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The Greatest Raid of All
Book
A vivid account of the famous St Nazaire Raid that demonstrates the sheer bravery of the British...
ClareR (5686 KP) rated Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun in Books
Nov 9, 2021
I loved the original film of this book (with the same name), so the thought of a book intrigued me, especially as it was written afterwards. And let’s face it, anything with fairytale connections is on to a winner where I’m concerned.
This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.
Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.
The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.
Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.
The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Retreat House in Books
Mar 15, 2019
THERES SOMEONE IN THE WOODS.
Holly leads her church's youth group, but many in the congregation believe she's too young to supervise the kids. When she finds out that shes pregnant, the pressure is on, and her secret love affair will start to show.
But thats the least of her troubles.
She organizes an overnight fellowship retreat on Pine Cliff Island off the coast of Maine, and six teenagers show up for a night of good clean fun. When the power abruptly goes out, no one notices until one of the teenagers returns with a knife wound.
Most of the resident island snowbirds have flown south, phone service is nonexistent, and a madman stalks the night. Holly is the only one who stands between terrified teens and a lurking maniac.
The race to survive long enough to escape may depend solely on teamwork and knowing who to trust.
This was an enjoyable read even though it had a few inconsistencies about it. The plot is a good premise and the characters are good.
I feel the tension in the plot but not sure the christian element was right for this or maybe a bit of fine tuning would have made this a fantastic read. All in all it is a good story and will look for more from the author.
I received this free from AXP books and this is my honest voluntary review.
Holly leads her church's youth group, but many in the congregation believe she's too young to supervise the kids. When she finds out that shes pregnant, the pressure is on, and her secret love affair will start to show.
But thats the least of her troubles.
She organizes an overnight fellowship retreat on Pine Cliff Island off the coast of Maine, and six teenagers show up for a night of good clean fun. When the power abruptly goes out, no one notices until one of the teenagers returns with a knife wound.
Most of the resident island snowbirds have flown south, phone service is nonexistent, and a madman stalks the night. Holly is the only one who stands between terrified teens and a lurking maniac.
The race to survive long enough to escape may depend solely on teamwork and knowing who to trust.
This was an enjoyable read even though it had a few inconsistencies about it. The plot is a good premise and the characters are good.
I feel the tension in the plot but not sure the christian element was right for this or maybe a bit of fine tuning would have made this a fantastic read. All in all it is a good story and will look for more from the author.
I received this free from AXP books and this is my honest voluntary review.
Nickg24 (492 KP) rated Little Monsters (2019) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019
Lupita NYong'o (1 more)
The School Kids
Saw a trailer for this a while back and didn't think it would amount to much but having watched it definitely makes my top 5 films of the year.
The film starts off showing us a guy going through the various stages of a break up with his GF.He then moves in with his sister and nephew,then he meets his nephews kindergarten teacher and offers to help her chaperone the kids on a trip to a petting zoo.All while this happens a zombie outbreak is going down at a secret military base,said zombies go on a killing spree (creating more in the process) and all escape and make their way to..the petting zoo.
Once both parties finally cross paths at the zoo,its a fight to get to safety for the adults and the kids to avoid going the same way as all the other visitors and before the army nukes the place.
This film was made and produced by the streaming company hulu and it's an absolute delight.Plenty of laughs to be had (especially from tv kids performer with a sex addiction who happens to be appearing at the zoo on that day) with one or two serious parts in between.
If the thought of a bunch of zombies singing and clapping along to some very recognisable kids songs while following a tractor makes you laugh then this is the film for you.
The film starts off showing us a guy going through the various stages of a break up with his GF.He then moves in with his sister and nephew,then he meets his nephews kindergarten teacher and offers to help her chaperone the kids on a trip to a petting zoo.All while this happens a zombie outbreak is going down at a secret military base,said zombies go on a killing spree (creating more in the process) and all escape and make their way to..the petting zoo.
Once both parties finally cross paths at the zoo,its a fight to get to safety for the adults and the kids to avoid going the same way as all the other visitors and before the army nukes the place.
This film was made and produced by the streaming company hulu and it's an absolute delight.Plenty of laughs to be had (especially from tv kids performer with a sex addiction who happens to be appearing at the zoo on that day) with one or two serious parts in between.
If the thought of a bunch of zombies singing and clapping along to some very recognisable kids songs while following a tractor makes you laugh then this is the film for you.
The Fatal Tree
8.0
Rate It
Book
Read our exclusive interview with Jake Arnott London, the 1720s. Welcome to 'Romeville',...
The Left Hand of God
Book
“Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is...
Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone
Book
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them...
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Devil's Rejects (2005) in Movies
Nov 28, 2019
Verdict: Big Improvement
Story: The Devil’s Rejects starts as the Firefly family have been dubbed ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ by the media see their house surrounded by a vengeful police force led by Sheriff Wydell (Forsythe), with a massive shootout on the ranch. Mother Firely (Easterbrook) is captured, while Otis (Moseley) and Baby (Zombie) escape turning to Captain Spaulding (Haig) for shelter.
Otis and Baby find shelter in a motel, taking a family hostage, while they wait for the showdown with the Sheriff, giving them a chance to continue their murderous way.
Thoughts on The Devil’s Rejects
Characters – Captain Spaulding still runs his house of horrors away from the house, despite being part of the house, he must go on the run to meet the other members of the Fireflies, which sees him showing a much nastier side than we have seen before. Otis is the most twisted member of the family, he will punish anybody, he doesn’t care about anybody and will show his sadistic side too often. Baby is the youngest member of the family, she has grown up in this environment, acting like it is just second nature to her, she enjoys the punishment even turning it into a game at times. Sheriff Wydell is determined to capture and kill the whole Firefly family after they killed his brother, he will break a few rules along the way to make sure it gets done.
Performances – Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie have helped develop their characters to have a much darker side to them, which shows us more about how sadistic they are meant to be through the film. William Forsythe brings us a strong police figure that clearly shows the vengeful side he is going through in the film.
Story – The story here follows the events of the first film, the Firefly family have been discovered and are now on the run from a vengeful sheriff that wants the whole family dead for what they did to his family member. Where this story improves on the original comes from seeing just how the fireflies are able to react to a threat, we get a glimpse of their sadistic side, but instead of it just them being twisted, we get to see them dealing with a relentless cop that isn’t going to let them get away with their crimes. The story is constructed better too because we don’t just have random clips like we had in the first film, which shows how the film can be put together to give us a better story.
Action/Horror – This is much more action back with shoot outs going on between the two sides, while the horror is still there when the fireflies get to step into their sadistic ways.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show how the Fireflies can go on the run from the law, we see the back country motels which they would hide out in and the connections of other shady business they would know.
Special Effects – The effects in the film show the gore being done by the family, it shows the wounds looking brutal and real through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It still doesn’t give us any likeable figures in the fight.
Final Thoughts – This is an improvement on the first film, it does give us a more rounded figures in the Firefly family and shows us just how capable they are when pushed against the wall.
Overall: Sick Improvement.
Otis and Baby find shelter in a motel, taking a family hostage, while they wait for the showdown with the Sheriff, giving them a chance to continue their murderous way.
Thoughts on The Devil’s Rejects
Characters – Captain Spaulding still runs his house of horrors away from the house, despite being part of the house, he must go on the run to meet the other members of the Fireflies, which sees him showing a much nastier side than we have seen before. Otis is the most twisted member of the family, he will punish anybody, he doesn’t care about anybody and will show his sadistic side too often. Baby is the youngest member of the family, she has grown up in this environment, acting like it is just second nature to her, she enjoys the punishment even turning it into a game at times. Sheriff Wydell is determined to capture and kill the whole Firefly family after they killed his brother, he will break a few rules along the way to make sure it gets done.
Performances – Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie have helped develop their characters to have a much darker side to them, which shows us more about how sadistic they are meant to be through the film. William Forsythe brings us a strong police figure that clearly shows the vengeful side he is going through in the film.
Story – The story here follows the events of the first film, the Firefly family have been discovered and are now on the run from a vengeful sheriff that wants the whole family dead for what they did to his family member. Where this story improves on the original comes from seeing just how the fireflies are able to react to a threat, we get a glimpse of their sadistic side, but instead of it just them being twisted, we get to see them dealing with a relentless cop that isn’t going to let them get away with their crimes. The story is constructed better too because we don’t just have random clips like we had in the first film, which shows how the film can be put together to give us a better story.
Action/Horror – This is much more action back with shoot outs going on between the two sides, while the horror is still there when the fireflies get to step into their sadistic ways.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show how the Fireflies can go on the run from the law, we see the back country motels which they would hide out in and the connections of other shady business they would know.
Special Effects – The effects in the film show the gore being done by the family, it shows the wounds looking brutal and real through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It still doesn’t give us any likeable figures in the fight.
Final Thoughts – This is an improvement on the first film, it does give us a more rounded figures in the Firefly family and shows us just how capable they are when pushed against the wall.
Overall: Sick Improvement.
Defying the Tide: An Account of Authentic Compassion During the Holocaust
Book
Ruth Abraham and Maria Nickel would never have met each other if it hadn't been for the Shoah. But...
Diamonds for Rice
Book
Diamonds for Rice tells the unique true story of a businessman, caught up in an African civil war,...