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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated Tall Tales in Books
Oct 17, 2022 (Updated Oct 17, 2022)
Racing to Stop the Darkness
It’s been a few weeks since the battle where Lena proved herself as a giant despite her small size. However, the Golden King is still out to control the entire world via shadow magic, and it soon becomes clear that Lena and genie in training Jin are the only ones who will be able to stop him. However, to do that, they will have to enter areas controlled by shadow magic. The fairy queens have told Lena she will have some tasks to accomplish to prove she is worthy of defeating the Golden King. Will she be successful? Or will she and Jin fall to the shadow magic before they even reach her first test?
This book has the unenviable job of bridging the gap between the beginning and the end of the trilogy while telling an entertaining story. And it succeeds wonderfully. There are plenty of twists and lots of action to make the pages fly by. This really is Lena and Jin’s story equally, and we get to watch it unfold from both of their points of view. We don’t see much of the other characters introduced in the first book, but we get some fun new characters to replace them. Then there’s the humor, including some fun meta moments, which help keep the book from getting too dark. There are some references to the events of author James Riley’s earlier Half Upon a Time trilogy, so this will leave you wanting to read those books if you haven’t yet. You’ll also be anxiously waiting for the final book in this trilogy to come out. I know I am.
This book has the unenviable job of bridging the gap between the beginning and the end of the trilogy while telling an entertaining story. And it succeeds wonderfully. There are plenty of twists and lots of action to make the pages fly by. This really is Lena and Jin’s story equally, and we get to watch it unfold from both of their points of view. We don’t see much of the other characters introduced in the first book, but we get some fun new characters to replace them. Then there’s the humor, including some fun meta moments, which help keep the book from getting too dark. There are some references to the events of author James Riley’s earlier Half Upon a Time trilogy, so this will leave you wanting to read those books if you haven’t yet. You’ll also be anxiously waiting for the final book in this trilogy to come out. I know I am.
Pumpka (57 KP) rated Wingspan in Tabletop Games
Aug 15, 2019
Replayability (4 more)
Family friendly
Easy to learn
Stunning components
Fun engine building
Wingspan, blown away again!
Wingspan continues to blow me away with each play. It’s not only very easy to teach but brings an element of engine building in a way I wasn’t expecting. Creating combos of birds that help you to make an efficient board for gaining points and scoring those all important end of round bonuses. Which change from game to game, giving wingspan replayablility in more than one way, each game encouraging you to employ new tactics. This prevents any style of meta gaming where “if you play this certain way, you will always win”!
I had the pleasure of teaching a family of two parents and two children, ages 7 and 10. Who all thoroughly enjoyed playing, the children loved the components as well as figuring out the bird combos for themselves. Having fun feeding the birds to bring them into their tableaux, the theme is well done like this. Everything fits well and hasn’t been “tacked on”. Even if you’re no bird fanatic, this game just feels lovely to play, and is honestly worth a shot if you ever have the chance to play.
The game also plays in a nice timescale, when you first start playing the game seems as if it may take a while. Then before you know it you’ve only got one action left! And it’s all over :) leaving time for another go!
Overall, a magnificent game. Although I must mention it is a light-weight game at that. IF you’re style of game is more meaty than light to medium weight. This one might not be for you entirely, BUT as I mentioned before, for the unique style of engine building, I’d highly encourage you to give it a go anyway! :)
I had the pleasure of teaching a family of two parents and two children, ages 7 and 10. Who all thoroughly enjoyed playing, the children loved the components as well as figuring out the bird combos for themselves. Having fun feeding the birds to bring them into their tableaux, the theme is well done like this. Everything fits well and hasn’t been “tacked on”. Even if you’re no bird fanatic, this game just feels lovely to play, and is honestly worth a shot if you ever have the chance to play.
The game also plays in a nice timescale, when you first start playing the game seems as if it may take a while. Then before you know it you’ve only got one action left! And it’s all over :) leaving time for another go!
Overall, a magnificent game. Although I must mention it is a light-weight game at that. IF you’re style of game is more meaty than light to medium weight. This one might not be for you entirely, BUT as I mentioned before, for the unique style of engine building, I’d highly encourage you to give it a go anyway! :)
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the 9th film by Quinton Tarantino. Set in 1969 the film follows Rick Dolton, an actor whose career is on it's way down and his stunt double and friend Cliff Booth. Although this is a Tarantino movie it is not an action movie but more of a ‘slice of life’ movie with some action scenes.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
Like all Tarantino movies, when there is no action, and there is very little action, the film crawls at a slow pace with lots of set up, dialog and driving meaning that nothing much happens for the first hour and a half. This time is used to set up the characters and the three intertwining time lines; The main one with Rick and Cliff, one that follows Sharon Tate and one that follows the Manson family.
As with most Tarantino film’s the narrative isn't linear with a lot of Rick’s back story being told by flashbacks and clips from films and T.V. shows, both real and fictional.
I have said that this is not an action film but it does have a few violent scenes, including people getting burnt with a flame thrower. The film culminates with the Manson family's murder of Karen Tate and Roman Polanski, however, as with Inglorious Bas****ds the film goes off on a different tangent from what really happened.
There are a few ‘meta' moments in ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’ including a moment where Rick is reading a book that is echoing his life and other moments where Rick and Cliff interact with other real actors, most of whom don't play themselves (partly because some of the real actors are dead) creating and oddly unreal atmosphere.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) in Movies
Nov 2, 2021
Off the bat, New Nightmare is a veritable treat for fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Six films deep, the cold hard fact is that this series had become so far removed from what it once was, for better or for worse, and this 7th entry into the franchise provided the shake up so sorely needed. It's meta as hell, taking place in the "real world" where ANOES is just a movie. It's a fun slasher that sees the beloved series bleeding over into reality, when an evil entity begins to terrorize the actual Heather Langenkamp, posing as the ever popular Freddy Krueger.
This whole premise is just great. The dialogue can be a bit on the nose sometimes, but it's honestly forgivable, considering that Wes Craven was trying to out-Scream himself before Scream even existed. Craven himself appears alongside the likes of Robert Englund and producer Rob Shaye as themselves. Krueger himself is thankfully a scary bastard once again. This version doesn't have time for quips or shenanigans, instead opting for general terrorising and murder (a particular highlight riffs on the infamous ceiling kill from the original, but adds to it in the best way) and is probably the scariest version of Freddy since the first two movies.
The plot is clever in its way that it connects back to the original 84 story, and deserves all the credit for having the balls to take the series in a new direction. It deserves bonus points for the commitment to using practical effects
New Nightmare is a wonderful example of what a somewhat stale series should do next, and further cements just how important Wes Craven was to the genre. It's an ambitious sequel that earns it status as a fan favourite.
This whole premise is just great. The dialogue can be a bit on the nose sometimes, but it's honestly forgivable, considering that Wes Craven was trying to out-Scream himself before Scream even existed. Craven himself appears alongside the likes of Robert Englund and producer Rob Shaye as themselves. Krueger himself is thankfully a scary bastard once again. This version doesn't have time for quips or shenanigans, instead opting for general terrorising and murder (a particular highlight riffs on the infamous ceiling kill from the original, but adds to it in the best way) and is probably the scariest version of Freddy since the first two movies.
The plot is clever in its way that it connects back to the original 84 story, and deserves all the credit for having the balls to take the series in a new direction. It deserves bonus points for the commitment to using practical effects
New Nightmare is a wonderful example of what a somewhat stale series should do next, and further cements just how important Wes Craven was to the genre. It's an ambitious sequel that earns it status as a fan favourite.
ClareR (5589 KP) rated Ayesha At Last in Books
Apr 4, 2019
A book that deserves to be read A LOT!!
I absolutely adored this book. If I could unread it and then read it again for the first time, I would!
It’s Pride and Prejudice set in modern Canada with a Muslim cast. Ayesha wants to work to pay her Uncle back for all the help he has given her and her family, but her real love is poetry, not teaching High School. She is asked by her rather spoilt cousin, Hafsa, to cover for her at a mosque event meeting under the guise of being Hafsa. There, she meets Khalid, and finds herself falling for a devout, conservative Muslim - something she doesn’t want to do - who is also shy, kind and handsome. However, when Khalid’s controlling mother organises marriage between the real Hafsa and Khalid, knowing the identity of the Hafsa that Khalid has met, both Khalid and Ayesha realise that they haven’t necessarily got what they want.
There was so much heart in this story - I particularly loved the characters of Nani and Nana. They acted as the voice of reason on more than one occasion. I also loved the Shakespeare quotations: Nani always had the right quote at exactly the right time (and it was all very meta - Shakespeare quotes in an Austen retelling!).
Even the more unsavoury characters were written in such a way that I felt sorry for them - life and experiences clearly making them the way they were.
I read this on The Pigeonhole app (one section, or stave, per day for ten days) and I can honestly say that I looked forward to every single stave. If I’d had the book in my hand, I would have read it in one sitting. So I’m actually glad that The Pigeonhole forced me to savour and enjoy this gorgeous book for longer. It deserves to be savoured, and it deserves to be read a lot too!!
I really do highly recommend this book!
It’s Pride and Prejudice set in modern Canada with a Muslim cast. Ayesha wants to work to pay her Uncle back for all the help he has given her and her family, but her real love is poetry, not teaching High School. She is asked by her rather spoilt cousin, Hafsa, to cover for her at a mosque event meeting under the guise of being Hafsa. There, she meets Khalid, and finds herself falling for a devout, conservative Muslim - something she doesn’t want to do - who is also shy, kind and handsome. However, when Khalid’s controlling mother organises marriage between the real Hafsa and Khalid, knowing the identity of the Hafsa that Khalid has met, both Khalid and Ayesha realise that they haven’t necessarily got what they want.
There was so much heart in this story - I particularly loved the characters of Nani and Nana. They acted as the voice of reason on more than one occasion. I also loved the Shakespeare quotations: Nani always had the right quote at exactly the right time (and it was all very meta - Shakespeare quotes in an Austen retelling!).
Even the more unsavoury characters were written in such a way that I felt sorry for them - life and experiences clearly making them the way they were.
I read this on The Pigeonhole app (one section, or stave, per day for ten days) and I can honestly say that I looked forward to every single stave. If I’d had the book in my hand, I would have read it in one sitting. So I’m actually glad that The Pigeonhole forced me to savour and enjoy this gorgeous book for longer. It deserves to be savoured, and it deserves to be read a lot too!!
I really do highly recommend this book!
Dpaint43 (16 KP) rated Codenames in Tabletop Games
May 29, 2019 (Updated May 29, 2019)
Let the right ones in
In this party game of abstracted espionage, you have the task of using clue words to have teammates figure out who they should let in and who they should keep out. There is a 5×5 grid of "codenames" that are on the table. Common words like fish, key or skipping. As the speaker for your team, you know which codenames are meant for your team and which are for the other team by using a grid representation only the two team speakers could see. 8 of the codename agents are for your team and 8 for the other (the grid also has a color around it which adds an additional agent for one team but then they get the privilege of going first). There are also 8 neutral citizens that end the turn if chosen. Then there is the dark agent. If he is chosen by the team, that team loses. Once each turn the speaker will give a one word clue (something that correlates with one or more codename cards) followed by a number (how many codename cards it correlates to). Your team has to pick at least one card on the table from the clue. Get it right and they get to choose again (one number more than the number you gave after the clue is the amount of guesses they can get a turn) or choose not to push their luck and stop. Get it wrong and that might let an agent for the other team in, a citizen or worst of all the dark agent that loses the game. This keeps going until a team successfully gets all their codename agents in. A great party game for unlimited amounts of people breaking into two teams. Laughs and accusations fly. Maybe the best party game in years and available in many forms that keep growing (basic, adult words, Disney, pictures only, marvel...etc)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Scream (2022) in Movies
Jan 16, 2022
Creepy telephone calls, a will-they-won't-they romance between Gale Weathers and Deputy Dewey, a killer that falls over a lot, on-the-nose meta dialogue, and copious amounts of stabbing and blood, can only mean one thing - Scream is back and dammit, it feels good.
The key to the quality of the franchises 5th entry is balance. For a start, it tickles that nostalgia button just the right amount. It's certainly a chronological sequel to all of the 4 movies that came before, but it mainly serves as a love letter to the first. Saying too much could be considered as spoilers, so all I'll say is, the obvious call backs to the original don't feel forced, and make sense in a narrative manner. It doesn't feel like a cash grab. It feels like a film made by fans, for the fans.
Another noticeable balance is found in the characters. With a new Ghostface comes a new set of doomed teenagers. They're just about tolerable enough, but are well written, and aren't over reliant on the legacy characters to get by. Seeing Sidney Prescott, Gale, and Dewey all back together again is, of course, a delight, like a warm embrace from an old friend, but they're utilised in a precise manner. They don't stifle the new cast but their presence is unmistakably notable throughout.
The horror is well realised. Scream is a whole bag of fun, but is also suitably tense. The violence on display is quite brutal and unflinching. Ghostface once again feels menacing and threatening, and the mystery of their identity ticks along until the final moments. Like all of these movies, the reveal is a "I knew it!" moment before realising that you could have said that about anyone. Everybody is a suspect after all.
Radio Silence have done a cracking job of bringing a beloved horror series back to the big screen. I've seen plenty of people saying that Wes Craven would be proud, and I completely agree. Long live Scream.
The key to the quality of the franchises 5th entry is balance. For a start, it tickles that nostalgia button just the right amount. It's certainly a chronological sequel to all of the 4 movies that came before, but it mainly serves as a love letter to the first. Saying too much could be considered as spoilers, so all I'll say is, the obvious call backs to the original don't feel forced, and make sense in a narrative manner. It doesn't feel like a cash grab. It feels like a film made by fans, for the fans.
Another noticeable balance is found in the characters. With a new Ghostface comes a new set of doomed teenagers. They're just about tolerable enough, but are well written, and aren't over reliant on the legacy characters to get by. Seeing Sidney Prescott, Gale, and Dewey all back together again is, of course, a delight, like a warm embrace from an old friend, but they're utilised in a precise manner. They don't stifle the new cast but their presence is unmistakably notable throughout.
The horror is well realised. Scream is a whole bag of fun, but is also suitably tense. The violence on display is quite brutal and unflinching. Ghostface once again feels menacing and threatening, and the mystery of their identity ticks along until the final moments. Like all of these movies, the reveal is a "I knew it!" moment before realising that you could have said that about anyone. Everybody is a suspect after all.
Radio Silence have done a cracking job of bringing a beloved horror series back to the big screen. I've seen plenty of people saying that Wes Craven would be proud, and I completely agree. Long live Scream.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) in Movies
Dec 28, 2018 (Updated Dec 28, 2018)
A brilliant concept
Black Mirror is one of those series that is very divisive, people either seem to love it or hate it. I absolutely adore it. I love the bleak, technology driven alternate reality based stories, it’s fascinating and a worrying insight into what our future could become. I only found out yesterday that they were releasing this feature length standalone on Netflix, and when I found out it was a ‘choose your own ending’ type story, I couldn’t have been more excited. And it really does not disappoint.
The choose your own adventure style is flawless. I was worried it’d be clunky, slow or disrupt the flow of the scene, but it really is immaculate. The scene carries on while you choose, and choosing is simple, although you do have to be quite quick. It starts off with a few innocuous choices but then soon descends into ones that are a lot darker, and in some cases a lot funnier too. When you get to whatever ending you’ve reached, it allows you to go back and change some of your choices to see how the outcome would’ve differed, exactly like you’d do if you were reading a choose your ending Goosebumps book - flicking back and choosing a different option. On watching some of the alternate options, I soon realised some of the ones I’d picked were the best choices!
The plot itself is interesting and relevant, and also very meta as the story goes along, which for me really helped involve me as a watcher. There are some very bleak, gruesome and funny moments in this, which is really exactly what you’d expect from Charlie Brooker and even gets you questioning your own reality. Fionn Whitehead is great as Stefan, after this and Dunkirk he’s sure to do well. My only negative is that the story seemed to unfold very slowly in parts, but this could have all been down to the choices I made.
This is a fantastic concept for Black Mirror, and I’d love to see it used in other parts of the series. Albeit very sparingly, as it is something that could get old quite quickly if overused. But for Bandersnatch, it was a delight to watch, and take part.
The choose your own adventure style is flawless. I was worried it’d be clunky, slow or disrupt the flow of the scene, but it really is immaculate. The scene carries on while you choose, and choosing is simple, although you do have to be quite quick. It starts off with a few innocuous choices but then soon descends into ones that are a lot darker, and in some cases a lot funnier too. When you get to whatever ending you’ve reached, it allows you to go back and change some of your choices to see how the outcome would’ve differed, exactly like you’d do if you were reading a choose your ending Goosebumps book - flicking back and choosing a different option. On watching some of the alternate options, I soon realised some of the ones I’d picked were the best choices!
The plot itself is interesting and relevant, and also very meta as the story goes along, which for me really helped involve me as a watcher. There are some very bleak, gruesome and funny moments in this, which is really exactly what you’d expect from Charlie Brooker and even gets you questioning your own reality. Fionn Whitehead is great as Stefan, after this and Dunkirk he’s sure to do well. My only negative is that the story seemed to unfold very slowly in parts, but this could have all been down to the choices I made.
This is a fantastic concept for Black Mirror, and I’d love to see it used in other parts of the series. Albeit very sparingly, as it is something that could get old quite quickly if overused. But for Bandersnatch, it was a delight to watch, and take part.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Scream 3 (2000) in Movies
Nov 7, 2020 (Updated Nov 7, 2020)
The third entry in the Scream franchise is a mixed bag to say the least. It takes everything that made the first two so enjoyable, and throws more of it at the audience, but unfortunately it just doesn't land as well as one would hope.
Scream is known for being a meta commentary on the general ins and outs of the horror genre, but I would argue that it goes a little overboard this time around. A big part of the plot revolves around a huge retcon, changing the established backstory set up in the first movie. Cue a somewhat forced cameo from fan favourite character Randy to explain the rules of a trilogy to the surviving leads (and poke fun at this plot development) but it fails to distract from the fact that this narrative is a complete mess.
The killers motives and patterns are unclear and constantly change, and the eventual twist and identify reveal of this movies Ghostface is hugely underwhelming, and is just re treading ground that has already been explored in the previous Scream films. Also, that voice changing plot device is just dumb.
In response to the public outcry of media violence following the Columbine shootings, there is a lot less gore this time around which also hurts the overall experience. It loses its shock factor that was particularly prevalent in the original, and gives the film a sort of blunt edge, and instead focuses on the hit and miss comedy aspect.
All this being said, Scream 3 is still enjoyable when it needs to be. The returning trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette is essential to that particular element. These characters have been fleshed out well over these movies, and seeing them together on screen is always a treat. Everyone else is largely forgettable, but the film manages to shoehorn in cameos from Jay and Silent Bob, and Carrie Fisher, which just adds to surrealism of it all.
Not Wes Craven's finest hour by a long shot, but still an enjoyable enough slasher, and still a part of a hugely important horror series.
Scream is known for being a meta commentary on the general ins and outs of the horror genre, but I would argue that it goes a little overboard this time around. A big part of the plot revolves around a huge retcon, changing the established backstory set up in the first movie. Cue a somewhat forced cameo from fan favourite character Randy to explain the rules of a trilogy to the surviving leads (and poke fun at this plot development) but it fails to distract from the fact that this narrative is a complete mess.
The killers motives and patterns are unclear and constantly change, and the eventual twist and identify reveal of this movies Ghostface is hugely underwhelming, and is just re treading ground that has already been explored in the previous Scream films. Also, that voice changing plot device is just dumb.
In response to the public outcry of media violence following the Columbine shootings, there is a lot less gore this time around which also hurts the overall experience. It loses its shock factor that was particularly prevalent in the original, and gives the film a sort of blunt edge, and instead focuses on the hit and miss comedy aspect.
All this being said, Scream 3 is still enjoyable when it needs to be. The returning trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette is essential to that particular element. These characters have been fleshed out well over these movies, and seeing them together on screen is always a treat. Everyone else is largely forgettable, but the film manages to shoehorn in cameos from Jay and Silent Bob, and Carrie Fisher, which just adds to surrealism of it all.
Not Wes Craven's finest hour by a long shot, but still an enjoyable enough slasher, and still a part of a hugely important horror series.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dear Mr. M in Books
Feb 13, 2018
"M" is a famous writer whose best days are probably, if truth be told, behind him. He's best known for his novel, Payback, which tells the story of a high school history teacher, Mr. Landzaat, who went missing one winter after having an affair with one of his female students. That student, Laura, had moved on to a relationship with a boy her own age, Herman. The two were staying at a vacation cottage and were the last ones to see their teacher. Did they have something to do with his disappearance? Now, M lives with his beautiful (much younger) wife and little daughter in an apartment. They have a neighbor who seems to have a odd fascination with the couple, but why? The novel weaves together the tales of these disparate characters.
I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.
Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.
I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.
Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.
I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.