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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Innocent in Books
May 10, 2018
This is the first book I have read by Harlen Coben. I saw it the library and it looked pretty interesting. Matt Hunter is on his way back to college when the unthinkable happens, he gets in a fight and ends up killing a boy. The story picks up 9 years later. Matt is married to Olivia, he is working as a "paralegal" at his brother's law firm, and is about to be a father. Things couldn't be any better for him right now. Until one day after his wife leaves for a business trip, he gets a strange message from her on his cell phone. Its a picture of another man. The next message is even more startling. His wife in a blonde wig with this man. What does all this mean, why would his wife do this to him. The reality turns out to be a whole lot more than Matt could ever imagine. This book is chock full of twists and turns and strippers and cops and ex-cons and family. A good book I didn't want to put down.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Exact Opposite of Okay in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Absolutely hilarious!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated The Magicians - Season 3 in TV
Apr 23, 2019
The Most Magical Season to Date
I've said multiple times that "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman are the grown up allegory for the current millennial existential drama we see played out around us every day. So many of us grew up with these fantastical stories that shaped our lives and we wanted so much to be "Magical". Season 3 finally grapples with these ideas that the previous 2 seasons only hinted at. We see the despair and coping with reality that the characters have put off for so long.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Solid performances (1 more)
Great effects
The Cloverfield link (1 more)
Muddled story
Not a long review for this one as I can't think of too much to say about it. There's a great movie here somewhere, the first half in particular sets up a solid space adventure that looks to really focus on the intriguing alternate reality concept it presents. But this ends up becoming muddled and not overly interesting. The cast are fne and the script has moments of greatness, but a lot of this is just a bit dull and not as gripping as it could have been.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 17, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)
Visually striking, cerebral SF-horror movie, notable for being released via Netflix rather than cinemas in most of the world. Ex-soldier-turned-biologist Natalie Portman joins a mission into a mysterious zone where the laws of reality seem to be breaking down.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Gracefully Grayson in Books
May 27, 2018
I have to say, this book was much better than I was expecting. I'm always wary going into a book about trans issues not written by trans people. But Grayson's story was treated thoughtfully and with respect. (Such a stereotypical name, though!) However, I'm disappointed that this story focused so much on violence and social resistance to trans people. While that can often be the reality for some of us, this book is intended for young readers, and I'm concerned that this could be scary for them. On the other hand, cisgendered kids who pick this one up might be more empathetic towards trans people in general. (But would cisgender kids be inspired to pick GRACEFULLY GRAYSON up if they've already formed negative opinions on trans issues? I don't know; I'm thankfully not a parent.)
Another thing: did this story really have to coalesce in a bathroom? It felt lazy. Where we pee is not the only political issue we face, and it's obvious the author knows this. I don't know. This book left me with mixed feelings.
Another thing: did this story really have to coalesce in a bathroom? It felt lazy. Where we pee is not the only political issue we face, and it's obvious the author knows this. I don't know. This book left me with mixed feelings.
Arlie (10 KP) rated RuPaul's Drag Race in TV
Jun 21, 2018
Yas Queen!
I've enjoyed watching RuPaul's Drag Race since the first episode. Each season of Drag Race has added new challenges and even more drama to the show. Personally I'm not that happy with drama on competition shows but it's difficult not to have it when it comes to any type of performer. (Speaking as an A.S. and B.A. degree holder for theatre and costume design, there's always drama in theatre. lol) The language is the only thing about the show that I really dislike, but it's not a game changer for me but it might be for others.
My favorite episode of every season is always The Snatch Game, watching the Queens pull out their celebrity impersonations, there are always a few that should have listened better to Mama Ru. Then again that's every episode when she goes around to talk to them about what they are doing for that maxi challenge.
I highly recommend this show to people who enjoy reality t.v., competition shows, and of course Drag Queens.
My favorite episode of every season is always The Snatch Game, watching the Queens pull out their celebrity impersonations, there are always a few that should have listened better to Mama Ru. Then again that's every episode when she goes around to talk to them about what they are doing for that maxi challenge.
I highly recommend this show to people who enjoy reality t.v., competition shows, and of course Drag Queens.
Funny and pretty realistic
I'm not really one for romantic novels, even funny, modern ones like this - mainly because they're ridiculously predictable. Mad Love does fall into this category, but it gets away with it because it's so realistic and funny to go along with it.
The two main characters Adam and Jess are endearing and flawed, they're not perfect. Reading about their impromptu marriage from both side is both humorous and very true. Anyone who's had an argument or gotten in a huff with a loved one will surely recognise a lot of this book. It's full of pop culture too and very modern, with its take on dating websites and reality stars. Of course this has already been done on a tv show, but its still an interesting read.
The one thing it's lacking is a little bit of sentimentality and heart warming emotions. It gets there towards the end, but its a long time coming and I could feel myself getting very frustrated at how situations turned out.
But still, it's a very fun, quick and entertaining read.
The two main characters Adam and Jess are endearing and flawed, they're not perfect. Reading about their impromptu marriage from both side is both humorous and very true. Anyone who's had an argument or gotten in a huff with a loved one will surely recognise a lot of this book. It's full of pop culture too and very modern, with its take on dating websites and reality stars. Of course this has already been done on a tv show, but its still an interesting read.
The one thing it's lacking is a little bit of sentimentality and heart warming emotions. It gets there towards the end, but its a long time coming and I could feel myself getting very frustrated at how situations turned out.
But still, it's a very fun, quick and entertaining read.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hunter Killer (2018) in Movies
Oct 23, 2018 (Updated Oct 23, 2018)
Oh-lord-must-we submarine thriller with GERARD! BUTLER! toning it down for once as maverick navy commander Joe Glass, sent to investigate the loss of a US vessel off the Russian coast. Quite how detached from reality this film is is perhaps suggested by the fact that the female President of the USA ends up ordering Butler to save the Russian President (nothing like you-know-who, by the way) from an attempted coup. The film attempts to offset how absurdly silly the plot is by taking itself very seriously indeed; this just results in making it dull.
Special effects are competent, some rather good actors (Oldman, Stephens) phone in reasonable performances - there is very little that is flat-out bad about Hunter Killer, yet it never generates any real tension or excitement. Anything that would actually make it interesting or original seems to have been machine-tooled away. Butler's attempts to avoid going over-the-top are not necessarily for the best. Really just a very tedious, derivative, and formulaic movie.
Special effects are competent, some rather good actors (Oldman, Stephens) phone in reasonable performances - there is very little that is flat-out bad about Hunter Killer, yet it never generates any real tension or excitement. Anything that would actually make it interesting or original seems to have been machine-tooled away. Butler's attempts to avoid going over-the-top are not necessarily for the best. Really just a very tedious, derivative, and formulaic movie.
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue in Books
Dec 6, 2018
Amusing historical romance
This was a fun read in lots of ways. I would say the book had a storyline of a ‘farce’ in the old meaning of the word. It very much reminded me of a black and white comedy without sound, some laurel and hardy-ness.
The characters in this historical are very much out of the box. Henry being the ultimate in immaturity but hey, he was only 18 years old. This man-boy-lad-about-town was his own worst enemy getting into constant scrapes that usually included inappropriateness and less clothes than one would expect. His forever friend Percy kind of stole the show for me, I adored him and his character, his difficulties made me feel all the feelings.
As said already, the story was farcical but in a way that didn’t irritate. I felt the need to suspend reality and that was fine by me. I enjoyed the writing, the wit and the dialogue. I’m glad I finally got around to reading this book after so many friends have enjoyed it.
The characters in this historical are very much out of the box. Henry being the ultimate in immaturity but hey, he was only 18 years old. This man-boy-lad-about-town was his own worst enemy getting into constant scrapes that usually included inappropriateness and less clothes than one would expect. His forever friend Percy kind of stole the show for me, I adored him and his character, his difficulties made me feel all the feelings.
As said already, the story was farcical but in a way that didn’t irritate. I felt the need to suspend reality and that was fine by me. I enjoyed the writing, the wit and the dialogue. I’m glad I finally got around to reading this book after so many friends have enjoyed it.