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We Were the Lucky Ones
Book
Inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II,...
Jewish Fiction historical WWII WW2 World War II
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated The Nowhere Man (Orphan X, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Evan Smoak is working to take down a human trafficking ring, but as he finds a last piece he needs to stop, he is captured by forces unknown. When he wakes up, he has no idea where he is. Can he escape?
I’m not usually a fan of plotlines where we follow a prisoner, and this book definitely fell into some of those pacing pitfalls. Still, this was a fun read with good twists to keep things fresh, and I was turning pages quickly most of the time. The character development for Evan was quite interesting here, and he is surrounded by a mostly strong cast of new characters, although one of them felt over the top. Overall, a fun, page turning thriller.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-nowhere-man-by-gregg.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I’m not usually a fan of plotlines where we follow a prisoner, and this book definitely fell into some of those pacing pitfalls. Still, this was a fun read with good twists to keep things fresh, and I was turning pages quickly most of the time. The character development for Evan was quite interesting here, and he is surrounded by a mostly strong cast of new characters, although one of them felt over the top. Overall, a fun, page turning thriller.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-nowhere-man-by-gregg.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Hereafter
Book
Desperate to escape an out of control brush fire, Serena takes an ill-fated detour on an old back...
David McK (3372 KP) rated Daylight (1996) in Movies
Apr 11, 2021 (Updated Apr 11, 2021)
1996 disaster movie with Sylvester Stallone (and an early role for Viggo Mortenson) as a disgraced Fire and Rescue chief, who has to help a disparate group of survivors escape from a collapsed tunnel 100 feet below the Hudson river following explosions which have sealed off said tunnel.
As such, this ticks all the boxes of the genre: race against time? Check. Trapped family group? Check. Feisty female companion? Check. Helpful red-out-by-family-group description of tunnel in early portions of movie? Check. Tragic past for hero? Check. Convicts who 'turn good' and help out? Check.
It even has a Chekhov's Gun, people!
(for those uninitiated: Chekov's Gun is a dramatic principle that states every element in a story must be necessary e.g. if a 'gun' is introduced in Act 1 it must go off in Act 3)
As such, this ticks all the boxes of the genre: race against time? Check. Trapped family group? Check. Feisty female companion? Check. Helpful red-out-by-family-group description of tunnel in early portions of movie? Check. Tragic past for hero? Check. Convicts who 'turn good' and help out? Check.
It even has a Chekhov's Gun, people!
(for those uninitiated: Chekov's Gun is a dramatic principle that states every element in a story must be necessary e.g. if a 'gun' is introduced in Act 1 it must go off in Act 3)
Blake Jenner recommended Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) in Movies (curated)
North of Beautiful
8.0
Rate It
Book
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper. She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Eight Legged Freaks (2002) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Story: Eight Legged Freaks starts by showing us the Mike Parker (Terra) visiting Joshua the spider expert of the town who has been feeding his spiders enlarged crickets and of course they now escape. One week later when Mike goes to return his mother Sheriff Samantha Parker (Wuhrer) stops the visit because of waste being dumped into the local watering hole.
With this we get to see the rebellious teenage daughter Ashley (Johansson) who is dating bad boy biker Bret (Czuchry) step-son of Mayor Wade (Rippy) who is trying to cover up the fact the town is nearly broke. Chris McCormick (Arquette) a local who returned to town after his father’s death refusing to sell the mine in a deal which could save the town.
When Mike makes it back to Joshua’s he learns of the super-sized spiders that have been released into this small town, the resident must now fight against the spiders that have infested the town.
Thoughts on Eight Legged Freaks
Characters/Performance – Chris McCormick returns to his hometown to claim what is his, the mine, he also needs to make up for the mistakes he has made and this gives him the perfect chance too. Sheriff Parker is a single mother of two trying to keep the local community together and being the former love interest of Chris. Mike is the expert on everything going on playing out as the reminder to all the different spiders attacking styles. Ashley is the bad girl daughter of Samantha who is mostly trying to discover who she is. We have the rest of the town which includes the conspiracy crazed radio host, the greedy mayor the comic relief deputy.
Performance wise, David Arquette is great in this leading role managing the comedy side of everything as well as the action horror when needed. Kari Wuhrer fits the part of sexy sheriff very well too. Both Scott Terra and Scarlett Johansson are good choices too. The rest of the actors all give good performances to fit the films mentality.
Story – Small town gets invaded by giant spiders thanks to cost cutting measures. We do have a reluctantly hero needing to help save the day but otherwise this is everything you need in a creature feature, plenty of potential victims, plenty of creature and plenty of laughs.
Action/Comedy/Horror – The action is all big and plans into the idea of the comedy being used in the creature feature side of the film.
Settings – The small town setting helps with the story telling here because they have no communication with the outside world after the attack starts and not many escape routes of places to hide.
Special Effects – We have a mix of practical and CGI here which all help create the low budget feel behind this film and while moments have dated other parts are all fun.
Final Thoughts – This is by far one of my favourite creature features out there, it is fun, over the top and filled with perfect comic timing, never trying to be serious.
Overall: Purely fun creature feature.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/10/27/a-z-halloween-horror-eight-legged-freaks-2002/
With this we get to see the rebellious teenage daughter Ashley (Johansson) who is dating bad boy biker Bret (Czuchry) step-son of Mayor Wade (Rippy) who is trying to cover up the fact the town is nearly broke. Chris McCormick (Arquette) a local who returned to town after his father’s death refusing to sell the mine in a deal which could save the town.
When Mike makes it back to Joshua’s he learns of the super-sized spiders that have been released into this small town, the resident must now fight against the spiders that have infested the town.
Thoughts on Eight Legged Freaks
Characters/Performance – Chris McCormick returns to his hometown to claim what is his, the mine, he also needs to make up for the mistakes he has made and this gives him the perfect chance too. Sheriff Parker is a single mother of two trying to keep the local community together and being the former love interest of Chris. Mike is the expert on everything going on playing out as the reminder to all the different spiders attacking styles. Ashley is the bad girl daughter of Samantha who is mostly trying to discover who she is. We have the rest of the town which includes the conspiracy crazed radio host, the greedy mayor the comic relief deputy.
Performance wise, David Arquette is great in this leading role managing the comedy side of everything as well as the action horror when needed. Kari Wuhrer fits the part of sexy sheriff very well too. Both Scott Terra and Scarlett Johansson are good choices too. The rest of the actors all give good performances to fit the films mentality.
Story – Small town gets invaded by giant spiders thanks to cost cutting measures. We do have a reluctantly hero needing to help save the day but otherwise this is everything you need in a creature feature, plenty of potential victims, plenty of creature and plenty of laughs.
Action/Comedy/Horror – The action is all big and plans into the idea of the comedy being used in the creature feature side of the film.
Settings – The small town setting helps with the story telling here because they have no communication with the outside world after the attack starts and not many escape routes of places to hide.
Special Effects – We have a mix of practical and CGI here which all help create the low budget feel behind this film and while moments have dated other parts are all fun.
Final Thoughts – This is by far one of my favourite creature features out there, it is fun, over the top and filled with perfect comic timing, never trying to be serious.
Overall: Purely fun creature feature.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/10/27/a-z-halloween-horror-eight-legged-freaks-2002/
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Boy I Am in Books
Dec 22, 2020
Imagine a world where women are safe from men. Imagine a world where women are in charge. Imagine a world where men no longer reduce women to something to flirt with or dismiss as beneath them. This is the way of life in K. L. Kettle's dystopian novel The Boy I Am. War has left the Earth in ruins, and it is no longer safe to go outside, yet humanity is surviving in tall, secure tower blocks overseen by the Chancellor. Men and boys are confined to the basement floors as a punishment for their behaviour during the war. To earn their right to live on the upper floors, they must learn to behave like a gentleman, and never look at a woman's skin without their permission.
The protagonist, Jude, is running out of time to earn the right to live amongst the women. If he does not gain a sponsor, he faces a future in the dangerous mines. Yet, Jude is not sure he wants to live with the women, who have demeaned him for his gender since his birth. He has seen another side to them and believes the Chancellor has killed his best friend. Jude wants to escape, risk the poisonous fog outside and search for a better life. To do this, the Chancellor must die.
The way women treat men and boys is uncomfortable to read. Female readers, in particular, may have experienced similar treatment at the hands of men. Feminists desire an equal world, but there is the risk of going too far the other way. Yet, as Jude discovers, it is not as black and white as Female versus Male. An underground gang of women known as Hysterics are also trying to escape. They want to save themselves and the boys from a society not run by women, but by the elite.
K. L. Kettle explains her intentions behind the novel in a letter to the reader at the end of the book. She quotes Lord Acton's (1834-1902) proverb "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and questions if everyone is equal, does everyone have the ability to abuse the power they have? What may have seemed a good idea for humanity after the war, has become an oppressive state where no one is safe from those in power, not even the women. The Chancellor controls everyone, but Jude and the Hysterics are determined to take that power away from her.
Telling the story from Jude's perspective highlights the faults in today's societies. Many are unaware of the belittling behaviour happening around them, but when the roles are reversed, they are obvious. The Boy I Am is both thrilling and eye-opening, challenging gender roles and power dynamics in general. Those who have read books such as Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman are guaranteed to enjoy K. L. Kettle's novel.
The protagonist, Jude, is running out of time to earn the right to live amongst the women. If he does not gain a sponsor, he faces a future in the dangerous mines. Yet, Jude is not sure he wants to live with the women, who have demeaned him for his gender since his birth. He has seen another side to them and believes the Chancellor has killed his best friend. Jude wants to escape, risk the poisonous fog outside and search for a better life. To do this, the Chancellor must die.
The way women treat men and boys is uncomfortable to read. Female readers, in particular, may have experienced similar treatment at the hands of men. Feminists desire an equal world, but there is the risk of going too far the other way. Yet, as Jude discovers, it is not as black and white as Female versus Male. An underground gang of women known as Hysterics are also trying to escape. They want to save themselves and the boys from a society not run by women, but by the elite.
K. L. Kettle explains her intentions behind the novel in a letter to the reader at the end of the book. She quotes Lord Acton's (1834-1902) proverb "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and questions if everyone is equal, does everyone have the ability to abuse the power they have? What may have seemed a good idea for humanity after the war, has become an oppressive state where no one is safe from those in power, not even the women. The Chancellor controls everyone, but Jude and the Hysterics are determined to take that power away from her.
Telling the story from Jude's perspective highlights the faults in today's societies. Many are unaware of the belittling behaviour happening around them, but when the roles are reversed, they are obvious. The Boy I Am is both thrilling and eye-opening, challenging gender roles and power dynamics in general. Those who have read books such as Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman are guaranteed to enjoy K. L. Kettle's novel.
Hello Angel Letter Love Coloring Collection
Book
Hello Angel Letter Love Coloring Collection is packed with intricately designed inspirational...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Echoes of Us in Books
Jun 23, 2020
110 of 200
Kindle
Echoes of us
By S.H. Timmins
What happens if your life begins on the wrong side of right?
What will you sacrifice when secrets and money are the weapons of choice?
How do you combine memories and dreams to reshape the future?
You place your trust in the innocence of love, embrace the passion it offers, and never let it go.
Jolene and Cruz are childhood friends who were ripped apart by tragedy, tearing Jolene from her home and everything she knew. Now, in their senior year of high school, Cruz finds Jolene in her new life - a life she never wanted and will do anything to escape from. Together, they need to discover the secrets that forced them apart, to save Jolene from the dangers of her new family. Along the way, they find that a friendship born in childhood can become the love of a lifetime.
This is a new author for me and I have to say I enjoyed this book so much! Her writing style is so comfortable to read, the story is really good and you’re rooting for Jolene all the way through! It’s so sweet and endearing. I would definitely love to see another book following these characters!
Kindle
Echoes of us
By S.H. Timmins
What happens if your life begins on the wrong side of right?
What will you sacrifice when secrets and money are the weapons of choice?
How do you combine memories and dreams to reshape the future?
You place your trust in the innocence of love, embrace the passion it offers, and never let it go.
Jolene and Cruz are childhood friends who were ripped apart by tragedy, tearing Jolene from her home and everything she knew. Now, in their senior year of high school, Cruz finds Jolene in her new life - a life she never wanted and will do anything to escape from. Together, they need to discover the secrets that forced them apart, to save Jolene from the dangers of her new family. Along the way, they find that a friendship born in childhood can become the love of a lifetime.
This is a new author for me and I have to say I enjoyed this book so much! Her writing style is so comfortable to read, the story is really good and you’re rooting for Jolene all the way through! It’s so sweet and endearing. I would definitely love to see another book following these characters!