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Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Music, Romance
Full of Eurovision spirit
I am a big fan of Eurovision, it's a must see event every year and I've even been to see it in person when it was last held in Denmark. Sadly with the cancellation of pretty much everything this year including Eurovision, I've been dying for a bit of cheesy fun and this film *almost* delivers it in the truckload.

This film really knows how to channel the Eurovision spirit. There's a lot of great cheesy songs and costumes, some great over the top performances (Dan Stevens was a hoot) and a decent amount of heart. The songs are very good, from the hilariously cheesy to the impressive ballads. The acting was good although i felt Will Ferrell was a little of a letdown. It was great to see Dan Stevens camping it up though and a nice (but sadly too short) role for Natasia Demetriou from What We Do in the Shadows, and I loved the cameos from existing real life Eurovision acts.

The problem with this film is the humour is lacking when it's not cheesy Eurovision fun. And the jokes that were there fell pretty flat for me. The film is also rather longer than you'd expect and did drag a little in the middle.

I had been expecting a Eurovision spoof comedy, but instead what I got was almost a homage to everything we love about Eurovision. It's not great but definitely an enjoyable bit of fun. I've been debating whether to score this a 6 or 7 and in the end, I've decided to be rather generous as it is a lot of fun.
  
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Colin Newman recommended Clear by Spirit in Music (curated)

 
Clear by Spirit
Clear by Spirit
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They were in my opinion one of the best West Coast bands from the 70s. I got this album around 1970; I can't remember what year it came out, 68 or 69, something like that. It's got one or two unbelievable tracks on it: 'Ice' and the title track. Both are amazing instrumental pieces which are really like nothing I'd ever heard before. They're jazzy but they have a flavour, a rhythm of something else. Some of the songs are okay and some of the songs are a bit silly. I had a little square Dansette and a tiny room when I was a kid and the room was twice the size of the bed, and I used to lie on my bed with the speaker next to my ear. And I remember it being very hot and listening to that album and feeling like the music had captured the heat in a way that no other music that I'd heard actually did. So I always associate it with heat. And I always figure that if somebody knows about Spirit then they probably know quite a lot about music. And the guy who produced it is the guy who later went on to produce Carole King, and he was interviewed for the NME. At the time Carole King was regarded as being super unhip, and the journalist said oh, you produced the Spirit album; they were fantastic. And the guy said oh, I didn't really understand the music, which I thought was stupidly disingenuous, because actually he brought a really interesting touch to it."

Source
  
Calling Mrs Christmas
Calling Mrs Christmas
Carole Matthews | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fantastically festive romance (3 more)
The perfect book to read as the festivities begin
Cassie Smith is a great leading character
Reading about lapland made it all the more enjoyable
As with all Carole Matthews books, I found myself clinging to every page drawn in by Cassie Smith and her new venture and the up and downs it would bring to her.
For me personally, I found the obvious research for characters and locations and consequence details used within the book, made it even more appealing and heartfelt to read and certainly added to my overall enjoyment and high rating for Calling Mrs Christmas.
This is a book I could read again and again and I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a festive read with some fun-filled, heartwarming Christmas spirit.
  
When I first saw this book I wasn't sure, a book written from the dog's point of view and a Dachshund's point of view at that, hmmm, how wrong could I have been. The author, Kathleen Chamberlin, captures the spirit and character of doxies totally. Showing how it is their home and life and we should be honoured to be allowed to share it with them. Marcy's disdain for the visitor is clearly felt and when the story takes a twist the reader eagerly follows Marcy, cheering on the family and generally revelling in the feeling of euphoria by the end.
A real, feel-good book for dog or pet owners, but a true treasure for anyone who has ever spent time with a doxie. I love it.
  
BD
Broken Dolls
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a dark disturbing read that I was glued to from the beginning, two broken souls that come together and don't fix each other more sooth and adhere themselves as a coping mechanism, don't know if I would call this love more a connecting of brokenness. Mia is a tragic, scared, vulnerable figure and Brian sees a kindred spirit in her, an extension of himself, protecting Mia eases his own demons and with a matching set of scars Brian puts himself in the role of Mia's protector. I never thought I would see Brian in any redeemable light but I do, don't get me wrong the man is still wired wrong a complete sadist but with mia he becomes so much more as well. A very dark thought provoking read loved it.
  
Monster Manual (Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition)
Monster Manual (Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition)
2014 | Adventure, Dice Game, Fantasy, Game System, Roleplaying
A menagerie of deadly monsters for the world’s greatest roleplaying game
 
The Monster Manual presents a horde of classic Dungeons & Dragons creatures, including dragons, giants, mind flayers, and beholders–a monstrous feast for Dungeon Masters ready to challenge their players and populate their adventures.
 
The monsters contained herein are culled from the D&D game’s illustrious history, with easy-to-use game statistics and thrilling stories to feed your imagination.
 
The leader in providing contemporary fantasy entertainment, Dungeons & Dragons is the wellspring for the entire modern game industry, digital as well as analog. This newest edition draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience, and exemplifies the true spirit of a game that holds captive the hearts and minds of millions of players worldwide.
  
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Lindsay (1774 KP) rated Botticelli's Bastard in Books

Aug 30, 2018 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)  
BB
Botticelli's Bastard
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This my first in this kind of book dealing with art and history. It a good book and interesting. It deals with Germany and take over of Europe in the 1940's. I liked the idea of the painting talking and telling detail about his owners. That what is been so neat about it. I love the fact that Giovanni started with a discovery of stolen art.

Giovanni has some family problems that it so funny in a way that he find a discovery to lift his spirit. The author was good and i enjoyed the book. I rate this book at 4 1/2 stars. Those the painting stories about himself is so funny that you want to laugh. It makes you want to find out more of they mystery of the painting.
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
The nostalgia hits hard here so prepare to cry....a lot! (2 more)
The original voice of Tigger and Pooh comes back to play them in this movie which is a plus
Ewan mgregor is exceptional here...Obi Wan's still got it
It's super slow until you see pooh (1 more)
If you have seen the Robin Williams classic Hook, you'll probably predict the plot of this movie
Christopher Robin is a great Disney film
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie is a tear-jerker but it's also a love letter for long time Pooh fans but it is slow movie and a predictable plot too but it doesn't hurt the movie also minor spoilers but in the true spirit of Pooh there are songs in this movie including one by Richard Sherman a Disney song writer staple
  
A Boy Called Christmas
A Boy Called Christmas
Matt Haig, Chris Mould | 2016 | Children
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A wonderfully festive story
Until now, I don't think I've ever read a specifically Christmas themed book and especially not one based around the origin of Father Christmas. Until now that is, and what a wonderfully festive book to choose.

This is ultimately a kids book, so it's nothing fancy language-wise but it's still very well written and engaging. Nikolas is an endearing and lovable main character, although I think him and the rest of the characters in this book are not as well developed as they could be (probably because it's a kids book). The story itself is such fun and heartwarming and quite amusing at times, and it's a great idea for the origin of Father Christmas. It has definitely helped me to get into the festive spirit!