Friday Review 2#

Hello and welcome to another Friday review. Once again I shall be sharing my thoughts about a variety of things that I have seen, watched or used over the last week. ★ is the number of stars each item got and a ☆ is an empty star, showing how many away the item was from getting top stars.

Books

Neverwhere by Neil Gaimon: This book takes us into London below, a whole other world beneath the city for the people who have fallen through the cracks. It is largely based off the idea that London place names are literal, like Blackfriars having actual friars, Earl’s Court having an Earl and there being an angel called Islington. There are also two men who are gruesome assassins. This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. It’s wonderfully imaginative and the telling of the story is truly magical. ★★★★★

 

Torchwood: Bay of the Dead by Mark Morris: This Torchwood novel is essentially Torchwood does zombies which is a wonderful combination. It could have been a disaster though but manages not to be. The zombies are confined to Cardiff and the explanation for their existence is satisfactory. Unlike other Torchwood novels it barely slows at any point. The book begins with zombies appearing everywhere. I was a bit disappointed that the author chose to have Gwen separate from Jack and Ianto for almost the whole novel though and it’s annoyingly short: it took me only around two hours to read the entire thing and that was me attempting to savour it. ★★★★☆

Films: Both of the films in today’s reviews are ones I have seen before, but not since I was much, much younger. So I have seen these from an adult’s perspective for the first time.

Finding Nemo: This Disney Pixar film sees Marlin the clownfish, aided by the ditzy Dory, travel across the ocean to find his some Nemo. Of course there are lots of adventures along the way involving sharks and turtles along the way. It’s really quite enjoyable but for some reason I just don’t enjoy it as much as other Pixar films like Toy Story, Monster’s Inc and Up. For me it doesn’t quite reach the same levels of perfection that they do but it’s a lovely little film. ★★★★☆

Mrs. Doubtfire: Out of work father Daniel Hilliard (Robin Williams) find himself suddenly divorced without custody of his kids. To solve this problem, he disguises himself as an old Scottish nanny to get hired by his ex-wife and be closer to his kids. It’s a comedy of a man dressed up as a woman but you know it is only a matter of time before he is found out. And it’s certainly a heart-warming film, how can a film about a father’s love for his children be anything else? However, the plot is very predictable and some of the humour just isn’t that funny. It’s enjoyable enough but I’m in no hurry to watch it again. ★★★☆☆