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Darren (1599 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 10, 2019
Director: Gary Dauberman
Writer: Gary Dauberman (Screenplay) James Wan (Story)
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Samara Lee
Plot: While babysitting the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a teenager and her friend unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.
Tagline – The Next Chapter In The Conjuring Universe
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Relentless Scares
Story: Annabelle Comes Home starts one year after the Warren’s Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga) bring the Annabelle doll home, knowing its power to control the other items inside their blessed room. With Ed and Lorraine going on a business trip, it leaves their daughter Judy (Grace) with girl next door babysitter Mary Ellen (Iseman), who has planned a little birthday surprise.
When Mary Ellen’s best friend Daniela (Sarife) decides to visit, with questions about the house, getting a moment alone, she sneaks into the blessed room, only to unleash a host of evil upon the three for a night of terror, all thanks to the dreaded Annabelle doll.
Thoughts on Annabelle Comes Home
Characters – Judy Warren is the daughter of the famous paranormal investigators, she is treated differently at school because of this, with some students being scared, while others just bully her, she does see spirits too and is a shy little girl, she just wants to make friends like any young girl and is struggling with the fact nobody will be her friend except her babysitter Mary Ellen. She does know how to handle herself when hauntings start happening around her house though. Mary Ellen is the girl next door babysitter, she might well be worried about who will take her to homecoming, but she is a friend that Judy needs. Daniela Rios is the best friend of Mary Ellen, she invites herself over to look around, in hopes that she could find a way to connect with her deceased father, whose death was an accident, but she believes was her fault, she unleashes all the evil items on the household, which would make her truly horrible, until you add in the reason why she is trying to find forgiveness. Ed and Lorraine are the familiar faces, only they are basically extended cameos in the film. Bob is the love interest of Mary Ellen and he does through the generic awkward moments of trying to ask her out, he is good for a laugh too.
Performances – McKenna Grace takes over the role of the daughter, she does make us believe that her character has become distant from the world around her, makes us believe she is feeling lonely and isolated too. Madison Iseman makes for an easy pick for the babysitter, she comes off friendly and gives the scream level required to show the fear. Katie Sarife is strong as friend who unleashes everything, somehow making a character we could hate feel sympathy towards. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do seem to be here as a draw, only they are barely even in the film.
Story – The story here follows a babysitter’s friend visiting the Warren’s house who unleashes all the evil from the safety, only for the three girls needing to put a halt to this before they can become the latest victims of the curses they have. This story does have a few positives and negatives, the first positive being see how the daughter of the Warren’s is struggling with making connections in life because of their work, we could have easily dived deeper with this, but it was nice to see a change in why somebody is isolated. The pure number of different evil figures we meet through the film is brilliant to see because this opens the doors to seemingly endless amounts of spin off movies now, which could be seen as a negative because, while this is an Annabelle movie, it does tend to focus on the other evil, instead of the main one attached to Annabelle. We could get into character decisions, which aren’t the smartest especially when it comes to knowing who the character of Judy is meant to be.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film, is an endless amounts of jump scares, this does work because each does have its own way of being effective, even if a lot if music goes silent and either a boom or something charging the screen. The mystery comes from each new evil that we get to see, we get glimpses into a few leading us to only want to know more.
Settings – The film is set in one singular location, the Warren house, this has all the evil set up within it, which means once it comes out and traps them, they don’t know what will come next.
Special Effects – The effect in the film are strong throughout, with each creation look different, with a couple of tricks for the Ferryman coming off nicely.
Scene of the Movie – The circular shot, I am a fan of this shot even if it was the same as the Nun.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I can’t help but think one of the rules for babysitting at the Warren’s, would be, anything slightly strange happens, get out until we come home.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice jump scare filled horror, it has plenty of references to the previous films and does leave us wanting more from this universe.
Overall: Jump scares for everyone.
Rating
Writer: Gary Dauberman (Screenplay) James Wan (Story)
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Samara Lee
Plot: While babysitting the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a teenager and her friend unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.
Tagline – The Next Chapter In The Conjuring Universe
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Relentless Scares
Story: Annabelle Comes Home starts one year after the Warren’s Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga) bring the Annabelle doll home, knowing its power to control the other items inside their blessed room. With Ed and Lorraine going on a business trip, it leaves their daughter Judy (Grace) with girl next door babysitter Mary Ellen (Iseman), who has planned a little birthday surprise.
When Mary Ellen’s best friend Daniela (Sarife) decides to visit, with questions about the house, getting a moment alone, she sneaks into the blessed room, only to unleash a host of evil upon the three for a night of terror, all thanks to the dreaded Annabelle doll.
Thoughts on Annabelle Comes Home
Characters – Judy Warren is the daughter of the famous paranormal investigators, she is treated differently at school because of this, with some students being scared, while others just bully her, she does see spirits too and is a shy little girl, she just wants to make friends like any young girl and is struggling with the fact nobody will be her friend except her babysitter Mary Ellen. She does know how to handle herself when hauntings start happening around her house though. Mary Ellen is the girl next door babysitter, she might well be worried about who will take her to homecoming, but she is a friend that Judy needs. Daniela Rios is the best friend of Mary Ellen, she invites herself over to look around, in hopes that she could find a way to connect with her deceased father, whose death was an accident, but she believes was her fault, she unleashes all the evil items on the household, which would make her truly horrible, until you add in the reason why she is trying to find forgiveness. Ed and Lorraine are the familiar faces, only they are basically extended cameos in the film. Bob is the love interest of Mary Ellen and he does through the generic awkward moments of trying to ask her out, he is good for a laugh too.
Performances – McKenna Grace takes over the role of the daughter, she does make us believe that her character has become distant from the world around her, makes us believe she is feeling lonely and isolated too. Madison Iseman makes for an easy pick for the babysitter, she comes off friendly and gives the scream level required to show the fear. Katie Sarife is strong as friend who unleashes everything, somehow making a character we could hate feel sympathy towards. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do seem to be here as a draw, only they are barely even in the film.
Story – The story here follows a babysitter’s friend visiting the Warren’s house who unleashes all the evil from the safety, only for the three girls needing to put a halt to this before they can become the latest victims of the curses they have. This story does have a few positives and negatives, the first positive being see how the daughter of the Warren’s is struggling with making connections in life because of their work, we could have easily dived deeper with this, but it was nice to see a change in why somebody is isolated. The pure number of different evil figures we meet through the film is brilliant to see because this opens the doors to seemingly endless amounts of spin off movies now, which could be seen as a negative because, while this is an Annabelle movie, it does tend to focus on the other evil, instead of the main one attached to Annabelle. We could get into character decisions, which aren’t the smartest especially when it comes to knowing who the character of Judy is meant to be.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film, is an endless amounts of jump scares, this does work because each does have its own way of being effective, even if a lot if music goes silent and either a boom or something charging the screen. The mystery comes from each new evil that we get to see, we get glimpses into a few leading us to only want to know more.
Settings – The film is set in one singular location, the Warren house, this has all the evil set up within it, which means once it comes out and traps them, they don’t know what will come next.
Special Effects – The effect in the film are strong throughout, with each creation look different, with a couple of tricks for the Ferryman coming off nicely.
Scene of the Movie – The circular shot, I am a fan of this shot even if it was the same as the Nun.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I can’t help but think one of the rules for babysitting at the Warren’s, would be, anything slightly strange happens, get out until we come home.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice jump scare filled horror, it has plenty of references to the previous films and does leave us wanting more from this universe.
Overall: Jump scares for everyone.
Rating
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Goosebumps (2015) in Movies
Dec 24, 2020
A mother and son move into their new home. Upon arrival Zack notices someone watching him but thinks nothing of it. He soon meets the person watching him and her dad who tells him to stay away from her.
One evening after hanging out with Hannah (the girl next door), Zack hears her screaming and her dad shouting at her. Worried, Zack calls the police but when they investigate hannahs dad claims that hannah had gone back to her mother's and the screaming was from the TV. Zack, however, is not buying this so he seeks help from a school mate and goes searching hannahs house. There they find a basement full of bear traps, a bookshelf full of locked Goosebumps books and of course Hannah. They unlock one of the books and an abominable snowman comes out of it jumanji style. After it's recaptured back into the book we learn that hannahs dad is R. L Stine, the author of Goosebumps and he explains about the books.
His most evil creation slappy opens all the books unleashing every monster he's ever created. It is now upto Stine and the teens to return them to their rightful place.
As a teen I loved Goosebumps and owned many of the books. I was really looking forward to this movie. Its definitely not one to take seriously and is very silly and cringy in places, and the CGI isn't the best but it is entertaining nonetheless. It gives you all the nostalgia from the books, though I was disappointed they didn't take the opportunity to use the theme tune from the show.
One evening after hanging out with Hannah (the girl next door), Zack hears her screaming and her dad shouting at her. Worried, Zack calls the police but when they investigate hannahs dad claims that hannah had gone back to her mother's and the screaming was from the TV. Zack, however, is not buying this so he seeks help from a school mate and goes searching hannahs house. There they find a basement full of bear traps, a bookshelf full of locked Goosebumps books and of course Hannah. They unlock one of the books and an abominable snowman comes out of it jumanji style. After it's recaptured back into the book we learn that hannahs dad is R. L Stine, the author of Goosebumps and he explains about the books.
His most evil creation slappy opens all the books unleashing every monster he's ever created. It is now upto Stine and the teens to return them to their rightful place.
As a teen I loved Goosebumps and owned many of the books. I was really looking forward to this movie. Its definitely not one to take seriously and is very silly and cringy in places, and the CGI isn't the best but it is entertaining nonetheless. It gives you all the nostalgia from the books, though I was disappointed they didn't take the opportunity to use the theme tune from the show.
Nadya R (9 KP) rated The Tea Rose in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Fiona is 17 years old girl who works in Burton's tea factory. She leads a life of Irish emigrant with her big family. There is Joe as well. The next door boy she is inlove with and also he is inlove with her since they were children. The only light in their light is their cacao box. It consist all of their savings set aside to support their dream - to have their own shop. When one day everything broke down. His father died in accident. Joe, the men she always love, is forced to marry to other woman.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated M3gan (2023) in Movies
Mar 1, 2023
Nothing Special
Move over, Chucky, there’s a new killer doll in town.
The first “hit” of 2023, M3GAN (whichs stands for Model 3 Generative Android) is exactly what you think it is, the latest spin on a theme that has been seen over and over again - a scientist creates a sentient being that ends up turning on it’s masters.
As Directed by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN is a winning (enough) entree into this genre, with the twist this time being that the sentient being is a doll (much like the aforementioned Chucky or Annabelle) and M3GAN is created as a companion for a lonely young girl who has lost her parents, as the relationship between M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) grows, M3GAN becomes overly protective of her.
Because the main character is a tween girl, Director Johnstone tries to tow the line between hard-core, R-rated Horror and more “kid-friendly” PG-13 fright/scares. He succeeds as much as he fails in this quest, but…ultimately…the films lands squarely in the middle…not gorey/horror enough for horror fans, but too gorey/horror-y for the younger set that just might be it’s target audience.
As the creator of M3GAN (and the Aunt of Cady), Allison Williams (GET OUT) does a professional job of holding down the center of the film with the rest of the supporting cast/victims being played inconsistently as realistic (the next door neighbor played by Lori Dungey (The Lord of the RINGS trilogy) or too over-the-top like the scum-bag, “only interested in making money” CEO played by comedian Ronny Chieng.
It is these types of inconsistencies - “R-Rated or PG-13”? Realistic or over-the-top acting? That, ultimately, sentences this picture as something that is neither interesting nor uninteresting. It just sits there like a doll on the shelf, staring at you, waiting for you to decide whether or not you wish to play with it.
Letter Grade: C+
5 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The first “hit” of 2023, M3GAN (whichs stands for Model 3 Generative Android) is exactly what you think it is, the latest spin on a theme that has been seen over and over again - a scientist creates a sentient being that ends up turning on it’s masters.
As Directed by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN is a winning (enough) entree into this genre, with the twist this time being that the sentient being is a doll (much like the aforementioned Chucky or Annabelle) and M3GAN is created as a companion for a lonely young girl who has lost her parents, as the relationship between M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) grows, M3GAN becomes overly protective of her.
Because the main character is a tween girl, Director Johnstone tries to tow the line between hard-core, R-rated Horror and more “kid-friendly” PG-13 fright/scares. He succeeds as much as he fails in this quest, but…ultimately…the films lands squarely in the middle…not gorey/horror enough for horror fans, but too gorey/horror-y for the younger set that just might be it’s target audience.
As the creator of M3GAN (and the Aunt of Cady), Allison Williams (GET OUT) does a professional job of holding down the center of the film with the rest of the supporting cast/victims being played inconsistently as realistic (the next door neighbor played by Lori Dungey (The Lord of the RINGS trilogy) or too over-the-top like the scum-bag, “only interested in making money” CEO played by comedian Ronny Chieng.
It is these types of inconsistencies - “R-Rated or PG-13”? Realistic or over-the-top acting? That, ultimately, sentences this picture as something that is neither interesting nor uninteresting. It just sits there like a doll on the shelf, staring at you, waiting for you to decide whether or not you wish to play with it.
Letter Grade: C+
5 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Love Fortunes and Other Disasters (Grimbaud, #1) in Books
Sep 10, 2019
In Grimbaud, love is on everyone’s mind. From the annual ritual of getting a completely true love fortune from Zita’s charm shop to the statue of Love in the square, that is just about the only thing that matters in the town. This is great for those who have found their matches and live happily ever after. For those who are fated to be single forever, not so much. They quickly become the social outcasts in the town and join the Spinster and Bachelor villas.
For Fallon Dupree, a spinster fortune is just another reason that she’s an outcast in Grimbaud High School. With her parents and brother all strict inspectors in the clothing and restaurant department, Fallon leads a high quality life that quickly gets her branded as a snob. Not ready to give up on love quite yet, Fallon joins a rebellion to overthrow Zita’s charm shop and take back their own fortunes. Much to her surprise, so does her next door neighbor, Sebastion, who is also the high school’s heartbreaker.
Okay, if you’re following me on Twitter, then you already know I like this book. It’s adorable and sweet. I am a bit of a sucker for modern fairy tale towns like Grimbaud is. Fallon is a really good character, even though I don’t really like her parents. I mean really, controlling much? Her brother is pretty cool, though.
I actually like Sebastion’s character. Player love interests can either be complete jerks or be really hot, and Sebastion is definitely hot. Unlike the love interest in The Boy Next Door, the teen romance I’m reading now, Sebastion isn’t a complete douche to girls, even though he does date around. He is really funny and I like the chemistry between him and Fallon a lot.
What I didn’t like about this book was how a lot of them just gave up. I mean, if I was in the Spinster Villa, I would be over at the Bachelor Villa all the time. Even if it wasn’t true love, it would be nice to have a fling, right? They are all lonely. I can’t see the villas staying segregated because of a piece of ticker tape they got a few decades ago, even if the fortunes always come true. Worst case scenario there’s always friendship, right? And some of those love fortunes definitely didn’t have a life sentence. You will get a terrible rejection in the near future? That could have been my fortune in the sixth grade. Now I’m dating an incredibly sweet guy who loves me and is adorable and sexy. Too much of this town gave up way too quickly. At least Ms. Ward tried.
I still give this book four out of five stars. Romantics out there will definitely enjoy it, and every teenaged girl feeling unlucky in love should read it.
For Fallon Dupree, a spinster fortune is just another reason that she’s an outcast in Grimbaud High School. With her parents and brother all strict inspectors in the clothing and restaurant department, Fallon leads a high quality life that quickly gets her branded as a snob. Not ready to give up on love quite yet, Fallon joins a rebellion to overthrow Zita’s charm shop and take back their own fortunes. Much to her surprise, so does her next door neighbor, Sebastion, who is also the high school’s heartbreaker.
Okay, if you’re following me on Twitter, then you already know I like this book. It’s adorable and sweet. I am a bit of a sucker for modern fairy tale towns like Grimbaud is. Fallon is a really good character, even though I don’t really like her parents. I mean really, controlling much? Her brother is pretty cool, though.
I actually like Sebastion’s character. Player love interests can either be complete jerks or be really hot, and Sebastion is definitely hot. Unlike the love interest in The Boy Next Door, the teen romance I’m reading now, Sebastion isn’t a complete douche to girls, even though he does date around. He is really funny and I like the chemistry between him and Fallon a lot.
What I didn’t like about this book was how a lot of them just gave up. I mean, if I was in the Spinster Villa, I would be over at the Bachelor Villa all the time. Even if it wasn’t true love, it would be nice to have a fling, right? They are all lonely. I can’t see the villas staying segregated because of a piece of ticker tape they got a few decades ago, even if the fortunes always come true. Worst case scenario there’s always friendship, right? And some of those love fortunes definitely didn’t have a life sentence. You will get a terrible rejection in the near future? That could have been my fortune in the sixth grade. Now I’m dating an incredibly sweet guy who loves me and is adorable and sexy. Too much of this town gave up way too quickly. At least Ms. Ward tried.
I still give this book four out of five stars. Romantics out there will definitely enjoy it, and every teenaged girl feeling unlucky in love should read it.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated Tuesday Mooney Wore Black in Books
Dec 3, 2019
I loved this book, which is packed with genuinely likeable characters and a mystery to solve. Tuesday Mooney is a bit of an enigma - at least to her gay best friend, Dex. She gives little away about herself, and tries to live apart from other people when she isn’t at work researching rich people who can make charitable donations to the hospital she works at. She loves all things gothic and horror. At a fundraising event, she meets Archie, a rich, possible-contributor to the hospital, and witnesses the death of the eccentric billionaire Vincent Pryce (not to be confused with Vincent Price!). Mr Pryce then sets in motion a treasure hunt across Boston, for anyone to take part in and potentially win a fortune. The clues are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe - something that Tuesday very much appreciates. She starts up a team with Archie (who is not at all who he seems to be), Dex and her teenaged Tuesday-wannabe next door neighbour, Dorry.
Tuesday’s backstory is fascinating and sad in equal measure, and it’s fortunate that she meets Dorry, a girl who misses her dead mother terribly. Tuesday misses her best friend Abby, who went missing without a trace as a 16/17 year old.
On the front cover, this looks as though it will be a YA paranormal/ horror novel. It’s not. There’s a smattering of the paranormal perhaps, but it’s certainly not a main theme. This is a mystery, where we also learn that to be yourself is the most important thing in life - as is friendship. I loved this book, and practically inhaled it on a long train journey. It’s a bit quirky, but it has a lot of heart (and hey, I like quirky!). Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my copy of this book to read and review!
Tuesday’s backstory is fascinating and sad in equal measure, and it’s fortunate that she meets Dorry, a girl who misses her dead mother terribly. Tuesday misses her best friend Abby, who went missing without a trace as a 16/17 year old.
On the front cover, this looks as though it will be a YA paranormal/ horror novel. It’s not. There’s a smattering of the paranormal perhaps, but it’s certainly not a main theme. This is a mystery, where we also learn that to be yourself is the most important thing in life - as is friendship. I loved this book, and practically inhaled it on a long train journey. It’s a bit quirky, but it has a lot of heart (and hey, I like quirky!). Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my copy of this book to read and review!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Keeper of Portals in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review </i>
Awaiting young adult readers in early 2017 is a fantasy story unlike any other. <i>The Keeper of Portals</i> is the debut novel of V.S. Nelson, the soon-to-be-published author with an imagination worth sharing. Incorporating the familiar concept of time travel into a new way of visualizing the world results in a story that will leave minds reeling.
Nelson’s theory is that every aspect of life has a keeper, a creature in charge of making sure their assigned element functions smoothly. There are the major keepers responsible for time, causality and other things that cannot be seen, yet objects as small as buttons have their own keeper, too. Humans, of course, are unaware of these keepers, therefore fifteen-year-old Martin Lockford initially believes he is going mad when the Keeper of Portals reveals his existence in Martin’s bedroom.
Martin and his mother, with nowhere else to go, have moved into a dilapidated manor once owned by a distant relative. Whilst exploring his new room, Martin is startled by a disembodied voice claiming to be the Keeper of Portals. Having not spoken to anyone for 400 years, Portals is eager to show off his role in the flowing of the unpredictable universe. The keeper’s task is to make sure each door leads to the correct place – something that he demonstrates by sending Martin to the <i>wrong</i> places. However, there is one door in the manor that he has been unable to open.
The very next morning, Martin awakes to discover the sealed door is no longer locked and, being the curious boy that he is, goes through to explore. The mystery door does not only transport Martin to a different place, it sends him back in time to 1623. Here he meets the young Isabel, a maid, who is intrigued with the inventions of the future, especially from a personal hygiene perspective. However, she is not the only one curious about the 21st century.
The irascible master of the manor is not who he initially seems. With the desire to control everything, he places Martin and Isabel in a grave predicament, trapping them in the 17th century. At risk of creating a paradox, Martin needs to return to his own time – a difficult feat in itself – however, with the Keeper of Portals missing, the master has caused many problems that need to be solved, otherwise a whole new future will be born.
Admittedly, it takes a while for the story to warm up – the reader may be introduced to the idea of keepers fairly early on, yet the key storyline does not reveal itself until much later. After perseverance on the reader’s behalf, <i>The Keeper of Portals</i>, becomes an exciting mix of fantasy and science fiction, cleverly thought out to create an unpredictable scenario. Adventure after adventure, until bittersweet conclusion, keeps readers engaged and compelled to read on long after bedtime.
Although Martin is the protagonist of the novel, Isabel’s role is equally important. Despite women in the 1600s being deprived on the rights they have in this day and age, Isabel is an intelligent, independent girl, perfectly able to handle everything that is thrown at her. She is an inspiration to teenage girls.
Written with teenage readers in mind, <i>The Keeper of Portals</i> is suitable for fantasy-loving adults, too. With equipoise of adventure and intellectual theory, as well as a touch of romance, it is definitely a book to look out for. V.S. Nelson writes with clarity, exuding remarkable intelligence; let us hope that there will be more from where this came from.
Awaiting young adult readers in early 2017 is a fantasy story unlike any other. <i>The Keeper of Portals</i> is the debut novel of V.S. Nelson, the soon-to-be-published author with an imagination worth sharing. Incorporating the familiar concept of time travel into a new way of visualizing the world results in a story that will leave minds reeling.
Nelson’s theory is that every aspect of life has a keeper, a creature in charge of making sure their assigned element functions smoothly. There are the major keepers responsible for time, causality and other things that cannot be seen, yet objects as small as buttons have their own keeper, too. Humans, of course, are unaware of these keepers, therefore fifteen-year-old Martin Lockford initially believes he is going mad when the Keeper of Portals reveals his existence in Martin’s bedroom.
Martin and his mother, with nowhere else to go, have moved into a dilapidated manor once owned by a distant relative. Whilst exploring his new room, Martin is startled by a disembodied voice claiming to be the Keeper of Portals. Having not spoken to anyone for 400 years, Portals is eager to show off his role in the flowing of the unpredictable universe. The keeper’s task is to make sure each door leads to the correct place – something that he demonstrates by sending Martin to the <i>wrong</i> places. However, there is one door in the manor that he has been unable to open.
The very next morning, Martin awakes to discover the sealed door is no longer locked and, being the curious boy that he is, goes through to explore. The mystery door does not only transport Martin to a different place, it sends him back in time to 1623. Here he meets the young Isabel, a maid, who is intrigued with the inventions of the future, especially from a personal hygiene perspective. However, she is not the only one curious about the 21st century.
The irascible master of the manor is not who he initially seems. With the desire to control everything, he places Martin and Isabel in a grave predicament, trapping them in the 17th century. At risk of creating a paradox, Martin needs to return to his own time – a difficult feat in itself – however, with the Keeper of Portals missing, the master has caused many problems that need to be solved, otherwise a whole new future will be born.
Admittedly, it takes a while for the story to warm up – the reader may be introduced to the idea of keepers fairly early on, yet the key storyline does not reveal itself until much later. After perseverance on the reader’s behalf, <i>The Keeper of Portals</i>, becomes an exciting mix of fantasy and science fiction, cleverly thought out to create an unpredictable scenario. Adventure after adventure, until bittersweet conclusion, keeps readers engaged and compelled to read on long after bedtime.
Although Martin is the protagonist of the novel, Isabel’s role is equally important. Despite women in the 1600s being deprived on the rights they have in this day and age, Isabel is an intelligent, independent girl, perfectly able to handle everything that is thrown at her. She is an inspiration to teenage girls.
Written with teenage readers in mind, <i>The Keeper of Portals</i> is suitable for fantasy-loving adults, too. With equipoise of adventure and intellectual theory, as well as a touch of romance, it is definitely a book to look out for. V.S. Nelson writes with clarity, exuding remarkable intelligence; let us hope that there will be more from where this came from.
Louise (64 KP) rated Everything, Everything in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I recieved a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This novel follows a young girl by the name of Madeline Whittier, she is 18 years of age and for as long as she can remember has never stepped foot outside the house. The reason for this being is that she suffers from SCID – Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (She is allergic to everything).
The only two people she really has contact with is her mother and her Nurse – Carla, with everything she needs in her house she continues on with her secluded life until one day a new family move in next door.
Among this new family is a boy called Olly, Madeline starts communicating with Olly and before long she is thinking about the outside world and the life she would like to lead.
First of all, I thought this book was adorable and cute with a plausible twist involved. I really appreciated the different formats that were layed out such as: emails, IM’s, sticky notes and clinical observations. It made the book go a lot faster. This could easily be read in one sitting. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, just all the colours……ahhhh cover love!
I liked Madelines character, she was very clever due to only being able to read or study most of her days, but she wasn’t pretentious, Maddy was like any normal 18 year old should be. She was also strong willed, when she wanted something she got it.
Olly was great, he was such a caring young man, who took an interest in Madeline and was always careful about her and always following the rules. He had a bit of a rough time with an alcoholic and abusive father but never was stroppy or took it out on Maddy.
The only problem for me in this book was that I found it too predictable and thats why I rated it 4 stars rather than 5. I had my theories, but I cant tell you with out spoilers, It was still a great read and a fantastic debut novel by Nicola Yoon, if she writes this good now, surely she can only get better. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of YA Contemporary.
This novel follows a young girl by the name of Madeline Whittier, she is 18 years of age and for as long as she can remember has never stepped foot outside the house. The reason for this being is that she suffers from SCID – Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (She is allergic to everything).
The only two people she really has contact with is her mother and her Nurse – Carla, with everything she needs in her house she continues on with her secluded life until one day a new family move in next door.
Among this new family is a boy called Olly, Madeline starts communicating with Olly and before long she is thinking about the outside world and the life she would like to lead.
First of all, I thought this book was adorable and cute with a plausible twist involved. I really appreciated the different formats that were layed out such as: emails, IM’s, sticky notes and clinical observations. It made the book go a lot faster. This could easily be read in one sitting. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, just all the colours……ahhhh cover love!
I liked Madelines character, she was very clever due to only being able to read or study most of her days, but she wasn’t pretentious, Maddy was like any normal 18 year old should be. She was also strong willed, when she wanted something she got it.
Olly was great, he was such a caring young man, who took an interest in Madeline and was always careful about her and always following the rules. He had a bit of a rough time with an alcoholic and abusive father but never was stroppy or took it out on Maddy.
The only problem for me in this book was that I found it too predictable and thats why I rated it 4 stars rather than 5. I had my theories, but I cant tell you with out spoilers, It was still a great read and a fantastic debut novel by Nicola Yoon, if she writes this good now, surely she can only get better. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of YA Contemporary.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Dope (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Dope
A drug taken illegally for recreational purposes, especially marijuana or heroin.
A stupid person
A slang term meaning very good or awesome.
That is exactly what this movie is about. All three of those definitions apply equally to this brilliant film. It tells you right up front with definitions very similar to these right on the screen. Though, the application of each definition may surprise you.
Dope centers around Malcom (Shameik Moore) who, along with his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), found himself in a difficult situation after attending the birthday party for a local drug dealer. You see the trio are your typical geeks, into computers, math, science, games, have their own band (not as glamorous as you would think)… oh, and obsessed with the nineties hip-hop culture. But they live in a not so friendly neighborhood in Inglewood known as “The Bottoms”. Forced to take an alternate route home from school one afternoon, he unwittingly gets invited to a birthday party for Dom (Rakim Mayers, aka A$ap Rocky), but he is really going because of a girl, Nakia (Zoe Kravitz). While at the party, things start to go south, and Dom hides all of the “Molly” he was in the middle of selling in Malcom’s bag, unbeknownst to him. Once he finds it, Dom tells him to deliver it to a man named AJ, and that’s where all the hijinks begin.
I really don’t want to give away any more than this. The trailer only really tells half the story, and I believe that it will have more impact if you discover it yourself. Needless to say, though, it was really a fantastic movie. With Pharrell in charge of music, and Forest Whitaker and Sean Combs on board as well, the film does a great job at keeping things very original. There were many times where I could not hear the next few lines of dialogue, I was laughing so hard. And the soundtrack was incredible.
If I had to give you a frame of reference, though, think of it like this: Friday meets The Girl Next Door, with a little bit of Superbad mixed in. But the film delivers in so many great ways, and was very excellently cast. Moore did a great job of portraying that awkward geek who just got caught up in some very interesting situations. I should know, because I was there once, too. But the film has a powerful message. Showing off his love of nineties hip-hop, the film begins with Malcolm trying to get his Harvard admittance essay past his guidance counselor, but the essay is about the research to find that good day that Ice Cube talks about in his song. He was asked to write something more personal, and boy did he deliver after everything he went through following that birthday party.
I can’t truthfully say that you absolutely need to see this on the big screen. There’s nothing to really promote seeing it in theaters over at home. But, if you are looking for a good date night movie, this might be the one to see this weekend. While there were a few slow parts, the movie did keep up a good pace and was lighthearted enough to be enjoyable by all. Definitely worth checking out, but when is up to you. Know that I would definitely recommend it though, and will absolutely be picking it up for my home collection when it releases in stores.
A drug taken illegally for recreational purposes, especially marijuana or heroin.
A stupid person
A slang term meaning very good or awesome.
That is exactly what this movie is about. All three of those definitions apply equally to this brilliant film. It tells you right up front with definitions very similar to these right on the screen. Though, the application of each definition may surprise you.
Dope centers around Malcom (Shameik Moore) who, along with his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), found himself in a difficult situation after attending the birthday party for a local drug dealer. You see the trio are your typical geeks, into computers, math, science, games, have their own band (not as glamorous as you would think)… oh, and obsessed with the nineties hip-hop culture. But they live in a not so friendly neighborhood in Inglewood known as “The Bottoms”. Forced to take an alternate route home from school one afternoon, he unwittingly gets invited to a birthday party for Dom (Rakim Mayers, aka A$ap Rocky), but he is really going because of a girl, Nakia (Zoe Kravitz). While at the party, things start to go south, and Dom hides all of the “Molly” he was in the middle of selling in Malcom’s bag, unbeknownst to him. Once he finds it, Dom tells him to deliver it to a man named AJ, and that’s where all the hijinks begin.
I really don’t want to give away any more than this. The trailer only really tells half the story, and I believe that it will have more impact if you discover it yourself. Needless to say, though, it was really a fantastic movie. With Pharrell in charge of music, and Forest Whitaker and Sean Combs on board as well, the film does a great job at keeping things very original. There were many times where I could not hear the next few lines of dialogue, I was laughing so hard. And the soundtrack was incredible.
If I had to give you a frame of reference, though, think of it like this: Friday meets The Girl Next Door, with a little bit of Superbad mixed in. But the film delivers in so many great ways, and was very excellently cast. Moore did a great job of portraying that awkward geek who just got caught up in some very interesting situations. I should know, because I was there once, too. But the film has a powerful message. Showing off his love of nineties hip-hop, the film begins with Malcolm trying to get his Harvard admittance essay past his guidance counselor, but the essay is about the research to find that good day that Ice Cube talks about in his song. He was asked to write something more personal, and boy did he deliver after everything he went through following that birthday party.
I can’t truthfully say that you absolutely need to see this on the big screen. There’s nothing to really promote seeing it in theaters over at home. But, if you are looking for a good date night movie, this might be the one to see this weekend. While there were a few slow parts, the movie did keep up a good pace and was lighthearted enough to be enjoyable by all. Definitely worth checking out, but when is up to you. Know that I would definitely recommend it though, and will absolutely be picking it up for my home collection when it releases in stores.
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Dangerous Lies (2020) in Movies
Oct 29, 2022
Contains spoilers, click to show
a guy starts his shift at a local diner, and a girl also working there seemingly flirts with a customer and they go off to make out in his car, they thankfully turn out to be a couple. .upon their return to the diner, the guy stops a robbery taking place by beating the criminal repeatedly with a frying pan, and is crowned a hero.
Fast forward 4 months and the girl (Katy) is at her new job as a caregiver for an elderly man. when she gets home, it is clear that her and Adam are having serious financial difficulties. Katy reaches out to Leonard, the man she is taking care of, who offers to give Adam a job. Whilst Adam is speaking to Leonard about the job, an estate agent comes knocking at the door offering to buy the house, but Katy tells him that Leonard has no plans to move.
After finishing one of her shifts, Katy recieves a shock in her pay cheque when she discovers she had been paid $7000. she wants to give it back but Adam convinces her to keep it.
the next day Katy goes to her job as usual, only to find Leonard had passed away in his sleep. Katy and Adam go snooping in a locked chest and find a huge amount of money, and like before, Adam wants to keep it, but Katy thinks they should leave it for now, so they do. However, after a failed job interview, Adam returns to Leonards to take the money but ends up being attacked by an intruder. After the ordeal Katy and Adam decide to stor the money in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Katy soon discovers that Leonard left her everything including the house in his will. Once her and Adam move in, the threats and strange things start happening.
45 minutes it took for the movie to get going, and for a film that is only an hour and a half, that's a good chunk of the movie to get to the main part of the story!! Despite this i did enjoy the movie, I just wished it would have got to the main storyline quicker than it did. It definitely had a straight to tv kinda vibe, I couldnt imagine watching it in the cinema, but depending on your taste, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. there are also scenes where you wonder what on earth the characters are playing at, like when Katy and Adam sit talking after finding Leonard, rather than reporting it straight away, such a face palm moment. otherwise the film isn't too bad.
Fast forward 4 months and the girl (Katy) is at her new job as a caregiver for an elderly man. when she gets home, it is clear that her and Adam are having serious financial difficulties. Katy reaches out to Leonard, the man she is taking care of, who offers to give Adam a job. Whilst Adam is speaking to Leonard about the job, an estate agent comes knocking at the door offering to buy the house, but Katy tells him that Leonard has no plans to move.
After finishing one of her shifts, Katy recieves a shock in her pay cheque when she discovers she had been paid $7000. she wants to give it back but Adam convinces her to keep it.
the next day Katy goes to her job as usual, only to find Leonard had passed away in his sleep. Katy and Adam go snooping in a locked chest and find a huge amount of money, and like before, Adam wants to keep it, but Katy thinks they should leave it for now, so they do. However, after a failed job interview, Adam returns to Leonards to take the money but ends up being attacked by an intruder. After the ordeal Katy and Adam decide to stor the money in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Katy soon discovers that Leonard left her everything including the house in his will. Once her and Adam move in, the threats and strange things start happening.
45 minutes it took for the movie to get going, and for a film that is only an hour and a half, that's a good chunk of the movie to get to the main part of the story!! Despite this i did enjoy the movie, I just wished it would have got to the main storyline quicker than it did. It definitely had a straight to tv kinda vibe, I couldnt imagine watching it in the cinema, but depending on your taste, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. there are also scenes where you wonder what on earth the characters are playing at, like when Katy and Adam sit talking after finding Leonard, rather than reporting it straight away, such a face palm moment. otherwise the film isn't too bad.