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Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 13 (1995)
1995 | Action, Drama, History
No problems here!
Everyone was waiting to see what Tom Hanks would do next after winning his back-to-back Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. It ended up being another wondrous film about the true story of the doomed space mission and the many people who banded together to help save the lives of the three astronauts.

Everything about the film is fantastic including the acting, screenplay and special effects. If this film were made today, I think filmmakers would have tried to go too high tech and CGI when this is a human story and a triumph of the human spirit vs. something more savvy.

I really miss Bill Paxton most of all. His performance in the film was magnificent and hilarious, just like all his memorable characters. I truly miss him every day.

Through my melancholies, I was able to enjoy a perfect film like this. You know you are watching something truly awe-inspiring when you know how it's going to end and it still chokes you up.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Bird Box in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Bird Box
Bird Box
Josh Malerman | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.3 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wanted to read Bird Box after hearing so many rave reviews from BookTube and the blogosphere. From what everyone was saying, I was going to be scared shitless and that was what I was hoping for but it didn’t happen. This book for me has to be my most disappointing read of 2017 so far! The writing wasn’t bad but I feel like this has been overhyped and my expectations were set pretty high. I suppose the reason I was disappointed with this book was because you never really get any answers and the thing that is killing people you never get to picture what it is or why it’s happening. There was one small part of this book that had me scared and it was a paragraph and that was all. I thought the writing was great and I liked most of the characters but for me I needed more answers. I would also put this book as survival/post apocalyptic book rather than a horror.
  
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
6
7.5 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
I must say this book was fairly predictable. From the minute the focus was put on Elanor above all else I was like, something is fishy with this one here. She seemed like an overgrown child the whole of the book.

Now, I did listen to the audio book version of this, so perhaps that swayed the way that I had interpreted this book, but I did not enjoy her at all. Theodora was my favourite character - I wonder why, again, perhaps the way she was read to me.

The house concept was cool, the way the whole theme and story was lay out was pretty awesome as well - the progression of the story was quick and deliberate. There was some laugh out loud funny moments - I'm pretty sure the house was turning people quite mad.

Overall it was an alright book - 3.5 stars (again, goodreads, let us have .5 stars alright) - not at all scary though (perhaps again that was the audio book talking), but good for a read nontheless - especially in October :)
  
The Undomestic Goddess
The Undomestic Goddess
Sophie Kinsella | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.5 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Would you like some cheese with that?
Hello all you beautiful people!

Let's all rejoice for regular posting on the blog and Youtube!!! I am officially back and all my attention is now on all you followers, readers and commenters! There are going to be a mix of food and book focused content which I am really excited to get out to all of you and content I have had so much fun creating so here's hoping you will have as much fun reading and watching it!

Now back to business. Today I am going to be reviewing a book by a very famous author that I picked up while doing my weekly shop in Tesco (2 for £7, can't go wrong!). Honestly, I have never read any Sophie Kinsella before but I mostly associate her works with chick lit, contemporary feel-good reads so I was looking forward to getting back into reading with a nice easy read.

Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/06/would-you-like-some-cheese-with-that.html
  
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Lou Grande (148 KP) rated the PC version of Emily Is Away Too in Video Games

Jul 9, 2018  
Emily Is Away Too
Emily Is Away Too
2017 | Role-Playing, Simulation
For people of a certain age, Emily Is Away Too will remind them of being a teenager in the early aughts and late nineties. You play as yourself (more or less) as you attempt to woo either of two girls at your high school: Emily, the alternative hipster chick, or Evelyn, the punk rocker. In that way, it's much like many dating sims. You discover their likes and dislikes and play into them.

What makes Emily Is Away unique is the gameplay. It all takes place, so to speak, in a chat client called "EOL," which functions like AIM or Yahoo! Messenger. You can customize your font, profile, and avatar (the angstier the lyrics in your bio the better, of course). And don't forget to make your text as obnoxious as possible.

To compliment the retro look, the soundtrack consists of the sound of your hard drive working and really authentic chat notifications. It was a trip back in time for me, and it actually made me a little sad in a bittersweet way.
  
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
William Golding | 1954 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
3
7.4 (94 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not sure how this became a classic.
My school never required me to read this so I just never got around to it until a few years ago and I have to say I was not a fan. I found the entire book boring the characters terrible or writing wasn't really that great either, for the life of me I really cannot figure out how this book has made it into being a classic and it's still extremely popular. The whole idea of the book is really good but just the execution I found terrible I hated every single freaking character not even over exaggerating there.

I think if I would have been required to read this at a younger age like most people I may have liked it a lot more but reading it as an adult for the first time I feel really just spoil the whole thing for me plus you have to kind of be living under a rock and not to know what the books about and what happens in it.
  
Kingsburg
Kingsburg
2007 | City Building, Dice Game, Fantasy, Medieval
Simple and easy to understand game (1 more)
Mitigating your dice and figuring out how to use them is the fun part
Dice allocation for the good of the kingdom.... and yourself.
The game is about defending the kingdom from invading armies that get progressively stronger every winter. so the other three seasons are about building up your kingdom by building buildings that are defensive or make you stronger in other ways. Some defenses are better against goblins, or maybe Zombies, build a church and get a bonus against demons... The game lasts about an hour and a half depending on how quickly people take their turns. There's not much analysis paralysis, there is a clever mechanism of choosing how to use your three dice.... lets say you roll a 1, 3, 6: You can place it on the total number, a combo of the two of them or a single die value, and each number on the board gives you different returns. Not nearly as difficult as Castles of Burgundy, this is a good entry point into dice allocation games. I like it.
  
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The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) Aug 24, 2018


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Lee (2222 KP) rated The Predator (2018) in Movies

Sep 13, 2018 (Updated Sep 14, 2018)  
The Predator (2018)
The Predator (2018)
2018 | Action, Horror
The first half (0 more)
The second half (1 more)
Predator dog... WTF?!
So, another week, another disappointment at the cinema. This week, it's the turn of The Predator.

For the first 40 minutes or so though, I actually really enjoyed this latest installment of a franchise that has always struggled to match the original. Some interesting ideas and characters are introduced and there's a healthy dose of intense action as a captured Predator escapes a facility it's being held captive in. Overall, plenty of potential.

But then, probably soon after the arrival of the huge CGI Super Predator, the movie slowly descends into nonsense. What doesn't help is that the editing is noticeably bad from then on too. Scene cuts that don't make sense and numerous occasions when you just can't tell who is doing what, where people are and who is getting killed. It's a frustrating, jumbled mess.

And in among all of that, there's a predator dog that goes from trying to kill everyone to following them around and wanting to play fetch like a real dog!! Ridiculous.
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Sep 13, 2018

Bummer

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1)
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1)
Neal Shusterman | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (22 Ratings)
Book Rating
I steuggle with finding books that really draw me in. As a fast reader, I also strugfle with page count, and I hate books that are predictable. Scythe fit me needs, and the exceeded them.

In a world where death is a myth and the Thundercloud (today's "cloud's" big brother) rules, it seems that no one could live a less-than-perfect life. But with humans able to "turn the corner" and become young again, where will the new blood go?

Enter the Scythes. Killing machines wrapped in rainbow colors, they glean the sould of others based on statistics of how people would have died in the Age of Mortality. But Scythe Farraday has changed the game--instead of just one apprentice, he has taken two. Now Citra and Rowan have a choice to make... Because there is only one ring to be granted.

This was a stunning un-put-downable book that kept me enthralled, guessing, and truly bound up in its pages. If you haven't read this yet, give it a shot!
  
People had been going on about this film for a few months before I decided “right everyone’s going on let’s see what the fuss it about” and damn why did I wait so long and miss out on seeing this on the big screen! It was fabulous! The colours, wardrobe, songs and cinematography was amazing! And a film you could watch on repeat.

Your transported away and back to the 19th century to P.T Barnums childhood pointing out the social hierarchies and the struggles he grew up with, while growing up and falling for a girl that’s upper class and showing he sacrifices she also made for love.

Fast forward a couple of years and there’s still a struggled combined with keeping his promises to his wife and children. Until he realised his dream of showcasing the worlds oddities,we follow his journey into success, downfalls, love, loss and an ongoing battle. A story that keeps you locked to the screen,smiling, crying and defiantly singing along!

A lovely addition to my favourite musicals list!