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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated A Game of Thrones in Books

Jan 15, 2018

A Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry

8.8

(87 Ratings)

Book Rating

Let me say first that, this is not at all the kind of book that I usually find myself drawn too. I had seen previews for the series on HBO & thought it looked good. I hesitated for a long while on whether to read it or not & decided that while I was on vacation I would read it. (I was advised to wait because you need to concentrate on the book in order to keep all the characters straight, which is VERY true!)
Now I wish I'd read it when I first got the urge. It is SOOOO incredibly well written. The characters are all so different, but so well fleshed out that you can picture them without much trouble. There are a great deal of them & it does take a hundred pages or so to get a handle on them. But, if you stick with it I know you will be pleasantly surprised & glad that you toughed out the first few chapters.
The story is haunting & beautiful. I loathe reviews that spoil the plot so I will not even begin to tackle it here. I could go on all day about it with all its twists & turns. Suffice it to say, I will be picking up the 2nd in the series as soon as I'm done typing here!
Take the risk, don't let the sheer size of the book intimidate you! You will not be disappointed.

Kudos

Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies

Oct 10, 2018

Hereditary (2018)

2018 | Drama, Horror, Mystery

6.9

(64 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Oscar worthy performances from the cast (2 more)

A genuinely complex approach to character based horror

Grounded horror, exploring reality and supernatural settings

It may be a little too slow for some (1 more)

This is not an easy viewing, and not a popcorn flick, you will need to pay full attention!

We Are family...

This movie is....intense.

It is painful.

It is uncomfortable.

It has moments of genuine scares too, but mostly it has slow dread.

The performance of this movie are outstanding and very much worthy of Oscar consideration, especially for Toni Collette who is just beyond amazing as a mother watching her family fall apart, but whose mental fragility is questioned over the course of the movie.

They keep the viewer guessing at all times as to whether the actions of this movie are due to insanity or something else, and honestly, either way, it is nightmarish.

The actions and conversations of the main characters all seem natural, or at least plausible, and this grounds the otherwise surreal situations in a way that is rare on movies of this type.

The sound design in this movie is fantastic, using really dynamic sound effects and periods of silence to create tension and keep the viewer focused, since there are very few musical cues on offer.

It is a classic, beautifully performed, lovingly crafted, and haunting in its brutality, realism and despair.

Watch it!