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Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated A Whole New World in Books
Mar 13, 2019
Pros:
▪ Strong storyline
▪ Loveable characters
Cons:
▪ White pages
▪ Some gore
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from the start, it grasped my interest and held onto it throughout. The story line is brilliant and keeps it's high standards throughout.
Honestly it made me fall in love all over again with Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, the Genie and of course new names.
This has definitely been retold for the interest of adults, reason I say that is because there are quite a few parts that contains violence and grim details so I wouldn't recommend it for young readers, don't be falled by it being Disney!
The only other con I had for this was that the pages are white, when I first opened it, it took my eyes some time to adjust to the black on white contrast, I have vision problems so the general standard of cream pages are much more easy on the eyes. The white pages do look much more brighter and clean though in terms of overall presentation.
▪ Strong storyline
▪ Loveable characters
Cons:
▪ White pages
▪ Some gore
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from the start, it grasped my interest and held onto it throughout. The story line is brilliant and keeps it's high standards throughout.
Honestly it made me fall in love all over again with Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, the Genie and of course new names.
This has definitely been retold for the interest of adults, reason I say that is because there are quite a few parts that contains violence and grim details so I wouldn't recommend it for young readers, don't be falled by it being Disney!
The only other con I had for this was that the pages are white, when I first opened it, it took my eyes some time to adjust to the black on white contrast, I have vision problems so the general standard of cream pages are much more easy on the eyes. The white pages do look much more brighter and clean though in terms of overall presentation.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Fathom (1967) in Movies
Apr 13, 2019 (Updated Apr 13, 2019)
Light-as-a-soufflé-but-not-as-nourishing swinging 60s spy thriller. Big-haired competitive sky-diver Raquel Welch gets recruited to help recover a priceless Chinese treasure while visiting Spain. Naturally, this involves her wearing a lot of short skirts and bikinis. It soon turns out nearly everyone she meets is lying to her, so who can she trust? (The hunky guy with his name above hers on the poster might be a safe bet.)
Riffs somewhat on the style of Charade, but without the charm or acting ability of the stars in that film. Mostly feels a bit exhausting by modern standards: there's no denying Raquel Welch was a very beautiful woman, but did she really inspire such extremes of instant condescending lechery in every man she ever met? Even Richard Briers can barely keep his tongue in his mouth. Thorough-going chauvinism extends behind the camera, too, as noted - despite being in every scene, and playing the lead role, Welch doesn't even warrant top billing. It kind of passes the time in a very superficial way but it's extremely dated.
Riffs somewhat on the style of Charade, but without the charm or acting ability of the stars in that film. Mostly feels a bit exhausting by modern standards: there's no denying Raquel Welch was a very beautiful woman, but did she really inspire such extremes of instant condescending lechery in every man she ever met? Even Richard Briers can barely keep his tongue in his mouth. Thorough-going chauvinism extends behind the camera, too, as noted - despite being in every scene, and playing the lead role, Welch doesn't even warrant top billing. It kind of passes the time in a very superficial way but it's extremely dated.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Chocolate (2008) in Movies
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Mmm, Chocolate
Yet another film about an autistic girl with prodigious martial arts skills forced to beat the living daylights out of dozens of gangland thugs in order to pay for her mother's cancer medicine. But a really good one, by the standards of the kung fu movie genre at least. From the director of Ong-Bak, Prachya Pinkaew, who almost single-handedly seems to have put Thai martial arts movies on the map.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
The plot is, as you can probably tell, somewhat eccentric and quite possibly in dubious taste (the final boss battle sees the autistic kickboxing girl facing off against a teenage capoeira expert with Tourette's syndrome), but this just adds to the distinctive flavour of this particular chocolate. Terrific performance, both acting and athletic, from Jeeja Yanin. The fight scenes are stupendously well-choreographed, especially the climax (a vertical fight up and down the side of a building). I don't know which is more surprising: that this movie exists at all, or that it's real and also really lives up to its potential.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) in Movies
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
The original Hammer horror movie; the studio did actually know how to spell 'experiment', but the title refers to the 'X' certificate that all self-respecting horror films had at the time this was made. Astronaut comes back from space a changed man; the rest of his crew mysteriously vanished - just what went on out there? Professor Q must figure it out before the mutation afflicting the astronaut reaches its final form.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.
Actually really, really tame as a horror movie by modern standards, obviously, but also of great historical interest as the birth of a legend in British cinema. One can't help suspecting the TV show was a lot more thoughtful, but this still works pretty well as an SF movie, and an influential one at that, and the juxtaposition of B-movie SF ideas and images with post-war Britain is interesting. Imported American star Brian Donlevy is not very good as Professor Q (original writer Nigel Kneale claimed he was on the sauce all the time); Richard Wordsworth is mesmerising as the doomed astronaut.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Lust for a Vampire (1971) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018 (Updated Feb 17, 2018)
I Was A Teenage Lesbian Vampire in a Girl's Boarding School
Largely risible Hammer vampire movie. After the censors objected to all the not-very-subtly-implied lesbianism in The Vampire Lovers, the studio replaced that with a story about a schoolteacher becoming infatuated with one of his pupils and starting a torrid romance with her, which apparently was seen as less problematic (it was the 70s, I suppose).
Initially conceived as another vehicle for Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing, to be directed by Terence Fisher; in the end Pitt did Countess Dracula instead, Cushing passed due to family problems, and Fisher was replaced by Jimmy Sangster. The result is a prurient melodrama largely untroubled by subtlety, style, or acting talent (Ralph Bates is not too bad in the role earmarked for Cushing). The sex and nudity which is essentially the film's sine qua non feels very tame by modern standards; the pop song on the soundtrack will make discriminating viewers want to rip their own ears off.
Initially conceived as another vehicle for Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing, to be directed by Terence Fisher; in the end Pitt did Countess Dracula instead, Cushing passed due to family problems, and Fisher was replaced by Jimmy Sangster. The result is a prurient melodrama largely untroubled by subtlety, style, or acting talent (Ralph Bates is not too bad in the role earmarked for Cushing). The sex and nudity which is essentially the film's sine qua non feels very tame by modern standards; the pop song on the soundtrack will make discriminating viewers want to rip their own ears off.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla Vs Gigan (1972) in Movies
Jun 13, 2018
Scraping-the-barrel Godzilla movie would be unbelievably silly and weird by the standards of any other franchise, but following Godzilla vs Hedorah it feels relatively restrained. Aliens invade again, monsters show up, blah blah blah. All the stuff that makes it distinctive is mad and inappropriate: Godzilla and Anguirus get dialogue together, for crying out loud, gory fight scenes show an unexpected Sam Peckinpah influence, villains are defeated when hippies carry large boxes clearly labelled TNT into their secret base, 'Everything was going so well!' cries a dying giant cockroach as its plans come undone.
But this is a Godzilla movie, and if you're watching this movie you'd probably expect no less. What is less forgivable than the unbridled strangeness is the cheap-ass nature of the fight scenes - one suspects Anguirus and Ghidorah are only in this film to allow lengthy clips from Destroy All Monsters to be included to pad things out. Probably a bit of a low point when it comes to giant radioactive dinosaurs on film.
But this is a Godzilla movie, and if you're watching this movie you'd probably expect no less. What is less forgivable than the unbridled strangeness is the cheap-ass nature of the fight scenes - one suspects Anguirus and Ghidorah are only in this film to allow lengthy clips from Destroy All Monsters to be included to pad things out. Probably a bit of a low point when it comes to giant radioactive dinosaurs on film.
Otway93 (567 KP) rated What? (1972) in Movies
Nov 15, 2019
Well Improvised (1 more)
Humour
Story (1 more)
Acting
Rather pointless...
Contains spoilers, click to show
Despite the controversy surrounding Roman Polanski for the past few decades, he has made some astounding movies over the past 50-something years, Rosemary's Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers, The Pianist, and many others.
Unfortunately, this 1972 x-rated comedy doesn't come up to their standards, it's rumoured that the whole point of the film was so he could see Sydne Rome naked, which would explain the lack of effort put into this film.
The film itself has very little story, a woman (Sydne Rome) escapes from 3 rapists and comes to a luxurious Italian house full of strange sexual deviants, all of whom fit perfectly in with 1970s sex-comedies, but couldn't really do serious acting. That's basically the film.
The script itself is for the most improvised, and the humour from this is probably the best thing about this film, and does cause some funny moments.
For the most part though, the film is only good for those with a particular sense of humour, not dry, but also not crude, somewhere inbetween.
Unfortunately, this 1972 x-rated comedy doesn't come up to their standards, it's rumoured that the whole point of the film was so he could see Sydne Rome naked, which would explain the lack of effort put into this film.
The film itself has very little story, a woman (Sydne Rome) escapes from 3 rapists and comes to a luxurious Italian house full of strange sexual deviants, all of whom fit perfectly in with 1970s sex-comedies, but couldn't really do serious acting. That's basically the film.
The script itself is for the most improvised, and the humour from this is probably the best thing about this film, and does cause some funny moments.
For the most part though, the film is only good for those with a particular sense of humour, not dry, but also not crude, somewhere inbetween.
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated Friends in TV
Jan 5, 2020 (Updated Jan 28, 2020)
I feel so O.L.D.!
I loved this show growing up, never spotted the sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia all in there. However, it was a different generation, so we should give it a pass, even by today's easily offended world, it is minor, and must be judged by its time, not how it would be received today. That said, for a show with a laughter track, it is pretty good.
It does give the characters some unconventional story arcs, and has interesting situations, such as Pheopbe having her brothers triplets (Though I will not lie, now I have had a baby, the way they gloss over labour now inrages me, so I skip those episodes).
To me fair, until very recently, it was keeping its age well, showing the passage of time clearly over the 10 years with changes in styles.
Though, even at 15, I wondered how any of them kept their jobs, while off so much. Time must move differently in New York...
It does give the characters some unconventional story arcs, and has interesting situations, such as Pheopbe having her brothers triplets (Though I will not lie, now I have had a baby, the way they gloss over labour now inrages me, so I skip those episodes).
To me fair, until very recently, it was keeping its age well, showing the passage of time clearly over the 10 years with changes in styles.
Though, even at 15, I wondered how any of them kept their jobs, while off so much. Time must move differently in New York...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Juliet, Naked in Books
Jul 30, 2019
A little dull
When you think Nick Hornby, you usually think a funny, witty romantic comedy similar to his bigger hits like High Fidelity and About a Boy. Unfortunately Juliet, Naked doesn’t quiet meet up these rather high standards.
It’s well written which you’d definitely hope for from Nick Hornby, however it’s usually dull and rather long winded. The characters often go off into these dreary and long internal monologues that make this a bit of a slog. Annie and Tucker are fairly likeable characters but yet neither of them really stand out or make for a highly intriguing story. The plot itself while it sounds interesting, doesn’t actually play out as entertaining and fun as you’d think and the characters don’t really help much. The film has changed nearly everything in this book, especially the main events, and for once I don’t mind. The film has actually made this story a lot more entertaining for the most part, and those of you who know me on here know I won’t often admit that a film is better than the original book!
It’s well written which you’d definitely hope for from Nick Hornby, however it’s usually dull and rather long winded. The characters often go off into these dreary and long internal monologues that make this a bit of a slog. Annie and Tucker are fairly likeable characters but yet neither of them really stand out or make for a highly intriguing story. The plot itself while it sounds interesting, doesn’t actually play out as entertaining and fun as you’d think and the characters don’t really help much. The film has changed nearly everything in this book, especially the main events, and for once I don’t mind. The film has actually made this story a lot more entertaining for the most part, and those of you who know me on here know I won’t often admit that a film is better than the original book!
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