Lucifer Season 3 – A Review

Hello my lovely readers.
At the moment I’m trying to catch up with all the new seasons out there. The first one I finished is Lucifer, season 3. So let’s see what the devil is up to!

 

The Plot:
Lucifer is trying to find out who kidnapped him, took his devil face and returned his wings. In the meantime Amenadiel is struggling to get used to life on earth. Chloe tries to figure out her feelings for Lucifer when a new man enters the picture. Lieutenant Pierce is good-looking, a dedicated cop – and something else…

 

The Rating:
I was so sad when I heard that the show is cancelled after this season. However, recently Netflix announced that they will continue with season 4 in 2019. Can’t wait to see how this will turn out!
Anyway, let’s talk about season 3. This is a season full of struggles. While Lucifer may be one of those detective/crime investigation shows, that part was always the least interesting to me. What fascinates me about this show is the depth the characters have. Lucifer himself is still trying to find out who is and whether that’s a person he actually wants to be – a very relatable struggle. Charlotte Richards desperately tries to change her life and be good, but that’s easier said than done. Chloe still is not sure about her feelings concerning Lucifer and Ella tries to be her happy self even when things get rough. While all those aspects could be presented in a dull and copy-paste way, writers really made an effort with this show to make the problems feel genuine. You will end up caring for those characters, whether you want it or not.

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Book vs. Movie: The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)

Hey Guys!
It’s book vs. movie time. While I’m waiting for the next season of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale to be released, I decided to check out the 1990 movie adaptation with Natasha Richardson as Offred. Let’s see whether it is any good!

 

The Plot:
The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a near future were due to a mixture of pollution and diseases fertility rates dropped to an alarming level. Amidst this chaos a new totalitarian government, the Gilead, rises and brings changes. The society gets divided into different groups, each assigned a certain role. One of those new roles is the handmaid. These women are destined to bear the children of Gilead’s élite, whether they want it or not. One of those maids chronicles her old and her new life…

 

Book vs. Movie:
To be honest, when I picked up this book, I didn’t really know what I signed up for. I was in Portugal at that time and in dire need of something to read. At a bookstore I found a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale and had a vague memory that there is a supposedly very good TV show about it. Off I went, ready to be impressed.
Margaret Atwood did not fail to deliver. From the first page on I was hooked. Somehow torn between wanting to find out more about this terrifying society Atwood writes about and having an urge to put the book down because it feels very realistic, I just couldn’t stop reading.
The characters are very well written, so you’ll definitely get emotionally invested. I ended up holding my breath or having to put down the book to simply take a deep breath and let everything sink in. I rather enjoyed how Atwood switched between chapters set in the present day, recounting the day-to-day life of the Handmaid and her memories of pre-Gilead and their rising. Thus, she intensified the feeling how fast this kind of things can happen and that everything can chance without you even being aware.
I especially fancied Atwood’s use of certain key sentences that were repeated throughout the book and kept ringing in my head long after I had finished reading.
However, the movie is quite a different story.

Book Talk: Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Hello my lovely readers!
In this post I’ll share my views on one of the most famous children’s books of all time: Peter Pan. Let’s see if this classic made it on my favorites list!

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Cover from Goodreads)

 

The Plot:
Peter Pan, the boy who will never grow up, crosses paths with the Darling children. Impressed by Peter’s tales about Neverland, Wendy, John and Michael step right out the window and fly with him. Many adventures, lost boys, fairies and pirates await them in Neverland…

 

The Rating:
Many people will hate me for this review but I really did not like this book. I absolutely adored the Disney film which was just magical, so I was excited to finally read J. M. Barrie’s novel. But honestly, hadn’t it been for reviews sake, I wouldn’t even have finished.
First of all, the characters are so annoying. All of them. Peter is not funny at all but bossy and super narcissistic. Wendy is just about the most shallow characters ever (well, just about all of the characters in this story are) but she also feels rather stupid in this version. One of the main problems is that not a single one of the jokes is actually funny. None of the characters are the slightest bit likable. If a guy like Peter showed up at my window, I wouldn’t run away with him, I’d shut the window.

Thursday Movie Picks: The Dark/Night (Halloween Edition)

Hey Guys!
I know, I’m a bit late to join the party and it’s not even Thursday. But I just stumbled upon this really cool blogging project by Wandering through the Shelves. You check out the topic for the week, and pick a bunch of movies that go along with it!

 

The Others:
It’s the first film I thought of when I read the theme. This horror flick stars Nicole Kidman and is full of surprises. It’s a cleverly crafted psycho-movie that is definitely worth checking out!

TV Spotlight: Supernatural

Hey guys!
A big shout out to all the fans who’ve kept Supernatural going for more than 13 seasons! I am a bit late to join the party. But here’s my thoughts on the first season! (By the way, the show is perfect for a Halloween-binge!)

 

The Plot:
The brothers Dean and Sam Winchester have to team up when their father goes missing on one of his “hunting trips”. However, he was not out shooting deer, John Winchester hunts supernatural creators, always trying to find the one that had killed his wife 22 years prior. To find him, his sons will have to follow in his footsteps…

 

Should you check it out?
Well, as interesting this season is, I’m not yet fully convinced. But let’s start with the positive aspects. I love how cleverly the episodes are constructed. Of course you know they’ll make it out alive, but it takes skill to come up with enough myths and urban legends. And it’s even harder to present it in a way that’s not stereotypical and super dull. Another upside of Supernatural is the great chemistry between Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. It’s the one thing that makes or breaks the show but in this case, casting is really brilliant.
However, let’s get into the downsides.

Book vs. Movie: The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side

Hello my lovely readers!
This book vs. movie post is about The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, a crime novel written by the famous Agatha Christie. So let’s talk about a Miss Marple story!

 

The Plot:
The charming little village St. Mary mead is full of excitement when the famous movie star Marina Gregg moves in with her husband. However, during the reception held at the manor house one of the guests drops dead. What happened? Was it murder? And was the victim really the actual target?

 

Book vs. Movie:
I’ll kick off with the novel. First of all, I love how Miss Marple is depicted in this book. She already a bit older but far from becoming more quiet. Many of the people around her treat her like she’s so fragile and can’t take care of anything any more. Agatha Christie did a great job highlighting the troubles of getting old: still feeling motivated and being sharp but the body is not always cooperative, but most importantly how others treat elderly people. It’s a nice reminder to think about your own interactions with elders!
Many of the scenes dealing with these subjects are absolutely hilarious due to Miss Marple’s witty comments.
The crime itself is carefully constructed. I’m not sure whether absolutely everything made sense in the end but the story was extremely clever. For my taste there were a few coincidents too many but in general it was an interesting read.