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The Woman Who Stole My Life
The Woman Who Stole My Life
Marian Keyes | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
She gets a publishing contract for One Blink At A Time and moves to America for a book tour and to write her second book.

The Woman Who Stole My Life opens with Stella’s return to Ireland, and the whole book focuses on her past and what happened when she was ill and then when she went to America. From breaking up with her husband to new friendships and relationships, Stella’s story is followed throughout the novel and left me wishing for her to get a happy ending.

I had wanted to start reading Marian Keyes for a while, especially since I’m so into Cecelia Ahern lately. And The Woman Who Stole My Life came up on the 3 for £10 offer on Amazon so I was more than happy to order it.

I’m not sure that if it hadn’t have been on that offer I would have bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. It’s a generally good book, with only a few parts that took me a while to get into. I’ve already bought another one of Marian Keyes’s books from a charity shop because I just find her writing style so interesting and easy to read.
  
Unicorn Store (2017)
Unicorn Store (2017)
2017 | Comedy
Magical and meaningful
I'm surprised at Brie Larson. Instead of picking something intensely serious and dramatic for her directorial debut, she goes for the whimsical Unicorn Store, and I commend her for it as it isn't half bad.

This is a very silly surreal film about a young woman who still believes in rainbows and unicorns and all things most people grew out of as children. Brie Larson is charming and loveable as the main character Kit and her turn at directing is also quite good too. It was also nice to see her and Samuel L Jackson back together again after Captain Marvel, and it was fun to see him looking silly and covered in streamers.

This might have a silly sounding plot about a unicorn store and there is a few laughs thrown in too, but beneath all of the sparkles and glitter this film has a few serious messages about life and love. To the point where I was almost shedding a tear at the end (and also wishing I had a unicorn and lots of rainbows and glitter in my life).

This film isn't perfect and I probably wouldn't watch it again, but it's a very heartwarming watch that should bring out the child in everyone.
  
WT
Whispering to Horses (Amish Horses )
Thomas Nye | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Whispering to the Horses could be a bit longer. The author could get quite a few ways with this. It would be great for a series. I would also enjoy learning more about Eli and Matt. This is a good introduction of how it important to be Amish in your community. You can even learn from each other as Matt and Eli did. They seem of made a fast friendship.

 

It was nice to see it from another viewpoint as of Matt a business man. How he starts to understand what the Amish do and how they go about life. How our world may be more difficult because we make it that way. We should probably take a look at our neighbors and learn from them if they are Amish or not and try and make life simpler is better and making the family more important.


Eli shows what hard work is and how a nine-year-old can be more mature than any other nine years old. For he takes on responsibly like a man does for a family. He does not show or act like no other normal nine years old in the modern day. As the Amish can learn from us, we really can learn from them and their lifestyle.
  
Door in the Woods (2019)
Door in the Woods (2019)
2019 |
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Evelyn is the mother that is preparing to start her own internet business, she redecorates the random door they find and starts experiencing the events, she learns the truth and sets out to get help. Redd is the father that has moved here to start a new job hunt, he tries to help with the behavioural problems and joins Evelyn searching for the truth. Uriah is a pastor that has come to bless the house, he is turned to, to help deal with the hauntings knowing how to end the problems they are facing. Kane is the troublesome child that often finds himself getting into trouble at school, becoming the target of the sinister nature of the door.

Performances – When we look at the performances, we don’t have the strongest ones here, Jennifer Pierce Mathus and David Rees Snell do struggle to make us believe the situations and life they have lived with these characters, while CJ Jones is the standout performer in the film.

Story – The story here follows a family that are looking to start a new life in a small town only to find a door in the woods, inviting evil into their own home needing to get rid of it before it is too late. The start of this story is really good, with creepy elements of hauntings in the house, the problems start when the story tries to break out of following this trend and spends way too long with the final act that is more talking than anything thrilling, which is could have been. This is a story that could have become a lot deeper, but gets caught up in the middle of the two ideas and not using enough of the horror involved.

Thriller – The opening half of the film does offer plenty thrilling horror moments, only to spend more of the second half of the film trying to make up and discuss what has been happening.

Settings – The film uses the small town setting for everything to unfold, showing people can try to escape for a new life, but every small town has a secret.


Scene of the Movie – Background walking.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Would you really take that door home.

Final Thoughts – This is a film that has a lot of potential only to fall short in how everything unfolds.

Overall: Doesn’t hit the marks.
  
Mrs Lowry & Son (2019)
Mrs Lowry & Son (2019)
2019 | Drama
I seriously considered not reviewing this film, I knew that it probably wouldn't be something I'd ever watch again but I was hoping that with Timothy Spall and Vanessa Redgrave at the helm it would be a pleasant thing to watch.

Lowry's life revolves around his mother, he cooks for her and keeps her company, but nothing he does seems to be good enough. Her life isn't what she'd like at all, her husband left them with debts and they're living in a neighbourhood that's beneath her and she's clinging to the things that are "better" in the world. He son's hobby of painting isn't to her liking especially after a critic pans a piece he submits. Lowry has one thing to cling to in life but his mother is a fickle person and it may be that nothing is ever enough to her.

The majority of the film is made up of scenes around Lowry and his mother, even at only 1 hour 31 minutes that's a lot of time with limited cast. Both leads are impressive actors and there's no denying that you can see it in this movie but there's something lacking. The story wasn't going to be an overly exciting one and was going to rely on its dramatic performances to keep your interest, everything was "nearly but not quite". You expect some moving moments and at several points you think "oh it's coming now" but it always seems to peter off before the pay-off.

That's not to say that the acting isn't good, it is, but all the scenes were just moments short of something special. Spall does get a few opportunities that get you choked up for him, but as I say, there was opportunity for much more.

It's an intriguing story of the way love for family can dictate the way your life goes. The dynamic between the two is toxic and Lowry's battle between getting his mother's approval and doing what he wants is a powerful one... that this film doesn't quite manage to capture.

What this film does do beautifully is the portrayal of Lowry's paintings. I'm not an expert on his work but it was easy to spot where the scenes had been framed to reflect a piece, you get a chance to see the comparisons briefly at the end of the film. The colours throughout are also spot on for his pieces and the whole film has a very effective range in that respect.

The picturesque doesn't make up for the way the rest of the film cuts off moment in their prime, while I knew it probably wasn't going to hit the high star ratings I had hoped for something above average considering the cast. It sadly didn't deliver and to add even more disappointment it was ended with what I can only describe as a BBC ending to a partially dramatised biography and well, that just put the final nail in the coffin for me.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/09/mrs-lowry-son-movie-review.html