give birth to eerily similar children who seem to have psychic powers.
Released in 1995, this is very much The Midwich Cuckoos for the X Files generation, but ends up just another signpost marking the decline of John Carpenter as a film-maker worth paying attention to. The sad thing is that he really does seem familiar with both the original British film and the source novel (elements of the book missing from the 1960 film reappear here) and is obviously trying to do his best to honour them, but where John Wyndham is chillingly subtle and understated, John Carpenter is just walloping the audience with a succession of predictable set-piece 'shocks'. Reasonable CGI but overall it looks cheap and unconvincing; some reasonable performances from an interesting cast, but there's a limit to what they can do with such a duff script.
Released in 1995, this is very much The Midwich Cuckoos for the X Files generation, but ends up just another signpost marking the decline of John Carpenter as a film-maker worth paying attention to. The sad thing is that he really does seem familiar with both the original British film and the source novel (elements of the book missing from the 1960 film reappear here) and is obviously trying to do his best to honour them, but where John Wyndham is chillingly subtle and understated, John Carpenter is just walloping the audience with a succession of predictable set-piece 'shocks'. Reasonable CGI but overall it looks cheap and unconvincing; some reasonable performances from an interesting cast, but there's a limit to what they can do with such a duff script.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo in Books
Dec 3, 2019
Better than a biography
Until seeing Trainwreck, I didn't really rate Amy Schumer as she's made some other pretty poor films. But Trainwreck was great and I'm pleased to say her book is along the same lines.
This is an autobiography but not. Amy tells us humorous anecdotes and sometimes serious and emotional stories about different aspects of her life. Each chapter has a subject or topic of interest, but it is in no way a linear life story. Instead they're rather jumbled but it all makes sense. Amy has a rather laid back conversation style, which for the most part works as it fits in with the stories she's telling although there are times when it gets too conversational - there are just some things that dont come across as well in writing as they would do on stage. Theres a lot of good heartwarming messages in this book, but of course with a decent amount of humour too. I enjoyed reading this a lot more than I expected and it was nice to find out more about a comedian I knew little about. It womt win any writing awards, but it's definitely entertaining.
This is an autobiography but not. Amy tells us humorous anecdotes and sometimes serious and emotional stories about different aspects of her life. Each chapter has a subject or topic of interest, but it is in no way a linear life story. Instead they're rather jumbled but it all makes sense. Amy has a rather laid back conversation style, which for the most part works as it fits in with the stories she's telling although there are times when it gets too conversational - there are just some things that dont come across as well in writing as they would do on stage. Theres a lot of good heartwarming messages in this book, but of course with a decent amount of humour too. I enjoyed reading this a lot more than I expected and it was nice to find out more about a comedian I knew little about. It womt win any writing awards, but it's definitely entertaining.
Merissa (12995 KP) rated Defiance (The Wolfborne Saga #1) in Books
Dec 19, 2019
Defiance is the first book in The Wolfborne Saga and you get a very different take on vampires and werewolves! It starts with Zev escaping in wolf form, from who or what you don't know. It's a close call though, nearly his last call, but he is saved by a young man driving a car. This opens up a whole sort-of-new life for those Zev meets and for him himself.
This was brilliantly written, with plenty of world-building and information given without it being an info-dump. There is definitely character growth from Zev but the others are just as interesting.
As the first book in a series you expect to get a lot of the ground-work, sometimes to the detriment of the story. Not so here. Ms. Alsop has provided a great start and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was brilliantly written, with plenty of world-building and information given without it being an info-dump. There is definitely character growth from Zev but the others are just as interesting.
As the first book in a series you expect to get a lot of the ground-work, sometimes to the detriment of the story. Not so here. Ms. Alsop has provided a great start and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Happy Death Day 2U (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019 (Updated Dec 19, 2019)
Slightly disappointed...
I think it was inevitable that this one would struggle to live up to the surprise success of the first movie. I really wanted to like it, as I did genuinely enjoy the first installment but couldn't help feel slightly disappointed this time around.
For me it felt like the movie lost it's way early on. Where Happy Death Day knew exactly what it was (very much a comedy slasher) This time out we lose the slasher aspect after about 15 minutes for a more scientific take on events, trying to explain what caused the Groundhog Day effect in the first film.
The writing felt lazier this time around, with the multiverse angle being used for the millionth time and some of the dialogue and jokes coming across as cringe worthy and incredibly corny in places.
Overall it's no big surprise that they tried to cash in on the first movie but for me sometimes less is more and on this occasion, I think I'd prefer to remember Happy Death Day as the comedy slasher it was supposed to be in the first place.
For me it felt like the movie lost it's way early on. Where Happy Death Day knew exactly what it was (very much a comedy slasher) This time out we lose the slasher aspect after about 15 minutes for a more scientific take on events, trying to explain what caused the Groundhog Day effect in the first film.
The writing felt lazier this time around, with the multiverse angle being used for the millionth time and some of the dialogue and jokes coming across as cringe worthy and incredibly corny in places.
Overall it's no big surprise that they tried to cash in on the first movie but for me sometimes less is more and on this occasion, I think I'd prefer to remember Happy Death Day as the comedy slasher it was supposed to be in the first place.
Dillon Jacoby-Rankin (202 KP) rated Unstable Unicorns in Tabletop Games
Jan 18, 2020
High player limit (3 more)
Fun and cool theme
Amazing Artwork
Simple Rules
Crazy fun party game
Players: 2-8
Time: 30-45 minutes
Players: Can play up to 8? Anything that plays up to 8 is a plus for me. We have different player amounts for our group all the time and sometimes you need a bigger game.
Time: Not only is it a larger group game, but it plays fast. Turns are so quick you guys. Read a single card and follow the text. It's that fast.
Simple Rules: Literally your turn is either draw 2 cards or draw 1 card and play 1 card. Then follow the text on the played card and keep up with ongoing effects. Example. The yay card says you can't be neighed(stopped from playing a card). Super simple to keep up with.
Artwork: The game is made by TeeTurtle. Shout out to them for the artwork in the game. It's all cutesy unicorns and such. If you don't know. TeeTurtle makes shirts and such. They have a cool and hip style which makes this a fun and great game to look at. Each card is unique.
Time: 30-45 minutes
Players: Can play up to 8? Anything that plays up to 8 is a plus for me. We have different player amounts for our group all the time and sometimes you need a bigger game.
Time: Not only is it a larger group game, but it plays fast. Turns are so quick you guys. Read a single card and follow the text. It's that fast.
Simple Rules: Literally your turn is either draw 2 cards or draw 1 card and play 1 card. Then follow the text on the played card and keep up with ongoing effects. Example. The yay card says you can't be neighed(stopped from playing a card). Super simple to keep up with.
Artwork: The game is made by TeeTurtle. Shout out to them for the artwork in the game. It's all cutesy unicorns and such. If you don't know. TeeTurtle makes shirts and such. They have a cool and hip style which makes this a fun and great game to look at. Each card is unique.
AT (1676 KP) rated When We Were Vikings in Books
Apr 13, 2020
I enjoyed When we were Vikings, but I had to take breaks from reading it, so it wasn't the fastest read for me on a personal level. I'm a parent of a special needs child, and personally, after dealing with my son all day, sometimes I could only read a couple of pages before needing a break. Like I said, that's just a personal thing. I did enjoy the story, and once I hit the major part of the story about halfway in, I didn't have to take as many breaks. Then there were more things going on in the story, rather than only focusing on Zelda's way of seeing things. I did not like the character of Marxy's mother at all, though. For me, I was almost ready to stop reading at one point because of her. Thankfully, she's wasn't a main character, that takes up a lot of time in the book. To me, what she was doing felt borderline abusive, if not fully abusive, considering the situation. I could've done without her part in the book, though I know it lays groundwork for other things down the road.
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