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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Stepford Wives (1975) in Movies
Mar 30, 2018
Bryan Forbes' SF-horror-satire has left a cultural impression out of all proportion to its original box-office success. Nice modern couple leave grimy New York for idyllic small town of Stepford, where everyone seems happy and the women are thoroughly domesticated. What on Earth can the secret of the place be...?
Subtle storytelling and fine performances do a good job of masking the fact that the premise of the story is basically a paranoid fever-dream; oddly, some people interpreted the film as being anti-feminist and actually misogynistic, when it is actually about male objectification of women and fears of the same (maybe also has stuff to say about consumerism too). Perhaps a bit overlong, but the slow aggregation of details adds a lot to a convincingly unsettling atmosphere. An entertaining horror fable.
Subtle storytelling and fine performances do a good job of masking the fact that the premise of the story is basically a paranoid fever-dream; oddly, some people interpreted the film as being anti-feminist and actually misogynistic, when it is actually about male objectification of women and fears of the same (maybe also has stuff to say about consumerism too). Perhaps a bit overlong, but the slow aggregation of details adds a lot to a convincingly unsettling atmosphere. An entertaining horror fable.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated The Quick And The Dead (Jack Prester Mysteries #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Jack and Ev are sent to Great Smokey Mountains when the superintendent is poisoned. Then someone shoots at her replacement. What do these women have in common and why is someone out to kill them?
A couple of sub-plots take over a little bit in this one, but overall it’s a solid mystery. Things do come together at the end, which is nice. What I really love are Jack and Ev and how their relationship continues to grow and change. Ev’s journey especially continues here. And the thoughts on prayer woven through the book are great as well.
NOTE: This book was published in the 90’s as The Quick and the Dead and recently rereleased as the ebook Great Smokies.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-great-smokies-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
A couple of sub-plots take over a little bit in this one, but overall it’s a solid mystery. Things do come together at the end, which is nice. What I really love are Jack and Ev and how their relationship continues to grow and change. Ev’s journey especially continues here. And the thoughts on prayer woven through the book are great as well.
NOTE: This book was published in the 90’s as The Quick and the Dead and recently rereleased as the ebook Great Smokies.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-great-smokies-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Fables & Fairy Tales to Cross Stitch in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Fables & Fairy Tales to Cross Stitch Véronique Enginger is a wonderful collection of fairy tale themed projects with stitching charts and finishing suggestions. It's perfect for those with knowledge of cross stitching and those interested in stitching up their favorite classic fairy tales.
The book is easy to use, organized from which are the fables section and the fairy tales section of the book. Every project is in a visual format. A very straightforward and simple guidance, very nice visual patterns book, which you can easily follow and copy the design exactly. I love the designs and think the author did a great job reviving the fables and fairy tales of many others and my own childhood with these beautiful cross stitch patterns.
I received an ARC from Schiffer Publishing Ltd. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book is easy to use, organized from which are the fables section and the fairy tales section of the book. Every project is in a visual format. A very straightforward and simple guidance, very nice visual patterns book, which you can easily follow and copy the design exactly. I love the designs and think the author did a great job reviving the fables and fairy tales of many others and my own childhood with these beautiful cross stitch patterns.
I received an ARC from Schiffer Publishing Ltd. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dean (6925 KP) rated Thir13en Ghosts (2001) in Movies
Jun 18, 2018 (Updated Jun 30, 2021)
Another cool Dark Castle entertainment horror re-make. Didn't know of the original until I saw some reviews mention it. This reminded me a lot of the House on Haunted Hill remake made 2 years earlier. It's fun, not too serious, has a good mix of humour and gore/kills. The cast is ok and well known with Shannon Elizabeth and Matthew Lillard, but it was a nice surprise to see Tony Shalhoub (Monk) appear in this. What really makes this film enjoyable in my opinion, along with House on Haunted Hill, is the set design, make up and ghoulish characters created. Both films have a great wacky house setting, good SFX and the ghosts in this look awesome. A great way to enjoy 90mins. So if you liked House on Haunted Hill you will like this just as much.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Alchemist in Books
Jul 3, 2018
Overrated
I had high hopes for this book based on general hype and reviews, and sadly it didn’t quite live up to it.
It isn’t a bad book, not at all, it’s just very short and simple. It’s trying to be something very profound and inspirational, but for me it wasn’t. It has a nice message around following your dreams, but it comes across as a little cheesy and unbelievable. There was an odd quote in here that I actually really liked, but nothing much else to make me feel inspired. The characters too didn’t seem particularly well developed or interesting. The one bonus is that it is very short, so you can get through it fairly quickly without it starting to drag.
It’s an alright read, but not one I’d ever recommend as a “must read”.
It isn’t a bad book, not at all, it’s just very short and simple. It’s trying to be something very profound and inspirational, but for me it wasn’t. It has a nice message around following your dreams, but it comes across as a little cheesy and unbelievable. There was an odd quote in here that I actually really liked, but nothing much else to make me feel inspired. The characters too didn’t seem particularly well developed or interesting. The one bonus is that it is very short, so you can get through it fairly quickly without it starting to drag.
It’s an alright read, but not one I’d ever recommend as a “must read”.
Jodi Rae Harkins (1 KP) rated Wish - Shopping Made Fun in Apps
Aug 9, 2018
Low prices, sometimes low quality
Wish sometimes has some very neat items although the descriptions do not always accurately represent the products well. Sizes for clothes and shoes are not usually true to size, some items are made very cheaply (but I guess ya get what ya pay for), etc. The wait time for the arrival of your purchases can also be very very long. Sometimes shipping can be pretty cheap which is nice. They also have some products which are a little more expensive but are generally higher quality and they do ship faster. I believe a lot of not all of Wish's products come from overseas; China, etc. Good app but shop wisely and check as many reviews and photos as you can!
Dean (6925 KP) rated Cashback (2007) in Movies
Oct 5, 2018
A charming little British comedy, originally a short film that won a lot of awards. So they decided to just expand it a lil to a full length film. Starring Michelle Ryan in a small role, the cast is largely unknown. It also caused a stir when released as it featured a topless model (Keeley Hazell) although very briefly. It does have a few nude scenes, but they are actually quite artfully done. It's a good story, with some nice ideas right from the opening break up scene. It uses a lot of different techniques film wise, the idea of freezing time is done well. It is quite funny, add a great soundtrack and I have to say I prefer this over 500 days of summer which was a bit similar in theme. Check it out.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) created a post
Oct 25, 2018
Samantha Reece (16 KP) rated Dark Protector (Paladins of Darkness, #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2018
This book has a very original idea to it! The Paladins protect Earth from the Others who live on the other side of some sort of barrier. I had two problems with this book. First off, I have way too many unanswered questions as to what is going on in the world around the two characters. I understand the Paladins are protectors and the Others are evil, but I want to know more about them. Maybe some background and where they came from would be nice. But, this all could come in the next novels. Secondly, I felt the main characters, Devlin and Laurel, were very two-dimensional. I didn't feel too much emotion from them, and they just felt flat. However, I will read the next book because I do believe there is hope for this series!
Cumberland (1142 KP) rated Perfectly Normal in Books
Nov 30, 2018
Loved it
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
This was a great YA read, however I did have a couple of things I didn't like about it. It started off slow, and the teens were a little unrealistic at times.
Other than that the book was great. Things quickly took an unexpected turn making it impossible to put the book down. I also really liked that this book didn't focus on romance. The YA genre usually throws unnecessary teen romance around everywhere, so it was nice to read a book where the characters had other things going on.
I will warn future readers that this book does end in a cliff. I was still satisfied with the ending, but I'm definitely going to pick up the next book as soon as possible.
This was a great YA read, however I did have a couple of things I didn't like about it. It started off slow, and the teens were a little unrealistic at times.
Other than that the book was great. Things quickly took an unexpected turn making it impossible to put the book down. I also really liked that this book didn't focus on romance. The YA genre usually throws unnecessary teen romance around everywhere, so it was nice to read a book where the characters had other things going on.
I will warn future readers that this book does end in a cliff. I was still satisfied with the ending, but I'm definitely going to pick up the next book as soon as possible.