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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Annabelle (2014) in Movies
Oct 14, 2020
Shockingly not terrible. Don't get it twisted, the first 45 minutes still represent the worst of what horror movies can be (sewing machines are not fucking scary no matter how much royalty-free sounding, overloud music cues and ugly CGI blood you put around them) but after that it immediately wakes up and becomes something sort of half-serviceable. Its assets still have to work in service of another one of these shallow husks of horror franchise spin-offs complete with bottom-of-the-barrel acting from its two leads, sloppy editing, amateur-hour dialogue, and zero reason for existing. But that being said, this is actually a more interesting take on motherhood persevering through demonic possession than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 - its characters are somewhat better and it introduces some intriguing threads about how religion presents itself in people's personal problems. Granted it doesn't do too much with them buy hey, they're there. Plus that entire elevator/staircase segment (barring the idiotic final jump) is effective as hell and Alfre Woodard is terrific. Kind of fun for a while, but not only am I still wondering why this needed to happen... but if it did, why was it pushed out in such a state? Though hey, at least it went with the R-rating which this easily could have skipped out on.
David McK (3791 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Aug 12, 2020
No. not the Netflix series.
The movie on which it is based.
If I'm honest, I didn't even know that there was such a thing, until I saw it pop up on Amazon Prime after having seen the trailer for the series on Netflix.
After a bit of research did nothing but say good things about both (movie and series), I thought I would give the movie a go first.
Set in the not-too-distant-future, where a science experiment to stop global warming has instead resulted in a new Ice Age, the film (and series) posits society surviving on a train that is circling the globe in perpetuity, with those in power at the front of the train (living in the lap of luxury), whilst - the further back you go - the worse conditions get. And it's at the very back of the train that we pick up, with Chris Evans (here, no Captain America!) about to lead another revolt five years after the failure of the last.
It's an interesting set-up, with some impressive (if improbable) special effects as we move up the train (and see the outside world through the windows), with Tilda Swinton stealing the show as the loathsome Minister Mason.
Now I'm off the (maybe) see what the series is like ...
The movie on which it is based.
If I'm honest, I didn't even know that there was such a thing, until I saw it pop up on Amazon Prime after having seen the trailer for the series on Netflix.
After a bit of research did nothing but say good things about both (movie and series), I thought I would give the movie a go first.
Set in the not-too-distant-future, where a science experiment to stop global warming has instead resulted in a new Ice Age, the film (and series) posits society surviving on a train that is circling the globe in perpetuity, with those in power at the front of the train (living in the lap of luxury), whilst - the further back you go - the worse conditions get. And it's at the very back of the train that we pick up, with Chris Evans (here, no Captain America!) about to lead another revolt five years after the failure of the last.
It's an interesting set-up, with some impressive (if improbable) special effects as we move up the train (and see the outside world through the windows), with Tilda Swinton stealing the show as the loathsome Minister Mason.
Now I'm off the (maybe) see what the series is like ...
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Been There, Married That in Books
May 23, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Agnes Murphy Nash has the perfect Hollywood life...or so she thought until arriving home to find the gates and doors locked and is prevented from entering her own house. What ensues is a humorous look at divorce, the stupid things people do while divorcing, and how badly we can act.
Gigi Levangie Grazer could have written Been There, Married That as a Debbie Downer book especially when discussing Agnes having to still cohabitate with her husband during the divorce. Anyone who had to endure cohabitating knows there is not much to laugh about. Grazier focuses on the negative but writes it with such style you are guaranteed to laugh.
I do not usually read "women's fiction" or "chick lit" but, after reading its description, I figured I would give it a try. I am so glad I chose this novel. I will continue with my norms (mystery, YA, SciFi) but will not shun women's fiction immediately from now on. I will probably still avoid romances but Been There, Married That is not a romance novel.
I also heard part of the audiobook. The narrator, Amy McFadden, did a fabulous job and really brought this novel and its humor to life.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/23/20.
Agnes Murphy Nash has the perfect Hollywood life...or so she thought until arriving home to find the gates and doors locked and is prevented from entering her own house. What ensues is a humorous look at divorce, the stupid things people do while divorcing, and how badly we can act.
Gigi Levangie Grazer could have written Been There, Married That as a Debbie Downer book especially when discussing Agnes having to still cohabitate with her husband during the divorce. Anyone who had to endure cohabitating knows there is not much to laugh about. Grazier focuses on the negative but writes it with such style you are guaranteed to laugh.
I do not usually read "women's fiction" or "chick lit" but, after reading its description, I figured I would give it a try. I am so glad I chose this novel. I will continue with my norms (mystery, YA, SciFi) but will not shun women's fiction immediately from now on. I will probably still avoid romances but Been There, Married That is not a romance novel.
I also heard part of the audiobook. The narrator, Amy McFadden, did a fabulous job and really brought this novel and its humor to life.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/23/20.
Sheikh Jackson (2017)
Movie Watch
June 25, 2009. Any Michael Jackson fan can tell you where they were on this date, the day the King...
international drama
Handwritten email
Social Networking and Utilities
App
Send your email and MMS texting with handwritten text. This will give your emails a nice personal...
Forget You
Book
There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year...
Merissa (13997 KP) rated Fallen (Everwood Falls #2) in Books
Apr 12, 2024
FALLEN is the second book in the Everwood Falls series, and this time we follow Lucien and Isabel as they navigate Lucien's curse and Isabel's lack of memories. She is also dealing with her own problems, such as a stalker who is trying to kill her.
It was wonderful seeing the familiar characters again, although it did take me a moment to get them sorted in my head. I love seeing how they all live and work together with their different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately for me, that means I also forget which one is a what. I get there though!
I thought the mystery side was well done, giving plenty of opportunities to see it all building as it comes together. The only part that got me (as such) was how Lucien and Isabel went from avoiding each other to declaring their love. It just seemed a little fast (if you ignore the prior two thousand years) with no real build-up to it.
A great addition to the series and a welcome return to Everwood Falls. I look forward to reading more in the future.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 12, 2024
It was wonderful seeing the familiar characters again, although it did take me a moment to get them sorted in my head. I love seeing how they all live and work together with their different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately for me, that means I also forget which one is a what. I get there though!
I thought the mystery side was well done, giving plenty of opportunities to see it all building as it comes together. The only part that got me (as such) was how Lucien and Isabel went from avoiding each other to declaring their love. It just seemed a little fast (if you ignore the prior two thousand years) with no real build-up to it.
A great addition to the series and a welcome return to Everwood Falls. I look forward to reading more in the future.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 12, 2024
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2566 KP) rated Fallen Star in Books
Nov 26, 2025 (Updated Nov 26, 2025)
Body in a Barrel
LA County Sheriff Detective Eve Ronin and her partner are called to the scene of a body found in the Malibu Lagoon. Of course, it couldn’t be a body floating in the water. That would be too easy. In this case, the body was found floating in a fifty-five-gallon drum. What’s even more shocking is that Eve recognizing the victim. With his ties to some of the most powerful people in the county, can she find the killer without getting impacted by the politics of the case?
This book does contain some heavy spoilers for earlier stories in the series by necessity, but there is enough background you could jump in here. And what a wild ride it is. The plot spins in some unexpected directions, but I believed it all on the way to the logical climax. The characters are a little thin, but I do care about them. And I appreciate the depth we did get for Eve. The banter between the characters was fun, and the locker room humor was kept to a minimum. The violence was a little more than in the books I typically read. I’m ready for the next already, and fans of the series will be glad they picked this one up.
This book does contain some heavy spoilers for earlier stories in the series by necessity, but there is enough background you could jump in here. And what a wild ride it is. The plot spins in some unexpected directions, but I believed it all on the way to the logical climax. The characters are a little thin, but I do care about them. And I appreciate the depth we did get for Eve. The banter between the characters was fun, and the locker room humor was kept to a minimum. The violence was a little more than in the books I typically read. I’m ready for the next already, and fans of the series will be glad they picked this one up.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Underwater (2020) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
When I first saw the trailer for Underwater I thought of two of my favourite undersea movies, The Abyss, Deep Star Six and Leviathon, so I was a little apprehensive to see this movie, but last night I thought I might as well check it out for myself at Cineworld and see how it plays out.
Almost 7 miles below the ocean surface a drilling rig is hit by what the crew at first believe to be an earthquake, but as tragedy unfolds upon the remaining survivors, it turns out that they have discovered something deadly in the form of some rather mean-looking underwater lifeforms that seem to be very unhappy with the drilling that is going on.
Now the survivors have to fight their way across the seabed to escape to the surface while being hunted by the creatures!
I have to say about the Underwater that at first, this looks like a movie that is certainly going to have you on the edge of your seat and for most of it it does, but with most of Kristen Stewart‘s roles she seems to be emotionless and the I did find myself losing interest in her character, that had a blonde Eminem style haircut, I found the other characters more interesting, but not that much!
Almost 7 miles below the ocean surface a drilling rig is hit by what the crew at first believe to be an earthquake, but as tragedy unfolds upon the remaining survivors, it turns out that they have discovered something deadly in the form of some rather mean-looking underwater lifeforms that seem to be very unhappy with the drilling that is going on.
Now the survivors have to fight their way across the seabed to escape to the surface while being hunted by the creatures!
I have to say about the Underwater that at first, this looks like a movie that is certainly going to have you on the edge of your seat and for most of it it does, but with most of Kristen Stewart‘s roles she seems to be emotionless and the I did find myself losing interest in her character, that had a blonde Eminem style haircut, I found the other characters more interesting, but not that much!






