Search
Search results
The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Math Girls (Ruby Pi Adventures #2)
Book
A collection of five historical fiction adventure stories, the second installment in the "Rubi Pi...
Young Adult Science Girls Mystery Adventure
David McK (3425 KP) rated The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures in Books
Feb 20, 2022
I remember going to the cinema in the early 1990s to see a little-known movie called 'The Rocketeer'.
I had no idea at the time that it was based on an already-existing IP.
This one.
Well, when I say that I'm honestly not sure whether this came first or not (but suspect it did), with the first of the two stories collected here incredibly close to what happens in that movie: enough, at points, to make me wonder was this a novelisation rather than the basis for the movie. (That, by the way, it later dispelled somewhat when the two stories veer off on different tangents).
Anyway, this is an OK read, with a rather misleading cover - unlike the rocket pack that Cliff Secord discovers, there's really nothing new or all that special here!
I had no idea at the time that it was based on an already-existing IP.
This one.
Well, when I say that I'm honestly not sure whether this came first or not (but suspect it did), with the first of the two stories collected here incredibly close to what happens in that movie: enough, at points, to make me wonder was this a novelisation rather than the basis for the movie. (That, by the way, it later dispelled somewhat when the two stories veer off on different tangents).
Anyway, this is an OK read, with a rather misleading cover - unlike the rocket pack that Cliff Secord discovers, there's really nothing new or all that special here!
Darren (1599 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Aug 24, 2019
Verdict: Goosebumps With Pure Horror
Story: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark starts with the backdrop of the Richard Nixon election, where high school students Stella (Colletti), Auggie (Rush) and Chuck (Zajur) look to get revenge on the school bully, which sees them stumble into stranger’s Ramon (Garza) car on Halloween which sees them head to a haunted house that has the story about the daughter of the family Sarah Bellows, writing scary stories for the local kids that soon went missing.
When Stella finds the story book she starts to investigate the stories, only to see the stories writing themselves with the locals starting to go missing, including her friends, Stella must investigate the myth about Sarah to stop the people she loves going missing.
Thoughts on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Characters – Stella is an outsider at her school, she has always struggled with the people talking about her mother that disappeared, she is known for writing stories and enjoys a horror film, she wants to investigate the haunted house and is fascinated by what she finds, even though she must do anything to protect her friends once she learns the evil involved. Most of this film Stella feels like a young Velma from Scooby Doo too, which can be hard to shake without realizing. Ramon Morales is a stranger in town, the police don’t take to him too kindly, but Stella sees him as a nice guy, it is slightly confusing trying to figure out how old he is and why he is hanging out with the high schoolers, but he does have a reason to be on the run. Auggie and Chuck are the two banter filled friends of Stella that do make the smart decisions when it comes to dealing with horror moments. Roy Nicholls is the father of Stella that has been struggling with his wife’s disappearance, which has seen him become distant from Stella too.
Performances – Zoe Margaret Colletti is great in the leading role, we see her give us a vulnerable, but strong character that needs to break out of her shell. Michael Garza is strong through the film, playing the mysterious stranger, needing to keep a lot of his secrets close to his chest. Gabriel Rush and Austin Zajur have great chemistry and the friends, while Dean Norris doesn’t do anything wrong, but does feel wasted at times.
Story – The story here follows a group of teenagers that find a book that tells scary stories that come true with horrifying outcomes and they must figure out how to break the curse placed upon them. This does feel like a much darker version of a Goosebumps set of stories, with each horror figure being terrifying in their own right, which will lead to an event that you don’t see coming. We do have the investigation side of the film which does answer the questions about what is going on and why, which as always is entertaining to watch in a horror and with everything adding up nicely we will be left with a story that flows smoothly throughout.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film comes from the different creations of horror, for the most part the trailer does show us each of the creations involved in the film, the mystery plays into why the horror events are happening and just what Sarah is making this happen.
Settings – The film is set in a small town, where everybody knows everyone, which does play into the idea that the stories around the town can destroy reputations and feelings.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are used to make the horror creatures seem more terrifying where they look like practical effects too, which is a delight to see.
Scene of the Movie – Chuck’s visit.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The trailer gives away all of the horror figures.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun horror film that is filled with scary figures that will fill you with dread as they are original creations and will surprise with what happens to the characters.
Overall: Fun Dark Horror.
Story: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark starts with the backdrop of the Richard Nixon election, where high school students Stella (Colletti), Auggie (Rush) and Chuck (Zajur) look to get revenge on the school bully, which sees them stumble into stranger’s Ramon (Garza) car on Halloween which sees them head to a haunted house that has the story about the daughter of the family Sarah Bellows, writing scary stories for the local kids that soon went missing.
When Stella finds the story book she starts to investigate the stories, only to see the stories writing themselves with the locals starting to go missing, including her friends, Stella must investigate the myth about Sarah to stop the people she loves going missing.
Thoughts on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Characters – Stella is an outsider at her school, she has always struggled with the people talking about her mother that disappeared, she is known for writing stories and enjoys a horror film, she wants to investigate the haunted house and is fascinated by what she finds, even though she must do anything to protect her friends once she learns the evil involved. Most of this film Stella feels like a young Velma from Scooby Doo too, which can be hard to shake without realizing. Ramon Morales is a stranger in town, the police don’t take to him too kindly, but Stella sees him as a nice guy, it is slightly confusing trying to figure out how old he is and why he is hanging out with the high schoolers, but he does have a reason to be on the run. Auggie and Chuck are the two banter filled friends of Stella that do make the smart decisions when it comes to dealing with horror moments. Roy Nicholls is the father of Stella that has been struggling with his wife’s disappearance, which has seen him become distant from Stella too.
Performances – Zoe Margaret Colletti is great in the leading role, we see her give us a vulnerable, but strong character that needs to break out of her shell. Michael Garza is strong through the film, playing the mysterious stranger, needing to keep a lot of his secrets close to his chest. Gabriel Rush and Austin Zajur have great chemistry and the friends, while Dean Norris doesn’t do anything wrong, but does feel wasted at times.
Story – The story here follows a group of teenagers that find a book that tells scary stories that come true with horrifying outcomes and they must figure out how to break the curse placed upon them. This does feel like a much darker version of a Goosebumps set of stories, with each horror figure being terrifying in their own right, which will lead to an event that you don’t see coming. We do have the investigation side of the film which does answer the questions about what is going on and why, which as always is entertaining to watch in a horror and with everything adding up nicely we will be left with a story that flows smoothly throughout.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film comes from the different creations of horror, for the most part the trailer does show us each of the creations involved in the film, the mystery plays into why the horror events are happening and just what Sarah is making this happen.
Settings – The film is set in a small town, where everybody knows everyone, which does play into the idea that the stories around the town can destroy reputations and feelings.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are used to make the horror creatures seem more terrifying where they look like practical effects too, which is a delight to see.
Scene of the Movie – Chuck’s visit.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The trailer gives away all of the horror figures.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun horror film that is filled with scary figures that will fill you with dread as they are original creations and will surprise with what happens to the characters.
Overall: Fun Dark Horror.
The Everything Guide to Selling Arts & Crafts Online: How to Sell on Etsy, eBay, Your Storefront, and Everywhere Else Online
Book
Your guide to online success! Here's all you need to realize your dreams of turning your handiwork...
MissCagey (2652 KP) rated Common Murder in Books
Oct 18, 2017
MusicCritics (472 KP) rated Birdie by Slaughter Beach in Music
Nov 2, 2017
There’s a buoyant urgency to proceedings, the kind of detail in the lyrics that let you know here is a person telling you stories of the world as they see them in a way that is fiercely meant.All told it’s a treat. Do not miss it.
Critic- Pete Wild
Original Score: 4 out of 5
Read Review: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/slaughter-beach-dog-birdie
Original Score: 4 out of 5
Read Review: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/slaughter-beach-dog-birdie
Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor, Volume 2: Doctormania in Books
Jan 12, 2018
A fun pair of stories set with the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Jack. The first may be the best Slitheen story told to date, and that's saying something about the reviled monsters from Raxacoricofallapatorius. The second has some nice moments with a future Micky not wanting to deal with No. 9, in a misfire about Rose gaining superpowers. For our full review... http://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8201
Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor, Vol. 1: A Matter of Life and Death in Books
Jan 12, 2018
Individually the stories found in this volume are standard fare, good but not overly engaging. The arc they tell is also fine, just not outstanding. Which is a shame because the final segment is outstanding, but it comes as the capstone to a mostly alright endeavor. George Mann has a great grasp of the Eighth Doctor however, and it's worth reading for his "voice" if nothing else.
Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Doctor Who: Circular Time in Books
Jan 12, 2018
4 short stories make up Big Finish's first foray into anthology storytelling, and there isn't a bad one in the bunch. Outstanding storytelling, great acting (especially by my favorite guest star, David Warner) a deepening of the special relationship that five and Nyssa share, and a finale to die for. This might be my favorite Fifth Doctor story of the line thus far. Great audio!
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Difficult Women in Books
Jul 25, 2017
Slightly disappointed, slightly repetitive
I was absolutely gearing up for Roxane Gay's latest book which turned out to be a mish mash of interesting short stories, intersecting racism, classism and sexism. The only issue was about 75% of the book seemed to repeat itself. It seemed to be missing a trick - there are more to women's lives than men, which was the main focus.