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Awix (3310 KP) rated Mother! (2017) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Palpably insane fantasy psycho-horror from Darren Aronofsky that seems intentionally designed to alienate and repel mainstream audiences. The presence of Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem seems calculated to lure in innocent passersby for this unhinged tale of... of...
Well, look, Lawrence and Bardem live in a lovely house in the countryside; he is a noted poet, she is his wife, and to begin with all is well. Then mysterious strangers start appearing and dark events threaten to disrupt their idyll. Things get extreme. At points they get extremely extreme.
If this movie was your pet it would attack your furniture and howl at the moon, then fetch you your slippers with a 'who, me?' look on its face. If you're a stickler for things like naturalism and coherence, then it is probably not for you; but Aronofsky creates the fractured sense of living through an unfolding nightmare, with all the non-logic that suggests, rather well, and the stars are all on full power. It's still very nearly the proverbial movie with something to offend everyone, but you can't fault the technical expertise with which it has been made, or the director's success in realising his (highly peculiar) vision for the film.
Well, look, Lawrence and Bardem live in a lovely house in the countryside; he is a noted poet, she is his wife, and to begin with all is well. Then mysterious strangers start appearing and dark events threaten to disrupt their idyll. Things get extreme. At points they get extremely extreme.
If this movie was your pet it would attack your furniture and howl at the moon, then fetch you your slippers with a 'who, me?' look on its face. If you're a stickler for things like naturalism and coherence, then it is probably not for you; but Aronofsky creates the fractured sense of living through an unfolding nightmare, with all the non-logic that suggests, rather well, and the stars are all on full power. It's still very nearly the proverbial movie with something to offend everyone, but you can't fault the technical expertise with which it has been made, or the director's success in realising his (highly peculiar) vision for the film.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Of Blood and Bone (Chronicles of The One) in Books
Jan 4, 2019
I am enjoying the hell out of this trilogy.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Nora Roberts does it again with the second installment in the Chronicles of The One.
Of Blood and Bone, while telling its own important parts of the story, feels very much like a buildup to the finale - which is exactly what it is. We've now learned the fate of the characters we first met in Year One - some good, some bad. We've gone deeper into the powers, hearts, and minds of existing characters. We've met new characters, both light and dark. And we've learned - along with Fallon - what must be done to fix the world (although I admit this point is still a bit vague - deliberately, I believe). And while I hate waiting nearly a year between installments, I can't wait to see how it ends.
Side note spoiler: It's incredibly satisfying that Simon gets to be the one to take Eric down. Here's hoping Allegra and Petra meet similar fates.
For me, this trilogy is very reminiscent of both the O'Dwyer trilogy and the Guardians trilogy, both of which I enjoyed immensely. There's something about the way Roberts writes fantasy that draws me in and keeps me there while also leaving me wanting more.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!
Of Blood and Bone, while telling its own important parts of the story, feels very much like a buildup to the finale - which is exactly what it is. We've now learned the fate of the characters we first met in Year One - some good, some bad. We've gone deeper into the powers, hearts, and minds of existing characters. We've met new characters, both light and dark. And we've learned - along with Fallon - what must be done to fix the world (although I admit this point is still a bit vague - deliberately, I believe). And while I hate waiting nearly a year between installments, I can't wait to see how it ends.
Side note spoiler: It's incredibly satisfying that Simon gets to be the one to take Eric down. Here's hoping Allegra and Petra meet similar fates.
For me, this trilogy is very reminiscent of both the O'Dwyer trilogy and the Guardians trilogy, both of which I enjoyed immensely. There's something about the way Roberts writes fantasy that draws me in and keeps me there while also leaving me wanting more.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies
Nov 1, 2019
What-time-d'you-call-this-then Shining sequel/follow-up doesn't have the magisterial formal brilliance of Kubrick, but scores consistently for solid storytelling and simple entertainment value. Many years on from the nastiness in the snow, Dan Torrance has tried to put his special faculties to good use, working in a hospice. However, a gifted young girl he has befriended becomes the target of a pack of inhuman killers who feed on the souls of psychics, and he finds himself compelled to intervene. Faced with a terrifying enemy, he finds he may have to make a reservation at a certain hotel.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
The Dream Runner
5.0
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What if you could order a custom dream? Any kind. Dark and twisted, sweet, sensual, or redemptive....
Science fiction fantasy
To Kill a Kingdom
7.9
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Dark and romantic YA fantasy for fans of Sarah J Maas - about the siren with a taste for royal blood...
romance young adult
Drakenfeld
Book
THEY'LL KILL TO HIDE THE TRUTH. HE'LL KILL TO FIND IT. The monarchies of the Royal Vispasian Union...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Written (Emaneska #1) in Books
Sep 1, 2020
154 of 200
Kindle
The Written ( Emaneska book 1)
By. Ben Galley
His name is Farden. They whisper that he's dangerous. Dangerous is only the half of it. Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options. Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn't want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await. Breathtakingly vast, chillingly dark, brooding and dangerous, The Written will leave you impatiently waiting for the next adventure. Welcome to Emaneska.
Not going to lie I struggled for the first half of the book! I decided around chapter 11 not to give up. It got so much better the world building is good the concept is good and it’s very well written. The dragons are the big draw in this for me they really lifted the story and completely changed my mind. Worth a read if you like fantasy YA.
Kindle
The Written ( Emaneska book 1)
By. Ben Galley
His name is Farden. They whisper that he's dangerous. Dangerous is only the half of it. Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options. Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn't want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await. Breathtakingly vast, chillingly dark, brooding and dangerous, The Written will leave you impatiently waiting for the next adventure. Welcome to Emaneska.
Not going to lie I struggled for the first half of the book! I decided around chapter 11 not to give up. It got so much better the world building is good the concept is good and it’s very well written. The dragons are the big draw in this for me they really lifted the story and completely changed my mind. Worth a read if you like fantasy YA.
Ghosts, a murderous cult, and men who can turn into wolves
Ghosts, a murderous cult, and men who can turn into wolves feature in Jordan Elizabeth's latest novelette Thomasine. As a young girl, Thomasine believed there was something sinister living in the cellar of their farmhouse and was thankful when the family moved away. Now she has returned for a funeral and cannot shake off the uneasy feeling that there is evil afoot. On top of that, Thomasine can see ghosts and there is one, in particular, that is begging her for help.
The story switches between Thomasine's point of view and Adelajda, a Polish girl from 1888. The girls' stories combine in a supernatural way, which brings the story to its dramatic climax. Thomasine discovers her family history is dark and complicated and her future looks bleak. If she tries to escape her fate, Thomasine's parents would be in grave danger. Just as she was beginning to despair, Thomasine discovers a solution to her problems in the form of Adelajda...
Thomasine is a fast-paced story, 155 pages in length, that keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end. Mystery, fantasy and mild horror are all combined together with a hint of romance to create a welcome addition to Jordan Elizabeth's œuvre.
The story switches between Thomasine's point of view and Adelajda, a Polish girl from 1888. The girls' stories combine in a supernatural way, which brings the story to its dramatic climax. Thomasine discovers her family history is dark and complicated and her future looks bleak. If she tries to escape her fate, Thomasine's parents would be in grave danger. Just as she was beginning to despair, Thomasine discovers a solution to her problems in the form of Adelajda...
Thomasine is a fast-paced story, 155 pages in length, that keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end. Mystery, fantasy and mild horror are all combined together with a hint of romance to create a welcome addition to Jordan Elizabeth's œuvre.
Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2)
9.0
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What if you could be young again? Would it be a dream come true or truly a nightmare? That’s...
Adult Fantasy Romance
Joe Julians (221 KP) Feb 11, 2018
Andy K (10823 KP) Feb 11, 2018