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Pretty in Black: Pretty in Black Book 1
Book
On the day of her death, a seventeen year old cheerleader meets a vampire in the cemetery who saves...
fantasy young adult
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Apparition (2012) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019
Characters – Kelly is a trainee vet, she moves into one of her parent’s rental properties with her boyfriend where she starts experiencing the haunting events. Ben is the boyfriend of Kelly, he is a good handy man and searching for his career. It is his past that comes back to haunt them. Patrick is part of the team that did the experiment with Ben back in the college days and now he will help right the wrongs.
Performances – The performances, well this is fun and this is not just the actors performances that hold them back, the characters are written one dimension which gives the actors nothing to work with. If we look at the main three stars, they all struggle to make an impact and it shows through the film.
Story – The story here follows an experiment gone wrong and now there is an entity haunting the people who released it from whether it came from, it plays into the idea that you shouldn’t mess with the dead because they will come to haunt you. Anyway this story is simple enough, it is a survival horror against a ghost figure that doesn’t have too much going on about it. We have plenty of just dark sequences that seem to go nowhere or lead to false jump scares and before long it is over, I think. I can’t say the story offers too much for the horror fans or just film fans and it feels like it is flat by the end of the film
Horror/Thriller – The horror is mostly false scares which just frustrate throughout, you are now looking to be on the edge of your seats, well this doesn’t give you any of that.
Settings – The settings just feel like they went and grabbed the Poltergeist location and thought this will do, nothing makes sense for the entity and the hauntings though.
Special Effects – The effects look poor throughout, it all looks like CGI which is poor to see in a modern horror.
Scene of the Movie – Credits were good.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Kelly criticising people who work in stores, these people work hard and deserve praise.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor lazy horror that just doesn’t do anything for the genre and becomes dull quickly.
Overall: Boring horror that has no scares.
Performances – The performances, well this is fun and this is not just the actors performances that hold them back, the characters are written one dimension which gives the actors nothing to work with. If we look at the main three stars, they all struggle to make an impact and it shows through the film.
Story – The story here follows an experiment gone wrong and now there is an entity haunting the people who released it from whether it came from, it plays into the idea that you shouldn’t mess with the dead because they will come to haunt you. Anyway this story is simple enough, it is a survival horror against a ghost figure that doesn’t have too much going on about it. We have plenty of just dark sequences that seem to go nowhere or lead to false jump scares and before long it is over, I think. I can’t say the story offers too much for the horror fans or just film fans and it feels like it is flat by the end of the film
Horror/Thriller – The horror is mostly false scares which just frustrate throughout, you are now looking to be on the edge of your seats, well this doesn’t give you any of that.
Settings – The settings just feel like they went and grabbed the Poltergeist location and thought this will do, nothing makes sense for the entity and the hauntings though.
Special Effects – The effects look poor throughout, it all looks like CGI which is poor to see in a modern horror.
Scene of the Movie – Credits were good.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Kelly criticising people who work in stores, these people work hard and deserve praise.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor lazy horror that just doesn’t do anything for the genre and becomes dull quickly.
Overall: Boring horror that has no scares.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Solaris in Books
Dec 1, 2017
High-brow science fiction
Solaris is a perplexing, impossible world - endeavouring, somehow, to exist and endure in the presence of binary stars with a toxic and corrosive atmosphere constantly enveloping its ink black ocean of intrigue. Hovering above the waves is Solaris station which is an armoured and secluded human outpost, a crumbling and half-forgotten castle in the air.
Scientist Kris Kelvin comes upon an unusual scene in which one of the researchers at the facility has apparently killed himself, another appears to have lost his mind and Snaut, who has a shred of humanity left, is still deeply suspicious. Soon after we discover that apparitions seem to be tormenting them, though they appear to be manifestations or projections of their own deepest, darkest feelings, created by the mystery that is the living ocean of this world. Testing their minds to the limits, we see if they can truly overcome their repressed memories.
It is a haunting novel, and almost parallels the mental health issue of post traumatic stress disorder, and that it can be present in anyone in varying degrees. A visionary science fiction novel.
Scientist Kris Kelvin comes upon an unusual scene in which one of the researchers at the facility has apparently killed himself, another appears to have lost his mind and Snaut, who has a shred of humanity left, is still deeply suspicious. Soon after we discover that apparitions seem to be tormenting them, though they appear to be manifestations or projections of their own deepest, darkest feelings, created by the mystery that is the living ocean of this world. Testing their minds to the limits, we see if they can truly overcome their repressed memories.
It is a haunting novel, and almost parallels the mental health issue of post traumatic stress disorder, and that it can be present in anyone in varying degrees. A visionary science fiction novel.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Housekeeping: Faber Modern Classics in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Haunting imagery, tremendous classic American literature
There was something deeply unsettling yet moving about this book exploring abandonment, solitude and loss over the span of three generations of women in a family.
Ruth, who is our main narrator, is speaking about her childhood in which her sister Lucille and her were continually abandoned by one family or another. Eventually they end up with their deeply eccentric aunt Sylvie, and she seems completely incapable in many ways of being a responsible parent, but rather a sister instead. She leads a transcient life, having deserted her husband, jumping on trains to get from place to place. She's a spirited wanderer, and sees Ruth as an ally and her own sister, Helen, who killed herself at the start of the book.
Their solitary life of never mixing, but staying in the great outdoors both seems idyllic and claustrophobic. There are images of the lake where the children's mother committed suicide, that seem to draw the women to this area. The metaphors are cold and quiet hence it feels unnerving.
It's a classic American tale about real women, which makes this different to the old books talking only about marriage and fidelity.
Ruth, who is our main narrator, is speaking about her childhood in which her sister Lucille and her were continually abandoned by one family or another. Eventually they end up with their deeply eccentric aunt Sylvie, and she seems completely incapable in many ways of being a responsible parent, but rather a sister instead. She leads a transcient life, having deserted her husband, jumping on trains to get from place to place. She's a spirited wanderer, and sees Ruth as an ally and her own sister, Helen, who killed herself at the start of the book.
Their solitary life of never mixing, but staying in the great outdoors both seems idyllic and claustrophobic. There are images of the lake where the children's mother committed suicide, that seem to draw the women to this area. The metaphors are cold and quiet hence it feels unnerving.
It's a classic American tale about real women, which makes this different to the old books talking only about marriage and fidelity.
Alan Zornes (1 KP) rated Betrayal at House on the Hill in Tabletop Games
Apr 2, 2019
Randomized board layout. (2 more)
50+ scenarios each with it's own set of rules.
Great teamwork and strategy.
Awesome co-op game
You start the game as an unlikely group of explorers who venture inside a creepy haunted house only to have the door shut and lock behind you, now you must find a way out. As you explore the various rooms you begin to find items like weapons, ritualistic artifacts and other "useful" things. If it's not an item or an empty room its an endless barrage of haunting, psychological events and hallucinations that keep the game thrilling and entertaining. When enough hauntings have occurredone of the explorers fall victim to the evil within the house and turns traitor. At this point you desipher what scenario you will be playing based on what cards/character initiated the haunt. After this each team (explorers vs traitor) takes their designated guide book and discovers their new goal. The game includes 50 scenarios with an addition 50 in the Widows Walk expansion. Every game is like you've never played it since the board layout, items, events, and even win goals are random every time. Just don't get trapped in the basement!?
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Clockwork Dollhouse in Books
Oct 19, 2018 (Updated Oct 19, 2018)
Short but gripping
A very short novella, Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth is a haunting steampunk tale of revenge. Set in a previous century, Governor Robert Pendleton is shocked to discover an intruder in a set of rooms that have not been entered for years. He is even more shocked to discover the intruder is his niece, Ainsley, the daughter of his sister, Jane.
When Jane was young, unable to walk due to a disfigured foot, she took delight in creating mechanical dolls, representing her family. Ever since Ainsley, now an orphan, appeared at the castle, the dolls have taken on a life of their own, acting out events to suggest Robert had murdered his parents and sister. Unnerved, Robert wonders who is moving the dolls; is it Ainsley or have the mechanical figures come to life. Could it even be Jane's ghost?
In under thirty pages, Jordan Elizabeth engages readers with a gripping tale of secrets and deceit. The steampunk genre adds an extra element of thrill, making Clockwork Dollhouse an apt short story to be published at this time of year. Although short, it proves the author's skill and wide imagination.
When Jane was young, unable to walk due to a disfigured foot, she took delight in creating mechanical dolls, representing her family. Ever since Ainsley, now an orphan, appeared at the castle, the dolls have taken on a life of their own, acting out events to suggest Robert had murdered his parents and sister. Unnerved, Robert wonders who is moving the dolls; is it Ainsley or have the mechanical figures come to life. Could it even be Jane's ghost?
In under thirty pages, Jordan Elizabeth engages readers with a gripping tale of secrets and deceit. The steampunk genre adds an extra element of thrill, making Clockwork Dollhouse an apt short story to be published at this time of year. Although short, it proves the author's skill and wide imagination.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012) in Movies
Jan 15, 2019
Lacks the punch of the book
The book about this is one of the most enthralling and haunting books I’ve ever read, and I was really hoping the film would be just as good, but sadly it falls a little short. And I know I shouldn’t compare film to book, but that’s pretty much impossible.
Don’t get me wrong, the film is quite good. It’s has great performances from Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, with an unusually creepy soundtrack and in general it’s a very bleak and dark film. It does well to get across the main parts of the book, but the main problem for me is that it doesn’t include anywhere near enough detail from the book. It covers the bare minimum, but i feel like it misses out a lot of the detail. I know a film can never include everything from a book, but for me this was missing a lot, especially about some of Kevin’s crimes and dark deeds. This is probably a case of reading the book ruining the film, I’ll admit I maybe should have watched the film first!
Don’t get me wrong, the film is quite good. It’s has great performances from Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, with an unusually creepy soundtrack and in general it’s a very bleak and dark film. It does well to get across the main parts of the book, but the main problem for me is that it doesn’t include anywhere near enough detail from the book. It covers the bare minimum, but i feel like it misses out a lot of the detail. I know a film can never include everything from a book, but for me this was missing a lot, especially about some of Kevin’s crimes and dark deeds. This is probably a case of reading the book ruining the film, I’ll admit I maybe should have watched the film first!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Dark Waters (2019) in Movies
Mar 4, 2020
Good, if a little drawn out
I recall watching a documentary on DuPont and Parkersberg a while back, but was really interested to see the dramatised version of how this all came about.
Overall this is a rather haunting and tense film, with a great score and performances especially from Mark Ruffalo. It has such a dark appearance and overtone, and this works really well. It all feels rather ominous. The story itself is hugely interesting, although I think there are parts in this that are way too drawn out. Virtually all of the family related scenes were entirely unnecessary and made the film a lot longer than it needed to be. They could have cut all of these out and it would've had no impact on the main story. Because of this lengthy run time, the film only just held my attention and purely because the story itself is fascinating. I mean how a company gets away with doing something like this is absolutely crazy.
However if they'd have cut a good half an hour out of this, I probably would've rated it a bit higher.
Overall this is a rather haunting and tense film, with a great score and performances especially from Mark Ruffalo. It has such a dark appearance and overtone, and this works really well. It all feels rather ominous. The story itself is hugely interesting, although I think there are parts in this that are way too drawn out. Virtually all of the family related scenes were entirely unnecessary and made the film a lot longer than it needed to be. They could have cut all of these out and it would've had no impact on the main story. Because of this lengthy run time, the film only just held my attention and purely because the story itself is fascinating. I mean how a company gets away with doing something like this is absolutely crazy.
However if they'd have cut a good half an hour out of this, I probably would've rated it a bit higher.
The Other Exile: The Story of Fernao Lopes, St Helena and a Paradise Lost
Book
The first known inhabitant of St Helena - long before Napoleon - was a 16th-century Portuguese...
Virgin Rebel: Richard Branson in His Own Words
Richard Branson and Danielle McLimore
Book
Richard Branson, who has been called "England's most outrageous billionaire," is also one of the...