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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Shape of Water (2017) in Movies
Mar 12, 2018 (Updated Mar 12, 2018)
Fish porn :D - not Del Toro's finest
I'm possibly in the minority when I say I didn't particularly enjoy this film though I really appreciated the themes explored such as prejudice, otherness, and boundless love. Not to mention, highlighting disability, racism and homophobia.
However, as a big fan of @Pan's Labyrinth (2006), @The Devil's Backbone (2001) and @Cronos (1994) - this felt like it had a bit of Hollywood stardust and Guillermo Del Toro seemed to dumb down his usual style i.e. turning to good versus bad.
Although Michael Shannon acted well, he was a bit of caricature of a villain. But I did like the flipside of the Soviet scientist being the hero. And at the end of it, it did appear like a non-comedic, Rated-R version of @Splash (1984). Not my cup of tea.
However, as a big fan of @Pan's Labyrinth (2006), @The Devil's Backbone (2001) and @Cronos (1994) - this felt like it had a bit of Hollywood stardust and Guillermo Del Toro seemed to dumb down his usual style i.e. turning to good versus bad.
Although Michael Shannon acted well, he was a bit of caricature of a villain. But I did like the flipside of the Soviet scientist being the hero. And at the end of it, it did appear like a non-comedic, Rated-R version of @Splash (1984). Not my cup of tea.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Murder by Decree (1979) in Movies
Feb 27, 2018 (Updated Feb 27, 2018)
Ah, nothing says 'fun' like a movie based on the activities of a brutal real-life misogynistic serial killer. Classy Sherlock Holmes pastiche is as much a vehicle to disseminate one particular Jack the Ripper theory as it is entertainment; fortunately it works very well as the later.
Not really a very good Sherlock Holmes movie - Holmes and Watson are clearly twenty years apart in age, weirdly, and Holmes' fearsome intellect is not much on display; his main method here seems to be to wander about until he stumbles over the solution to a mystery. But a distinguished cast and nice production values make up for the all-over-the-shop script, and the action at the end of the movie is well-staged. Hardly an ideal Holmes, but an entertaining mystery-thriller in a post-Hammer horror sort of style, issues of taste excepted.
Not really a very good Sherlock Holmes movie - Holmes and Watson are clearly twenty years apart in age, weirdly, and Holmes' fearsome intellect is not much on display; his main method here seems to be to wander about until he stumbles over the solution to a mystery. But a distinguished cast and nice production values make up for the all-over-the-shop script, and the action at the end of the movie is well-staged. Hardly an ideal Holmes, but an entertaining mystery-thriller in a post-Hammer horror sort of style, issues of taste excepted.
KarenRC (6 KP) rated The Key to Death's Door in Books
Jul 23, 2018
Never before has a book had me in such a mixture of feelings... I hated it in the way that it was so graphic and the Daryl character so abhorrent, but I also found myself totally unable to stop reading.
This was my first book by this author, but I don't think it will be the last. The writing style and character descriptions are second to none. The hate for Daryls character is matched only by the love for Lee/Pauls character and his relationship with Charlie/Bobby and that is testament to the author, in the same way that I think that the graphic scenes got to me so much, because I could picture them so well.
Definitely one that is going to stay with me, but not sure if I have decided whether that will be in a good way or not, yet!!
This was my first book by this author, but I don't think it will be the last. The writing style and character descriptions are second to none. The hate for Daryls character is matched only by the love for Lee/Pauls character and his relationship with Charlie/Bobby and that is testament to the author, in the same way that I think that the graphic scenes got to me so much, because I could picture them so well.
Definitely one that is going to stay with me, but not sure if I have decided whether that will be in a good way or not, yet!!
Shayde (75 KP) rated The Beach House: A Shimmer Pointe Romance (Book 1) in Books
Sep 6, 2018
the scene (2 more)
the idea
good romance novel
needs more backstory (1 more)
needs to be more drawn out
Honest Review
Contains spoilers, click to show
Full Disclosure: I won a copy of this book in a Smashbombs giveaway. It came signed by the author, with a handwritten note, and a signed bookmark. It was so cute and I loved it upon arrival.
However, I should also mention I am a bit of a cynic at times. For me, this book read way too fast.
~SPOILERS~
Girl goes to a beach house, girl meets boy, they go out, they end up together. There's also an ex who shows up but it's not even an issue. I would have liked a slower building romance, that maybe felt a bit more real. Also, as for the writing style, I wanted more show and less tell. Overall though, I think it's a pretty cute book and would be a good beach read.
However, I should also mention I am a bit of a cynic at times. For me, this book read way too fast.
~SPOILERS~
Girl goes to a beach house, girl meets boy, they go out, they end up together. There's also an ex who shows up but it's not even an issue. I would have liked a slower building romance, that maybe felt a bit more real. Also, as for the writing style, I wanted more show and less tell. Overall though, I think it's a pretty cute book and would be a good beach read.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Heart of Darkness in Books
Oct 24, 2018
Not a deserving classic
Literary classics always appear to be very divisive, and Heart of Darkness is definitely one of these. There are some that are very deserving of the word “classic”, however this isn’t one of them.
The writing style is very poor and messy, and it’s very difficult to read a story that is made up of unbroken long winded paragraphs. Even the dialogue between characters isn’t broken apart and it’s very tiresome to read. There’s little character development and the plot is very convoluted, jumping about with little reason or explanation, and it’s very difficult to figure out what’s actually going on. I don’t deny that this could have been a very good read, had it not been for the ridiculous rambling narrative. The only good thing about it was that it was fairly short, otherwise I never would’ve got to the end of it.
The writing style is very poor and messy, and it’s very difficult to read a story that is made up of unbroken long winded paragraphs. Even the dialogue between characters isn’t broken apart and it’s very tiresome to read. There’s little character development and the plot is very convoluted, jumping about with little reason or explanation, and it’s very difficult to figure out what’s actually going on. I don’t deny that this could have been a very good read, had it not been for the ridiculous rambling narrative. The only good thing about it was that it was fairly short, otherwise I never would’ve got to the end of it.
Vegas (725 KP) rated Friday the 13th (1980) in Movies
Oct 25, 2018
The suspense (2 more)
Violent deaths
Not too much splatter
Classic Slasher
It has been a very long time since I watched this, back in the day I always preferred The Nightmare on Elm Street series. So I went into it almost with fresh eyes, not really remembering too much.
I now wonder why I didn’t like it more at the time, the gory deaths were not over done as in some modern films (eg. Saw series) there was the right amount of suspense and anticipation was cleverly filmed... some of the later scenes once the killer is shown especially the close ups and later struggles remind me for some reason of the style of Hitchcock in psycho.
This is how horror should be done. Maybe some of today’s excessive gore fest films (which I don’t actually dislike) should learn from it - sometimes less is more.
I now wonder why I didn’t like it more at the time, the gory deaths were not over done as in some modern films (eg. Saw series) there was the right amount of suspense and anticipation was cleverly filmed... some of the later scenes once the killer is shown especially the close ups and later struggles remind me for some reason of the style of Hitchcock in psycho.
This is how horror should be done. Maybe some of today’s excessive gore fest films (which I don’t actually dislike) should learn from it - sometimes less is more.
David McK (3755 KP) rated Batman: Arkham Origins in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Hmmm … what to make of this?
I picked this up on a whim when I spotted it on sale in a local 'Works' (basically, bargain books) shop, with fond memories of playing the game on which it is based.
I thought it would be, basically, a comic/graphic novel retelling the plot of that game.
I was wrong.
A few pages into this, I realised it's actually a 'Choose-your-own-adventure' style of story, set (as the name suggest) back at the very start of Batman's career as a vigilante crime-fighter, with little-to-no links to that console game.
It was interesting for a diversion, however it did only take a couple of attempts to reach the 'good' ending (and even that was not that great), after a few dead-ends.
An interesting experiment, maybe, but nothing to set the world alight.
I picked this up on a whim when I spotted it on sale in a local 'Works' (basically, bargain books) shop, with fond memories of playing the game on which it is based.
I thought it would be, basically, a comic/graphic novel retelling the plot of that game.
I was wrong.
A few pages into this, I realised it's actually a 'Choose-your-own-adventure' style of story, set (as the name suggest) back at the very start of Batman's career as a vigilante crime-fighter, with little-to-no links to that console game.
It was interesting for a diversion, however it did only take a couple of attempts to reach the 'good' ending (and even that was not that great), after a few dead-ends.
An interesting experiment, maybe, but nothing to set the world alight.
Mel (490 KP) rated The Name of the Rose in Books
Oct 16, 2019
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.
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.
Book Divas (227 KP) rated Tongues in Books
Jul 16, 2019
If you have a weak stomach then read at your own peril
Since I'm torn between four stars and five stars then I will give this crazy read four and 1/2 stars. I don't think that crazy is the correct term for what I need. This read had some sick and repulsive scenes .... definitely some of the best I've encountered in some time and contains just the right amount of evil and chaos that pushes your mind into boundary lines that you never knew existed. I recommend you read this book when you have the time to do it all in one sitting because if it hadn't been for prior commitments, that's exactly what I would have done... read it all in one day. The author's writing style and descriptive prose make this a MUST read. However, if you have a weak stomach then read at your own peril.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Knives Out (2019) in Movies
Nov 28, 2019
Bravura Agatha Christie pastiche from Rian Johnson. A successful writer turns up dead in suspicious circumstances, and a renowned private detective finds himself retained to investigate the situation. There are various unpleasant and scheming relatives and an implausibly convoluted plot unfolds before the denouement: the film is almost self-consciously modern in many ways, but hits all the right beats for a whodunnit in the classic style.
It mainly manages this thanks to Johnson's mastery of tone - this is a sly, playful movie, full of big performances as comically grotesque characters. Daniel Craig is clearly having rather too much fun as the Poirot-proxy and I can imagine him wanting to play this fellow again once he's finished with that other well-known role of his. An impressive performance from Ana de Armas as well. Pure entertainment, superbly done: lots and lots of fun.
It mainly manages this thanks to Johnson's mastery of tone - this is a sly, playful movie, full of big performances as comically grotesque characters. Daniel Craig is clearly having rather too much fun as the Poirot-proxy and I can imagine him wanting to play this fellow again once he's finished with that other well-known role of his. An impressive performance from Ana de Armas as well. Pure entertainment, superbly done: lots and lots of fun.