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Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated Big Hero 6 (2014) in Movies
Jul 14, 2018
The storyline (3 more)
The setting
The characters felt solid and real in their personalities (the brothers(
Baymax ofc
Made me cry.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Loved this film, real solid family animation. I can see it being a firm favourite still in years to come.
The loss of his brother in the fire was quite visceral and I teared up bad (im a sucker for a good storyline and emotion), it was almost on par with the loss of mufasa from the Lion king, (still gets me).
I like the portrayal of a slightly different angle where intelligence is actually promoted and displayed- the university and college scenes, rather than the usual hero plot.
The only niggle I had with the film was that the villian storyline seemed a bit off, it was great until you learnt it was all a plot to get revenge for his daughter that then turned into a rescue mission and they are reunited at the end, just appeared a bit lacklustre but then I have to remember its a kids film and not be so critical!
The loss of his brother in the fire was quite visceral and I teared up bad (im a sucker for a good storyline and emotion), it was almost on par with the loss of mufasa from the Lion king, (still gets me).
I like the portrayal of a slightly different angle where intelligence is actually promoted and displayed- the university and college scenes, rather than the usual hero plot.
The only niggle I had with the film was that the villian storyline seemed a bit off, it was great until you learnt it was all a plot to get revenge for his daughter that then turned into a rescue mission and they are reunited at the end, just appeared a bit lacklustre but then I have to remember its a kids film and not be so critical!
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Good Sister in Books
Jul 22, 2018
A very thought-provoking, interesting and challenging read about a very real and current situation.
Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good. Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.
The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.
Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.
Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good. Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.
The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.
Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.
Recently divorced Jasmine feels like she has failed everyone; her husband, her kids, and herself. Her ex-husband left her for a younger model, her daughter blames her for the divorce & won’t speak to her, and her son broke his leg as a call for attention.
While making a new friend, a mistake made at a women’s shelter leaves Jasmine in danger and doubting her safety. She seeks the help and guidance of her bible study group the Planted. As she finds a new job and perspective in life, Jasmine is brought closer to God and those she loves.
This is the fifth book in the Christian suspense series, Planted Flowers. As with the other books in the Planted series, this is more than just a book of mystery and romance. The underlining story has to do with finding faith, strength, understanding, and support while gaining a deeper relationship with God and his teachings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While making a new friend, a mistake made at a women’s shelter leaves Jasmine in danger and doubting her safety. She seeks the help and guidance of her bible study group the Planted. As she finds a new job and perspective in life, Jasmine is brought closer to God and those she loves.
This is the fifth book in the Christian suspense series, Planted Flowers. As with the other books in the Planted series, this is more than just a book of mystery and romance. The underlining story has to do with finding faith, strength, understanding, and support while gaining a deeper relationship with God and his teachings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Jigsaw (2017) in Movies
Sep 3, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
A sad, desperate attempt to wring one last film (we hope) out of what was once a great movie premise. I admit I didn't quite see the twist coming, but knew there would be one, and found that aspect reasonably clever.
But overall this film was full of plot-holes, the acting was atrocious, the ending made no sense and the games have lost the character of those in the original films.
A number of things just kept annoying me and took me right out of the film (one minute Logan is apologising to his daughter and her babysitter for another late night, the next he is heading to the pub?!, Logan takes the bullet out of Edgar's body - but Edgar had been in a coma for days, why was the bullet not taken out of his body while he was in hospital?!, along with the usual horror movie illogical actions trope).
This film added nothing to the Saw series, if anything it urinates over its corpse, and added nothing to my life.
But overall this film was full of plot-holes, the acting was atrocious, the ending made no sense and the games have lost the character of those in the original films.
A number of things just kept annoying me and took me right out of the film (one minute Logan is apologising to his daughter and her babysitter for another late night, the next he is heading to the pub?!, Logan takes the bullet out of Edgar's body - but Edgar had been in a coma for days, why was the bullet not taken out of his body while he was in hospital?!, along with the usual horror movie illogical actions trope).
This film added nothing to the Saw series, if anything it urinates over its corpse, and added nothing to my life.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Lake Mungo (2009) in Movies
Sep 5, 2018
Nice Documentary style (1 more)
Good performances in the main
Wonky Twists (1 more)
Slightly disappointing ending
Lake Mungo delivers some eerieness but outstays its welcome
Contains spoilers, click to show
Lake Mungo is a found footage/documentary style hybrid horror movie that tells the story of a family whose 16 year old daughter drowns, but then continues to appear to her family and in footage and photographs in the local area.
Without wanting to spoiler anything, I will just say that the director manages to create a quite unsettling atmosphere, almost akin to that created in the first 3 paranormal activity movies, using CCTV footage and phone camera footage to add to the eye witness statements and interviews with the family.
The film is a little longer than it needs to be, the last section felt like it began detracting from the earlier scenes as they add a few last twists, but overall it is a well made film, with a strong sense of unease throughout.
Well worth a look if you like Paranormal Activity, and that style of film.
Without wanting to spoiler anything, I will just say that the director manages to create a quite unsettling atmosphere, almost akin to that created in the first 3 paranormal activity movies, using CCTV footage and phone camera footage to add to the eye witness statements and interviews with the family.
The film is a little longer than it needs to be, the last section felt like it began detracting from the earlier scenes as they add a few last twists, but overall it is a well made film, with a strong sense of unease throughout.
Well worth a look if you like Paranormal Activity, and that style of film.
Aasiyah Sidat (34 KP) rated Little Fires Everywhere in Books
Oct 2, 2018
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
“But the problem with rules, he reflected, was that they implied a right way and a wrong way to do something. When, in fact, most of the time there were simply ways, none of them quite wrong or quite right, and nothing to tell you for sure which side of the line you stood on ”
This book focuses on the Richardsons, an idealistic suburban family; Mr Richardson a hotshot lawyer, Mrs Richardson a housewife cum reporter and the Richardson children; Lexi, Trip, Moody and Izzy. They live happily in their 6 bedroom house and had all the material belongings they could long for, but each had a void in their life. This would be filled in some way or another by Mia and her daughter Pearl, new tenants in one of Mrs Richardson’s properties. We watch the two families grow close and form relationships only to be divided by a custody battle taking place in the town.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/10/little-fires-everywhere-by-celeste-ng.html
This book focuses on the Richardsons, an idealistic suburban family; Mr Richardson a hotshot lawyer, Mrs Richardson a housewife cum reporter and the Richardson children; Lexi, Trip, Moody and Izzy. They live happily in their 6 bedroom house and had all the material belongings they could long for, but each had a void in their life. This would be filled in some way or another by Mia and her daughter Pearl, new tenants in one of Mrs Richardson’s properties. We watch the two families grow close and form relationships only to be divided by a custody battle taking place in the town.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/10/little-fires-everywhere-by-celeste-ng.html
Karica Truebenbach (156 KP) rated The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) in Movies
Oct 5, 2018
Jeff Goldblum (1 more)
Funny
Loved it
This is still my favorite in the series, followed closely by Jurassic World and parts of Jurassic Park (original). First let me say I'll watch Jeff Goldblum do darn near anything. He has a dry wit that is so funny to me. I also loved Vanessa Lee Chester as the daughter, but I really appreciated the other characters commenting on the "family resemblance" because I was certainly thinking the same. Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn also perform really well in this movie.
This is the first time Ingen brings dinosaurs to America, and we see what Dr. Malcolm has been warning us about all along. Dinosaurs+humans= No more humans. Duh. This is the first time Ingen gets mean, too, because it's no longer run by the kindly but stupendously naive old dude. Instead, we get a greedy, quietly menacing but equally naive manager who only manages to bring mayhem and destruction to the States. Aahh karma.
Anyway, Jeff Goldblum IS this whole movie and it's funny and exciting to watch so................watch it.
This is the first time Ingen brings dinosaurs to America, and we see what Dr. Malcolm has been warning us about all along. Dinosaurs+humans= No more humans. Duh. This is the first time Ingen gets mean, too, because it's no longer run by the kindly but stupendously naive old dude. Instead, we get a greedy, quietly menacing but equally naive manager who only manages to bring mayhem and destruction to the States. Aahh karma.
Anyway, Jeff Goldblum IS this whole movie and it's funny and exciting to watch so................watch it.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Dracula vs. Hitler in Books
Oct 6, 2018
The title of this book grabbed me, alone. What wouldn't be cool about Dracula being awakened during WWII to kill some Nazis?
Well, all the crap in between. It was written in epistolary form, like the original Dracula novel. We've got Van Helsing, who wakes Dracula up, who coincidentally (or not) has a daughter named Lucy. A member of the Harker fam shows up, as does Renfield.
There were a lot of scenes of vampire carnage, but then an insta-love story thrown in (gag), and a little Hitler.
I'm sorry, but if you write an alt-history book, and you have Dracula in it, why wouldn't you have him straight up ripping out Hitler's spinal column or something?
I started this book when it came out in October 2016, and picked it back up a few days ago. After reading a few pages, I remembered why I put it away, it moved at a snails pace, and honestly wasn't that interesting. Overall, a yawn.
Well, all the crap in between. It was written in epistolary form, like the original Dracula novel. We've got Van Helsing, who wakes Dracula up, who coincidentally (or not) has a daughter named Lucy. A member of the Harker fam shows up, as does Renfield.
There were a lot of scenes of vampire carnage, but then an insta-love story thrown in (gag), and a little Hitler.
I'm sorry, but if you write an alt-history book, and you have Dracula in it, why wouldn't you have him straight up ripping out Hitler's spinal column or something?
I started this book when it came out in October 2016, and picked it back up a few days ago. After reading a few pages, I remembered why I put it away, it moved at a snails pace, and honestly wasn't that interesting. Overall, a yawn.
David McK (3767 KP) rated Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23; Witches #6) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The 23rd Discworld book, this is really what I would term as one of the 'Witches' (Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlik and - now - Agnes Nitt) novels, and is also the first to concentrate on 'proper' Vampires (or, as they prefer to be known, Vampyres (with a 'y'))
By 'proper' Vampires, I do mean vicious bloodsuckers, as opposed to the tamer variety sometimes mentioned as living in Ankh-Morpork. It also has a larger-than-usual role for a member of the clergy: this time, for a Reverend from Omniasm ("who knows he has a prayer but wishes he had an axe"), and is also - I believe - one of the first books to introduce the character(s) of Igor.
In this, the Vampires have been invited by King Verence of Lancre to the baptism of his and Magrat's baby daughter, and decide to take the country as well as the invitation. It is up to the Witches (primarily Granny Weatherwax) to stop them from doing so, raising more than a few laugh out loud moments from me along the way.
By 'proper' Vampires, I do mean vicious bloodsuckers, as opposed to the tamer variety sometimes mentioned as living in Ankh-Morpork. It also has a larger-than-usual role for a member of the clergy: this time, for a Reverend from Omniasm ("who knows he has a prayer but wishes he had an axe"), and is also - I believe - one of the first books to introduce the character(s) of Igor.
In this, the Vampires have been invited by King Verence of Lancre to the baptism of his and Magrat's baby daughter, and decide to take the country as well as the invitation. It is up to the Witches (primarily Granny Weatherwax) to stop them from doing so, raising more than a few laugh out loud moments from me along the way.
David McK (3767 KP) rated The Chessmen of Mars (Barsoom #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The fifth of Edgar Rice Burrough's <i>Barsoom</i> series of books, this is a return to form after the somewhat disappointing <i>Thuvia, Maid of Mars</i>
I think a large part of the reason for that is because (I have heard) that previous installment was written in installments, which shows throughout the story. I don't know if this one was or not, but it does seem to 'flow' better.
Like <i>Thuvia</i>, neither John Carter himself nor his son Carthoris are the central characters: rather, it is his daughter Tara who is one of the key characters. like the very first book(s), this is book-ended as Edgar Rice Burrough's recounting the tale told to him by John Carter, who only has a minor role in this story, both at the beginning and end.
There's no denying that it does follow the same plot arc as many of the previous books which, one could argue, might show a lack of imagination. However, if it's not broke, don't fix it!
I think a large part of the reason for that is because (I have heard) that previous installment was written in installments, which shows throughout the story. I don't know if this one was or not, but it does seem to 'flow' better.
Like <i>Thuvia</i>, neither John Carter himself nor his son Carthoris are the central characters: rather, it is his daughter Tara who is one of the key characters. like the very first book(s), this is book-ended as Edgar Rice Burrough's recounting the tale told to him by John Carter, who only has a minor role in this story, both at the beginning and end.
There's no denying that it does follow the same plot arc as many of the previous books which, one could argue, might show a lack of imagination. However, if it's not broke, don't fix it!