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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
If you must blink, do it now” or you might miss any number of details the
beautifully animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings, has to offer. Our
culturally rich journey begins with Kubo (Art Parkinson) and his mother
fleeing from his evil grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), after he
leaves Kubo with only one eye. Soon they settle in a cave where Kubo builds
a community around himself in a nearby Japanese village by using his
talents as a storyteller to charm the town’s people. With his stack of
origami papers and his shamisen that brings them to life he weaves tales of
Hanzo the Samurai. Soon though the danger his mother has tried so valiantly
to hide him from finds him and the real magic begins.
After he inadvertently summons an evil spirit from the past, Kubo is lead
on a quest by a monkey (Charlize Theron) to the far lands to recover three
pieces of a magical suit of armor. On their journey they find companionship
with a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) that they learn once belonged to
Kubo’s father’s army. The three are plagued by appearances from his aunts
(Rooney Mara) who try their best to keep Kubo from fulfilling his quest. In
the end Kubo is faced with having to choose immortality or to stay human
which we learn has a kind of magic all in its own.
Though I found parts of the film a bit dark for younger viewers it seems it
is a theme of the animated film studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman). There
was some comic relief through the banter of Charlize Theron (monkey) and
Mathew McConaughey (beetle) but the movie always circled backed to a more
serious tone. I also felt it could have done a better job of giving us a
back story about how Kubo comes to posses his magical items (origami papers
and his shamisen) and it glossed over some important details, like why his
mother is so fragile after they reach the cave, which we are left to assume
for ourselves. Kubo does however emphasize the power of our memories and
how important stories become in telling what one holds in his or her heart.
Kubo is thoughtful and weaves a story of how family shapes us but how in
the end we must forge our own path.
beautifully animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings, has to offer. Our
culturally rich journey begins with Kubo (Art Parkinson) and his mother
fleeing from his evil grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), after he
leaves Kubo with only one eye. Soon they settle in a cave where Kubo builds
a community around himself in a nearby Japanese village by using his
talents as a storyteller to charm the town’s people. With his stack of
origami papers and his shamisen that brings them to life he weaves tales of
Hanzo the Samurai. Soon though the danger his mother has tried so valiantly
to hide him from finds him and the real magic begins.
After he inadvertently summons an evil spirit from the past, Kubo is lead
on a quest by a monkey (Charlize Theron) to the far lands to recover three
pieces of a magical suit of armor. On their journey they find companionship
with a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) that they learn once belonged to
Kubo’s father’s army. The three are plagued by appearances from his aunts
(Rooney Mara) who try their best to keep Kubo from fulfilling his quest. In
the end Kubo is faced with having to choose immortality or to stay human
which we learn has a kind of magic all in its own.
Though I found parts of the film a bit dark for younger viewers it seems it
is a theme of the animated film studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman). There
was some comic relief through the banter of Charlize Theron (monkey) and
Mathew McConaughey (beetle) but the movie always circled backed to a more
serious tone. I also felt it could have done a better job of giving us a
back story about how Kubo comes to posses his magical items (origami papers
and his shamisen) and it glossed over some important details, like why his
mother is so fragile after they reach the cave, which we are left to assume
for ourselves. Kubo does however emphasize the power of our memories and
how important stories become in telling what one holds in his or her heart.
Kubo is thoughtful and weaves a story of how family shapes us but how in
the end we must forge our own path.
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan, #7) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
This book is seventh in Kerrigan series, but it was my first encounter with Jane Casey’s work, and I definitely will be reading some more of her books. The blurb above describes this book quite accurate, Chloe comes back home and finds her home full of blood and her mother missing. DI Maeve starts the investigation, and more she digs in, more loose ends she gets.
This novel offers a wide variety of characters to choose from, but main characters are Maeve and Josh. The whole story was told from DI Maeve Kerrigan’s perspective, maybe that’s why characters felt not fully explored. I would’ve liked to read different perspectives of the investigation, I think that would’ve allowed understanding characters better and would’ve made the whole book more appealing. I really liked Josh Derwent’s character, and I think Maeve was missing some qualities, like the ability to fight well or great insight into the issues, to be the main lead in this book. On the other hand, the lack of those abilities made her more relatable and believable.
What I really enjoyed, was the narrative of this novel. The investigation was riveting, with a steady flow of twists and turns, which kept me intrigued and the suspense going, and I couldn’t wait to find out, what will happen next. I really loved, that almost in every chapter, the author very smartly revealed some new clues, and constantly kept the action going not to bore the reader, and that steady built up suspense was a great transition between the chapters. I really liked the way the author portrayed police work in this book; it was not over the top and was really believable. Being a Londoner, author portrayed the places and atmosphere really accurately, and for me, it was a real pleasure to read it.
The writing style used in this novel is easy to read and the language used was not complicated, with decent chapter length which didn’t make the book boring. The ending of the book had a great new twist, and left me confused and intrigued all over again. So, to conclude, this book had an exciting plot with lots of twists and turns along the way and I quite enjoyed it, I hope you will too.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
This book is seventh in Kerrigan series, but it was my first encounter with Jane Casey’s work, and I definitely will be reading some more of her books. The blurb above describes this book quite accurate, Chloe comes back home and finds her home full of blood and her mother missing. DI Maeve starts the investigation, and more she digs in, more loose ends she gets.
This novel offers a wide variety of characters to choose from, but main characters are Maeve and Josh. The whole story was told from DI Maeve Kerrigan’s perspective, maybe that’s why characters felt not fully explored. I would’ve liked to read different perspectives of the investigation, I think that would’ve allowed understanding characters better and would’ve made the whole book more appealing. I really liked Josh Derwent’s character, and I think Maeve was missing some qualities, like the ability to fight well or great insight into the issues, to be the main lead in this book. On the other hand, the lack of those abilities made her more relatable and believable.
What I really enjoyed, was the narrative of this novel. The investigation was riveting, with a steady flow of twists and turns, which kept me intrigued and the suspense going, and I couldn’t wait to find out, what will happen next. I really loved, that almost in every chapter, the author very smartly revealed some new clues, and constantly kept the action going not to bore the reader, and that steady built up suspense was a great transition between the chapters. I really liked the way the author portrayed police work in this book; it was not over the top and was really believable. Being a Londoner, author portrayed the places and atmosphere really accurately, and for me, it was a real pleasure to read it.
The writing style used in this novel is easy to read and the language used was not complicated, with decent chapter length which didn’t make the book boring. The ending of the book had a great new twist, and left me confused and intrigued all over again. So, to conclude, this book had an exciting plot with lots of twists and turns along the way and I quite enjoyed it, I hope you will too.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Uprooted in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I've been meaning to read this for a long time now and finally managed to do so. I'm so peased I did! It was such a great book, and I really did enjoy reading it.
Agnieszka is a seemingly ordinary young girl. Her best friend is about to be taken by the Dragon, a powerful wizard who routinely takes girls into his tower for ten years before they leave the village for good. Everyone's prepared for Kasia to go - she's the pretty one, the talented one, the one who everyone is drawn to. Of course the Dragon is going to choose her.
Right?
Of course, nothing goes to plan. Agnieszka assumed she was safe from being chosen, due to her clumsiness and lack of appeal or talents. But of course, she is chosen. Little does she know that she was destined for this role all along.
The Dragon is feared by most, including Nieshka. But she soon learns that he is not as terrible as she thought. She also learns some valuable skills involving magic that she never knew she was capable of.
Nieshka discovers the importance of magic in protecting her village from the Wood. The Wood is full of corruption, often taking unknowing passers-by and either never releasing them or returning them to their families changed beyond repair. The Wood has been a huge threat for centuries. The Dragon holds it at bay, but nobody ever dreamed of defeating it.
Until Agnieszka came along.
It's quite a complex plot, and there are a lot of moments where Nieshka makes mistakes. She is driven by emotion, especially when her best friend's life is at risk. She is a passionate girl and doesn't always think rationally. I liked her for this - don't we all let our emotions get the better of us sometimes?
There was a small amount of romance in this book that I felt was rather unnecessary, but it didn't overtake the plot or anything. I loved how the plot and subplots twisted together, and how many turns they took. It was exciting and intriguing and very clever.
The ending seemed a little too simple to me, though. Had they never thought to look into the Wood Queen's origin before?
Overall it was a fantastic book. Timeless. I can see why it's so popular, and I'm sure it will be for some time. 4 stars.
Agnieszka is a seemingly ordinary young girl. Her best friend is about to be taken by the Dragon, a powerful wizard who routinely takes girls into his tower for ten years before they leave the village for good. Everyone's prepared for Kasia to go - she's the pretty one, the talented one, the one who everyone is drawn to. Of course the Dragon is going to choose her.
Right?
Of course, nothing goes to plan. Agnieszka assumed she was safe from being chosen, due to her clumsiness and lack of appeal or talents. But of course, she is chosen. Little does she know that she was destined for this role all along.
The Dragon is feared by most, including Nieshka. But she soon learns that he is not as terrible as she thought. She also learns some valuable skills involving magic that she never knew she was capable of.
Nieshka discovers the importance of magic in protecting her village from the Wood. The Wood is full of corruption, often taking unknowing passers-by and either never releasing them or returning them to their families changed beyond repair. The Wood has been a huge threat for centuries. The Dragon holds it at bay, but nobody ever dreamed of defeating it.
Until Agnieszka came along.
It's quite a complex plot, and there are a lot of moments where Nieshka makes mistakes. She is driven by emotion, especially when her best friend's life is at risk. She is a passionate girl and doesn't always think rationally. I liked her for this - don't we all let our emotions get the better of us sometimes?
There was a small amount of romance in this book that I felt was rather unnecessary, but it didn't overtake the plot or anything. I loved how the plot and subplots twisted together, and how many turns they took. It was exciting and intriguing and very clever.
The ending seemed a little too simple to me, though. Had they never thought to look into the Wood Queen's origin before?
Overall it was a fantastic book. Timeless. I can see why it's so popular, and I'm sure it will be for some time. 4 stars.
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