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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) in Movies
Jul 23, 2022
When I came out of Endgame, I was disappointed. But on a second (sixth) viewing, I had come around. There was still disappointment there I'll admit, but it wasn't as big as I'd felt after that midnight screening. Where's this going you ask... As the credits began rolling, I turned to my friend and proclaimed - "Well that was a pile of s**t." Unlike Endgame, I'm not going to change my mind.
Thor is getting his life back on track. The Guardians have helped him get some perspective and it's time to go back to New Asgard and see his people. In his absence, however, there's a new superhero on the block... and she's kind of cramping his style.
One of my difficulties with this one is that it's hard to tell what the film is wanting to do. A redemption arc for Thor, introducing new characters, setting up for the next big finale? That all doesn't seem like a problem initially, but just wait.
I loved Thor: Ragnarok. It's my favourite MCU film. It mixed the underlying humour with the nuttiness of Guardians and it worked. But, something about Love and Thunder makes me feel like they said "Just go for it, anything you want"...
The last we saw of Thor he was flying off into the great unknown with a plucky band of heroes... and it's almost like they completely forgot that had happened, and at the last minute had to write the beginning of the movie again. The whole opening was so badly acted (and dull) that I was genuinely convinced that not all of the actors were back for these cameos. And not just GotG, every recalled character was wasted.
Christian Bale was Christian Bale, I expected nothing less, I imagine him being entirely terrifying on set. This is where the film does a real disservice. With a strong, dark performance and character, Gorr the God Butcher is surrounded by bright tomfoolery. Yes, I said tomfoolery. Gorr deserved a better film.
Possibly my least favourite bit that felt entirely at odds with Gorr's story, is all the gods being so over the top. They do try to explain this away at one point, but this and the fact you don't see Gorr on his godly murder spree led to more and more frustration.
Seemingly that and other cameos were left on the cutting room floor in order to keep the running time under 2 hours. Cutting that spree almost certainly had a negative impact on the film.
If it wasn't clear from everything above... I did not enjoy this film. (I saw it in a double bill, little did I know that Minions: The Rise of Gru would be the best film I saw that day.) I could go on and on about Love and Thunder. Don't get me wrong, there are things about it that I enjoyed, but those things definitely constitute spoilers.
Note: For those of you that stay through the credits, there are two scenes. Both of which give possibilities for the future of the next MCU phase. One I'm excited for, the other... not so much.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2022/07/thor-love-and-thunder-movie-review.html
Thor is getting his life back on track. The Guardians have helped him get some perspective and it's time to go back to New Asgard and see his people. In his absence, however, there's a new superhero on the block... and she's kind of cramping his style.
One of my difficulties with this one is that it's hard to tell what the film is wanting to do. A redemption arc for Thor, introducing new characters, setting up for the next big finale? That all doesn't seem like a problem initially, but just wait.
I loved Thor: Ragnarok. It's my favourite MCU film. It mixed the underlying humour with the nuttiness of Guardians and it worked. But, something about Love and Thunder makes me feel like they said "Just go for it, anything you want"...
The last we saw of Thor he was flying off into the great unknown with a plucky band of heroes... and it's almost like they completely forgot that had happened, and at the last minute had to write the beginning of the movie again. The whole opening was so badly acted (and dull) that I was genuinely convinced that not all of the actors were back for these cameos. And not just GotG, every recalled character was wasted.
Christian Bale was Christian Bale, I expected nothing less, I imagine him being entirely terrifying on set. This is where the film does a real disservice. With a strong, dark performance and character, Gorr the God Butcher is surrounded by bright tomfoolery. Yes, I said tomfoolery. Gorr deserved a better film.
Possibly my least favourite bit that felt entirely at odds with Gorr's story, is all the gods being so over the top. They do try to explain this away at one point, but this and the fact you don't see Gorr on his godly murder spree led to more and more frustration.
Seemingly that and other cameos were left on the cutting room floor in order to keep the running time under 2 hours. Cutting that spree almost certainly had a negative impact on the film.
If it wasn't clear from everything above... I did not enjoy this film. (I saw it in a double bill, little did I know that Minions: The Rise of Gru would be the best film I saw that day.) I could go on and on about Love and Thunder. Don't get me wrong, there are things about it that I enjoyed, but those things definitely constitute spoilers.
Note: For those of you that stay through the credits, there are two scenes. Both of which give possibilities for the future of the next MCU phase. One I'm excited for, the other... not so much.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2022/07/thor-love-and-thunder-movie-review.html
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated The Raven (2012) in Movies
Apr 27, 2017
A brilliant crime thriller (4 more)
Gory
Connections to the work of Edgar Allan Poe
Great Cast
Watchable over and over again
Would love to know what happens in the end (1 more)
Not as exhilirating after the first watch
Quote the Raven, Nevermore.
First of all let me say this;
I am a poet and a writer, and my biggest inspiration as a writer has always been Edgar Allan Poe. I love the gothic horror, the tragedy, the macabre, and everything that makes Edgar Allan Poe the legend he is today.
With that said, let me tell you why I love this movie. It involves connections to some of Poe's greatest work, and not his poetry necessarily, it's actually more about his stories. Telltale Heart, Pit and the Pendulum and others that are all combined into the twisted mind of our antagonist who uses these stories to commit his crimes and leave evidence behind that only Poe himself would be able to figure out.
It's a brilliant crime thriller that delves into the mind of someone who is essentially Poe's biggest fan, but in a very dark and twisted way that gives us a fictional story about what happened during Poe's last days before he was found dead on a park bench. It's a known fact that Poe's last days remain a mystery and so this film had the opportunity to really play with some great ideas and they were executed brilliantly.
Speaking of execution this film is very grim and gory. One scene involving the story of The Pit and the Pendulum has us watch as a Pendulum drops lower and lower before slicing through a man's stomach like a warm knife through butter. It doesn't leave a lot to the imagination which gives this film some charm and makes it stand out from the rest of the Poe Film adaptations.
John Cusack plays the lengend himself, Edgar Allan Poe and brings a very interesting performance, that seems to suggest Poe thought himself as a higher intelligence to those around him, and he isn't shy to announce it.
Sharing the screen with Cusack, includes names such as Luke Evans who portrays Detective Fields, the detective I mentioned earlier that seeks Poe's assistance in the murder case. Brendan Gleeson portrays a very protective father named Charles Hamilton, who despises Poe being anywhere near his daughter Emily Hamilton, portrayed by Alice Eve. However there differences are put aside as the hunt for the missing Emily continues.
The story transitions well from scene to scene and story to story as each clue leads to the next, and eventually we discover the culprit who I shall not name here because I wish to leave the tension and suspense for you as you watch this film.
I am a poet and a writer, and my biggest inspiration as a writer has always been Edgar Allan Poe. I love the gothic horror, the tragedy, the macabre, and everything that makes Edgar Allan Poe the legend he is today.
With that said, let me tell you why I love this movie. It involves connections to some of Poe's greatest work, and not his poetry necessarily, it's actually more about his stories. Telltale Heart, Pit and the Pendulum and others that are all combined into the twisted mind of our antagonist who uses these stories to commit his crimes and leave evidence behind that only Poe himself would be able to figure out.
It's a brilliant crime thriller that delves into the mind of someone who is essentially Poe's biggest fan, but in a very dark and twisted way that gives us a fictional story about what happened during Poe's last days before he was found dead on a park bench. It's a known fact that Poe's last days remain a mystery and so this film had the opportunity to really play with some great ideas and they were executed brilliantly.
Speaking of execution this film is very grim and gory. One scene involving the story of The Pit and the Pendulum has us watch as a Pendulum drops lower and lower before slicing through a man's stomach like a warm knife through butter. It doesn't leave a lot to the imagination which gives this film some charm and makes it stand out from the rest of the Poe Film adaptations.
John Cusack plays the lengend himself, Edgar Allan Poe and brings a very interesting performance, that seems to suggest Poe thought himself as a higher intelligence to those around him, and he isn't shy to announce it.
Sharing the screen with Cusack, includes names such as Luke Evans who portrays Detective Fields, the detective I mentioned earlier that seeks Poe's assistance in the murder case. Brendan Gleeson portrays a very protective father named Charles Hamilton, who despises Poe being anywhere near his daughter Emily Hamilton, portrayed by Alice Eve. However there differences are put aside as the hunt for the missing Emily continues.
The story transitions well from scene to scene and story to story as each clue leads to the next, and eventually we discover the culprit who I shall not name here because I wish to leave the tension and suspense for you as you watch this film.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Artemis in Books
May 25, 2018
Huge Martian fan here! And this one, while totally different, did not disappoint! There is plenty of space drama, including the fear of what could happen when crisis occurs, but also some charm, witty characters and some pretty crazy daredevil situations.
I didn't particularly like Jazz, the main character. Shes got man drama, friend drama, family drama, work drama.... BUT she is one pretty bad-ass chick who does whatever she wants and for the most part, takes no blame. She's extremely immature for her age (late 20s?) and incredibly irresponsible, and I couldn't believe she got away with some of the antics that went on in this book. Especially on the Moon!
Artemis is just that - a city - but on the moon! Very cool concept, totally different idea than The Martian. It's a pretty common practice to travel back and forth from Earth to the Moon occurs, but only if you are a zillionaire and can afford to do so. It is a hot vacation destination for rich and famous travelers, but like a lot of vacation hot spots - there are those who live and work there, like Jazz, and are natives, born there, work there, and are neither rich nor famous.
Jazz works in transportation, unloading the ships that bring stuff from Earth - which covers for her side job as a smuggler - bringing in contraband to those who request it- like cigars, etc. (um hellooo? we all know fire does not bode well in space!) One request for a pretty shady request, sends the entire city into complete chaos. Why on Moon (see what I did there?) would Jazz stoop so low and put the entire city in danger? Money - and lots of it. Jazz is saving up for something, and money is her answer to everything. And we slowly unfold the story that makes up Jazz and start to understand why she is the way she is. We also see how ridiculously smart and courageous she is and you may even start to like her a little!
There is a LOT of science in this book. I now know exactly how to weld on the moon. I mean, exactly. My husband is a welder and I read some parts to him and he said it all sounded pretty legit, so I can imagine the research that went into crafting some parts of the story.
Overall it was a lot of fun - Jazz is quite the character and I'd totally read a sequel if Jazz had another story to tell. Andy Weir knows his space, and I'm quite glad he loves it so much to write such entertaining and engaging stories for us.
I didn't particularly like Jazz, the main character. Shes got man drama, friend drama, family drama, work drama.... BUT she is one pretty bad-ass chick who does whatever she wants and for the most part, takes no blame. She's extremely immature for her age (late 20s?) and incredibly irresponsible, and I couldn't believe she got away with some of the antics that went on in this book. Especially on the Moon!
Artemis is just that - a city - but on the moon! Very cool concept, totally different idea than The Martian. It's a pretty common practice to travel back and forth from Earth to the Moon occurs, but only if you are a zillionaire and can afford to do so. It is a hot vacation destination for rich and famous travelers, but like a lot of vacation hot spots - there are those who live and work there, like Jazz, and are natives, born there, work there, and are neither rich nor famous.
Jazz works in transportation, unloading the ships that bring stuff from Earth - which covers for her side job as a smuggler - bringing in contraband to those who request it- like cigars, etc. (um hellooo? we all know fire does not bode well in space!) One request for a pretty shady request, sends the entire city into complete chaos. Why on Moon (see what I did there?) would Jazz stoop so low and put the entire city in danger? Money - and lots of it. Jazz is saving up for something, and money is her answer to everything. And we slowly unfold the story that makes up Jazz and start to understand why she is the way she is. We also see how ridiculously smart and courageous she is and you may even start to like her a little!
There is a LOT of science in this book. I now know exactly how to weld on the moon. I mean, exactly. My husband is a welder and I read some parts to him and he said it all sounded pretty legit, so I can imagine the research that went into crafting some parts of the story.
Overall it was a lot of fun - Jazz is quite the character and I'd totally read a sequel if Jazz had another story to tell. Andy Weir knows his space, and I'm quite glad he loves it so much to write such entertaining and engaging stories for us.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Christmas Killer in Books
Feb 15, 2019
The Christmas Killer (aka The Dream Killer) was a Point Horror book I missed out reading when I was younger, so decided to pick it up to enjoy this holiday season (yes, I am sick). Rosecleer Potter is a normal, everyday fifteen-year-old girl who has a twin brother, Jerram, and loves to dance. She also just happens to have developed the ability to talk, through dreams, to the recently departed, which starts when an acquaintance disappears and whose body turns up murdered in the woods. Now, as the body count rises, Rose has to figure out how to use her power before the killer gets to her.
The first paragraph almost caused me to rethink my expectations of enjoyment I'd get from the book. The sentences were short and choppy, and if the whole book had been written this way, I don't think I'd have managed to get through it. Fortunately for me, it didn't turn out that way at all. Although there were more short, fragmented sentences, they were few and far between and seemed more of a style choice than anything else.
Rose was a good choice as a lead and had both positive and negative attributes to her personality. She was generally nice but could have moments of cattiness or where her temper got the best of her, which made her more believable. I can't say any of the characters are over-developed, but they are described enough to get a rough sketch of who they are as a person, and there are moments of truth in many of their actions, e.g. the mother's freaking out, the father's clamming up, and the brother's withdrawal and secretiveness. The atmosphere is done extremely well. Even though I don't remember many actual descriptions, I got the feeling of a small town, its claustrophobia, and sense of impending doom all the same.
I have to admit this book surprised me. I went in expecting more of the slasher-type YA horrors I read as a youngster, and was handed a more mature, psychological suspense horror read instead. The plot flows well and has enough clues and red herrings to keep most readers interested. As someone who has read a lot of mysteries, I did figure it out, but it could have gone many ways and still have been satisfying. The ending is the only weak point as it was a bit abrupt and maybe too open-ended, but that's a minor niggle and didn't affect my enjoyment much. As far as I've been able to tell, there is no sequel, which might be for the best. The Christmas Killer was a quick and easy chiller that kept me entertained throughout and I'd recommend it for those who like creepy teen reads.
Originally Reviewed: December 29, 2012
Received: Library
The first paragraph almost caused me to rethink my expectations of enjoyment I'd get from the book. The sentences were short and choppy, and if the whole book had been written this way, I don't think I'd have managed to get through it. Fortunately for me, it didn't turn out that way at all. Although there were more short, fragmented sentences, they were few and far between and seemed more of a style choice than anything else.
Rose was a good choice as a lead and had both positive and negative attributes to her personality. She was generally nice but could have moments of cattiness or where her temper got the best of her, which made her more believable. I can't say any of the characters are over-developed, but they are described enough to get a rough sketch of who they are as a person, and there are moments of truth in many of their actions, e.g. the mother's freaking out, the father's clamming up, and the brother's withdrawal and secretiveness. The atmosphere is done extremely well. Even though I don't remember many actual descriptions, I got the feeling of a small town, its claustrophobia, and sense of impending doom all the same.
I have to admit this book surprised me. I went in expecting more of the slasher-type YA horrors I read as a youngster, and was handed a more mature, psychological suspense horror read instead. The plot flows well and has enough clues and red herrings to keep most readers interested. As someone who has read a lot of mysteries, I did figure it out, but it could have gone many ways and still have been satisfying. The ending is the only weak point as it was a bit abrupt and maybe too open-ended, but that's a minor niggle and didn't affect my enjoyment much. As far as I've been able to tell, there is no sequel, which might be for the best. The Christmas Killer was a quick and easy chiller that kept me entertained throughout and I'd recommend it for those who like creepy teen reads.
Originally Reviewed: December 29, 2012
Received: Library
James Morrison (7 KP) rated The Isle (2018) in Movies
May 12, 2019
Should have left it on the isle
So i went to see this one at everyman cinema stratford upon avon where they also had a Q+A session with the two directors, alex and the woman who plays the part or the murdered victim was all their.
Now for me and the wife we feel that the film dragged on to long to the point I was falling asleep as it became that boring, i would say that if you liked the VVITCH then you may like this one but if not then its one to avoid as its the same kinda film.
As for fizz and ginger themself well lets just say they had a question possed at them during the Q+A "why did the people leave the island? Was it bacause of the highland clearances, fammine or the weather conditions?" Trying to get themself out of it they said "it was a combination of every thing" well at the end of the Q+A with me and the wife being scottish we had to give them a history lesson, the highland clearances happened in the 1600s after the battle of culloden, now if you know scotland this is the top end of the country and their "island" is not far from glasgow the bottom end of Scotland, added to this the clue highland clearances the island is in the lowlands, and adding even further after the battle of culloden the english pushed north slaughtering anyone wearing a kilt and banded the bagpipes and bonny prince charlie escaped the the closed island before going to france which was the isle of sky where people still live they would have seen that this does not match up.
On top of this the people left the island in the late 1800s, the highland clearances was 1600 so they were 200 years out of date the reason we know this is because the wifes great grand mother lived on the island.
For a film was written over a 2 year period and made on a small budget and film with in 4 weeks with trained actors this film would have been better being dumped in the loch never to be seen by the public but i guess we all need to start some where even if we open our gobs to make ourself look intelligent rather than be honest with the public and say we really dont know why they left
Now for me and the wife we feel that the film dragged on to long to the point I was falling asleep as it became that boring, i would say that if you liked the VVITCH then you may like this one but if not then its one to avoid as its the same kinda film.
As for fizz and ginger themself well lets just say they had a question possed at them during the Q+A "why did the people leave the island? Was it bacause of the highland clearances, fammine or the weather conditions?" Trying to get themself out of it they said "it was a combination of every thing" well at the end of the Q+A with me and the wife being scottish we had to give them a history lesson, the highland clearances happened in the 1600s after the battle of culloden, now if you know scotland this is the top end of the country and their "island" is not far from glasgow the bottom end of Scotland, added to this the clue highland clearances the island is in the lowlands, and adding even further after the battle of culloden the english pushed north slaughtering anyone wearing a kilt and banded the bagpipes and bonny prince charlie escaped the the closed island before going to france which was the isle of sky where people still live they would have seen that this does not match up.
On top of this the people left the island in the late 1800s, the highland clearances was 1600 so they were 200 years out of date the reason we know this is because the wifes great grand mother lived on the island.
For a film was written over a 2 year period and made on a small budget and film with in 4 weeks with trained actors this film would have been better being dumped in the loch never to be seen by the public but i guess we all need to start some where even if we open our gobs to make ourself look intelligent rather than be honest with the public and say we really dont know why they left
Contains spoilers, click to show
First, let me say that I loved this book and have just one major issue with it—there is no second book! Even though the book was very good (although short) it left me with questions unanswered and wanting more. This is good considering not all books do so. Even though the book has been out for a little over a year, I was very sad to see there wasn't another one, and have even contemplated writing to the author to tell her how much I love her book and desire a second one. I have never felt so passionate about a novel as I do now.
The characters were lively and easy to understand for the most part. To be able to give Angels and Demons such different personalities that made you love, hate, or respect them in different ways was truly appreciated. I especially enjoyed how the story was told in Rebekah's point of view, so it was easy to understand how something could look and feel from an Angel's perspective. Especially with how much an Angel could see where are human's would not be able to see. I felt that having it from Rebekah's view allowed Reyna to be able to reflect more on how Rebakah and felt and why she felt so strongly one way or another. This was smart and allowed the reader to really understand her and the actions she took.
There was romance involved in the story, and I found it to be the perfect amount among all the mystery shrouding Miss Rebekah. With so many love interests, it made you wonder why she was so special and what could be the reason behind how she acted when it came to choosing a lover or sticking with one over another. However, the romance scenes were brief and only added to the story about Rebekah and Lucifer. It definitely allowed Lucifer's possessive side show and how if something would get in his way how he would react which were very nice touches.
I would have to say my favorite part of the story was seeing how someone who is so different from those around them and appears to be useless in planning things could come up with the best ideas for a battle. I also enjoyed how when someone cares deeply about another, they are willing to make sacrifices. I definitely think this book deserves 5 stars out of 5 stars and should have a follow-up book. Although it was very short, it was interesting and kept me wanting more and turning pages. I would recommend this book who is into the Angel, Demon, Heaven and Hell kind of books. It will definitely make allow you to see different views of the same kind of battle while keeping you highly entertained.
The characters were lively and easy to understand for the most part. To be able to give Angels and Demons such different personalities that made you love, hate, or respect them in different ways was truly appreciated. I especially enjoyed how the story was told in Rebekah's point of view, so it was easy to understand how something could look and feel from an Angel's perspective. Especially with how much an Angel could see where are human's would not be able to see. I felt that having it from Rebekah's view allowed Reyna to be able to reflect more on how Rebakah and felt and why she felt so strongly one way or another. This was smart and allowed the reader to really understand her and the actions she took.
There was romance involved in the story, and I found it to be the perfect amount among all the mystery shrouding Miss Rebekah. With so many love interests, it made you wonder why she was so special and what could be the reason behind how she acted when it came to choosing a lover or sticking with one over another. However, the romance scenes were brief and only added to the story about Rebekah and Lucifer. It definitely allowed Lucifer's possessive side show and how if something would get in his way how he would react which were very nice touches.
I would have to say my favorite part of the story was seeing how someone who is so different from those around them and appears to be useless in planning things could come up with the best ideas for a battle. I also enjoyed how when someone cares deeply about another, they are willing to make sacrifices. I definitely think this book deserves 5 stars out of 5 stars and should have a follow-up book. Although it was very short, it was interesting and kept me wanting more and turning pages. I would recommend this book who is into the Angel, Demon, Heaven and Hell kind of books. It will definitely make allow you to see different views of the same kind of battle while keeping you highly entertained.
Becs (244 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Jun 6, 2019
Twisty and captivating!
My rating: ☆☆☆☆
TRIGGER WARNINGS: talk of suicide, mental illness, depression, stalking, cheating, loss of a parent, and child abuse.
The Silent Patient is told through two different point of views: Theo's, who narrates majority of the novel and Alicia's diary entries. It starts with talking about Alicia and her husband, the life they had, and that one fateful night that changed multiple of lives.
Alicia was seeing things, a man who watched her but she could never see his face clearly. She tried talking to her husband and a therapist about the stalker, but they didn't help one bit. They put her on medications for hallucinations, Alicia didn't take them because she didn't believe that they were hallucinations she was seeing. Then one fateful night, the police barged into the apartment to see Alicia standing standing over her now dead husband. He had been shot five times in the face by Alicia.
Alicia went to court and was charged guilty with her husband's murder but did not speak at all. She became a mute and instead of being sent to prison, she was assigned to a psychiatric unit called The Grove. This is where Theo comes in.
Theo is absolutely obsessed with Alicia Berenson and is determined to get Alicia to talk as nobody else has been able too. But he soon realizes that it isn't what he wants to hear. This is the big twist and I can't tell you cause that would be a spoiler and I don't want to spoil you. *insert winky kissy face*
“That's how therapy works. A patient delegates his unacceptable feelings to his therapist; and she holds everything he is afraid to feel, and she feels it for him. Then, ever so slowly, she feeds his feelings back to him.”
Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. The plot:
The Silent Patient was not only compelling, but captivating as well. It did start a tad slow but soon became unputdownable!
2. My enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the twists, turns, Greek stylized tragedy, and the mysteriousness of both the main characters' stories.
3. Character and story development:
Wow! The development in The Silent Patient was really amazing. Background was given for both characters and story. There was development, even with the switching of POV's. I was not expecting to be enthralled with both Theo and Alicia's stories.
4. Grammar and spelling:
This is a freebie star as I listened via audiobook. But everything sounded grammatically correct!
5. The overall story:
At first, The Silent Patient was slow and I was pushing myself to just get it finished. But it eventually picked up and I was blown away with the mysteriousness and enthrallment of the story.
“We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: talk of suicide, mental illness, depression, stalking, cheating, loss of a parent, and child abuse.
The Silent Patient is told through two different point of views: Theo's, who narrates majority of the novel and Alicia's diary entries. It starts with talking about Alicia and her husband, the life they had, and that one fateful night that changed multiple of lives.
Alicia was seeing things, a man who watched her but she could never see his face clearly. She tried talking to her husband and a therapist about the stalker, but they didn't help one bit. They put her on medications for hallucinations, Alicia didn't take them because she didn't believe that they were hallucinations she was seeing. Then one fateful night, the police barged into the apartment to see Alicia standing standing over her now dead husband. He had been shot five times in the face by Alicia.
Alicia went to court and was charged guilty with her husband's murder but did not speak at all. She became a mute and instead of being sent to prison, she was assigned to a psychiatric unit called The Grove. This is where Theo comes in.
Theo is absolutely obsessed with Alicia Berenson and is determined to get Alicia to talk as nobody else has been able too. But he soon realizes that it isn't what he wants to hear. This is the big twist and I can't tell you cause that would be a spoiler and I don't want to spoil you. *insert winky kissy face*
“That's how therapy works. A patient delegates his unacceptable feelings to his therapist; and she holds everything he is afraid to feel, and she feels it for him. Then, ever so slowly, she feeds his feelings back to him.”
Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. The plot:
The Silent Patient was not only compelling, but captivating as well. It did start a tad slow but soon became unputdownable!
2. My enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the twists, turns, Greek stylized tragedy, and the mysteriousness of both the main characters' stories.
3. Character and story development:
Wow! The development in The Silent Patient was really amazing. Background was given for both characters and story. There was development, even with the switching of POV's. I was not expecting to be enthralled with both Theo and Alicia's stories.
4. Grammar and spelling:
This is a freebie star as I listened via audiobook. But everything sounded grammatically correct!
5. The overall story:
At first, The Silent Patient was slow and I was pushing myself to just get it finished. But it eventually picked up and I was blown away with the mysteriousness and enthrallment of the story.
“We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
Maris (8 KP) rated Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel in Books
Jun 10, 2019
I can not tell you how disappointing this book was. Everything from the start of the sequel to the very end. I almost DNF the book, but since this is a sequel to one of my favorite Halloween movies as a child I wanted to finish the story. I knew it wasn't going to get better.
The beginning of the book is just a recap from the movie with more knowledge of the characters feelings and a little bit more about the Sanderson sisters. I'm pretty bummed out that the author left out my favorite scene from the movie which was when the kids ran up to the cop who really wasn't a cop! I just think that part should have been put into the book.
Once you get to the sequel its 25 years later on Halloween day in Salem. Max and Allison have a daughter named Poppy. I'm curious to why the author wanted the daughter name Poppy when everyone else has normal names like the author wanted the character to stand out more? Poppy has two close friends, Isabella and Travis. Poppy has a crush on her friend Isabella, and Travis who looks out for Poppy helping her with school, and social life with the other kids when Poppy seems to be getting attacked by others.
To sum it up without giving away to much of the story, Poppy doesn't believe in her parents or her Aunt Dani's story about Sanderson's sister when they were kids. Poppy, Isabella, and Travis head to the Sanderson's house and pretty much did exactly what her parents did 25 years ago minus the black candle.
It seems to me the author tried too hard to make this sequel to be better or equal to the first Hocus Pocus that she was adding too much of the same stuff from the first story. I didn't like the same jokes and it wasn't nearly as funny. The story was just too much for me and didn't have enough originality for me. One thing that was irritating was that Sarah Sanderson would say Amok Amok Amok in the first story than with the sequel she always seems to be repeating herself with words like Afoot and such.
You do get to read some familiar characters from the first story which was nice. There is a new character named Elizabeth who is Winnie, Mary, and Sarah's sister. I honestly didn't think it was necessary to add another witch to the famous Sanderson witches.
All in all this story wasn't it for me. Like I said I'm pretty bummed out about it. I couldn't get into the story, everything just seemed forced together and that the author was trying to hard to make this story stand out.
The beginning of the book is just a recap from the movie with more knowledge of the characters feelings and a little bit more about the Sanderson sisters. I'm pretty bummed out that the author left out my favorite scene from the movie which was when the kids ran up to the cop who really wasn't a cop! I just think that part should have been put into the book.
Once you get to the sequel its 25 years later on Halloween day in Salem. Max and Allison have a daughter named Poppy. I'm curious to why the author wanted the daughter name Poppy when everyone else has normal names like the author wanted the character to stand out more? Poppy has two close friends, Isabella and Travis. Poppy has a crush on her friend Isabella, and Travis who looks out for Poppy helping her with school, and social life with the other kids when Poppy seems to be getting attacked by others.
To sum it up without giving away to much of the story, Poppy doesn't believe in her parents or her Aunt Dani's story about Sanderson's sister when they were kids. Poppy, Isabella, and Travis head to the Sanderson's house and pretty much did exactly what her parents did 25 years ago minus the black candle.
It seems to me the author tried too hard to make this sequel to be better or equal to the first Hocus Pocus that she was adding too much of the same stuff from the first story. I didn't like the same jokes and it wasn't nearly as funny. The story was just too much for me and didn't have enough originality for me. One thing that was irritating was that Sarah Sanderson would say Amok Amok Amok in the first story than with the sequel she always seems to be repeating herself with words like Afoot and such.
You do get to read some familiar characters from the first story which was nice. There is a new character named Elizabeth who is Winnie, Mary, and Sarah's sister. I honestly didn't think it was necessary to add another witch to the famous Sanderson witches.
All in all this story wasn't it for me. Like I said I'm pretty bummed out about it. I couldn't get into the story, everything just seemed forced together and that the author was trying to hard to make this story stand out.