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Alan Tudyk recommended Sexy Beast (2000) in Movies (curated)

 
Sexy Beast (2000)
Sexy Beast (2000)
2000 | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"And then, I’m going to go with Sexy Beast, a little off of the comedy. Why I love that movie so much is that Ray Winstone is such a badass. I’m a big fan of Nil by Mouth as well, and I knew him from Nil by Mouth. It starts out, he’s with his friends, and [speaking in a British accent] they’re all talking, out there at the restaurant, and he’s like, “Yeah, I’ll get the chicken thing.” “What chicken thing?” And then the friend comes in like, “Ah sh**, just leave it outside.” And they go, “We have something to tell you. Don’s coming.” And then you see him basically sh** his pants, like, “Don? Don’s coming? What’s Don coming for? No, no, God, not Don!” And I’m watching like, “Holy sh**! Who would Ray Winstone be afraid of? This better not be the Ben Kingsley role. This better not be that f***ing little Ghandi motherf***er coming in, scaring Ray Winstone.” And right after the first scene with him, he’s just riding in the car silently; he’s just quiet. Then he gets out of the car and goes, “I’ve got to change my shirt. I’m sweating like a f***ing ****!” [laughs] Oh my God! And he’s so good in it. And it was ultimately a love story, a love story. It was all about his love for his ex-porn actress wife. So f***ing awesome."

Source
  
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Kindle
Prison of Hope ( Hellequin Chronicles book 4)
By Steve McHugh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Long ago, Olympian gods imprisoned the demon Pandora in a human—Hope—creating a creature whose only purpose was chaos and death. Remorseful, the gods locked Pandora away in Tartarus, ruled by Hades.

Now, centuries later, Pandora escapes. Nate Garrett, a 1,600-year-old sorcerer, is sent to recapture her and discovers her plan to disrupt the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, killing thousands in a misplaced quest for vengeance.

Fast forward to modern-day Berlin, where Nate has agreed to act as guardian on a school trip to Germany to visit Hades at the entrance to Tartarus. When Titan King Cronus becomes the second ever to escape Tartarus, Nate is forced to track him down and bring him back, to avert a civil war between those who would use his escape to gain power.

I love love love this series! This has to be the best one yet. I really like the way the author uses the Greek gods and mythology as well as bringing all the myths and legends into the story without it getting silly. Nate is just brilliant I love his relationship with Tommy and other characters. I like the back story of Nate’s life that runs along with whatever he’s facing in current times. It’s such a good series.
  
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Lindsay (1774 KP) rated Otherworld Nights (Otherworld Stories, #3) in Books

Feb 15, 2018 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)  
This is a book about all kinds of supernaturals. Though you get to read about the American Pack. It falls more on Clay and Elena then the others. Though you get a piece each part of the stories. You get to learn a bit about Adam and though not all of it. You get parts of all eight stories list or at least part of it.

Though most of the book talks more on Elena and Clay and his family and adventures. You read all about what Adam mother find out about her son. You get to read about Clay an Elena Honeymoon story and Hidden/ Twilight though I do not know how that fits in much. Chivalrous you learn about Reese's back story. Lucifer Daughter comes in but not much is about either of them. From Russia with Love is a sweet story about Elena. Vanishing Act is the newest story about Savannah and Adam when he is older.

I know it a collection of stories not all them in a lot of detail. I was a little confused going from one story to the next I understood Elena and Clay story better and Savannah and Adam. That is all I understoood. The ohers I would not understand how it went from Adam being four years old to him being an adult. Why most of the stories where about Elena and Clay and American Pack when it started out with Demons and ending with Demons or half demons.
  
BT
Between Two Kingdoms
Joe Boyd | 2010
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was such a unique read for me that I can't recall reading anything of this nature, with the one exception of The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, which is also allegorical in nature. The story in Between Two Kingdoms is told as a story that I think young children could appreciate just as well as adults because of the simplistic nature of the text. What intrigued me about this book was trying to figure out what each element of the story represented in reference to the Bible. Some things were obvious, such as the King being God, the Good Prince being Jesus Christ, and the River being the Holy Spirit. The interpretation of many elements though are biased according to how the author, Joe Boyd, interprets Bibical scripture, such as making the River female in nature, which would indicate Boyd's interpretation that the Holy Spirit is also female, which I do not agree with. Another interpretation that I found questionable was the Dark Prince and his true name, Adam. I could be wrong, but that tells me that the author interprets the origin of the Devil as the first man, Adam. I was completely baffled by the language that the Phantom Messengers spoke and what it was supposed to represent.
Many elements of the story were quite imaginative and fascinating, such as the behavior of the River, which was as playful and joyous as it could be peaceful and comforting. I love how the children could use such a simple thing as mirrors to destroy the Phantom Messengers by showing them their true selves. The Long Night was rife with metaphor, and I love good metaphors.
On the whole, I think this story is a great conversation piece for anyone interested in puzzling out the meanings behind the allegory.
  
Millie Sullivan plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of a palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where her great-grandmother was a real guest ninety years ago. When Millie learns of a lost diary that may contain the location of a hidden treasure on the estate and reveal the identity of her great-grandfather, she sets out to find the truth of her heritage--and the fortune she desperately needs. But it won't be easy.

When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate's private library, he threatens to have her fired. Still, her story seems too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up.

Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners that will have you holding your breath and sighing with delight.

"A mystery, a treasure hunt, and a split-time romance--all set within a beautiful chateau.

My Thoughts: This is a wonderful romance mystery that keeps the readers' attention from the beginning. You can't help but love Millie, who is taking care of her grandmother diagnosed with dementia. When Milie has to find another home for her grandmother, with little money to do it with, her grandmother tells her of a journal of her great grandmother's that has a treasure map. Who doesn't like a good treasure hunt? And so begins our story of intrigue and romance.

This is a story of a lost romance and a new romance brought together by a unique situation. I believe that readers will enjoy this story as much as I did. It's not only about mystery and love, in this story we find two people trying their best to do right. Millie taking care of her grandmother and Ben trying to right his mother's wrong.
  
What Magic Is This?
What Magic Is This?
Holly Bourne | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Three friends, Sophia, Mia and Alexis are trying to do some magic during a sleepover at Sophia’s house. They all have something they want to cast a spell on. Sophia wants her sweetheart Aidan, Mia needs to stop harming herself, and Alexis wants to wish her dog (that she hated) a farewell. All three of these girls are very different, but they fit in together very well. Holly chose such a believable and realistic characters for this book, and the school life looks like straight from the TV screen. The story is told from Sophia’s perspective, where she is sharing details about her and Aidan’s love story.

The narrative was really gripping, I wanted to find out, what happened between Sophia and Aidan. The plot keeps changing between the events happening in the room, and Sophia’s love story in the past. This book is funny, very easy to read, and I liked the lessons it had to offer. There are not many surprises in this book, and sometimes it was quite predictable.

The writing style was really pleasant and easy to read. This edition has dyslexia friendly font, and the book itself wasn’t very long, so it was a quick read for me. The setting of this book doesn’t change much, it is either Sophia’s bedroom or the school. The ending of the book was quite predictable, but I liked the way it rounded up this story. The chapters are not very long, and this novel didn’t leave me bored.

So, to conclude, it was a great story about friendship, magic and finding what you really want. It has realistic characters and is an entertaining and educational read for young girls.
  
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Merissa (13162 KP) rated Warning! Deep Water! by A.L. Lester in Books

May 9, 2022 (Updated Jun 20, 2023)  
Warning! Deep Water! by A.L. Lester
Warning! Deep Water! by A.L. Lester
A.L. Lester | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WARNING! DEEP WATER is a gorgeous, gentle, slow-burn of a romance that takes place after WWII has finished -- when rationing was still a thing and same-sex relationships were illegal.

George served, as did Peter. George, unlike Peter, had a home and job to return to. Whether or not it was everything it should be is another story. Peter became a vagrant, sleeping rough and taking odd jobs. George finds Peter living in one of the greenhouses and takes him in. Wary at first, he gives him the space and time Peter needs to return to the land of the living.

The atmosphere of this book is perfect. You can visualise easily enough just how it must have been -- not only with recovering from the war but trying to have enough food, trying to find love, trying to live a 'normal' life.

I've given this novella a 5-star rating, which is exceedingly rare for me. I love a story I can get my teeth into and pass away the hours BUT I couldn't honestly give this book any less. It has everything I look for in a story, with enough detail and world-building to make it clear. Yes, I wanted more. Of course, I did! It's a brilliant story and over far too soon for my liking. Is that enough to knock off a star? Not for me.

This story gave me everything I wanted and left me wanting more. Highly recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 3, 2022
  
The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green | 2012 | Children
10
8.2 (185 Ratings)
Book Rating
Made me cry! Beautiful story.
The Fault in our Stars is an international bestseller by an award winning author John Green. This is John Green’s most loved and heartbreaking story yet which will be hard to beat! If you have not heard about The Fault in our Stars, where have you been hiding? Age does not matter with this five star beautifully written, heart warming, must read story! Do not wait to read this book, bump it up your pile or BUY IT NOW! I will forever praise and highly recommend this book to you all.

I could not put this book down until I had finished it (I was in another world while reading this book). As most of you will know this story has been adapted into a film and if you are a book worm like me, the book has to be read first! I cannot compare this book to the film as I have STILL not managed to watch the film yet! This is the perfect book for you all but specifically for those who enjoy the young adult, drama, death, romance and contemporary genre’s. This has to be on of my favourite books ever by John Green which led me to reading all his other books, I did find The Fault in our Stars a very emotional read so be warned!

This is Hazel’s story, Hazel has terminal cancer and will not expect what is about to happen… When Augustus walks into her life Hazel’s story will be completely re-written. Will they fall in love? Will Augustus show Hazel how beautiful life really is? That is for you to find out not if, but WHEN you read this outstanding story, trust me it will not let you down and will stick in your heart and mind forever! Enjoy, try not to cry!