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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) in Movies
Nov 12, 2018
It's Victorian London, Christmas time, and a family mourning the recent loss of their mother is preparing to go to a Christmas party. Their father hands out some gifts left to them by their mother and eldest daughter Clara (Mackenzie Foy) receives an egg shaped box, locked and with the keys whereabouts unknown. Disappointed, they head off to the lavish Christmas party hosted by Claras godfather (Morgan Freeman) and while there, Clara discovers a hidden world consisting of four realms. War is brewing and in the absence of her mother, who discovered this world and became its queen, it's up to Clara to bring everyone together once more.
First things first, this movie is just beautiful to look at. Such attention to detail, with vibrant sets and costumes throughout. Mackenzie Foy is wonderful as Clara, dealing with grief while coming to terms with trying to live up to her mothers legacy. Keira Knightley is good, if a little annoying at times, and Helen Mirren is also reliably interesting. And Morgan Freeman is just.... Morgan Freeman!
It's all very Alice in Wonderland or The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. Despite their faults though, the Narnia movies always seemed to explore the vast world introduced to us, taking the time to meet many of it's inhabitants. While this movie introduces us briefly to the realms as part of a wonderful ballet sequence, only to not show any of it again for the rest of the movie. Instead, the plot all seems very contained and all over far too quickly. I liked what I saw, it just didn't really leave much of a lasting impression at all. Nor did it leave me feeling very magical or festive.
First things first, this movie is just beautiful to look at. Such attention to detail, with vibrant sets and costumes throughout. Mackenzie Foy is wonderful as Clara, dealing with grief while coming to terms with trying to live up to her mothers legacy. Keira Knightley is good, if a little annoying at times, and Helen Mirren is also reliably interesting. And Morgan Freeman is just.... Morgan Freeman!
It's all very Alice in Wonderland or The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. Despite their faults though, the Narnia movies always seemed to explore the vast world introduced to us, taking the time to meet many of it's inhabitants. While this movie introduces us briefly to the realms as part of a wonderful ballet sequence, only to not show any of it again for the rest of the movie. Instead, the plot all seems very contained and all over far too quickly. I liked what I saw, it just didn't really leave much of a lasting impression at all. Nor did it leave me feeling very magical or festive.
ClareR (5779 KP) rated The Doll Factory in Books
Jun 20, 2019
Set as the Great Exhibition is being erected, Iris and her twin sister, Rose, work in a doll shop, painting porcelain dolls. Iris wants more from her life, and longs to paint pictures, works of art - not dolls. She leaves her apprenticeship in the shop to become a model for an artist (Louis), who promises to teach her to paint.
Parallel to this storyline is that of Silas, a taxidermist, and Albie, a street urchin who supplies him with the animals that he stuffs. Albie is the character who eventually connects Iris, Silas and Louis.
What starts as a relatively light hearted story, becomes something much more macabre - although I did feel quite anxious about the precariousness of Iris’ new way of life and job (but I think I’ve read far too many stories set in this period of fallen, abandoned women). She’s an admirable character, though. She’s brave and sticks to her guns, she is kind-hearted in her dealings with Albie, and even though her sister makes it very difficult to be nice to her, she is always thoughtful and generous to her as well.
Silas on the other hand, is very concerning. He made me feel supremely uncomfortably throughout. His obsession with Iris is very worrying, and his attitude towards other people is equally so.
The Victorian atmosphere and the scents, sights and crush of people in London are so well described in this book, as are the characters. I spent most of this book holding my breath (or so it felt - obviously not though!) and expecting the worse - the tension and menace becoming more and more unbearable as the book progressed. And I loved every minute of it - I’ve already bought it as a birthday present for a friend!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.
Parallel to this storyline is that of Silas, a taxidermist, and Albie, a street urchin who supplies him with the animals that he stuffs. Albie is the character who eventually connects Iris, Silas and Louis.
What starts as a relatively light hearted story, becomes something much more macabre - although I did feel quite anxious about the precariousness of Iris’ new way of life and job (but I think I’ve read far too many stories set in this period of fallen, abandoned women). She’s an admirable character, though. She’s brave and sticks to her guns, she is kind-hearted in her dealings with Albie, and even though her sister makes it very difficult to be nice to her, she is always thoughtful and generous to her as well.
Silas on the other hand, is very concerning. He made me feel supremely uncomfortably throughout. His obsession with Iris is very worrying, and his attitude towards other people is equally so.
The Victorian atmosphere and the scents, sights and crush of people in London are so well described in this book, as are the characters. I spent most of this book holding my breath (or so it felt - obviously not though!) and expecting the worse - the tension and menace becoming more and more unbearable as the book progressed. And I loved every minute of it - I’ve already bought it as a birthday present for a friend!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Yard: Book 1 in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The Yard is a detective novel set in Victorian London in the early days of the Metropolitan Police force. It is a bit gruesome to be honest; the first victim is discovered packed in a steamer trunk with eyes and lips sewn shut and there are a number of murders of bearded men, which may or may not be connected.
Our main protagonist is Inspector Day, who is new to London, previously having been a constable in Devon, but now living in the Big Smoke with his wife, Claire. He is ably assisted by other members of the force, including constable Hammersmith. There is a also Kingsley, who has made himself unofficial police surgeon. The forensic bits with Kingsley are a bit macabre in some ways, but I also found them very interesting. I did wonder if some of the detail in the book was based on fact. Obviously it wasn't a real case and I'm not sure the characters are based on actual people (I daresay there could be some borrowing of characteristics, but nothing is mentioned).
It's over 500 pages long, but I seemed to get through it in no time at all! Many of the chapters are actually quite short. There are three interludes along the way, so we get a bit of back story on the three main characters (as mentioned above). There's also a fair bit seen from the point of view of the murderer, so we actually know 'whodunit' from quite early on. Somehow, this doesn't stop this from being a ripping read though!
The book reads as if it's due to be the first in a series and I think I'd be interested in reading Grecian's next offering.
Our main protagonist is Inspector Day, who is new to London, previously having been a constable in Devon, but now living in the Big Smoke with his wife, Claire. He is ably assisted by other members of the force, including constable Hammersmith. There is a also Kingsley, who has made himself unofficial police surgeon. The forensic bits with Kingsley are a bit macabre in some ways, but I also found them very interesting. I did wonder if some of the detail in the book was based on fact. Obviously it wasn't a real case and I'm not sure the characters are based on actual people (I daresay there could be some borrowing of characteristics, but nothing is mentioned).
It's over 500 pages long, but I seemed to get through it in no time at all! Many of the chapters are actually quite short. There are three interludes along the way, so we get a bit of back story on the three main characters (as mentioned above). There's also a fair bit seen from the point of view of the murderer, so we actually know 'whodunit' from quite early on. Somehow, this doesn't stop this from being a ripping read though!
The book reads as if it's due to be the first in a series and I think I'd be interested in reading Grecian's next offering.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Layers of Fear in Video Games
Nov 19, 2019 (Updated Nov 19, 2019)
On the surface, Layers of Fear seems like a game that was designed purely for YouTubers to play and scream at, and I think that's a fair enough assumption based on the sheer amount of jumpscares throughout (some are cheap, some are effective).
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.
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