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Justin Hawkins recommended A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window by Cardiacs in Music (curated)
Dave Navarro recommended Ordinary People (1980) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Summer of 84 (2018) in Movies
Sep 26, 2020 (Updated Sep 26, 2020)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have mixed feelings about Summer of 84, another 80s love letter following in the wake of the cataclysmic popularity of Stranger Things. Probably easier to break this one down into bullet points.
- The four main characters are pretty hit and miss. The actors are all fine, but some of the dialogue and pop culture references seem very forced. They provide the movie with some funny moments for sure, but their characters are fairly cliché and the chemistry goes through some flat moments.
- The story is pretty straightforward and decent, and provides an entertaining mystery, but some of the plot points are odd and a lot of the characters are just insufferably stupid.
- The ending is conflicting as well. Considering the majority of the film is quite comedic and seems intended towards a family audience, the ending is pretty bleak. My initial thoughts were "fair enough, quite ballsy" but now I can't decide whether it was in fact just plain mean spirited. Either way, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
- A couple of positives - I really enjoyed the music score, and the cinematography. The film has a lovely aesthetic to it.
- Not sure how the babysitter character was supposed to be portrayed, but she seemed a bit too old for a love interest to the 15 year old protagonist. Made me feel uncomfortable...
Summer of 84 is an entertaining enough psuedo-slasher thriller, but it suffers from pacing issues amongst other things that stops it being as good is it could have been.
- The four main characters are pretty hit and miss. The actors are all fine, but some of the dialogue and pop culture references seem very forced. They provide the movie with some funny moments for sure, but their characters are fairly cliché and the chemistry goes through some flat moments.
- The story is pretty straightforward and decent, and provides an entertaining mystery, but some of the plot points are odd and a lot of the characters are just insufferably stupid.
- The ending is conflicting as well. Considering the majority of the film is quite comedic and seems intended towards a family audience, the ending is pretty bleak. My initial thoughts were "fair enough, quite ballsy" but now I can't decide whether it was in fact just plain mean spirited. Either way, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
- A couple of positives - I really enjoyed the music score, and the cinematography. The film has a lovely aesthetic to it.
- Not sure how the babysitter character was supposed to be portrayed, but she seemed a bit too old for a love interest to the 15 year old protagonist. Made me feel uncomfortable...
Summer of 84 is an entertaining enough psuedo-slasher thriller, but it suffers from pacing issues amongst other things that stops it being as good is it could have been.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Paper Girls: Volume 1 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Okay, as I wrote in my Comments for Reading Progress, this was a re-read, as I recently purchased Vol 4 as part of the SDCC Sale this past weekend on Comixology. I may have run through it first time out, because so much of what I read seemed as if this were my beginning go-round instead of a re-read. Hmm.. Time Slip anyone?
So, yes, just as with other BKV-helmed series, the characters are well-defined, given depth that is a progressional unfolding. Each issue allowed for me to see each of the main characters - Erin, KJ. Tiffany and Mac - for who they were and some of their moral fibers, if you will.
As good as Vaughn was at the writing, equally impressive was Cliff Chiang's art. The muted colors (except where needed, as deep red for a wound) really helped the story, making me feel like it was really the eighties instead of 2018! From the cars driven to the newspaper headlines to the housing developments layouts, it felt just like the time frame as the setting!
The easiest way to sum up this series is it is like Netflix's STRANGER THINGS but with all-girl main characters. I recall the later volumes being more science fiction-y as the series progress, but, yeah, definitely like STRANGER THINGS.
All I can say in closing is this is an awesome series! It is a lot of fun, and it is clear during reading it that BKV and Chiang had as good a time making it as I did reading! DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!
So, yes, just as with other BKV-helmed series, the characters are well-defined, given depth that is a progressional unfolding. Each issue allowed for me to see each of the main characters - Erin, KJ. Tiffany and Mac - for who they were and some of their moral fibers, if you will.
As good as Vaughn was at the writing, equally impressive was Cliff Chiang's art. The muted colors (except where needed, as deep red for a wound) really helped the story, making me feel like it was really the eighties instead of 2018! From the cars driven to the newspaper headlines to the housing developments layouts, it felt just like the time frame as the setting!
The easiest way to sum up this series is it is like Netflix's STRANGER THINGS but with all-girl main characters. I recall the later volumes being more science fiction-y as the series progress, but, yeah, definitely like STRANGER THINGS.
All I can say in closing is this is an awesome series! It is a lot of fun, and it is clear during reading it that BKV and Chiang had as good a time making it as I did reading! DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!
Ross (3284 KP) rated Surprisingly Down to Earth, and Very Funny in Books
Oct 27, 2020
Funny but at times harrowing auto-biography
I wouldn't say I was a huge fan of Limmy's. I've seen a few of his sketches on youtube and have heard him interviewed on a few podcasts. He seems quite strange and a bit of an odd character. I have read his books of short stories and found them to be brilliantly well-written and original.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Three Blind Dates in Books
Jan 11, 2021
I picked this up a month or so ago when it was 99p as I've enjoyed this authors books before.
So this starts with Noely doing her Going in Blind profile interview. She's a Good Morning Malibu show host and has used some of their equipment to film the interview, which, when her producer finds the disc informs her that she will be doing a segment on the show detailing her dates. She tries to protest but he's not having any of it and she reluctantly agrees.
Noely has three dates, as the title suggest and has a great time with all three, all for different reasons. Jack is her first option, the mysterious Suit. Then Beck, the bike riding Rebel. And lastly Hayden, the ice hockey Jock. She gets on with all three really well but something seems to go wrong on the second dates, leading her to look for someone else.
Then we get a "mystery man". One of the above guys who starts messaging Noely in the hopes of getting her to fall for him after the mess he made of their date. I was a bit stumped about who it was going to end up being but a certain guy did keep turning up places quite regularly.
I liked this but it did seem quite long for what went down. Each guy took up about a quarter of the book, including the final mystery one. It didn't entirely pull me in but there were some truly fun bits, and for me, personally, those involved Noely's brother, Alex, and his wife, Lauren. And little Chloe, too.
So this starts with Noely doing her Going in Blind profile interview. She's a Good Morning Malibu show host and has used some of their equipment to film the interview, which, when her producer finds the disc informs her that she will be doing a segment on the show detailing her dates. She tries to protest but he's not having any of it and she reluctantly agrees.
Noely has three dates, as the title suggest and has a great time with all three, all for different reasons. Jack is her first option, the mysterious Suit. Then Beck, the bike riding Rebel. And lastly Hayden, the ice hockey Jock. She gets on with all three really well but something seems to go wrong on the second dates, leading her to look for someone else.
Then we get a "mystery man". One of the above guys who starts messaging Noely in the hopes of getting her to fall for him after the mess he made of their date. I was a bit stumped about who it was going to end up being but a certain guy did keep turning up places quite regularly.
I liked this but it did seem quite long for what went down. Each guy took up about a quarter of the book, including the final mystery one. It didn't entirely pull me in but there were some truly fun bits, and for me, personally, those involved Noely's brother, Alex, and his wife, Lauren. And little Chloe, too.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Dark Room in Books
Jan 14, 2021
Mystery (2 more)
Characters
Storyline
Kept me guessing
A mystery that keeps you guessing. It starts off from two completely different women’s point of view until they are brought together in a hotel in the beautiful setting of a little village in Ireland.
There are ghosts and murders which keep both the characters and the reader wanting to delve deeper into the story and the mystery of what happened at Hare’s Landing 30 years ago.
When I finally found out the identity of who the body they found was, I was then kept guessing right until the last couple of chapters as to who was responsible. And it definitely was not someone that you would guess straight away, it came as a complete shock to me!
I was a little disappointed that everything seemed to happen very quickly about 50 pages from the end, as the author could have picked up the pace of the investigation a little earlier in the book. However, I did enjoy the book overall and would be interested in reading more of the authors work as it was extremely well written. I really fell in love with the characters and their stories that brought them to Hare’s Landing, and although Caroline’s problem at work did get solved, it felt a little disappointing given that so many other things were going on in the story at the same time.
Overall, it was a great book to read and one that was easy to follow and easy to dip in and read a couple of chapters when you have time!
There are ghosts and murders which keep both the characters and the reader wanting to delve deeper into the story and the mystery of what happened at Hare’s Landing 30 years ago.
When I finally found out the identity of who the body they found was, I was then kept guessing right until the last couple of chapters as to who was responsible. And it definitely was not someone that you would guess straight away, it came as a complete shock to me!
I was a little disappointed that everything seemed to happen very quickly about 50 pages from the end, as the author could have picked up the pace of the investigation a little earlier in the book. However, I did enjoy the book overall and would be interested in reading more of the authors work as it was extremely well written. I really fell in love with the characters and their stories that brought them to Hare’s Landing, and although Caroline’s problem at work did get solved, it felt a little disappointing given that so many other things were going on in the story at the same time.
Overall, it was a great book to read and one that was easy to follow and easy to dip in and read a couple of chapters when you have time!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated A Creepshow Holiday Special (2020) in Movies
Dec 23, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Creepshow delivers the holiday themed goods once again with this Christmas special. Unlike the Halloween Special, this one is fully live action, and instead of being the regular two segments, it's one big 45 minute story.
The first half focuses on a dude attending a support group for people who are shape shifters, keen to find out exactly what he shapeshifts into. The group is filled with a few colourful characters who transform into all sort of things - tortoises, cheetahs, werewolves, boars. It's mostly dialogue but it's pretty fun. Adam Pally and Anna Camp head up the cast, and both seem to be aware just how silly the episode is and both ham up proceedings well enough. IMDb has listed Barbara Crampton, Marilyn Manson, Ali Larter and Keith David among others in the cast, but I'll be fucked if I spotted them anywhere!
The second half is when it gets festive when *SPOILERS* out of nowhere, it's revealed that Santa Claus hunts shapeshifters for a living and employs an army of shopping mall Santas to help him in his fight. Shit gets ridiculous as everyone transforms, Santa turns up in some crazy demon armour with actual robotic claws for hands, blood flies everywhere, scores of Santas are mown down by gunfire - it's so so dumb, but goddam entertaining.
There isn't really any underlying message here. Writer/Director Greg Nicotero just wanted to go all out and schlocky as possible, and I'd say he achieved his goal pretty effectively.
This holiday special is a boat load of fun, and another solid piece of evidence as to why Creepshow is an essential part of horror television. Ho Ho Fucking Ho!
The first half focuses on a dude attending a support group for people who are shape shifters, keen to find out exactly what he shapeshifts into. The group is filled with a few colourful characters who transform into all sort of things - tortoises, cheetahs, werewolves, boars. It's mostly dialogue but it's pretty fun. Adam Pally and Anna Camp head up the cast, and both seem to be aware just how silly the episode is and both ham up proceedings well enough. IMDb has listed Barbara Crampton, Marilyn Manson, Ali Larter and Keith David among others in the cast, but I'll be fucked if I spotted them anywhere!
The second half is when it gets festive when *SPOILERS* out of nowhere, it's revealed that Santa Claus hunts shapeshifters for a living and employs an army of shopping mall Santas to help him in his fight. Shit gets ridiculous as everyone transforms, Santa turns up in some crazy demon armour with actual robotic claws for hands, blood flies everywhere, scores of Santas are mown down by gunfire - it's so so dumb, but goddam entertaining.
There isn't really any underlying message here. Writer/Director Greg Nicotero just wanted to go all out and schlocky as possible, and I'd say he achieved his goal pretty effectively.
This holiday special is a boat load of fun, and another solid piece of evidence as to why Creepshow is an essential part of horror television. Ho Ho Fucking Ho!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Pretty Guilty Women in Books
Sep 2, 2019
Four women—old college friends—are reunited at the elegant Banks wedding. They haven’t been in touch in ages and some hold grudges. There's Ginger, a receptionist and weary mom of three. Ginger's former college roommate, Emily, now a marketing manager. She and Ginger no longer speak and Emily seems to be harboring a pile of secrets. There's Kate, a beautiful and well-off lawyer, whose boyfriend breaks up with her the day before the festivities. They all knew the bride, Whitney, in college. At the resort where the wedding is being held, Ginger, Emily, and Kate meet Lulu, a wealthy woman in her sixties. Her husband is related to the groom; Lulu may have wealth, but she's worried about her marriage. By the end of the rehearsal dinner, a man will be dead. Even more intriguing, four people will confess to the deed.
PRETTY GUILTY WOMEN was a really interesting and dramatic read. I was caught up in these women’s tales. I have a group of close friends from college (thankfully not estranged!) and also could relate to the harried mom, Ginger. I was fascinated by all that was going on in everyone’s lives (a lot of drama). There's a lot going on here--a college feud, the wedding, a mysterious young mom, each woman's own issues, but LaManna makes it all work. The book is told partially in police reports and then narrative from all the women. It's certainly fascinating, as details unfold slowly, and it keeps you guessing.
Overall, this was a quick read and perfect to finish up on my beach trip! I'm looking forward to reading more from LaManna!
PRETTY GUILTY WOMEN was a really interesting and dramatic read. I was caught up in these women’s tales. I have a group of close friends from college (thankfully not estranged!) and also could relate to the harried mom, Ginger. I was fascinated by all that was going on in everyone’s lives (a lot of drama). There's a lot going on here--a college feud, the wedding, a mysterious young mom, each woman's own issues, but LaManna makes it all work. The book is told partially in police reports and then narrative from all the women. It's certainly fascinating, as details unfold slowly, and it keeps you guessing.
Overall, this was a quick read and perfect to finish up on my beach trip! I'm looking forward to reading more from LaManna!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Catching Him in Books
Sep 3, 2019
So this is my first book by the author although I did buy another of her books a few weeks ago but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.
I did like this. I think I have a thing for Alpha males, and Tyler was definitely that. He was protective and knew what he wanted, and that was Leah. I also seem to have a thing for backwards baseball caps. I just grew to really like Tyler. He seems like the perfect guy and Leah probably couldn't ask for more.
The romance was cute, the whole they were a couple before they actually got together with all the meals and the touching. It was sweet to read how quickly it progressed and how believable it was.
As for the incidents that kept happening after they got together. Well, I figured out who it was after Bruce had his "taken to the compound" part and then I was just more sure after everything else. That characters just seemed like the type.
As I've mentioned previously, I like a bit of angst in my stories and this didn't really have any. I may have been rooting for the couple because of how cute together they were but I didn't get upset on their behalf when things were being set on fire/trashed. I like to get emotionally attached to characters and I will cry when they do, get angry for them/with them. I didn't get that with this.
I will be reading the other book I bought and I'll figure out from there whether this is an author I can really enjoy reading.
I did like this. I think I have a thing for Alpha males, and Tyler was definitely that. He was protective and knew what he wanted, and that was Leah. I also seem to have a thing for backwards baseball caps. I just grew to really like Tyler. He seems like the perfect guy and Leah probably couldn't ask for more.
The romance was cute, the whole they were a couple before they actually got together with all the meals and the touching. It was sweet to read how quickly it progressed and how believable it was.
As for the incidents that kept happening after they got together. Well, I figured out who it was after Bruce had his "taken to the compound" part and then I was just more sure after everything else. That characters just seemed like the type.
As I've mentioned previously, I like a bit of angst in my stories and this didn't really have any. I may have been rooting for the couple because of how cute together they were but I didn't get upset on their behalf when things were being set on fire/trashed. I like to get emotionally attached to characters and I will cry when they do, get angry for them/with them. I didn't get that with this.
I will be reading the other book I bought and I'll figure out from there whether this is an author I can really enjoy reading.