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Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
This is the worst kind of relatively big budget popcorn tease – the kind of film that knows its demographic will flood to it regardless of quality, so let’s not even bother trying to make it good. The first sign of this type is a script that is such gibberish you almost start to wonder if you are having a stroke, and Venom has that in spades! Just when you think you have a handle on it, off it goes on a tangent that has nothing to do with anything other than setting up the next CGI shot. Which is the second sign – CGI good enough to pass, but quite obviously not the cutting edge stuff we have already seen years ago in better films. Cheap and nasty. The third sign is a director that can bung a few thrills in the mix but has no care whatsoever for characterisation, pace, plot or sensible motivation. Well done Ruben Fleischer for being the first director to have two films included in my BMTBs, following Zombieland Double Tap – I really can’t split them. The only fun to be had here is watching Tom Hardy amuse himself with a comic book characature so far over the top it hurts. Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed are horribly wasted and should be ashamed. Just awful stuff!
  
Mother, Mother
Mother, Mother
Koren Zailckas | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Joint review with Sylvia Crabtree.

Well this isn't our usual book at all, we usually stick to romance, but when mum won it in the Goodreads First Reads/Giveaways we thought we'd give it a try. And surprisingly, we liked it.

We think it was the suspense, wondering what had happened that night at dinner that caused Violet to be sent to the mental hospital. Had she really been that out of it that she couldn't remember hurting her brother? And if so, why couldn't anyone else remember? And what of Rose, the eldest, how did she fit into the story?

Trying to piece together what had happened to lead up to that night by seeing viewpoints of the youngest child, William, and the middle child, Violet: one who doesn't get on with their mum and one who does anything for a bit of motherly affection.

We found ourselves being drawn into the story the more we read and we cant say we were expecting what happened to Rose.

Josephine, the mum, came across as crazy at times and we felt sorry for her children. She could be so cruel to them at timesif they did something she didn't agree with.

Like we mentioned previously this was not our usual read but we have to admit it was a nice change from the norm.
  
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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Kill Joy in Books

Mar 25, 2021 (Updated Mar 25, 2021)  
Kill Joy
Kill Joy
Holly Jackson | 2021 | Crime, Law, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lovely little short book that left me wanting more! I haven’t read A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, but I got the feeling from this prequel that it was the murder mystery dinner that ignited the passion in Pip to try and solve the murder that happened in her little town 5 years previously.
The murder mystery dinner was written so well that I felt like I was there and solving the “murder” with the characters. There was also the suspense of the environment around the dinner party with the weird noises and lights going out, which really made me wonder whether there was something sinister going on around them or if everything had a genuine explanation. I think it added to the suspense of the murder mystery part and made you more aware of little things, which I guess is why people like murder mystery parties!
I loved the writing style and how the notes were included as though you were reading them off the slip of paper that had been found, which doesn’t very often happen in books. I thought it was a nice addition and really gave you the feel of being a part of the dinner party. <br/>This has definitely made me want to read on and read the next instalment from Holly Jackson.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) Mar 29, 2021

I didn't know this existed--must check it out! Definitely recommend A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Pip is a wonderful character.

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Laura Doe (1350 KP) Mar 29, 2021

Ah thank you Kristy! I’m glad that it follows the same character 😊

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Tom Turner (388 KP) rated Skallagrigg in Books

Jun 15, 2021  
Skallagrigg
Skallagrigg
William Horwood | 1988 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I very rarely post about books while I'm still reading them, but for this book I had to, because I felt, and still feel it is criminal that this is book is not that well known. It should be in the pantheon of novels that get read my millions each year. However, I doubt given its obscurity that this is the case.

This story is so much more than its basics of being an exploration of disability. Though as someone with a disability it did bring home to me how much my life could have been different if I had been born in a different era - but also, how far society has yet to travel. It's as much a story about the human spirit and the importance of wholeness. To be honest, there are many levels one could read this book. If one has the tearducts strong enough, I am sure it's the kind of book that a reread would give even greater insight than the first read through. I first picked this up in the early 2000's, and for various reasons never finished a complete read through until now. But it was definitely one of those books that kept calling me back, and I'm so glad it did!

If you can get hold of a copy, it really is a must read!