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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated House of Salem (2016) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
House of Salem is directed by James Crow and is a British occult horror that takes the viewer on a journey to a house that has a terrifying history. When kidnappers snatch Josh (played by newcomer Liam Kelly) from his home in the dead of night, they head to a safe house to await the delivery of their ransom money.
House of Salem isn’t the best horror you’ll see, but it’s certainly not the worst.
House of Salem isn’t the best horror you’ll see, but it’s certainly not the worst.
TS
The Sea Devil: The Adventures of Count Felix Von Luckner, the Last Raider Under Sail
Book
In 1916, a three-masted ship named Hero sailed under Norwegian colors out of the Elbe River in...
Open Water
9.0
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Book
'A tender and touching love story, beautifully told' Observer 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2021 'A...
Literary fiction Race Cultural Novella British Literature
Sounds: The Pronunciation App FREE
Education and Reference
App
The ultimate mobile English pronunciation aid, for both students AND teachers. Sounds helps you...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows in Books
Sep 13, 2017
Interesting, a little repetitive
I wasn't sure what to expect with this bizarrely named novel, and I was slightly worried it would be some Karma Sutra style book but it was nothing of the kind.
A group of old Punjabi women attend an English language class run by a British Asian young woman who mistakenly brings in an erotic book one day. It opens up a world of sensuous pleasure for the women, who are normally quite conservative about such topics.
While it's quite a novelty and funny at the beginning, the stories become repetitive and it becomes a little boring. The honour crime story was far more interesting and I wish there was more focus on that side instead of turning it in to a Gurinder Chadha type of novel. The stories are meant to open up other aspects of the community such as arranged marriages and the impact of honour - but it just doesn't seem to connect that well.
The protagonist Nicky is great though who reflects many British Asians growing up with dual cultures. Good but not great.
A group of old Punjabi women attend an English language class run by a British Asian young woman who mistakenly brings in an erotic book one day. It opens up a world of sensuous pleasure for the women, who are normally quite conservative about such topics.
While it's quite a novelty and funny at the beginning, the stories become repetitive and it becomes a little boring. The honour crime story was far more interesting and I wish there was more focus on that side instead of turning it in to a Gurinder Chadha type of novel. The stories are meant to open up other aspects of the community such as arranged marriages and the impact of honour - but it just doesn't seem to connect that well.
The protagonist Nicky is great though who reflects many British Asians growing up with dual cultures. Good but not great.
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated A Quiet Kind of Thunder in Books
Feb 18, 2019
Quintessential British coming of age
‘He can’t hear, she doesn’t speak but they understand one another perfectly’
That’s the strap line on this book and it blew me away like I find the best YA can. This was one of the most relatable YAs I’ve read in a long time (I work with this age group and that’s why I find it relateable...I know I’m not 18). I think some of this was down to the fact it was quintessentially British and not American and I loved sense of home in this book.
Steffi was a carefully crafted complex and refreshing character. I ‘got’ her, I admired her and wanted her to thrive in whatever way was right for her. Rhys was bloody adorable and flawed and adorable. Did I say adorable? *shrugs* The story of these two was a absorbing delight to read but it was real.
I devoured this book quickly. I slipped into this seamless writing with ease and I’m genuinely sorry it’s over. I will be reading more from Sara Barnard, she rocked this age range so good.
That’s the strap line on this book and it blew me away like I find the best YA can. This was one of the most relatable YAs I’ve read in a long time (I work with this age group and that’s why I find it relateable...I know I’m not 18). I think some of this was down to the fact it was quintessentially British and not American and I loved sense of home in this book.
Steffi was a carefully crafted complex and refreshing character. I ‘got’ her, I admired her and wanted her to thrive in whatever way was right for her. Rhys was bloody adorable and flawed and adorable. Did I say adorable? *shrugs* The story of these two was a absorbing delight to read but it was real.
I devoured this book quickly. I slipped into this seamless writing with ease and I’m genuinely sorry it’s over. I will be reading more from Sara Barnard, she rocked this age range so good.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Gorgo (1961) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018
The poster tagline 'Like nothing you've ever seen before' is really pushing it a bit considering this British suitamation movie is composed almost entirely of bits from other, better-known films. Generations of British people have grown up believing they've seen a proper Godzilla film when in fact they were just exposed to this in their childhood. On the other hand, Eugene Lourie also directed The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, one of the original Godzilla's main inspirations, so you could say he's just repeating himself rather than actually being derivative.
Soundly scripted with a decent twist and pretty good performances, and the devastation of London by Gorgo's mum in the final reel is well-staged. Persistent rumour suggests that a young John Carpenter made an unofficial sequel, Gorgo Vs Godzilla, but no-one seems to know for sure if this even exists - shame, as on the strength of this outing Gorgo and his mum had potential for their own series. Only really of interest to fans of vintage monster movies, but a distinctive and rather distinguished entry to this genre.
Soundly scripted with a decent twist and pretty good performances, and the devastation of London by Gorgo's mum in the final reel is well-staged. Persistent rumour suggests that a young John Carpenter made an unofficial sequel, Gorgo Vs Godzilla, but no-one seems to know for sure if this even exists - shame, as on the strength of this outing Gorgo and his mum had potential for their own series. Only really of interest to fans of vintage monster movies, but a distinctive and rather distinguished entry to this genre.
This is a good looking cookbook.
Sectioned into the usual courses, Breakfast, starters, fish, meat, pasta, and baking/desserts, each recipe has a crisp, clear looking instructions page and a full page colour image so you know what your finished dish should at least look like. A short description or tips from the chef is included, along with the standard prep/cook times and what skill level you might need (although most are easy to moderate)
A great mixture of chefs and bakers are included, may well known like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, many others will be known if you have watched programs like Masterchef and The Great British Menu and Great British Bake Off. Others I had never hear of before but I will go looking for them now.
Recipes of note included “black sesame seed ice cream” by Jordan Bourke … I have to admit I took a double take at the picture as it looked like a greyscale image. Grey ice-cream sounds most intriguing.
Sectioned into the usual courses, Breakfast, starters, fish, meat, pasta, and baking/desserts, each recipe has a crisp, clear looking instructions page and a full page colour image so you know what your finished dish should at least look like. A short description or tips from the chef is included, along with the standard prep/cook times and what skill level you might need (although most are easy to moderate)
A great mixture of chefs and bakers are included, may well known like Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, many others will be known if you have watched programs like Masterchef and The Great British Menu and Great British Bake Off. Others I had never hear of before but I will go looking for them now.
Recipes of note included “black sesame seed ice cream” by Jordan Bourke … I have to admit I took a double take at the picture as it looked like a greyscale image. Grey ice-cream sounds most intriguing.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Hot Fuzz (2007) in Movies
Aug 3, 2019
An instant classic
Hot Fuzz is a glorious film, plain and simple.
It's funny, it's crude, it's gory, it's just plain ridiculous at times, and it's very British...
Anyone who lives here in England can confirm - this country is full of little villages and towns where something just seems a bit...off. just like the films village, Sandford.
As Sgt. Angel starts to uncover a sinister conspiracy underneath the idyllic town, Hot Fuzz effortlessly weaves quick humour, with a creeping sense of dread, just like it's predecessor, Shaun of the Dead.
The fantastic trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright hit all the right comedic notes once again, and the film is riddled with famous faces from the British comedy scene.
It evens features once-James-Bond Timothy Dalton, just being generally awesome and villainous.
The climatic battle, (that likes fun at the silliness of the action genre) is good fun, but it doesn't quite hit the mark that Shaun of the Dead does.
It's still a great film though, I'd implore anyone to give it a go.
It's funny, it's crude, it's gory, it's just plain ridiculous at times, and it's very British...
Anyone who lives here in England can confirm - this country is full of little villages and towns where something just seems a bit...off. just like the films village, Sandford.
As Sgt. Angel starts to uncover a sinister conspiracy underneath the idyllic town, Hot Fuzz effortlessly weaves quick humour, with a creeping sense of dread, just like it's predecessor, Shaun of the Dead.
The fantastic trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright hit all the right comedic notes once again, and the film is riddled with famous faces from the British comedy scene.
It evens features once-James-Bond Timothy Dalton, just being generally awesome and villainous.
The climatic battle, (that likes fun at the silliness of the action genre) is good fun, but it doesn't quite hit the mark that Shaun of the Dead does.
It's still a great film though, I'd implore anyone to give it a go.
David McK (3562 KP) rated 1917 (2020) in Movies
Feb 13, 2020 (Updated Oct 17, 2020)
Sam Mendes World War One epic, which follows - in virtually one long tracking shot - two British soldiers sent on a mission across No Mans Land and enemy territory to deliver a message to stop their comrades (including one of the soldiers older brother) from walking into a trap.
Undeniably beautifully shot, showing the true horrors of the war - this does, however, require a serious amount of buy-in from the viewer: just why would a British General send only tow soldiers to deliver such an important message (especially against the clock), when it could have been delivered far quicker, easier and safer by the Royal Flying Corp??
Putting that aside for the moment, the only other recent movie I can think of that even attempts to show the trenches during World War One is 2017's 'Wonder Woman'. Remember the stand-out scene where Diana charges heroically across No Mans Land, under fire from the Germans the entire way? This is nothing like that.
Undeniably beautifully shot, showing the true horrors of the war - this does, however, require a serious amount of buy-in from the viewer: just why would a British General send only tow soldiers to deliver such an important message (especially against the clock), when it could have been delivered far quicker, easier and safer by the Royal Flying Corp??
Putting that aside for the moment, the only other recent movie I can think of that even attempts to show the trenches during World War One is 2017's 'Wonder Woman'. Remember the stand-out scene where Diana charges heroically across No Mans Land, under fire from the Germans the entire way? This is nothing like that.