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Beastly Fury: The Strange Birth of British Football
Book
'Footeballe is nothinge but beastlie furie and extreme violence', wrote Thomas Elyot in 1531. Nearly...
Challenges to Democracies in East-Central Europe
Book
Democratic development in Central and Eastern Europe is not a finished project, nor is its progress...
Deviance, Disorder and Music in Modern Britain and America
Book
Deviance, Disorder and Music in Modern Britain and America is a study of the perceived collision...
Gareth Evans recommended Fireworks (1997) in Movies (curated)
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
Feb 25, 2021
Probably the most interesting of the three here by some way, Upgrade comes at the angle of cybernetic amendments to human capability in an almost, but not quite, original way. It postures and ponders a lot of pseudo-science and cod philosophy before getting to the bits people are going mad for: the fight scenes, which are indeed jaw dropping, feel new and are brutally graphic enough to amuse even the most hardcore gamer. Trouble is… this makes it almost a torture-porn movie, because the only real thrills are in the grossness of the violence. The acting is of negligible importance, because character and plot are not that important to the success of Upgrade as a spectacle. It feels cheap and B movie grade in places, which of course it is. If you enjoy seeing impressive things done with less than a premium budget then this could be worth watching. But… there is a nastiness and a somewhat teenage / pothead vibe to it that ruins anything remotely good. It is also shamelessly derivative. Not bad then, but by no means good, or properly recommended.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 10, 2020 (Updated Nov 10, 2020)
Bobby Farrelly recommended The Godfather (1972) in Movies (curated)
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Outsiders in Books
Jun 20, 2021
A great read about a kid in Oklahoma who is just trying to understand life. Written in 1967 it follows Ponyboy, yes that's his real name, his two brothers, and thier 'gang' of greasers as they try to navigate a world where they are labeled little better than hoods and have to avoid getting jumped by the socs from the rich side of town.
It's a coming of age story that I have mixed feelings about waiting so long to have read. It talks about class structure and how the way you present yourself to the world isn't always a reflection of self.
There is a lot of heavy stuff in it that translates well even decades later. And yeah, there will be people who say there's a little more than friendship between a few of the characters and whether or not that's true is up to the reader.
The book is told by a 14 year olds pov. An old (kind of) soul. But even if he thinks he's in the know he's still 14.
There is triggering things with violence, abuse, alcohol, and smoking, it's worth the discussion (in my opinion).
It's a coming of age story that I have mixed feelings about waiting so long to have read. It talks about class structure and how the way you present yourself to the world isn't always a reflection of self.
There is a lot of heavy stuff in it that translates well even decades later. And yeah, there will be people who say there's a little more than friendship between a few of the characters and whether or not that's true is up to the reader.
The book is told by a 14 year olds pov. An old (kind of) soul. But even if he thinks he's in the know he's still 14.
There is triggering things with violence, abuse, alcohol, and smoking, it's worth the discussion (in my opinion).
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Devil's Own (1997) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
I don't know what's worse: a film that's underwritten and knows it, or a film which sets up such thought-provoking themes only to immediately ditch them by the wayside (which this one is). It's so frustrating how this had most of the elements just on principle alone to be really, really good and it still wasn't. Seemingly intentionally unexciting, so much so that Brad Pitt's middle-schooler-impression-of-Daniel-Day-Lewis-from-𝘐𝘯-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦-𝘰𝘧-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 accent is actually the best part of it. Gets semi-engaging in the last 45 minutes if only because it finally gets some of the right look + feel for what this wants to be, but even then it's got no bite and is disgustingly pro-cop (a cop who shot dead an unarmed victim multiple times then tried to force everyone to cover it up and doesn't regret it can be redeemed without doing anything!). Poises itself to go over issues of oppression, nationalism, trauma, violence, and what happens when they all intersect - but never does. Harrison Ford is so bland here, too. Doesn't even care about its own story, what a fucking shame. This really coulda been something.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Netherwell Horror in Books
May 12, 2021
62 of 250
Kindle
The Netherwell Horror
By Lee Mountford
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
After receiving a worrying message from her estranged brother, Beth Davis sets out to find and help him, ending up in the strange, coastal town of Netherwell Bay.
There, she begins to witness terrifying and unexplainable things, and reports of ritualistic murders have the town panicked.
A sinister cult soon makes its presence known, and the dark history of Netherwell Bay is unveiled. Beth then finds herself in a race against time to stop a doorway to Hell from opening… permanently.
The Netherwell Horror is a Lovecraftian mystery that quickly descends into madness, sickening violence, and chaos. Fans of Silent Hill will love this nightmarish tale, but those of a squeamish disposition need not apply…
This was a perfect joining of cult and creature feature horror! Very Lovecraftian feel about the monsters too! Descriptions were full on gruesome and brilliantly done! I’m impressed with the ending too there was no saving the day and it all being perfect. Definitely for lovers of Lovecraft and well written horrors.
Kindle
The Netherwell Horror
By Lee Mountford
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
After receiving a worrying message from her estranged brother, Beth Davis sets out to find and help him, ending up in the strange, coastal town of Netherwell Bay.
There, she begins to witness terrifying and unexplainable things, and reports of ritualistic murders have the town panicked.
A sinister cult soon makes its presence known, and the dark history of Netherwell Bay is unveiled. Beth then finds herself in a race against time to stop a doorway to Hell from opening… permanently.
The Netherwell Horror is a Lovecraftian mystery that quickly descends into madness, sickening violence, and chaos. Fans of Silent Hill will love this nightmarish tale, but those of a squeamish disposition need not apply…
This was a perfect joining of cult and creature feature horror! Very Lovecraftian feel about the monsters too! Descriptions were full on gruesome and brilliantly done! I’m impressed with the ending too there was no saving the day and it all being perfect. Definitely for lovers of Lovecraft and well written horrors.





