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Brett Anderson recommended This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall in Music (curated)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Trauma Centre (2019) in Movies
Jun 9, 2020
Many moons ago I said to myself that I shouldn't watch films with big stars in if I'd never heard of them before they become available to buy, Steven Seagal was the reason for this rule in the beginning... when and why did I ever forsake that idea?
After witnessing a crime Madison ends up in hospital recovering from injuries she sustained in the incident. What she doesn't realise is that she's hiding evidence that will lead straight to her attackers. Her only chance is a cop assigned to watch her and her own wits.
I picked this up on Prime as the rental for members was only £1.99, that seems like a bargain... I can't say I was convinced after I finished it.
Trauma Centre is a very basic crime thriller, it doesn't ever stray into anything out of the ordinary. If it wasn't for the fact this was a new release I'd have said I'd seen it before and just forgotten all about it.
Nicky Whelan is probably the best of the bunch when it comes to the acting, but I think that's mainly because she gets to act manic and terrorised for most of it and that gave her the ability to act her way out of poor scripting.
We've also got Steve Guttenberg playing the doctor and it was nice to see him in something new. I loved so many of his films when I was growing up so this felt almost nostalgic... but it's an odd character and thankfully he doesn't pop up in a lot of scenes.
And then there's Brucey. I've watched a lot of Bruce Willis films and while some of them aren't great they've never really been bad. Dubious, yes. Bad, no. Saying Willis' performance was lazy may be being generous. There's no energy in the role at all and every scene looks like he's just woken up from a nap and isn't really sure where he is. This should have been an easily doable role for "classic" Willis with minimal effort.
Everything in the film left me kind of blanks. As I mentioned at the beginning, this film could have been any of several you've already seen. With just a small amount of effort (mainly with the script and the acting) this could have been a watchable 3.5 starred action film, but as it is there's little enjoyment to be had.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/trauma-centre-movie-review.html
After witnessing a crime Madison ends up in hospital recovering from injuries she sustained in the incident. What she doesn't realise is that she's hiding evidence that will lead straight to her attackers. Her only chance is a cop assigned to watch her and her own wits.
I picked this up on Prime as the rental for members was only £1.99, that seems like a bargain... I can't say I was convinced after I finished it.
Trauma Centre is a very basic crime thriller, it doesn't ever stray into anything out of the ordinary. If it wasn't for the fact this was a new release I'd have said I'd seen it before and just forgotten all about it.
Nicky Whelan is probably the best of the bunch when it comes to the acting, but I think that's mainly because she gets to act manic and terrorised for most of it and that gave her the ability to act her way out of poor scripting.
We've also got Steve Guttenberg playing the doctor and it was nice to see him in something new. I loved so many of his films when I was growing up so this felt almost nostalgic... but it's an odd character and thankfully he doesn't pop up in a lot of scenes.
And then there's Brucey. I've watched a lot of Bruce Willis films and while some of them aren't great they've never really been bad. Dubious, yes. Bad, no. Saying Willis' performance was lazy may be being generous. There's no energy in the role at all and every scene looks like he's just woken up from a nap and isn't really sure where he is. This should have been an easily doable role for "classic" Willis with minimal effort.
Everything in the film left me kind of blanks. As I mentioned at the beginning, this film could have been any of several you've already seen. With just a small amount of effort (mainly with the script and the acting) this could have been a watchable 3.5 starred action film, but as it is there's little enjoyment to be had.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/trauma-centre-movie-review.html
Debbiereadsbook (1171 KP) rated Scoring Position (Hockey Ever After #2) in Books
Oct 20, 2022
loved this much more than book 1!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Hockey Ever After series. I don't think its fully necessary to read book one, Winging It, before this but it might give you a better picture of the world these players live in. And I really enjoyed that book. Dante and Gabe do pop up, but knowing their story isn't essential, just helpful, especially with Tom and Kitty (side characters) playing a large part here.
Ryan is traded out and his new team is a mess. Their star player, Nico, even more so. But Ryan can see that Nico is hurting, in more ways than one. Finding his sense of humour was a great start. The Ryan messed it all up. And just what is going on with the coach?
I really enjoyed book one, gave it 4 stars, but I found this a much more engaging read, a deeper emotion read. I loved it.
Neither man is in the closet, so there was none of the coming out issue. What there was, though, was a lot of anger on Nico's part and much was misplaced. Ryan needed him to focus that anger, on the ice, rather than punishing himself. Falling for the other gay teamn member was in neither man's plans but fate has a way, huh?
I loved that it really did creep up on them both. Yes there was attraction from the start but the feelings came later and they both fought it hard. Ryan messing up, though? THAT came out of nowhere and I did NOT see that coming! I was reading, and then I was "OH MY GOD, RYAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!" out loud and my partner was somewhat shocked at me! Oh he does redeem himself, but I loved that Nico makes him work hard for that redemption. There is not a quick fix, either, and it does take time for them to be really together.
I loved that we caught up with Dante and Gabe from book one. And Tom and Kitty. I think this is a couple of years after Winging It, since Tom is captain of Ryan's new team, and has a couple of kids. Kitty surprised me though!
Are there any more planned?? I'm loving this series, but these authors are growing on me, as a duo.
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Hockey Ever After series. I don't think its fully necessary to read book one, Winging It, before this but it might give you a better picture of the world these players live in. And I really enjoyed that book. Dante and Gabe do pop up, but knowing their story isn't essential, just helpful, especially with Tom and Kitty (side characters) playing a large part here.
Ryan is traded out and his new team is a mess. Their star player, Nico, even more so. But Ryan can see that Nico is hurting, in more ways than one. Finding his sense of humour was a great start. The Ryan messed it all up. And just what is going on with the coach?
I really enjoyed book one, gave it 4 stars, but I found this a much more engaging read, a deeper emotion read. I loved it.
Neither man is in the closet, so there was none of the coming out issue. What there was, though, was a lot of anger on Nico's part and much was misplaced. Ryan needed him to focus that anger, on the ice, rather than punishing himself. Falling for the other gay teamn member was in neither man's plans but fate has a way, huh?
I loved that it really did creep up on them both. Yes there was attraction from the start but the feelings came later and they both fought it hard. Ryan messing up, though? THAT came out of nowhere and I did NOT see that coming! I was reading, and then I was "OH MY GOD, RYAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!" out loud and my partner was somewhat shocked at me! Oh he does redeem himself, but I loved that Nico makes him work hard for that redemption. There is not a quick fix, either, and it does take time for them to be really together.
I loved that we caught up with Dante and Gabe from book one. And Tom and Kitty. I think this is a couple of years after Winging It, since Tom is captain of Ryan's new team, and has a couple of kids. Kitty surprised me though!
Are there any more planned?? I'm loving this series, but these authors are growing on me, as a duo.
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Carrie in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Full review can be found on my blog - www.diaryofdifference.com
I am probably one of the last people on Earth that hasn’t read a Stephen King book. Carrie is the first book I decided to read. People have been suggesting it to me for a while, and it seemed like a nice short bit of introduction to Stephen’s horror world.
Also, a special thank you to my friend Dave, for constantly recommending Stephen King books to me, until I finally decided to listen to him. He seemed to be right!
Now - Carrie.
A book about a girl that lives with her crazy religious mother in a creepy house. A girl who is being bullied at school all the time. A story about a girl that has the ability to move objects as she wishes. And a prom night, where everything escalates.
Carrie is a sixteen year old girl. And she has been raised by her mother, who is a religious person in a - not healthy way. When Carrie misbehaves, she is sent to a closet to pray for the whole day. Even though Carrie doesn’t share her mother’s beliefs, she can’t really stand up and fight for herself.
The plot gets a grip when Carrie has her first period at the age of sixteen. She thinks she will bleed to death. And all her classmates are laughing at her, because she is stupid. And throw tampons her way. And as I am reading this, I keep thinking - what kind of mother won’t tell her child about menstruation, and puberty, and all the normal teenage phases a kid has to go through while growing up?
This moment, in the school bathroom, is the moment Carrie finds out about her powers.
And a few weeks later, a terrible thing happens.
This is a horror story, but the horror doesn’t lie in what Carrie did, but what led her to do that. Who it is to blame, and why things escalated the way they did.
Stephen King described bullying in its most painful and real way, and the consequences it can lead to. And it does happen, in every school, to a lot of children all over the world each day. A sometimes, most of the times, they are bullied only because they are different, not because they are bad.
This is a story that silently stands up to bullying, and by doing that raises such a strong voice in every corner of the world.
And remember - if you are the bully - think twice before you say things. Words can hurt, and they can result in bad things happening. Think twice about why you say what you say. The classmate of yours might have a talent you don’t know of.
And if you are the bullied child - also remember - you are kind and beautiful, no matter what everyone says. You shouldn’t let people bring you down. And we have all been bullied while growing up. Once you reach a certain age, people stop caring, and you stop caring what people think, and then, finally, you can be comfortable and happy with who you are!
I am probably one of the last people on Earth that hasn’t read a Stephen King book. Carrie is the first book I decided to read. People have been suggesting it to me for a while, and it seemed like a nice short bit of introduction to Stephen’s horror world.
Also, a special thank you to my friend Dave, for constantly recommending Stephen King books to me, until I finally decided to listen to him. He seemed to be right!
Now - Carrie.
A book about a girl that lives with her crazy religious mother in a creepy house. A girl who is being bullied at school all the time. A story about a girl that has the ability to move objects as she wishes. And a prom night, where everything escalates.
Carrie is a sixteen year old girl. And she has been raised by her mother, who is a religious person in a - not healthy way. When Carrie misbehaves, she is sent to a closet to pray for the whole day. Even though Carrie doesn’t share her mother’s beliefs, she can’t really stand up and fight for herself.
The plot gets a grip when Carrie has her first period at the age of sixteen. She thinks she will bleed to death. And all her classmates are laughing at her, because she is stupid. And throw tampons her way. And as I am reading this, I keep thinking - what kind of mother won’t tell her child about menstruation, and puberty, and all the normal teenage phases a kid has to go through while growing up?
This moment, in the school bathroom, is the moment Carrie finds out about her powers.
And a few weeks later, a terrible thing happens.
This is a horror story, but the horror doesn’t lie in what Carrie did, but what led her to do that. Who it is to blame, and why things escalated the way they did.
Stephen King described bullying in its most painful and real way, and the consequences it can lead to. And it does happen, in every school, to a lot of children all over the world each day. A sometimes, most of the times, they are bullied only because they are different, not because they are bad.
This is a story that silently stands up to bullying, and by doing that raises such a strong voice in every corner of the world.
And remember - if you are the bully - think twice before you say things. Words can hurt, and they can result in bad things happening. Think twice about why you say what you say. The classmate of yours might have a talent you don’t know of.
And if you are the bullied child - also remember - you are kind and beautiful, no matter what everyone says. You shouldn’t let people bring you down. And we have all been bullied while growing up. Once you reach a certain age, people stop caring, and you stop caring what people think, and then, finally, you can be comfortable and happy with who you are!
ClareR (5686 KP) rated Little Fires Everywhere in Books
Jan 14, 2018 (Updated Jan 14, 2018)
A slow burner
Slow to start, this book drew me in and made it very difficult to put down. It seems to be a story of opposites: the wealthy and the poor, people who live their lives as they have been 'taught' and expected to and those who live a freer life without pandering to the expectations of others. It's about growing up as a teenager, about being a parent. It's hard to judge the characters in the book, they act as they feel they should to benefit themselves, their friends or their family. This book shows you what it is to be human, to make mistakes and to live with the repercussions. I loved it. There were times where I thought I should dislike a character for their actions/ opinions, but the situation was portrayed in such a way that you could understand what they did and why they did it. This is what I really like about the two Celeste Ng books that I've read. She shows the real human side of her characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of the book to read and review.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of the book to read and review.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) in Movies
Aug 26, 2017
Not quite in the same league as other Japanese animations
Just like those crazy Studio Ghibli films of fantastic tales and amazing creatures, Laika productions (famous for Coraline) has created a stop motion animation using Japanese folklore. Now as a fan of Ghibli, I can say that this is no way near that league although the animation is always amazing to behold.
The story is rather tragic of a boy from a magical powerful family, who has escaped with his mother as a baby, losing an eye in the process, and growing up to play an instrument that has the power to control paper. Both he and his mother are poor, livingin a cave, hiding away from this family - his father has also perished in this initial battle. However, they are found and his mother gives him her powers to escape and try and find a way of defeating her sisters and father.
It's a quest-based film, filled with perilous obstacles and while it was sad at times - I just don't think it was as heartfelt as other Japanese animations. The voices of Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron is always fantastic to hear though.
The story is rather tragic of a boy from a magical powerful family, who has escaped with his mother as a baby, losing an eye in the process, and growing up to play an instrument that has the power to control paper. Both he and his mother are poor, livingin a cave, hiding away from this family - his father has also perished in this initial battle. However, they are found and his mother gives him her powers to escape and try and find a way of defeating her sisters and father.
It's a quest-based film, filled with perilous obstacles and while it was sad at times - I just don't think it was as heartfelt as other Japanese animations. The voices of Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron is always fantastic to hear though.
Domonique (0 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
May 12, 2018
This was really good. I have been a Trevor Noah fan since my sister told me about him a few years ago and I watched one of his specials on Netflix. Then for my 1 year anniversary with my now husband, we saw him live and he was even better than on TV. When I found out he had written a book, I couldn't wait to read it and I am so glad that I did. It was enlightening, insightful, funny and very honest. I loved hearing about his relationship with his mother, how he came to know his father, learning more about apartheid and how that affected him as a mixed child growing up in South Africa and how he came to be where he is today. I actually listened to it as an audiobook, which I really enjoyed because he has such a soothing voice and he is great at doing variations and inflections on his voice to make it sound younger, older or pretty much anything. Bottom line, it was a great read and it makes me respect and love Trevor Noah even more.
Paul Grundy (0 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
May 4, 2018
Epic fight scenes (2 more)
Heart wrenching moments
Thrill of seeing a plan come together
2 hours 20 minutes... is that really long enough? (1 more)
Possibly too many characters to squeeze in and give screen time too
10 years in the making... what a ride
Contains spoilers, click to show
What a film!! From start to finish this film takes you on an emotional journey like no other marvel film before it. You feel so invested in the characters after 10 years of growing up with them that to imagine any of them failing in any way. The film has moments of fast paced action in which it’s hard to breathe followed by moments which allow you to catch that missing air into your lungs.
Death is very much the theme of this movie and it delivers death in massive helpings.
If you want a movie that doesn’t deliver that happy ending feel we have all become used too over the years then this is for you... if you don’t deal with grief and loss I would wait until Avengers 4 arrives in 2019 and would watch Infinity war right before seeing Avengers 4.
Death is very much the theme of this movie and it delivers death in massive helpings.
If you want a movie that doesn’t deliver that happy ending feel we have all become used too over the years then this is for you... if you don’t deal with grief and loss I would wait until Avengers 4 arrives in 2019 and would watch Infinity war right before seeing Avengers 4.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Taken Girls in Books
Mar 24, 2019
A good debut
The Taken Girls is a unique take on the usual abduction stories in that girls are being taken but returned seemingly unharmed a short while later. It is down to DI Edina Ogborne (Ed) to find out just what the heck is going on.
Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going. Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.
Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.
My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.
Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going. Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.
Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.
My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.
Lenard (726 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
May 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
Did you ever dream of becoming a superhero? Thaddeus Sivana does. Bullied by his father and older brother because they think he is weak, Thaddeus dreams of becoming the most powerful being in the world. However, Wizard, the last remaining guardian of the secrets of the universe, doesn't think he is pure of heart and worthy of being a superhero. Thaddeus decides to become a supervillain and waits for a champion of the downtrodden, Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam since he IS Captain Marvel unlike Carol Danvers who got a promotion to Captain after being Ms Marvel for decades). A couple decades later, Billy Batson who was abandoned by his mother at a state fair spends his day researching and looking for the woman who abandoned him while running away from various foster homes. That is, until he is placed in a foster home full of damaged children. He learns the value of family while learning how to be a hero. I watched the TV series every Saturday growing up and while the movie is good, the show remains a pivotal time in my life.