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The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
1993 | Action, Adventure, Animation
8
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Richard Williams' Aladdin Story
I will admit that when I first heard about this movie, I wasn't that interested in it because I was a little freaked out by the character designs. But, after watching this movie, I ended up enjoying it a lot more because of the creativity being put into this film! Now, I know a lot of people had complained about this movie being too similar to Disney's Aladdin, but in all honesty, the idea of this movie actually surfaced WAY before Disney's Aladdin came along (it was established in the 1960s actually)! The sad story behind it though was that the film didn't get released until the 1990s and by then, there were a lot of changes to the movie that differed heavily from the original vision (luckily, there's a recobbled version of this film out there, that I will hopefully see soon)! The voice acting was very well done in this version of the original script, especially with Jonathan Winters providing inner quips for the thief himself and I also loved the character designs, as they were quite bizarre yet creative to look at! Probably, one of my most favorite scenes in the movie was the famous chase scene between the thief and Tack as it shows just how bizarre this film can get at times!

My biggest issue with this version of the movie was that there seems to be too much narration and inner monologues with the characters in places that they don't really need to talk and that distracted me from the movie at certain points.

Overall, "The Thief and the Cobbler (Miramax Version)" is a treat to check out if you are looking for a more fun loving version of Richard Williams' original classic!
  
Ignited (Daywalker Academy #6)
Ignited (Daywalker Academy #6)
Maya Daniels | 2020 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ignited is the sixth and final book in the Daywalker Academy series and it is certainly a case of light blue touch paper and retire. I sincerely hope you spare however long it takes you to read this book on one go because, trust me, you will not want to put it down!

Secrets and betrayal, it's still going down and Franky is still in the middle of it. You see less of other characters in this one as Franky, Zoltan, and Soren take the lead. Zoltan is still growly and grumbly and Soren is still a pain in the ass (Franky's words, not mine).

Reading this book makes me think of what it must be like travelling by tornado. You are whipped around from place to place, never knowing what will happen when your feet touch the ground. Poor Franky. Although I like reading about it, to live your life that way must be exhausting. No wonder she wanted to sleep!

I have loved this series and am sad to see it come to an end. I really need to know about Fenrir and Myst, plus Leo. I found it a tad upsetting that the gang has split up but that just gives me more reasons to hound Ms. Daniels into follow up stories.

A brilliant end to the series that I highly recommend - but just remember to keep your mitts off Tenebris and Zoltan! Yes, I am greedy and I don't share! 😉🤣

One final thought just because I can - oh, Daren!!!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Ma (2019) in Movies

May 14, 2020  
Ma (2019)
Ma (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
Ma is a relatively predictable and a would-be run of the mill horror thriller, if it wasn't for the mostly decent cast, and well realised slow build up.

Ma revolves around a group of teens inadvertently befriending a lonely older woman whilst trying to buy alcohol. The woman's sweet nature leads to her letting the teens and their friends use the basement of her house for police-free partying, and she becomes something a mother figure to them, nicknaming her 'Ma'. Things start to go a little awry when Ma becomes possessive, and a much more sinister plot unravels.

The film doesn't go full blown horror until the final act, meaning that the main chunk of runtime is a fairly slow burning thriller. It's paced pretty well for the most part, drip feeding details and hints that Ma is quite clearly unwell. It's also features flashbacks here and there, going some way to explain why she is the way she is. It's actually quite sad at times, and definitely plays the sympathy card on occasion. This wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it did without Octavia Spencer. She's the obvious highlight of the film and her friendly demeanor makes her character all the more unsettling.
The teenage characters are actually surprisingly likable as well. They're not particular fleshed out too much, and lack substance, but usually they're exclusively hateable in these kind of films.
Add in Juliette Lewis, Missy Pyles, and Luke Evans, and the cast is pretty solid.

I guess the main problem with Ma, is that's it's nothing special. It's painfully predictable at times - there's a lot of typical people-doing-obviously-dumb-shit-in-a-horror-film going on, and it's in your face enough to impact the overall movie.
It's still worth a watch though, even if it's just for Octavia Spencer.
  
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ClareR (6230 KP) rated China Room in Books

Aug 13, 2021  
China Room
China Room
Sunjeev Sahota | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
China Room was a beautifully written, emotional novel set in rural Punjab in 1929 and the 1990’s. The unnamed male protagonist in the 90’s has travelled to stay with family mainly to kick a drug habit before he starts at university back in the UK. His addiction could well have been caused by the racist taunts and violence he has experienced at home in Britain - these things are addressed in the book.

He ends up staying on the abandoned family farm: a ramshackle building that needs a lot of work. One room is locked: the China Room. This is where his grandmother, Mehar, would have lived away from the prying eyes of men, working with the wives of the other two brothers to her husband. None of the women know who their husband is - they never see them in daylight. They cook and clean for them, and then have sex with them when their mother-in-law, Mai, allows. Their main function is to bear sons.

It’s a hard way of life, but the women accept their roles. As a 21st century women, living in the West, I found this very difficult to read. It’s an oppressive, claustrophobic life - even down to the veils that they had to wear when out in public which gave the impression of suffocation. I don’t know whether any of the girls actually looked another human in the face, other than each other and their mother-in-law.

But I found this timeline fascinating, and it was a huge contrast to that of Mehar’s grandson. It’s a compelling read - I read it in one sitting, and was a bit sad when I turned the last page, to leave the world of Mehar in particular.

Many thanks to Harvill Secker and Viking for my copy of this book to read and review.