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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Little Monsters (2019) in Movies

Nov 27, 2019

Little Monsters (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Horror

7.8

(15 Ratings)

Movie Rating

The most wholesome zombie film you will ever see

The biggest takeaway from Little Monsters is just how damn heart warming it is. Seriously.

The plot revolves around a group of young school children and their teacher becoming trapped at a petting farm whilst on a school trip, due to a zombie outbreak at an absurdly close military facility.
The conflicting styles of lighthearted family comedy, and typical zombie violence work pretty well, and offer up a solidly entertaining and genuinely funny movie, in a market that runs the risk of becoming increasingly saturated.

Lupita Nyong'o and Alexander England are two fantastic leads with great chemistry. The character growth attributed to both of their characters isbl great and is a huge part of why I enjoyed Little Monsters so much.
Josh Gad also stars and offers up a lot of humour with his character.
The cast is rounded out by a group of stupidly adorable kids, and combined with a witty and tight script, ensured I was smiling for the whole run time.

There's some decent zombie gore littered throughout, with some respectable practical effect, but please know, that Little Monsters is absolutely intended as a comedy, so don't watch it expecting to be scared!

Overall, if you like zombie comedy, then you could do a lot worse. Little Monsters is genuinely funny and extremely wholesome. Give it a go!

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Swallows in Books

Jan 30, 2020 (Updated Jan 31, 2020)

The Swallows

Lisa Lutz | 2019 | Thriller

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Lisa Lutz's latest, The Swallows, introduces Alex Witt, a teacher with a past. She is hired at Stonebridge Academy and asks her creative writing students to answer innocent questions so she can get to know them. "What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want?" The answers surprise Alex. They are not innocent and reveal much more about the students and the school's activities than she expects. The students reveal online bullying and a private message board. She encourages the female students to fight back and fight they do.

While I have not worked at a boarding school, I have worked at urban schools. The online bullying and message board are all too real. So is the school's attitude that "boys will be boys". Lutz uses her characters to show the dark side of technology and teenagers. This is not a young adult book. It is a book for adults which is set in a school.

The writing in The Swallows is witty while covering dark topics. Lutz's word choices and writing style keep the book from being too dark.

I added several of Lutz's books, including the Spellman Files series, to my "want to read" list.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 1/30/20.