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Emma (519 KP) rated La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust in Books

Nov 14, 2019

La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust

Philip Pullman | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.5

(13 Ratings)

Book Rating

My brother bought me this for Christmas last year, as he knows I loved his dark materials trilogy as a teenager.I have finally got round to reading it, and I have fallen in love with Phillip Pullmans writing style and character development again. I would be surprised if anyone who reads this does not connect with Malcom, what a fantastic character, you cannot help but feel sympathetic towards him.
In some ways it's similar to his old books, but this one is all about the thrill of the chase and it feels a bit more exciting.
My only criticism is that he had added some adult content,probably to appeal to an older audience, but it doesn't feel right reading it in a Pullman book.
Nevertheless I can't wait for the next two instalments.

Kudos

Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Trance (2013) in Movies

Feb 1, 2020

Trance (2013)

2013 | Mystery, Documentary

7.3

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Danny Boyle is a director who rarely disappoints me even with weaker material his unique visual style makes for entertaining viewing. For me this was one of his better recent efforts and the story here is compelling with twists and turns galore (some plausible and some perhaps not so plausible) as we slowly unravel multiple plot lines connected with hypnosis and a botched art heist. The film is well paced and visually very impressive and kept me suitably hooked. The performances are also strong with James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel being the standouts but if the films plot leaves you scratching your head just a bit too much then there is always an eyebrow raising turn from Rosario Dawson that will certainly leave you with fond memories of the film.

Kudos

Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Traffic (2001) in Movies

Feb 1, 2020

Traffic (2001)

2001 | Drama

7.3

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

A complex and ambitious movie documenting several interconnected stories about the drug trade. Steven Soderbergh’s style is almost documentary like (plenty of shaky cam) and I liked his use of blue and yellow filters illustrating the different stories . Personally I found the film a bit overlong and some of the cartel storyline a bit draggy and convoluted. The film is more successful when showing the human side of drug addiction and I particularly enjoyed the storyline documenting the daughter of a senior politician tasked with tackling drug trafficking descending into addiction. Michael Douglas performance here was excellent and quite moving and definitely the standout amongst the ensemble cast. So a very impressive movie for its scope and scale, not all of it works but what does works very well.

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Shadow Frost (Shadow Frost, #1) in Books

Mar 22, 2020

Shadow Frost (Shadow Frost, #1)

Coco Ma | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

7.5

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

I really wanted to enjoy Shadow Frost with promises of assassins, monsters and darkness set in a fantasy world. But as much as the interactions between the characters were a delight to read and I loved every second of it, the writing style just isn’t my type. I personally didn’t feel the book was worth investing more time into, and I’m sad to say I had to DNF this at 34%.

The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.

NOTE: Because this was DNFed at 34%, this review AND rating reflects only the 34% that I have read and not the entire book.