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The Pedant in the Kitchen
Book
The Pedant's ambition is simple. He wants to cook tasty, nutritious food; he wants not to poison his...
In Defense of the Princess: How Plastic Tiaras and Fairytale Dreams Can Inspire Smart, Strong Women
4.0
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Book
It's no secret that most girls, at some point, love all things princess: the poofy dresses, the...
Straight Acting: Popular Gay Drama from Wilde to Rattigan
10.0
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Book
Between the trials of Oscar Wilde in the 1890s and the beginnings of legal reforms in the 1960s, the...
Pretty Iconic: A Personal Look at the Beauty Products That Changed the World
Book
Over 200 iconic products that are among the best and most influential in the beauty world - past,...
All in This Together: My Five Years Stalking Dave and Nick
Book
In this uproarious collection, Ann Treneman, the caustic and witty parliamentary sketch-writer for...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Time Traveler's Wife in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I can’t believe that it was released almost 8 years ago; it feels that I saw the movie just yesterday. But a good creation never gets old. This is a fascinating love story filled with romance, unbelievable amount of patience and tragedy. The book itself is so well thought through that even if you wipe your tears while reading it (I know I did) the ending will still give you that “oh, thanks God” feeling. There is a little bit of confusion in this book due to past – present jumps, but more you read it more sense it makes. My biggest enemies in books are long chapters and this book didn’t disappoint me, chapters are not very long and divided into smaller parts, so if you like to read while on the go, this book is for you. I was glad that this book was made into movie, it really deserved it. Even though the books will always be better than movies, this book’s screenplay was really entertaining. In conclusion, this book is witty, entertaining and at the same time sad, so if you looking for something like that, give it a go and I think you will be pleased.
Touching. Witty. Heartbreaking. Emma Donoghue’s latest is all of those and more. This was such a wonderful read that I found myself savoring it, reading only a chapter or so a night, making it last.
Noah is a retired chemistry professor living in New York. His wife, Joan, passed away nearly a decade ago. Noah is originally from France, and he’s finally planned a trip to his birthplace, Nice. But shortly before his trip, he receives a call from social services: he is the only available relative able to take care of Michael, an eleven-year-old great-nephew he’s never even met. Noah reluctantly agrees to take Michael on his trip. This unlikely pair take on Nice together: looking at France through two very different lenses. But Michael’s tech savvy helps Noah as he attempts to unravel some details about his family’s past, and Noah can’t help but see some of his late troubled nephew in this funny, acerbic boy.
I fell hard for Noah and Michael. Donoghue captures them perfectly. Their wit, their banter, and their various insecurities. This book is alternately hilarious and heart wrenching. It’s beautifully written, touching, and just a lovely read. 4+ stars. Highly recommend!
Noah is a retired chemistry professor living in New York. His wife, Joan, passed away nearly a decade ago. Noah is originally from France, and he’s finally planned a trip to his birthplace, Nice. But shortly before his trip, he receives a call from social services: he is the only available relative able to take care of Michael, an eleven-year-old great-nephew he’s never even met. Noah reluctantly agrees to take Michael on his trip. This unlikely pair take on Nice together: looking at France through two very different lenses. But Michael’s tech savvy helps Noah as he attempts to unravel some details about his family’s past, and Noah can’t help but see some of his late troubled nephew in this funny, acerbic boy.
I fell hard for Noah and Michael. Donoghue captures them perfectly. Their wit, their banter, and their various insecurities. This book is alternately hilarious and heart wrenching. It’s beautifully written, touching, and just a lovely read. 4+ stars. Highly recommend!
Awix (3310 KP) rated I, Claudius in TV
Aug 27, 2019 (Updated Aug 27, 2019)
It is entirely possible some modern viewers may take issue with this hugely acclaimed and influential drama simply because it was made entirely on videotape in TV studios, and some of the 1970s old-age make-up has not, well, aged well. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for these people, for this is one of the great TV treats of all time: the aged Emperor Claudius sits down to retell his family history, a horrifying tale of jealousy, lust, treachery, sexual perversion, murder, and insanity (quite how much of it is actually true is another issue).
A very unusual story by any standards: the main character isn't even born until well into the first episode, and the main villain dies of old age halfway through. Best to ignore the odd structure and enjoy the vicious black comedy the tale is dripping with, with an extraordinary cast making the most of a set of witty, sophisticated scripts. Hard to choose who shines the most: Brian Blessed is restrained as Augustus, Sian Phillips chilling as the psychopathic Livia, John Hurt hilarious and terrifying at the same time as the lunatic Caligula. Derek Jacobi carries the whole thing with warmth, wit and pathos. One of the masterpieces of TV drama.
A very unusual story by any standards: the main character isn't even born until well into the first episode, and the main villain dies of old age halfway through. Best to ignore the odd structure and enjoy the vicious black comedy the tale is dripping with, with an extraordinary cast making the most of a set of witty, sophisticated scripts. Hard to choose who shines the most: Brian Blessed is restrained as Augustus, Sian Phillips chilling as the psychopathic Livia, John Hurt hilarious and terrifying at the same time as the lunatic Caligula. Derek Jacobi carries the whole thing with warmth, wit and pathos. One of the masterpieces of TV drama.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Gavin & Stacey in TV
Aug 20, 2019
Down to earth. (1 more)
Funny, witty and clever.
A classic
Okay before I added my rating it was at 6.7 💣... I'm actually quite surprised at this as I have found it to be an all rounder. It has everything a sitcom should have. The writing is fantastic (Thank you Ruth Jones and James Corden) the acting is excellently done (you can get the odd hero that over acts in a lovely simple sitcom like this - luckily this isn't the case with G&S), the casting is fantastic and I love the locations etc.. That sounds random but the homes they are in feel like the characters homes, the hometowns suit the actors that have been cast as well. In some sitcoms you can think of another actor or actress that could have played the part better etc.. but in this, the parts were perfectly cast.
There's nothing unrealistic about it, it feels real, something that could be happening to someone down the road from you. The meeting over the phone rings true with me as I met my husband through a mutual friend on xbox!!! (We have now been together 7 years and have a beautiful daughter)
So yeah, I'd recommend if you like a classic, British heartwarming comedy.
There's nothing unrealistic about it, it feels real, something that could be happening to someone down the road from you. The meeting over the phone rings true with me as I met my husband through a mutual friend on xbox!!! (We have now been together 7 years and have a beautiful daughter)
So yeah, I'd recommend if you like a classic, British heartwarming comedy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Assassination Bureau (1969) in Movies
Oct 1, 2020
Knockabout black comedy thriller. A feisty journalist (Rigg) challenges the leader of a group of elite assassins (Reed) to have himself killed: feeling his associates have become sloppy and corrupt, he accepts the challenge as it will allow him to purge his organisation. Exploits across Edwardian Europe follow, together with a touch of romance.
Oliver Reed never had the career as a leading man he deserved; Diana Rigg didn't get the film career you would have expected, either, so the film has a certain rarity value. However it's just not very funny, or thrilling, and the duo don't seem to have much chemistry - that said, a script which doesn't seem to know whether to be darkly witty or zany means he seems to be operating at about half-power. With Rigg and Savalas co-starring in a 1969 film about a suave assassin taking on a criminal conspiracy, the temptation is to speculate that this film gives a hint of what On Her Majesty's Secret Service might have looked like had Eon made better casting decisions - one hopes not, for this film isn't great in any department, on top of which the special effects in the climax are rotten and the closing song is pretty grim too. A waste of several great talents.
Oliver Reed never had the career as a leading man he deserved; Diana Rigg didn't get the film career you would have expected, either, so the film has a certain rarity value. However it's just not very funny, or thrilling, and the duo don't seem to have much chemistry - that said, a script which doesn't seem to know whether to be darkly witty or zany means he seems to be operating at about half-power. With Rigg and Savalas co-starring in a 1969 film about a suave assassin taking on a criminal conspiracy, the temptation is to speculate that this film gives a hint of what On Her Majesty's Secret Service might have looked like had Eon made better casting decisions - one hopes not, for this film isn't great in any department, on top of which the special effects in the climax are rotten and the closing song is pretty grim too. A waste of several great talents.