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Long winded and dull
Dan Brown is a very divisive author. Most people either love him or hate him, and if I'm being honest, I'm verging more on the latter after reading this.
The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons were fantastic books, but I discovered after reading most of Dan Brown's other books that his writing and plots follow virtually the same paths. And that gets a little boring after a while when it feels like you're reading the same story with slightly different details. And this is the problem with Origin. It's the same old plot structure, but this time with a very dull storyline. It promises us this amazing discovery and builds it up for far too long over the initial 100 pages or so, but then reveals nothing until after 450 pages by which point I was very close to giving up. There wasn't even any tension or thrills during Brown's predictable chase scenes, and the whole story was just beyond dull and predictable. And even the final reveal right at the end, I'd predicted it right from the start. Think I may have to give up reading Dan Brown's books now.
The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons were fantastic books, but I discovered after reading most of Dan Brown's other books that his writing and plots follow virtually the same paths. And that gets a little boring after a while when it feels like you're reading the same story with slightly different details. And this is the problem with Origin. It's the same old plot structure, but this time with a very dull storyline. It promises us this amazing discovery and builds it up for far too long over the initial 100 pages or so, but then reveals nothing until after 450 pages by which point I was very close to giving up. There wasn't even any tension or thrills during Brown's predictable chase scenes, and the whole story was just beyond dull and predictable. And even the final reveal right at the end, I'd predicted it right from the start. Think I may have to give up reading Dan Brown's books now.
John Woodward (6 KP) rated Last Podcast On The Left in Podcasts
Mar 20, 2019
Incredibly well researched (1 more)
Pretty Funny
This is truly an amazing podcast. If you're in to things that are a little weird, such as Area 51, or skinwalker ranch, or if you have an interest in anything to do with serial killers both well known, or slightly more obscure, then this is something you will love. Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel, and Henry Zebrowski have the kind of chemistry you find when actual friends work together. The amount of research that goes in to all of their episodes, makes each one incredibly informative. Despite this technically being a comedy podcast, it can get really chilling at times. Their recent episodes surrounding the Auschwitz doctor Joseph Mengele, is one prime example. The occasional injection of a silly joke works to break the tension of some episodes, although sometimes, not often though, it can take you a bit too far away from the subject matter. Overall, this is easily my favourite podcast. I will happily sit for hours listening to the three guys talk. I can't recommend it any more highly.
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Child's Play (1988) in Movies
Mar 21, 2019
He'll be your friend till the end
Coming from the UK the childs play films are best remembered for the real life James Bulger murders where 2 evil shits kidnapped a young boy and killed him using scenes from the films as inspiration - particularly childs play 2. It was a horrible crime and I remember when i first watched the Childs Play films i expected gore galore but in all honesty there was never really that much gore in them until Bride of Chucky. It's been years since I've watched them and with the 'remake/reboot' out soon I thought I'd revisit the original. So being the film that started it all, the original childs play is far more a suspenseful horror than a gore flick. Tension is built up as chucky stalks his prey and then dispatches them using some good old fashioned jump scares. Some of the support acting is quite wooden but Andy and his mum are really good and the always impressive Chris Sarandon is excellent. A 'classic' that holds up ok still.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated A Deadly Éclair (A French Bistro Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mimi Rousseau is just months into her new venture of a French bistro and hotel in the heart of Napa County. This weekend, she is hosting her first event, the wedding of Angelica Edmonton, noted TV talk show host and the niece of Bryan Baker, Mimi’s benefactor and mentor. However, when tension at the pre-wedding dinner on Friday night leads to a dead body on Saturday morning, Mimi finds herself looking into the murder. What is going on?
It’s fun to find a series set in Napa County that doesn’t focus on wine, although wine is certainly present. The French food will definitely leave your mouth watering as you work your way through this good first mystery. The initial chapter has a bit of a data dump in it, but once beyond that, the mystery picks up and the pace never slows down again. The characters are outstanding, and the relationships between the series regulars is already strong. I’m looking forward to seeing that grow as the series progresses.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/11/book-review-deadly-eclair-by-daryl-wood.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
It’s fun to find a series set in Napa County that doesn’t focus on wine, although wine is certainly present. The French food will definitely leave your mouth watering as you work your way through this good first mystery. The initial chapter has a bit of a data dump in it, but once beyond that, the mystery picks up and the pace never slows down again. The characters are outstanding, and the relationships between the series regulars is already strong. I’m looking forward to seeing that grow as the series progresses.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/11/book-review-deadly-eclair-by-daryl-wood.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Cat About Town (Cat Cafe Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Maddie James has returned to Daybreak Island as a result of her grandmother’s death. While there, she learns that Frank O’Malley, head of the local chamber of commerce, wants to buy her grandfather’s house, a house that has been in the family for generations. Frank is used to getting his way and is trying to scare Maddie’s grandfather into selling. So when Frank turns up dead, Maddie and her grandfather find themselves as suspects. Can Maddie clear their name?
I’ve been looking forward to this debut ever since I heard about it, and I wasn’t disappointed. The tension starts early, and once Frank’s body is found, we are off and running. I didn’t have things figured out until Maddie then, but then everything fell into place. The characters, including Maddie’s new cat, are completely charming. And the setting, a resort island off the coast of Massachusetts, is absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-cat-about-town-by-cate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I’ve been looking forward to this debut ever since I heard about it, and I wasn’t disappointed. The tension starts early, and once Frank’s body is found, we are off and running. I didn’t have things figured out until Maddie then, but then everything fell into place. The characters, including Maddie’s new cat, are completely charming. And the setting, a resort island off the coast of Massachusetts, is absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-cat-about-town-by-cate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated In Cave Danger in Books
Jun 12, 2018
Death Deep Underground
Meg Reed is off to Bend, Oregon, to write a feature on the lava caves in the area. The future of the caves in in doubt thanks to a bill that would open the Federal land up to private use. The fight over the bill is creating a lot of tension, but when the group Meg is exploring the cave with makes their way to the bottom, they find a dead body. What is going on?
Those new to the series will be a little frustrated by this book. We’re almost a quarter of the way into the book before Meg makes it to Bend, for example. That time is spent updating us on several storylines introduced in the previous books, so fans will be satisfied. As the book progresses, we get some good suspects and twists to this mystery as well as a great wrap up to several series storylines, which is nice since this is the last book in the series (at least for now). Wrapping things up does overwhelm this book, so really, don’t start the series here.
Those new to the series will be a little frustrated by this book. We’re almost a quarter of the way into the book before Meg makes it to Bend, for example. That time is spent updating us on several storylines introduced in the previous books, so fans will be satisfied. As the book progresses, we get some good suspects and twists to this mystery as well as a great wrap up to several series storylines, which is nice since this is the last book in the series (at least for now). Wrapping things up does overwhelm this book, so really, don’t start the series here.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Final Space Season One in TV
Aug 18, 2018
An epic comedy space drama
Final Space flashed up a few times for me as a recommended show on Netflix. As the trailer automatically played, it came across as some kind of Futurama/Rick and Morty wannabee, with annoying characters. So I ignored it, until one day I just decided to give it a go. And, it was slightly annoying for a while. But, it was also slightly funny at times too, and I remember feeling a bit like that about the first episode of Rick and Morty, so I stuck with it a little bit longer. I'm so glad I did.
Final Space is a sprawling, epic space adventure. Set across 10 episodes, each one continuing the story, starting with a teaser of the final episode, and ending with a cliffhanger. Huge space battles, tonnes of action, drama, sadness, and even some romance. There's an evil bad guy, plenty of hilarious characters, and a cute little planet destroying alien, who now has his own plush toy (added to my Christmas list...). And it all builds to ask incredible, tension filled finale with an even bigger cliffhanger. I freakin loved this show...
Final Space is a sprawling, epic space adventure. Set across 10 episodes, each one continuing the story, starting with a teaser of the final episode, and ending with a cliffhanger. Huge space battles, tonnes of action, drama, sadness, and even some romance. There's an evil bad guy, plenty of hilarious characters, and a cute little planet destroying alien, who now has his own plush toy (added to my Christmas list...). And it all builds to ask incredible, tension filled finale with an even bigger cliffhanger. I freakin loved this show...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Eye In The Sky (2016) in Movies
Sep 9, 2018
An interesting but slightly dull morality tale
The politics and morals behind this film are what keep you watching, as the plot is so relevant to today’s current political climate. You don’t doubt for a second that this is how issues like this play out, especially if you’re like me and know how horrendous government and public sector politics are. The problem is that all the to-ing and fro-ing of the politics doesn’t exactly make for an exciting film. It tries to build a little tension, but for me this doesn’t come across as well as it could and parts of the film ended up a little dull. 2 hours is a long time for politics like this.
There are some great performances in this from Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul, and of course it’s great to see the late Alan Rickman in his last ever film. Sadly he isn’t in this film as much as I’d like, it could’ve done with a lot more Rickman! Overall it isn’t a bad film and is worth watching for it’s very relevant storyline, but it isn’t exactly thrilling.
There are some great performances in this from Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul, and of course it’s great to see the late Alan Rickman in his last ever film. Sadly he isn’t in this film as much as I’d like, it could’ve done with a lot more Rickman! Overall it isn’t a bad film and is worth watching for it’s very relevant storyline, but it isn’t exactly thrilling.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Scream 3 (2000) in Movies
Nov 2, 2018
A very inferior sequel
It's such a shame that Scream 3 loses the magic that Scream 2 had in abundance.
There's no wit, no humour and the film within a film concept is tired and very poor. All of the new characters are under developed meaning you care so little when they get bumped off one by one. Patrick Dempsey's character is so creepy and slimy in parts that it's laughable and builds no tension or intrigue whatsoever. And even the returning characters have lost their edge, repeating the same old squabbles and experiences as in the first two films. Ghostface too loses his edge here, there's no shocking deaths and the voice changer that can mimic other voices is ridiculous and farfetched. The ending too isn't particularly clever or interesting. The only things I really liked about this film was the brief return of Randy and the cameos from Silent Jay & Bob and Carrie Fisher.
I remember really looking forward to seeing this when it first came out, but it is such a disappointment. It isn't helped by the fact that I spend the entire film wondering what the hell is going on with Courtney Fox's fringe...
There's no wit, no humour and the film within a film concept is tired and very poor. All of the new characters are under developed meaning you care so little when they get bumped off one by one. Patrick Dempsey's character is so creepy and slimy in parts that it's laughable and builds no tension or intrigue whatsoever. And even the returning characters have lost their edge, repeating the same old squabbles and experiences as in the first two films. Ghostface too loses his edge here, there's no shocking deaths and the voice changer that can mimic other voices is ridiculous and farfetched. The ending too isn't particularly clever or interesting. The only things I really liked about this film was the brief return of Randy and the cameos from Silent Jay & Bob and Carrie Fisher.
I remember really looking forward to seeing this when it first came out, but it is such a disappointment. It isn't helped by the fact that I spend the entire film wondering what the hell is going on with Courtney Fox's fringe...
Otway93 (580 KP) rated Resident Evil 2: The Board Game in Tabletop Games
Oct 25, 2019
Game (4 more)
Pieces
Expansions Available
1-4 Players
Tension
Cost (1 more)
Packaging
Excellent game, though far too expensive!
A truly superb game that thoroughly surprised me!
At first I was a little sceptical about how Resident Evil 2 would translate to a board game, but the creators managed to capture the story and the horror perfectly, somehow making everybody involved absolutely terrified, just like the game!
The game is slightly complicated for those new to dice based games (me included), but I believe it to be an excellent starter for beginners.
The game is also unusually for 1-4 players, though I can't imagine it being much fun solo.
Another plus is the number of expansions, all enjoyable, but just like the core game, they are all considerably expensive for what's involved.
The cost is the main issue with this game, the core game costing between £60-80, and expansions anywhere between £15-30 each.
The expansions, with the exception of the rather good B-Files Expansion, contain very little, and add very little. They contain very little and still use the same amount of packaging, using a lot of plastic and wasting paper and cardboard.
At first I was a little sceptical about how Resident Evil 2 would translate to a board game, but the creators managed to capture the story and the horror perfectly, somehow making everybody involved absolutely terrified, just like the game!
The game is slightly complicated for those new to dice based games (me included), but I believe it to be an excellent starter for beginners.
The game is also unusually for 1-4 players, though I can't imagine it being much fun solo.
Another plus is the number of expansions, all enjoyable, but just like the core game, they are all considerably expensive for what's involved.
The cost is the main issue with this game, the core game costing between £60-80, and expansions anywhere between £15-30 each.
The expansions, with the exception of the rather good B-Files Expansion, contain very little, and add very little. They contain very little and still use the same amount of packaging, using a lot of plastic and wasting paper and cardboard.