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Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated The Greatest Showman (2017) in Movies
Dec 7, 2018
A musical for non-musical fans
I hate musicals, I avoid them like the plague. My daughter decided to put this on and I ended up sitting and watching the whole thing by myself, she wandered off to play.
This is a musical that even the haters of musicals I think would enjoy. The only reason I can see why I didn't mind and actually liked some of the songs is the irony and sarcasm that was inherent in the songs and in the acting whilst they were singing. Normally, the people singing, whether it's a happy or sad song, have those insane asylum grins plastered to their faces, which make you feel uncomfortable. The songs were catchy, warning, they stay with you for days.
The story line was good, I enjoyed it. The acting was very good and the singing not that bad. I was surprised to find out Hugh Jackman was the leading man, I didn't recognise him at all at first. Took me a while to figure our that it was Zac Effron supporting too.
The costumes and make-up were fantastic and the actual shows were really good to watch. I would love to know what they would've been like at the real Barnum circus, as well as what the real relationships were within the troupe. Intrigued me enough that I am going to put my history at uni to use and research it.
I think if you take a chance and watch this, you will be pleasantly surprised.
This is a musical that even the haters of musicals I think would enjoy. The only reason I can see why I didn't mind and actually liked some of the songs is the irony and sarcasm that was inherent in the songs and in the acting whilst they were singing. Normally, the people singing, whether it's a happy or sad song, have those insane asylum grins plastered to their faces, which make you feel uncomfortable. The songs were catchy, warning, they stay with you for days.
The story line was good, I enjoyed it. The acting was very good and the singing not that bad. I was surprised to find out Hugh Jackman was the leading man, I didn't recognise him at all at first. Took me a while to figure our that it was Zac Effron supporting too.
The costumes and make-up were fantastic and the actual shows were really good to watch. I would love to know what they would've been like at the real Barnum circus, as well as what the real relationships were within the troupe. Intrigued me enough that I am going to put my history at uni to use and research it.
I think if you take a chance and watch this, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Million Things - Single by Featurette in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Featurette is an electro-pop duo based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Not too long ago, they released a music video for their “Million Things” single.
“With ‘Million Things’, we’re trying to capture a snapshot of the social media driven world we live in, and how it affects our relationships and even mental health. Everyone’s trying to be insta-famous. Everyone’s got to look their best at all times and ‘play the part’ so that they’re not forgotten. We’ve got to be one step ahead, more likes, more followers, it’s endless. It can be draining to create a world where we’re always presenting our ‘best self’.” – Featurette
‘Million Things’ highlights our vulnerabilities. Also, it asks the probing questions: How did we get to this point? And, what price did we have to pay along the way?
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, it possesses lush instrumentation scented with an electro-pop aroma.
“We live tethered to our Instagram feeds. Also, we care more about what we look like on the outside than how we’re doing on the inside. ‘Million Things’ is about having everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but the loneliness we’re left with if we don’t have anyone to share in the moments that matter.” – Featurette
Featurette consists of Lexie Jay (lead vocals) and Jon Fedorsen (drums, production). The bubbly duo has spent the past several months in the studio, writing and producing their upcoming sophomore album.
Their musical influences include Tove Lo, Phantogram, Bjork, and Deadmau5.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/featurette-million-things/
“With ‘Million Things’, we’re trying to capture a snapshot of the social media driven world we live in, and how it affects our relationships and even mental health. Everyone’s trying to be insta-famous. Everyone’s got to look their best at all times and ‘play the part’ so that they’re not forgotten. We’ve got to be one step ahead, more likes, more followers, it’s endless. It can be draining to create a world where we’re always presenting our ‘best self’.” – Featurette
‘Million Things’ highlights our vulnerabilities. Also, it asks the probing questions: How did we get to this point? And, what price did we have to pay along the way?
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, it possesses lush instrumentation scented with an electro-pop aroma.
“We live tethered to our Instagram feeds. Also, we care more about what we look like on the outside than how we’re doing on the inside. ‘Million Things’ is about having everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but the loneliness we’re left with if we don’t have anyone to share in the moments that matter.” – Featurette
Featurette consists of Lexie Jay (lead vocals) and Jon Fedorsen (drums, production). The bubbly duo has spent the past several months in the studio, writing and producing their upcoming sophomore album.
Their musical influences include Tove Lo, Phantogram, Bjork, and Deadmau5.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/featurette-million-things/
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2402 KP) rated The Gun Also Rises in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Hunt for Hemingway Treasure
Sarah Winston has been hired to organize a book sale for Mrs. Belle Winthrop Granville, III, focusing on Belle's massive mystery collection. But sandwiched in between the Trixie Belden, Hardy Boys, Agatha Christie, and Ann Cleeves books, she finds what appears to be the Hemingway manuscripts that went miss from a train in Paris in the 1920's. Belle is just as shocked to see them as Sarah is. But a couple of hours later, Belle has been attacked, the manuscripts are missing, and someone is dead. What has Sarah stumbled into this time?
Once again, we are treated to a fabulous mystery that is more treasure hunt than strict cozy murder mystery. Not that I'm complaining in the slightest. The pace never slows down as we jump from one thing to another as Sarah tries to figure out what happened before her life spins even further out of control. We don't see as much of some of the series regulars, but we do get to see more of others, and I liked how relationships were growing here. Naturally, the book is filled with well-developed new characters. The mentions of various mystery books made me smile. The sub-plots involving the air force base were really well done and once again spotlighted some of the real issues those who sacrifice so much for this country go through, both those serving and their families. This is a strong entry in a series that keeps getting better.
Once again, we are treated to a fabulous mystery that is more treasure hunt than strict cozy murder mystery. Not that I'm complaining in the slightest. The pace never slows down as we jump from one thing to another as Sarah tries to figure out what happened before her life spins even further out of control. We don't see as much of some of the series regulars, but we do get to see more of others, and I liked how relationships were growing here. Naturally, the book is filled with well-developed new characters. The mentions of various mystery books made me smile. The sub-plots involving the air force base were really well done and once again spotlighted some of the real issues those who sacrifice so much for this country go through, both those serving and their families. This is a strong entry in a series that keeps getting better.
Becs (244 KP) rated Final Draft in Books
Oct 29, 2019
MC overshadowed plot (2 more)
secondary characters were dry
self-hatred pushed onto others
Not my favorite read
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
I listened to the audiobook of Final Draft and it was honestly not my favorite. The whole thing was out of order and there were a variety of things that made me extremely uncomfortable with the plot.
Firstly, the relationship between Laila and Mr. Madison was a massive cringe-fest. It crossed a lot of lines, not sexual in any way, but it went from a professional student-teacher relationship to something more personal. Laila would email Mr. Madison things that just shouldn’t have been said to a teacher. It made the rest of the book awfully weird.
It was also difficult to relate to Laila as she seemed to overshadow the plot of the story more than was needed. Many of her actions were selfish and she projected self-hatred onto others. The secondary characters weren’t even fleshed out and the relationships between each of the characters were poorly written. The plot didn’t even stick with the whole creative writing aspect and was mainly more drama than anything else.
The ending was rushed and too much happened within the last few pages. Although Laila does explore her sexuality, she never officially comes out. There was a lot of female body positivity which is really nice to see in a book! But I feel that was about the only thing going for this story.
I listened to the audiobook of Final Draft and it was honestly not my favorite. The whole thing was out of order and there were a variety of things that made me extremely uncomfortable with the plot.
Firstly, the relationship between Laila and Mr. Madison was a massive cringe-fest. It crossed a lot of lines, not sexual in any way, but it went from a professional student-teacher relationship to something more personal. Laila would email Mr. Madison things that just shouldn’t have been said to a teacher. It made the rest of the book awfully weird.
It was also difficult to relate to Laila as she seemed to overshadow the plot of the story more than was needed. Many of her actions were selfish and she projected self-hatred onto others. The secondary characters weren’t even fleshed out and the relationships between each of the characters were poorly written. The plot didn’t even stick with the whole creative writing aspect and was mainly more drama than anything else.
The ending was rushed and too much happened within the last few pages. Although Laila does explore her sexuality, she never officially comes out. There was a lot of female body positivity which is really nice to see in a book! But I feel that was about the only thing going for this story.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated A Kill for the Poet (Chaser on the Rocks #2) in Books
Nov 18, 2019
Burdening your detective characters with personal problems has a long tradition. Alcoholism, messy relationships and lack of respect for authority are common. But Maltman delivers a cut about all of these with Brian Caskey, a fiction author with mental health issues which mean he really shouldn't be getting out of his depth.
Yet that is what happens when a mysterious surveillance job turns into something far more sinister and despite himself Caskey can't help but try to unravel the mystery. Like picking at a scab this is something he feels compelled to do but it's really only going to make things worse. The main story is woven through with Caskey composing his latest novel featuring his 1940s detective Billy Chapman investigating a murder.
Despite the complexities Maltman creates for himself in both his main character and the book within a book, both plots work well together. The Billy Chapman sections serve to break up the main story, like sorbet between a twelve course meal. Caskey, despite his problems, is an engaging character and very believable even when the plot he gets caught up in veers towards being wilfully obscure. There is an obvious comparison to Bateman's Mystery Man, another Nothern Irish detective with mental issues. But where Mystery Man is often a tragic and self-defeating character, Caskey is nothing like that and embraces his flaws.
Above all this stands up as a good solid detective story (indeed two of them). Maltman has a flair for producing interesting and very readable books and this is no exception
Yet that is what happens when a mysterious surveillance job turns into something far more sinister and despite himself Caskey can't help but try to unravel the mystery. Like picking at a scab this is something he feels compelled to do but it's really only going to make things worse. The main story is woven through with Caskey composing his latest novel featuring his 1940s detective Billy Chapman investigating a murder.
Despite the complexities Maltman creates for himself in both his main character and the book within a book, both plots work well together. The Billy Chapman sections serve to break up the main story, like sorbet between a twelve course meal. Caskey, despite his problems, is an engaging character and very believable even when the plot he gets caught up in veers towards being wilfully obscure. There is an obvious comparison to Bateman's Mystery Man, another Nothern Irish detective with mental issues. But where Mystery Man is often a tragic and self-defeating character, Caskey is nothing like that and embraces his flaws.
Above all this stands up as a good solid detective story (indeed two of them). Maltman has a flair for producing interesting and very readable books and this is no exception
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated A Stolen Life: A Memoir in Books
Feb 5, 2020
I don't remember the first time I read this book. I think it was some point after Jaycee Lee Dugard had been found, but I was probably in late middle school, early high school - though I could be entirely wrong. I remember reading it the first time and having to stop every once in a while because it was so much. What she went through was so grueling and heartbreaking and to read her words, unfiltered, with all of her raw emotions, it's hard. That doesn't even feel like a good enough word for it.
More than anything, this memoir gives you hope. It gives you strength. It pulls your heart out to be reminded that there are these people in this world - the kind that could do this to people, let alone an 11-year-old girl. But despite all that, Jaycee remains somewhat positive. She knows that she has work to do on herself, on her relationships with her family, with the world, with life, but she also knows that she's going to be okay. I love that she never thinks that the recovery process is done and while this book was written several years ago, I can't imagine that mindset has changed much.
I think this book is phenomenal. Her story is insane, but her triumph is what wins you over in the end. I'm eager to read her other book and see where she is now and how she's doing. I would 1000% recommend this book.
More than anything, this memoir gives you hope. It gives you strength. It pulls your heart out to be reminded that there are these people in this world - the kind that could do this to people, let alone an 11-year-old girl. But despite all that, Jaycee remains somewhat positive. She knows that she has work to do on herself, on her relationships with her family, with the world, with life, but she also knows that she's going to be okay. I love that she never thinks that the recovery process is done and while this book was written several years ago, I can't imagine that mindset has changed much.
I think this book is phenomenal. Her story is insane, but her triumph is what wins you over in the end. I'm eager to read her other book and see where she is now and how she's doing. I would 1000% recommend this book.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has a cast including Judi Dench (Evelyn), Maggie Smith (Muriel), Bill Nighy (Douglas), Dev Patel (Sonny), and Richard Gere (Guy Chambers).
It is a sequel to the 2011 film ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, which I never saw, nor even knew existed.
The idea is that a hotel in India becomes a permanent residence for elderly retirees at their last stopping point before their journey to ‘the great beyond’.
We follow their relationships and interactions, all wrapped up in the hotel proprietors (Sonny) desire to expand his hotel into another additional location, and his pitch to the (supposedly) undercover Hotel evaluator (Guy Chambers).
Sonny is willing to go to almost any length, up to and including sending his mother as an ‘offering’ to Chambers, in an attempt to secure the financing for the expansion.
In the meantime Sonny sacrifices a bit of his relationship with his fiancé,
Sunaina (played by Tena Desae), because she is wanting him to focus more on their upcoming wedding, than his business plans.
I thought the movie was ok, it had some funny parts. My husband almost fell asleep twice during it because it moved along pretty slowly.
It wouldn’t have been my pick to see ‘on the big screen’, to me, it just doesn’t need a movie screen to tell its story.
My guess is folks in the older generation will appreciate it and enjoy it much more than we did.
It certainly wasn’t ‘horrible’, it was just slow and rambling, without enough funny parts to hold our interest.
It is a sequel to the 2011 film ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, which I never saw, nor even knew existed.
The idea is that a hotel in India becomes a permanent residence for elderly retirees at their last stopping point before their journey to ‘the great beyond’.
We follow their relationships and interactions, all wrapped up in the hotel proprietors (Sonny) desire to expand his hotel into another additional location, and his pitch to the (supposedly) undercover Hotel evaluator (Guy Chambers).
Sonny is willing to go to almost any length, up to and including sending his mother as an ‘offering’ to Chambers, in an attempt to secure the financing for the expansion.
In the meantime Sonny sacrifices a bit of his relationship with his fiancé,
Sunaina (played by Tena Desae), because she is wanting him to focus more on their upcoming wedding, than his business plans.
I thought the movie was ok, it had some funny parts. My husband almost fell asleep twice during it because it moved along pretty slowly.
It wouldn’t have been my pick to see ‘on the big screen’, to me, it just doesn’t need a movie screen to tell its story.
My guess is folks in the older generation will appreciate it and enjoy it much more than we did.
It certainly wasn’t ‘horrible’, it was just slow and rambling, without enough funny parts to hold our interest.
AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3) in Books
Apr 26, 2020
From the back of the book: Sara Linton, Oh examiner in the small town of Heartsdale, is called out to an apparent suicide on the local college campus. The mutilated body provides a little in the way of clues - And the college authorities are keen to avoid a scandal - but for Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, things don’t add up.
Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself , let alone saving the next victim…
This was my first time reading a Karin Slaughter novel. I didn’t realise until halfway through that this was the third in a series, however I was able to pick up some of the previous relationships and how it all linked together. I quite enjoyed reading this book although found it slow to start, but after about 100 pages in found myself unable to put the book down.
As an avid reader of crime and thriller novels I have to admit that even I did not pick up on who was guilty of committing the crimes. Slaughter’s writing Is very graphic and descriptive, including some very realistic forensic details would definitely like to carry on reading this series. Most enjoyable!
Two more suspicious suicides follow, and a young woman is brutally attacked. For Sara, the violence strikes far too close to home. And as Jeffrey pursues the sadistic killer, he discovers that ex-police detective Lena Adams, now a security guard on campus, may be in possession of crucial information. But, bruised and angered by her expulsion from the force, Lena seems to be barely capable of protecting herself , let alone saving the next victim…
This was my first time reading a Karin Slaughter novel. I didn’t realise until halfway through that this was the third in a series, however I was able to pick up some of the previous relationships and how it all linked together. I quite enjoyed reading this book although found it slow to start, but after about 100 pages in found myself unable to put the book down.
As an avid reader of crime and thriller novels I have to admit that even I did not pick up on who was guilty of committing the crimes. Slaughter’s writing Is very graphic and descriptive, including some very realistic forensic details would definitely like to carry on reading this series. Most enjoyable!
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