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tonidavis (353 KP) rated Before I Fall (2017) in Movies
Jul 8, 2017
Mystery fail due to film media
Sometimes book to film adaptations work sometimes there a disaster this fell in the in-between. Whilst the film followed the story premise it wasn't that captivating and I think the reasons because it it doesn't work as well in the film medium. In the book the first accident is heightened and where all left guessing the events but are that much more involved because we know what she shouts before the accident we wonder why she shouts it int he film they cant do that because you would see what responsible. I dont think it was the film makers fault just that the suspense that made the book just doesn't transfer over. I mean as a teenager chick flick its okay but the books is deep powerful and meaningful and enraptures you in this mystery of teenage life and leaves you wondering the meaning why she yell what she does. The film doesn't
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Unexpected Cables: Feminine Knitted Garments Featuring Modern Cable Knitting in Books
Apr 27, 2018
This is a book of cable patterns for knitters who are bored with other cable patterns. There are lots of patterns out there but when you’ve been knitting for any length of time, you feel like you’ve seen it all, and you’d really like to see something new. Remember when sideways-knit sweaters became a thing? I remember. But now even that’s a “same-old same-old.”
These patterns are a combination of different ways to use cables with interesting construction techniques. There are some simple, some complex. And don’t get me wrong, not all of them are “the new big thing.” But they are all really nice patterns. There’s also a good combination of lace-weight all the way up to medium weight. nothing bulky, but some really nice warm sweaters and hats.
I’d definitely recommend this book to someone familiar with cables (the book doesn’t include pages of instruction like some do, it assumes you know how to make cables if you buy an advanced cable book), but also wants something unique and interesting.
These patterns are a combination of different ways to use cables with interesting construction techniques. There are some simple, some complex. And don’t get me wrong, not all of them are “the new big thing.” But they are all really nice patterns. There’s also a good combination of lace-weight all the way up to medium weight. nothing bulky, but some really nice warm sweaters and hats.
I’d definitely recommend this book to someone familiar with cables (the book doesn’t include pages of instruction like some do, it assumes you know how to make cables if you buy an advanced cable book), but also wants something unique and interesting.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Break of Dark in Books
Aug 2, 2019
I must have been 12 or 13 when I first read this, and back then part of the fun came from the sense that these actually felt like adult stories, for all the book is advertised as being basically YA fiction: quite apart from the substantial quantities of profanity and sex, many the characters aren't typical YA identification figures: middle-aged seaside policemen, earnest young vicars, suburban couples, and so on. These are still hugely readable and satisfying stories even now many decades later.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Count Dracula (1977) in Movies
Nov 15, 2020
Surprisingly faithful BBC adaptation of the famous story has definite merits, but also perhaps shows why most people don't stick so close to the text. Young solicitor Harker goes off to Transylvania to close a deal with the engimatic Count Dracula; you can probably guess the rest.
Scores very highly for its acting - Frank Finlay is a charismatic Van Helsing and Louis Jourdan a playfully evil Dracula - and also for its atmosphere, even with BBC TV production restraints (videotaped interiors, some rather weird special effects). For an adaptation to stick quite so close to the book is very nearly exceptional, too - Savory makes Lucy and Mina sisters, combines Arthur and Quincey into one character, and cuts down the final act, but that's about it. The drawback to this, of course, is that after the first act Dracula gets relatively little screen-time and even less dialogue, and it does drag on just a tiny bit. Nevertheless, its fidelity and seriousness mean that this is certainly among the top echelon of Draculas in any medium.
Scores very highly for its acting - Frank Finlay is a charismatic Van Helsing and Louis Jourdan a playfully evil Dracula - and also for its atmosphere, even with BBC TV production restraints (videotaped interiors, some rather weird special effects). For an adaptation to stick quite so close to the book is very nearly exceptional, too - Savory makes Lucy and Mina sisters, combines Arthur and Quincey into one character, and cuts down the final act, but that's about it. The drawback to this, of course, is that after the first act Dracula gets relatively little screen-time and even less dialogue, and it does drag on just a tiny bit. Nevertheless, its fidelity and seriousness mean that this is certainly among the top echelon of Draculas in any medium.
21st century remake of the cult post-apocalyptic drama is supposedly based on the novelisation of the 70s show, not the show itself, but one gets the impression this claim is just there as a legal requirement: in the early episodes, at least, this is recognisably the same story.
That said, New Survivors is notably more suburban and less concerned with the realities of post-apocalyptic survival than with making grand statements about family and love through the medium of slightly soapy and soft-centred drama. It's a BBC genre drama from the late 2000s, so the characters are more diverse, everything is rather sentimental, and supplies of subtlety do not appear to have made it through the catastrophe. Still, it's kind of watchable, especially if you can put the original show out of your mind, and in the second series in particular one can discern an interesting subtext suggesting the programme is partly motivated by anger aimed at the culprits of the financial disaster of 2008. Second series concludes on a cliffhanger of sorts, so you can have fun making up your own ending for the story.
That said, New Survivors is notably more suburban and less concerned with the realities of post-apocalyptic survival than with making grand statements about family and love through the medium of slightly soapy and soft-centred drama. It's a BBC genre drama from the late 2000s, so the characters are more diverse, everything is rather sentimental, and supplies of subtlety do not appear to have made it through the catastrophe. Still, it's kind of watchable, especially if you can put the original show out of your mind, and in the second series in particular one can discern an interesting subtext suggesting the programme is partly motivated by anger aimed at the culprits of the financial disaster of 2008. Second series concludes on a cliffhanger of sorts, so you can have fun making up your own ending for the story.
B (62 KP) rated Loot Time Podcast in Podcasts
Oct 19, 2018
I listened to Episode 11 on Spotify. This is just a side note that is separate from the content of the podcast but the audio wasn't synced up right between the speakers. I don't know if it had to do with my device or the medium but it made it very difficult to follow at first. The creators of this podcast certainly seem to know a lot and are very enthusiastic about lots of different fandoms. I know that they just go by the theme of the crate, but fandoms are so big they really could each use their own episode. I kind of skipped over the Rick and Morty part of this episode because I'm not a follower of the show but I really enjoyed listened to their commentary on early Westworld, having seen almost all the way through season 2. I also thought Robert's (I think that is his name) theory on Muggle-borns and the recessive gene was really interesting. Overall, it seems like a good podcastn especially if you're at the edge of the world of fandoms and want to dive in deeper.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World in Books
Nov 22, 2020
This is a book involving the 'Witch of Lime Street', a 'medium', and notorious hoax-finding Houdini.
The spiritualist movement is an interesting one, that propelled many people to fame that had supposed psychic powers. Most of these were debunked, and Houdini was the main person doing this debunking. A notable believer in this movement was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I find so completely interesting.
While this book mostly focuses on the woman referenced in the title, it does touch on other female psychics and mediums. There was some weird stuff that happened, and one situation seriously haunts me - ectoplasm being discharged from the vag (EWWWWWWWWWWW). Apparently these ladies hid a lot of things up there, and that's why they tended to be checked.
What is interesting about Houdini, is the fact that he was always trying to connect to the spirit world, and basically got pissed off when these fakes popped up, getting his hopes up. His doubting nature of the psychics, etc, mostly comes from a personal vendetta of being screwed over in the past by phonies.
Anyway, if you're interested in weird history, history of the spiritualist movement, and Houdini, it's a good read.
The spiritualist movement is an interesting one, that propelled many people to fame that had supposed psychic powers. Most of these were debunked, and Houdini was the main person doing this debunking. A notable believer in this movement was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I find so completely interesting.
While this book mostly focuses on the woman referenced in the title, it does touch on other female psychics and mediums. There was some weird stuff that happened, and one situation seriously haunts me - ectoplasm being discharged from the vag (EWWWWWWWWWWW). Apparently these ladies hid a lot of things up there, and that's why they tended to be checked.
What is interesting about Houdini, is the fact that he was always trying to connect to the spirit world, and basically got pissed off when these fakes popped up, getting his hopes up. His doubting nature of the psychics, etc, mostly comes from a personal vendetta of being screwed over in the past by phonies.
Anyway, if you're interested in weird history, history of the spiritualist movement, and Houdini, it's a good read.
