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Lee (2222 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies
Apr 10, 2018 (Updated Apr 10, 2018)
Sadly I missed out on seeing Ghost Stories on stage when it played in London's West End a few years ago. By all accounts it was a hugely enjoyable and genuinely scary experience, which I would have loved!
The movie version is written by the guys behind the stage show. Jeremy Dyson (co-creator and writer of the brilliant 'League of Gentlemen' shows) and Andy Nyman (co-writer of some of Derren Brown's TV and stage shows), so if you're familiar with any of their work then you'll have an idea what you're in for.
Nyman also stars in the movie as cynical Philip Goodman, host of 'Psychic Cheats' - a TV show which sets out to debunk the con-men who prey on vulnerable people who are grieving for their lost loved ones. Goodman is now investigating three 'unexplained' cases, stories involving three men (Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Martin Freeman) who have all been deeply affected by an unexplained supernatural experience in their past. Nyman meets with each of them in turn, and they then recount their stories for us to enjoy.
The stories themselves work extremely well. The whole movie is set in a even drearier than usual England, and this dark and depressing setting only adds to the tension that gradually builds as each story unfolds. While the stories themselves aren't too scary, good use of sound and camera work really help to make things pretty unsettling and creepy. There are some obligatory jump scares along the way, and even some laugh out loud moments too.
Outside of the stories being told, strange things begin happening to too. This all builds to a bit of a WTF?! moment, which then begins unraveling nicely, piecing together parts of the movie and building to a very satisfying and enjoyable ending.
The movie version is written by the guys behind the stage show. Jeremy Dyson (co-creator and writer of the brilliant 'League of Gentlemen' shows) and Andy Nyman (co-writer of some of Derren Brown's TV and stage shows), so if you're familiar with any of their work then you'll have an idea what you're in for.
Nyman also stars in the movie as cynical Philip Goodman, host of 'Psychic Cheats' - a TV show which sets out to debunk the con-men who prey on vulnerable people who are grieving for their lost loved ones. Goodman is now investigating three 'unexplained' cases, stories involving three men (Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Martin Freeman) who have all been deeply affected by an unexplained supernatural experience in their past. Nyman meets with each of them in turn, and they then recount their stories for us to enjoy.
The stories themselves work extremely well. The whole movie is set in a even drearier than usual England, and this dark and depressing setting only adds to the tension that gradually builds as each story unfolds. While the stories themselves aren't too scary, good use of sound and camera work really help to make things pretty unsettling and creepy. There are some obligatory jump scares along the way, and even some laugh out loud moments too.
Outside of the stories being told, strange things begin happening to too. This all builds to a bit of a WTF?! moment, which then begins unraveling nicely, piecing together parts of the movie and building to a very satisfying and enjoyable ending.
ClareR (5681 KP) rated The Last Hour in Books
Mar 28, 2018
A Roman 24!!
That was one crazy ride from start to finish! The author has said that it's a historical take on 24 (the TV show with Jack Bauer/ Kiefer Sutherland), and he isn't wrong. But where I got fed up with the TV show, this kept my attention from start to finish. The attention to historical detail is so good (you can tell that the author is an academic - he knows how to do his research!), and sitting in my living room reading the book, I was transported to ancient Rome with all the sights and smells (my drains work just fine, thank you!).
The main character, Ballista is instantly likeable. A man with morals and honour, he discovers a plot to assassinate the Emperor that runs deep in the political and military world of Rome. He, and he alone, is the one to stop the assassination of his friend, the Emperor Gallienus. Rightly or wrongly, whether he agrees with the way that Gallienus runs the Empire or not, he is duty bound to save him - if only to save the lives of his wife and children.
I would love to be able to pick out and describe a favourite part of the book, but that comes well in to the second half (and I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else!). I haven't read a book with quite so much action in a long time. There were some real 'heart in mouth' sections, and great character building (how Harry Sidebottom found the time and space to do that, well! I suppose that's why he writes and I don't!).
I will be on the look out for more of the authors books!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book!
The main character, Ballista is instantly likeable. A man with morals and honour, he discovers a plot to assassinate the Emperor that runs deep in the political and military world of Rome. He, and he alone, is the one to stop the assassination of his friend, the Emperor Gallienus. Rightly or wrongly, whether he agrees with the way that Gallienus runs the Empire or not, he is duty bound to save him - if only to save the lives of his wife and children.
I would love to be able to pick out and describe a favourite part of the book, but that comes well in to the second half (and I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else!). I haven't read a book with quite so much action in a long time. There were some real 'heart in mouth' sections, and great character building (how Harry Sidebottom found the time and space to do that, well! I suppose that's why he writes and I don't!).
I will be on the look out for more of the authors books!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Mr. Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars #2) in Books
Jan 4, 2019
Can Veronica Track Down an Attacker?
This book finds Veronica Mars hired by the Neptune Grand to clear them of responsibility for an attack that left a young woman almost dead several miles away. Before she was found, she was last in the hotel. At first, she claims she can't remember what happened in the attack, but then she names someone on the hotel's staff. With a client who wants Veronica to prove them innocent and a victim who thinks Veronica's only motive is to discredit her, can she find the truth? Meanwhile, Weevil's trial is winding down. Will the jury reach the correct verdict? And will Veronica's father ever be able to use the stories he's found of the Sherriff department's evidence planting?
Having been a fan of the Veronica Mars TV show since the pilot aired, I'm a bit surprised it took me so long to read this second book. I'm glad I finally did because I loved it. The mystery introduced here was great, and it gave us a good excuse to check in with many of our favorite characters. We even saw some minor characters again. The characters are all fantastic. I was most surprised by how much I grew to appreciate Veronica and Logan's relationship, something I'd never been a fan of in the TV series. Like with the first book, I wish this had been told in Veronica's first-person narration – I missed her snarky narration from the series. But that's a minor complaint. Fans of the series will definitely love it. Those new to the franchise might have trouble appreciating everything that happens here, but the obvious solution is to go back and watch the show. You'll find it is well worth your time.
Having been a fan of the Veronica Mars TV show since the pilot aired, I'm a bit surprised it took me so long to read this second book. I'm glad I finally did because I loved it. The mystery introduced here was great, and it gave us a good excuse to check in with many of our favorite characters. We even saw some minor characters again. The characters are all fantastic. I was most surprised by how much I grew to appreciate Veronica and Logan's relationship, something I'd never been a fan of in the TV series. Like with the first book, I wish this had been told in Veronica's first-person narration – I missed her snarky narration from the series. But that's a minor complaint. Fans of the series will definitely love it. Those new to the franchise might have trouble appreciating everything that happens here, but the obvious solution is to go back and watch the show. You'll find it is well worth your time.
TheBookMother (105 KP) rated Big Little Lies in Books
Jun 25, 2019
A perfect example of a who done it with added school politics!
Okay, so a small confession...
I may have watched the TV series before this book and didn't know it was actually a book before Nicole Kidman and Reece Witherspoon brought the rights.
I loved the TV show and the book certainly didn't disappoint.
It was quite relevent for me too ATM as my son is about to start reception class and I can certainly imagine all the different school politics that go on!
This book was hard to put down and whilst on holiday of managed to read it in a couple of days.
It delivered everything I want in a book and more.
(This bear in mind with me knowing what does actually happen as I had seen the series already). To read this for the first time without seeing the show I can imagine locking myself away and calling in sick to work to keep reading.
I loved the pace, tone and voice of the book and how it switched between each character and how they thought and felt.
As a mother I identified with all of the main characters at one point of another as their lives all intersect around a fatal event which occurs at a fundraising Trivia Night.
You know this from the outset, and I really enjoyed the comments from all the secondary characters throughout the chapters too.
They really did help set the scene and tension in the build up to the big event.
I loved this author so much I've already brought and started reading another one of her books and will likely be buying them all!
I may have watched the TV series before this book and didn't know it was actually a book before Nicole Kidman and Reece Witherspoon brought the rights.
I loved the TV show and the book certainly didn't disappoint.
It was quite relevent for me too ATM as my son is about to start reception class and I can certainly imagine all the different school politics that go on!
This book was hard to put down and whilst on holiday of managed to read it in a couple of days.
It delivered everything I want in a book and more.
(This bear in mind with me knowing what does actually happen as I had seen the series already). To read this for the first time without seeing the show I can imagine locking myself away and calling in sick to work to keep reading.
I loved the pace, tone and voice of the book and how it switched between each character and how they thought and felt.
As a mother I identified with all of the main characters at one point of another as their lives all intersect around a fatal event which occurs at a fundraising Trivia Night.
You know this from the outset, and I really enjoyed the comments from all the secondary characters throughout the chapters too.
They really did help set the scene and tension in the build up to the big event.
I loved this author so much I've already brought and started reading another one of her books and will likely be buying them all!
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Sinner - Season 1 in TV
Nov 30, 2017 (Updated Nov 30, 2017)
Barely any of the characters were sympathetic or relatable (3 more)
The ending was dissatisfying
So many wasted episodes
It was only 9 episodes long, but it felt far longer
A Sin That This Wasn't Better
This show came highly recommended to me by sources that I usually trust, but it turned out to be a total let down. The show opens with a young family going to the beach. The mother who is played by Jessica Biel, suddenly walks over to another young man on the beach and stabs him to death in front of over a hundred witnesses in broad daylight. She is then arrested and the show spends the next 8 episodes clumsily trying to explain why she committed this heinous act.
I like Jessica Biel, I like Bill Pullman and I like Christopher Abbott, who plays the husband to Biel's Cora Tannetti. I like mysterious shows about crime and murder. I should have loved this, but I thought it was a train wreck from start to finish. During the first episode we see the murder occur in graphic detail, then the next couple of episodes ask why she did what she did and then you start to wonder, "how are they going to manage to drag this out for another six episodes without it getting stale?" The answer is, they aren't and it gets old fast. In this sense, the writing is a mess.
Sometimes though, a show can have messy writing, but be saved by it's cast of characters. However, that is absolutely not the case here. Cora is the main character of the show, so I think we are supposed to feel some sort of connection to her, yet she is so grossly off-putting in every way, I was actually was hoping to see her get the death sentence. At first you see her committing this atrocity, which obviously causes you to take an instant dislike to her, but you expect as the show goes on and we learn more about her, that we will eventually feel sympathetic towards her. In fact, the exact opposite is true, every new facet of information that I learned about her backstory just made me hate her more and at no point did I feel like I was on her side.
There is also a flashback subplot going on, which shows Cora as a suspiciously old looking teenager, as for some reason Jessica Biel is still playing the role of the teenage Cora. Through this we see her family life growing up, but her family are some of the most dislikeable characters I have seen in a TV show in years. Her mother is a religious nut to the point of insanity, her father is sleeping with the next door neighbour and her terminally ill sister is such a little shit that you don't feel any sympathy towards her for her illness and you end up hoping she will die sooner rather than later.
I'll try to discuss the ending without giving away any major spoilers, but for those who haven't yet seen the show, you may want to skip to the final paragraph. At around the episode 5 mark, I was very close to giving up on this show, but I had heard that the ending was amazing, so I stuck with it. What a waste of time that turned out to be. The reveal itself was a huge let down and after everything was revealed, I still felt that the murder victim didn't deserve to die and I thought that Cora pretty much getting away with murder was so dissatisfying and undeserved.
Overall, this show is pretty awful. There are so many plot threads that go nowhere, the writing thinks it is far more clever than it actually is, actors that I normally like are playing entirely dislikeable characters and the whole thing seems far longer than just nine episodes. The ending isn't worth sticking around for and really the show is just tons of wasted potential. Do yourself a favour and give this a skip, there are far better shows available to watch on Netflix.
I like Jessica Biel, I like Bill Pullman and I like Christopher Abbott, who plays the husband to Biel's Cora Tannetti. I like mysterious shows about crime and murder. I should have loved this, but I thought it was a train wreck from start to finish. During the first episode we see the murder occur in graphic detail, then the next couple of episodes ask why she did what she did and then you start to wonder, "how are they going to manage to drag this out for another six episodes without it getting stale?" The answer is, they aren't and it gets old fast. In this sense, the writing is a mess.
Sometimes though, a show can have messy writing, but be saved by it's cast of characters. However, that is absolutely not the case here. Cora is the main character of the show, so I think we are supposed to feel some sort of connection to her, yet she is so grossly off-putting in every way, I was actually was hoping to see her get the death sentence. At first you see her committing this atrocity, which obviously causes you to take an instant dislike to her, but you expect as the show goes on and we learn more about her, that we will eventually feel sympathetic towards her. In fact, the exact opposite is true, every new facet of information that I learned about her backstory just made me hate her more and at no point did I feel like I was on her side.
There is also a flashback subplot going on, which shows Cora as a suspiciously old looking teenager, as for some reason Jessica Biel is still playing the role of the teenage Cora. Through this we see her family life growing up, but her family are some of the most dislikeable characters I have seen in a TV show in years. Her mother is a religious nut to the point of insanity, her father is sleeping with the next door neighbour and her terminally ill sister is such a little shit that you don't feel any sympathy towards her for her illness and you end up hoping she will die sooner rather than later.
I'll try to discuss the ending without giving away any major spoilers, but for those who haven't yet seen the show, you may want to skip to the final paragraph. At around the episode 5 mark, I was very close to giving up on this show, but I had heard that the ending was amazing, so I stuck with it. What a waste of time that turned out to be. The reveal itself was a huge let down and after everything was revealed, I still felt that the murder victim didn't deserve to die and I thought that Cora pretty much getting away with murder was so dissatisfying and undeserved.
Overall, this show is pretty awful. There are so many plot threads that go nowhere, the writing thinks it is far more clever than it actually is, actors that I normally like are playing entirely dislikeable characters and the whole thing seems far longer than just nine episodes. The ending isn't worth sticking around for and really the show is just tons of wasted potential. Do yourself a favour and give this a skip, there are far better shows available to watch on Netflix.
Top Fear: The Remaking of a TV Legend
Book
'Today and every day for me, up until May 2016, is all about the first episode of the brand new Top...
Perry Larkin (8 KP) rated RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 9 in TV
Dec 12, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
As a huge RPDR fan, I hated the way they changed up the finale, basically invalidating all of Shea's hard work. I honestly loved the top four but only felt one deserved the win. Sasha is amazing and I won't fight her wearing the crown, but I'm sad Peppermint lost the chance to win for all Transgendered Queens, I'm sad Shea lost after being the obvious winner from the first episode, and I'm sad Trinity's dark horse struggle didn't get her across the finish line in time. Overall the best part of this season wasn't shown on TV but only online in the new untucked. Hopefully this season's Farrah, Charlie, Kimora, and yes, Valentina too, will teach future contenders that being on the show isn't enough, and that they need to come prepared and ready to win.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Dorothy Must Die in Books
Jul 23, 2017
the description of OZ (2 more)
The cowardly lion
the rest if the original gang
the plot just went in circles (2 more)
no real heroes
never really found it's footing
Not so Wonderful Oz (read in 2014)
This book had so much potential to be really amazing and different but in the end it just fell short. The characters were bland and the plot just felt like it was going around in circles trying to find a point where the real plot could take off. I know this is the first in the series so I am holding out a little hope that maybe the second book will be better.
The only thing I really liked was the description of OZ and it's more horror induced characters. I feel like this has more potential to be a good TV show or movie over a book.
The only thing I really liked was the description of OZ and it's more horror induced characters. I feel like this has more potential to be a good TV show or movie over a book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Scene of the Climb (Pacific Northwest Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meg Reed has finally landed her first post college job. Unfortunately, it’s at an outdoor magazine, and Meg is not an outdoor kind of person. Still, she bravely faces her fear of heights to cover the final leg in a cross country reality TV show competition. But when she witnesses one of the contestants plunge to his death, Meg realizes she might be in over her head.
Meg is a great main character, and I loved spending time with her. The rest of the cast is equally as strong. The pacing was off in the plot a bit, but everything does come together for a nice climax. I will definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-scene-of-climb-by-kate-dyer.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Meg is a great main character, and I loved spending time with her. The rest of the cast is equally as strong. The pacing was off in the plot a bit, but everything does come together for a nice climax. I will definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-scene-of-climb-by-kate-dyer.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.