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The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes, #1)
7.5
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Introducing London's newest and greatest detective: Enola Holmes - the book that inspired the film,...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Dreamgirls (2006) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
The rise of Motown records is one of the music industries greatest tales. Berry Gordy Jr. in 1959 established the record label that not only made stars of numerous talents such as Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Jackson 5, but helped African American talents finds success in other markets and mainstream radio.
In the film Dreamgirls, Director/Screenwriter Bill Condon brings the book and musical of the same name to the big screen with style and energy, and tells an inspired and entertaining story.
Though the names have been changed, it does not take much effort to discover that many parts in the film are indeed based upon actual people, and situations, which only ads to the story and characters, as though seeing a work of fiction, there is some factual basis to what is being shown.
Beyonce’ Knowles stars as Deena Jones, who is the lead singer in a female trio who hope to get noticed at a local talent show. While the group fails to win, they do attract the attention of Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jaime Foxx), a local manager who runs a car dealership during the day.
Curtis takes the girls under his management and soon begins a relationship with Effie, (Jennifer Hudson), as the band begins to get notice. Curtis uses bribes to get the girls played on white radio stations and soon has a hit on his hands and forms his own record label in order for his talent.
While on tour with R&B legend James Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy), the decision is made to make Deena sing lead over Effie which leads to tensions in the band despite their growing success.
What follows is a tale full of love, loss, success, failure, redemption, and laughs as the dynamic tale of the girls and their career is told over the passage of several years.
While much has been made of the singing of Beyonce’ and Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy was clearly the star of the film as he brought a dynamic energy to the film whenever he was on screen. Murphy amazingly blended comedy and music as he performed his own material as well as generated sympathy as the troubled singer, who is trying to hold onto fleeting fame amongst changing times and gives and Oscar worthy performance.
The songs of the film are very well done, though at times, some of them dragged on to long for my taste, and at times hampered the narrative portion of the film.
That being said, Dreamgirls is one of the best musical to hit the screen and if for no reason other than Murphy’s performance is must see film.
In the film Dreamgirls, Director/Screenwriter Bill Condon brings the book and musical of the same name to the big screen with style and energy, and tells an inspired and entertaining story.
Though the names have been changed, it does not take much effort to discover that many parts in the film are indeed based upon actual people, and situations, which only ads to the story and characters, as though seeing a work of fiction, there is some factual basis to what is being shown.
Beyonce’ Knowles stars as Deena Jones, who is the lead singer in a female trio who hope to get noticed at a local talent show. While the group fails to win, they do attract the attention of Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jaime Foxx), a local manager who runs a car dealership during the day.
Curtis takes the girls under his management and soon begins a relationship with Effie, (Jennifer Hudson), as the band begins to get notice. Curtis uses bribes to get the girls played on white radio stations and soon has a hit on his hands and forms his own record label in order for his talent.
While on tour with R&B legend James Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy), the decision is made to make Deena sing lead over Effie which leads to tensions in the band despite their growing success.
What follows is a tale full of love, loss, success, failure, redemption, and laughs as the dynamic tale of the girls and their career is told over the passage of several years.
While much has been made of the singing of Beyonce’ and Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy was clearly the star of the film as he brought a dynamic energy to the film whenever he was on screen. Murphy amazingly blended comedy and music as he performed his own material as well as generated sympathy as the troubled singer, who is trying to hold onto fleeting fame amongst changing times and gives and Oscar worthy performance.
The songs of the film are very well done, though at times, some of them dragged on to long for my taste, and at times hampered the narrative portion of the film.
That being said, Dreamgirls is one of the best musical to hit the screen and if for no reason other than Murphy’s performance is must see film.
You Can Stick it
Book
Finally, a sticker book for grown ups! The modern world is awash with stick-on signs telling us what...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Serenity (2005) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Years ago, Star Trek found new life after network cancellation, and gained new legions of fans through syndication, films, spin off series, and countless novels.
While networks have often had a love/hate relationship with Science Fiction shows, few can debate that shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Buffy, and The X-Files have proven to be profitable investments for the studios that created them.
Sadly for fans and viewers alike, for every hit there are at least three failures such as The Lone Gunmen, Space Rangers, and Earth 2. Then you get the shows such as Enterprise, Crusade and Firefly that get cancelled before their time, leaving legions of fans to ponder what might have been had the shows been allowed to continue their productions.
When FOX cancelled the show Firefly after a handful of episodes, fans were outraged. The show had developed a loyal following, but did not meet what the studio was after, leaving it as just another failed series.
Thanks to strong DVD sales, the shows creator Joss Whedon was given the chance to bring his series to the big screen and after months and months of delays, the film Serenity has finally been released.
I would like to say at the outset that while I was not a fan of the show, I did catch it in reruns and grew to appreciate much of the quality that was in the show. With my new found appreciation of the show and amidst the wave of growing hype around the release, I attended an early screener of the film several weeks back anxious to see what the excitement was all about.
The film revolves around the crew of a Firefly class ship named Serenity whose Captain Mal (Nathan Fillion), is a former soldier who survived the battle of Serenity Valley during a period of galactic unrest. Mal makes a living as rogue trying to stay ahead of the Alliance and various threats such as the deadly cannibalistic Reavers.
The story involves a young girl named River (Summer Glau) and her physician brother Simon (Sean Maher). The two are fleeing the Alliance where River was being honed to be a weapon of amazing abilities.
In the aftermath of a mission where the deadly Reavers arrive, Mal and the crew find themselves fleeing an Alliance assassin, who has brought the overwhelming might of the Alliance to bear in an effort to capture River.
Of course Mal with no love of the Alliance will not allow this even though many in his crew see new harm in saving their necks by turning her over. As the film unfolds it leads to the discovery of why the Alliance is so desperate to keep the knowledge River has obtained a secret and a deadly confrontation between the crew, the Reavers, and the Alliance.
As much as I tried to like this film, I was unable to. The film plods along for almost 90 minutes before getting to any sustained action, and when it finally does arrive, it is so by the book and underwhelming, I felt cheated. Two gigantic fleets converge and I think we are going to get a grand battle. Instead, the film gives us about 90 seconds of action only to take the story to a bland locale in a poorly decorated and conceived set.
After sitting through such a large setup, and enduring a cast that often is about as exciting in this film as watching paint dry, I thought something more should be done. I would have expected this from a show that was on television, but for a film version, it was lacking much of the energy that is needed to maintain a feature films.
I am not saying that the cast are bad actors, far from it, but they spend a lot of the film with a dear in the headlights look that underscores that this is first and foremost a TV. show. As such, the cast and many of the sets and effects seem underpowered in the transition to the screen.
The entire length of the film, I thought I was watching an inexpensive television series rather than a major studio release. As such, I had a hard time caring for the characters.
A few nights ago I watched another episode of the series on the Sci Fi Channel and I was amazed at how interesting the characters were, how engrossing the story was, and how much humor and action it had. While the film attempts to convey this, much of it falls flat. Serenity will make a good film series with a bit more effort, but as it stands now, the film is little more than a TV movie of the week for die hard fans only. This is sad as with a bit more polish it could have, and should have been much, much more.
While networks have often had a love/hate relationship with Science Fiction shows, few can debate that shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Buffy, and The X-Files have proven to be profitable investments for the studios that created them.
Sadly for fans and viewers alike, for every hit there are at least three failures such as The Lone Gunmen, Space Rangers, and Earth 2. Then you get the shows such as Enterprise, Crusade and Firefly that get cancelled before their time, leaving legions of fans to ponder what might have been had the shows been allowed to continue their productions.
When FOX cancelled the show Firefly after a handful of episodes, fans were outraged. The show had developed a loyal following, but did not meet what the studio was after, leaving it as just another failed series.
Thanks to strong DVD sales, the shows creator Joss Whedon was given the chance to bring his series to the big screen and after months and months of delays, the film Serenity has finally been released.
I would like to say at the outset that while I was not a fan of the show, I did catch it in reruns and grew to appreciate much of the quality that was in the show. With my new found appreciation of the show and amidst the wave of growing hype around the release, I attended an early screener of the film several weeks back anxious to see what the excitement was all about.
The film revolves around the crew of a Firefly class ship named Serenity whose Captain Mal (Nathan Fillion), is a former soldier who survived the battle of Serenity Valley during a period of galactic unrest. Mal makes a living as rogue trying to stay ahead of the Alliance and various threats such as the deadly cannibalistic Reavers.
The story involves a young girl named River (Summer Glau) and her physician brother Simon (Sean Maher). The two are fleeing the Alliance where River was being honed to be a weapon of amazing abilities.
In the aftermath of a mission where the deadly Reavers arrive, Mal and the crew find themselves fleeing an Alliance assassin, who has brought the overwhelming might of the Alliance to bear in an effort to capture River.
Of course Mal with no love of the Alliance will not allow this even though many in his crew see new harm in saving their necks by turning her over. As the film unfolds it leads to the discovery of why the Alliance is so desperate to keep the knowledge River has obtained a secret and a deadly confrontation between the crew, the Reavers, and the Alliance.
As much as I tried to like this film, I was unable to. The film plods along for almost 90 minutes before getting to any sustained action, and when it finally does arrive, it is so by the book and underwhelming, I felt cheated. Two gigantic fleets converge and I think we are going to get a grand battle. Instead, the film gives us about 90 seconds of action only to take the story to a bland locale in a poorly decorated and conceived set.
After sitting through such a large setup, and enduring a cast that often is about as exciting in this film as watching paint dry, I thought something more should be done. I would have expected this from a show that was on television, but for a film version, it was lacking much of the energy that is needed to maintain a feature films.
I am not saying that the cast are bad actors, far from it, but they spend a lot of the film with a dear in the headlights look that underscores that this is first and foremost a TV. show. As such, the cast and many of the sets and effects seem underpowered in the transition to the screen.
The entire length of the film, I thought I was watching an inexpensive television series rather than a major studio release. As such, I had a hard time caring for the characters.
A few nights ago I watched another episode of the series on the Sci Fi Channel and I was amazed at how interesting the characters were, how engrossing the story was, and how much humor and action it had. While the film attempts to convey this, much of it falls flat. Serenity will make a good film series with a bit more effort, but as it stands now, the film is little more than a TV movie of the week for die hard fans only. This is sad as with a bit more polish it could have, and should have been much, much more.
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Year Old Girl</a>).
I remember reading the child friendly version of this book to my son last year. However, I wasn't made aware of the adult version of this book until the film came out and when my cousin told me I should read the book because it was really good. I really wanted to see the movie, so I thought I'd read the book first. All I can say about this book is WOW! It was very touching and such a great read!
I like the title. It has such a child like innocence about it which is fitting since it's about a little boy visiting Heaven.
I love the cover with the photo of little Colton. He was such an adorable little boy! I would've liked to see a drawing of Heaven or something behind him, but the cover, on its own, does work quite well.
I thought the way that Todd Burpo (Colton's father) sets up the scenes was done quite well. It was easy to picture everything happening in my mind. I could even picture Heaven in my mind with Colton's descriptions although I know Heaven will be much better then what I can actually imagine.
The pacing throughout this book is fantastic. In fact, I would've read the book in one setting, but I had a husband and a 10 year old to look after, so I had to stop. However, the next day, when everyone was at school and work, I finished it then. I couldn't wait to see what little Colton had to say next about Heaven. It was just astounding!
This book just blew my mind. It was so amazing to be getting a glimpse into Heaven thanks to Colton. The things he described whilst in Heaven were just breath taking. I believe that Colton did see what he described. Saying that, there were times I was thinking that maybe Colton could've been exaggerating especially when he would say things two years later. Perhaps he was telling the whole truth though. We'll never know until we reach Heaven. But I do believe that most of what Colton saw whilst in Heaven was and is true.
There's no violence in this book, no sex and no swearing especially as this is a Christian non-fiction book. There is a near death experience though.
I'd recommend this book to everyone, young and old. You will be amazed with what Colton has seen and heard. I know I was.
I remember reading the child friendly version of this book to my son last year. However, I wasn't made aware of the adult version of this book until the film came out and when my cousin told me I should read the book because it was really good. I really wanted to see the movie, so I thought I'd read the book first. All I can say about this book is WOW! It was very touching and such a great read!
I like the title. It has such a child like innocence about it which is fitting since it's about a little boy visiting Heaven.
I love the cover with the photo of little Colton. He was such an adorable little boy! I would've liked to see a drawing of Heaven or something behind him, but the cover, on its own, does work quite well.
I thought the way that Todd Burpo (Colton's father) sets up the scenes was done quite well. It was easy to picture everything happening in my mind. I could even picture Heaven in my mind with Colton's descriptions although I know Heaven will be much better then what I can actually imagine.
The pacing throughout this book is fantastic. In fact, I would've read the book in one setting, but I had a husband and a 10 year old to look after, so I had to stop. However, the next day, when everyone was at school and work, I finished it then. I couldn't wait to see what little Colton had to say next about Heaven. It was just astounding!
This book just blew my mind. It was so amazing to be getting a glimpse into Heaven thanks to Colton. The things he described whilst in Heaven were just breath taking. I believe that Colton did see what he described. Saying that, there were times I was thinking that maybe Colton could've been exaggerating especially when he would say things two years later. Perhaps he was telling the whole truth though. We'll never know until we reach Heaven. But I do believe that most of what Colton saw whilst in Heaven was and is true.
There's no violence in this book, no sex and no swearing especially as this is a Christian non-fiction book. There is a near death experience though.
I'd recommend this book to everyone, young and old. You will be amazed with what Colton has seen and heard. I know I was.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Playing Nice in Books
Nov 9, 2020
The protagonists in this story were Pete and Maddie, and the story is told from their perspectives. Pete is unemployed/freelance journalist, who loves being the main carer of his son – Theo. Pete is very sweet and a true people pleaser. Maddie is working in advertising and has difficulty finding her motherly instinct when it comes to Theo. We also have Miles and Lucy, the real Theo’s parents, that are truly strange. The only character I really liked was Pete, he is just so sweet and innocent man. I did not like Maddie, I think she is an absolute hypocrite. However, I have to admit, her input in this book was intriguing. The author is an absolute expert when it comes to creating psychopaths in his novels. Every single book has one, and they are really well developed and delivered. In this book it was Miles. I really have nothing good to say about him at all, except that he is a master of deceit and nastiness.
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
India's New Independent Cinema: Rise of the Hybrid
Book
This is the first-ever book on the rise of the new wave of independent Indian films that is...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) in Movies
May 22, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
'Spiral: from the book of Saw' is the ninth Saw film and, for once I can say it's not more of the same.
Spiral is a Saw film, it has the traps and the police but it's an all new cast, the only time we see any of the original cast is in a photo of the original 'Jigsaw'. The traps also don't play the same roll, most of the previous Saw films had the 'game's' play the main part of the film and the police investigations were set to fill in the gaps. Spiral is the reverse, a new Jigsaw killer is targeting police and the main plot is the police trying to stop him, concentrating on the relationships in the department and using the franchise's use of flashbacks to add to the story. We only see the traps for a few moments, there is still gore but not at the same level. Instead we have a number of jump scared as 'the pig' grabs his victims .
Spiral seems to be thinking that the time of 'torture poem's is over, yes there are people who still want to watch it but noted many. This is why it's the Saw franchise that is still going, other films in the genre, such as 'Hostel' relied on gore but didn't have much else to offer but saw had more story as well.
When I say all the cast is new that includes the puppet, instead of the little guy on a tricycle we have a pig man, we have lots of pig references, proving bus to the fact that the victims are all police.
Although it is a Saw film, Spiral is a good jump jump on point for new views as it doesn't rely on the originals to much and sets up for a possible new franchise.
Spiral is a Saw film, it has the traps and the police but it's an all new cast, the only time we see any of the original cast is in a photo of the original 'Jigsaw'. The traps also don't play the same roll, most of the previous Saw films had the 'game's' play the main part of the film and the police investigations were set to fill in the gaps. Spiral is the reverse, a new Jigsaw killer is targeting police and the main plot is the police trying to stop him, concentrating on the relationships in the department and using the franchise's use of flashbacks to add to the story. We only see the traps for a few moments, there is still gore but not at the same level. Instead we have a number of jump scared as 'the pig' grabs his victims .
Spiral seems to be thinking that the time of 'torture poem's is over, yes there are people who still want to watch it but noted many. This is why it's the Saw franchise that is still going, other films in the genre, such as 'Hostel' relied on gore but didn't have much else to offer but saw had more story as well.
When I say all the cast is new that includes the puppet, instead of the little guy on a tricycle we have a pig man, we have lots of pig references, proving bus to the fact that the victims are all police.
Although it is a Saw film, Spiral is a good jump jump on point for new views as it doesn't rely on the originals to much and sets up for a possible new franchise.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Two years after the success of Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens is suffering financial hardship from the failure of his last three books. Rejected by his publishers, he sets out to write a new book to restore his finances. Seeing inspiration around London, most notably a rich man's funeral that is largely unattended, he begins writing A Christmas Carol, due in six weeks in order to be published by Christmas. As Charles begins to develop his story, he interacts with the characters he is writing about, most notably Ebenezer Scrooge.
Christmas spirit abounds this month, and I was so happy to see it start with this film. I'm fed up of saying "I hadn't heard anything about this film until it was on"... seriously, what are these people doing with their advertising budgets??!
Dickens' struggle with his writer's block is incredible to watch. When the idea snaps into his head and the characters appear it really does put a smile on your face. It feels like you can really see the joy in his eyes as an idea materialises in front of him. Seeing them all interact together as the tale progresses is so much fun too.
This film made me genuinely feel happy. Just like a Christmas film should. I laughed out loud and I cried, but I still left with a smile, and an abundance of Christmas spirit in me to help me muster the enthusiasm for another three Christmas films and tree decorating. I hate to dethrone any of my favourites from their positions... but this might have entered straight into the top three... it's honestly got me stumped. I'll have to watch more seasonal films until I can work it out.
Christmas spirit abounds this month, and I was so happy to see it start with this film. I'm fed up of saying "I hadn't heard anything about this film until it was on"... seriously, what are these people doing with their advertising budgets??!
Dickens' struggle with his writer's block is incredible to watch. When the idea snaps into his head and the characters appear it really does put a smile on your face. It feels like you can really see the joy in his eyes as an idea materialises in front of him. Seeing them all interact together as the tale progresses is so much fun too.
This film made me genuinely feel happy. Just like a Christmas film should. I laughed out loud and I cried, but I still left with a smile, and an abundance of Christmas spirit in me to help me muster the enthusiasm for another three Christmas films and tree decorating. I hate to dethrone any of my favourites from their positions... but this might have entered straight into the top three... it's honestly got me stumped. I'll have to watch more seasonal films until I can work it out.
How to Speak Emoji
Book
For anyone who doesn't know a smiley from a big red heart, a thumbs-up from a toilet symbol, a poo...