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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Robin Hood (2018) in Movies
Jan 28, 2019 (Updated Jan 28, 2019)
A Middling Reboot
This is another movie from late 2018 that I am only just getting a chance to see. After my girlfriend and I sat through this one, she turned to me and asked what I thought of it. In response, I just shrugged my shoulders and went, "It was alright." That is genuinely the best way that I can think of to sum up my feeling on this film.
It's a mediocre action movie based around the basic concept of the old tale of Robin Hood. It is extremely cheesy and has bags of whatever the opposite of subtle is. It tries to tell a gritty, 'Year One,' type of story for the character and treats the Robin Hood moniker as a dual identity for Robin Loxley, which draws heavy comparisons to the Batman/Bruce Wayne dynamic. Unfortunately, not much of it lands due to the lack of risk-taking involved.
The movie also feels weirdly dated, especially considering that it's only a few months old. There are an abundance of overindulgent slow motion shots in the style of 300; a movie that was 12 years old at the time of this movie's release. The use of green-screen in this film is actually pretty atrocious judging by today's standards and actually might be some of the worst out of any 2018 movie I saw. This is noticeable throughout the whole movie, but is especially rough-looking during a carriage chase that happens around two thirds into the film.
The cast are all phoning it in as well. Taron Egerton does nothing special with the lead role and Ben Mendlesohn hams it up as the Sheriff Of Nottingham, doing pretty much the same villainous shlock that he did in Ready Player One and Star Wars: Rogue One, way to not get typecast Mendo!
That's the other weird thing about this movie, is that it's not sure what era it wants to be set in. Some of the accents, language and costumes are suitable for the period that the movie is set in, but other elements and other lines and costumes etc feel like they are from 2018, the year that this movie was made. The end result that they were aiming for may have been a sort of rolling timeline that transcends the days of the Crusades that the movie is set in but what we get is just a scattered mess.
There were a few positives in this thing. Some cool shots, Some of the stunt archery is, (while super unrealistic,) pretty cool to watch. I know that 'Real Life Legolas,' Lars Andersen was hired to teach the cast some archery and I believe he helped out with the action choreography as well, which is pretty cool. There are also some glimpses of creativity in some of the shots. One in particular that stood out to me was a shot that gradually panned out from behind a solitary soldiers shield to show the intensity and scale of the battle that was taking place. It's just unfortunate that in so many other places in the movie, all we get is lazy, generic camera angles that add nothing to the scene taking place.
Overall, this is an okay action romp. Don't go in expecting anything of substance or you will most definitely come away disappointed. Though, if all that you are looking for is something to stick on in the background while you do other things or if you are just after an easy, straightforward action adventure popcorn flick, then you could probably do worse than this.
It's a mediocre action movie based around the basic concept of the old tale of Robin Hood. It is extremely cheesy and has bags of whatever the opposite of subtle is. It tries to tell a gritty, 'Year One,' type of story for the character and treats the Robin Hood moniker as a dual identity for Robin Loxley, which draws heavy comparisons to the Batman/Bruce Wayne dynamic. Unfortunately, not much of it lands due to the lack of risk-taking involved.
The movie also feels weirdly dated, especially considering that it's only a few months old. There are an abundance of overindulgent slow motion shots in the style of 300; a movie that was 12 years old at the time of this movie's release. The use of green-screen in this film is actually pretty atrocious judging by today's standards and actually might be some of the worst out of any 2018 movie I saw. This is noticeable throughout the whole movie, but is especially rough-looking during a carriage chase that happens around two thirds into the film.
The cast are all phoning it in as well. Taron Egerton does nothing special with the lead role and Ben Mendlesohn hams it up as the Sheriff Of Nottingham, doing pretty much the same villainous shlock that he did in Ready Player One and Star Wars: Rogue One, way to not get typecast Mendo!
That's the other weird thing about this movie, is that it's not sure what era it wants to be set in. Some of the accents, language and costumes are suitable for the period that the movie is set in, but other elements and other lines and costumes etc feel like they are from 2018, the year that this movie was made. The end result that they were aiming for may have been a sort of rolling timeline that transcends the days of the Crusades that the movie is set in but what we get is just a scattered mess.
There were a few positives in this thing. Some cool shots, Some of the stunt archery is, (while super unrealistic,) pretty cool to watch. I know that 'Real Life Legolas,' Lars Andersen was hired to teach the cast some archery and I believe he helped out with the action choreography as well, which is pretty cool. There are also some glimpses of creativity in some of the shots. One in particular that stood out to me was a shot that gradually panned out from behind a solitary soldiers shield to show the intensity and scale of the battle that was taking place. It's just unfortunate that in so many other places in the movie, all we get is lazy, generic camera angles that add nothing to the scene taking place.
Overall, this is an okay action romp. Don't go in expecting anything of substance or you will most definitely come away disappointed. Though, if all that you are looking for is something to stick on in the background while you do other things or if you are just after an easy, straightforward action adventure popcorn flick, then you could probably do worse than this.
Buzz Books 2018: Young Adult Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Rebecca Hanover, Julie Kagawa, Kody Keplinger, Natasha Ngan, Courtney Summers and More
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Our ninth Buzz Books: Young Adult gives readers the special excitement of being among the first to...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Harriet Walsh 1: Peace Force in Books
Feb 24, 2019
I first read any of [author:Simon Haynes|541847]' books during the summer of 2018, when I saw [book:Hal Spacejock 1: A robot named Clunk|12381591] on offer via (I believe) a popular social-media platform.
While I thought that tat particular story was all right, it wasn't enough to make me want to go buy any more of his works. Later that same year, I then saw another Kindle deal on the first three of his Hal Spacejock books and, as I was looking for something to read, thought I would pick those up. Of those three, I felt it was easy to see that they were getting better (with the second - [book:Hal Spacejock 2: Second Course|1096672] - being the best).
Fast forward to early 2019, and I was again looking for something new to read. And, again, I saw an offer on one of his other books: this time, on the first of the newer Harriet Walsh 'Peace Force' series. Which, I have to say, I found to be better than any of the Hal Spacejock books I've read so far - it is true what the say, after all, that practice makes perfect! Well, I wouldn't go so far as perfect, but - I felt - there is a definite upswing in quality here.
While I thought that tat particular story was all right, it wasn't enough to make me want to go buy any more of his works. Later that same year, I then saw another Kindle deal on the first three of his Hal Spacejock books and, as I was looking for something to read, thought I would pick those up. Of those three, I felt it was easy to see that they were getting better (with the second - [book:Hal Spacejock 2: Second Course|1096672] - being the best).
Fast forward to early 2019, and I was again looking for something new to read. And, again, I saw an offer on one of his other books: this time, on the first of the newer Harriet Walsh 'Peace Force' series. Which, I have to say, I found to be better than any of the Hal Spacejock books I've read so far - it is true what the say, after all, that practice makes perfect! Well, I wouldn't go so far as perfect, but - I felt - there is a definite upswing in quality here.
Brecoles Nine (16 KP) rated The Haunting of Hill House- Season 1 in TV
Mar 12, 2019 (Updated Mar 12, 2019)
Haunting of Hill House Review
Haunting of Hill House is a Netflix Original released mid 2018. The show caught me off guard as I suspected it was just another show on Netflix thst was hyped up and failed to entertain. However, I was surprised to find myself binging the season every chance I got in my spare time. The first thing that intrigued me was the "Easter Egg Ghosts" is what I have labeled them. These ghosts would appear somewhere in certain scenes that the characters never notice but we, the audience, noticed. They're not in every episode or every scene, but they're there. The spookiness of this show was far better than I thought it would be, the story was unique enough to leave me wanting more, the ending took a different turn than it was leading up to, not a bad turn, definitely a different turn. The show in my opinion deserves a lot more attention than I feel it has received as it isn't just another ghost story, it's one that had kept my wife and I on the edge of our seats but also on guard in the dark. Check The Haunting of Hill House out on Netflix if you're brave!
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World in Books
Apr 28, 2019
An independent woman in a time where it was frowned upon
This is a lovely story of a female swimmer in Victorian times: Daisy Belle. A child, and later a woman, who very much knows what she wants: to be in the water, swimming and competing. I honestly got the impression that she would stay in the water if she could. We see some of the constraints of the time: women were ruled by their fathers and husbands, but we also see that women were starting to assert their independence wherever they could. And for Daisy, this was in the water.
I believe a lot of the research for this story was set around some very well known Victorian female swimmers. These women were performers, performing feats of daring and endurance, something that men thought them incapable of. Daisy proves this theory wrong.
There was a point in the story where I thought all was lost for Daisy, but it all comes good in the end, much to my relief. I really liked her. Some of the men, apart from her brother, were not particularly nice people.
In all, a really good read - I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This was read on The Pigeonhole in August/ September 2018.
I believe a lot of the research for this story was set around some very well known Victorian female swimmers. These women were performers, performing feats of daring and endurance, something that men thought them incapable of. Daisy proves this theory wrong.
There was a point in the story where I thought all was lost for Daisy, but it all comes good in the end, much to my relief. I really liked her. Some of the men, apart from her brother, were not particularly nice people.
In all, a really good read - I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This was read on The Pigeonhole in August/ September 2018.
Recent widow Poppy McAllister isn’t planning to go to her 25th high school reunion until some friends talk her into it. She is definitely not excited about seeing popular girl Barbie, who has requested a meeting with Poppy and her friends. Barbie hasn’t changed since high school, and Poppy and her friends have a run in with their former nemesis. A few minutes later, Poppy finds Barbie dead outside Poppy’s old locker. With the police certain that Poppy is the killer, she leaps into action to find the truth.
The pacing of the book is uneven, but it gets better as it goes along. As the mystery build, the suspects keep us guessing until the end. It’s a little hard to keep them straight early on, but that gets better as the mystery progresses as well. Poppy’s great aunt Tilly is a riot. I laughed multiple times while reading this book, and Aunt Tilly was the reason for many of them. This is a promising first mystery in what looks to be a fun series.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/01/book-review-class-reunions-are-murder.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The pacing of the book is uneven, but it gets better as it goes along. As the mystery build, the suspects keep us guessing until the end. It’s a little hard to keep them straight early on, but that gets better as the mystery progresses as well. Poppy’s great aunt Tilly is a riot. I laughed multiple times while reading this book, and Aunt Tilly was the reason for many of them. This is a promising first mystery in what looks to be a fun series.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/01/book-review-class-reunions-are-murder.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Biscuits and Slashed Browns (Country Store Mysteries #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
March brings a maple syrup festival to Brown County, Indiana, and Robbie Jordan is hoping to snag some of the tourists into her shop, Pans ‘N Pancakes. However, the festival has also brought Dr. Warren Connolly to town, a professor hated for many reasons. He is found murdered one morning before the day’s events can get started, and the police begin to look at one of Robbie’s friends as the killer. Then a local maple syrup farmer goes missing. What is going on?
I thought we might be in for some lectures as Dr. Connolly is first introduced to us as a climate change denier, however, this was dropped after the second chapter as we begin to find real motives for his murder. In fact, we get several strong motives and suspects that kept me turning pages and guessing until the end. While I missed one of the regular characters, the rest were present and accounted for and were as charming as ever. The setting is fantastic, too. I’d love to visit Robbie’s store.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-biscuits-and-slashed-browns.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I thought we might be in for some lectures as Dr. Connolly is first introduced to us as a climate change denier, however, this was dropped after the second chapter as we begin to find real motives for his murder. In fact, we get several strong motives and suspects that kept me turning pages and guessing until the end. While I missed one of the regular characters, the rest were present and accounted for and were as charming as ever. The setting is fantastic, too. I’d love to visit Robbie’s store.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-biscuits-and-slashed-browns.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Astonishing Color of After in Books
Mar 29, 2018
Evocative descriptions (1 more)
Good characters
Just WOW. The Astonishing Color of After is about a teenage girl, an artist, dealing with her mother's depression and ensuing suicide. Part of what makes the book so fascinating is Leigh's constant description of colors. She uses color as shorthand for emotions - her grandmother might have a vermilion expression on her face, or she might be feeling very orange while staring at her mother's coffin at the funeral. Between colors-as-feelings and her insomnia-induced hallucinations (or magic - the book is deliberately, I think, noncommittal on whether some things only happen in her head or not) the entire book feels a little surrealistic. But grief and mourning DO feel surrealistic. The book is amazingly evocative and emotional and I absolutely adore it. This, along with City of Brass and Children of Blood and Bone, are definitely on my Best of 2018 list.
As an added bonus, the author is the American child of Taiwanese immigrants herself. So all the ghost traditions and folklore from Leigh's journey to Taiwan are from her ancestry as well.
This book was gorgeous. It may need a trigger warning for depression and suicide. If you can handle those themes, read it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
As an added bonus, the author is the American child of Taiwanese immigrants herself. So all the ghost traditions and folklore from Leigh's journey to Taiwan are from her ancestry as well.
This book was gorgeous. It may need a trigger warning for depression and suicide. If you can handle those themes, read it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Curses, Boiled Again! (A Lobster Shack Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Allie Larkin is back home in Mystic Bay, Connecticut, recuperating from a broken ankle and helping her aunt Gully with her new Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack. Aunt Gully has only had her business open for a few months, but it’s attracted enough attention to land her a spot as a finalist in the YUM! Network’s lobster roll contest. However, after sampling the first contestant’s entry, the judges start to collapse. Someone poisoned the rolls, but who was the target? And why?
This book opens the morning of the contest, so things get off to a strong start. It does seem to slow down a little in the second quarter, but it picks up again as Allie tries to figure out who the target of the poison was. This added twist was very welcome and helps the book stand out. There is room for the characters to grow as the series progresses, but we get to know several of them well here. The suspects are great at keeping us guessing until the end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/01/book-review-curses-boiled-again-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book opens the morning of the contest, so things get off to a strong start. It does seem to slow down a little in the second quarter, but it picks up again as Allie tries to figure out who the target of the poison was. This added twist was very welcome and helps the book stand out. There is room for the characters to grow as the series progresses, but we get to know several of them well here. The suspects are great at keeping us guessing until the end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/01/book-review-curses-boiled-again-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Andrew Sinclair (25 KP) Nov 25, 2019
Paul John (5 KP) Nov 25, 2019