Search
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Man in the High Castle in Books
Jan 8, 2018
Great idea, not very well executed
I was sorely disappointed on this book. I’ve never seen the tv show either, so had nothing whatsoever to bias my views. On paper this is a fantastic idea for a dystopian future, I just felt that it wasn’t very well excecuted or, I’m ashamed to say, very well written either.
I found that I cared very little for the characters, and the plot itself seemed very plodding and boring at times. I read to the end as it was only short and I kept hoping for more, but it never delivered. Yes the ending was good, but could’ve been so more much more. I’m actually very frustrated as this is such a great idea, i love dystopian future novels and this could’ve been so much better than it is. I like Philip K Dick, but I keep imagining how differently this story could’ve been told in the hands of another author.
I found that I cared very little for the characters, and the plot itself seemed very plodding and boring at times. I read to the end as it was only short and I kept hoping for more, but it never delivered. Yes the ending was good, but could’ve been so more much more. I’m actually very frustrated as this is such a great idea, i love dystopian future novels and this could’ve been so much better than it is. I like Philip K Dick, but I keep imagining how differently this story could’ve been told in the hands of another author.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Bandits (2001) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
This is a film that I saw not long after it came out and didn’t recall much about it besides the fact that it starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett.
It’s actually quite a mediocre heist film since it tries much too hard to make this feel as if it’s story is one that could be “ripped from the headlines” and also feel pertinent to Reality TV, which was in its infancy at the time.
The chemistry between the characters is quite weak and the fact that Willis and Thornton don’t feel as if they are on level ground also hurts things since the characters are meant to be equal.
Blanchett’s character is quite annoying the whole way through and it’s pretty difficult to believe that she is able to have a romance with one of these men, and they want us to believe that she has one with both of them.
This love triangle just doesn’t work on any level.
The story itself is quite repetitive and they rehash things much too often instead of trying to break new ground along the way.
This film should have been much shorter and that might have been better if edited together.
The movie fails to decide whether it wants to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end it feels as if it is neither especially when there are too many scenes that play off as being overly melodramatic for their own good.
Bottom Line – Very mediocre heist film that tries too hard to feel as if it is “ripped from the headlines” during the beginning of the days of Reality TV. Willis and Thornton don’t work very well together because they never seem to feel as if their characters are on equal levels. Blanchett’s character is quite annoying throughout and its very hard to believe the love triangle that comes about. The story itself feels too repetitive and things could have been shortened a lot because they try to reestablish things that they previously established. The plot gets a bit too melodramatic for its own good and fails to make the decision of whether they want this to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end, it seems like neither.
It’s actually quite a mediocre heist film since it tries much too hard to make this feel as if it’s story is one that could be “ripped from the headlines” and also feel pertinent to Reality TV, which was in its infancy at the time.
The chemistry between the characters is quite weak and the fact that Willis and Thornton don’t feel as if they are on level ground also hurts things since the characters are meant to be equal.
Blanchett’s character is quite annoying the whole way through and it’s pretty difficult to believe that she is able to have a romance with one of these men, and they want us to believe that she has one with both of them.
This love triangle just doesn’t work on any level.
The story itself is quite repetitive and they rehash things much too often instead of trying to break new ground along the way.
This film should have been much shorter and that might have been better if edited together.
The movie fails to decide whether it wants to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end it feels as if it is neither especially when there are too many scenes that play off as being overly melodramatic for their own good.
Bottom Line – Very mediocre heist film that tries too hard to feel as if it is “ripped from the headlines” during the beginning of the days of Reality TV. Willis and Thornton don’t work very well together because they never seem to feel as if their characters are on equal levels. Blanchett’s character is quite annoying throughout and its very hard to believe the love triangle that comes about. The story itself feels too repetitive and things could have been shortened a lot because they try to reestablish things that they previously established. The plot gets a bit too melodramatic for its own good and fails to make the decision of whether they want this to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end, it seems like neither.
Pet Subjects: Animal Tales from the Telegraph's Resident Vet
Book
Pete the Vet has seen it all - whether Apollo the hamster, Nero the cat, Samson the rabbit or Ned...
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated Otherworld (Otherworld, #1) in Books
Apr 30, 2019
I was quite surprised by the book! I had no idea that the author was the "Jason Segel" from tv and movies, until midway through the book when I needed to know more about the author. I was pleasantly surprised the characters were well fleshed out and were not two dimensional as most sci-fi can do. I was a bit hesitant at the start of the book as I had seen some hype saying that this was the next "Ready Player One". I really dislike when people compare things like that. Especially when they are compared with my favorite book. Don't even get me started on the movie for that book.
This had a great world, and I'm really excited to get to go back for the second book, currently it's on hold at the library once I'm off the waitlist will definitely dive in. I'm glad that the characters were flawed and real. The worlds were developed and thought out. The plot was fully considered. I'm rather impressed with Jason Segel's writing ability.
This had a great world, and I'm really excited to get to go back for the second book, currently it's on hold at the library once I'm off the waitlist will definitely dive in. I'm glad that the characters were flawed and real. The worlds were developed and thought out. The plot was fully considered. I'm rather impressed with Jason Segel's writing ability.
Bossypants
7.7
Rate It
Book
Once in a generation a woman comes along who changes everything. Tina Fey is not that woman, but she...
Just Tattoo Of Us
6.9
Rate It
TV Show
The show follows Charlotte Crosby and Stephen Bear as they open the doors to the 'Just Tattoo of Us'...
Just tattoo of us Tattoo Reality tv
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated Megashark vs Crocasaurus (2010) in Movies
Jun 21, 2019
Is this B Monster Movie worth the watch?
Megashark vs Crocasaurus has a decent concept behind it as far as B Monster Movies go. 2 ancient giant animals somehow survived, hidden away, only to wake up for what is hopefully an epic clash. But does it deliver?
The acting amd writing is about what you'd expect from a movie like this. It's passable most of the time, but sometimes, not so much. That being said, top notch acting amd writing is not why anyone watches movies like this.
The movies biggest downfall is it's monsters. They look absolutely terrible and have inconsistent size from scene to scene. Let me break each one down.
The Megashark: this may be the least intetesting "giant monster" I've seen brought to screen, and unfortunately, itbis the star of the franchise (yes there is more than one Megashark movie). Terrible CGI aside, it's kills were extremely underwhelming, mostly resorting to flopping out of the water, to smash ships with it's tail as it hurtles over them, causing little CGI explosions. As an example of the inconsistent size, when it's fin sticks out of the water upon approaching a ship, it is about the size of the whole shark when it is seen flopping out of the water.
The Crocasaurus: This one is marginally more interesting with a wider range of terribly animated kills and the ability to be on both land and water.
The Clash: This was a laughably bad "battle between the two monsters. Most of it consisted of them forming a circle, both with the others tail it it's mouth, as the military poured missiles into them.
Overall, it's not at all a good movie, but I'm pretty sure that's intentional to a point. It has its moments where it reaches levels of fun for fans of the genre. If you catch it on TV ir maybe a streaming service (it's on Amazon Prime now), it might be worth a watch, but I don't recommend spending money on it.
The acting amd writing is about what you'd expect from a movie like this. It's passable most of the time, but sometimes, not so much. That being said, top notch acting amd writing is not why anyone watches movies like this.
The movies biggest downfall is it's monsters. They look absolutely terrible and have inconsistent size from scene to scene. Let me break each one down.
The Megashark: this may be the least intetesting "giant monster" I've seen brought to screen, and unfortunately, itbis the star of the franchise (yes there is more than one Megashark movie). Terrible CGI aside, it's kills were extremely underwhelming, mostly resorting to flopping out of the water, to smash ships with it's tail as it hurtles over them, causing little CGI explosions. As an example of the inconsistent size, when it's fin sticks out of the water upon approaching a ship, it is about the size of the whole shark when it is seen flopping out of the water.
The Crocasaurus: This one is marginally more interesting with a wider range of terribly animated kills and the ability to be on both land and water.
The Clash: This was a laughably bad "battle between the two monsters. Most of it consisted of them forming a circle, both with the others tail it it's mouth, as the military poured missiles into them.
Overall, it's not at all a good movie, but I'm pretty sure that's intentional to a point. It has its moments where it reaches levels of fun for fans of the genre. If you catch it on TV ir maybe a streaming service (it's on Amazon Prime now), it might be worth a watch, but I don't recommend spending money on it.
Morecambe & Wise: Bring Me Sunshine
Book
For over 40 years the Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise epitomised the best of British comedy. Beginning...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Little Monsters (2019) in Movies
Nov 16, 2019
Hilarious
I didn’t really know what to expect with this film, I always watch a direct to Sky film with reservations but for a change this one was pleasantly enjoyable.
The majority of the entertainment in this film comes from the highly inappropriate actions, language and conversation of the adult characters around the young children. Alexander England is a riot as the terrible uncle Dave, and Josh Gad’s Teddy McGiggle was delightfully funny as the crude children’s tv personality, although I think his character could’ve been used a lot better in parts. The physical effects in this are good and nice to see, especially in what is most likely a very low budget film. The ending (apart from a few choice zombie moments) is maybe a little bit OTT and cheesy, but overall this is just a fun, entertaining and different take on the zombie film. Maybe we haven’t seen everything zombie films have to offer just yet!
The majority of the entertainment in this film comes from the highly inappropriate actions, language and conversation of the adult characters around the young children. Alexander England is a riot as the terrible uncle Dave, and Josh Gad’s Teddy McGiggle was delightfully funny as the crude children’s tv personality, although I think his character could’ve been used a lot better in parts. The physical effects in this are good and nice to see, especially in what is most likely a very low budget film. The ending (apart from a few choice zombie moments) is maybe a little bit OTT and cheesy, but overall this is just a fun, entertaining and different take on the zombie film. Maybe we haven’t seen everything zombie films have to offer just yet!