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Darren (1599 KP) rated Into The Forest (2016) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters/Performance – Nell is the elder sister that doesn’t want to stay waiting for everything to blow over but must take responsibility once her father dies, she fills the big sister role needing to keep everything together even when she has a chance to leave. Eva is the younger sister and once promising dancer, she wants to continue her dancing even without the power but must learn to be more responsible. The male characters all offer different visions on the good and bad in life when a power outage would happen.
Performance wise, I feel one of the big problem here is that Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are nearly ten years older than the characters they are playing, this does make it harder to see the teenage nativity needed in the role but sadly this takes away the strength in the performance needed.
Story – The story does focus on what could happen if the world stopped have power, this could also help show us how the world could fall apart and not cope like it once did. This also doesn’t just give us the undead being a threat which is important as it is mostly about the struggle of what is meant to be two teenage girls through this sudden change. I think the story is refreshing even if it is slightly slow.
Sci-Fi/Thriller – The power is go and now the end of the world that creates us the sci-fi side of the story well, we also deal with wondering just what will be thrown at the girls next for the thrilling side of things.
Settings – The film is set mostly in and around the home in the forest which gives us the isolation needed for a potential end of the world type of problems the girls must work through.
Final Thoughts – This is a good watch even if it is slightly slow in places, we do struggle to get the most out of the deeper side of things but we are kept interested in where things could go next.
Overall: Slow but strong thriller.
Performance wise, I feel one of the big problem here is that Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are nearly ten years older than the characters they are playing, this does make it harder to see the teenage nativity needed in the role but sadly this takes away the strength in the performance needed.
Story – The story does focus on what could happen if the world stopped have power, this could also help show us how the world could fall apart and not cope like it once did. This also doesn’t just give us the undead being a threat which is important as it is mostly about the struggle of what is meant to be two teenage girls through this sudden change. I think the story is refreshing even if it is slightly slow.
Sci-Fi/Thriller – The power is go and now the end of the world that creates us the sci-fi side of the story well, we also deal with wondering just what will be thrown at the girls next for the thrilling side of things.
Settings – The film is set mostly in and around the home in the forest which gives us the isolation needed for a potential end of the world type of problems the girls must work through.
Final Thoughts – This is a good watch even if it is slightly slow in places, we do struggle to get the most out of the deeper side of things but we are kept interested in where things could go next.
Overall: Slow but strong thriller.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Hellions (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters/Performance – Nell is the elder sister that doesn’t want to stay waiting for everything to blow over but must take responsibility once her father dies, she fills the big sister role needing to keep everything together even when she has a chance to leave. Eva is the younger sister and once promising dancer, she wants to continue her dancing even without the power but must learn to be more responsible. The male characters all offer different visions on the good and bad in life when a power outage would happen.
Performance wise, I feel one of the big problem here is that Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are nearly ten years older than the characters they are playing, this does make it harder to see the teenage nativity needed in the role but sadly this takes away the strength in the performance needed.
Story – The story does focus on what could happen if the world stopped have power, this could also help show us how the world could fall apart and not cope like it once did. This also doesn’t just give us the undead being a threat which is important as it is mostly about the struggle of what is meant to be two teenage girls through this sudden change. I think the story is refreshing even if it is slightly slow.
Sci-Fi/Thriller – The power is go and now the end of the world that creates us the sci-fi side of the story well, we also deal with wondering just what will be thrown at the girls next for the thrilling side of things.
Settings – The film is set mostly in and around the home in the forest which gives us the isolation needed for a potential end of the world type of problems the girls must work through.
Final Thoughts – This is a good watch even if it is slightly slow in places, we do struggle to get the most out of the deeper side of things but we are kept interested in where things could go next.
Overall: Slow but strong thriller.
Performance wise, I feel one of the big problem here is that Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are nearly ten years older than the characters they are playing, this does make it harder to see the teenage nativity needed in the role but sadly this takes away the strength in the performance needed.
Story – The story does focus on what could happen if the world stopped have power, this could also help show us how the world could fall apart and not cope like it once did. This also doesn’t just give us the undead being a threat which is important as it is mostly about the struggle of what is meant to be two teenage girls through this sudden change. I think the story is refreshing even if it is slightly slow.
Sci-Fi/Thriller – The power is go and now the end of the world that creates us the sci-fi side of the story well, we also deal with wondering just what will be thrown at the girls next for the thrilling side of things.
Settings – The film is set mostly in and around the home in the forest which gives us the isolation needed for a potential end of the world type of problems the girls must work through.
Final Thoughts – This is a good watch even if it is slightly slow in places, we do struggle to get the most out of the deeper side of things but we are kept interested in where things could go next.
Overall: Slow but strong thriller.
Here Comes the Sun
Book
The soundtrack of Harrison's spiritual journey begins with the explosions of battle and ends,...
Audi Design: Evolution of Form
Book
Alongside technology, design is the key criterion that decides whether or not a car is regarded as...
An English Affair: Sex, Class and Power in the Age of Profumo
Book
WINNER OF THE POLITICAL BOOK AWARDS POLITICAL HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014. Published to coincide...
PW
Pathfinder: Worldscape
Book
The Pathfinders Valeros, Seoni, Kyra, and Merisiel are drawn into the interdimensional Worldscape,...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dune (1984) in Movies
Jul 21, 2021
David Lynch's crack at the famous novel buckles under the weight of the sheer amount of exposition the director feels compelled to include; it's not even especially good exposition as the story remains sluggish and bafflingly impenetrable (even if you've read the book). A young man is caught up in the power-politics of a galactic empire and rises to become a superhuman, messianic figure - not that any of this would be at all clear without the voice-overs which keep explaining what's actually going on; scenes themselves are usually windy affairs with characters talking bafflegab about Gom Jabbars, the Water of Life, the Shai-Halud, the weirding way, and the Kwisatz Haderach. All that's wrong with the film is summed up by the fact the final line is someone declaring 'He is the Kwisatz Haderach!' when it is still unclear why this is important and what it even means.
Fine actors like Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow and Sian Phillips stand around doing their best with the material; some lavish sets and interesting costumes, and the music is rousing and imperious; you always know when something important is happening even if you don't really understand what it is or what it signifies. But it's all basically form without content on a lavish scale; a relatively simple story drowns in background details.
Fine actors like Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow and Sian Phillips stand around doing their best with the material; some lavish sets and interesting costumes, and the music is rousing and imperious; you always know when something important is happening even if you don't really understand what it is or what it signifies. But it's all basically form without content on a lavish scale; a relatively simple story drowns in background details.
Without Merit
7.0
Rate It
Book
Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness. ...
Romance fiction
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2611 KP) rated The Dark Wind in Books
Aug 14, 2025
Plane Crash Brings Mystery
Navajo police detective Jim Chee has recently transferred to a new area in the reservation, and his unfamiliarity with the area and people is making it hard to investigate cases. For example, there’s the John Doe body he can’t even identify. And he has no leads on the case of the windmill that is being sabotaged. While out staking it out overnight, Chee witnesses a plane crash. A plane that was flying low without lights. Chee figures those flying the plane were up to no good, and he is ordered to stay away from the Federal investigation. But it’s kind of hard when the Feds think he knows more about the crash. Can he figure out what happened without framing himself more?
While this is the fifth book in the series, and the second to feature Jim Chee, it reads like a standalone, with little from the previous book being brought up here. That isn’t to say that the characters are bad, it’s just a difference in storytelling from what we get today. I found the characters pulled me in. The mystery was strong with plenty to keep me guessing and a red herring that distracted me. Yet the ending was logical. As always, the landscape and culture came to life. I’m looking forward to more.
While this is the fifth book in the series, and the second to feature Jim Chee, it reads like a standalone, with little from the previous book being brought up here. That isn’t to say that the characters are bad, it’s just a difference in storytelling from what we get today. I found the characters pulled me in. The mystery was strong with plenty to keep me guessing and a red herring that distracted me. Yet the ending was logical. As always, the landscape and culture came to life. I’m looking forward to more.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Witches of Vardø in Books
Dec 30, 2022
What starts off as a story about the life of a child in a fishing community, soon turns into a seemingly hopeless struggle for their lives. It’s dangerous to be a woman in the 1600’s. Dancing, laughing, drinking - all of these simple, everyday things can result in an accusation of witchcraft. Funnily enough, if a man does them, that’s ok (I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the injustice of it all!).
The young girls are the ones that hold the story together. They are the link between the accused women (their mothers, aunt and another villager) and the King’s prisoner, Anna. Anna is trusted to ‘care’ for the witches whilst they’re held in the Witches hold - a thoroughly inhumane incarceration. She’s a woman with an education, so I expected for her to treated a lot worse than she was.
There’s a great mix of history and magic in this, although done in such a way as the magic didn’t seem out of place - and fitted in perfectly with the rest of the book. It was interesting to learn about the way the Sámi were regarded by the rest of Finn-mark (I’m unsure of the spelling!) - even though it wasn’t good (they weren’t Christians, and therefore dangerous).
It was a really engrossing read - I loved it.
The young girls are the ones that hold the story together. They are the link between the accused women (their mothers, aunt and another villager) and the King’s prisoner, Anna. Anna is trusted to ‘care’ for the witches whilst they’re held in the Witches hold - a thoroughly inhumane incarceration. She’s a woman with an education, so I expected for her to treated a lot worse than she was.
There’s a great mix of history and magic in this, although done in such a way as the magic didn’t seem out of place - and fitted in perfectly with the rest of the book. It was interesting to learn about the way the Sámi were regarded by the rest of Finn-mark (I’m unsure of the spelling!) - even though it wasn’t good (they weren’t Christians, and therefore dangerous).
It was a really engrossing read - I loved it.