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The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man (2020)
2020 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Elisabeth Moss - excellent performance (1 more)
Slowly creeping tension - clever camera work
Wildly implausible plot and bad decision making! (0 more)
Have you seen "The Invisible Man"?
Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) is trapped in a highly controlling and violent relationship with technology mogul Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Escaping from his fortress-like home, she lives in fear of his retribution. So she is much relieved, if a little surprised, at the report of his suicide. Now living with old friend James Lanier (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), Cecilia can finally start to relax. But as strange things start to happen, is the ghost of Griffin back to haunt her? Or is it really all in her rapidly disintegrating mind, as her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) and James suspect?

Australian writer/director Leigh Whannell is famous as the writer behind the "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises. So he knows a thing or two about crafting horror movies. And in this Blumhouse production, after a clever attention-grabbing opening, he really takes his time in building an understanding of Cecilia's mental state. When things start to happen, they happen so stealthily that I needed to hit the rewind button a couple of times (no cinema experience for this one I'm afraid). Cinematographer Stefan Duscio keeps slowly panning away from Cecilia across the room to show empty corridors before slowly panning back again. It's superbly effective and was comprehensively creeping me out!

When the set action pieces do occur then they are satisfactorily exciting, albeit wildly implausible. I did not see some of the "Surprises" coming, making them jolt-worthy. And the denouement really delivered for me, reminiscent of Hitchcock's style.

Now most famous for "Mad Men" and "The Handmaids Tale" on TV, Elisabeth Moss has delivered a range of impressive film performances including in "High Rise" and - as most closely related to this role - in "Girl, Interrupted" as mental patient Lisa. It's a star turn, no doubt about it.

This movie was intended by Universal to be part of the "Dark Universe" series. But the Tom Cruise flop "The Mummy" unfortunately put paid to that. Which is a great shame. If they'd started with this one, then they might have had a hit on their hands. With a post-credits "monkey" (there isn't one in this movie by the way) they could have lined up into the follow-up movie and started the ball rolling.

It's a rollicking action flick that had my attention throughout. However, the initial question it poses - haunting, 'all in the mind' or something else - gets clarified a little too early for me (and - note - is spoiled by the trailer), so the movie falls short of being a classic for that reason.

There's one aspect of the movie that really irritated me. And that is that there was no credit whatsoever for the idea of H.G. Wells that originated this story. There's a discussion of that here: since Wells died in 1946, his copyright will have expired on his works 70 years later. This is definitely NOT a retelling of his story, but in reusing the novel's title it would seem at least 'polite' to include a "Based on an idea by H.G. Wells" in the credits somewhere.

All in all, this is still a bit of a B-movie, but its a bloody good one! Utterly preposterous at times, and with decision-making that would feel at home within the Trump presidency, it's an entertaining rollercoaster of a movie. Definitely comes with a "recommended" from me and I'll look forward to a re-watch at some point.

For the full graphical review, please check out the One Mann's Movies review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/01/09/have-you-seen-the-invisible-man/ .
  
Some Lucky Woman
Some Lucky Woman
Carmen DeSousa | 2016 | Romance
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
discovering what you enjoy (0 more)
Where did I find this book: I picked this book out from Bookbub based on its synopsis. I’m in this odd time after college where I relate to these stories of being unsure of the next steps to take in life.

How it’s written: It’s told in first person by Jana. She tells the tale of losing her husband, becoming a book reviewer and a book writer, and finding what makes her truly happy in life. It’s light, fun, and to the point with 360 pages and a very easy nature to it that makes it hard to put the book down.

What I like about the book: I loved that not everything happened for her in a month. There are credible time lapses between events instead of a whirlwind of change all at once. I really liked that she doesn’t wallow in self-pity for long. Jana moves on from her ex and looks for things that bring her joy. She does things for herself and doesn’t care about what others think…except Adrian.

Final Thoughts: This book was amazing! Truly entertaining read from beginning to end. Jana’s story from getting a divorce to finding herself is empowering and intriguing.

Honestly I probably should have posted this book as my first book review. I already had the idea of posting book reviews but this book was a huge catalyst for me. It helped me realize that I just needed to start. It didn’t have to be perfect and I didn’t have to have it all figured out. I just needed to get things started and I could change things up later if I wanted to.
So if you’re in a part of your life where you feel like you need a change, you want to try something new, you need to do something for yourself, I would suggest reading this book.
  
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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) created a post

May 21, 2017 (Updated May 21, 2017)  
As it says in my profile I am a writer of both Fiction and Poetry. Last year I was able to achieve something incredible and publish a small book(let) that contained only my poetry. In the past my poetry had been joined alongside many other poets in anthologies, but this one was all me and I could not express how I felt about this when they finally arrived and I held one in my hand, reminding me that this time around, this was real. Not a dream.

However, I was not able to sell as many copies as I'd like, simply due to lack of interest in poetry that I discovered among friends who have supported me in my work. I still have some copies left and I ask you, the people of Smashbomb, that if you enjoy poetry, or think it could be something you could at least read through, then please visit my website;

https://catchadreammedia.wixsite.com/catchadream

where you can read some of my work, and even buy a copy of the book(let) I have spoken of for just £4 via PayPal. I don't want to spam this site with my own promotion, so this is why I'm making a long status, because this site is for reviewing, and the reason I am writing this now is so that perhaps some of you might be kind enough to review my work, in order to help me promote it to other audiences. I will create the category for it, if @bird will allow this of course, I would not do so without your permission, and even if you don't buy the book, then please help by reviewing some of my poetry that is free to read on the website. Use the title of the Poem as your review Headline so that I might see which pieces of my work are preferred.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this,
I love this site and it's members, so keep up the good work :)
     
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Bird (1700 KP) May 22, 2017

Hi @Connor Sheffield - sounds great and well done on your achievements so far!

You are of course welcome to promote anything you like on your personal stream and may also create a new item for any published work for others to rate.


All sounds great, and I wish you the very best of luck with it all!

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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) May 22, 2017

Thanks a lot @bird I really appreciate your kindness. Keep up the good work with the site. Can't wait to watch it evolve as it has already. So many friendly members with great inspiring reviews :)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Returning cast, soundtrack is great, special effects and action, cameos (1 more)
Baby Groot
Some parts can be a bit slow, but are few and far between (0 more)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Writer/director James Gunn takes us back to Knowhere to join Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Baby Groot in the follow-up to the unexpected smash Guardians of the Galaxy.
Taking up where we left off from the last movie, albeit a few years later, the Guardians are in the groove now and start the movie with a spectacular set piece with the super popular Baby Groot showing off some dance moves while the rest of them fight a gigantic intergalactic beast.
All the original cast return and have settled into the characters so the movie cracks straight on with the story. As rumours had it, this film is all about family and charts the discovery of Star-Lord’s father’s origin and how this relates to Star-Lord. Without giving too much away, Star-Lord meets his father (Kurt Russell) and has to choose between his dysfunctional family or his birth father. Another character arc of interest is in a returning character Yondu who also faces another dilemma over family.
Family pervades the movie in Gamora’s case too as Nebula (Karen Gillen) returns to provide a reluctant support to the Guardians while trying to fight them. Some impressive cameos including Sylvester Stallone and, get this, David Hasselhoff!!!
Guardian’s 2 is a fantastic (if not even better) than the first instalment and Gunn has already said he is on board for film 3. The quirkiness, the humour and the action from the first is ramped up in this one and doesn’t let you down.
There’s a shock and no less than 5 after credits scenes, so be sure to stay until the end of the movie to get your money’s worth.
A recommended movie if you like sci-fi, action or just a good exciting adventure story. It’s out now at all good cinemas.
(From @paulandpopcorn - https://popcornpaul.blogspot.co.uk/)
  
Truth or Dare (2013)
Truth or Dare (2013)
2013 | Horror
Plot (3 more)
Awesome Special Effects
A great indie horror film
Ryan Kiser rocks!!!
Gory, disturbing and a helluva good time
I waited five years to see this movie, and it was totally worth it.
Jessica Cameron co-wrote and directed a worth wile addition to the horror genre.
It's hard to believe this was her first stab at directing. Pardon the pun folks, but stab is exactly what happens in this movie.
I had never heard of Ryan Kiser before this film, but he portrays an obsessed fan with psychotic gusto only equivalent to that of veteran horror actors.
Cameron, Dorff and the rest of the cast envelop them selves in their characters so much, and the camera work is so simple that it makes the disgusting game of Truth or Dare seem realistic and unstaged.
After reading the reviews for this splatterfest I can see how some people who are not horror hounds would be repulsed by this movie.
Myself, I brought an open mind and honestly didn't expect what I saw. But as a horror fanatic and self proclaimed horror movie GOD, I am in love with the concept of this film.
It brought obsession to a new height. It makes the viewer see that people can become so enthralled in other people's lives, that they can become obsessed with what they view.
Jessica Cameron deserves the spoils she received for her debut movie.
In this writers opinion this movie is the beginning of an amazing career for her as both a writer and director.
Big Studios take notice. This indie Queen is coming at you all with her nails out. I hope this is the first of many movie from her disturbed mind.
Buy this film people... Support the horror underground. You won't be disappointed.
Here's a link to the Amazon page where you can purchase this movie. Support indie film people...
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01N963DXN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503580613&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=truth+or+dare&dpPl=1&dpID=51tSWEEbQ7L&ref=plSrch
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Triangles in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Triangles
Triangles
Ellen Hopkins | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The thing about Ellen Hopkins is she writes about the stuff that everyone knows happens, but nobody is willing to admit to. She gives emotion and reason to why people make the choices we do, and what they feel like in the middle of a messy hurtful situation. She is the opposite of happyland syndrome. She tells it how it is.

I had read a little bit of Hopkins's work before: I started Crank (When I say started I mean read the first few pages) and loved it, but I was busy and never got the chance to get into it. But I got an ARC of Triangles, so I sat down and read it—and after one page I was hooked.

If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm not a person who likes stories about love gone wrong and marriages failing and extramarital sex etc. because I'm a Christian, and a romantic, and a softie (read 'wimp'). But I went ahead and dove into this book, because I knew Hopkins is a good writer.

It surpassed my expectations. I should have expected her to be this awesome, since obviously she's pretty famous and everyone else figured it out before I did, but I really am blown away, not only by her blunt yet graceful storytelling, but by her nerve to tackle the stories nobody wants to tell: a dying child, a gay son, a pregnant teen, sexual disease, threesomes, a woman sleeping with her best friend's husband… it's all in here. Yet, it's not plot overkill. She made it work. Somehow.

Though, be warned. Since she does say it like it is, this book is not for the easily offended. But if you're willing to look past the content, there's a gem waiting for you about forgiveness, hope, and what love really means.

Content/recommendation: explicit sexual content, swearing. Ages 18+
  
Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas | 2012 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
6
8.7 (91 Ratings)
Book Rating
Throne of Glass is the first book of Sarah J. Maas’s debut series, and that much is obvious when reading it. In a way, opening its pages has enlightened me to her growth as a writer. And while Throne of Glass is far more difficult to get into than Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, I can definitely see where its fandom comes from – now if only my library had book two!

One of the things I was most excited to learn by reading this book is that Maas isn’t one of those authors that fall victim to making all their characters the same. In fact, I was thrilled to learn that Celaena is nothing like Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses (or should it be the other way around since this was published first?). Her love interests are vastly different, and so realistic that I couldn’t decide who I wanted to cheer for. Usually I’m pretty decided on what characters I like/don’t like, but even this early work from Maas shows she makes it difficult to simply pick and choose.

The plot of Throne of Glass is a bit Hunger Games-ish, what with a competition to find out who will be the King’s assassin meaning that it gets narrowed down to one. I will admit that I wish I’d read this book before I read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, as this one was published first and the plot is a bit too similar for my taste. Both books center around a competition to become the ruler’s assassin, so I couldn’t help but think of Miller’s book the entire time I was reading this one. That, and Sal and Celaena have similar attitudes. It makes me wonder if this book inspired Miller. I do like the idea of magic only just returning to the world of Throne of Glass, though – if you can call it that.

That said, I really, truly cannot wait for the opportunity to read the next book.
  
Last Breath (The Morganville Vampires, #11)
Last Breath (The Morganville Vampires, #11)
Rachel Caine | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I always crack open the next Morganville book knowing that I will love it before I read a single word. Rachel Caine is a writer I can depend on. In this book, she takes the concept that she used in the previous book of sharing the P.O.V. with another character and multiplies it. In other words, while Claire still gets the most narration, the reader also gets to read a bit of narration by Amelie, Shane, Michael, and Eve. Shane's thought process is familiar from the previous book, and Eve's reminds me of her diary entries from the early books in the series. Michael's are interesting because I got to see some of the darkness that he struggles with on a daily basis, while trying to hide it from the other members of the Glass House. I enjoy Amelie's P.O.V. the most because she obviously has the most secrets and history to reveal. Caine could easily make Amelie the main character of a prequel series about the founding of Morganville (how I wish!).
Claire is in top form as usual, as she has the unique -- and unexplained -- ability to see Magnus before anyone else, or before Magnus even wants to be seen. Magnus is quite the horror-movie creature, the draug, whom even the local vamps fear. Reading the detailed descriptions of what he can do with water gives me goosebumps. As for how Magnus retaliates against Claire, I simply refused to believe that Claire's state was permanent -- she is simply too essential to the series. Now I am wondering, though, how the series would fare if Claire went vamp -- but that's all up to Rachel Caine.
The one thing I really disliked, of course, was how the book ended -- the first cliff-hanger of the series. There was just way too big of a loose end hanging to leave me feeling satisfied. The rest of the book was still fabulous, though, and I can't wait for Black Dawn to hit the shelves.
  
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Insatiable (Insatiable, #1)
Meg Cabot | 2010
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I normally try to avoid Meg Cabot, simply because I've found some of her writing too teeny-bopper for me, but this book was written for adults and features an all-adult cast list. Now this is a book that could be made into a movie.
The book starts out as an anti-vampire book, and makes fun of the over-saturation in pop culture through Meena Harper's character. I love Meena's character right away, with her writing skills and passion for a decades-old soap opera, she is someone I can relate to. Her ability to predict others' deaths only makes her more intriguing. I also find it fittingly ironic when more and more of the people around Meena turn out to be vampires, as she eventually acknowledges herself.
Even though the book is written for adults, Meg Cabot still keeps the writing clean, skipping through the intimate bedroom scenes with only the smallest of hints at the sordid details. She also leaves many of the gruesome aspects of the plot up to the imagination of the readers, which I prefer.
Because this book is all about tongue-in-cheek irony, it is only fitting that the state of Meena's mind -- the jumbled mess of a writer -- attracts the prince of all vampires, Lucien, who happens to be a Romanian history professor when he isn't attending to his princely duties. I get the feeling that there is more to Lucien and Meena's attraction to each other than what Meg Cabot is telling the reader, but by the end of the book, this is still a mystery. Plus, a good-looking vampire slayer suffering from too much micromanagement and even less communication skills causes some interesting conflicts and obstacles for Meena and Lucien. His attraction to Meena is like water to a sponge, but Meena is less drawn to Alaric.
I wasn't crazy by how the book ended, but it made sense for Meena's independence. Still, I'm hoping Meena's choices will change in the next book, Overbite.
  
Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1)
Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1)
Sherrilyn Kenyon | 2009 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.9 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, before I start my review, I have a little pet peeve about Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing: She'll switch from one character to another without warning. There I am, happily reading along from Amanda's viewpoint, when all of a sudden it's Kyrian. Ugh! I know I've read other authors who do the same thing, but somehow it flows better and isn't like - what just happened?! Okay, end rant.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I did like Fantasy Lover more than this one. While I don't always think Ms. Kenyon is the best writer (it sometimes feels disjointed to me) her world is very imaginative and interesting. The creatures/characters are intriguing, and the story was just plain fun to read. Hey, there's a tortured hero, what more do you need? I was really into it close to 200 pages in, then I had to put it down. The next day I picked it up and it didn't grab me as much as the day before. Though towards the end it started to pick up for me, and of course I'm a big sap for happy endings. That's why I read romances more than anything else. I don't know about other romance readers, but I've had a hard life and I need a little lightness in it. That's where romances help. Now that I've bared my soul (no pun intended - hopefully you'll get it if you've read the book), I think I'll get back to the review. Now where was I? I know that Talon will be in the next book in the series, but I can't wait to read about Acheron. If he doesn't have a book out now, Ms. Kenyon needs to start writing his story. Well, as I said before (I think), it was a fast and fun read!

Please excuse me if my review is a little disjointed (haha), I can't quite put into words how to explain how I felt about the book. Ah, oh well; can't win them all!