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Movie Critics (823 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Apr 14, 2017
Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and an army of all-star voices do justice to animated landmark – even if some magic is M.I.A.
Critic Review By Peter Travers - Rollingstone.com
Read the full review: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-beauty-and-the-beast-movie-review-w471990
Except:
What Beauty and the Beast rises or falls on is the love story, and here, allowed to slow down to let in intimate moments, the movie catches fire. Hobbled by a motion capture process that forced him to walk on stilts and wear a huge muscle suit covered in Lycra, Stevens goes beyond the call of family-musical duty to give us a flawed human being instead of a special effect; his is a Beast worth saving. Those are his eyes gazing down with passion at Watson's Beauty, his voice choked with genuine ardor. And suddenly, in a movie built on the bones of what preceded it, there is something there that wasn't there before. I'd call that an exhilarating gift.
Read the full review: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-beauty-and-the-beast-movie-review-w471990
Except:
What Beauty and the Beast rises or falls on is the love story, and here, allowed to slow down to let in intimate moments, the movie catches fire. Hobbled by a motion capture process that forced him to walk on stilts and wear a huge muscle suit covered in Lycra, Stevens goes beyond the call of family-musical duty to give us a flawed human being instead of a special effect; his is a Beast worth saving. Those are his eyes gazing down with passion at Watson's Beauty, his voice choked with genuine ardor. And suddenly, in a movie built on the bones of what preceded it, there is something there that wasn't there before. I'd call that an exhilarating gift.
Hypeshooter (3 KP) created a post
Jul 12, 2017
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Phantom Pleasures (Phantom #1) in Books
Aug 23, 2017
Phantom Pleasures (Phantom #1) by Julie Leto
This book has some quirks with the main characters, but on the whole, I really enjoyed the story and the background given and am looking forward to reading Book 2 in the series.
It was nice to read a paranormal story that had nary a vampire or shifter in sight but instead followed the story of a phantom and how he came to be stuck inside a painting by gypsy magic.
The supporting characters of Cat and Ben steal the show in places, but the winner for me all round is Paschal. He is just wonderful! The part when Alexa and Damon meet for the first time has been covered in other reviews so I won't say too much, but I will agree that things happen very quickly, with no moment of disbelief or questions.
Recommended if you want paranormal with a twist.
* Verified Purchase ~ March 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
It was nice to read a paranormal story that had nary a vampire or shifter in sight but instead followed the story of a phantom and how he came to be stuck inside a painting by gypsy magic.
The supporting characters of Cat and Ben steal the show in places, but the winner for me all round is Paschal. He is just wonderful! The part when Alexa and Damon meet for the first time has been covered in other reviews so I won't say too much, but I will agree that things happen very quickly, with no moment of disbelief or questions.
Recommended if you want paranormal with a twist.
* Verified Purchase ~ March 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
murphydave (35 KP) rated Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero in Books
Jul 7, 2017
Great history of the comic book superhero (1 more)
Interesting insights and analysis
Magical self autobiographical history of the superhero.
If you're a fan of Grant Morrison'writing or just interested in the history of superheroes then this is a fascinating read. Be warned it gets into some pretty weird territory in terms of the autobiographical side of things, delving into the world of psychedelic chaos magic - take it with a pinch of salt if you will, or dismiss it as the writings of a deranged mad man, but you can't dismiss Morrison's influence on the comic book scene (he's definitely one of the triumvirate of superstars, along side Alan Moore and Neil Gaimen, whose work deserves much more credit than he gets in the mainstream imo) - it's really interesting to know the headspace he was in when coming up with a lot of his ground breaking ideas. Interesting for anyone interested in the creative process.
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Cross in Books
May 11, 2018
Cross by D.A. Roach
Cross is a young adult contemporary fantasy that not only deals with our main character having vEDS, but also we find out about magic, and barriers, and witches, and dragons. Trust me, there is never a dull moment. Ray is an excellent character, being charming but not cocky. He reacts to his parents' news in a completely understandable way without overreacting. He also sees people as they are, and doesn't prejudge them at all. With an action-packed story, this fantasy is one to enjoy.
With a solid story-line, great world-building, and excellent characters, this story was a delight to read. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, making this a very smooth read. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
With a solid story-line, great world-building, and excellent characters, this story was a delight to read. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, making this a very smooth read. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
<i>One Night for Love</i> was a lovely book, with a touching love story. Yes, I'll admit the story is a little heavy-handed, but Ms. Balogh did a nice job of anchoring it with believable, and likable, characters. I especially liked how she let the heroine be her own person, had her find herself, and had the hero accept her the way she was before any of it! That in itself is unique in the romance genre, in particular in historical (Regency) romances. I felt for everyone - Lily and Lauren, mostly. I'm not sure how I feel going into <i>A Summer to Remember</i> right after this, but hope Mary Balogh can work her magic and I'll grow to love Lauren as I do Lily...just in a different way. :) I know how Lily felt, never feeling like she was home, so I'm glad she was able to become a whole person with a new and extended family.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Summer to Remember (Bedwyn Prequels #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
In a lot of ways I liked <i>A Summer to Remember</i> better than it's predecessor, <i>One Night for Love</i>. Lauren turned out better than I had hoped (or feared, rather :P), and the love story between her and Kit was very sweet, realistic, and lovely. I couldn't ask for more! I loved how Lauren gradually opened herself up and became a whole person - it was just wonderful. Pure magic in this book. That's all I have to say - definitely a keeper for me. :)
Now...I'm not sure how I'll be able to like Freyja with how she is written in this book. I wish her book was the first in the Bedwyn series so I can get it over with. I'll just have to have faith in Ms. Balogh and how she writes her and her story, because I didn't like her in the least here. I'll cautiously go in. :D
Now...I'm not sure how I'll be able to like Freyja with how she is written in this book. I wish her book was the first in the Bedwyn series so I can get it over with. I'll just have to have faith in Ms. Balogh and how she writes her and her story, because I didn't like her in the least here. I'll cautiously go in. :D
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Habitica in Apps
Apr 4, 2019
Love this habit forming app!
You can set yourself challenges and either work alone or with a buddy/group to create new daily habits and achieve daily goals! You also get a character and can dress him using coins you earn. Alongside a character you can also find and hatch pets with magic potions, and feed them, too. All these items are dropped randomly,as rewards for achieving daily goals.
It’s a fun way to meet new people, and better your life by practising daily habits and conpleting challenges in order to accomplish life changing goals! I love it! I’m SassyBrit over there. Look me up! ?
It’s a fun way to meet new people, and better your life by practising daily habits and conpleting challenges in order to accomplish life changing goals! I love it! I’m SassyBrit over there. Look me up! ?
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) in Movies
Apr 6, 2019 (Updated Apr 6, 2019)
Good-natured family fantasy based on Arthurian legend. Alex Elliot draws a magic sword from a stone and finds himself charged with defending Britain from an ancient sorceress, the problem being he's only twelve years old.
Scores highly on the CGI spectacle front, and some good gags as well, but some of the learning-and-growing stuff feels a bit laborious and it's probably about twenty minutes too long. Child acting is mostly acceptable and Patrick Stewart is always good value, even though he's hardly in it. Given the film is trying hard to hit the same beats as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and mostly succeeding, it's a little hard to see why it has turned out to be such a flop; a victim of too many other dud films based on classic mythology leaving a bad taste in the mouth, I guess. No-one involved in this one has any real reason to feel ashamed of themselves, anyway.
Scores highly on the CGI spectacle front, and some good gags as well, but some of the learning-and-growing stuff feels a bit laborious and it's probably about twenty minutes too long. Child acting is mostly acceptable and Patrick Stewart is always good value, even though he's hardly in it. Given the film is trying hard to hit the same beats as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and mostly succeeding, it's a little hard to see why it has turned out to be such a flop; a victim of too many other dud films based on classic mythology leaving a bad taste in the mouth, I guess. No-one involved in this one has any real reason to feel ashamed of themselves, anyway.
Jade Clarke-Mackintosh (7 KP) rated The Silmarillion in Books
Jan 23, 2018
He is a master!
It has been a while since I have read anything by Tolkien, but as usual he never disappoints.
From the first page of the book he weaved his magic and I was once again transported to Middle Earth. He has such a gift for writing and storytelling you feel like you are there living and breathing the story. No wonder the man is a legend, his imagination knows no bounds from the poetic location names to the wealth and personalities of the characters, especially in this version as I listened to the audiobook my mind was conjuring up all sorts of colourful images. I guess it help having read previous books in the Middle Earth Universe collection, lots of the place names and characters were familiar to me.
No-one writes elves, goblins or dwarfs quite as well this man.
From the first page of the book he weaved his magic and I was once again transported to Middle Earth. He has such a gift for writing and storytelling you feel like you are there living and breathing the story. No wonder the man is a legend, his imagination knows no bounds from the poetic location names to the wealth and personalities of the characters, especially in this version as I listened to the audiobook my mind was conjuring up all sorts of colourful images. I guess it help having read previous books in the Middle Earth Universe collection, lots of the place names and characters were familiar to me.
No-one writes elves, goblins or dwarfs quite as well this man.