Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (5000)

Content

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2664 KP) rated Murder at Ochre Court in Books

Jul 4, 2026 (Updated Jul 4, 2026)

Coming-Out is Murder

It’s July of 1898, and Emma Cross has spent the last year in New York City working for the Herald. Sadly, she is still relegated to the society column. And that’s what has brought her back to Newport – she is covering the biggest social event of the season, the coming-out ball of Cleo Copper-Smith. But the night ends in shocking fashion, when someone is electrocuted. The electrician who worked on the cottage is a friend, so Emma dives in to help clear him when people accuse him of shoddy work. With a variety of motives, can Emma figure out the truth?

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about the reactions to new technology today and how some characters were reacting to the new technology of electricity for houses. I appreciated how that played into the mystery, providing just one motive that kept me engaged. As is often the case, I felt like the mystery was a little too complex when we got to the ending. While things made sense, there was a bit too much exposition. But I expect that at this point. I am tiring of the love triangle, so I am hopeful that this particular storyline is wrapping up. Overall, I do like the characters and love seeing them grow as the real and fictional rub elbows so seamlessly. I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Newport.

Kudos

Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World in Books

Apr 27, 2018

I didn't finish this book. I found Deep Work very redundant and obvious. Yes, it is clear we have a problem in our society of being able to focus. Anyone who works with or has their own kids will be able to tell you that, and how it’s related to technology. I’m happy you’ve done some research to back it up, but I found the book very dry.

Not only that, the kinds of people who will be reading (or listening) to this genre is already totaly aware of the problem, so again, I found it redundant. Not only that, the book itself was very dry and dull to listen to. Sadly it’s not on my top list.

Kudos

Otway93 (580 KP) rated Clockwise (1986) in Movies

Oct 21, 2019 (Updated Oct 21, 2019)

Clockwise (1986)

1986 | Action, Comedy

6.7

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Cast (2 more)

Humour

Concept

Dated (0 more)

Excellent, but hasn't aged well.

Not one of John Cleese's best films, but a good one nonetheless.

Clockwise is a very typical road-trip comedy, but from before everybody was doing it.

The plot can be summed up as A-B, hijinx along the way etc., as I said: very typical. But as this is John Cleese it stands apart from the typical road trip comedy, with classic British humour (not for everyone, but I love it), and a protagonist not unlike Cleese's Basil Fawlty character.

Unfortunately the film hasn't aged well, most of the predicaments could be easily solved with modern technology, and the film certainly shows its age.

Kudos

Danny Mulligan (31 KP) rated Altered Carbon in TV

Apr 12, 2020

Altered Carbon

2018 | Sci-Fi

8.0

(48 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Cast and storyline (0 more)

Its different

More than 300 years in the future, society has been transformed by new technology, leading to human bodies being interchangeable and death no longer being permanent. Takeshi Kovacs is the only surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned for centuries until impossibly wealthy businessman Laurens Bancroft offers him the chance to live again. Kovacs will have to do something for Bancroft, though, if he wants to be resurrected. Bancroft's request of Kovacs is to solve a murder -- Bancroft's. "Altered Carbon" is based on Richard K. Morgan's cyberpunk noir novel of the same name.