Rebecca Crunden's Blog, page 54

Review Round Up

New year, new reads, new shows.

I started off the new year by reading a few comic books and finishing Sylvester by Georgette Heyer, narrated by Richard Armitage. I’ve been having a hard time focusing on longer reads at the minute, simply because I have so much to do, so short reads and audibooks are very helpful right now.

I really enjoyed Oddly Normal, which has adorable illustrations and a fairly sad storyline; Die!Die!Die! was intriguing. It’s by the same author as The Walking Dea...

Audiobook Recommendations

I have listened to some lovely audiobooks over the break and thought I’d share a few recommendations for those who enjoy listening to stories as much as reading them! (These reviews are also cross-posted to Goodreads*).

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1922), narrated by Richard Armitage. So utterly lovely! Cannot recommend enough.

The Collectors by Philip Pullman (2015), narrated by Bill Nighy. Bill Nighy could narrate dry socks and they would be interesting – thankfully, Ph...

2020: End of Year Favs

Note: This is for things I read/watched this year and has nothing to do when they were actually released. I read so many short stories this year, which was lovely, but not as many full length novels, alas, so that list is a bit short. For the shows and films, I’ve starred the recs, but honestly the stars are more of a YAAAAAAS flail. My five star ones are those that had a ridiculously amazing romance (my jam!) or had me on the edge of my seat the entire time (also my jam!). And, as I’m sure ...

Honourable Mentions of 2020

I feel like there are so many films, books and shows that I wanted to review this year that I haven’t got around to for some reason or other. (Re: laziness). Oh well! I’m listing some of the ones I can remember below (and I’m sure there’s still others I’ve forgotten).

Shows: Summertime was a great show, for anyone looking for a warm and sunny show with cute romances. Set in Italy, diverse cast/rep. Curon is another good Italian show! I haven’t finished it, but the start is super strong. ...

Show Review: The Poison Tree (2012)

I love finding hidden gems! I’d never even heard of The Poison Tree until last night and I watched both episodes back to back. What a good find! It has Matthew Goode, MyAnna Buring and Ophelia Lovibond and tells the story of a married couple after the husband is released from prison. The husband did time for a double murder, but the wife is convinced he’s a good guy, and we’re slowly told their story through flashbacks.

[spoilers-ish]

The pair, Rex and Karen, met through Biba, Rex’s s...

Film Review: Downton Abbey (2019)

I truly enjoyed the television show, but I never actually finished it. I’m glad I decided to just dive straight into the film, though! It was easy to keep up with everyone despite having not seen the final seasons and the film is decidedly an uplifting one. [semi spoilers from here]

The story picks up at the end of the 1920s, with Downton Abbey greatly changed from what it once was. The Crawley family have endured their share of losses, as have their staff, but there’s a great energy amo...

Movie Review: Spiderman: Far From Home (2019)

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Spiderman franchise. I grew up with animated Spiderman and Toby Maguire Spiderman, and I enjoyed Andrew Garfield’s version, too. I really, really adore the new versions, though. Tom Holland suits Peter Parker best, I think, and I love what they’ve done with Peter’s relationship with Tony Stark. The father/son dynamic that they have/had going is lovely to behold. I also love the new Aunt May and the new MJ. Something about the new films just feels lighter t...

Comic Books: Mini Reviews

I never got into comic books and graphic novels when I was younger, but recently I’ve been getting into them. I had read a few: Fence, Heartstopper and Pumpkinheads, but I haven’t dived head first, as it were, until recently. And now I can’t stop!

I started out with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina because they popped up for free and I figured I’d give them a try. I’ve seen a couple episodes of the show but haven’t finished it yet. The comics are insanely dark. Like, whoa. I was not ex...

Film Review: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

One of my first memories is of The Nutcracker and hearing those familiar chords. I come from a household obsessed with ballet, so of course. I love the music so much; the dances are enchanting; and I’m a sucker for anything festive and snowy. I’m not Christian, but I do adore holiday films. (Let it be said that we need more Jewish holiday films!) But I digress … Also, my love of The Nutcracker is only slightly trumped by my love of Keira Knightley, so of course I wanted to watch The Nutcrack...

Show Review: Big Love (2006)

As a Veronica Mars fangirl (the show, the books and the movie, I ain’t about that last spoiler in the miniseries I don’t want to see now, ugh), I feel like I should have got around to Big Love sooner. But alas, it took me some time. Seeing Mac (Tina Majorino) and Lily (Amanda Seyfried) as best friends is great, though. Their friendship alone sold me on the show, but honestly the whole cast are superb and I’m really glad I finally got around to watching it. You also have Ginnifer Goodwin, who...