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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Surprisingly good, intense beyond belief
My face at the end of this film was like being hit by a car! With a stellar cast, fantastic acting, and a storyline that is absolutely gasp-worthy, it is a great set up for the next film in the Star Wars saga. Felicity Jones is superb as the leading lady, totally understated, and totally kickass. The action is incredible, and I'm pleased to say there isn't any sign of Ja Ja Binks anywhere. As it's also the last appearance of Carrie Fisher, it's almost a homage to her life.
  
The Forest (2016)
The Forest (2016)
2016 | Drama, Horror
Promising premise but poor execution
A horror film based on a real life suicide forest in Japan sounds like it's made to succeed, but sadly The Forest doesn't deliver.

Natalie Dormer is alright as the lead and she does fairly well, the problem is she doesn't have much to work with. The film isn't particular scary and I feel they could have done so much more to raise the fear factor instead of throwing in some obligatory and obvious jump scares. The ending was quite good and actually fairly unexpected, but parts of it were a little silly.
  
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
2019 | Alternative, Pop
Songwriting (2 more)
True to Life
Feel
Vocoding (0 more)
A Superb Debut Album!
An excellent debut album from a very talented musician.

The songwriting on this album, done entirely by herself and her brother, is excellent, creating a dark, yet somehow relatable atmosphere throughout. Once I first heard the beat of "Bad Guy" I knew I wanted more, so I purchased this album and her 2017 EP "Don't Smile at Me".

The production on the album, also done by her brother is good, but the use of vocoding (not autotuning!) is used gratuitously throughout, especially on "Xanny", occasionally masking the singer's soft, excellent voice.
  
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
2009 | Drama
The Salvatore Brothers (0 more)
It's no longer on (0 more)
One of my favourites
Elena Gilbert loses both her parents and from then on her life becomes entangled in vampires, werewolves and witches. It is one of my favourite shows ever. The Salvatore brothers are gorgeous even for blood sucking vampires.
The storylines are always really good and each season has something different to offer.
The characters throughout are fun and you fall in love with their stories and lives.
If you love vampires and supernatural stories this is definitely worth a watch. As is the originals which is a spin off from the show.
  
RT
Resort to Murder
T.P. Fielden | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Second of a series set (so far) in the late 1950s in coastal Devon. Main protagonist is a female reporter for a local newspaper but has a past life in wartime naval intelligence.

I read the first book in the series a couple of weeks back and this one I received via Goodreads.

I enjoyed both stories, but I didn't think they were really great either in the way they were written or in the construction of the mystery plot. They were enjoyable enough books, but not quite so good that I want to hang on to them to read again.
  
The Beauty of the Wolf
The Beauty of the Wolf
Wray Delaney | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A refreshingly different retelling
I rather liked this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's set in Elizabethan England, and there are some twists to the original story, which were both surprising and refreshing.
I really liked the language used: it was poetic with a good smattering of the more 'earthy' Elizabethan English (it's what we English are good at I think, isn't it!). I also liked the mix of fairytale, folklore and history. It just felt as though the author had done a bit of historical research with regards to life in London and as part of a theatrical group.
It was a good story that illustrated that what's on the inside is what really counts far more than appearances and that, I suppose, there is someone out there for everyone. Someone who will love you for yourself, regardless of what you look like - in fact, probably precisely because of what you look like.*
*This book actually caused me to check in my cynicism at the first page. And that's no bad thing in literature!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.