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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Apr 23, 2020  
"I feel that For Spacious Skies is the ultimate girl power book."

Come read my review for the children's picture book biography FOR SPACIOUS SKIES by Nancy Churnin. "If you're looking for a book with a strong female and beautiful illustrations, pick up a copy of For Spacious Skies," or you can enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win your own signed copy of the book as well as Beautiful Shades of Brown by Nancy Churnin!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-for.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
As a little girl growing up during the Civil War, Katharine Lee Bates grew up to become a poet, professor, and social activist. She not only wrote “America the Beautiful" but gave this anthem to America as a gift. A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a suffragist who stood up for a woman’s right to vote and lived to cast her ballot in presidential elections, Katharine believed in the power of words to make a difference. In "America the Beautiful," her vision of the nation as a great family, united from sea to shining sea, continues to uplift and inspire us all.
     
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
2018 | Horror
Characters (1 more)
Story
Confusing timeline scenes (0 more)
Netflix's: a haunted Mansion
I was roped into watching this by my partner, but I wasn't disappointed.

NETFLIX as usual has given us a great horror story just in time for Halloween, haunting of hill house is a diamond in the dark that follows a group of distant siblings who are troubled and haunted by their childhood.

A brilliant offering with some very strong "the shining" vibes that were very welcome.
Dark, intense and deep with common issues.

After the death of one of their own, the siblings are forced to reach out and come face to face with each other....and their estranged father.

With storys of past, present & future dangerously entwined and nightmares clawing their way back in, time, trust & understanding may be their only means of surviving.

Although some parts seemed to drag a little, it more than made up for it with sub plot explaining and some great cliffhangers.

The show is an adaption of the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name from 1959.

It is definitely something I will watch again and something I'd like to see more of.
  
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
Characters – Danny Torrance grew up to learn how to contain the nightmares of the Overlook Hotel, he has turned to alcohol and drugs to get him through adult life, until he looks to clean up his life and start fresh, using his ability to guide people to the afterlife. He does make a new friend that communicates through a wall, one that will force him into using his ability to a new fight, a new evil, where he must protect a teenage girl who is being targeted. Rose the Hat is the leader of the cult, she selects who to eat or who to turn, she is the strongest of her group and keeps them in line, she searches for the next targets, with her eyes set on Abra, only to learn just how strong she really is. Abra is a teenage girl that has the ability to look and see miles away from her location, feeling the pain of the victims, she communicates with Danny for years and now calls for his help to deal with Rose and her friends. Billy is the man that sees the good in Danny and wants to help him clean up his act, becoming his best friend. Snakebite Andi shows what it is like to be recruited by Rose, she is one character that you did want to learn more about, because it feels like certain parts of her arc are left in the editing room.

Performances – Ewan McGregor taking the leading role is wonderful in this film, showing how damaged his character’s life is. Rebecca Ferguson is a joy to watch in the villainous role. Kyliegh Curran gives a fantastic performance filled with fear, determination and aggression in the fight.

Story – The story here brings us into the modern times as Danny Torrance is all grown up, dealing with most of the nightmares from his childhood, until he starts communicating with a teenage girl that has seen herself targeted by a cult that preys on the children with the shining abilities. This is a sequel to the much-loved The Shining and does bring us a brand-new story that does make complete sense. We do see certain ideas from other Stephen King novels come to light, with the idea of good and evil joining up before a battle, much like The Stand, while we get references of others through the film. The biggest and best part of the story comes from the idea that both sides can be dealt with the scarier moments in the story, making nobody feel safe.

Horror – The horror is the most interesting and strongest part of the film, we get Danny having his nightmares and to impress more, Abra and Rose using their abilities to try and stay ahead of each other, not to mention one of the most disturbing sequences of the year.

Settings – The film might be known for the iconic location of the Overlook Hotel, the rest of the locations see the gypsy characters travelling around showing how the powers are more than just a long time alone in a hotel.

Special Effects – The effects in this film show just what will happen to the cult if they don’t receive the steam, while also managing to recreate iconic moments from the original.


Scene of the Movie – Rose visits Abra.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Snakebite Andi did seem to have more to her story.

Final Thoughts – This is by far the best horror film of the year, it spins the horror ideas on its head by having both sides being put through the horror elements and does continue the legacy created by The Shining.

Overall: One of the Best Horrors Ever.
  
A Star Is Born (1954)
A Star Is Born (1954)
1954 | Drama, Musical, Romance
A Long Winding Road In Need of a Detour
An aspiring actress gets a her big break when discovered by an alcoholic film star.

Acting: 10
Apparently her first film since four years prior, Judy Garland makes the stage sizzle playing the main role of Vicki Lester. I loved her passion and charisma and the way she delivers her lines with a charm that just lights up the screen. There are a number of other shining roles as well, including a fun performance from James Brown playing the role of Glenn Wiliams.

Beginning: 3

Characters: 10
Although you don’t really get to fully see her development until two thirds of the way into the movie, Vicki Lester is definitely a character an audience can get behind. I rooted for her success in hopes that she would steer clear of the trap the movie was clearly setting for her. That’s the thing about movies, sometimes the audience can see from a mile away something it takes ages for the characters themselves to see. The movie would have been unbearable without solid characters to carry it through.

Cinematography/Visuals: 8

Conflict: 8
There were a lot of pitfalls Vicki had to deal with along the way, namely her alcoholic husband who continues to bring her down. Had they delved into her backstory a lot quicker, I would’ve given this category a perfect score as her upbringing provided another potential pitfall for her future. Overall, with everything going on in the film, it’s clear the winding road is only leading to one place.

Entertainment Value: 8

Memorability: 7

Pace: 4
This version is the longest of the four coming in at almost three hours. Seeing how the other three were able to tell the same story with considerably less time, there is no reason for this version to be so long. It gets boring in a few spots and had me longing for the conclusion. While there are a number of shining moments, a slow pace kept this to a one-watch movie for me.

Plot: 10

Resolution: 10

Overall: 78
A Star is Born is just unnecessarily long. I was expecting a legit reason for the length but, after watching the other three movies, I was at a loss. To hold an audience’s attention for almost three hours means you need plenty of meat for your story. The movie is good, but merely one-watch good. Unfortunately that’s not quite good enough.
  
Darkest Hour (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017)
2017 | Drama, History, War
Oldman (0 more)
Maybe a tad too long (0 more)
Having seen Dunkirk during the summer, I was at least partially familiar with Churchill's involvement in that action and its harrowing context within the realm of WWII.

This film focuses partially on that, but more on Churchill's doubt within himself and his party he can faithfully executive the weight of being Prime Minister during the "darkest" of times and having to make the hard decisions especially involving many human lives and the possible ultimate fate of his country itself.


Obviously, this film is mainly a character study of Churchill and Gary Oldman's transformation into him. The make up is astounding as is his portrayal. Only occasionally do you see glimpses of the cranky Oldman we know from other films like Air Force One, Bram Stoker's Dracula and JFK. Otherwise his submersion into the character is complete.


I was unaware of the doubt the country and some of its key leaders had in Churchill, so this made for an interesting watch.


I thought the film maybe could have been 10-15 minutes shorter, but this is a mild complaint for an otherwise masterful film with beautiful direction with both the art direction and cinematography shining brightly.


Highly recommended.

  
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Stephen (210 KP) rated Isn't It Romantic (2019) in Movies

Mar 18, 2019 (Updated Mar 18, 2019)  
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Romance
The good thing about a rom com is that even if it’s not that good, there’s still always something to like in there somewhere.

‘Isn’t It Romantic’ sets out to lovingly spoof the rom com formula, and does this perfectly, but still ends up delivering everything a good rom com should do.

It’s lovely to see the wonderful Rebel Wilson getting a starring role, normally she just gets to inject a bit of her talents here and there, but she really gets her teeth into this role. She comes across as a really lovely person, her natural self shining through the character she plays.

There are lots of references to other much loved rom coms (e.g. Bridget Jones and 13 Going On 30), all done with an obvious passion.

One touch of genius was the way Rebel Wilson’s character’s expletives were drowned out by an assortment of background noises - a really simple idea but so refreshing and also hilarious.

The karaoke scene, in which the cast sing along to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is superb, and equals the magic of ‘13 Going On 30’s outstanding ‘Thriller’ scene.

Overall, I adored this movie, great cast, great music, and loads of love poured into the film by all those involved.
  
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Chloe (514 KP) Mar 18, 2019

Rebel Wilson in this is wonderful loved her character she's just so funny and such a good actor

Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi
So many references to games and movies (2 more)
Great story
Visually beautiful
Perfect movie for gamers and movie buffs!
I want to start off by saying I've never read the book so I can't make comparisons like so many have. For the movie it's self it's incredible.

Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.

So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.

The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.

I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
  
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
Some nightmares you wake up from, wipe the sweat from your brow, and go back to wonderful slumber as though it never occurred. Others follow you in both your sleep and waking hours. For Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) the nightmare that began at the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s best-selling novel (and movie directed by Stanley Kubrick) The Shining continue to follow him through his childhood years. With the help of a friendly spirit (Carl Lumbly) Dan learns how to contain the malevolent spirits that followed him from his nightmarish experience, but at almost the cost of his sanity. Falling back on his fathers’ previous crutch, Dan drinks and fights his demons away every night, consumed by a different type of spirit to manage the pain and fear that he has been running from.

Dan is about to hit rock bottom when he encounters a man who has certainly suffered with his own demons in the past, who offers him a place to stay, a job, and an escape from the alcohol that held him in his own personal hell for several years. After eight years of sobriety he strikes up a psychic pen-pal friendship with a young girl named Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), who shares his powers. His wish to push his “shining” deep down inside him, and not let it come out is interrupted when Abra witnesses a murder of a young boy. Using her gift, she uncovers a group of beings so evil, that their desire for immortality requires them to snuff out the lives of those who share the same special gift as Dan and Abra. Dan and Abra must join forces, and let their lights shine, if they are to defeat this evil and save themselves and others like them in the process.
Doctor Sleep is the long-awaited sequel to The Shining released (on film at least) back in 1980. While the original film was lauded by most and reviled by some in the way that Stanley Kubrick brought the story to life, it serves as the backdrop to this sequel. Blending reshoots of the original film (using the current actors) as flash backs, it provides the necessary background to those who may have never had the opportunity to see the original, and visual reminders to those who have. While artistically the film doesn’t hold a shine to the original, it tells a far more consumable story, with less focus on the imagery and symbolism in each shot then Stanly Kubrick’s masterpiece.

The bond between Ewan McGregor and upcoming star Kyliegh Curran is not only believable but magical. The chemistry that the two share both in separate scenes and together show the tight bond they certainly must have felt on set. The movie is blessed with an entire cast of supporting characters, that bring the believability and professionalism to the big screen. Rebecca Ferguson, as our duos’ primary adversary Rose the Hat, provides an outstanding performance. Surrounded by her fellow shine-pires, Grandpa Flick (Carel Struycken), Snakebite Andi (Emily Alyn Lind) and Crow Daddy (Zahn McClarnon) to name just a few, the group reminds me of The Lost Boys in their cunning and hunger.

Doctor Sleep is not a scary movie, at least not when it’s put beside The Shining. While it has scary moments, this is a movie about putting aside your fear and challenging evil, regardless of the cost. Dan must put the past behind him and dig deep within himself to find his purpose and with this purpose will come a lot of loss, but acceptance at the same time. The movie begins a little slow and picks up midway through. While the battle against many of the shine-pires may feel a little hollow at first, it’s nothing to what will compare with the ultimate climax between good and evil.

Fans of the Stanley Kubrick film will see lots of familiar locations and costumes throughout the two-and-a-half-hour show. Even the re-created scenes share the same visual imagery and spectacle, just as if it was simply a re-master. I actually liked that they reshot the pivotal scenes and characters, while no one can perfectly mimic the master of Jack Nicholson, I felt that Henry Thomas did an amazing job in his portrayal of the young Jack Torrance. Alex Essoe portrayed an outstanding Wendy Torrance, a role that was masterfully played by Shelley Duvall back in the day.

With the magnitude of Stephen King movies (and series) being released in the recent years, it could easily feel as if we have all been teleported back to the 80’s. There have been some homeruns in recent years (and some foul balls), but Doctor Sleep easily ranks up there as one of the better of the Stephen King movies to be released in recent memory. While the movie is much more action-oriented and doesn’t deliver on the sheer terror of the original, it suits the story, and does a commendable way of bringing closure to some of Stephen King’s more notable characters. Both fans and non-fans of the original will find a lot to like, and for those looking for more story (and less artistry) will be extremely pleased with the way director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House series / Hush) brings this rendition to the screen. So, let your light shine and go see Doctor Sleep.
  
Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this Graphic Novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been meaning to read Anne of Green Gables for years upon years. About a month ago I picked up the audiobook and decided to listen/read it. I really enjoyed the story. It was so beautiful in it's simplicity. When I saw there was a graphic novel on netgalley, I immediately had to download it and read it.

The artwork in this book is spectacular. It's beautifully done and just transports you to the lake of shining waters and makes you feel almost as if you're there with Anne enjoying the day. I loved how simplistic the story was and how placing into a graphic novel just seemed to work. The artwork is simplistic yet complex in its variety of colors and beauty.

With reading the book just a few weeks ago, I did notice a bit of the story missing or redone which is completely understandable. You can't fit everything in all the time. I mention this solely for those kids who might decide to read this instead of the book for school.

All in all, this graphic novel expertly shows you the simplicity of the story and enhances it with the beautiful artwork. If you love Anne of Green Gables, I highly recommend taking a look at this. It's spectacular!
  
Bumblebee (2018)
Bumblebee (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Everything (3 more)
Just as good if not better the more you watch it.
Amazing Graphics
The transformation scenes
BumbleBee
This film is a complete reboot, a revolution in the Transformer cinematic world. Wow, this is the start of something special. It has a formula that could be repeated time and time again with other Transformer's characters building up to an enormous film on the scale of Avengers. Wow would ever of thought that Transformers would be on par with Avengers.

The more you watch it, the better it gets.

It has everything you could want! Action, loss, struggle, conflict, evil, and bright-shining goodness that will leave a deep impression on your soul.

It displays a friendship that will rip your heart out! Honestly, I cried several times during the movie because the relationship between the girl and the Transformer was so touching. It was just SO touching and heart-warming that it will leave you feeling good all over!

The Decepticons were believably menacing–even evoking emotions similar to the Terminator movies. They were dangerous beings. But they weren't two-dimensional villains. They had personality, motive, and intelligence.

The action scenes were excellent! Bumblebee demonstrates the power of well-placed action in a well-paced storyline.

I just can't say enough! Well done!! See this movie several times! I'm telling you, you won't regret it.