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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
2002 | Family, Sci-Fi
You can't beat a movie with a Basilisk
As the second in the series, Chamber of Secrets knocks it out of the park. It might not be my favorite in the series but that is a poor choice of words, they are all tremendous.

Chamber of Secrets for me, hits the hardest at the very end of the movie. The tone of the movie as a whole is much darker than our first outing in The Sorcerer's Stone, but the end is very tragic and traumatic and thought provoking. You have the backstory on the main villain of the series, the potential death of a couple of main characters... there is a just a lot going on!

This is one of the series that I can put on and just enjoy as background noise. Worth a re-watch if it has been a while for you.
  
The Hazel Wood
The Hazel Wood
Melissa Albert | 2017 | Mystery, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
7.4 (33 Ratings)
Book Rating
Deliciously dark take on fairytales! Creepier than I expected, I almost didn't want to read it after dark lol. And that cover is gorgeous!

I'm a huge fan of anything related to the fair folk so this was right up my alley. As soon as I started reading it I didn't want to put it down, the writing immediately grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. The plot was one of the most unique I've read among the fairytale genre. I adored the Tales of the Hinterland referenced throughout, they were so interesting that I'd love to see them published as a companion to The Hazel Wood.

Fans of books like Holly Black's The Cruel Prince or anyone who likes their fantasy on the darker side will love The Hazel Wood!

**Thanks to Flatiron Books for sending me an advanced review copy! All opinions are my own.**
  
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) created a post

Jan 1, 2019  
Ok, who has seen The Strangers 2: Prey at Night? The first one was very unsettling and scared me to death. I don't always need a happy ending. Have you ever seen the Dutch version of The Vanishing? So different than the Americanized one.

I'm trying to decide if I want to watch Strangers 2.

Pros: I like Christina Hendricks.
It looks creepy.
Strangers still haunts me and makes me check under beds and in closets before going to sleep.

Cons: It's a sequel. It is as good, nearly as good, or better than the first?
It takes place in a trailer park?
Christina Hendricks screams a lot. Does it get annoying?
The lighting seems darker than the first movie and I don't want it to be so dark that I can only hear and not see the action on the screen. Is it too dark to follow well?
     
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Sarah (7800 KP) Jan 1, 2019

I liked the first one too for the same reasons but sadly the sequel didn’t live up to expectations. It’s not creepy, just bloody and gory. I didn’t think it was too dark & I don’t think Christina Hendricks was annoying. This is my review:
https://smashbomb.com/content/perma?id=501304

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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) Jan 1, 2019

Thanks, Sarah. I appreciate your opinion on this. I'll put it on my movie to watch (eventually) list instead of my gotta see it list.

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian
Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian
E.L. James | 2015 | Erotica, Fiction & Poetry
8
6.1 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's interesting to me that I liked this book so much more than Fifty Shades. Partially because I think that Christian is a far more interesting character than Ana - he has much more of a backstory. Maybe it's because I relate to him in a lot of ways. I've read reviews that think this wasn't a good book in any regard, that E.L. James clearly doesn't know how to write as if she were a man, and I disagree. I know a Christian-like man and reading this novel, it was like being in his head too.

However, I have the same issue that I had with Fifty Shades in the dialogue. I do not know a single American that says, "I'm going to have a shower." I'm not sure why that infuriates me so much, but alas, it does. I am anxious to read Darker and the next Fifty Shades.