Journey by Moonlight
Antal Szerb, Len Rix and Eoin Ryan
Book
A major classic of 1930s literature, Antal Szerb's Journey by Moonlight (Utas es Holdvilag) is the...
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Little Monsters (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Oct 26, 2020)
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Girls Are All So Nice Here in Books
Jun 30, 2021
I really enjoyed the plot of The Girls Are All So Nice Here, and the pacing was perfect. To say I devoured this book is an understatement. I had to know more. I had to know more about Amb, Sully, and Flora. I was totally invested in this story. I will say that most of the book is predictable with a few unpredictable plot twists. It's quite obvious, for the most part, how the story will end and who the guilty party is. However, the execution was done very well that knowing what was going to happen didn't put me off reading the book. I wanted more backstory for my theories, and the author did not disappoint. I enjoyed that the story alternated between Amb in college and Amb in the present time. One thing I didn't predict was what happened to Sully and Amb at the end of the book. I will say the ending was a tad rushed and a bit unbelievable with how easy it was for one such character to get away with what they did. However, this book does try to convey the lesson of be careful how you treat people.
I found the characters in The Girls Are All So Nice Here to be fleshed out enough to feel more like real people instead of just some random characters in a book. I really, really did not like Sully and Amb, not because they weren't written very well (which they are written amazingly), but because they were just so mean and selfish. They were the total mean girls at college. I think everyone knew at least one mean girl at some point in their life. I enjoyed reading about Sully and Amb then and now. It was fun to learn how much they had (or hadn't in some cases) matured. I really loved Flora and how much she genuinely seemed to care about everyone even those she never met. I wanted to be friends with Flora, and when I read about how mean Amb and Sully were to her, it broke my heart. Flora did not deserve any hate.
Trigger warnings for The Girls Are All So Nice Here include profanity, promiscuity, many sex references though not super graphic, rape, murder, mentions of suicide, underage drinking, drugs, and gaslighting.
Overall, The Girls Are So Nice Here is an intriguing read that will pull its readers in from the very first page. With characters the reader will love to hate and a story line that sucks you in, this is one novel that you won't soon forget. I would definitely recommend The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn to those aged 18+ who are after a well developed story that will leave you gasping by the last page.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Shantallow in Books
Aug 31, 2019
I felt like the plot of Shantallow was a little confused to begin with. It started out as a teen love story between to high school kids gone wrong thanks to jealousy. However, after about thirty percent through the book, it quickly became a supernatural horror story about an evil haunted house. I thought this would focus on the nightmare that the main character, Misha, has about Tanvi. The nightmare, to me, only seems brushed upon. This didn't take away my enjoyment from the story though. I will admit that the whole love story in the beginning was a bit slow, and I did find myself wondering if I should continue. I'm really glad I persevered because after the love story, this book really takes off. It was as if Shantallow sank it's teeth into my attention span and didn't let go. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in the evil house known as Shantallow. The creepy factor was definitely there throughout!
The ending of Shantallow felt a little as if the author didn't know how to end the book. It seemed rushed and too quick to end without being explained. Although Shantallow didn't end in any cliffhangers, I was still left with unanswered questions. Perhaps Shantallow will end up being a series, and my questions about the house will be answered.
The diversity of characters in Shantallow was done fantastically. I also enjoyed each of the characters once this book got going. Tanvi was an interesting character throughout the book. Although I could picture all the characters in my mind, Tanvi was the easiest one to bring alive in my head. She felt so realistic and like she could be someone I know. Misha comes across as really selfish, jealous, and controlling to being with. However, he redeems himself during his time in the Shantallow house with how protective he is over everyone. Lauren was my favorite character. I loved scenes that she was in. She seemed like such a sweet innocent kid.
Trigger warnings for Shantallow include violence, jealousy, murder, death, attempted murder, profanity, sex between teens (although not graphic), evil spirits, and underage drinking.
Despite the hurried ending, Shantallow really is a good read. It's got a very spooky plot and great characters once you get past the love story. I would recommend Shantallow by Cara Martin to older teens and adults aged 17+. If you love scary stories that will keep you up late at night reading with the lights on, Shantallow is the book for you! It definitely made my nights scarier (but I enjoy being scared)!
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(A special thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of Shantallow by Cara Martin in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Bird Eater in Books
Sep 13, 2019
I thought the world building in The Bird Eater was fantastic! There were a few times when I was questioning the main character's choices such as why he didn't describe or ask around about the boy that was shadowing him. However, I don't know what I would do if that situation ever happened to me. I loved how the story took place in a small town. I find small towns creepier than big cities.
The pacing was perfect! Never once did I feel bored with this book. In fact, it was hard to put down. I constantly had to know what would happen next!
I'm a big fan of horror, but I'm really picky about what kind of horror I read. Luckily, the plot for The Bird Eater held my attention. At the beginning of the book, the reader is introduced to a teenage boy who has an affinity for evil. Aaron's aunt is murdered by this boy, and Aaron is shipped off to another state. After the death of his young son, Aaron returns to his childhood home on the advice of his therapist. From there, Aaron spirals into what he thinks is insanity but what is actually something a lot more sinister. There's a little bit of a plot twist, but I didn't feel like it was a big one. I didn't think there was a cliff hanger ending, but let's just say that another book could be written to make this a series if the author wanted it to be.
I found the characters to be very well written. It was easy to like Aaron and also to feel sorry for him. He's a man who is very depressed and still grieving the loss of his young son. Aaron's wife has left him due to him being so depressed. He wants to get better for himself and also so his wife will take him back. The spooky kid was also a great character. I thought he had just the right enough amount of scariness without making him a cheesy character.
I really enjoyed the dialogue in The Bird Eater. The author didn't use words that I found difficult to understand. The dialogue seems to be written for the average person (such as myself). I felt the dialogue flowed very smoothly and never once felt disjointed or awkward. There is some swearing is this book and a lot of violence and gore. This book doesn't really have any sex in it though.
Overall, The Bird Eater is a fantastic book that will delight fans of the horror genre. With a great setting, fantastic world building, and a super sinister character, this is a book that horror fans can not afford to miss! I'd recommend The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn especially to those aged 18+ who are big fans of horror and thrillers. The violence and gore may put some people off though.
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Beautiful Boy (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
“‘Cause it’s a long way to go,
A hard row to hoe
Yes, it’s a long way to go“
And so it proves for young Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet). For – based on a true story – Nic has progressively worked through the encyclopaedia of drugs until he has arrived at “C for Crystal Meth” where he is working through a recurring nightmare of addiction and attempted rehab.
What’s harder… being the victim of drugs or being the caring onlookers desperately hoping that this attempt to climb the slippery pole to recovery will be a successful one? This is reflected as a key aspect of the film, and as a parent it makes for a very hard watch. The ‘caring onlookers’ in this case are Nic’s father David (Steve Carell), his girlfriend Karen Barbour (Maura Tierney), the couple’s natural children Jasper (Christian Convery) and Daisy (Oakley Bull), and David’s ex-wife and Nic’s mother Vicki (Amy Ryan).
Flashbacks
This is only the 2nd English-language film from director Felix van Groeningen (after 2012’s ” The Broken Circle Breakdown”) and the film has its fair share of impressive directorial flourishes such that Felix might need to get added to that elusive list of “famous Belgians”! Not least among them is the use of flashbacks. The film starts with a 12 month flashback, but then throughout the story David flashes back to scenes of his boy’s childhood. Many of these reflect the regret in perhaps failing to identify ways he could have done things differently to avoid the current crisis.
While many of these flashbacks are sudden and unexpected, I didn’t find them confusing to follow although I can see how they might annoy some viewers who prefer a more ‘linear’ storytelling approach.
The turns
Above all, it is the acting performances that make this film, and the four key cast members all turn in memorable turns. It’s excruciating watching Carell’s parental anguish and then (like a blast of light) his realization of a truth he’d been avoiding for a long time. It’s Chalamet though who truly shines, delivering fully on the realization of the tortured and self-torturing Nic. Already nominated for a Golden Globe, I would have thought another Oscar nomination is assured for this.
ER’s Maura Tierney also excels in a quieter supporting role: something that generally seems to be her niche at the movies.
Part of the curriculum
This is most definitely a “Father Ted” film…. it’s a gruelling movie from beginning to end and as such it feels a lot longer than it’s 2 hour running time suggests. But it is well worth the effort. A drama that really delivers on its message: “just say no”.
It rather frustrates me that the film is a UK 15 certificate. Not that I’m criticising the BBFC here, since with graphic drug taking, a lot of choice language and one (not overly graphic) sex scene, the rating is appropriate. However this would seem to me to be required viewing by every 13 year old, since if Chalomet’s performance can’t drill the message home to not climb onto that pole in the first place, then noone can.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by The Sex Pistols in Music
Nov 2, 2017
If American Idiot is a slap on the wrist of the government and a nudge to change things, Never Mind The Bollocks is the Pistols grabbing the man by the throat and squeezing until he is forced to listen to them. In the years prior to this record coming out, the charts were dominated by songs that were being played on a minimum of 15 different instruments per song. There hadn’t been a record composed solely of a guitar, a drumkit, a bass and a vocal in far too long and The Sex Pistols hit the reset button on rock ‘n roll music going forward. This record had to happen, without it bands like Oasis and Nirvana would never have came to be, or if they did they would sound vastly different to what they do today. This record has an undeniable feeling to it that no other record does, it is fury, frustration, desperation and sadness all at once and for me, there is nothing else in musical history that quite captures that feeling in the same way. This is simply four bored lads with pure raw talent telling us exactly how they feel and making sure not to leave out any of the gory details. Every riff on this album is a violent wake up call, every drum beat feels like a well deserved punch to the face and with Lydon’s voice and lyrics topping it all off, it is a beautifully ugly piece of pop culture that is relevant even today. The Pistols take on everybody in this album, from the Queen, to politics, to record labels and all of it is so well composed and yet so spur of the moment simultaneously. It’s like Lydon is spitting at you but in perfect time and in the most unique way that has ever been put to record. The band had a flair that lit Britain on fire, especially the middle classes, this record got banned out of fear that it would cause the man on the street to rise up and see through the bullshit that politicians and the government try to spin us day in and day out. Every song points out what is wrong with the country and its ethics and policies and it defines the reasons that the public are fed up of it. The whole thing flows so well and even though it takes just under 40 minutes to listen to the entire album from start to finish, it goes by in a flash and leaves such a strong impression that causes you to be left thinking about what you have just heard for hours afterwards. This is a fleeting moment in modern history captured in the most brief, yet poignant way and without it the very culture of Britain would be entirely different. This album is so important, not just for it’s anti establishment themes or its musical reasons, but because it actually altered the course of history beyond just the musical ecosystem. There was never an album before Never The Bollocks that sounded anything like it and there hasn’t been one since and sadly, there probably never will be. The last great rock n’ roll band that the world really took notice of were Oasis and since then there has been nothing significant enough to capture the world’s attention. If you ask me what we need right now is another band like the Sex Pistols to swagger up and take the spotlight away from the dance/pop garbage that is dominating today’s charts. We need a band that can reset the musical machine and show the youth of today that all you need to make it is raw talent, a few instruments and a sprinkle of determination and the world can be yours. I am hopeful it will eventually happen, it has to and in my mind it is inevitable and is more a question of when rather than a question of if. That album is what will resurrect rock n’ roll music and bring it back to the forefront and the group that manages it will be the band that defines their respective generation. Since Oasis split the crown has been up for the taking and all we need is a band with enough balls and talent and who actually have something to say, to reach out and grab it.