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How to Build a Girl
Book
What do you do in your teenage years when you realise what your parents taught you wasn't enough?...
Pablo Escobar: My Father
Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. Until now, we believed that everything had been said about the rise and...
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007)
Movie
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) Larry B. In this prequel re-telling of the famous...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Willy's Wonderland (2021) in Movies
Feb 21, 2021
I can safely say that I got exactly what I expected from Willy's Wonderland, a schlocky as hell B-Movie horror that manifests Nicolas Cage going toe-to-toe with a host of murderous animatronic mascots, set to a music score of synth heavy electronica/children's party jingles. Is it silly and dumb? Yes. Does it have annoying and unlikable teenage human characters who are there just to die horribly? Also yes. Is it entertaining as fuck? Most definitely.
Cage's silent protagonist feels like the role that his career has been leading up to all these years. He has his very own corner of the zeitgeist at this point, and is just running with it, happily poking fun at himself whilst managing to be undeniably badass, whether it be the Mad Max-esque opening, tearing the robots to shreds with his bare hands, or him furiously dancing whilst playing pinball. Whenever he's on screen, he steals all the focus, without uttering a word. It's so ridiculous and enjoyable, that it renders the half-baked plot a moot point.
The animatronics themselves look pretty decent for the most part, and there's some solid gore here and there. It's the kind of gore that will make you burst out laughing, but in a good way.
Willy's Wonderland is far from a perfect experience, but it is what it is, and never tries to be anything more, and therefore succeeds in what it's trying to achieve.
Cage's silent protagonist feels like the role that his career has been leading up to all these years. He has his very own corner of the zeitgeist at this point, and is just running with it, happily poking fun at himself whilst managing to be undeniably badass, whether it be the Mad Max-esque opening, tearing the robots to shreds with his bare hands, or him furiously dancing whilst playing pinball. Whenever he's on screen, he steals all the focus, without uttering a word. It's so ridiculous and enjoyable, that it renders the half-baked plot a moot point.
The animatronics themselves look pretty decent for the most part, and there's some solid gore here and there. It's the kind of gore that will make you burst out laughing, but in a good way.
Willy's Wonderland is far from a perfect experience, but it is what it is, and never tries to be anything more, and therefore succeeds in what it's trying to achieve.
Nicholas Sparks recommended Dirty Dancing (1987) in Movies (curated)
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Wrong Family in Books
Mar 11, 2021
A wild and wacky thriller
Juno, a former therapist, moves in with Winnie and Nigel Crouch because she thinks the family is nearly perfect. They appear a loving couple who adore their teenage son, Sam. But once she's living in their picture perfect house, Juno realizes all isn't as it seems. And when she overhears a conversation between the couple that she cannot forget, she gets involved... setting in motion a string of events that she cannot undo.
"Humans had a way of uprooting happiness. They found flaws in it, picked at it until the whole system unraveled."
Well, this was an interesting read, to say the least. It had the odd distinction of being both predictable in many ways yet really weird and crazy. It's a fast read and while there's nothing really amazing here, it was certainly good for a crazy (!) twist or two. I didn't care for any of the characters--Winnie, Juno, or Nigel--and most of my sympathies stayed with poor Sam, who had to deal with all these wacky adults in his life. There's a lot of drama and truly, the plot is bizarre and wild. Which is definitely fun at times and a bit too much at others.
Overall, this is a dark read with an insane plot and characters that aren't exactly endearing. It's a quick read that stressed me out and probably won't stick with me long, but was enjoyable enough for a few days. 3 stars.
"Humans had a way of uprooting happiness. They found flaws in it, picked at it until the whole system unraveled."
Well, this was an interesting read, to say the least. It had the odd distinction of being both predictable in many ways yet really weird and crazy. It's a fast read and while there's nothing really amazing here, it was certainly good for a crazy (!) twist or two. I didn't care for any of the characters--Winnie, Juno, or Nigel--and most of my sympathies stayed with poor Sam, who had to deal with all these wacky adults in his life. There's a lot of drama and truly, the plot is bizarre and wild. Which is definitely fun at times and a bit too much at others.
Overall, this is a dark read with an insane plot and characters that aren't exactly endearing. It's a quick read that stressed me out and probably won't stick with me long, but was enjoyable enough for a few days. 3 stars.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy, #4) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
I read the original trilogy with Nevada and Connor "Mad Dog" Rogan a few years ago now but I loved it, so the chance to continue the series with the two younger sisters was a big YES!
It's been three years since Nevada and Connor got married in Diamond Fire and now Catalina is the head of House Baylor. She gets a visit from Augustine - who runs a large PI type firm - and is asked to help talk a fifteen year old down from a hospital ledge after the death of his mum and sister and she immediately agrees. What follows draws Catalina into helping her friend find out who killed their family and she finds her teenage crush, Alessandro, is somehow involved in it.
I really enjoyed this, as I have the previous books in this series. The action barely stops throughout, there's always something happening keeping you hooked.
It was a complicated web for the team to unravel with trying to find out the murderer of Runa and Ragnar's mum and sister and I was drawn into that mystery.
And then the romance. God, I don't know who to slap first. Catalina for not telling Alessandro how she felt, or Alessandro for leaving in the end, though we very clearly see in that epilogue that he doesn't particularly want to leave.
I cannot wait for Emerald Blaze to released in August so I can see these two meet again and hopefully work it out!
It's been three years since Nevada and Connor got married in Diamond Fire and now Catalina is the head of House Baylor. She gets a visit from Augustine - who runs a large PI type firm - and is asked to help talk a fifteen year old down from a hospital ledge after the death of his mum and sister and she immediately agrees. What follows draws Catalina into helping her friend find out who killed their family and she finds her teenage crush, Alessandro, is somehow involved in it.
I really enjoyed this, as I have the previous books in this series. The action barely stops throughout, there's always something happening keeping you hooked.
It was a complicated web for the team to unravel with trying to find out the murderer of Runa and Ragnar's mum and sister and I was drawn into that mystery.
And then the romance. God, I don't know who to slap first. Catalina for not telling Alessandro how she felt, or Alessandro for leaving in the end, though we very clearly see in that epilogue that he doesn't particularly want to leave.
I cannot wait for Emerald Blaze to released in August so I can see these two meet again and hopefully work it out!