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Unofficial Doctor Who: The Big Book of Lists
Andrew Skilleter and Cameron K. McEwan
Book
Whovians rejoice! Blogtor Who is back...Known for his popular lists, Cameron K. McEwan, author of...
PBS KIDS Video
Education and Entertainment
8.0
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*This app update is only compatible with iOS 9.0 or higher. *NEW* Stream the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Quatermass Conclusion (1979) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
We're all doomed, I tell you, DOOMED!
Big-screen version of Nigel Kneale's ultra-depressing finale to his series of Quatermass TV shows and films. Kneale was only in his fifties when he wrote this, which is odd because it feels very much like an old man's wail of anguish when faced with a world he no longer feels he belongs to or even recognises. Set in the near future - one very much informed by the social unrest and generational tensions that were present in the UK when it was made - this is the story of a collapsing civilisation presented with a new threat: a hostile alien presence, which originally visited Earth five thousand years ago, has returned, basically intent on chowing down on young people (this was clearly an influence on the later Torchwood series Children of Earth). Ageing boffin Bernard Quatermass must find a solution, if he can.
It's not uncommon for SF to be not so much about predicting the future as complaining about the present, but what makes this version of Quatermass unusual is it's told primarily from the perspective of old people - there are a couple of younger sympathetic characters, but even they are thirty-five-going-on-sixty in their attitudes, and most of the younger people are depicted as either feckless wasters or violent psychopaths. (The generation gap is explained by alien influences being at work.)
Reasonably lavish, bearing in mind its TV origins, and quite successful on its own terms - but as its main intention seems to be to drive the viewer to despair, it's not especially easy to like.
It's not uncommon for SF to be not so much about predicting the future as complaining about the present, but what makes this version of Quatermass unusual is it's told primarily from the perspective of old people - there are a couple of younger sympathetic characters, but even they are thirty-five-going-on-sixty in their attitudes, and most of the younger people are depicted as either feckless wasters or violent psychopaths. (The generation gap is explained by alien influences being at work.)
Reasonably lavish, bearing in mind its TV origins, and quite successful on its own terms - but as its main intention seems to be to drive the viewer to despair, it's not especially easy to like.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2536 KP) rated Murder in Season in Books
Dec 2, 2020
‘Tis the Season to be Murdered
Jessica Fletcher is looking forward to spending Christmas in her fully restored house, including a visit from nephew Grady and his family. The final work needing to be done on her house is a new septic system. When the workers start digging, they find human remains. It is quickly determined that one of the bodies is centuries old, but the other is much more recent. The investigation looks like it ties into the founders of Cabot Cove. What secret might the founders have been hiding that is worth killing for today? Meanwhile, in a bit of horribly bad timing, a tabloid TV reporter is in town to do a story about the high murder rate in Cabot Cove. What complications will that produce in the investigation?
Next to the Cabot Cove episodes of the TV show, the episodes with Grady were always my favorite, so I was thrilled to get to spend time with him here. Some of the other regulars seem a bit off to me, but that’s been how I’ve felt with the last few books, the only books in the series I’ve read. The mystery was good. I do struggle at times to get into mysteries that are set years before the characters we are reading about, but this book did a good job of tying the past into modern activity to make me care about the outcome. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it does answer our questions. The Christmas scenes were wonderful and put me in the mood for the holiday. This is a Christmas treat for fans of the series.
Next to the Cabot Cove episodes of the TV show, the episodes with Grady were always my favorite, so I was thrilled to get to spend time with him here. Some of the other regulars seem a bit off to me, but that’s been how I’ve felt with the last few books, the only books in the series I’ve read. The mystery was good. I do struggle at times to get into mysteries that are set years before the characters we are reading about, but this book did a good job of tying the past into modern activity to make me care about the outcome. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it does answer our questions. The Christmas scenes were wonderful and put me in the mood for the holiday. This is a Christmas treat for fans of the series.
Teammate: My Life in Baseball
David Ross, Don Yaeger and Theo Epstein
Book
Of the many storylines to the Chicago Cubs incredible 2016 season was the late career renaissance of...
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Abducted in Plain Sight (2017) in Movies
Apr 8, 2021
Now this one has to be seen to be believed! It is a short documentary film of about 90 minutes, not a series, but it plays like a longer episode of a series – except by the end there is no more to tell. In and out, thankfully! It is the story of Jan Broberg, a relatively successful Hollywood supporting actress, who wrote a book about her abduction by a close family friend when she was a child in the 70s. As the story unfolds, especially if you are a parent yourself, you will be screaming at the screen in total disbelief and indignation every ten minutes, and twice as loud at the end!
I can’t go into the details without ruining it, but suffice to say that the series of events is one of the strangest stories, fact or fiction, that I have ever heard! The audacity and total manipulation of the offender, in conjunction with the insane naivety of Jan and her parents is mind-blowing! How he got away with it in any way for longer than a day is unfathomable enough, but this was abuse that went on unpunished for years. Is it the bible belt attitude to blame? I am… still… scratching my head on this one! How did these events and crimes ever happen? Just, wow! Do yourself a favour if you want to be shocked and have a good rant at the TV, watch this and see for yourself.
I can’t go into the details without ruining it, but suffice to say that the series of events is one of the strangest stories, fact or fiction, that I have ever heard! The audacity and total manipulation of the offender, in conjunction with the insane naivety of Jan and her parents is mind-blowing! How he got away with it in any way for longer than a day is unfathomable enough, but this was abuse that went on unpunished for years. Is it the bible belt attitude to blame? I am… still… scratching my head on this one! How did these events and crimes ever happen? Just, wow! Do yourself a favour if you want to be shocked and have a good rant at the TV, watch this and see for yourself.
The Disappeared (Jenny Cooper #2)
8.0
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The Disappeared is the second thrilling instalment in Matthew Hall's gripping, CWA Gold Dagger...
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated No Tomorrow (Killing Eve #2) in Books
Jan 17, 2022
I didn’t think that this series could possibly get better but it did. And I’m so glad that it’s turning out better than the TV series which I absolutely adore. That’s why I have to rate it 4.5.
We pick up exactly where we left off, with the person that Eve has identified as an informant and from there things quickly go wrong. Eve comes face to face with Villanelle before she abducts the person that Eve has just been interrogating.
We also see more of what Villanelle does best - her planned assassinations and watch her plan them out and play out either as expected or completely the opposite way to the plan. But whichever way they turn out, it is thrilling to read how Villanelle manages everything within her stride.
Eve starts to learn more about Villanelle and through a lot of investigating she works out Villanelle’s codename, although people don’t believe her, on a hunch. Eve is always a couple of steps behind Villanelle which she finds both frustrating and exhilarating, and Villanelle enjoys leading the chase.
The twist at the end of the book is not exactly what I expected, but nonetheless it made me want to carry on reading and before I knew it I was at the end of the book! I’m excited to read the next instalment in the series as I feel that it will be even better than this book.
We pick up exactly where we left off, with the person that Eve has identified as an informant and from there things quickly go wrong. Eve comes face to face with Villanelle before she abducts the person that Eve has just been interrogating.
We also see more of what Villanelle does best - her planned assassinations and watch her plan them out and play out either as expected or completely the opposite way to the plan. But whichever way they turn out, it is thrilling to read how Villanelle manages everything within her stride.
Eve starts to learn more about Villanelle and through a lot of investigating she works out Villanelle’s codename, although people don’t believe her, on a hunch. Eve is always a couple of steps behind Villanelle which she finds both frustrating and exhilarating, and Villanelle enjoys leading the chase.
The twist at the end of the book is not exactly what I expected, but nonetheless it made me want to carry on reading and before I knew it I was at the end of the book! I’m excited to read the next instalment in the series as I feel that it will be even better than this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2536 KP) rated Death in a Blackout in Books
Apr 7, 2022
Sets Up a Promising New Series
After a tragedy at home, Billie Harkness finds herself needing a new start, so she accepts an invitation from a distant cousin to visit the northern coastal town of Hull. She arrives just before Hull experiences its first air raid in 1940. In the devastation that follows, Billie finds a dead young woman inside a building. Surprisingly, no debris is around her body. In her new job in the newly formed Women’s Police Constabulary, she starts a quiet investigation. Can she figure out what really happened?
This series debut is much like a TV show’s pilot. We get a lot of set up near the beginning. It helps us get to know Billie better, but it does mean it’s a while before the mystery truly gets going. Although we do get some threads of the mystery thanks to Peter Upton, the other third person view point character. Both of these leads are strong, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Once the mystery gets going, it is great with plenty of twists and an ending that caught me off guard. Those familiar with Jessica Ellicott’s other series will note the more serious tone, which is appropriate given the time and place this one is set. I loved how the story brought the history of the era to live; the plot wouldn’t have worked in any other time. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what danger Billie uncovers next.
This series debut is much like a TV show’s pilot. We get a lot of set up near the beginning. It helps us get to know Billie better, but it does mean it’s a while before the mystery truly gets going. Although we do get some threads of the mystery thanks to Peter Upton, the other third person view point character. Both of these leads are strong, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Once the mystery gets going, it is great with plenty of twists and an ending that caught me off guard. Those familiar with Jessica Ellicott’s other series will note the more serious tone, which is appropriate given the time and place this one is set. I loved how the story brought the history of the era to live; the plot wouldn’t have worked in any other time. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what danger Billie uncovers next.