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Roxanne (13 KP) rated The Wasp Factory in Books
Nov 9, 2018
✭✭ 2 Stars
This was a very difficult book for me to rate so I rated it purely based on 'personal enjoyment'.
Yes the book was dark and clever and so well written but the enjoyment factor just wasn't there for me. Something I can not handle to read about is the abusing, torturing and killing of animals and this book was full of that. I could read an endless amount of books about the killing of people (slashers, thrillers,crime etc.) and not really be phased much but if animals are involved in it then my enjoyment level drops dramatically. I wish I had read other reviews first about this book so then I would of known what this book contains and wouldn't of read it, but I didn't as I worry about stumbling across spoilers.
An excellent look into the minds of the mentally disturbed and a truly crazy ride...it just wasn't for me.
This was a very difficult book for me to rate so I rated it purely based on 'personal enjoyment'.
Yes the book was dark and clever and so well written but the enjoyment factor just wasn't there for me. Something I can not handle to read about is the abusing, torturing and killing of animals and this book was full of that. I could read an endless amount of books about the killing of people (slashers, thrillers,crime etc.) and not really be phased much but if animals are involved in it then my enjoyment level drops dramatically. I wish I had read other reviews first about this book so then I would of known what this book contains and wouldn't of read it, but I didn't as I worry about stumbling across spoilers.
An excellent look into the minds of the mentally disturbed and a truly crazy ride...it just wasn't for me.
Character Development. (1 more)
Moral.
The Cosy Christmas Teashop.
‘Life would take you on it’s jouney through love, hurt, joy, pain, and all the shades of emotion in between. But you had to hold on to the happy, find a way through, and reach for the stars’ (Caroline Roberts).
The Cosy Christmas Teashop is a recommended book to an extent, attributable to the personal, emotional attachments that develop throughout the book owing to Caroline Roberts depiction of individuals’ scenarios.
Progressing from this, Caroline Roberts concluded The Cosy Christmas Teashop, portraying to a considerable extent, the moral of the story, despite it being made evident throughout the book also. This was advantageous as it allowed you to put the book itself into perspective from a prospective real-life scenario that will affect numerous individuals throughout the year, encompassing Christmas also.
Conversely, there were multiple mistakes throughout this book regarding spelling and grammar, and therefore lessens the conclusive rating I have allocated to The Cosy Christmas Teashop.
The Cosy Christmas Teashop is a recommended book to an extent, attributable to the personal, emotional attachments that develop throughout the book owing to Caroline Roberts depiction of individuals’ scenarios.
Progressing from this, Caroline Roberts concluded The Cosy Christmas Teashop, portraying to a considerable extent, the moral of the story, despite it being made evident throughout the book also. This was advantageous as it allowed you to put the book itself into perspective from a prospective real-life scenario that will affect numerous individuals throughout the year, encompassing Christmas also.
Conversely, there were multiple mistakes throughout this book regarding spelling and grammar, and therefore lessens the conclusive rating I have allocated to The Cosy Christmas Teashop.
Suzi (55 KP) rated Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader in Books
Jun 17, 2019
Good accompaniment to the series
Overall I think this is a great accompaniment to the shadowhunters series. It gives a view from the author on how she came to create and develop the series and its characters. The essays and reviews given by various authors provides an interesting view on how they perceived certain character behaviours, attributes or even just topics covered in the books.
In the audio book version however, a lot of words and names were (from my experiences and explanations within the series - from the books, film or show) are incorrect and that's a personal grate of mine so I would recommend only the physical copy if anyone else is slightly annoyed by things like this.
In the audio book version however, a lot of words and names were (from my experiences and explanations within the series - from the books, film or show) are incorrect and that's a personal grate of mine so I would recommend only the physical copy if anyone else is slightly annoyed by things like this.
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated Titan A.E. (2000) in Movies
Jul 22, 2019
Stellar story (2 more)
Excellent vocal cast
Early Joss Whedon writing credit
The contrast between the 2D character animation and the 3D environments is incredibly jarring (1 more)
The music is hailed as "groundbreaking" by the DVD case, but is just kinda meh for me.
Very fun, but visually dated
I remember loving this movie when I was younger, and on rewatching it today I still do, but I have to admit that the visuals haven't aged well. The story is great, if occasionally predictable, and most of the characters are quirky and unique (Gune is a personal favorite!) If they'd restrained themselves to using the early CGI to animate the villainous Drej, a race of aliens made of pure energy, that would have probably aged okay. Those scenes still work. But the fact that all the mechanical elements, ships and such, even spacesuited characters are animated in decidedly dated CGI pulls you out of the narrative pretty fast.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Hercules (1997) in Movies
Aug 10, 2019
Zero to Hero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Disney's take on the Greek mythological Hero.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Hercules (Tate Donovan), son of Zeus, was kidnapped as a baby by minions of Hades (James Woods) and is found and raised by mortals in a superman-esque kinda way.
Now a teenager, Hercules wants to know about his real parents. Along the way he needs to perform a rite of passage on Earth to prove himself worthy of living with the gods on Mount Olympus and dealing with his first true love With help from his plucky satyr sidekick, Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), who's along for the ride, Hercules must learn how to use his strength to become the hero he's needed to be.
This movie is very light hearted and has an array of characters you can appreciate, many vibrant colours manage to draw you in, great dialogue and banter between characters with a meaningful story.
My personal favourite Disney animation.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Surely-long-overdue Laurel and Hardy bio-pic focuses on their tour of British and Irish music halls in the early 50s, presumably because this is a low-ish budget British film. A sixty-something Stan and Ollie have to try and persuade the world they haven't died or retired just yet while waiting for the finance on a new movie to come together and coping with some long-standing tensions in their relationship.
Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.
Movie does a pretty good job of balancing what you'd expect from a L&H movie (timeless slapstick, perfectly performed) with less obvious and more dramatic material (some of the boys' personal foibles, amongst other things). The thing it does better than any other movie I can think of is capture the feeling of what it's like to be in a successful double act, and all the positives and negatives that go with it. Very good performances from Reilly and Coogan, clearly made with affection and skill; well worth watching.
Deborah (162 KP) rated A Body in Berkeley Square in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This is actually the fifth book in the series (with a novella making an additional story) of mysteries featuring Captain Lacey - and a thoroughly enjoyable series it has been too! The books are well written with myserties that you can follow but are full of twists and turns and red herrings. There is also a great cast of recurring characters in support. The mysteries are set in Regency England, mainly in London. If you enjoyed any of CS Harris' Sebastian St Cyr books I think you will also enjoy the Captain Lacey mysteries.
My only regret is that I've read my way through the series so far and that the next book is not yet available in a Kindle edition, as it promises to tie up some of the issues in Gabriel's personal life that have come to light over the series! Anyone looking to download these books onto their Kindle is also getting a bargain as the price is fantastic!
My only regret is that I've read my way through the series so far and that the next book is not yet available in a Kindle edition, as it promises to tie up some of the issues in Gabriel's personal life that have come to light over the series! Anyone looking to download these books onto their Kindle is also getting a bargain as the price is fantastic!
Vegas (725 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Red Dead Redemption 2 in Video Games
Jul 7, 2019 (Updated Jul 8, 2019)
The story (1 more)
The gameplay
Improvement on the original
The long awaited sequel (prequel) to red dead doesn't disappoint in the solo game, the story is an epic adventure travelling through the open plains to the growing towns and cities, railroads, carriages, and horseback are all ways of getting around the massive map. Build up your camp, help the gang, or rob stores and banks the choice is yours, you can even spend time fishing or hunting...
The cast of characters you meet are diverse, funny, serious, violent or just odd but whoever you meet, you do find yourself caring one way or another about the people in the game you interact with...
I will say I did struggle to get as engaged in the multi player game side of it, but that is just a personal thing as I do prefer solo gaming...
For shear enjoyment aspect and length of game, this is one of the best games of recent times.
The cast of characters you meet are diverse, funny, serious, violent or just odd but whoever you meet, you do find yourself caring one way or another about the people in the game you interact with...
I will say I did struggle to get as engaged in the multi player game side of it, but that is just a personal thing as I do prefer solo gaming...
For shear enjoyment aspect and length of game, this is one of the best games of recent times.
An Epic Tale
A great story filled with characters from myth, legend and story books. After the detour in Salty Dog, Sea Breeze takes Quinn back to her original Objective to Find Jack and Stop him and if she can, Rescue him.
She meets up with a true hodgepodge of great characters and sails off on her mission.
On a personal note I think this is Cameron's best novel to date. I appreciate a book that takes the time to not only tell a story... but make me feel what the characters are feeling.
I really cant wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens next!
She meets up with a true hodgepodge of great characters and sails off on her mission.
On a personal note I think this is Cameron's best novel to date. I appreciate a book that takes the time to not only tell a story... but make me feel what the characters are feeling.
I really cant wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens next!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Ordinary Love (2019) in Movies
Dec 12, 2019
Rare sighting of the species Liamneesonus Seriousactorii, which has become increasingly elusive in recent years due to excessive Bessoning of its habitat. Here Neeson plays Tom, husband of Joan (Manville): they are a quietly devoted couple of many years' standing, whose world is understandably rocked when she is diagnosed with breast cancer.
Not quite your typical movie on this topic, for it concerns the impact of the follow-up treatment as much as the disease itself. The question is what new can be brought to this genre, or indeed this subject, by a new film - everyone's experience of cancer is necessarily personal, after all, and the more general the statement, the greater the danger of saying something fatuous or inane. The film mostly gets away with it, thanks to strong performances, but one subplot in particular does threaten to overegg the pudding and turn an affecting movie into melodrama. But overall a strong and moving film.
Not quite your typical movie on this topic, for it concerns the impact of the follow-up treatment as much as the disease itself. The question is what new can be brought to this genre, or indeed this subject, by a new film - everyone's experience of cancer is necessarily personal, after all, and the more general the statement, the greater the danger of saying something fatuous or inane. The film mostly gets away with it, thanks to strong performances, but one subplot in particular does threaten to overegg the pudding and turn an affecting movie into melodrama. But overall a strong and moving film.