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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Vanishing Girls in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Oliver's novel covers the story of sisters Nick (Nicole) and Dara, who grew up close, but have drifted apart as teens. Then they are in a terrible accident, which pulls them even further apart -- to the point where they aren't even speaking. However, when Nick eventually thinks Dara has disappeared, she goes on a quest to find her sister and help her.
This book was just sort of eh... I don't think it's really a spoiler to say that the "vanishing" part for Dara doesn't take place until well into the plot. The story is more the tale of Dara and Nick's lives before and after their accident (told in their own voices, jumping between time). It's actually rather compelling as is and the whole "vanishing" almost seems like an unwelcome distraction once it arrives.
It's not to say the whole book is bad. I struggled with the rating, really. There's a lot of suspense that simply captures the sisters' lives and tumult surrounding the accident. Oliver does a good job portraying Nick's teen life and her growth as she works at an amusement park over the summer.
Still, the "vanishing girls" part feels contrived at times and parts of Dara's life, as it unfolds, seems forced. Overall, I'm still sort of unsure about this one, truly. It leaves you a little uneven, which who knows... may be the point!
This book was just sort of eh... I don't think it's really a spoiler to say that the "vanishing" part for Dara doesn't take place until well into the plot. The story is more the tale of Dara and Nick's lives before and after their accident (told in their own voices, jumping between time). It's actually rather compelling as is and the whole "vanishing" almost seems like an unwelcome distraction once it arrives.
It's not to say the whole book is bad. I struggled with the rating, really. There's a lot of suspense that simply captures the sisters' lives and tumult surrounding the accident. Oliver does a good job portraying Nick's teen life and her growth as she works at an amusement park over the summer.
Still, the "vanishing girls" part feels contrived at times and parts of Dara's life, as it unfolds, seems forced. Overall, I'm still sort of unsure about this one, truly. It leaves you a little uneven, which who knows... may be the point!
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Bone Tomahawk (2015) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018
The Citizen Kane of horror westerns
First of all, any time a movie combines two of my favorite things, in this case, a western and Kurt Russell, you have a recipe for success.
Certainly not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the horribly awesome brutality in this film rivals any I have seen in my life and that's saying a lot.
The plot is your basic four men set out to find and rescue several townspeople who have been kidnapped by horrible cave-dwelling "Indians" who no one seems to know anything about. Along the way, they have to face the elements of the weather, their own injuries and the eminent threat of encountering the ferocious beats that they are always on edge.
Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox are all also wonderful as the men who set off with Russell on their rescue quest.
For what the movie sets out to do, it succeeds wholeheartedly. Thoroughly engaging throughout, I was glued to my seat the entire time and the 135 minute runtime goes by in a flash.
In reading about it afterwards, it is unbelievable to me the movie was shot in only 21 days and for only $1.8 million.
Who says creativity is dead in Hollywood? Just takes great writing. I'd watch this before Iron Man 12 anytime.
Certainly not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the horribly awesome brutality in this film rivals any I have seen in my life and that's saying a lot.
The plot is your basic four men set out to find and rescue several townspeople who have been kidnapped by horrible cave-dwelling "Indians" who no one seems to know anything about. Along the way, they have to face the elements of the weather, their own injuries and the eminent threat of encountering the ferocious beats that they are always on edge.
Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox are all also wonderful as the men who set off with Russell on their rescue quest.
For what the movie sets out to do, it succeeds wholeheartedly. Thoroughly engaging throughout, I was glued to my seat the entire time and the 135 minute runtime goes by in a flash.
In reading about it afterwards, it is unbelievable to me the movie was shot in only 21 days and for only $1.8 million.
Who says creativity is dead in Hollywood? Just takes great writing. I'd watch this before Iron Man 12 anytime.
Joelene Marie (28 KP) rated The Heir and the Spare in Books
Oct 1, 2018
2.5 stars really but had to round up. I had high expectations for this book. It sounded like the royal we, which I loved, with a bit of mystery thrown in. While it was very similar to the royal we the mystery bit was way too easy to figure out very early on. I didn't like how it jumped around with no lead in or anything to let you know. I also thought it was way too short at 242 pages (nook app). The entire story was horribly underdeveloped. The author could have done so much more both with the characters, who were fairly one dimensional and flat with no real development, and the plot. The back and forth between evie and Edmund got old fast, their relationship could have used more challenges besides the same thing over and over. Would have been nice to see some exploration of the other characters, namely the gang of friends evie and Edmund shared as well as her mother and grandmother. The quest to uncover the family mystery/secret was far too simple. The ending felt rushed. It was just a general disappointment that could have been a great story had the author only taken a little more time to flesh it out. Definitely not worth the $10.99 I paid for it :(
JT (287 KP) rated Rim of the World (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Given the success of Stranger Things it would seem that the mismatched relationship of a group of adolescent teens would make for great viewing. The format has had plenty of success in the past, think The Goonies and Lost Boys, but here it just seems tiresome and flat.
Teens at a summer camp get caught up in an alien invasion which leaves them with the option – whether to save the world or not – they do of course. And so begins a quest to through California to deliver an important piece of information that holds the key to defeating the alien race. Director McG really doesn’t have a grip on this one, relying on toilet humour and a pointless romantic sub plot to carry the film through to its final conclusion.
Makes me want to have kids just so I can insist they don’t watch this
Where the above mentioned films had a real sense of 80s nostalgia and a group of kids who you genuinely had an interest in, Rim of the World feels like an interlude to the next big retro throwback. Picking four stereotypes which pretty much cover off the socially inept and outcast, is almost annoying. Poor jokes and not very good special effects does little to elevate it to a Netflix success.
Teens at a summer camp get caught up in an alien invasion which leaves them with the option – whether to save the world or not – they do of course. And so begins a quest to through California to deliver an important piece of information that holds the key to defeating the alien race. Director McG really doesn’t have a grip on this one, relying on toilet humour and a pointless romantic sub plot to carry the film through to its final conclusion.
Makes me want to have kids just so I can insist they don’t watch this
Where the above mentioned films had a real sense of 80s nostalgia and a group of kids who you genuinely had an interest in, Rim of the World feels like an interlude to the next big retro throwback. Picking four stereotypes which pretty much cover off the socially inept and outcast, is almost annoying. Poor jokes and not very good special effects does little to elevate it to a Netflix success.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Atlantis - The Lost Empire (2001) in Movies
Mar 25, 2020
Low Expections
Atlantis: The Lost Empire- is a strange movie, it came out in the early 2000's and thats when Disney was running out of ideas or starting to. I believe that their were starting to run out of ideas. Atlantis: The Lost Empire - is a strange movie, cause it came out after "The Lion King". And the movie's after "The Lion King" were stange. What im saying is after "The Lion King", disney decided to go really strange/a huge left turn/didn't expect that/disappointed and overall a huge downfall. But i will get to those movies. Oh this is one of them.
I mean it was a good premise, just was kinda of boring. It was a mix of sci-fi, adventure and thats pretty much it.
The plot: An inexperienced young adventurer becomes the key to unraveling an ancient mystery when he joins up with a group of daredevil explorers to find the legendary lost empire of Atlantis. A naive-but-determined museum cartographer Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), dreams of completing the quest begun by his late grandfather, a famous explorer. When a journal surfaces, an eccentric billionaire funds an expedition and the action shifts to high gear.
You can skip this one, dont need to watch it.
I mean it was a good premise, just was kinda of boring. It was a mix of sci-fi, adventure and thats pretty much it.
The plot: An inexperienced young adventurer becomes the key to unraveling an ancient mystery when he joins up with a group of daredevil explorers to find the legendary lost empire of Atlantis. A naive-but-determined museum cartographer Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), dreams of completing the quest begun by his late grandfather, a famous explorer. When a journal surfaces, an eccentric billionaire funds an expedition and the action shifts to high gear.
You can skip this one, dont need to watch it.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2478 KP) rated The Future King in Books
Apr 6, 2020
Can Fort Stop the Future King?
This book picks up almost immediately after the previous book ended. Fort has just rescued his father, but the man is in a coma. Oh, and half of England is under a dome. No one knows what is happening inside the dome, but a video has been released demanding that Fort and his friends Rachel and Jia be sent to the dome or the people inside won’t be released. While no one in charge intends to send the trio, they still find themselves there. Will they be able to stop what is coming?
If you haven’t read this series yet, don’t start with this book. It assumes you’ve read the first two, and there isn’t much background given to help explain the world that has been created. This book starts out a little slowly with too many teases about what might happen in the future, but once the main quest really gets going, the book picks up, and there are twists and surprises that kept me engaged. The characters are good, and Fort does more growing here. I’m not a fan of the post-apocalyptic setting, especially right now, but I am intrigue enough that I have to know what is going to happen next, so I will be back for more.
If you haven’t read this series yet, don’t start with this book. It assumes you’ve read the first two, and there isn’t much background given to help explain the world that has been created. This book starts out a little slowly with too many teases about what might happen in the future, but once the main quest really gets going, the book picks up, and there are twists and surprises that kept me engaged. The characters are good, and Fort does more growing here. I’m not a fan of the post-apocalyptic setting, especially right now, but I am intrigue enough that I have to know what is going to happen next, so I will be back for more.
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