Search
Search results
Louise (64 KP) rated Anna and the French Kiss in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I was pretty late on this band wagon, so late that I almost missed it. I found the delights of booktube this year!( I have been hiding under a rock!) and whenever some one mentioned a book to re read or one that gets you out of slumps etcetera etcetera, This was the one that popped up most of the time or Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
I really loved this book, I probably could have read it in one sitting but the fact I had to go to work the next morning made me put it down (I was late for work). I was reading this well into the night as I was unable to put it down, I needed to read more and find out what happened without having a break, to say I was fully invested was an understatement.
Anna is enrolled to go to a College/school in Paris for Americans, she totally doesn't want to be there, but because her dad is a high regarded author in the book world, he wants his daughter to reap the benefits or in Anna's terms... to show off. Being in a foreign country is daunting when there are no familiar people around you and the fact that you have no understanding of the language - Luckily Anna befriends a group of people very quickly, they take her under their wing and help Anna with her French and her way around the city. Among the group is Etienne St Clair, one of the hottest guys at the school - there is an instant mutual attraction, however there is a problem.....HIS GIRLFRIEND!
Anna is a great female protagonist, she starts off naive, shy and comes across as a bit whiney but the great thing as the story goes on you see her develop and act more grown up. I felt sorry for her being forced to school in Paris where she is all alone, when all she wants to do is be at home in Atlanta with her Mum, Seany (brother), Bridgette(best friend) and Toph (Potential love interest).
Etienne St Clair! Well what can I say? He was a complicated character he had so much emotional baggage. He is the heart-throb of the school, everyone wants to be hanging off his arm and there is a lot of bitchiness towards Anna as people notice their closeness. He has this certain aura about him, he has amazing hair, teeth, skin, dresses like a Parisian and not too tall (for some reason this was mentioned a lot) He has a British accent but lives in America and his father is french! He is swoon worthy in short, he blushes, he gets anxious and he isn't a complete douche-bag. He is mature for his age. However his family life is complicated, he's got a girlfriend but he wants Anna.
This book is cute, sweet , fluffy and all the adjectives. The fact that it is set in the City of Love also makes it more romantic. I totally recommend this book if you are a fan of Romance and YA. It is definitely a book you can reread, the writing is so easy to follow and a fast read.
I will be continuing with the trilogy.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
I really loved this book, I probably could have read it in one sitting but the fact I had to go to work the next morning made me put it down (I was late for work). I was reading this well into the night as I was unable to put it down, I needed to read more and find out what happened without having a break, to say I was fully invested was an understatement.
Anna is enrolled to go to a College/school in Paris for Americans, she totally doesn't want to be there, but because her dad is a high regarded author in the book world, he wants his daughter to reap the benefits or in Anna's terms... to show off. Being in a foreign country is daunting when there are no familiar people around you and the fact that you have no understanding of the language - Luckily Anna befriends a group of people very quickly, they take her under their wing and help Anna with her French and her way around the city. Among the group is Etienne St Clair, one of the hottest guys at the school - there is an instant mutual attraction, however there is a problem.....HIS GIRLFRIEND!
Anna is a great female protagonist, she starts off naive, shy and comes across as a bit whiney but the great thing as the story goes on you see her develop and act more grown up. I felt sorry for her being forced to school in Paris where she is all alone, when all she wants to do is be at home in Atlanta with her Mum, Seany (brother), Bridgette(best friend) and Toph (Potential love interest).
Etienne St Clair! Well what can I say? He was a complicated character he had so much emotional baggage. He is the heart-throb of the school, everyone wants to be hanging off his arm and there is a lot of bitchiness towards Anna as people notice their closeness. He has this certain aura about him, he has amazing hair, teeth, skin, dresses like a Parisian and not too tall (for some reason this was mentioned a lot) He has a British accent but lives in America and his father is french! He is swoon worthy in short, he blushes, he gets anxious and he isn't a complete douche-bag. He is mature for his age. However his family life is complicated, he's got a girlfriend but he wants Anna.
This book is cute, sweet , fluffy and all the adjectives. The fact that it is set in the City of Love also makes it more romantic. I totally recommend this book if you are a fan of Romance and YA. It is definitely a book you can reread, the writing is so easy to follow and a fast read.
I will be continuing with the trilogy.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated A Star Is Born (2018) in Movies
Oct 19, 2018 (Updated Oct 19, 2018)
Bradley Cooper's direction (2 more)
Both lead performances
Great original songs
Better Than Expected
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have dragged my other half to see plenty of stuff recently that she has sat through because I wanted to see it, so I thought it was about time that I let her drag me to something that she fancied seeing. I'm pretty glad that she did.
I expected A Star Is Born to be full of cheesy dialogue and crappy pop songs and I didn't know what to expect from Bradley Cooper's first time in the director's chair. Thankfully, my uncertainty and doubt was proven wrong. This is an absolutely fantastic directorial debut from Cooper. There were several parts in the movie where it felt similar to a Clint Eastwood directed movie, the influence that Clint obviously had on Cooper when they worked together for American Sniper has clearly paid off here. The cinematography is brilliant throughout the film and he gets a lot out of his actors too.
Considering Cooper is an actor, he plays an exceptionally convincing rock star as Jackson Maine. His voice is phenomenal and if all of the guitar playing was done by him, then that was impressive also. Likewise, considering Lady Gaga's background is as a singer and not an actress, she did a pretty great job in this role as Ally - even if she is playing a character very similar to herself. Sam Elliot is also fantastic, (as he always is,) as Jack's older brother and I reckon could be in for an Oscar shout for best supporting role.
In order to talk about the main negative I had with the film, I am going to have to spoil the way that it ends. So SPOILERS from this point on, you have been warned.
I know that Jackson didn't commit suicide just because of what Ally's sleazy agent said to him at the end of the movie, but I only know that because I had to fill in the blanks myself. The way that the movie presents it, is as if the agent tells Jack that he's an embarrassment to Ally and that's what makes him want to hang himself, which to me isn't justification enough to have a character take their own life, especially a character like Jackson Maine. The argument could be made that it wasn't what the agent said that led to Jack's suicide, but because he said out loud the way that Jack sees himself. As a burden and embarrassment to Ally. Although, if this was the case I feel like the movie could have driven it home a bit more. Like I said, I know that there was more to the character's decision to end his life than that, but the movie doesn't show it, instead making it look as if he decided to hang himself because of a smarmy wee prick's obnoxious comments.
Overall, this film was far better than it had any right to be. Although, the movie is funny in parts, overall it takes itself more seriously than I expected it too and I think that it is better for it. It may not win best picture, but I reckon it deserves a nomination, as does Bradley Cooper for best director.
I expected A Star Is Born to be full of cheesy dialogue and crappy pop songs and I didn't know what to expect from Bradley Cooper's first time in the director's chair. Thankfully, my uncertainty and doubt was proven wrong. This is an absolutely fantastic directorial debut from Cooper. There were several parts in the movie where it felt similar to a Clint Eastwood directed movie, the influence that Clint obviously had on Cooper when they worked together for American Sniper has clearly paid off here. The cinematography is brilliant throughout the film and he gets a lot out of his actors too.
Considering Cooper is an actor, he plays an exceptionally convincing rock star as Jackson Maine. His voice is phenomenal and if all of the guitar playing was done by him, then that was impressive also. Likewise, considering Lady Gaga's background is as a singer and not an actress, she did a pretty great job in this role as Ally - even if she is playing a character very similar to herself. Sam Elliot is also fantastic, (as he always is,) as Jack's older brother and I reckon could be in for an Oscar shout for best supporting role.
In order to talk about the main negative I had with the film, I am going to have to spoil the way that it ends. So SPOILERS from this point on, you have been warned.
I know that Jackson didn't commit suicide just because of what Ally's sleazy agent said to him at the end of the movie, but I only know that because I had to fill in the blanks myself. The way that the movie presents it, is as if the agent tells Jack that he's an embarrassment to Ally and that's what makes him want to hang himself, which to me isn't justification enough to have a character take their own life, especially a character like Jackson Maine. The argument could be made that it wasn't what the agent said that led to Jack's suicide, but because he said out loud the way that Jack sees himself. As a burden and embarrassment to Ally. Although, if this was the case I feel like the movie could have driven it home a bit more. Like I said, I know that there was more to the character's decision to end his life than that, but the movie doesn't show it, instead making it look as if he decided to hang himself because of a smarmy wee prick's obnoxious comments.
Overall, this film was far better than it had any right to be. Although, the movie is funny in parts, overall it takes itself more seriously than I expected it too and I think that it is better for it. It may not win best picture, but I reckon it deserves a nomination, as does Bradley Cooper for best director.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) in Movies
Sep 15, 2020
Back in 1991, I thought that Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey was the greatest movie of all time. Sure, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was pretty incredible too, but with the addition of Death… Station… evil robot Bill & Ted… it was all just genius as far as I was concerned. My movie watching habits since the nineties have shown me that neither of those films is actually the greatest of all time (well, maybe top 50), but that certainly didn't stop me from getting ridiculously giddy with excitement at the prospect of a third outing. Even more so after successfully introducing my youngest daughter to both movies recently, at which point I also concluded that Excellent Adventure was, in fact, the better of the two!
So, here we are. 29 years on from Bogus Journey, and we find Bill & Ted at a very difficult time in their lives. Dwindling popularity and record sales mean that their destiny of uniting the world with a single song is now becoming increasingly unlikely. A wedding reception where Bill & Ted are unveiling their latest musical creation to a less than lukewarm reception gives us a nice nostalgic chance to see some familiar faces from the previous movies and also brings us quickly up to speed on the lives of our two heroes. Still married to the medieval princesses (Jayma Mays and Erinn Hayes), they now both have grown-up daughters, Thea (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Billie (Samara Weaving). Both girls are like younger versions of their fathers, making heavy use of the word ‘dude’, and with extensive musical tastes and knowledge. They worship their fathers though and truly believe in their music.
Following the wedding reception, a trip to couples therapy shows us that it's not just their music career that's heading for the rocks. There's even talk of breaking up the band - “We’ve spent our entire lives trying to unite the world. And I’m tired, dude” Ted confesses to Bill. And as their destiny begins to fracture, reality also starts to unravel, with historical figures randomly being sucked from their own time and dumped into another.
Arriving just in the nick of time is a traveller from the future. Kelly (Kristen Schaal) lands in an egg-shaped time machine and whisks the boys into the future where they find that they are now no longer being worshipped in the same way as they were before. They are told in no uncertain terms that they have just 77 minutes to come up with the song they were destined to write, or the past, present and future are all going to collide, resulting in the world collapsing in on itself. Whoah!
Resigning themselves to the fact that if they haven't been able to come up with the song in the last couple of decades, they're unlikely to come up with it in the next 77 minutes, Bill & Ted land on the genius idea that they can simply go to the future and steal the song from their future selves. So, they begin jumping forward to various points in time and meeting up with different versions of themselves. We get overweight rock star Bill & Ted, complete with dodgy British accents, muscular prison inmate Bill & Ted and even OAP nursing home Bill & Ted.
Meanwhile, daughters Thea and Billie come up with a slightly more solid plan of action that involves picking up prominent musicians from history and forming them into the ultimate band, in the hopes that their combined talents will come up with the song that saves the world. It's a race against time as both missions play out simultaneously, taking in a trip to hell, recruiting ex-band member Death (William Sandler) and trying to outwit a robot who's out to kill them. It's basically a greatest hits remix of the first two movies.
It took some time for me to adjust to seeing Keanu Reeves outside of his role as John Wick, clean-shaven and considerably less dangerous. Both he and Alex Winter are obviously much older than when we last saw them as Bill & Ted, but it was surprising just how well they slipped right back into the roles. It honestly felt so good to be back in the company of these guys. The daughters are also a welcome addition, although they feel underused, and being separated from their fathers for much of the movie means that everything feels a lot more chaotic than we’re used to.
Bill & Ted Face the Music rattles along at a fairly brisk pace and the ending felt very rushed and abrupt. Something about the whole thing just doesn’t feel right and I didn’t feel as though we were ever getting very much time to explore or experience a particular scene before we were straight onto the next. It’s funny at times, but with most of it essentially reworking themes and ideas from earlier movies it ends up as the weakest of the trilogy, which is a real shame.
I’ve got so much love for these characters and movies that I feel bad about being negative in any way. However, I can’t help feeling that Face the Music teeters on the edge of ‘maybe they should have just left alone with the last movie’ a little too often. At the end of the day though, I can't really knock a movie that's essentially all about harmless fun and, more importantly, carries with it a message about uniting the world, being excellent to each other. I think we all could appreciate that philosophy in our lives right now.
So, here we are. 29 years on from Bogus Journey, and we find Bill & Ted at a very difficult time in their lives. Dwindling popularity and record sales mean that their destiny of uniting the world with a single song is now becoming increasingly unlikely. A wedding reception where Bill & Ted are unveiling their latest musical creation to a less than lukewarm reception gives us a nice nostalgic chance to see some familiar faces from the previous movies and also brings us quickly up to speed on the lives of our two heroes. Still married to the medieval princesses (Jayma Mays and Erinn Hayes), they now both have grown-up daughters, Thea (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Billie (Samara Weaving). Both girls are like younger versions of their fathers, making heavy use of the word ‘dude’, and with extensive musical tastes and knowledge. They worship their fathers though and truly believe in their music.
Following the wedding reception, a trip to couples therapy shows us that it's not just their music career that's heading for the rocks. There's even talk of breaking up the band - “We’ve spent our entire lives trying to unite the world. And I’m tired, dude” Ted confesses to Bill. And as their destiny begins to fracture, reality also starts to unravel, with historical figures randomly being sucked from their own time and dumped into another.
Arriving just in the nick of time is a traveller from the future. Kelly (Kristen Schaal) lands in an egg-shaped time machine and whisks the boys into the future where they find that they are now no longer being worshipped in the same way as they were before. They are told in no uncertain terms that they have just 77 minutes to come up with the song they were destined to write, or the past, present and future are all going to collide, resulting in the world collapsing in on itself. Whoah!
Resigning themselves to the fact that if they haven't been able to come up with the song in the last couple of decades, they're unlikely to come up with it in the next 77 minutes, Bill & Ted land on the genius idea that they can simply go to the future and steal the song from their future selves. So, they begin jumping forward to various points in time and meeting up with different versions of themselves. We get overweight rock star Bill & Ted, complete with dodgy British accents, muscular prison inmate Bill & Ted and even OAP nursing home Bill & Ted.
Meanwhile, daughters Thea and Billie come up with a slightly more solid plan of action that involves picking up prominent musicians from history and forming them into the ultimate band, in the hopes that their combined talents will come up with the song that saves the world. It's a race against time as both missions play out simultaneously, taking in a trip to hell, recruiting ex-band member Death (William Sandler) and trying to outwit a robot who's out to kill them. It's basically a greatest hits remix of the first two movies.
It took some time for me to adjust to seeing Keanu Reeves outside of his role as John Wick, clean-shaven and considerably less dangerous. Both he and Alex Winter are obviously much older than when we last saw them as Bill & Ted, but it was surprising just how well they slipped right back into the roles. It honestly felt so good to be back in the company of these guys. The daughters are also a welcome addition, although they feel underused, and being separated from their fathers for much of the movie means that everything feels a lot more chaotic than we’re used to.
Bill & Ted Face the Music rattles along at a fairly brisk pace and the ending felt very rushed and abrupt. Something about the whole thing just doesn’t feel right and I didn’t feel as though we were ever getting very much time to explore or experience a particular scene before we were straight onto the next. It’s funny at times, but with most of it essentially reworking themes and ideas from earlier movies it ends up as the weakest of the trilogy, which is a real shame.
I’ve got so much love for these characters and movies that I feel bad about being negative in any way. However, I can’t help feeling that Face the Music teeters on the edge of ‘maybe they should have just left alone with the last movie’ a little too often. At the end of the day though, I can't really knock a movie that's essentially all about harmless fun and, more importantly, carries with it a message about uniting the world, being excellent to each other. I think we all could appreciate that philosophy in our lives right now.
blueirisfox (125 KP) rated the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV Online Complete Edition in Video Games
Feb 16, 2020 (Updated Feb 16, 2020)
So many cool clothes!! (3 more)
Crafting and Gathering classes add so much to this game
For the most part, the community is so friendly and awesome (in 8 months I have only come across one toxic/mean player)
The world feels alive. The stories of npcs can be some of the highlights of gameplay.
Can be quite expensive to pay for online membership (3 more)
The pacing of A Realm Reborn (ARR) can feel really slow.
Buying the game can be really confusing, as you don't know what versions you should be buying.
Two of the playable races have restricted customisation.
This review is long... not all of it fit so the rest is in the comments
The way how I like to think of this game is like when I discovered anime. It felt like this whole new world that was hidden under a small rock that someone could easily walk past. Like one small step could have meant never finding it at all. (this was a couple of years before Attack on Titan exploded, by the way)
But still, against all odds, I found this amazing world and community and I am just so in love with it.
I've been playing this game since around June/July of 2019, and only actually bought the full version the following Christmas, so I still consider myself to be a newbie. I'll try my best to review the content that I've played, as well as the content I've seen others play.
Before I say anything else, I feel that I need to get this across. If you are completely new to this game, don't spend any money on it yet! There is a free trial that DOESN'T HAVE A TIME LIMIT and is FREE. If you actually buy the game, you will have to start paying for the online subscription after the first 30 days free are used up. You will be saving a lot of money by just playing up to the level cap of the free trial at your own pace. The level caps at 35, which sounds like it's not that high, but this applies to ALL CLASSES and not just one - so you can multiclass and level them all up to 35. Also, this will let you experience the game without much sacrifice and give you the opportunity to see if you actually like this game, or if it's not for you.
When you do come around to buying it, I would recommend getting the compete edition. It works out a lot cheaper since it comes with everything. So if you're not sure which one to get, then this is the best one. However, a cool thing about this game - and the greatest cause of confusion among new players - is that buying the newest expansion will also give you all the old ones too, BUT this will only be playable if you have the base game first. And it is for this reason that it ends up cheaper to get the complete edition, since the Shadowbringers expansion alone is about £40.
Now, onto the review...
I have heard this game be compared to World of Warcraft (WoW) many times before. I've never played WoW, but I'm sure that this gives a bit of a better idea of what kind of game this is.
There are different Data Centers and Servers you can play on, and simply hopping from one to another can give the game a completely different feel. When I started out on Omega, it felt like a quiet and cozy little community of players. I know now that this server is a roleplay (rp) oriented server, but I could have easily jumped onto a more player-vs-player (pvp) oriented one, or a busier and more hectic server. So I guess that it was pure luck that I picked a server that matched my slow and cosy play style. I'm pretty sure that there is a reddit post that explains what the different servers are like, although this is likely to change with time as certain servers grow.
Onto Character creation. Oh how I love my character creation. I am proud to say that I have spent many hours in this part of the game alone, which is the main reason why I have so many playable characters scattered on different servers. I do have some criticisms for this one, but by the same note I have a lot of love for it.
So first of all, there are a total of 8 playable races: The Hyur (humans), the Elezen (elves), the Lalafell (midgets), the Miqo'te (cat people that look like ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew), Roegadyn (buff giants), Au Ra (part dragon? They have cool horns), Hrothgar (Actual cat people, like the guy from FFX), and finally Viera (the bunny girl).
Phew! Got all their names out. Now I can critique.
So first of all, I feel that I should mention that only the first five races are available in the free trial and base game. The other three races are unlocked through buying the expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers) although I'm not entirely sure which ones specifically since I bought the complete edition.
My biggest beef with the races as of writing this review, is that Hrothgar and Viera are gender locked. Hrothgar's are locked to males, and the Viera are locked to females. These races are the newest to be added, so there is still a chance of introducing the other genders - which isn't as unlikely as you may think, since the FFXIV team listen to the community a lot, and fix/introduce many features wanted by the community.
Furthermore, these two races are a bit limited in their customisation. The Hrothgar have the problem of the hairstyles being locked to face types (which there are only 4 or 5 of), and unlike every other race, they have to buy a fantasia to make changes to the hairstyle. Fantasia are used to change your character's look, from race to gender, to smaller features like eye and skin colour - they are intended to change permanent features, which is why it's a bit unfair to Hrothgar players looking for a new look that could normally be achieved through the Aesthetician (stylist) - I'm pretty sure i spelled that wrong 😅
Then there is the Viera. Don't get me wrong, I love this race - I'm currently playing one myself. But I can't help but be sad over the lack of compatible hairstyles and head gear. I didn't mention this before, but you can aquire new hairstyles through certain areas of gameplay. When I was playing a Hyur (human), I could fully enjoy these hairstyles without a problem. But when I tried it on the Viera, it just didn't work at all. And if that wasn't bad enough, my character can't wear a lot of the hats in the game, which is just infuriating to me since I really love the glamour system and making cool looking characters.
Those were my biggest peeves with the game, and now they are out of the way.
I'll keep the rest brief, since this is quite a long review already.
The housing system looks really cool, with a lot of different housing items that can be used. I've seen some really epic houses so far. Housing and furnishings are really expensive, so this is more of a long term goal. Saying that, the cheaper alternative is apartments, although you lose out on a garden (unless you make an indoor one - and I'm not sure how functional it would be since I can't afford housing), as well as loosing basements I'd imagine.
The rest is in comments because it didn't fit..
But still, against all odds, I found this amazing world and community and I am just so in love with it.
I've been playing this game since around June/July of 2019, and only actually bought the full version the following Christmas, so I still consider myself to be a newbie. I'll try my best to review the content that I've played, as well as the content I've seen others play.
Before I say anything else, I feel that I need to get this across. If you are completely new to this game, don't spend any money on it yet! There is a free trial that DOESN'T HAVE A TIME LIMIT and is FREE. If you actually buy the game, you will have to start paying for the online subscription after the first 30 days free are used up. You will be saving a lot of money by just playing up to the level cap of the free trial at your own pace. The level caps at 35, which sounds like it's not that high, but this applies to ALL CLASSES and not just one - so you can multiclass and level them all up to 35. Also, this will let you experience the game without much sacrifice and give you the opportunity to see if you actually like this game, or if it's not for you.
When you do come around to buying it, I would recommend getting the compete edition. It works out a lot cheaper since it comes with everything. So if you're not sure which one to get, then this is the best one. However, a cool thing about this game - and the greatest cause of confusion among new players - is that buying the newest expansion will also give you all the old ones too, BUT this will only be playable if you have the base game first. And it is for this reason that it ends up cheaper to get the complete edition, since the Shadowbringers expansion alone is about £40.
Now, onto the review...
I have heard this game be compared to World of Warcraft (WoW) many times before. I've never played WoW, but I'm sure that this gives a bit of a better idea of what kind of game this is.
There are different Data Centers and Servers you can play on, and simply hopping from one to another can give the game a completely different feel. When I started out on Omega, it felt like a quiet and cozy little community of players. I know now that this server is a roleplay (rp) oriented server, but I could have easily jumped onto a more player-vs-player (pvp) oriented one, or a busier and more hectic server. So I guess that it was pure luck that I picked a server that matched my slow and cosy play style. I'm pretty sure that there is a reddit post that explains what the different servers are like, although this is likely to change with time as certain servers grow.
Onto Character creation. Oh how I love my character creation. I am proud to say that I have spent many hours in this part of the game alone, which is the main reason why I have so many playable characters scattered on different servers. I do have some criticisms for this one, but by the same note I have a lot of love for it.
So first of all, there are a total of 8 playable races: The Hyur (humans), the Elezen (elves), the Lalafell (midgets), the Miqo'te (cat people that look like ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew), Roegadyn (buff giants), Au Ra (part dragon? They have cool horns), Hrothgar (Actual cat people, like the guy from FFX), and finally Viera (the bunny girl).
Phew! Got all their names out. Now I can critique.
So first of all, I feel that I should mention that only the first five races are available in the free trial and base game. The other three races are unlocked through buying the expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers) although I'm not entirely sure which ones specifically since I bought the complete edition.
My biggest beef with the races as of writing this review, is that Hrothgar and Viera are gender locked. Hrothgar's are locked to males, and the Viera are locked to females. These races are the newest to be added, so there is still a chance of introducing the other genders - which isn't as unlikely as you may think, since the FFXIV team listen to the community a lot, and fix/introduce many features wanted by the community.
Furthermore, these two races are a bit limited in their customisation. The Hrothgar have the problem of the hairstyles being locked to face types (which there are only 4 or 5 of), and unlike every other race, they have to buy a fantasia to make changes to the hairstyle. Fantasia are used to change your character's look, from race to gender, to smaller features like eye and skin colour - they are intended to change permanent features, which is why it's a bit unfair to Hrothgar players looking for a new look that could normally be achieved through the Aesthetician (stylist) - I'm pretty sure i spelled that wrong 😅
Then there is the Viera. Don't get me wrong, I love this race - I'm currently playing one myself. But I can't help but be sad over the lack of compatible hairstyles and head gear. I didn't mention this before, but you can aquire new hairstyles through certain areas of gameplay. When I was playing a Hyur (human), I could fully enjoy these hairstyles without a problem. But when I tried it on the Viera, it just didn't work at all. And if that wasn't bad enough, my character can't wear a lot of the hats in the game, which is just infuriating to me since I really love the glamour system and making cool looking characters.
Those were my biggest peeves with the game, and now they are out of the way.
I'll keep the rest brief, since this is quite a long review already.
The housing system looks really cool, with a lot of different housing items that can be used. I've seen some really epic houses so far. Housing and furnishings are really expensive, so this is more of a long term goal. Saying that, the cheaper alternative is apartments, although you lose out on a garden (unless you make an indoor one - and I'm not sure how functional it would be since I can't afford housing), as well as loosing basements I'd imagine.
The rest is in comments because it didn't fit..
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
A True successor to the original
Halloween 1978 and little-known director John Carpenter terrifies thousands of impressionable horror fans with the introduction of ‘The Shape’. Jamie Lee Curtis becomes the new ‘scream queen’ and all is well in the world of the slasher genre.
Fast-forward to 2009 and Rob Zombie directs the sequel to his reasonably successful remake of Halloween, but it was poorly received by critics and audiences alike. Why? Well Zombie’s grungy, rock-anthem vibe didn’t really sit too well with Michael Myers and the result was a distasteful and messy outing that set the franchise back nearly 10 years.
Of course, in between 1978 and 2009, the series was ripped apart, put back together again until it was a shadow of its former self. Anyone remember Busta Rhymes doing a vague impression of a karate master in Halloween: Resurrection? Best forget about that.
Nevertheless, director David Gordon Green, a lifetime fan of Carpenter’s iconic original is in the chair to helm a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. That’s right, it forgoes every single film apart from the first. But is it a worthy sequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time?
It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield. But this time, she’s ready for him.
Having Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back for this instalment is already a coup for Gordon Green. Clearly, they thought enough of the material that he and co-writer Danny McBride had produced to give one more shot at crafting a properly deserved sequel. And it works very well, so well in fact that we have, barring the original, the best Halloween movie to date.
Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fabulous as a world-weary Laurie Strode. Traumatised by the events of 40 years ago, she holds herself up in a cabin on the outskirts of Haddonfield, flanked by floodlights and CCTV cameras. The script does a very good job at showing how massive events can destroy an individual’s life and Curtis’ understated performance is a highlight here.
Judy Greer gets a nicely fleshed out role as Karen, Laurie’s daughter. She’s an incredibly talented actress and it’s a world away from the one-dimensional characters she’s been given to play in blockbusters like Jurassic World. The great thing about this film is that each of the main characters feels real. There’s no cheap sex scenes, the kills are well-placed and the dialogue is superbly written – you actually believe these are real people, rather than characters in a movie.
While the body count is high, Halloween doesn’t rely on the murders to progress the story forward. This is very much Laurie’s film as opposed to Michael’s and it works very well. There’s some nice juxtaposition as shots that would have involved Michael in the original, choose to put Laurie front and centre here. Halloween features some tasteful references to the original as well as its less-well received sequels. They’re not immediately obvious for those not too familiar with the series, but die-hards will enjoy seeing those homages pop up every now and then.
Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it
The film starts relatively slowly with a not quite successful side-plot involving two investigative journalists, but once Michael Myers gets his mask back, the film rarely lets up until the end. Populated by enough kills and scares to keep the audience happy, this is a Halloween movie that doesn’t rely too much on jump scares. There’s a few, but they’re nicely filmed which helps lift them above the mundane.
To look at, this is a film that is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre. Gordon Green uses incredibly fluid camera techniques that almost mimic those of the original. In one extended sequence, Myers moves in and out of shot as the camera follows him from house to house, selecting his next victim. With no cuts in between, it’s a stunning scene to watch and very effective.
Thankfully, the writing duo has decided to pass on giving Michael anything resembling a back story. The embodiment of ‘pure evil’ as Samuel Loomis once put it, Myers needn’t have any motives – and that’s what makes him so terrifying. In fact, his first kill here reaffirms his evil characteristics and it’s clear that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were aiming for this take on the character.
Then there’s the score. John Carpenter has returned to craft new music for this instalment and it is by far the best score in the series, possibly even better than the original. That haunting Halloween theme tune is back, but upgraded with guitar riffs and electronic percussion. It’s a fabulous update that works perfectly with the modern characters and an older Michael.
While it’s true that the film isn’t out-and-out scary, the finale is exquisite as Laurie and Michael come face-to-face once again. Only the abrupt ending and forgetting of some key characters lets it down. After all, what’s the point in caring about a character and never learning of their fate?
Overall, Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it. While this is sure to make bucket loads at the box-office, it feels like it was crafted with care by a writing team and director that absolutely adores the series. It’s a must watch.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/10/20/halloween-2018-review-a-true-successor-to-the-original/
Fast-forward to 2009 and Rob Zombie directs the sequel to his reasonably successful remake of Halloween, but it was poorly received by critics and audiences alike. Why? Well Zombie’s grungy, rock-anthem vibe didn’t really sit too well with Michael Myers and the result was a distasteful and messy outing that set the franchise back nearly 10 years.
Of course, in between 1978 and 2009, the series was ripped apart, put back together again until it was a shadow of its former self. Anyone remember Busta Rhymes doing a vague impression of a karate master in Halloween: Resurrection? Best forget about that.
Nevertheless, director David Gordon Green, a lifetime fan of Carpenter’s iconic original is in the chair to helm a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. That’s right, it forgoes every single film apart from the first. But is it a worthy sequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time?
It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield. But this time, she’s ready for him.
Having Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back for this instalment is already a coup for Gordon Green. Clearly, they thought enough of the material that he and co-writer Danny McBride had produced to give one more shot at crafting a properly deserved sequel. And it works very well, so well in fact that we have, barring the original, the best Halloween movie to date.
Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fabulous as a world-weary Laurie Strode. Traumatised by the events of 40 years ago, she holds herself up in a cabin on the outskirts of Haddonfield, flanked by floodlights and CCTV cameras. The script does a very good job at showing how massive events can destroy an individual’s life and Curtis’ understated performance is a highlight here.
Judy Greer gets a nicely fleshed out role as Karen, Laurie’s daughter. She’s an incredibly talented actress and it’s a world away from the one-dimensional characters she’s been given to play in blockbusters like Jurassic World. The great thing about this film is that each of the main characters feels real. There’s no cheap sex scenes, the kills are well-placed and the dialogue is superbly written – you actually believe these are real people, rather than characters in a movie.
While the body count is high, Halloween doesn’t rely on the murders to progress the story forward. This is very much Laurie’s film as opposed to Michael’s and it works very well. There’s some nice juxtaposition as shots that would have involved Michael in the original, choose to put Laurie front and centre here. Halloween features some tasteful references to the original as well as its less-well received sequels. They’re not immediately obvious for those not too familiar with the series, but die-hards will enjoy seeing those homages pop up every now and then.
Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it
The film starts relatively slowly with a not quite successful side-plot involving two investigative journalists, but once Michael Myers gets his mask back, the film rarely lets up until the end. Populated by enough kills and scares to keep the audience happy, this is a Halloween movie that doesn’t rely too much on jump scares. There’s a few, but they’re nicely filmed which helps lift them above the mundane.
To look at, this is a film that is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre. Gordon Green uses incredibly fluid camera techniques that almost mimic those of the original. In one extended sequence, Myers moves in and out of shot as the camera follows him from house to house, selecting his next victim. With no cuts in between, it’s a stunning scene to watch and very effective.
Thankfully, the writing duo has decided to pass on giving Michael anything resembling a back story. The embodiment of ‘pure evil’ as Samuel Loomis once put it, Myers needn’t have any motives – and that’s what makes him so terrifying. In fact, his first kill here reaffirms his evil characteristics and it’s clear that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were aiming for this take on the character.
Then there’s the score. John Carpenter has returned to craft new music for this instalment and it is by far the best score in the series, possibly even better than the original. That haunting Halloween theme tune is back, but upgraded with guitar riffs and electronic percussion. It’s a fabulous update that works perfectly with the modern characters and an older Michael.
While it’s true that the film isn’t out-and-out scary, the finale is exquisite as Laurie and Michael come face-to-face once again. Only the abrupt ending and forgetting of some key characters lets it down. After all, what’s the point in caring about a character and never learning of their fate?
Overall, Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it. While this is sure to make bucket loads at the box-office, it feels like it was crafted with care by a writing team and director that absolutely adores the series. It’s a must watch.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/10/20/halloween-2018-review-a-true-successor-to-the-original/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Ticket to paradise (2022) in Movies
Nov 10, 2022
Charismatic Leads Saves This Underwritten Film
Have you watched one of the two ABBA Musical MAMA MIA films (MAMA MIA or MAMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN) and thought to yourself, “I want more of this, but with no music”.
If so, do I have a film for you.
The George Clooney/Julie Roberts Romantic Family Comedy TICKET TO PARADISE is a slight, somewhat fun lightweight film that won’t eat up too many brain cells while watching, but you’ll walk away satisfied and entertained if this sort of thing is in your wheelhouse. It is a movie geared towards older adults who just want to get away from the world and watch beautiful people in beautiful costumes tromping around beautiful scenery.
Written and Directed by Ol Parker (MAMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN, naturally), TICKET TO PARADISE tells the tale of an unhappily divorced couple (Clooney and Roberts, of course) who must overcome their differences and join together to stop their daughter from a hasty marriage - a mistake they both think they made when they married each other.
The opening of this movie is frenetic and tries just a bit too hard to establish the hate/hate competitive relationship between these 2 characters. Roberts fairs better in this part as she settles into her character fairly quickly - and she becomes the rock of the film. From the get go you understand her character and when all else fails in a scene, you know that Roberts will be there to rescue things. It is a steady, sturdy performance that shows that Roberts “still has it” as a movie star.
Clooney has more of a rollercoaster of a performance. For my tastes he tries to hard to be comedically funny in the first part of the film (a fault of his that can be scene in such Clooney comedic failures as O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU and BURN AFTER READING), but once we get past the initial scenes, Clooney settles down to be a somewhat comedic version of the calm, suave and sophisticated Clooney that we have grown to know and love.
The supporting characters are underwritten and are thin and nondescript with character arcs that really go nowhere. This is a shame for Billie Lourd (as the Best Friend of Clooney and Roberts’ daughter) and the couple that plays the grooms parents were interesting characters that could have/should have been fleshed out more.
The script and Direction by Parker are nothing special. It’s not bad but it also doesn’t elevate the proceedings above the pleasantness that it is - with one key exception. About 1/3 of the way through the film, Clooney launches into a monologue about how he and Roberts’ seemingly wonderful love fell apart, leading to divorce. It is a beautifully shot and directed scene and Clooney absolutely nails the speech mixing in anger and regret skillfully. This scene made me sit up in my chair thinking that maybe this film was taking a deeper, more dramatic turn at this point and it is shifting from a RomCom to a family drama.
But, alas, we head into a scene where Clooney and Roberts get drunk and shenanigans ensue. True…it looks like good friends Clooney and Roberts are having a good time playing with each other in the beautiful location of this film…but this fun never really translates to the audience.
The perfect airplane film - there is no intricate plot points that you’ll miss if you dose off for a moment or 2 - but perfectly, acceptably entertaining, this TICKET TO PARADISE could be worse…but could have been better.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
If so, do I have a film for you.
The George Clooney/Julie Roberts Romantic Family Comedy TICKET TO PARADISE is a slight, somewhat fun lightweight film that won’t eat up too many brain cells while watching, but you’ll walk away satisfied and entertained if this sort of thing is in your wheelhouse. It is a movie geared towards older adults who just want to get away from the world and watch beautiful people in beautiful costumes tromping around beautiful scenery.
Written and Directed by Ol Parker (MAMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN, naturally), TICKET TO PARADISE tells the tale of an unhappily divorced couple (Clooney and Roberts, of course) who must overcome their differences and join together to stop their daughter from a hasty marriage - a mistake they both think they made when they married each other.
The opening of this movie is frenetic and tries just a bit too hard to establish the hate/hate competitive relationship between these 2 characters. Roberts fairs better in this part as she settles into her character fairly quickly - and she becomes the rock of the film. From the get go you understand her character and when all else fails in a scene, you know that Roberts will be there to rescue things. It is a steady, sturdy performance that shows that Roberts “still has it” as a movie star.
Clooney has more of a rollercoaster of a performance. For my tastes he tries to hard to be comedically funny in the first part of the film (a fault of his that can be scene in such Clooney comedic failures as O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU and BURN AFTER READING), but once we get past the initial scenes, Clooney settles down to be a somewhat comedic version of the calm, suave and sophisticated Clooney that we have grown to know and love.
The supporting characters are underwritten and are thin and nondescript with character arcs that really go nowhere. This is a shame for Billie Lourd (as the Best Friend of Clooney and Roberts’ daughter) and the couple that plays the grooms parents were interesting characters that could have/should have been fleshed out more.
The script and Direction by Parker are nothing special. It’s not bad but it also doesn’t elevate the proceedings above the pleasantness that it is - with one key exception. About 1/3 of the way through the film, Clooney launches into a monologue about how he and Roberts’ seemingly wonderful love fell apart, leading to divorce. It is a beautifully shot and directed scene and Clooney absolutely nails the speech mixing in anger and regret skillfully. This scene made me sit up in my chair thinking that maybe this film was taking a deeper, more dramatic turn at this point and it is shifting from a RomCom to a family drama.
But, alas, we head into a scene where Clooney and Roberts get drunk and shenanigans ensue. True…it looks like good friends Clooney and Roberts are having a good time playing with each other in the beautiful location of this film…but this fun never really translates to the audience.
The perfect airplane film - there is no intricate plot points that you’ll miss if you dose off for a moment or 2 - but perfectly, acceptably entertaining, this TICKET TO PARADISE could be worse…but could have been better.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
McCarthy and Grant in a memorable double act.
I have a big apology to make to Melissa McCarthy. A few months ago, at the excellent Picturehouse Harbour Lights film trivia quiz (every 2nd Tuesday of the month in Southampton… “be there and be… well… a bit of a film geek”!) there was a fun round of suggesting New Year’s resolutions for movie stars. Mine was the rather spiteful and cutting “Melissa McCarthy…. to retire”. In my defence, I did have the truly dreadful “Happytime Murders” fixed in my memory, and McCarthy’s track record since “Bridesmaids” has not exactly been stellar. As the quiz’s host – Stephen ‘Grand Moff’ Sambrook – justly admonished me for at the time “McCarthy is about to come out with a very different role which is supposed to be pretty good”. This film is that role…. and I take it all back.
For McCarthy is a revelation in a dramatic role which, whilst having moments of levity, is largely downbeat and very moving.
The Plot.
Based on a true story, McCarthy plays Lee Israel; a cat-loving bestselling biography writer who has seen better days. Her work is now so poor that her publisher (“3rd Rock”‘s Jane Curtin) no longer returns her call. She doesn’t help herself by having an alcohol problem and an ability to get on with other people that borders on the sociopathic.
Stumbling by accident on a letter from a famous author, she sells it for a decent sum to a dealer in such documents and is asked if she has any similar documents. What follows is a criminal trail of counterfeiting and grand larceny, into which she introduces her only friend: the gay and itinerant Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant).
With newfound success can Lee find criminally-induced happiness? Or will the authorities eventually catch up with her and Jack.
A great double-act.
The reason to see this film is the tremendous double-act between McCarthy and Grant which is just magic. Both have been lauded with nominations during awards season, and both are richly deserved.
Without aspersions against the excellent Shakespearean actress Brenda Fricker, this film could have turned into a 2 hour downer featuring a literary-equivalent of the bird-woman from “Home Alone 2”. The fact it doesn’t – notwithstanding a Central Park scene that just about re-films the final scene of HA/2! – is wholly down to McCarthy’s stunning performance. Although having some scenes of darker comedy, the majority of her performance is dramatically convincing as the conflicted and depressed victim of chronic writer’s block.
Grant as well is just superbly entertaining, all teeth and over-confidence in the face of all odds. If he wasn’t up for an Oscar nomination at one point in the process, then his final scene in the film absolutely nailed it. If you are not moved by this scene, you have a very hard heart indeed.
Ephron-esque.
The script is by the relatively unknown Nicole Holofcener and the debut writer Jeff Whitty, who are nominated for best adapted screenplay for both BAFTA and Oscar award: not bad going! It’s ironic that the late Nora Ephron is (comically) referenced by the screenplay, since there is a strong whiff of Ephron-esque about the film. (This is further enforced through reference to struggling book shops, that harked me back to “You’ve Got Mail”). The movie’s directed by the up and coming Marielle Heller, who’s debut was the well-regarded “Diary of a Teenage Girl”.
Cheer on the anti-hero.
Once again, like last year’s disappointing “Ocean’s 8“, for the film to work we have to emotionally support the actions of a criminal woman and, in this case, her damaged man-friend. This movie almost gets away with it, in that a) the ‘victims’ are unseen wealthy ‘collectors’ who ‘probably have too much money to burn’ anyway and b) Lee expresses such a wondrous delight in the quality of her work; delight that pulls her out of her destructive downward spiral of depression. It’s hard not to get behind her to at least some degree.
Given the movie dives into subjects including animal – or at least animal owner – cruelty, death, depression, homelessness and terminal illness, will you enjoy it? My bell-weather here is my wife Sue, who was unwillingly dragged along to see this, but ended up enjoying it mightily.
For McCarthy is a revelation in a dramatic role which, whilst having moments of levity, is largely downbeat and very moving.
The Plot.
Based on a true story, McCarthy plays Lee Israel; a cat-loving bestselling biography writer who has seen better days. Her work is now so poor that her publisher (“3rd Rock”‘s Jane Curtin) no longer returns her call. She doesn’t help herself by having an alcohol problem and an ability to get on with other people that borders on the sociopathic.
Stumbling by accident on a letter from a famous author, she sells it for a decent sum to a dealer in such documents and is asked if she has any similar documents. What follows is a criminal trail of counterfeiting and grand larceny, into which she introduces her only friend: the gay and itinerant Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant).
With newfound success can Lee find criminally-induced happiness? Or will the authorities eventually catch up with her and Jack.
A great double-act.
The reason to see this film is the tremendous double-act between McCarthy and Grant which is just magic. Both have been lauded with nominations during awards season, and both are richly deserved.
Without aspersions against the excellent Shakespearean actress Brenda Fricker, this film could have turned into a 2 hour downer featuring a literary-equivalent of the bird-woman from “Home Alone 2”. The fact it doesn’t – notwithstanding a Central Park scene that just about re-films the final scene of HA/2! – is wholly down to McCarthy’s stunning performance. Although having some scenes of darker comedy, the majority of her performance is dramatically convincing as the conflicted and depressed victim of chronic writer’s block.
Grant as well is just superbly entertaining, all teeth and over-confidence in the face of all odds. If he wasn’t up for an Oscar nomination at one point in the process, then his final scene in the film absolutely nailed it. If you are not moved by this scene, you have a very hard heart indeed.
Ephron-esque.
The script is by the relatively unknown Nicole Holofcener and the debut writer Jeff Whitty, who are nominated for best adapted screenplay for both BAFTA and Oscar award: not bad going! It’s ironic that the late Nora Ephron is (comically) referenced by the screenplay, since there is a strong whiff of Ephron-esque about the film. (This is further enforced through reference to struggling book shops, that harked me back to “You’ve Got Mail”). The movie’s directed by the up and coming Marielle Heller, who’s debut was the well-regarded “Diary of a Teenage Girl”.
Cheer on the anti-hero.
Once again, like last year’s disappointing “Ocean’s 8“, for the film to work we have to emotionally support the actions of a criminal woman and, in this case, her damaged man-friend. This movie almost gets away with it, in that a) the ‘victims’ are unseen wealthy ‘collectors’ who ‘probably have too much money to burn’ anyway and b) Lee expresses such a wondrous delight in the quality of her work; delight that pulls her out of her destructive downward spiral of depression. It’s hard not to get behind her to at least some degree.
Given the movie dives into subjects including animal – or at least animal owner – cruelty, death, depression, homelessness and terminal illness, will you enjoy it? My bell-weather here is my wife Sue, who was unwillingly dragged along to see this, but ended up enjoying it mightily.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Heard It in a Love Song in Books
Oct 28, 2021
Layla is recently divorced after a ten-year marriage to a man who never truly appreciated her and subjected her to constant financial and emotional stress. Once a lead singer in a rock band, Layla is now an elementary music teacher struggling to find her place in the world. One thing that brightens her day is her interactions with Josh, the father of one of her students. A single father, Josh was married to his high school sweetheart, Kimmy, for nearly twenty years. He too is trying to find his way now that he's single. Both wary about getting back into the dating grind, Layla and Josh decide to be "friends with potential." But with all their baggage, are they destined for heartbreak?
"And she wasn't lonely, not really. Layla had been lonely for years while she was married, and she'd take being alone over lonely any day."
I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't the sweeping romance I was hoping for. This one redefined slow burner, as Josh and Layla sloowly made their way toward one another. Most of this is the format--told from both Layla and Josh's point of view, each chapter breaks off to delve into how that particular's character's marriage fell apart. So we may get a few moments of them in the present and then--boom--it quickly flashes back to Josh and Kimmy in high school or Layla and her ex-husband, Liam, meeting when Layla is singing in her band. Each piece is just a snippet, slowly parsed out per chapter and building up to the end of the marriage, so both the past and the present is a build-up. I admire the style, but wow... everything takes time. A lot of time! It made the story feel quite plodding at times.
And, I just couldn't quite find the spark between Layla and Josh. Individually, they were great people, and I liked and rooted for their characters to move on from their past relationships. Together, I just didn't feel that they had "it"--that special something that really makes you want a particular couple to succeed. I certainly desired for each to find themselves again, but I didn't necessarily need it to be with one another. I did, however, have great fondness for Norton, the older dog Josh adopts, and whom Layla often dog-sits. So there you go.
This isn't a bad book, and I know lots of people who enjoyed it. It received a 3-star rating from me, which is *not* a poor rating. It just wasn't what I was hoping for, and I had wanted more passion. But if you enjoy a character-driven read, especially one that really delves into the characters' pasts, you'll find a lot to love here. (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
"And she wasn't lonely, not really. Layla had been lonely for years while she was married, and she'd take being alone over lonely any day."
I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't the sweeping romance I was hoping for. This one redefined slow burner, as Josh and Layla sloowly made their way toward one another. Most of this is the format--told from both Layla and Josh's point of view, each chapter breaks off to delve into how that particular's character's marriage fell apart. So we may get a few moments of them in the present and then--boom--it quickly flashes back to Josh and Kimmy in high school or Layla and her ex-husband, Liam, meeting when Layla is singing in her band. Each piece is just a snippet, slowly parsed out per chapter and building up to the end of the marriage, so both the past and the present is a build-up. I admire the style, but wow... everything takes time. A lot of time! It made the story feel quite plodding at times.
And, I just couldn't quite find the spark between Layla and Josh. Individually, they were great people, and I liked and rooted for their characters to move on from their past relationships. Together, I just didn't feel that they had "it"--that special something that really makes you want a particular couple to succeed. I certainly desired for each to find themselves again, but I didn't necessarily need it to be with one another. I did, however, have great fondness for Norton, the older dog Josh adopts, and whom Layla often dog-sits. So there you go.
This isn't a bad book, and I know lots of people who enjoyed it. It received a 3-star rating from me, which is *not* a poor rating. It just wasn't what I was hoping for, and I had wanted more passion. But if you enjoy a character-driven read, especially one that really delves into the characters' pasts, you'll find a lot to love here. (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
Sheridan (209 KP) rated Minecraft in Video Games
Sep 11, 2018
Create your own world (2 more)
Relaxing and fun
Lots of Mods to expand your play
Bought for my daughter, played by me.
I told my partner time and time again, we shouldn't buy this game, because it doesn't end and I'll play it all the time lol I wasn't wrong. I really do adore this game it's a lot of fun, especially in Survival Mode. There's so much to explore and the aquatic part is breathtaking. So far I've got two houses and an underwater monument base and I don't see it stopping there. I will eventually build a house in each biome, I think. The terrible graphics holds its own nostalgic charm for me and it's mostly easy to play. Brewing and Enchanting is a lot of work and there are so many steps I feel like I've always got to have Google open on my phone to figure out how to do it. Using experience points to mend and enchant is super annoying because the more advanced your item the most xp points you use to fix it. I currently have an awesome iron pick with several good enchantments on it but I can't use it because otherwise it will break and it costs 33 xp to fix. Another annoying point that gets me is some things that are drops are useless to the player (magma rock, zombie flesh for example) it would be nice to have some use for these items at some point. My 8 yr old can only play in creative mode or on peaceful in survival otherwise she continuously dies and gets super frustrated with it so unless your kids are seasoned xbox gamers I probably wouldn't start them on this. Personally, apart from a few annoying features I love the game. It's creative, relaxing and fun.
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
An honest, captivating and respectful biopic
Biopics are not easy to perfect and when you’re dealing with an iconic figure such as Freddie Mercury, it becomes even harder. When this film was announced it seemed natural to feel a little bit of apprehension, because could anyone really portray Freddie? Who could bring him to life on screen before thousands of fans? Thankfully, for me at least, my worries were soon quenched as soon as I began to watch it. I thought was a stunning film and I have no problem admitting that brought tears to my eyes on several occasions.
Rami Malek was an excellent choice to portray Freddie, to the point where I found myself believing I was watching the man himself. His stage presence especially was spot on and the live performances were simply stunning to watch, especially with surround sound. I felt transported, part of the crowd, and it was such a special moment to share with the rest of the cinema. We become part of different times and places in a matter of minutes, giving you an idea of just how globally successful and adored Queen were. Despite the film’s main focus being Freddie, the supporting roles of the rest of the band were fantastic too, and I have so much praise for Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello for their performances.
Freddie dealt with a lot of discrimination during his career, particularly due to his race, sexuality and flamboyant personality. The film chose to portray these issues honestly, because pretending they didn’t exist would be an insult. When Freddie first starts performing with the rest of Queen, he’s greeted with questions such as “Who’s the P***?”, which for a modern audience is a terrible racial slur that I don’t even feel comfortable writing here. But for a Indian-British Parsi musician performing to a largely white audience in the ’70s, this word would have been used a lot. I feel it was important for the filmmakers to shed light on this as it provides context into Freddie’s upbringing and life that some may not have known about, including his real name: Farrokh Bulsara.
In terms of his sexuality, the film uses the role of the press to exploit and make a big deal about his personal relationships. The press conference scene was particularly uncomfortable as he’s bombarded with inappropriate questions instead of focusing on Queen and their music. He was constantly criticised in papers and magazines for simply being himself, and that’s a heartbreaking truth that Bohemian Rhapsody really hammers home. His long-term relationship with Mary Austin is also focused on throughout, and how that broke down but they still remained in touch. It’s a complex part of his life that the film does well to explore in just over 2 hours.
It’s not all bleak, and although these dark truths are explored, the film is fundamentally a celebration of Freddie’s life and extraordinary talent. Several Queen songs are present throughout the film and we even see the writing process behind some of them, my favourite being the creation of We Will Rock You in which they wanted the audience to play along with them through stomps and claps. The birth of Bohemian Rhapsody is comical in nature and received a lot of backlash at the time, but as we know, has since gone on to become an iconic song we all know the lyrics to.
Even in Freddie’s final days, after he was diagnosed with AIDS, the film encourages us to celebrate their music and make the most of the time Freddie has left, which is exactly what he himself wanted to do. I can’t think of a more respectful and considerate way to show it than that.
I could probably write an entire essay about just how much I thought Bohemian Rhapsody got right, but hopefully I’ve managed to condense my thoughts somewhat. This is a film you simply must experience for yourself, at least once.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/11/14/bohemian-rhapsody-an-honest-captivating-and-respectful-biopic/
Rami Malek was an excellent choice to portray Freddie, to the point where I found myself believing I was watching the man himself. His stage presence especially was spot on and the live performances were simply stunning to watch, especially with surround sound. I felt transported, part of the crowd, and it was such a special moment to share with the rest of the cinema. We become part of different times and places in a matter of minutes, giving you an idea of just how globally successful and adored Queen were. Despite the film’s main focus being Freddie, the supporting roles of the rest of the band were fantastic too, and I have so much praise for Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello for their performances.
Freddie dealt with a lot of discrimination during his career, particularly due to his race, sexuality and flamboyant personality. The film chose to portray these issues honestly, because pretending they didn’t exist would be an insult. When Freddie first starts performing with the rest of Queen, he’s greeted with questions such as “Who’s the P***?”, which for a modern audience is a terrible racial slur that I don’t even feel comfortable writing here. But for a Indian-British Parsi musician performing to a largely white audience in the ’70s, this word would have been used a lot. I feel it was important for the filmmakers to shed light on this as it provides context into Freddie’s upbringing and life that some may not have known about, including his real name: Farrokh Bulsara.
In terms of his sexuality, the film uses the role of the press to exploit and make a big deal about his personal relationships. The press conference scene was particularly uncomfortable as he’s bombarded with inappropriate questions instead of focusing on Queen and their music. He was constantly criticised in papers and magazines for simply being himself, and that’s a heartbreaking truth that Bohemian Rhapsody really hammers home. His long-term relationship with Mary Austin is also focused on throughout, and how that broke down but they still remained in touch. It’s a complex part of his life that the film does well to explore in just over 2 hours.
It’s not all bleak, and although these dark truths are explored, the film is fundamentally a celebration of Freddie’s life and extraordinary talent. Several Queen songs are present throughout the film and we even see the writing process behind some of them, my favourite being the creation of We Will Rock You in which they wanted the audience to play along with them through stomps and claps. The birth of Bohemian Rhapsody is comical in nature and received a lot of backlash at the time, but as we know, has since gone on to become an iconic song we all know the lyrics to.
Even in Freddie’s final days, after he was diagnosed with AIDS, the film encourages us to celebrate their music and make the most of the time Freddie has left, which is exactly what he himself wanted to do. I can’t think of a more respectful and considerate way to show it than that.
I could probably write an entire essay about just how much I thought Bohemian Rhapsody got right, but hopefully I’ve managed to condense my thoughts somewhat. This is a film you simply must experience for yourself, at least once.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/11/14/bohemian-rhapsody-an-honest-captivating-and-respectful-biopic/