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Matt Geiger (15 KP) rated Cars 2 (2011) in Movies
Jun 27, 2020 (Updated Jun 27, 2020)
Perhaps the first indication that Pixar could still lose sight of its capabilities, it should be common knowledge that CARS 2 is the worst Pixar film. While the first Cars movie was not Pixar's finest outing itself, the eccentricities of its premise and the likeable residents of Radiator Springs were enough to draw attention away from any holes the story had, numerous as they were. What we get here is an utterly incoherent and inconceivable sequel that makes just about every mistake a sequel can make. While the central espionage-based plot initially appears as a thoughtful homage to 007, and ultimately proves that Larry the Cable Guy has plenty of star power as Tow Mater, it devolves into an overstuffed, mediocre snoozefest that just keeps driving in a circle, content with giving the viewer vertigo. In fact, it is so flawed, audiences finally have to consider the implications imposed by the concept of living cars operating freely in their own world. It's not just that it's bad, but creating an entirely different story of this nature requires shoving all of the original characters to the side, including Lightning McQueen. You would think that a character who grew on audiences and learned some valuable lessons in such a short amount of time would've played a more notable role in the outcome of the film, but here he is reduced to a yammering motor of a damsel in distress, and hilarious stock characters like Luigi, Guido, and Fillmore are given literally nothing to work with. Not even the new characters make an impression, wasting the talent of Michael Caine and John Turturro among others. Honestly, there really isn't much about this movie to justify its existence. Whereas better Pixar sequels ring in on the success of their predecessor for the sake of inviting us to invest in the world they are trying to build, CARS 2 is a blown gasket that ultimately crashes the once profitable cash grab vehicle that the nostalgic first film helped to create. With this film, Pixar achieved the impossible: they made a bad movie.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Don't you dare in Books
Jun 5, 2019
‘Don’t You Dare’, by author, A.J. Waines was a riveting, taut and cleverly choreographed read from start to finish!
Although a mistake, and seemingly justified at the time, Rachel, accidentally kills the man her daughter Beth was having an affair with. From then on, both women are forced to cover their tracks to not only hide evidence from the police, but Beth’s fiancé, Peter, too. Beth’s marriage to Peter was supposed to be the answer to all their financial worries and further her acting career, but if this ever got out, well you can imagine, not only would the wedding be over because of her affair, but if caught for murder their lives would be inevitably ruined forever with prison awaiting.
Written from from both mother and daughter’s point of view in first person, this edgy psychological thriller had me hooked from the first page.
‘Don’t You Dare’ was one heck of a fast, tense read for me. Watching the mother desperately trying to sort out her mess, and keeping her daughter from going into a full on meltdown and revealing all, kept me on edge throughout. On top of that, each time I thought I knew all the answers the storyline branched out into another direction, and upped the stakes for both ladies even more.
The ending is superb! I loved how twist after twist the final scenes came to a satisfying end, whilst at the same time the story took on a different angle where an underlying threat would always shadow the two women. Yes, I’m being cryptic for a reason! This is indeed heart-stopping as the hype suggests! I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, and A.J. Waines’ entertaining writing.
Thanks to A.J. Waines, Bloodhound books and Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest opinion of Don’t You Dare.
Although a mistake, and seemingly justified at the time, Rachel, accidentally kills the man her daughter Beth was having an affair with. From then on, both women are forced to cover their tracks to not only hide evidence from the police, but Beth’s fiancé, Peter, too. Beth’s marriage to Peter was supposed to be the answer to all their financial worries and further her acting career, but if this ever got out, well you can imagine, not only would the wedding be over because of her affair, but if caught for murder their lives would be inevitably ruined forever with prison awaiting.
Written from from both mother and daughter’s point of view in first person, this edgy psychological thriller had me hooked from the first page.
‘Don’t You Dare’ was one heck of a fast, tense read for me. Watching the mother desperately trying to sort out her mess, and keeping her daughter from going into a full on meltdown and revealing all, kept me on edge throughout. On top of that, each time I thought I knew all the answers the storyline branched out into another direction, and upped the stakes for both ladies even more.
The ending is superb! I loved how twist after twist the final scenes came to a satisfying end, whilst at the same time the story took on a different angle where an underlying threat would always shadow the two women. Yes, I’m being cryptic for a reason! This is indeed heart-stopping as the hype suggests! I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, and A.J. Waines’ entertaining writing.
Thanks to A.J. Waines, Bloodhound books and Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest opinion of Don’t You Dare.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Bride of Chucky (1998) in Movies
Nov 6, 2019
One of those 'guilty pleasures' you here so much about
Bride of Chucky is a prime example of what Horror films were like in the aftermath of Scream.
Ditching the straight up horror path of the first couple of movies for a silly, self aware, and often humorous movie.
Quite simply, Bride of Chucky is trashy nonsense. It knows it too, and just about walks into 'so bad , it's good' territory.
Chucky has been promoted from villain to main character, and for the most part, it's pretty enjoyable. Brad Dourif works wonders with a cheesy script, dragging Chucky into a post Scream horror landscape, and creating more of an antihero that gained propularity pretty quickly.
Props to Jennifer Tilly as well for going along with the silliness with enthusiasm.
The main issue with Bride of Chucky is the protagonists were supposed to be rooting for. Nick Stabile and a young Katherine Heigl play a young couple taken hostage by Chucky, and I think they are definitely in the running for the most brain dead characters I've ever seen in a horror.
Most importantly, there is not a single atom within my being that gives the slightest shit about them, or their completely uninteresting eloping side story.
It very nearly stops the movie dead in it's tracks, but thankfully, any scenes that involve Chucky and Tiffany (which is often) is entertaining enough to make the film watchable.
The story is nonsense though, make no mistake.
The animatronic work on Chucky and Tiffany is genuinely impressive, and an obvious step up from the first trilogy. Chucky's design is also genuinely horrific.
Overall, Bride of Chucky is an un-scary, silly and cheesy experience, but it has some fun moments and is one of those horror films that I will probably watch until the end every time I see it on TV 😂
Ditching the straight up horror path of the first couple of movies for a silly, self aware, and often humorous movie.
Quite simply, Bride of Chucky is trashy nonsense. It knows it too, and just about walks into 'so bad , it's good' territory.
Chucky has been promoted from villain to main character, and for the most part, it's pretty enjoyable. Brad Dourif works wonders with a cheesy script, dragging Chucky into a post Scream horror landscape, and creating more of an antihero that gained propularity pretty quickly.
Props to Jennifer Tilly as well for going along with the silliness with enthusiasm.
The main issue with Bride of Chucky is the protagonists were supposed to be rooting for. Nick Stabile and a young Katherine Heigl play a young couple taken hostage by Chucky, and I think they are definitely in the running for the most brain dead characters I've ever seen in a horror.
Most importantly, there is not a single atom within my being that gives the slightest shit about them, or their completely uninteresting eloping side story.
It very nearly stops the movie dead in it's tracks, but thankfully, any scenes that involve Chucky and Tiffany (which is often) is entertaining enough to make the film watchable.
The story is nonsense though, make no mistake.
The animatronic work on Chucky and Tiffany is genuinely impressive, and an obvious step up from the first trilogy. Chucky's design is also genuinely horrific.
Overall, Bride of Chucky is an un-scary, silly and cheesy experience, but it has some fun moments and is one of those horror films that I will probably watch until the end every time I see it on TV 😂
PY
Parenting Your Disabled Child: The First Three Years
10.0
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If you or someone you know has a child with disabilities, this book is for you. Whether the problem...
The Innocent (Will Robie #1)
8.0
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America has enemies — ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can’t stop....
Merissa (13149 KP) rated Wintersfall (Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria #1) in Books
Aug 5, 2021
WINTERSFALL is the first book in the Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria series and the reader is introduced to a complex world where ranks are important, as well as limiting.
Following the murder of her mother and sister, Katria joins a government team on the understanding that an investigation will take place to find out who killed them. Fast forward three years and Katria has grown into a more than capable agent. With one fail to their name, the team is called back to Haven City and the intrigue really starts!
This was a great, twisted story with an amazing cast of characters, both main and supporting. I found it slightly difficult to get my head around the hierarchy and hated having to keep switching back and forth to the explanation given at the beginning of the book. In the end, I gave up and just read it as was.
The story isn't completed, by any stretch of the imagination. The focus may be moving from Katria and Sean but, make no mistake, there is so much more to come. I don't think we've even scratched the surface yet.
A great story that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Following the murder of her mother and sister, Katria joins a government team on the understanding that an investigation will take place to find out who killed them. Fast forward three years and Katria has grown into a more than capable agent. With one fail to their name, the team is called back to Haven City and the intrigue really starts!
This was a great, twisted story with an amazing cast of characters, both main and supporting. I found it slightly difficult to get my head around the hierarchy and hated having to keep switching back and forth to the explanation given at the beginning of the book. In the end, I gave up and just read it as was.
The story isn't completed, by any stretch of the imagination. The focus may be moving from Katria and Sean but, make no mistake, there is so much more to come. I don't think we've even scratched the surface yet.
A great story that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Rachel (48 KP) rated The Venetian: This Haunted World: Book 1 in Books
May 27, 2017
A Slow Burn
actually purchased this book by mistake, it's cover is similar to another novel, but I'm glad that I did!
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Burn the Dark ( Elwood Legacy book2) in Books
Mar 26, 2023
🔞🔞
35 of 235
Kindle
Burn the Dark ( Elwood Legacy book 2)
By Nicola Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
What if the good guy you fell for turned bad, and the bad guy swooped in to save the day?
When I'm abducted, Zac is forced to make the decision he’s been running from for decades. Forever changed, he’s ripped away from me — leaving the perfect sized hole for Alex to step into.
Struggling to come to terms with our own changes, Alex and I must work together to fix this mess caused by ancient legacy and a vampire leader hell-bent on using us for his own gain.
But the vampires aren’t the only ones with something dark running through their veins… maybe underestimating me was the biggest mistake they all made?
This stepped up a bit! I enjoyed the first book and loved Jess and this one was no different she is a really good character. This book stepped up on the darkness a touch and may be a trigger to some with rape and abuse issues or those sensitive to reading that sort of material. Overall we got some kickass powers from Jess and Alex finally stepping up. This is a really good dark series and I’m still convinced a little lie a certain popular tv show.
35 of 235
Kindle
Burn the Dark ( Elwood Legacy book 2)
By Nicola Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
What if the good guy you fell for turned bad, and the bad guy swooped in to save the day?
When I'm abducted, Zac is forced to make the decision he’s been running from for decades. Forever changed, he’s ripped away from me — leaving the perfect sized hole for Alex to step into.
Struggling to come to terms with our own changes, Alex and I must work together to fix this mess caused by ancient legacy and a vampire leader hell-bent on using us for his own gain.
But the vampires aren’t the only ones with something dark running through their veins… maybe underestimating me was the biggest mistake they all made?
This stepped up a bit! I enjoyed the first book and loved Jess and this one was no different she is a really good character. This book stepped up on the darkness a touch and may be a trigger to some with rape and abuse issues or those sensitive to reading that sort of material. Overall we got some kickass powers from Jess and Alex finally stepping up. This is a really good dark series and I’m still convinced a little lie a certain popular tv show.
Acme Novelty Datebook: v. 2: 1995 - 1999
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Straggling behind the mild 2003 success of cartoonist Chris Ware's first facsimile collection of his...
Part of Her Plan (Cupid's Cafe #5)
8.0
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An invitation to Cupid’s Café will change your life. Lydia Rossi has The Plan all figured out....
Adult FF Contemporary Romance LGBTQ+