Film Addict's May Film Choice

We all go through life with ups and downs and sometimes they are big and sometimes they are small, and this month just seems to be full of both big and small downs.  My grandad was diagnosed with cancer well over 5 years ago but we thought he beat it, the lovely stubborn man that he is but unfortunately, the cancer decided to strike twice and he took a big turn for the worst this year.  He passed away this month and though we knew it was coming, we are all going to miss him so while I've been sat here on my own, thinking about how to deal with this, I decided to dedicate Film Addict's May Film Choice to him.  While I don't know what his favourite film is because he used to watch so many and he was a man of very few words but I know that he liked war films so I have decided to pick one from my extensive film collection and chose Fury.

Fury is the 2014 war film directed by David Ayer who also wrote the screenplay.  Brad Pitt (Ocean's Trilogy, Fight Club) stars along with Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Constantine), Logan Lerman (Perks of Being a Wallflower, Percy Jackson series), Michael Peña (American Hustle, Shooter), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Wolf of Wall Street), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter series, Peter Pan), and Scott Eastwood (Gran Torino, The Longest Ride).

Rating: 6

Recommended To: War film fans

Favourite Characters: Wardaddy

Favourite Part: Wardaddy: [pointing at the tank, Fury] That's home. Do what you're told. And don't get too close to no one.

Good Points: The relationships between the crew of Fury; sense of realism throughout; good old fashion action

Bad Points: Predictable

Mark Twain - The Prince and the Pauper

As I've said before, Mark Twain's work has always intrigued me so I bought a collection of his stories in one book, one of which I reviewed in February and while I didn't enjoy it as much as I have other books, his work still intrigues me so I have continued reading this book every so often.

Mark Twain's novels are American Classics and are rooted in the South and a lot of his work is influenced by his experiences and where he has lived; Twain worked as a riverboat pilot which is said to be the influence behind The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well his living in the town that these stories are set in.  The Prince and the Pauper, however, was Twain's first attempt at historical fiction and differed from his other works greatly due to it being set in a different place to his other work and the time in which it was set.

Rating: 6

Recommended To: American classic fans

Favourite Characters: The prince - reluctantly adapted well

Favourite Part: "Now were he imposter and called himself prince, look you that would be natural; that would be reasonable.  But lived ever an imposter yet, who, being called prince by the king, prince by the court, prince by all, denied his dignity and pleaded against his exaltation?  No!  By the soul of St. Swithin, no!  This is the true prince gone mad!" - Page 217

Good Points: The two narratives working simultaneously; found it funny; enjoyed this more than Tom Sawyer

Bad Points: Could have more interaction between characters; combination of the two languages was a bit weird

Bailey Cates - Brownies and Broomsticks

I've recently read normal, non-fiction books that differ from my normal books as well as my usual bag of weirdness in the form of dystopic/post-apocalyptic books and other genres and watched a varied bunch of films; because of this, I decided to read a new series which falls into the cosy crime genre that I like to read every so often and expand my author knowledge base.

Brownies and Broomsticks is the first in Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery Mystery series which focusses on Katie Lightfoot as she moves to Savannah to work with her aunt and uncle in the Honeybee Bakery.  Bailey Cates also works under the names Cricket McRae and K.C. McRae and has written other mystery books like this series.  While this is similar to other cosy crime books I've read where the protagonist has nothing to do with working in law enforcement but inadvertently become involved in some kind of investigation, this series involves magic of different variations which make it stand out to me.

Rating: 6

Recommended To: Stephanie Plum fans; cosy crime fans

Favourite Characters: Katie; Mungo

Favourite Part: He stroked my cheek with his thumb.  Before I knew it, his lips were on mine.  His kiss was quick, casual and undemanding.  Warm and comforting.  Nice.  My body pressed against his for a moment before I gathered my wits and stepped back.
"Um," I said.
He grinned.  "Don't worry.  That was just an accident.  Life having supper with someone." - Page 194

Good Points: Concept; an easy read; wasn't just Wiccan magic

Bad Points: Love triangle; predictable; could have looked back at Katie's parents more

Gemma Malley - The Declaration

Though most people I know describe my book collection eclectic with a slight deviation to urban fantasy books, my next review is on The Declaration by Gemma Malley, another dystopia fiction book.

The Declaration is the first of a trilogy set in Bloomsbury, Britain in the 22nd century where no one ages or dies but there is a price, no more children.

Overall Rating: 6

Recommended To: Those that like dystopia fiction, aimed more towards a female audience.

Favourite Character: Peter - forces Anna to see the truth of her situation

Favourite Part: He said that we belonged together because he was born with a flower and I was born with a butterfly and that flowers and butterflies need each other for survival. - Page 136

Good Points: The concept; Peter and Anna as a couple

Bad Points: Became predictable by the end; Anna frustrated me for a while