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Shift (The Caelian Cycle #3)
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Chaos is what rules Sadie’s life. Separation, lies, and an overpowering Talent have pushed her...
Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction Romance
The Rubicon Method: Overcome Procrastination
Book
Procrastination is one of the greatest problems of our times, where otherwise brilliant and capable...
self-help
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
In that sleep of death, what dreams may come.
“Ghost Stories” is based on the spooky London West-End stage play by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman who both write and direct the film version. I didn’t know this until the end credits, but began to wonder in the final act where the action suddenly becomes very “stagey” in nature. The screenplay was always bound to be both bizarre and intriguing, since Dyson has been a past contributor to TV’s “League of Gentlemen” and other equally surreal programmes and Nyman has been a major collaborator with the stage-illusionist Derren Brown.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, “The Death of Stalin“) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in “The Imitation Game“) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, “Black Panther“) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like “The Twilight Zone: the Movie”. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature film…. (“Why are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!”).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesn’t like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus “A Quiet Place“, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and that’s the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see what’s going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the ‘on the make’ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does “spooked” extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. “****ing O2” exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air… something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I can’t quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But it’s still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like “It“.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, “The Death of Stalin“) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in “The Imitation Game“) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, “Black Panther“) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like “The Twilight Zone: the Movie”. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature film…. (“Why are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!”).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesn’t like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus “A Quiet Place“, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and that’s the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see what’s going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the ‘on the make’ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does “spooked” extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. “****ing O2” exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air… something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I can’t quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But it’s still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like “It“.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Hostle
#thehousewithaclockinitswalls is #hilarious, #mysterious & possibly one of the most #fun #family films I've seen in a while. Directed by #EliRoth (who is well know for his films #hostel, #cabinfever, #greeninferno, #knockknock & his small role in #ingloriousbastards) who wasn't really someone i expected to see directing a family movie at all, but im pleased to say i think he's found his forte here in what id say is quite possibly his best film in years. What Eli seems to just nail with this film is the mystery, suspense, discovery & #magic that so many #kids films try to pull of nowadays & fail. With clear influences from old #1930s films hwaciiw is #exciting, mysterious & creepy with a big sense of awe & wonder. Roth makes a great #cameo too in a scene that not only tells us what type of film he was going for but also showing us he really does have a knack for this too. Infact this film almost makes me look back at his other work with different eyes now realising his films are mostly throwbacks to the art of older film making when films were designed purely just to shock, dazzle, frighten & entertain the audience as if they were being watched live on a stage or in an old picturehouse. Bringing his #horror knowledge to this film too it has some quite generally #creepy scenes & some quite disturbing #creature design, make up & effects to. Acting is great & extremely over the top but its better for it with #jackblack being a constant absolute joy to watch. Themes of being yourself, standing up to people, confidence, taking responsibility & grieving are all handled well & a great subtle way of teaching kids that watch the film that life can be tough. Sets & props all look great giving the film a nice #vintage/#steampunk vibe & will cgi is alright there are some instances where it feels a tad cheap looking. Music is also magical & the film even made me feel quite #nostalgic at times too like i was watching an episode of #goosebumps or #areyouafraidofthedark. I pleasantly enjoyed this movie its #creative, #funny & filled me with the type of magical wonder i havent felt since maybe watching a #harrypotter film in the cinema. #odeon #odeonlimitless
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
To infinity and beyond
#avengersinfinitywar is an intense, fast, slick & fun ride that pulls its viewers along at such a thrilling pace that you rarely have time to breathe. Im #happy to report #infitywar is a solid, well made & a very entertaining #film (it is however by no means perfect but it does come out overall as one of the best films that marvel has produced). From the start you can instantly tell production is high here, costumes & makeup ooze detail as do sets, the score is #beautiful & extremely epic & cgi its stellar (minus a few scenes where it looked a bit soft). This is a film that clearly has had not only alot of money but a lot of love put into it. Fight scenes are weighty, fluid & pack a sometimes brutal punch to them & they come thick & fast but never out stay their welcome. Set pieces are #gorgeous too with great camera work ranging from tight claustrophobic combat to huge dizzying establishing shots giving the film great scale. Acting is great all round with #joshbrolin as #thanos being the standout here, hes constantly intimidating visually & vocally with so much unpredictability & power his presence alone instantly made me #anxious. Story wise it keeps it interesting & everyone's motives are clear but i do feel that with so many characters to juggle you loose that connection & emotional impact from time to time. Also its a darker film but peril is quite void here & at times I felt no one was really in that much danger of being fataly hurt. Themes of sacrificing the things you #love for a greater purpose & the effects/impact power can have in different hands were interesting but id need to watch it again to see what its deeper over all message was. Lastly the ending is so clever, perfect, beautifully done & shocking that it left most of my screening breathlessly glued to our seats. Comedy works well here too with most jokes hitting without being to cringe. Overall its a damn good time & watching it with a big excited audience reminded me of what going to the cinema is all about 'Escapism' & 'fun' & #avengers really does provide both. #comicon #superhero #marvel #disney #guardiansofthegalaxy #thor #hulk #captainamerica #spiderman #groot #ironman #marvelcomics #mcu
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Revenge of the Dwarves in Books
Mar 19, 2018
Too epic for its own good
I loved the first Dwarves book: the world-building, the adventure, the characters and the interactions were all superb. The story, while being far from original, was very enjoyable and engaging. In the follow-up, War of the Dwarves, cracks started to appear, showing such an ambitious storyline was just too big for one book, with Heitz being prone to focus on every intimate detail of a scene (while being enjoyable it does take the attention away from the overall story somewhat), meaning some important events/hints are glossed over.
This trend continues here, where the scope just seems to be a bit too big and squeezed in. We don't really have any sight of a large-scale assault from the orcs and trolls on the defences of the land, these are mentioned briefly as backstory, while the focus is on Rodario the actor trying to find his friend, while getting his end away left, right and centre. The dwarves play less of a key role for large parts of the book, as so much is needed from Rodario/Furgas' storlyline that we leave the dwarves entirely for large sections of the book.
The translation of this third book also seems lower quality than before, where some parts seem to be google-translated and don't really scan all that well in English. Compared to how well this was carried out on the first book, this is something of a let-down.
Overall, the story itself is strong (the 13 diamonds, one of which contains a massive store of magic, scattered throughout the kingdoms start to be stolen by strange creatures/machines) but the narrative tends to wander a little looking for humour where there really is no need for any (or the payoff is never worth it).
With only 2 books to go, I think the gap between them is going to grow as I find myself less keen to dive straight into the next one, and I haven't bought the 4th one yet (though I have the 5th from Netgalley to review!). And whether I will then read the Alfar prequels after that remains to be seen (though they are sitting on my kindle).
This trend continues here, where the scope just seems to be a bit too big and squeezed in. We don't really have any sight of a large-scale assault from the orcs and trolls on the defences of the land, these are mentioned briefly as backstory, while the focus is on Rodario the actor trying to find his friend, while getting his end away left, right and centre. The dwarves play less of a key role for large parts of the book, as so much is needed from Rodario/Furgas' storlyline that we leave the dwarves entirely for large sections of the book.
The translation of this third book also seems lower quality than before, where some parts seem to be google-translated and don't really scan all that well in English. Compared to how well this was carried out on the first book, this is something of a let-down.
Overall, the story itself is strong (the 13 diamonds, one of which contains a massive store of magic, scattered throughout the kingdoms start to be stolen by strange creatures/machines) but the narrative tends to wander a little looking for humour where there really is no need for any (or the payoff is never worth it).
With only 2 books to go, I think the gap between them is going to grow as I find myself less keen to dive straight into the next one, and I haven't bought the 4th one yet (though I have the 5th from Netgalley to review!). And whether I will then read the Alfar prequels after that remains to be seen (though they are sitting on my kindle).
Karla Bergado (17 KP) rated In the Tall Grass (2019) in Movies
Nov 6, 2019
In the Tall Grass Review: Is the Stephen King horror worth a watch? (Spoilers ahead)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Netflix has really been stepping up their game with the number of horror shows being released this year.
What makes it better is the addition of a film adaptation of a Stephen King novella to satiate
fanatics’ hunger.
Except the question lies in whether I felt full watching this movie.
The story begins with a brother and sister duo on a long journey to San Diego. Sweltering heat and pregnancy do not mix well, alongside the long-winding roads of America until they stop by a field of tall grass. What can go wrong by stopping in the middle of nowhere that’s giving out a Children of the Corn vibe?
The siblings find themselves going through the tall grass after hearing cries from a very distressed child, only to find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle where there is seemingly no way out and only a rock statue that apparently lets you see things you will never imagine of seeing.
The concept had a potential to give viewers something more and unexpected. But that’s the thing.
It didn’t.
The first half of the movie set the scene of being trapped in a maze of grass, but then the second
half was pretty much the same, with only a couple of weird occult-like elements thrown in to fuel the dying flame. Not only this, but the viewer is left to piece the puzzles together, only to find out that they don’t match. You are left to question the purpose of the rock, the baby and Patrick Wilson’s seemingly possessed character.
If you enjoy watching a slow paced, psychological horror movie and the feeling of being confused, then you can go check this film out.
There is something captivating about this adaptation that keeps you hooked until the end but bear in mind, it requires you to have an open mind and low expectations.
Needless to say, you might as well go and have read of the book, which was also co-written by Joe Hill,the king of horror’s son.
What makes it better is the addition of a film adaptation of a Stephen King novella to satiate
fanatics’ hunger.
Except the question lies in whether I felt full watching this movie.
The story begins with a brother and sister duo on a long journey to San Diego. Sweltering heat and pregnancy do not mix well, alongside the long-winding roads of America until they stop by a field of tall grass. What can go wrong by stopping in the middle of nowhere that’s giving out a Children of the Corn vibe?
The siblings find themselves going through the tall grass after hearing cries from a very distressed child, only to find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle where there is seemingly no way out and only a rock statue that apparently lets you see things you will never imagine of seeing.
The concept had a potential to give viewers something more and unexpected. But that’s the thing.
It didn’t.
The first half of the movie set the scene of being trapped in a maze of grass, but then the second
half was pretty much the same, with only a couple of weird occult-like elements thrown in to fuel the dying flame. Not only this, but the viewer is left to piece the puzzles together, only to find out that they don’t match. You are left to question the purpose of the rock, the baby and Patrick Wilson’s seemingly possessed character.
If you enjoy watching a slow paced, psychological horror movie and the feeling of being confused, then you can go check this film out.
There is something captivating about this adaptation that keeps you hooked until the end but bear in mind, it requires you to have an open mind and low expectations.
Needless to say, you might as well go and have read of the book, which was also co-written by Joe Hill,the king of horror’s son.
Getting Unstuck in ACT: A Clinician's Guide to Overcoming Common Obstacles in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Book
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a powerful, evidence-based treatment for clients...
CS
Conservation Science: Balancing the Needs of People and Nature
Peter Kareiva and Michelle Marvier
Book
Now is the time for conservation science--a mission-oriented scientific enterprise that seeks to...
Merissa (13600 KP) rated Bearly Restrained in Books
Jun 16, 2017
Bearly Restrained (Dunn Playing #1) by Paige Conners
Bearly Restrained is the first book in the Dunn Playing series. It starts with a kidnapping and quickly becomes a brilliant story involving lumberjacks and an author's PA! Because Meigs is a PA to a paranormal author, she knows all about shifters, so there isn't much shock involved when she meets Jax for the first time. In fact, she accepts it so well that Jaxon is very shocked! I loved how this was swapped around to a 'normal' paranormal story. Jaxon and Meigs are a brilliant couple, and he is there for her every step. In fact, his whole family is brilliant (apart from one), and I loved his dad's attitude.
Whilst steamy in places, there is enough romance here to melt my heart. And the parts involving being a PA, working for an author, signing events, and the amount of books Meigs had, well, that just had me laughing out loud at the truth written in every word! With a love story, an author's event, AND a touch of suspense, this book has something for everyone. This was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I would definitely recommend this to all PNR fans, and I can't wait for the next one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Whilst steamy in places, there is enough romance here to melt my heart. And the parts involving being a PA, working for an author, signing events, and the amount of books Meigs had, well, that just had me laughing out loud at the truth written in every word! With a love story, an author's event, AND a touch of suspense, this book has something for everyone. This was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. I would definitely recommend this to all PNR fans, and I can't wait for the next one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!