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Last Leaf by The Danish String Quartet

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Album

The members of the Danish String Quartet — Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (b. 1983), violin; Frederik...

Kim Pook (101 KP) rated The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) in Movies

Feb 4, 2021

Contains spoilers, click to show

Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby are 4 16 year old best friends. They were born in the same week and grew up together, sharing each others grievances and celebrations. One day whilst shopping, they all decide to try on the same pair of jeans, and despite their different body types they fit them all perfectly. They buy the jeans and decide to share them as a way to stay connected during their summer vacations.
For the summer, the girls go their separate ways, Lenaand Carmen visit relatives, Bridget goes to camp and Tibby stays at home to work. Lena being the first person to have the jeans, then Tibby, Carmen and finally Bridget. But is this movie really just about a pair of jeans? No, infact the whole movie could have been done without the jeans as they literally have no impact on the storyline whatsoever, they're just mentioned on occasion.
It is a good movie, although out of the teens stories, I was only interested in 2 of the stories, Tibby and Carmen. This is probably because their story had more drama, whereas Lena and Bridget were just about getting a guy.

Kudos

DIY String Art: 24 Designs to Create and Hang

Jesse Dresbach

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Book

String art, a summer camp staple in the '70s, is coming back in a big, big way as young urbanites...

Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers

Alexander McCall Smith

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Book

As summer blooms in Edinburgh's gardens and Bertie Pollock's birthday appears on the horizon, all at...

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Friday the 13th (1980) in Movies

Jul 14, 2020

Friday the 13th is great to look back on. It's full to the brim of cheesy over-the-top acting, weirdly boring sections and dodgy dialogue, but knowing how the horror and in particular slasher genre developed in the decades following, it's an easy film to love.

Following hot on the heels of Halloween, Friday the 13th is the slasher genre stripped down to it's bare bones - a group of horny teenagers isolated from the rest of the world, a relentless killer hunting them down one by one, until we're left with a lone final girl.
Tropes that have since become iconic, much like the setting of Camp Crystal Lake.
The summer camp setting has been aped and parodied for years following the films release back in 1980.

The practical effects used by the now legendary Tom Savini are still great. They may be showing their age, but I would take it over sub standard CGI any day. Throw in a frantic and memorable musical score courtesy of Harry Manfredini, a gleefully sinister performance from Betsy Palmer as Pamela Voorhees, and one of the greatest "Gotcha!" endings in horror cinema, and you have a title that's deserving of the love it gets.

Kudos

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated She's Got a Way (Echo Lake, #3) in Books

Feb 13, 2018

Gabi O'Brien has spent nearly her entire life at Briarwood Academy, an elite all-girls private school. She grew up there, went away to college, and then returned as a "housemother"-- living in a dorm with a group of girls who need Gabi 24/7. But when four of Gabi's girls get into major trouble, the only thing standing between them and expulsion is a four-week stay at Camp Echo. Camp Echo used to be a boy's camp for foster and needy kids, but was recently bought by Briarwood. Upon arrival, Gabi and her girls find only two employees left: its founder, the elderly Oliver, and its young handyman, Luke. The two are charged with a to-do list a mile long from Briarwood to get the camp in shape and have no interest in the plight of a group of snobby rich girls. Gabi, meanwhile, wasn't planning to spend her summer playing camp counselor and immediately finds herself in over her head, trying to care for her charges in the middle of the wilderness. Further, she realizes she's immediately attracted to Luke. The two are both fiercely independent individuals held back by their pasts. Can they get over these pasts and work together to save the four wayward girls, who desperately need them?

This novel contains the typical romance silliness with a somewhat crazy plot, but it's fun and enjoyable. It came at the perfect point in my reading schedule, where I needed a break from thrillers and intense fiction where all the characters hate each other. Some of it should be silly, but really Gabi and Luke (and the four girls) are endearing. There are certainly moments where Gabi's indecisiveness, fear, and bickering with Luke grow old; you find yourself needing her to just grow up a bit and control her own destiny a bit more. Still, the book is fun, even poking fun at romance novels with it's tongue-in-check rom/com allusions.

Luke and Gabi's building romance is enjoyable to watch, with added drama thrown in from their four teenage charges. As I said, Gabi can be a bit frustrating, but you can't help but feel for her plight (would you want to be trapped with four angry teens in the woods?), and Luke is rather charming. The novel does an excellent job of speaking to how the past can strongly influence one person's character, as well capturing the angst that comes with class differences (think Briarwood versus foster care). It gives the romance an added depth and surprising heart.

All in all, a fun, quick read. 3.5 stars.