Search

Search only in certain items:

Luuv - Single by Broken Hearts Club
Luuv - Single by Broken Hearts Club
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Broken Hearts Club (Richie Aquino and Bradly Baldwin) is a dream-pop duo from Orange County, California. Not too long ago, they released their debut single, entitled, “Luuv”.

“Don’t want to be here. Now I can’t see clear. This party’s starting to suck. Then you walked in slow like something magical and started changing my mind. Now every time I dream about you, you’re turning me on. But every time I think about you, it feels so wrong.” – lyrics

‘Luuv’ tells a bittersweet tale of a young guy who falls head-over-heels in love with a desirable female.

Apparently, in the beginning, all is good and well with them. He always wants to feel her lips, steal a long kiss, and see her eyes in the morning light.
But unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and he experiences an emotional heartbreak. Now that she’s gone, he dreams about her all of the time and can’t seem to get her out of his mind.

‘Luuv’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation scented with an emo-indie-alternative aroma.

Also, the likable tune will be featured on Broken Hearts Club’s upcoming EP, entitled, “Make Out Music”.

“This song is about being so wrapped up in someone that you clearly know is not right for you. That you would rather be miserable having pieces of them than being happy having never known them at all.” – Broken Hearts Club

Broken Hearts Club came to life in 2019, when they bonded over their recent breakups, near-death experience, and their love of Rachael Leigh Cook and 90’s RomComs.

But instead of sulking in their pain, the duo turned their inspiration into a dream-pop world filled with songs about love and heartbreaks.
  
AM
Awaken Me (Connected, #1)
E.M. Sky | 2011
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
“Awaken Me” is the story of Aimee, a young woman about to get married to Derek. She was told that six years ago, when she first met Derek and his mother, Elizabeth, she was recovering from an accident, during which she lost her mother, as well as her memory. However, she suddenly finds that all is not what it seems in her little world, and everything she thought she knew about herself gets thrown out the window in a hurry.

I really enjoyed this story, and it definitely held my interest from start to finish. Learning along with Aimee, about her past, who she actually is, about Derek and his family, was like a roller-coaster ride, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened on the next page. The supporting characters of Alec, Iva, and Marcus are all very fun to read about, as well, and I really like their interactions with one another, as well as with Aimee.

However, there were a couple times that I thought the story was rather repetitive, especially when Aimee talks about who she is, once she learns the facts. It seemed like every couple of chapters towards the end there was a “refresher course,” which would be good if you had set the book down for a while, but as I was reading it pretty much straight through, it did get slightly annoying to read the same thing over and over. It didn’t drag me down from enjoying the story, though, and I don’t think it was worth dropping a star from my rating.

All-in-all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal reads with a little revenge and romance thrown in the mix, and if you like a heroine who can kick butt, this one’s for you!

5 stars =)
  
A Stolen Life: A Memoir
A Stolen Life: A Memoir
Jaycee Dugard | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.1 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don't remember the first time I read this book. I think it was some point after Jaycee Lee Dugard had been found, but I was probably in late middle school, early high school - though I could be entirely wrong. I remember reading it the first time and having to stop every once in a while because it was so much. What she went through was so grueling and heartbreaking and to read her words, unfiltered, with all of her raw emotions, it's hard. That doesn't even feel like a good enough word for it.

More than anything, this memoir gives you hope. It gives you strength. It pulls your heart out to be reminded that there are these people in this world - the kind that could do this to people, let alone an 11-year-old girl. But despite all that, Jaycee remains somewhat positive. She knows that she has work to do on herself, on her relationships with her family, with the world, with life, but she also knows that she's going to be okay. I love that she never thinks that the recovery process is done and while this book was written several years ago, I can't imagine that mindset has changed much.

I think this book is phenomenal. Her story is insane, but her triumph is what wins you over in the end. I'm eager to read her other book and see where she is now and how she's doing. I would 1000% recommend this book.
  
40x40

Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Old (2021) in Movies

Jul 28, 2021  
Old (2021)
Old (2021)
2021 | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
6
6.1 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Cinematography and Sound Design - very Hitchcockian (1 more)
Concept and initial set-up of the movie
Goes OTT with farcical elements and story inconsistencies (0 more)
Dafter than the Dharma initiative.
"Old" is the latest from the gloriously inconsistent writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Will this be great Shyamalan (à la "The Sixth Sense") or dire Shyamalan (à la "The Last Airbender")? The answer, in my view, is somewhere in the middle. It's a curate's egg of a movie.

Positives:
- The premise feels very familiar (desert island beach; time slips; weird things happening.... "Lost" anyone?). But as a shell for a big screen adventure it kept me well-engaged.
- Shyamalan and his "Glass" cinematographer Mike Gioulakis use some novel techniques to portray the ageing effects. The angles they utilize feel quite Hitchcockian at times. Shyamalan supports this with the sound design, which makes this a REALLY good movie to watch in a cinema with good surround sound. Often the camera will be spinning showing nothing but ocean or rocks, with the character's conversation rotating behind you in the cinema. It's really quite effective.
- Shyamalan knows that no visual effects can improve on the horrors your mind can come up with. Although a '15' certificate, the "sustained threat, strong violence and injury detail" referenced by the BBFC pales into insignificance (in terms of what you actually see) compared to the equally rated "Freaky".
- I've seen other reviews comment that the "twist" (no spoilers here) was obvious. But, although not a ground-breaking idea, I was sufficiently satisfied with the denouement. It made sense, albeit twisted sense.

Negatives:
- I enjoyed the movie's leisurely set-up, introducing the characters and the movie's concept. (In many ways, it felt like the start of one of Irwin Allen's disaster movies of the 70's and 80's). But then Shyamalan turns the dial up to 11 and the action becomes increasingly farcical. Add into that the fact that you can see some of the 'jolts' coming a mile off, and the movie becomes progressively more disappointing, with a high ERQ (eye-rolling quotient) by the end.
- In particular, there are inconsistencies to the story that get you asking uncomfortable questions. For example, wounds can heal in the blink of an eye.... but not stab wounds apparently.
- The cast is truly global in nature: Vicky ("Phantom Thread") Krieps hails from Luxembourg; Bernal is Mexican; Sewell is a Brit; Amuka-Bird ("David Copperfield") is Nigerian; Leung is American; Eliza Scanlan is an Aussie; and Thomasin McKenzie (so good in "Jojo Rabbit", and good here too) is a Kiwi. But although it's clearly quite natural that an exotic beach resort would attract guests from all over the world, the combination of accents here makes the whole thing, unfortunately, sound like a dodgy spaghetti western!

Summary Thoughts: 'Time' and 'ageing' have of course been a popular movie topic for many years. I remember being both gripped and horrified by George Pal's wonderful 1960's version of "The Time Machine" when Rod Taylor threw his machine into fast forward and the dead Morlock decomposed in front of his eyes! Ursula Andress did the same as the rapidly ageing Ayesha in 1965's "She". And, more recently and with better effects, Julian Glover did the same in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".

Unfortunately, "Old" isn't likely to join any of these classic movies in my consciousness. It's a diverting enough movie, with fabulous views of the Dominican Republic (which the local tourist board will no doubt be delighted with). A "less is more" approach might have made this a classic. But unfortunately, that's not what Shyamalan delivered here. Since what we get is a 'Lost-lite' with farcical elements.

And, by the way.... The movie that Charles (Rufus Sewell) refers to starring Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando is "The Missouri Breaks". It has a very unusual John Williams soundtrack, which I have on vinyl somewhere and is probably worth a few bob!

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on t'interweb, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
  
    Urology, the Gold Journal

    Urology, the Gold Journal

    Medical and Magazines & Newspapers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Urology, the Gold Journal It just got a whole lot easier to keep up with the latest research and...

    DRAGON QUEST VIII

    DRAGON QUEST VIII

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    [Recommended Hardware] iPhone 5 or Higher/iPad (3rd Generation or Better) Please Note: iPhone 4 is...

D
Dreamstrider
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Every time the concept “body invasion” appears in a book, I regard it with absolute awe and creepiness (an odd combination, methinks).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/11/supernatural_dudeyes.gif"; width="320" height="179" border="0" /></div>
Have I mentioned I feel really disturbed over the idea of someone – a dreamstrider – having the ability to take control of your body and access to your thoughts while unconscious, even for a short period of time?

The concept, however, is uber-cool. Smith brings us to a fantasy world where using dreams in the form of espionage is completely acceptable – as a dreamstrider, Livia works for the ministry, and she inhabits another person’s body while they are asleep.

If I placed Livia in a character category, she would be right next to Alina Starkov from Leigh Bardugo’s <i>Grisha</i> trilogy. Over the course of the book, she’s on the downside; on the plus side, it fits so well with Livia’s character and past. Livia lived her entire life as a tunneler, trying to survive day by day until she meets Professor Hesse, where she is introduced to her potential as a dreamstrider and the good she can do for the empire for her citizenship and freedom.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/11/freedom.gif"; width="320" height="128" border="0" /></div>
Unlike Alina Starkov (Alina is too mopey over Mal, okay?), Livia’s mope is more realistic. She has big dreams and strives to achieve them, crushes over her best friend (it’s harder for males to be one of my best friends – that circle is <em>elite</em>), secretly sweet, and insecure/cautious about many things.

But enough about Livia and how she’s secretly awesome even though she will never <i>ever</i> admit it. I didn’t feel very into <em>Dreamstrider</em> – the passphrases in the Land of the Iron Winds are written in a very rhythmic style, but I didn’t care too much aside from the fact it sounds poetic. But poetry and I don’t get along, and this is why I will never read Ellen Hopkins. I have nothing against the author, though.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/11/I-Know-Nothing-Apparently-On-Game-Of-Thrones.gif"; width="320" height="179" border="0" /></div>
Ellen Hopkins aside, dreaming is a big deal – it plays a part in almost everything in the Barstadt Empire, but it felt more like a cultural thing (like Greek myths are to Greeks). I’m taking it all in, but the whole dreaming thing? It’s just there, and the only big deal seemed to be using dreaming in detective work and finding out information. The whole point of the book is really just Livia becoming more confident in not just herself, but her abilities. By the end of the book, I felt satisfied, but I just wanted more from the book.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-dreamstrider-by-lindsay-smi/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>