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Ross (3284 KP) rated American Gods - Season 1 in TV
Nov 27, 2017
I read the book quite some time ago, so knew the concept of the series but needed a little gentle reminder of the world we are exploring.
The series is very stylish with excellent dream sequences and imagery throughout, a la Hannibal, however at times I felt this dominated the actual storytelling somewhat.
With something like Hannibal, you don't need to worry about the story too much, people get killed, someone is doing it, twists and turns and suspect caught. So it was right for the focus of that series to be on the imagery rather than the telling.
However, here I think the story and concept are quite hard to get used to initially (and I don't think it really gets nailed at all during the series) and more should have been done to explain it. I'm not saying everything needs laid out neatly with a little bow on, but I think the style needed toned down a little and more effort invested in explaining the world. It felt a little bit like a TV show made for people who have just read the book.
The cast is excellent and it is an enjoyable watch, but a lot of people will struggle to get the hang of it (and may only stick with it in order to say they did rather than because they enjoyed it!).
With such a cult classic book as the source material, I think there were high expectations for it, which may not have been met (mine weren't, sadly).
The series is very stylish with excellent dream sequences and imagery throughout, a la Hannibal, however at times I felt this dominated the actual storytelling somewhat.
With something like Hannibal, you don't need to worry about the story too much, people get killed, someone is doing it, twists and turns and suspect caught. So it was right for the focus of that series to be on the imagery rather than the telling.
However, here I think the story and concept are quite hard to get used to initially (and I don't think it really gets nailed at all during the series) and more should have been done to explain it. I'm not saying everything needs laid out neatly with a little bow on, but I think the style needed toned down a little and more effort invested in explaining the world. It felt a little bit like a TV show made for people who have just read the book.
The cast is excellent and it is an enjoyable watch, but a lot of people will struggle to get the hang of it (and may only stick with it in order to say they did rather than because they enjoyed it!).
With such a cult classic book as the source material, I think there were high expectations for it, which may not have been met (mine weren't, sadly).
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Unbelievable in TV
Oct 16, 2019
A hard to watch but a must watch mini series
This is a true-crime story done so right. It focuses on a series of rapes so if that’s a trigger for you; stay well away; there is detail about the rapes.
I came across the story from a podcast episode on This American Life which had based an episode on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and was rerunning the story because of this series coming out. It’s a hard-hitting story that strongly shines a light on the issues between differences of how victims can be treated. This adaptation does the story justice and is an engrossing watch.
We start off meeting Marie a young woman fresh out of the foster system who is raped by an intruder; her story and in particular how she is treated are hard to watch but important for people to understand the full horror of having to come forward as a victim.
As the series progresses we still see Marie’s journey but more of the action is on investigations into other rapes in different jurisdictions. We meet Det. Karen Duvall and Det. Grace Rasmussen who are both great and the story gets easier to watch as we see them get down to some hard-hitting police work.
What sets this apart in the current influx of true-crime TV is the real focus on the victims rather than the all too common focus on the perpetrator. It works so well; making a strong emotional watching experience.
I came across the story from a podcast episode on This American Life which had based an episode on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and was rerunning the story because of this series coming out. It’s a hard-hitting story that strongly shines a light on the issues between differences of how victims can be treated. This adaptation does the story justice and is an engrossing watch.
We start off meeting Marie a young woman fresh out of the foster system who is raped by an intruder; her story and in particular how she is treated are hard to watch but important for people to understand the full horror of having to come forward as a victim.
As the series progresses we still see Marie’s journey but more of the action is on investigations into other rapes in different jurisdictions. We meet Det. Karen Duvall and Det. Grace Rasmussen who are both great and the story gets easier to watch as we see them get down to some hard-hitting police work.
What sets this apart in the current influx of true-crime TV is the real focus on the victims rather than the all too common focus on the perpetrator. It works so well; making a strong emotional watching experience.
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Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Orange is the New Black: My Time in a Women's Prison in Books
May 14, 2017
Better that the netflix series
When I lifted this book from the shelve I thought it had been put in the wrong section as I was looking for memoir. I was delighted however, when I turned the book over and the blurb revealed that is was in fact a memoir. I had just finished watching all three series of 'Orange is the New Black' on Netflex and had quickly become a fan. The TV program is very thinly based on Kerman's actual experience and because of this I cannot make comparisons. The novel stands alone as an intelligent and well structured memoir that reads like fiction. The author portrays her time in prison through her connection with the other female prisoners and the way in which they were/are forced to endure prison life. The book is emotional, funny and heartbreaking. Kerman has captured a time in her life with precision that only a true writer can. I feel like I could have been there with her. Well done.
Take it from Here: Series 1, 2 & 4, Pt. 1
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Doctor Who FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Famous Time Lord in the Universe
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The Great War Illustrated 1917: Archive and Colour Photographs of WWI
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Fourth in a series of five titles which will cover each year of the war graphically. Countless...
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Star Trek: Volume 1: The Classic UK Comics
Jim Baikie, Harry Lindfield and Mike Noble
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In 1969, six months before the Star Trek TV series premiered in England, British comics readers were...
David McK (3600 KP) rated Enola Holmes (2020) in Movies
Apr 4, 2021
The other Holmes sibling
Sherlock Holmes?
Yep, I'd heard of him.
Mycroft Holmes?
Less well-known, but again: yes. Mainly because of the recent(ish) TV series Sherlock, and the Robert Downey Jr starring films.
Enola Holmes?
I'm afraid to say: nope, never heard of her.
I actually thought at first she was a completely new creation for this Netflix movie, until a little bit of research showed me that she is actually the main character in a series of young adult mystery novels, by American author Nancy Springer (sorry, Nancy: can't say I know who you are either.)
Starring 'Stranger Things' actor Milly Bobby Brown as Enola, I wasn't keen on the talking-straight-to-the-viewer aspects of the movie, which never really held my attention all that much.
I have to say, though, it does contain some considerable 'star power', including the likes of Helena Bonham Carter as the Holmes matriarch (whose disappearance triggers the whole thing) and Henry Cavill - Superman himself! - as a very different take on the middle of the Holms siblings, Sherlock himself
Yep, I'd heard of him.
Mycroft Holmes?
Less well-known, but again: yes. Mainly because of the recent(ish) TV series Sherlock, and the Robert Downey Jr starring films.
Enola Holmes?
I'm afraid to say: nope, never heard of her.
I actually thought at first she was a completely new creation for this Netflix movie, until a little bit of research showed me that she is actually the main character in a series of young adult mystery novels, by American author Nancy Springer (sorry, Nancy: can't say I know who you are either.)
Starring 'Stranger Things' actor Milly Bobby Brown as Enola, I wasn't keen on the talking-straight-to-the-viewer aspects of the movie, which never really held my attention all that much.
I have to say, though, it does contain some considerable 'star power', including the likes of Helena Bonham Carter as the Holmes matriarch (whose disappearance triggers the whole thing) and Henry Cavill - Superman himself! - as a very different take on the middle of the Holms siblings, Sherlock himself