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Smashbomb is highly recommended ✔️
Unlike typical Forums and Review Apps with different sub categories, with Smashbomb you are able submit your individual reviews, and read reviews submitted by others, all in one place. Personally, I think that this is imperative as I have found myself exploring alternative genres of books, movies and music that I otherwise would not have without the reviews submitted by yourselves.
The Community here on Smashbomb is not comparable to general Communites that are prevalent throughout Social Media and Apps. Here, we value each others opinions, and we are grateful for those opinions and differentiating genres that then allow ourselves to expand our current genre taste.
Smashbomb also provide giveaways. I myself was fortunate enough to be picked as a winner for a giveaway which was a Funko Pop. I won this giveaway an approximate two years ago, and that same Funko Pop is on my shelf watching as I write this review.
Join, and stay as a member of our Community.
Unlike typical Forums and Review Apps with different sub categories, with Smashbomb you are able submit your individual reviews, and read reviews submitted by others, all in one place. Personally, I think that this is imperative as I have found myself exploring alternative genres of books, movies and music that I otherwise would not have without the reviews submitted by yourselves.
The Community here on Smashbomb is not comparable to general Communites that are prevalent throughout Social Media and Apps. Here, we value each others opinions, and we are grateful for those opinions and differentiating genres that then allow ourselves to expand our current genre taste.
Smashbomb also provide giveaways. I myself was fortunate enough to be picked as a winner for a giveaway which was a Funko Pop. I won this giveaway an approximate two years ago, and that same Funko Pop is on my shelf watching as I write this review.
Join, and stay as a member of our Community.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Fifty Shades Darker (2017) in Movies
Jan 12, 2020 (Updated Jan 12, 2020)
Contains spoilers, click to show
This trilogy is an odd one for me. I think that this is one of the stronger films of the three, maybe the strongest, then Fifty Shades Freed, then the first one. My biggest gripe with all of the films, though, is how much of the books they leave out. I understand that you can't get everything in a film that you can get in a novel, there's a lot of scenes that are important in the books but would just be dead screen time in a film. I think at times both Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson lack diversity. I know that Christian is meant to be this pensive, too tough for anybody, never lets anyone get close kind of man, but there are times where that doesn't come across. I love Jamie, I think he's great, I don't think anyone could've played Christian better, but I think that there are times in the film where it's obvious that the story wasn't as important as the sex. Or at least that's how it comes across. I find Dakota to be a very believable Ana, I think that she's who I would envision and I not seen the movies, but the scene where Christian is missing and he comes back and she's crying? She's not actually crying, it's obvious and it just feels forced.
Lastly, the strongest part of this film is the music, without a doubt. Actually, the strongest part of any of these films is the music. The soundtracks are so incredibly picked and each song fits exactly what's happening. Plus, there are a few that just really stuck with me and I listen to them pretty regularly.
Overall, it's strong, but not the greatest. Definitely a guilty pleasure though.
Lastly, the strongest part of this film is the music, without a doubt. Actually, the strongest part of any of these films is the music. The soundtracks are so incredibly picked and each song fits exactly what's happening. Plus, there are a few that just really stuck with me and I listen to them pretty regularly.
Overall, it's strong, but not the greatest. Definitely a guilty pleasure though.
David McK (3162 KP) rated Sharpe's Waterloo (1997) in Movies
Jan 8, 2023 (Updated Jan 8, 2023)
The final part in the original run of TV movies based on the Bernard Cornwell books of the same name (although there was another such book to go at the time - 'Sharpe's Devil'), in which the now-retired Sharpe - alongside Harper, Hagman and Harris - find themselves partaking in the final decisive battle of the Napoleonic Wars: that of Waterloo.
As befits such an epic battle, this is an epic retelling of the events of the same (although, as always, liberties are taken and the lack of budget sometimes shows!)
As befits such an epic battle, this is an epic retelling of the events of the same (although, as always, liberties are taken and the lack of budget sometimes shows!)
mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated It Only Happens in the Movies in Books
Nov 25, 2017
Another cracker by Holly Bourne
The blurb; Audrey is over romance. Since her parents relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry.
Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy.
Because real love isn’t like the movies…The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder, and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and Zombies.
~
I’m a huge fan of Holly Bourne, and with It only happens in the movies she has written another cracker!
It only happens in the movies challenges all those cliches from romantic movies, and the message they give about what love and relationships are like.
Audrey is instantly likeable, positive feminist characters are exactly what’s needed and Holly Bourne writes them so well. Audrey is getting over being dumped after having sex for the first time, trying to cope with her mum having a breakdown, and she’s been distant from her friends since her break up, her life is messy – and then she meets Harry.
Harry, with a reputation for being a player! He doesn’t always understand Audrey’s point of view, and he says the wrong things …
‘You’re not like other girls, are you?
but I like Harry. He tries!
In chapter 25, Audrey and her friend Alice talk about first time sex in a refreshingly honest way and this is, in my opinion, such an important thing to see in young adult books. Some girls, for whatever reason, don’t have someone they can talk about these things with, and I feel that it’s such a good thing that authors such as Holly Bourne are putting it out there.
I’ve read a number of feminist YA books this week, and I’m so pleased that they are being written. Conversations about consent, sexism, misogyny and rape culture are so important and these books help to get the message out there.
Excerpt from the book ; Men in films regularly kiss women who don’t want to be kissed. And those are supposed to be the good kisses. Either the woman is taken by surprise, or storming off in a mood, or having a huge go at them, or is engaged to somebody else, or claims she’s just plain Not Interested. And,how do men in movies respond to this clear instruction of “no”? They grab the woman’s face, and kiss her anyway. Roughly. Using their masculine force. And rather than being slapped or even arrested, these movie men are rewarded for their… well… sexual violence. The women “give into” the kiss after a brief moment of fighting it. You see, according to Hollywood, these women wanted to be kissed all along. It was just the male lead’s job to break through the barriers. Barriers like WILFUL CONSENT. Outside Hollywood movies, there is a term for being kissed against your will. This term isn’t “spontaneous” or “romantic” or “passionate”. No, it’s called sexual assault. It’s a crime punishable in the UK by up to ten years in prison.
~
Holly Bourne writes about feminist issues without being patronising and without telling her readers that we should hate all men.
If I’ve made it sound at all like It only happens in the movies is all feminist messages and no story then I must add that it’s entirely not that at all.
I enjoyed the story so much that I read it over a weekend, staying up far too late because I just couldn’t put it down. There’s plenty of drama, humour, and some lovely, touching moments! The ending – although it was perfect – exactly the way this story was meant to end – broke me. I cried actual tears.
Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too. And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them. (From It only happens in the movies).
Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy.
Because real love isn’t like the movies…The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder, and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and Zombies.
~
I’m a huge fan of Holly Bourne, and with It only happens in the movies she has written another cracker!
It only happens in the movies challenges all those cliches from romantic movies, and the message they give about what love and relationships are like.
Audrey is instantly likeable, positive feminist characters are exactly what’s needed and Holly Bourne writes them so well. Audrey is getting over being dumped after having sex for the first time, trying to cope with her mum having a breakdown, and she’s been distant from her friends since her break up, her life is messy – and then she meets Harry.
Harry, with a reputation for being a player! He doesn’t always understand Audrey’s point of view, and he says the wrong things …
‘You’re not like other girls, are you?
but I like Harry. He tries!
In chapter 25, Audrey and her friend Alice talk about first time sex in a refreshingly honest way and this is, in my opinion, such an important thing to see in young adult books. Some girls, for whatever reason, don’t have someone they can talk about these things with, and I feel that it’s such a good thing that authors such as Holly Bourne are putting it out there.
I’ve read a number of feminist YA books this week, and I’m so pleased that they are being written. Conversations about consent, sexism, misogyny and rape culture are so important and these books help to get the message out there.
Excerpt from the book ; Men in films regularly kiss women who don’t want to be kissed. And those are supposed to be the good kisses. Either the woman is taken by surprise, or storming off in a mood, or having a huge go at them, or is engaged to somebody else, or claims she’s just plain Not Interested. And,how do men in movies respond to this clear instruction of “no”? They grab the woman’s face, and kiss her anyway. Roughly. Using their masculine force. And rather than being slapped or even arrested, these movie men are rewarded for their… well… sexual violence. The women “give into” the kiss after a brief moment of fighting it. You see, according to Hollywood, these women wanted to be kissed all along. It was just the male lead’s job to break through the barriers. Barriers like WILFUL CONSENT. Outside Hollywood movies, there is a term for being kissed against your will. This term isn’t “spontaneous” or “romantic” or “passionate”. No, it’s called sexual assault. It’s a crime punishable in the UK by up to ten years in prison.
~
Holly Bourne writes about feminist issues without being patronising and without telling her readers that we should hate all men.
If I’ve made it sound at all like It only happens in the movies is all feminist messages and no story then I must add that it’s entirely not that at all.
I enjoyed the story so much that I read it over a weekend, staying up far too late because I just couldn’t put it down. There’s plenty of drama, humour, and some lovely, touching moments! The ending – although it was perfect – exactly the way this story was meant to end – broke me. I cried actual tears.
Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too. And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them. (From It only happens in the movies).
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Time Traveler's Wife in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I can’t believe that it was released almost 8 years ago; it feels that I saw the movie just yesterday. But a good creation never gets old. This is a fascinating love story filled with romance, unbelievable amount of patience and tragedy. The book itself is so well thought through that even if you wipe your tears while reading it (I know I did) the ending will still give you that “oh, thanks God” feeling. There is a little bit of confusion in this book due to past – present jumps, but more you read it more sense it makes. My biggest enemies in books are long chapters and this book didn’t disappoint me, chapters are not very long and divided into smaller parts, so if you like to read while on the go, this book is for you. I was glad that this book was made into movie, it really deserved it. Even though the books will always be better than movies, this book’s screenplay was really entertaining. In conclusion, this book is witty, entertaining and at the same time sad, so if you looking for something like that, give it a go and I think you will be pleased.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
These book just keep getting better and better. With book six, the series ventures into the world of steampunk with a special Morganville twist. With the very little I have actually read in the genre of Steampunk, I had a hard time visualizing what Ada looks like, but I am hoping these eventually become movies and someone creates this fascinating machine for the movies! Ada's quirkiness and creepiness fit right in with the rest of the Morganville residents, though, so I know that she/it will grow on me, too.
With this book, it is also a relief that Claire has finally turned seventeen. The build-up between her and Shane was driving me crazy. I also like how the author was much more realistic about her first time with Shane than many romance novelists, with much awkwardness and naivety. Her parents' response to the knowledge of this was quite humorous and charming and lent some much-needed humor to the extent of fear with which Morganville is saturated.
Even though these books have much fantasy, they still move along with a certain believability. The one major exception that I found in this book - that I simply had a hard time believing possible - was when Claire almost dies at the end. With the amount of blood loss she suffered from, there is simply no way she could stay conscious for the amount of that she did or stay alive as she did. When books are as entertaining as these are though, I don't mind a little "writer's license" to keep the main character alive and resolve the loose thread of who is responsible for the random murders of girls in the previous books. I am surprised, though, that Claire never made the connection to who Dean is, since I saw it coming quite easily.
Mynin gets more and more entertaining and fascinating from book to book - he is probably one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. I am thrilled that the disease can no longer get the best of him - it means he could play a more central role in future books. Many of the characters are easy to like, even if their morals often verge into gray area, such as Amelie.
Even though the "book" has suffered its final demise, the bookworm in me still wonders what else was in that book, so I hope future books can tell me more about it.
With this book, it is also a relief that Claire has finally turned seventeen. The build-up between her and Shane was driving me crazy. I also like how the author was much more realistic about her first time with Shane than many romance novelists, with much awkwardness and naivety. Her parents' response to the knowledge of this was quite humorous and charming and lent some much-needed humor to the extent of fear with which Morganville is saturated.
Even though these books have much fantasy, they still move along with a certain believability. The one major exception that I found in this book - that I simply had a hard time believing possible - was when Claire almost dies at the end. With the amount of blood loss she suffered from, there is simply no way she could stay conscious for the amount of that she did or stay alive as she did. When books are as entertaining as these are though, I don't mind a little "writer's license" to keep the main character alive and resolve the loose thread of who is responsible for the random murders of girls in the previous books. I am surprised, though, that Claire never made the connection to who Dean is, since I saw it coming quite easily.
Mynin gets more and more entertaining and fascinating from book to book - he is probably one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. I am thrilled that the disease can no longer get the best of him - it means he could play a more central role in future books. Many of the characters are easy to like, even if their morals often verge into gray area, such as Amelie.
Even though the "book" has suffered its final demise, the bookworm in me still wonders what else was in that book, so I hope future books can tell me more about it.
Caitlyn Ould (6 KP) rated Love, Simon (2018) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Love in a good form
I loved the book that this movie is based on so, so much. It was one of the best books that I read in 2018 along with it's sequel Leah on the Offbeat. And this was one of the best movies that I saw in 2018. The acting is superb and it's so relevant to today's society and culture with the pop culture references of Harry Potter, Brendon Urie, and even a Hamilton Easter Egg which I enjoyed. It also touches your heart and has a lot of themes to do with family at the very core and learning to let people see you for who you really are
Joni Thomas (33 KP) rated Instagram in Apps
Aug 10, 2018
Fun interactive social media app
I use this app to connect with alot of youtube vloggers because this seems to be their preferred social media. I can spend hours scrolling through the stories feature.
I use the explore tab to find new people to follow and I also realized that there are quite a few videos that feature clips from movies and tv shows and I have found a lot of good movie I otherwise would not have watched through the explore tab on instagram.
I also follow a lot of people who sell second hand books, clothes and toys on their page. Its always a surprise what I can find and its also a part of instagram that not many people seem to know about.
I use the explore tab to find new people to follow and I also realized that there are quite a few videos that feature clips from movies and tv shows and I have found a lot of good movie I otherwise would not have watched through the explore tab on instagram.
I also follow a lot of people who sell second hand books, clothes and toys on their page. Its always a surprise what I can find and its also a part of instagram that not many people seem to know about.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Dragonstone (Mithgar, #1) in Books
Dec 3, 2018 (Updated Dec 8, 2018)
The book follows our heroines and heroes hoping to avert a possible disaster by finding the jade egg and defeating a wizard. Their only real map a puzzle of a prophecy that they have to figure out. It does use a lot of what I call "old or high" language where the meanings have changed from today's usage and there are a lot of thee and thine. As well as a peppering of what I think is Japanese and possibly French words. He also really likes the word whelm. The Dragonstone is philosophical inclined and many discussions about free will vs. predestination are inside.
Technically, I rate this book as 7 1/2 stars (I'm not sure how to do a half rating & enjoyed it enough to round up). I received over half of his books over ten years ago about the same time as the LOTR movies came out. Yes, they are very similar. You can tell he is a LOTR fan. Like a lot of his books, this story starts in the middle and builds through flashbacks. One of my favorite things about this books series is that you get multiple p.o.v. And you can read the series all hodgepodge with few as "true" sequels or trilogies- most of those are contained as one book now.
Technically, I rate this book as 7 1/2 stars (I'm not sure how to do a half rating & enjoyed it enough to round up). I received over half of his books over ten years ago about the same time as the LOTR movies came out. Yes, they are very similar. You can tell he is a LOTR fan. Like a lot of his books, this story starts in the middle and builds through flashbacks. One of my favorite things about this books series is that you get multiple p.o.v. And you can read the series all hodgepodge with few as "true" sequels or trilogies- most of those are contained as one book now.
Ande Thomas (69 KP) rated Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art in Books
May 30, 2019
This is a great book that honestly changed how I felt about comics completely. I had never really been exposed to comics outside of the weekly newspaper. Of course I knew the titles that were out there, and I did more than my fair share of watching cartoons and movies based on comic characters, but I didn't "get it." The medium was not mine. McCloud's book gave me the tools I needed to really understand the art of comics. How comics use the blending of art and written word to really present ideas in a unique way that no other art form can really do.
Reading this book opened my mind to a broad range of stories that I never would have read or even known about, some of which are among my most cherished books now.
Reading this book opened my mind to a broad range of stories that I never would have read or even known about, some of which are among my most cherished books now.