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Movie Critics (823 KP) rated The Boss Baby (2017) in Movies
Apr 14, 2017
Cutesy but boring
Critic review by Tom Huddleston - Timeout
Read full review: https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-boss-baby
‘The Boss Baby’ is one of those snarky, post ‘Shrek’ cartoons that desperately wants to appeal to parents as well as kids, but its snappy, pop-culture-referencing script feels workshopped to death (there’s a running joke about Gandalf that’s bafflingly unfunny). Undemanding kids might get a kick out of its jazzy, restless visual style and poo jokes, but grown-ups may well find themselves taking some impromptu nap time.
Read full review: https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-boss-baby
‘The Boss Baby’ is one of those snarky, post ‘Shrek’ cartoons that desperately wants to appeal to parents as well as kids, but its snappy, pop-culture-referencing script feels workshopped to death (there’s a running joke about Gandalf that’s bafflingly unfunny). Undemanding kids might get a kick out of its jazzy, restless visual style and poo jokes, but grown-ups may well find themselves taking some impromptu nap time.
Cross: Rise of the villains (2019)
6.0
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Movie
Armed with an explosive powerful ancient cross amulet, Callan (Brian Austin Green) is back with his...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated How to Stop Time in Books
Jun 30, 2017
Favourite book of 2017 so far
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players/They have their exits and their entrances/And one man in his time plays many parts …
How to Stop Time is British author Matt Haig’s latest novel, and a very interesting one it is, too. In the present day, Tom Hazard is a 40-something-looking man who has landed himself with the position of history teacher at a comprehensive school in Tower Hamlets. Despite not having any formal training, Tom is the perfect candidate for the position because, despite his looks, he is 439 years old. But, that is a secret that no one must ever discover.
The book jumps back and forth between the current time period and flashbacks to various events during Tom’s extensive past. Born in 1581, Tom has experienced a great part of British history and major events around the world. Constantly changing his name and identification, he moved around the world, switching locations whenever people began to get suspicious of his never-aging body.
After a couple of centuries, Tom met a man with the same condition as himself, who revealed that there were many people in the same predicament. Promising to be able to help keep him safe, the stranger coerces Tom into a union called the Albatross Society. There are many rules and conditions to follow, however, the most important advice is to never fall in love. Unfortunately, Tom has already done this.
In London 1623, Tom met the love of his life, Rose, who he eventually married and with whom he had a daughter. Although Tom does age, it is at the rate of one year every 15; therefore he eventually had to leave his family in order to keep them safe. However, his daughter Marion has inherited his condition and Tom spends his subsequent years trying to find her. With promises to help him on his quest, Tom reluctantly joins the Albatross Society, despite their questionable ways.
All Tom wants is to be able to lead a normal life, yet the narrative reveals how impossible this has been, both in the past and now in the present. From Elizabethan England to Elizabeth II’s reign, Tom lives through several monarchs, wars, colloquial changes, industrialisation, sanitisation of comestibles, and the introduction of digital technology. Without the added pressure of keeping his true identity disguised, it is very interesting to experience historical events through the eyes of the protagonist.
The ending, unfortunately, does not quite satisfy the growing excitement and interest of the rest of the novel. Important things happen too quickly, making it confusing to understand the main storyline. The majority of the story appears to only be setting the scene for the final couple of chapters, but as this is so fascinating, there cannot be too much complaint.
Presuming that Haig has done his research and that the historical periods are factually correct, How to Stop Time is as educational as it is entertaining. History lovers will enjoy reading about famous people such as Shakespeare and Charlie Chaplin, as well as getting an insight into the daily lives of past societies. Most importantly, Tom is a captivating character, who, despite having lived for four centuries, is still as socially awkward as the best of us.
How to Stop Time contains a fantastic concept about the progression of time and aging, but its most poignant point is the emphasis on finding and being you. Change is an inevitable certainty, as witnessed by Tom whose current world looks nothing like his memories. Although people must adapt to the on-going changes, living how you want is more important than adjusting to fit in with everyone else. In essence, do not be afraid to let the world see your true self.
All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players/They have their exits and their entrances/And one man in his time plays many parts …
How to Stop Time is British author Matt Haig’s latest novel, and a very interesting one it is, too. In the present day, Tom Hazard is a 40-something-looking man who has landed himself with the position of history teacher at a comprehensive school in Tower Hamlets. Despite not having any formal training, Tom is the perfect candidate for the position because, despite his looks, he is 439 years old. But, that is a secret that no one must ever discover.
The book jumps back and forth between the current time period and flashbacks to various events during Tom’s extensive past. Born in 1581, Tom has experienced a great part of British history and major events around the world. Constantly changing his name and identification, he moved around the world, switching locations whenever people began to get suspicious of his never-aging body.
After a couple of centuries, Tom met a man with the same condition as himself, who revealed that there were many people in the same predicament. Promising to be able to help keep him safe, the stranger coerces Tom into a union called the Albatross Society. There are many rules and conditions to follow, however, the most important advice is to never fall in love. Unfortunately, Tom has already done this.
In London 1623, Tom met the love of his life, Rose, who he eventually married and with whom he had a daughter. Although Tom does age, it is at the rate of one year every 15; therefore he eventually had to leave his family in order to keep them safe. However, his daughter Marion has inherited his condition and Tom spends his subsequent years trying to find her. With promises to help him on his quest, Tom reluctantly joins the Albatross Society, despite their questionable ways.
All Tom wants is to be able to lead a normal life, yet the narrative reveals how impossible this has been, both in the past and now in the present. From Elizabethan England to Elizabeth II’s reign, Tom lives through several monarchs, wars, colloquial changes, industrialisation, sanitisation of comestibles, and the introduction of digital technology. Without the added pressure of keeping his true identity disguised, it is very interesting to experience historical events through the eyes of the protagonist.
The ending, unfortunately, does not quite satisfy the growing excitement and interest of the rest of the novel. Important things happen too quickly, making it confusing to understand the main storyline. The majority of the story appears to only be setting the scene for the final couple of chapters, but as this is so fascinating, there cannot be too much complaint.
Presuming that Haig has done his research and that the historical periods are factually correct, How to Stop Time is as educational as it is entertaining. History lovers will enjoy reading about famous people such as Shakespeare and Charlie Chaplin, as well as getting an insight into the daily lives of past societies. Most importantly, Tom is a captivating character, who, despite having lived for four centuries, is still as socially awkward as the best of us.
How to Stop Time contains a fantastic concept about the progression of time and aging, but its most poignant point is the emphasis on finding and being you. Change is an inevitable certainty, as witnessed by Tom whose current world looks nothing like his memories. Although people must adapt to the on-going changes, living how you want is more important than adjusting to fit in with everyone else. In essence, do not be afraid to let the world see your true self.
Bird (1700 KP) rated Taboo - Season 1 in TV
Apr 27, 2017
Pre-Victorian London has never looked so beautifully squalid! (4 more)
Tom Hardy unsurprisingly excels in the powerful lead role of a violent low-lifer
Genuinely fascinating insight into the broad history of the time
Strong performances all-round
An almost monochrome visual that transforms you to a dark place you're glad you can leave at the end of each episode!
A bit of a slow burner - you don't mind leaving the room for a few minutes knowing you probably wont miss that much (1 more)
A few (undeliberate?) loose ends, but maybe saved for Season 2?
Gloomy And Brutal With A Dash Of Sweeney Todd
Churchyard and Hawke
Book
After taking a serious beating whilst engaged in unofficial undercover work in London's 19th century...
A Darkling Plain (Mortal Engines #4)
6.0
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Book
The final book of the thrilling Predator Cities series! London is a radioactive ruin. But Tom and...
David McK (3248 KP) rated Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) in Movies
Dec 10, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2022)
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it …"
Tom Cruise's 5th outing as IMF (no, not the International Monetary Fund) agent Ethan Hunt, with the star risking life and limb in a film series that, improbably, each seems to be better than the last (with, maybe, a slight blip for M:I 2).
Disavowed by a government oversight agency, Hunt is on the track of a mysterious anti-IMF organisation known only as The Syndicate (with that organisation previously hinted at in earlier movies) and first encountering Ilsa Faust, eventually culminating in a show-down in London.
Well worth a watch.
Tom Cruise's 5th outing as IMF (no, not the International Monetary Fund) agent Ethan Hunt, with the star risking life and limb in a film series that, improbably, each seems to be better than the last (with, maybe, a slight blip for M:I 2).
Disavowed by a government oversight agency, Hunt is on the track of a mysterious anti-IMF organisation known only as The Syndicate (with that organisation previously hinted at in earlier movies) and first encountering Ilsa Faust, eventually culminating in a show-down in London.
Well worth a watch.
The Cherry Orchard: In a New English Version
Tom Stoppard and Anton Chekhov
Book
Liubov Ranevskya, a widowed landowner returns home more or less insolvent after five years abroad....
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Mortal Engines (2018) in Movies
Feb 24, 2020 (Updated Feb 24, 2020)
Little Engine Go
So i found this movie really intresting. I like the sci-fi future post apocalyptic setting, it was really intresting. Im not sure why alot of people didnt like this movie, cause it was really good.
The plot: Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event destroyed civilization, mysterious young Hester Shaw emerges as the only one who can stop the city of London -- now a giant predator on wheels -- from devouring everything in its path. Feral and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, and Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Peter Jackson produced it and he also wrote the screenplay. It feels like a peter jackson film. I feel like he should of directed it.
Anyways its a really great post apocalyptic movie that has sci-fi, action, adventure and is in the future.
The plot: Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event destroyed civilization, mysterious young Hester Shaw emerges as the only one who can stop the city of London -- now a giant predator on wheels -- from devouring everything in its path. Feral and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, and Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Peter Jackson produced it and he also wrote the screenplay. It feels like a peter jackson film. I feel like he should of directed it.
Anyways its a really great post apocalyptic movie that has sci-fi, action, adventure and is in the future.
Taboo - Season 1
8.1
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TV Season Watch
Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and...