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Hadley (567 KP) rated The Collector in Books
May 4, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Whenever you move to a small town, there is always a hidden secret. When one of those secrets is children going missing, it makes for a great horror story. But 'the Collector' makes for an okay one,with most of its twist and turns being highly predictable.
Josie, the main character of 'the Collector,' has just been uprooted from Chicago with her younger sister, Anna, after their single mother just lost her job. They move in with their ailing grandmother in a small town far away, where she warns the girls to never enter the woods that surround her house. Very early in the book (literally within the first ten pages), Josie and Anna hear a voice coming from the forbidden woods, calling out their names. This isn't the best horror book I've ever read, but it has its quirks.
The reader gets to follow Josie through the story, from her time at a new school to nightmare fueled dreams. She watches her mother take care of her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, but the grandmother constantly speaks of someone named Beryl, and how this woman knows and wants Josie and Anna. Fortunately, Josie meets a girl at her new school named Vanessa, who becomes a quick friend. Josie speaks about the woods around her grandmother's house, and how she and her sister weren't allowed to enter them, but Vanessa believes there's nothing to worry about: " 'There's nothing to be scared of in the woods,' she said. Her voice sounded different. Flat. Like she was reciting a line from a story she'd read, but didn't believe. 'It's just trees and animals.' "
Josie and Anna soon go over to Vanessa's house, where she lives with her aunt. Little did they know that the house was the one in the forbidden woods that their grandmother warned them about. Josie ignores the rule and enters the home; inside, they are met with a hoarding collection of porcelain dolls, lining the walls and the floors of the entire house. Although Josie has had dreams about this house before even meeting Vanessa, including a life-size doll that answered the door(which she later states looked just like Vanessa), she didn't put the easily accessible puzzle pieces together.
Ignoring the obvious, Josie invites Vanessa over for a sleep-over, where we witness Josie's grandmother instantly recognizing her friend. Vanessa quickly leaves, taking off into the woods towards her home without giving an excuse or getting her overnight bag. When Josie asks her grandmother how she knew Vanessa, her grandmother replies: " 'Beryl is coming!'... 'You've brought her in here. I can't protect you. Not anymore.' "
Josie becomes angry and decides to confront her friend, Vanessa, and find out why she left the way that she did. When she reaches Vanessa's house in the woods, she can hear her crying,but there's another voice - a voice from Josie's dreams of none other than Beryl! Josie overhears Beryl demanding that Vanessa bring her another child for her collection.
Anyone who ever enjoyed R.L. Stine's 'Goosebumps' or 'Fear Street' series will enjoy this book. The story follows the basics of all young adult horror books: one pre-teen/teen experiences something supernatural, and no one believes them, so they are left to fend off the threat by themselves. But this one leaves out the teen drama of a blossoming romance with a boy-crazy girl, instead focusing on an older sister's love for her sibling. "I felt I should apologize to her before dinner. I should try and show her that I was sorry by offering to bring her food or something. I had to protect her, and that meant she had to trust me again."
One aspect that was needed was character development - there is such a lack of backstory that the reader can't bring themselves to care about any of the characters. Alexander keeps the story going with no lulls of teen life, but very little human interaction. Josie spends a lot of time with her younger sister, Anna, but the interactions are quick and seem unimportant.
'The Collector' is good for a quick read with a few scares here and there. I would recommend this book for pre-teens that are interested in horror genre books, but not wanting to deal with the nightmares that horror books for an older generation might bring. Although the ending of the book seemed rush, with a quick death of our villain by the hands of Josie, we are left with an opening for a possible sequel: "Slowly, I opened my eyes, tried to make my vision adjuts. I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a doll on my nightstand. A doll that looked an awful lot like Beryl. " It ends like most horror movies end, but was it good enough for a sequel? I don't think so.
Josie, the main character of 'the Collector,' has just been uprooted from Chicago with her younger sister, Anna, after their single mother just lost her job. They move in with their ailing grandmother in a small town far away, where she warns the girls to never enter the woods that surround her house. Very early in the book (literally within the first ten pages), Josie and Anna hear a voice coming from the forbidden woods, calling out their names. This isn't the best horror book I've ever read, but it has its quirks.
The reader gets to follow Josie through the story, from her time at a new school to nightmare fueled dreams. She watches her mother take care of her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, but the grandmother constantly speaks of someone named Beryl, and how this woman knows and wants Josie and Anna. Fortunately, Josie meets a girl at her new school named Vanessa, who becomes a quick friend. Josie speaks about the woods around her grandmother's house, and how she and her sister weren't allowed to enter them, but Vanessa believes there's nothing to worry about: " 'There's nothing to be scared of in the woods,' she said. Her voice sounded different. Flat. Like she was reciting a line from a story she'd read, but didn't believe. 'It's just trees and animals.' "
Josie and Anna soon go over to Vanessa's house, where she lives with her aunt. Little did they know that the house was the one in the forbidden woods that their grandmother warned them about. Josie ignores the rule and enters the home; inside, they are met with a hoarding collection of porcelain dolls, lining the walls and the floors of the entire house. Although Josie has had dreams about this house before even meeting Vanessa, including a life-size doll that answered the door(which she later states looked just like Vanessa), she didn't put the easily accessible puzzle pieces together.
Ignoring the obvious, Josie invites Vanessa over for a sleep-over, where we witness Josie's grandmother instantly recognizing her friend. Vanessa quickly leaves, taking off into the woods towards her home without giving an excuse or getting her overnight bag. When Josie asks her grandmother how she knew Vanessa, her grandmother replies: " 'Beryl is coming!'... 'You've brought her in here. I can't protect you. Not anymore.' "
Josie becomes angry and decides to confront her friend, Vanessa, and find out why she left the way that she did. When she reaches Vanessa's house in the woods, she can hear her crying,but there's another voice - a voice from Josie's dreams of none other than Beryl! Josie overhears Beryl demanding that Vanessa bring her another child for her collection.
Anyone who ever enjoyed R.L. Stine's 'Goosebumps' or 'Fear Street' series will enjoy this book. The story follows the basics of all young adult horror books: one pre-teen/teen experiences something supernatural, and no one believes them, so they are left to fend off the threat by themselves. But this one leaves out the teen drama of a blossoming romance with a boy-crazy girl, instead focusing on an older sister's love for her sibling. "I felt I should apologize to her before dinner. I should try and show her that I was sorry by offering to bring her food or something. I had to protect her, and that meant she had to trust me again."
One aspect that was needed was character development - there is such a lack of backstory that the reader can't bring themselves to care about any of the characters. Alexander keeps the story going with no lulls of teen life, but very little human interaction. Josie spends a lot of time with her younger sister, Anna, but the interactions are quick and seem unimportant.
'The Collector' is good for a quick read with a few scares here and there. I would recommend this book for pre-teens that are interested in horror genre books, but not wanting to deal with the nightmares that horror books for an older generation might bring. Although the ending of the book seemed rush, with a quick death of our villain by the hands of Josie, we are left with an opening for a possible sequel: "Slowly, I opened my eyes, tried to make my vision adjuts. I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a doll on my nightstand. A doll that looked an awful lot like Beryl. " It ends like most horror movies end, but was it good enough for a sequel? I don't think so.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Dec 9, 2019
Half baked
jumanji next level is like an uninteresting game cutscene thats also unskippable its dull, frustrating, overlong and makes you wish you were doing something else. I actualy quite enjoyed the first instalment I it had some genuinely good ideas, great set pieces and some really fun action so i find it sad to say the sequel is not worth your time at all. Starting in the real world here lies its fist problem: not only are all the teens really boring and generic characters they are all also played by people that just cant act which absolutely kills any attachment to the characters and makes them seem more like one dimensional npcs in a cheap videogame. This would all be fine if the film jumped quickly into the game and the action but instead we get stuck with them for so long that i was begining to get restless way before we even begin to enter the jumanji. Once we do enter the game things do pick up but not by much as what we get is essentially a long drawn out re-skin of the first movie stuffed full of repetative humour and references. Its also contains some of the worst shot/lazy action scenes i have seen this year with not only poor cgi that offers no sense of weight but also no sense of thrill or excitement either. Long unnecessary scenes also plague the film too adding nothing to the story or character development and some jokes even go on for way to long even though they muster no laughs at all. Theres definitely some fun in watching the rock, kevin heart, jack black and karen gilinham act like thier in movie real world counterparts as they do a really impressive job of imitating the teen characters better than the teen actors do them selves. Another huge problem comes from each game character having only three lives as this immediately removes all threat/peril from the movie and again kills all tension too. If i had to sum up this sequel i would say its a movie made for people that talk through movies and i garantee if you go and see it at the cinema i bet thats what people will do because it lacks anything to keep even casual movie goers engaged and focused. More like disappointing dlc that you paid for upfront than 'next level' this movie really isnt worth your time. If you own the previous movies id stay home in the warm and watch them instead save yourself an over two hour slog of bad jokes and poor action.
Au Mobile - Âm Nhạc, Vũ Đạo & Thời Trang
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Đám cưới có thể làm vài lần trong đời, nhưng lễ trưởng thành chỉ có một....
chandler ellis (3 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Jul 14, 2017
Michael Keaton's portrayal of his character: The Vulture. (1 more)
The idea that his Peter Parker, tried to prove himself worthy for the Avengers, and that he wouldn't let someone die just because their bad.
Spiderman swings into a 9/10 place, giving a comical take on the teenage superhero
Contains spoilers, click to show
Spiderman Homecoming swung into theatres last week, and provided a comical take on the young superhero. It gives us an opening on Peter, enjoying his time and experience through the events of Civil War. But this comes to an end, when it shows him as a normal teen. Michael Keaton, gives a hatred to play-boy millionaire Tony Stark. So he retrieves pieces of weaponry and tech, from previous Marvel films. And he sells them to make money, and give his family a good life. Through this Peter learns of the idea of trust, bravery, and of course doing the right thing no matter what. All in all, Spiderman Homecoming makes a great film for the new generation and for some in the old generation.
Sam (74 KP) rated A Thousand Perfect Notes in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I was so excited to start this. To begin with, I liked Beck and I loved August and I really felt for both of the characters.
But overall, the book just didn’t feel right. The language used was very poetic, almost as if C.G. Drews was just trying to make Instagram-worthy quotes. The language seemed really forced and really out of context. I can’t understand how a story about an abused teen would use very romanticised and literary language.
In any other context, I think I would quite like her writing style, but I feel that it really didn’t fit in at all here.
And then there’s the way that every few pages the lines
are
like
this
For absolutely no reason at all, and then for about fifty pages you see no use of this writing style almost as if the author has forgotten that she was trying to use this as a feature.
I get that this is a debut, but it just seemed really amateurish and didn’t flow at all. I started off liking the characters, and I finished hating them.
The only reason that this is two stars instead of one is that I did actually manage to finish it.
But overall, the book just didn’t feel right. The language used was very poetic, almost as if C.G. Drews was just trying to make Instagram-worthy quotes. The language seemed really forced and really out of context. I can’t understand how a story about an abused teen would use very romanticised and literary language.
In any other context, I think I would quite like her writing style, but I feel that it really didn’t fit in at all here.
And then there’s the way that every few pages the lines
are
like
this
For absolutely no reason at all, and then for about fifty pages you see no use of this writing style almost as if the author has forgotten that she was trying to use this as a feature.
I get that this is a debut, but it just seemed really amateurish and didn’t flow at all. I started off liking the characters, and I finished hating them.
The only reason that this is two stars instead of one is that I did actually manage to finish it.
Ross (3284 KP) rated 13 Reasons Why - Season 2 in TV
Mar 29, 2019
More compelling, deep teen drama
The second series follows a similar format to the first - where the first series focused on a different character's tape, and therefore that person's role in Hannah's suicide; this series uses each character's testimony in a trial against the school. Some of the story of the first series is shown to have been one person's side of the story, others are expanded on and shown to be very different.
Each episode is enjoyable and gripping. You start to hate some characters less; others even more, and some you really want something terrible to happen to.
The final episode gives an insight into the upcoming third series, with one character returning to school after some behavioural issues and trying to settle back in.
The series really shows the impact that decisions made by those in charge of a school, and how they react to issues, can have much wider impacts. No longer are we just thinking about how these things affected Hannah and made her decide to kill herself, but how they impact the mental health of those around her, how the authorities' inability to deal with those issues can snowball and how futile their attempts to react to crises are.
Each episode is enjoyable and gripping. You start to hate some characters less; others even more, and some you really want something terrible to happen to.
The final episode gives an insight into the upcoming third series, with one character returning to school after some behavioural issues and trying to settle back in.
The series really shows the impact that decisions made by those in charge of a school, and how they react to issues, can have much wider impacts. No longer are we just thinking about how these things affected Hannah and made her decide to kill herself, but how they impact the mental health of those around her, how the authorities' inability to deal with those issues can snowball and how futile their attempts to react to crises are.
gayga (2128 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies
May 8, 2019
Zac Efron CAN Really Act
Contains spoilers, click to show
I’d been looking forward to this ever since hearing about it and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed!
I suppose after watching Zac Efron grow up in High School Musical films and then more grown up (but still musical) in The Greatest Show, I was wondering if he was going to pull it off but he’s certainly shed his teen idol status in this film.
Took me half the film to realise the fat, bearded one was Haley Joel Osment and to think of Jim Parsons as anything other than Sheldon. However he was great and not a bit camp. I really loved Lily Collins performance but I wanted to slap the CarolAnn character cos she was such a drip.
I was amazed that they could make a film of Ted Bundy without violence and gore. Apart from one very tame instance they managed it without it detracting from the film.
It’s a film that I would want to watch again and again, if not for Zac Efrons amazing performance, then to enjoy him getting naked!! As Bridget Jones would say he has a genuinely gorgeous bottom (and all his other parts!!)
I suppose after watching Zac Efron grow up in High School Musical films and then more grown up (but still musical) in The Greatest Show, I was wondering if he was going to pull it off but he’s certainly shed his teen idol status in this film.
Took me half the film to realise the fat, bearded one was Haley Joel Osment and to think of Jim Parsons as anything other than Sheldon. However he was great and not a bit camp. I really loved Lily Collins performance but I wanted to slap the CarolAnn character cos she was such a drip.
I was amazed that they could make a film of Ted Bundy without violence and gore. Apart from one very tame instance they managed it without it detracting from the film.
It’s a film that I would want to watch again and again, if not for Zac Efrons amazing performance, then to enjoy him getting naked!! As Bridget Jones would say he has a genuinely gorgeous bottom (and all his other parts!!)
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Remember Me in Books
May 22, 2019
Fifteen years ago Ellen Smith vanished from the woods near her small Welsh village. Never to be seen again.
Eight people were in the woods that night: eight splintered lives, eight people hiding a terrible secret. But who can remember the truth?
Now, Ellens best friend, Detective Ava Cole is all grown up back in the village where it all began, and everyone is asking the same question.
What really happened to Ellen?
The book is told from the point of view of Ava a New York detective who returns to her childhood welsh village upon learning about the terminal illness of her ex-husband. There is a lot going on in this book. It all centers around a group of friends who have known each other since childhood. They have a dark secret that they have concealed since their teen age years.
Gripping and creepy this is a claustrophobic thriller that never leaves Aberdyth.
The tension built throughout and I couldn't put it down until I finished it!
The plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly providing me the eARC of this book.
Eight people were in the woods that night: eight splintered lives, eight people hiding a terrible secret. But who can remember the truth?
Now, Ellens best friend, Detective Ava Cole is all grown up back in the village where it all began, and everyone is asking the same question.
What really happened to Ellen?
The book is told from the point of view of Ava a New York detective who returns to her childhood welsh village upon learning about the terminal illness of her ex-husband. There is a lot going on in this book. It all centers around a group of friends who have known each other since childhood. They have a dark secret that they have concealed since their teen age years.
Gripping and creepy this is a claustrophobic thriller that never leaves Aberdyth.
The tension built throughout and I couldn't put it down until I finished it!
The plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly providing me the eARC of this book.
Darkwriter1408 (8 KP) rated American Pie (1999) in Movies
Jun 13, 2019
Acting (1 more)
Nudity
Moderated porn for the teen
American pie is a film based a lot around some high school teenagers who love sex. Sex nudity and more sex. It centres mainly around jim, who is still a virgin and he has a ginormous crush on the foreign beauty Nadia. The film starts off where Nadia waits for Jim in his bedroom already getting naked. This is where the nudity begins, they may as well just slap a porn sticker on the film.
Putting the porn factor aside, the film does bring some pretty hearty laughs courtesy of Eugene levy and seann William Scott. They bring the laughs and giggles to the film and make it watchable.
A good thing I find about the film though is the twist that you start to see coming with Michelle. Now if you haven't seen the film I will not tell you anymore but you must watch it! Yes I have said it's mediocre and should been put as porn but this aside it is a watchable film that delivers on the comedic factor.
It's a good film for when your on your own with nothing to do, and in need of a laugh.. or maybe some alone time...
Putting the porn factor aside, the film does bring some pretty hearty laughs courtesy of Eugene levy and seann William Scott. They bring the laughs and giggles to the film and make it watchable.
A good thing I find about the film though is the twist that you start to see coming with Michelle. Now if you haven't seen the film I will not tell you anymore but you must watch it! Yes I have said it's mediocre and should been put as porn but this aside it is a watchable film that delivers on the comedic factor.
It's a good film for when your on your own with nothing to do, and in need of a laugh.. or maybe some alone time...
Kyera (8 KP) rated Daughter of the Pirate King in Books
Jan 31, 2018
Daughter of the Pirate King is a swashbuckling adventure for young adult/teen fans of pirate shenanigans. Alosa is a strong, fearless pirate with flaming red hair and a taste for blood. Although her father is the Pirate King, she captains her ship under her own merit and inspires loyalty in her crew.
I went into this story knowing only that it featured a lead character who was essentially a female Jack Sparrow. As a huge fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow and pirate tales in general – I knew this was a book for me and was glad that I didn’t know more about it than that. There as aspects, allegiances, and secrets about our characters that might be spoiled by reading a synopsis and were better to discover on our own organically while reading the book.
The plot was unexpected and enjoyable from start to finish and left me wanting more. It can easily and satisfyingly be read by itself but also leaves plenty of room to continue to the storyline. (Thankfully there is at least one more book in this series, but unfortunately, it is not out yet.)
Highly recommended read for those who enjoy adventure books with a strong female lead and just a dash of debauchery.
I went into this story knowing only that it featured a lead character who was essentially a female Jack Sparrow. As a huge fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow and pirate tales in general – I knew this was a book for me and was glad that I didn’t know more about it than that. There as aspects, allegiances, and secrets about our characters that might be spoiled by reading a synopsis and were better to discover on our own organically while reading the book.
The plot was unexpected and enjoyable from start to finish and left me wanting more. It can easily and satisfyingly be read by itself but also leaves plenty of room to continue to the storyline. (Thankfully there is at least one more book in this series, but unfortunately, it is not out yet.)
Highly recommended read for those who enjoy adventure books with a strong female lead and just a dash of debauchery.