Godly Heathens

Posted by cat2002116 on March 17, 2024
Posted in: Books, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Reviews, Young Adult. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This was the first book I read of the five I bought for my birthday, and it was one of the two I have now finished.

The blurb of this book was immediately interesting, since it involved gods and reincarnation, two things that I always find very interesting. Plus, I was really happy to see that the main character was nonbinary, as it’s the first book I’ve seen with that representation (that’s quite important to me, as one of my family members is nonbinary).

So, I do have to say that I found this book really quick and easy to read. I finished it in two days. I would have managed to finish it in one day, my birthday, but since I had a really long day and was planning on a long day the next, I knew I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to finish it in one day.

I really liked Gem’s character in this book. I found them to be really relatable and easy to engage with. Plus, as the initial scene had them dreaming one of their memories, I was immediately intrigued by what was going on between them and their demon. And the scene with the other god captured and imprisoned was depicted really well. I didn’t really understand Gem’s motivations at that point, to be honest. There was a lot about how important the balance, or the scales, were, but as I learned more about what Gem had done in their first life, I found myself wondering where the balance came in.

One thing I really liked was the impression I got that none of the characters were truly bad…or truly good, for that matter. Even with Gem being the narrator of the book, it was really clear that even the ‘villains’ had a lot of depth to them. I found myself really liking Poppy, even after viewing her through Gem’s eyes. And there was a flashback scene that made it really easy to understand Marian and her motivations.

I will say that there were some really good moments of foreshadowing in this book, especially when it came to Zeke. I would have liked a bit more of that with certain other gods who’d been reincarnated, as I felt they were only introduced right when they became relevant to the plot, instead of in a seamless way like a handful of the others were introduced.

I am disappointed that this book ended on a cliffhanger, as I really wanted to find out what would happen next. And the second book isn’t out until April, so I can’t find out what’s going to happen until then.

Anyway. I definitely found this book engaging and easy to read. If you like this kind of genre, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.

Houdini’s Escape Room Experience: Houdini’s Last Secret

Posted by cat2002116 on March 8, 2024
Posted in: Interactive Experience, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Since it was my birthday on the 1st of March, I was quite eager to do something a bit different. It took a little bit of trying to get there, but I was finally able to arrange going to an escape room with my sister, two of my niblings and a friend. I’d gone to Houdini’s Escape Rooms with my sister and Ry last year, so when we had the opportunity to go to the same company this year, I immediately went for it.

I will say that I found this escape room to be much harder than the one from last year. As I recall from the booking website, there was only a 20% chance of actually escaping the room we’d booked…but one of the key factors in booking this one was that my nephew, who’s ten, could join the game as well.

The escape room we ended up going to was Houdini’s Last Secret. We did end up making sure before entering that there would be no live actors who might jump out at us, but the room really was just puzzles we had to solve…and the only other person was the game master, who spoke to us from outside the room.

My nephew, Freddie, mentioned that, ‘We’re very good at the hard stuff, but really bad at the easy stuff!’ after we’d left the escape room…and I do have to say that he had a very good point about that. I think the biggest problem the five of us faced in the escape room was that we were massively overcomplicating the puzzles. After we’d been stuck on the first one for ten minutes, the game master very kindly offered us a hint.

I really did enjoy the look and feel of the room. I won’t go into any details, but visually, the room very much looked like it belonged to Houdini. We had a lot of opportunities to explore the puzzles that were around…and even though we had to have almost constant hints (I believe we used the maximum amount allowed), we were able to ultimately escape the room…but for our group, it was pretty tough.

I will say that I didn’t find the storyline quite as cohesive as the first game I played from Houdini’s Escape Rooms. I really liked how it was set up at the beginning, but I found how it ended a little bit confusing; which was likely due to the way it had been set up more than anything else.

I will say that there was obviously a lot of effort that went into the escape room. You probably do need someone a bit smaller for part of the escape room, though, otherwise parts of it might be tricky. If you’re considering going to this, I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

Dune Part Two

Posted by cat2002116 on March 4, 2024
Posted in: Movies, Reviews, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Dune was one of the franchises I loved from a very early age. I was first introduced to it when I played the original computer game of it, that belonged to one of my mum’s boyfriends. And then I got the movie (on VHS, because I’m really that old) and watched that almost constantly. I read almost all the books in the series and watched both miniseries, as well as watching Dune Part One.

To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with this movie. Very similar to the first one, I felt that it dragged a lot where it shouldn’t…and rushed a whole lot that should have been slower-paced. I was really disappointed that Jessica spent the entire movie pregnant with Alia, who was a key figure in the first book.

I wasn’t exactly unhappy that Chani was portrayed as having no belief or trust in the prophecy, since it’s made clear in the original book and in this movie that the Bene Gesserit planted the seeds for the prophecy long before Paul Atreides was even born. So I did feel the way Chani’s opinions clashed worked really well. I did like her interactions with Paul…and I did feel that Timothee Chalamet did portray Paul fairly well.

I also quite enjoyed the scene where Feyd-Rautha is fighting in the arena. I thought that the scene being shot in black and white was a really neat, stylistic choice. And while Feyd-Rautha is a bad guy, it was interesting to see that he had some honour when it came to fighting; particularly when he got angry when one of the Harkonnen soldiers wounded the prisoner he was battling, despite the prisoner not actually being drugged.

I would have liked to see Irulan’s character explored a bit more in this movie. There were glimpses shown of her, but I definitely think her character could have been explored a lot more, considering she plays a fairly big part in the books, including having excerpts from her writings used at the beginning of each chapter.

There were some good parts to this movie, but I think that a lot was missed out that should have been included. And unfortunately, the movie dragged and was pretty boring in places. I was also frustrated that the ending of the movie set it up for a third movie, given that the point it reached was where the first book ended.

Visually, I do think there was a lot that was good about this movie…but as an adaptation of one of my favourite science fiction books, it was a disappointment to me. I will see the next movie, but that’s more because I enjoy the franchise as a whole. It’s not a faithful adaptation of the book…though it’s certainly not as bad as movies like Blood and Chocolate, and Secret of Moonacre.

Blueblood

Posted by cat2002116 on March 3, 2024
Posted in: Books, Mythology, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

I’ve always been fascinated by different types of myths and legends, and the legend of Bluebeard was always one that intrigued me from a very early age. When my sister told me about this book, that was effectively a gender-switched Bluebeard, I immediately wanted to read it.

I really liked the style of writing in this book. It read very much like a fairy tale brought into the modern world; but unlike the original story of Bluebeard, I liked the fact that Marcus was not only named in the book, he was also developed more as a character – which isn’t something that Bluebeard’s wife receives much of in the original legend.

I also really liked the use of technology in this book, rather than magic. I think it worked really well with the modern setting of the book. I did, however, feel that the scene between Nia and Markus at the end kind of contradicted the setup at the beginning, where Nia was preparing to get married to Markus. At the end, she seems to know a lot more about him than she actually knew at the beginning, and gives the impression that she deliberately chose him due to his history. I felt that wasn’t really foreshadowed too well.

I will say that, on the whole, I did enjoy this retelling of the Bluebeard legend. I liked the gradual reveal of the problems in the relationship between Nia and Markus, and even though I knew how the story would end (being very familiar with the original legend), I was engaged enough in the plot to keep reading and find out what was going to happen next.

I would say that this book is worth reading if you enjoy a different, more modern take on a familiar legend. It was a quick, easy and enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training

Posted by cat2002116 on February 25, 2024
Posted in: Anime, Fantasy, Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment


So, I did go and see the other two Demon Slayer movies at the cinema. I really enjoyed both of them, so when I realised there was a third movie coming out at the cinema, I was immediately interested in seeing this movie.

Very similar to the second movie, this one started right in the middle of the action, with Tanjiro and Nezuko pursuing a demon that seemed to have been threatening the village Tanjiro had reached in the second film. I was a bit confused about what was going on, but it was really easy to care about Tanjiro and what he was trying to do. In the second movie, I really liked seeing more of Zenitsu and his abilities, and while he didn’t really appear much in this film, I liked that the advice he gave helped Tanjiro to focus his energy, despite being wounded and fatigued.

In the previous movies, it was made very clear that Tanjiro’s main goal in joining the demon slayers is to save his sister and make Nezuko human again. For that reason, the scene where Nezuko forces Tanjiro away from protecting her to protect the villagers, is particularly heart-wrenching. After all, it’s made extremely clear that demons can’t survive in daylight, and the sun burns Nezuko’s skin even before it’s fully in the sky.

I did find the villagers weraring the masks to be extremely weird and confusing. For a bit of the film, I actually assumed the masks were their faces; which made no sense, given that every other character had ‘normal’ faces.

I liked being able to see more of the wider world of the Demon Slayers, especially when it came to seeing more of the hashira. I really liked seeing both Obanai and Sanemi (the serpent and wind hashari respectively) fighting alongside each other to rescue a human woman from a demon, as it was really good to see how their abilities worked.

I also really liked both Mitsuri and Muichiro, especially when it came to them discussing how they each came to be marked. I really enjoyed how calmly and dispassionately Muichiro discussed his marking, as opposed to how excited and over the top Mitsuri became while talking about it. I would have liked to know exactly what being marked meant, though, as the movie deliberately cuts off that explanation…so I can only assume that it’s something bad. Also, it seems that Tanjiro’s mark is permanent…while the others’ marks don’t seem to last.

On the whole, I really did enjoy this addition to the Demon Slayer franchise. I liked seeing Nezuko being able to talk, even if she is copying what others say to her and has to be taught to speak…much like a child. I’m hoping that there will be a fourth movie out in this series very soon, as I would definitely watch it!

I do think this movie doesn’t really stand on its own, so you probably have to be at least a bit familiar with the anime before watching this movie. But if you are, this is definitely worth watching!

Madame Web

Posted by cat2002116 on February 25, 2024
Posted in: Marvel, Movies, Reviews, Superhero. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

So…to be honest, I actually did enjoy this movie. I was looking forward to seeing it after watching the trailer. I like superhero movies anyway, but the trailer made this movie look more dark…and that definitely piqued my interest.

The opening scene set up the rest of the movie nicely, though there wasn’t a lot to make it stand out too much from other superhero movies. Cassie’s mother died in childbirth and her father wasn’t really mentioned at all, so she grew up in the foster system. This obviously had a negative impact on her, as she seems to have trouble relating to people as an adult, even going so far as to react very awkwardly when she’s thanked for saving a woman’s life and the woman’s son gives her a drawing he made.

I will say that I found Cassie to be an extremely relateable character in this movie. She had a cat come into her apartment who she fed and that made me like her a lot, being a cat person myself. I also really liked the way it was handled when she started seeing visions of the future. Her confusion was obvious and I thought the visions were integrated really well.

I also felt that Cassie’s previous interactions with the three teenagers she ends up saving were really seamless; with the possible exception of Mattie, whose original appearance had her flipping Cassie off while she was driving an ambulance. As Cassie put it, ‘Who flips off an ambulance?!’

I will say that the weakest part of this movie was, in my opinion, the villain. Ezekial didn’t really have much depth to him…and apart from trying to stop his own death in the future, I was really unclear about what his motives were in the present. Apart from gaining the powers of the spider, what exactly was his end goal? I could get behind a villain wanting to kill those destined to kill him before they were able to do so, but he lacked a lot of depth…and depth is one of those things that makes a villain so much more interesting.

I did enjoy the interactions that were shown between Cassie and the three teenagers, especially with Cassie saving them…and then wanting to make them their parents’ responsibility straight away. It was another aspect of Cassie that I felt I could relate to: not wanting to suddenly be responsible for three teenagers.

On the whole, I personally really enjoyed this movie. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was fun and I liked the relationship between Cassie, Julia, Anya and Mattie. And while the villain didn’t have much depth to him, the danger the characters were in felt real…and there were some darker moments involving the visions that I felt worked really well.

I would probably watch this movie again, as I felt it was quite good for what it was, even if it was far from perfect.

Baghead

Posted by cat2002116 on February 4, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about this movie going into it. I knew it was a horror movie, of course, but I didn’t know much else before booking to go and see it.

Unfortunately, although there were some good parts to this movie, I felt that there was a lot that could have been improved. One of the main things was that plot and character details only seemed to be revealed when it was necessary for the plot, rather than having things seamlessly revealed. For instance, at the beginning of the movie, Iris received a phone call telling her that her father was dead…but when she spoke to Katie, I got the strong impression that she already knew her father was still alive. Later in the movie, she suddenly referenced her and Katie growing up in the foster system together. And that she wanted to be an artist, but that was only mentioned to give her a reason to want to stay in the building; or, at least, that’s what it felt like.

I did feel like Baghead was suitably creepy…but I was a bit disappointed in how things ended up playing out. I’d initially thought that the movie would go for a more sympathetic route with the monster, but it just seemed to cross the line from creepy to disturbing. Also, the movie didn’t seem to follow its own rules very well. Baghead was kept a prisoner by a person signing the deed to the pub…but after the owner dies, there’s no name on the deed. So how is she kept a prisoner during the transfer of ownership? I was a bit disappointed to see that part neglected. And did Iris really see her father’s last moments, or was it just a hallucination brought about by Baghead?

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the characters and how the relationship between Katie and Iris was portrayed. I couldn’t really care about them, given that everything I learned was only revealed when it was immediately relevant to the plot. And the only real scares were jump scares that were pretty predictable, such as the sudden appearance of the dead people.

I did think this movie had a lot of potential to it, especially when it seemed like the monster might be more of a victim. But the execution just didn’t fulfil that potential. I wouldn’t watch this movie a second time, I’m afraid to say.

Mean Girls

Posted by cat2002116 on February 1, 2024
Posted in: Humour, Movies, Musical, Reviews, Teen. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I can’t really remember if I watched the original Mean Girls movie, but as my sister and oldest nibling had seen this at the cinema and both enjoyed it, I thought I’d go and see it as well…so that we could all talk about it.

I have to say, when I initially saw this movie advertised, I wasn’t expecting it to be a musical. I really enjoyed the first scene with Janis and Damian, in what was probably my favourite song of the movie – especially as I wasn’t expecting there to be songs in the movie. Both Janis and Damian were characters I really enjoyed, especially as they were both outcasts…a feeling I could honestly relate to from my own time at school.

I have to say that I didn’t really get the impression that Cady was more like a fish out of water. Her lack of social skills seemed to come across as more cute than awkward…and even when she was wearing heels, she didn’t seem to have that much trouble wearing them. And, to be honest, I found it especially annoying that she dumbed down her own intelligence to be able to talk to Aaron.

One of the things I especially liked about this movie was the song where all of the students in the school acted like animals, considering how well it fit with the whole idea of high school being like a jungle.

I definitely did think the songs were one of the best parts of the movie…and I especially liked the revenge party song, with all the colours and dancing. The breaking of the fourth wall later about the revenge party was a really good part of the movie, too! And I definitely thought that Regina George’s songs were great. The character wasn’t very likable, as she didn’t seem to have a lot of depth to her, but the actress was honestly great.

I did think some parts of this movie were a bit over the top, but that did add a lot to the fun atmosphere. I especially loved how, during Cady’s initial song about stupid love, her fellow students were giving her looks like she’d lost her mind…but were her backup singers/dancers in the very next moment.

To be honest, this movie was a lot of fun to watch. I really enjoyed the songs and there were some sweet moments in it, along with the comedy aspects. If you enjoyed the original movie, I think you’d probably enjoy this one…but even if you haven’t seen the original, I think this is still worth watching.

Night Swim

Posted by cat2002116 on January 20, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

When I saw this movie advertised, I was immediately interested in watching it, as it seemed like an interesting horror movie that might be a bit more unique.

Like most horror movies, this started with quite a tense scene. A little girl, Rebecca, was drawn to the pool outside her house, since she’d seen her brother’s toy boat that he had (presumably) lost earlier. She ultimately ends up falling into the water, and my assumption was that something would end up pulling her under and killing her. Which was what happened…but there was a suitably creepy moment where Rebecca’s mother, Kay, speaks to her above the water. It sounded weird even before Rebecca surfaced to respond…but when she came up and Kay wasn’t there, it was immediately obvious that something more sinister was going on.

I actually thought this movie would be quite a unique one, considering that the monster wasn’t actually shown for a good portion of it. I thought the family moving into the new place were nice people, even if they did feel a bit bland. I wasn’t sure what Eve’s job actually was…and Elliot came across as a fairly stereotypical child in a horror movie who knows that something is going on, but doesn’t tell the adults around him. And Izzy constantly threatening her brother didn’t make her an endearing person at all, even if I suspect it was meant to give the movie a bit of sibling rivalry.

Once the pool creature was actually shown, I felt hugely disappointed. I would have preferred it if the entity hadn’t been shown at all, because when it was…it just looked like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. Not scary or creepy at all.

One of the only unique things I found about this movie was the use of the illusions. At first, I thought there was going to be a clever way of using the reflections in the water to create illusions to deceive the victims…but there was no real explanation as to what was going on with those visions. I also felt that the pool creature broke its own rules when it took the cat’s life, given the ultimate revelation that it was supposed to be a life for a life.

On the whole, there was a lot of potential in this movie, but it fell short with characters who felt kind of bland, and a monster who lost any fear factor the moment it was shown on screen. It did a couple of things well…but sadly, not enough to make me want to watch this movie a second time.

Doctor Who: Christmas Special 2023

Posted by cat2002116 on January 8, 2024
Posted in: Reviews, Science Fiction, Television. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I watched the first special with David Tennant’s return as the Doctor. I didn’t watch the other two, but because I was with my family for Christmas Day, we ended up watching the Christmas special.

I always like the Doctor Who episodes that have a bit of mystery behind them, and that’s the impression I originally got at the start of this episode. A baby being left at a church, basically abandoned, trying to find her birth parents as an adult? I was hoping that mystery would be a big part of this episode.

Unfortunately, the special was more about goblins…which wasn’t that bad, although there was very little in the way of subtlety. It was immediately obvious that there was something nefarious about the bad luck that was plaguing Ruby, since there were little arms moving and little voices chattering away.

Speaking of Ruby…I felt like she was a cross between Rose and Clara. I liked her to an extent, but considering that the Doctor is once again played by a younger actor, I am worried that there’s going to be romance shoehorned into the new series…and honestly, it would be nice to have TV series that don’t have romance pushed in each time.

I did find it a bit hard to get behind this new version of the Doctor, as he didn’t have quite the same energy as I’m used to seeing from the Doctor. I kind of hope that the actor will settle a bit more into the role in later episodes.

I did like the goblin song…and I enjoyed hearing the Doctor joining in the song, even if it was a bit cringeworthy. I also particularly liked being able to see what would have happened to her mother and grandmother if Ruby had never actually existed.

I did enjoy this episode, although I don’t think it’s one I’ll rush to watch again. I’d be interested to see how the new Doctor and his compnion fare in the new series of Doctor Who.