Search
Search results
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated Doctor Sleep in Books
Apr 30, 2019
It was a very fitting sequel to "The Shining". As King notes, in the Author's note at the end of the book, he is a different man than the one who wrote about Jack Torrance. You can certainly tell. His story is well rounded and a complete character arch for not just the Torrance family but for the Author as well. The redemption of Jack being just a nod was more than enough for me as well. I loved the grace and love that King pours into his stories.
There was one scene that will continue to disturb me. It was Danny's secret, that he shared at the end of the book, and lived through at the beginning. That scene with the toddler just... it really upset me. It will haunt me as it haunted Danny. I think it's because I am a father of a toddler myself, and any harm done to children kills my soul a bit.
The themes of becoming better than your past are beautiful. I love King's take on this as he is also a man that has overcome his past and become better than he was. The idea of purpose is one I would argue with, but that is something that I'm struggling with myself. I do love the imagery that is borrowed from Madeleine L'Engle about collecting ages that Danny references. We are always that age at some level, and will always be. There will always be that part of us that was our past, but we can overcome it and be better than we were. The trauma in Danny's past made him a better person, rather than letting it weigh him down for his entire life. It almost did.
I almost didn't read this one, but I'm very glad that I did.
I'm also a fan of the little dig that King takes at Kubrick in his Author's note about the movie version, the mini-series was a better interpretation.
There was one scene that will continue to disturb me. It was Danny's secret, that he shared at the end of the book, and lived through at the beginning. That scene with the toddler just... it really upset me. It will haunt me as it haunted Danny. I think it's because I am a father of a toddler myself, and any harm done to children kills my soul a bit.
The themes of becoming better than your past are beautiful. I love King's take on this as he is also a man that has overcome his past and become better than he was. The idea of purpose is one I would argue with, but that is something that I'm struggling with myself. I do love the imagery that is borrowed from Madeleine L'Engle about collecting ages that Danny references. We are always that age at some level, and will always be. There will always be that part of us that was our past, but we can overcome it and be better than we were. The trauma in Danny's past made him a better person, rather than letting it weigh him down for his entire life. It almost did.
I almost didn't read this one, but I'm very glad that I did.
I'm also a fan of the little dig that King takes at Kubrick in his Author's note about the movie version, the mini-series was a better interpretation.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Worms Battlegrounds in Video Games
Mar 6, 2018
Funny and nostalgic... for a short period
Worms for me is a game I loved when I was younger, so when I found out they'd updated it for the PS4, I forced my other half to fork out a grand total of £4 to buy it for us despite protesting he hated it. Neither of us were disappointed.
I can't review the single player mode as it doesn't appeal in the slightest, and let's face it, the only reason you play Worms is to unleash tactical warfare against your nearest and dearest, causing numerous arguments in the process. And on this it doesn't disappoint. The gameplay is exactly how I remember, right down to the available weapons and worm characteristics. The movie trailer voiceover option constantly has me in hysterics.
The main fun of this game comes either from killing your opponents in decidedly wicked ways, or from completely messing up your tactics and killing yourself instead. The problem with this is, it gets old very quickly. This isn't a game you can play all day. This is a game you can play for a few rounds and then come back to in a week or so. It also has a few glitches which do get irritating after a while. The automatic camera panning is terrible; you have to force it to pan back to your character after selecting a target and most of the time you never know how much damage you do to an opponent as the camera has moved off elsewhere instead of staying on them. There's also the fact that it gives you multiple game/weapon options, but you have no clue from the startup screen what weapons this includes until you start the round and realise they're all the rubbish ones...
In short, this is still a really fun game as long as you keep it brief and can ignore some of the glitches.
I can't review the single player mode as it doesn't appeal in the slightest, and let's face it, the only reason you play Worms is to unleash tactical warfare against your nearest and dearest, causing numerous arguments in the process. And on this it doesn't disappoint. The gameplay is exactly how I remember, right down to the available weapons and worm characteristics. The movie trailer voiceover option constantly has me in hysterics.
The main fun of this game comes either from killing your opponents in decidedly wicked ways, or from completely messing up your tactics and killing yourself instead. The problem with this is, it gets old very quickly. This isn't a game you can play all day. This is a game you can play for a few rounds and then come back to in a week or so. It also has a few glitches which do get irritating after a while. The automatic camera panning is terrible; you have to force it to pan back to your character after selecting a target and most of the time you never know how much damage you do to an opponent as the camera has moved off elsewhere instead of staying on them. There's also the fact that it gives you multiple game/weapon options, but you have no clue from the startup screen what weapons this includes until you start the round and realise they're all the rubbish ones...
In short, this is still a really fun game as long as you keep it brief and can ignore some of the glitches.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) in Movies
May 31, 2018 (Updated May 31, 2018)
American A-bomb test has unexpected consequences when the blast defrosts a frozen, wholly fictional dinosaur; the creature swims off to devastate the nearest city for no particularly well-explained reason. A decent monster movie with a surprisingly gritty tone (by the standards of the genre, anyway); in terms of cultural impact, utterly eclipsed by an unofficial Japanese remake which came out the following year and has had 31 sequels to date.
There are various quirky and tropey bits that will raise a smile for the seasoned viewer of this sort of thing (e.g. the moment when the sweet old supporting character postpones their first holiday in thirty years in order to look for the monster: they might as well have him followed around by a robed man with a scythe), but on the whole it passes the time well enough. There is a sense in which most of the film is just filling time until the climax, when the Rhedosaurus runs amok in the streets of New York, but it does so fairly engagingly; also manages to find a half-decent explanation as to why they don't just bomb the monster to death (Devlin and Emmerich, please take note). Wheeled on for monster-extermination duties is a young Lee van Cleef, who seems slightly annoyed to be appearing in this kind of film. Great fun to watch when you're about seven; stands up pretty well for older viewers, too.
There are various quirky and tropey bits that will raise a smile for the seasoned viewer of this sort of thing (e.g. the moment when the sweet old supporting character postpones their first holiday in thirty years in order to look for the monster: they might as well have him followed around by a robed man with a scythe), but on the whole it passes the time well enough. There is a sense in which most of the film is just filling time until the climax, when the Rhedosaurus runs amok in the streets of New York, but it does so fairly engagingly; also manages to find a half-decent explanation as to why they don't just bomb the monster to death (Devlin and Emmerich, please take note). Wheeled on for monster-extermination duties is a young Lee van Cleef, who seems slightly annoyed to be appearing in this kind of film. Great fun to watch when you're about seven; stands up pretty well for older viewers, too.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Again Again in Books
Jun 12, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
In Again Again, E. Lockhart is inventive in the way she tells the story of Adelaide Buchwald and her life. Lockhart asks if you could redo some events or moments in your life, would you? Again Again shows for every opportunity you did not take; there is a different one that you did. It reminded me of the old saying, "When one door closes, another opens."
I found the synopsis misleading in that it did not match the energy of the book. The story is a nicely paced story about a teenage girl with ups and downs. The synopsis sounded as if it was describing an adventure movie.
I had difficulty getting into the story, but once I realized Lockhart's intent, I found it flowed well. Again Again is a charming story that is not a new one. However, how Lockart reveals the story is what makes this a good read.
Again Again is marketed as a romance. While there is some teenage angst, it is more of a book of Adelaide trying to live an as-happy/normal-as-a-teenager-can-be life and deal with complex emotions, happy, grief, fear, anger, love, etc.
Also, be sure to read Emily Lockhart's We Were Liars.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/12/20.
In Again Again, E. Lockhart is inventive in the way she tells the story of Adelaide Buchwald and her life. Lockhart asks if you could redo some events or moments in your life, would you? Again Again shows for every opportunity you did not take; there is a different one that you did. It reminded me of the old saying, "When one door closes, another opens."
I found the synopsis misleading in that it did not match the energy of the book. The story is a nicely paced story about a teenage girl with ups and downs. The synopsis sounded as if it was describing an adventure movie.
I had difficulty getting into the story, but once I realized Lockhart's intent, I found it flowed well. Again Again is a charming story that is not a new one. However, how Lockart reveals the story is what makes this a good read.
Again Again is marketed as a romance. While there is some teenage angst, it is more of a book of Adelaide trying to live an as-happy/normal-as-a-teenager-can-be life and deal with complex emotions, happy, grief, fear, anger, love, etc.
Also, be sure to read Emily Lockhart's We Were Liars.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/12/20.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2436 KP) rated Movieland in Books
Jul 26, 2022 (Updated Jul 26, 2022)
A Sniper in the State Park
Eve Ronin’s latest case starts in Malibu Creek State Park. A former movie studio backlot, it’s been known for hiking and camping for years. But someone shot at two female campers, killing one and wounding the other. Eve’s partner, Duncan Pavone, immediately connects the shooting to some cases he was investigating before Eve joined the department, but the higher ups are refusing to acknowledge that this is anything but an isolated incident. Can Eve find the truth no matter where it lays?
This strong book may be the best in the series to date. I couldn’t figure out where the plot was going to go for quite a while, and I mean that in the best way possible. Once I reached the end, everything was resolved in a logical manner. Eve got some great growth here, and all the characters, old and new, were strong and at their best. There are a couple of sub-plots that grow out of the events in previous books in the series. While you could read this as a standalone, I recommend you read the series in order. Since this is a police procedural, there is a tad more content that I try to avoid, but it was kept to a minimum. I also really enjoyed the humor in the book. If you are looking for a strong mystery, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
This strong book may be the best in the series to date. I couldn’t figure out where the plot was going to go for quite a while, and I mean that in the best way possible. Once I reached the end, everything was resolved in a logical manner. Eve got some great growth here, and all the characters, old and new, were strong and at their best. There are a couple of sub-plots that grow out of the events in previous books in the series. While you could read this as a standalone, I recommend you read the series in order. Since this is a police procedural, there is a tad more content that I try to avoid, but it was kept to a minimum. I also really enjoyed the humor in the book. If you are looking for a strong mystery, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Toy Story 3 (2010) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
It's hard to believe this movie came out 9 years ago.... yet I know I've seen it enough to count those years. It's not my favourite Toy Story, mainly because I loved the first one so much, but it's by far the most influential one. It encouraged me to get rid of some of my toys and give them to charity stores for other children to use. Better home for them. I do however have a Strawberry scented Lotso of my own who I'm still not convinced isn't evil but he sure smells good!
Also like to add... Barbie and Ken? Adorable!!!!
And so glad Bonny was given the toys... they will love her! (See Toy Story 4)
Also like to add... Barbie and Ken? Adorable!!!!
And so glad Bonny was given the toys... they will love her! (See Toy Story 4)
Joe Swanberg recommended Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) in Movies (curated)
Stephen Merchant recommended The Apartment (1960) in Movies (curated)
Ali Abbasi recommended Mulholland Drive (2001) in Movies (curated)
Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated Doctor Who: Paradise Towers in TV
Jul 5, 2021
Syvester McCoy (1 more)
Richard Briers
Watched last night not perfect story owes a lot to the novel high - rise by J G Ballard and it shows with its characters and setting syvester McCoy in only his second story still fining his way but his performance here is better than the previous story and then there's Richard Briers the main guest star who at the time was known the good life really gets to play against type as the villain of the story could have done without the haming it up at the end also could have done without Bonnie Langfords screaming sometimes it can get annoying. The story looks so good in HD as well maybe I will actually watch the movie high rise sometime