All reviews - Movies (107) - TV Shows (7) - Books (47) - Games (3)

Hmmm

Posted : 4 days, 10 hours ago on 3 August 2008 04:13 (A review of The X-Files: I Want to Believe)

I'm in two minds over this movie. First off, I'm an X Files fan so I may be bias. From an X Files fan stand point, I don't feel it would live up to expectations. Not only was it far from what I was expecting but it wasn't X File-ish enough for me. What I had read about it is that it could have been a stand alone movie and going by that it is a possibility except for certain parts of the story that eluded to other information. The thing is, if you could watch the series and be filled in enough to have those small bits of information make sense then it would have been ok (and not a stand alone at all, which it really wasn't anyway when it comes down to it), but I don't remember anything from the tv series having anything to do with the information mentioned, at all.
Now if you're not an X Files fan but, like a lot of people know what X Files is about (or have a vague idea), which is aliens, consipracy and science fiction, you're not going to get what you're expecting at all. You might still enjoy it though and I recommend going into see it but not thinking of the X Files at all.
My feel for it was that of a crime/mystery movie that could have done well as a non X Files related movie.

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The Seeker

Posted : 4 weeks ago on 9 July 2008 11:56 (A review of The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising)

As much as I enjoyed the cinematography and special effects on this movie I felt like there was something wrong. The story was good enough and the acting was fine but it was lacking. If it had of gone for a little bit longer but also had far more detail to it then I think I would have been happy but as it is the story felt like it could have been told in 20 minutes. My impression of it was that the cinematography and special effects was just being used to mask the fact that there really wasn’t much effort put into and that it was being stretched out. Basically it turned into visual candy for the senses rather then being anything remotely in depth.
Funnily enough I still found it really engrossing for what it was lacking and it was enough to make me want to read the book it was based on to see not only what they missed out on but also because I liked the story line.
Going by a child’s reaction though I don’t think this is really a winner for the young ones, granted it’s only one child’s reaction but seeing as he started to fidget half way through the movie and then left not long after I don’t think it’s possible to hide the fact of what was wrong with this movie from children by using big effects.
A shame really because it had a lot of potential

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Beauty's Punishment

Posted : 4 weeks ago on 9 July 2008 10:23 (A review of Beauty's Punishment)

I think this is a great continuation from the first novel and although I love all three at times this would have to be my favourite. The fact that it offers a new experience for the slaves to be in makes it seem far more brutal and far more interesting. I think it helps to add more depth and then there is the introduction of a new character and the story being told from their perspective as well as Beauty’s. I quite like the new perspective and seeing as it is a different slave to what Beauty is (a different type of slave) I think it adds a better dimension compared to the first but only in so far that it helps add more dimension to Beauty’s character.
Then there is the introduction to Laurent (my favourite character) and seeing as these books are so short and it’s really only feeling like it’s getting to the heart of it just as it ends I always get a bit upset at the ending because of it’s abruptness. In saying that I think it’s an abruptness that’s needed to continue the slaves growth, but still I like the brutality, mainly because I’ve found it to be a more colourful novel and even more detailed then the first.

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Setting The Stage

Posted : 4 weeks ago on 9 July 2008 10:02 (A review of The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty)

I can’t help comment/review this book from the perspective of someone who has read it before and has recently read it again.
As a whole I like to think of the trilogy like a flower. The first novel is the bud and then by the time you get to the end of the third novel it’s in full bloom.
Claiming starts of with innocent little Beauty being “awakened” by the Prince. I like how innocent Beauty is because as the reader you’re innocent to this new world she is introduced to as well, this being a fairy tale after all, and you get to warm up to it like she does as if this is the setting stage for what is to come. By the end of it Beauty is still innocent but she’s really only touched the surface and so has the book so the ending isn’t really all that surprising and I think the perfect prelude to the next one.
I highly recommend this for anyone into the SM genre or if you are an erotic lit reader but want some shock value then by all means read it. Mind you, if you’re narrow minded forget about it because the “shocks” (when I say shocks I mean for vanilla people) start right from the beginning and become more intense, imaginative and descriptive as Rice delves further into the psychological factors of it.

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Great Read

Posted : 4 weeks ago on 9 July 2008 08:48 (A review of The Host: A Novel)

Yet again Meyer has written a book that I find quite painful to put down, it's too addictive for that. It's "science fiction for people who don't like science fiction" which is the perfect description and actually made me want to read it more in the beginning. Sure it's a story about alien invasion and it has aliens mentioned constantly through out but you get to a point where you don't really think about aliens because when it comes down to it this is really a story about humanity and human emotions then body snatchers, but then again it's very interwoven with body snatchers.
I love the characters in this story, they're such stronger characters to what I was expecting and the detail is great too. Sure it was a bit of a slow starter but mainly it's because it felt like the story was building up to something and by about the 50-75 page area you can't help but be swept up in it, utterly addicted and wanting to find out how two entities inside one body could possibly co-exist.
If you like a little bit of science fiction but don't want to read something saturated with it then I highly recommend this because the science fiction aspect of it is really just a back drop for an idea.

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The Amulet of Samarkand

Posted : 1 month, 1 week ago on 27 June 2008 01:07 (A review of The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1))

Recently I’ve been reading more books with mistakes and less detail which made this book such a relief to read. Not only was it well written, there weren’t any major mistakes (bravo to the editor) and it was quite descriptive without being overly done.
It’s set in a modern London but with a magical difference, magicians are the ones that run the country. Young children are given up by their parents to be apprenticed as magicians and then they go on to working in parliament or some other clerical job. This is what happens to Nathaniel, the main character, at a young age.
The story touches on subjects such as corruptness in government, hierarchy, prejudice and even has undertones of a totalitarian nature. A direction I found interesting and something of which could be daunting to it’s younger readers but thanks to it’s delivery and one particular character I think it could be easier to absorb, for younger readers that is, rather then confusing.
The character I’m referring to is Bartimaeus the djinni (Genie), quite a sardonic character who gives some comic relief and even a break from Nathaniel who I found to be quite an arrogant and aggravating character mainly because he is so blind to the bigger picture and is succumbing to the prejudice and corruption of the other magicians.
It was a bit disconcerting at first with Bartimaeus because it goes from being 3rd person to 1st person in a couple of paragraphs but eventually you’re able to get over that with the wisecracks and the footnotes. Footnotes are where Bartimaeus breaks off from the story telling and either informs or insults. It’s pretty amusing at times and I recommend reading all the footnotes.
Nathaniel’s part on the other hand is told via 3rd person and through out the story you go from both character’s point of view.
This is the first book in the trilogy but it could have been done as a stand alone novel with how it was written (no cliff-hanger ending). In fact if it wasn’t for wanting to know if Nathaniel succumbs to being a pompous prejudiced git like the other magicians or comes to his senses I’d probably not be interested in continuing on with the story.

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Dull and Duller

Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 23 June 2008 06:54 (A review of Spartan)

Talk about exasperating material. I can’t tell you if it was a good story or a good ending because I never finished it and I'm not going to attempt it again. I couldn’t do that to myself. I can tell you though that after 100 pages I still found it ridiculously hard to get into. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that it wasn’t an in-depth story. Rather it felt like skimming the whole way. As if the writer was just giving you an overview of events that encompassed years. Sure down the line it may have mattered when or if he finally got more to the main characters but I wasn’t going to keep going after 100 pages of boredom just to find out. I’m not that masochistic.

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Hmmm

Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 20 June 2008 07:25 (A review of The Cursed)

One of those books you can finish in one sitting easily just like I did and not because it is fantastic literature, not because you’re so engrossed in it that you don’t notice you’re even reading or that time is moving on. No far from it. It’s so easy to read in one sitting because there is hardly anything to it.
First of all this is teen literature and is very much directed at young teens. Basically it’s teen lit I wouldn’t recommend for adults unless you’re bored and you can’t figure out what else to read.
The idea was great but the execution fell short in my opinion anyway. In the beginning it was confusing, being told via the story but broken up abruptly with emails, letters, newspaper clippings and other items, but with no discernable bridge between the sudden changes.
Actually it seemed through out the whole book that there was a lot of detail that was missing. What could have been necessary detail to keep it flowing and not confusing or jarring the reader. The story being told via unconventional ways (letters etc) stopped after a time but the confusion didn’t.
There’s also the fact that there wasn’t any character growth or much depth. Actually there wasn’t much substance to it at all and correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve read my fair share of young adult literature and just because it’s directed at adolescence doesn’t mean it should be lacking in anything. Does it?
Well this does and that’s why it is such a light, fast read.

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The Magician Review

Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 19 June 2008 07:51 (A review of The Magician: Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

Being the second book in the Alchemyst series, I found this to be a very good continuation from the first book although there were some inconsistencies. Such as in the first novel the twins didn’t seem to feel each other’s pains and yet in this one they do. That would have to be the biggest example, most of the inconsistencies centre around the twins. Then there is the repetition, such as everything being a “bruise colour” and a lot of the characters speaking in some “rapid-fire” language.
Luckily the story was that enjoyable and the book was that hard to put down they were really only small annoyances and most of the time I didn’t think of them unless they were brought to my attention, when I came across them.
Speaking of an enjoyable read I found it far more entertaining then the first novel what with the introduction of interesting new characters, some eccentric, amusing and just plain weird, plus new Elders perceived as Deities. I actually like how Scott has brought to life the gods/goddesses of mythology in this story, so much so I find myself very interested to read what will be the next mythological character introduced and how they will be represented especially seeing as some of my favourite myths and legends have already been mentioned.
A very enjoyable book indeed and I think a perfect series for teens but also a nice light read for adults as well.

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Pretty Good

Posted : 1 month, 3 weeks ago on 13 June 2008 07:34 (A review of The Painted Man - Uncorrected Proof Version)

A great read and not your average fantasy. I really enjoyed this and had such a hard time putting it down. I loved the main character because he had back bone (just finished reading a series where the main character didn't have a back bone, it was a nice change). I like a character with guts basically and the fact that some of the other characters had that as well made a big difference to the story, for me at least. That and apart from a bit of action and magic there was also some humour.
It was a very tightly packed novel and a great first attempt for a new author as well. Enough to make me want to read the next one in the series.

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