For ease of browsing, I have arranged all of my book and movie reviews in alphabetical order.
Movies are, of course, listed by title.
Books are listed under the author's last name.
Click on the Book Reviews or Movie Reviews page to see if there's a review you're interested in.
Enjoy!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Movie Review: The Adventures of Robin Hood
The
Story: As the evil Prince John plots to take over his brother’s
throne, nobleman Sir Robin of Locksley is one of the few to stand up
to the scheme. Soon Robin is forced to become Robin Hood, an outlaw
hiding out in Sherwood Forest with a band of merry men, protecting
the poor from Prince John’s oppression and awaiting the day when
the good King Richard will return.
My
Thoughts: Errol Flynn was the king of old-fashioned adventure movies,
and this film shows why. He set a standard in his portrayal of Robin
Hood that I have never seen equaled. The other characters, from
Prince John to Maid Marian to Friar Tuck, are brought vividly to life
as well. The settings in forest and castle are all colorful and
believable.
Although
the story could have
used a bit more depth and benefited from being longer, it’s still
exciting, just with less emotional force than it could have
had. Most of the action scenes, like the film as a whole, have aged
well, making this a fun adventure film for all ages, recalling a lost
time when Hollywood made far more movies for the whole family.
You might also be interested in my review of Disney's animated Robin Hood.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Book Review: Heartless (Tales of Goldstone Wood #1) by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
The Story: In a wondrous fantasy kingdom, a princess dreams of a handsome, charming suitor who will come to sweep her off her feet. Instead, after her first suitor seems quite boring and her second suitor is just after her money, she realizes that her fairy tale romance may not turn out like she hoped. As nightmares start to haunt her and dark forces encircle her, who she gives her heart to will turn out to be a far more serious choice than she ever imagined.
My Thoughts: While this might sound like a typical princess fairy tale, it is actually quite different. Few princess fairy tales are this dark and complex, or have such a strong moral message. A large cast of colorful characters helps bring the story of life, as do a variety of original fantastical touches, such as the way the author weaves many exotic fairy elements into the story.
The writing often gives the impression of looking at a painting instead of words, with skillfully-placed details scattered about on almost every page. The only serious flaw is that the plot seems to lose its way after awhile, and while the beautiful prose mostly covers up this problem, the plot issues grow more noticeable toward the story’s end. Since the book has so many enchanting traits, however, I still enjoyed it a lot, and its strengths make it worth reading.
Content Overview: Mild violence. Some intense and scary scenes.
My Thoughts: While this might sound like a typical princess fairy tale, it is actually quite different. Few princess fairy tales are this dark and complex, or have such a strong moral message. A large cast of colorful characters helps bring the story of life, as do a variety of original fantastical touches, such as the way the author weaves many exotic fairy elements into the story.
The writing often gives the impression of looking at a painting instead of words, with skillfully-placed details scattered about on almost every page. The only serious flaw is that the plot seems to lose its way after awhile, and while the beautiful prose mostly covers up this problem, the plot issues grow more noticeable toward the story’s end. Since the book has so many enchanting traits, however, I still enjoyed it a lot, and its strengths make it worth reading.
Content Overview: Mild violence. Some intense and scary scenes.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Movie Review: Red Eye
The
Story: A hotel manager ends up next to a seemingly nice man on a
flight, but soon
the man reveals he’s working for terrorists who want to assassinate
a homeland security official. The official will be staying at the
woman’s hotel, and if she doesn’t cooperate in the assassination,
her father will be killed. Can she find a way to save both her father
and the official?
My
Thoughts: This film has one glaring problem that may make some
viewers find it unbelievable: A significant part of the story takes
place on a crowded plane, and while it is not impossible that no one
would notice the events that are unfolding, it seems unlikely. A few
tweaks might have made this aspect easier to swallow.
If
you can get past that detail, however, it’s otherwise an excellent
thriller, with an especially likable heroine pitted against an
especially nasty villain, sending them on a suspenseful battle of
wits and ultimately weapons. Red
Eye
doesn’t quite achieve greatness, but it’s good enough that
thriller fans who can swallow the premise are likely to have fun
watching it.
Content
Overview: Occasional mild language and one instance of harsher
language. A bit of mild innuendo. Brief
but intense violence.
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