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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
I questioned the need for a second film, much like other Disney properties furthering this franchise over producing new content didn't seem all that sensible, but the effects in the trailer had me intrigued enough to want to see it.

Aurora has settled into her life on the Moors, life is a fairy tale and soon it will become even more so. Everyone is elated when Prince Philip proposes to her, everyone but Maleficent.

As she tries to come to terms with the news and be happy for the couple it becomes evident that something more sinister is afoot and that those seeking power will do anything to get it.

Angelina Jolie never seems to disappoint. Here she summons the peak anti-social qualities and refines them into something elegant. All her little reactions and the way she tries to smile create a magnificent second outing for Maleficent and thankfully the story that they wove for her was strong enough to be a worthy sequel.

I am still not a great fan of Elle Fanning, I find her acting style to be rather eerie and on occasion bland. I didn't entirely believe the way her character had been written, and her acting didn't help, even if you take into account the "stroppy child" moments I found the choices that Aurora made to be dubious.

There are a lot of other faces to recognise. Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a formidable foe and she's strong throughout as the Queen. Robert Lindsay's brief reprise of the King is suitably amusing. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein are good additions to the line up and Sam Riley back as Diaval is as entertaining as ever.

The effects that pulled me to the film weren't a disappointment, seeing the way they crafted the different kingdoms and the overall look of everything was stunning. The only thing that really sticks out is the animation on the three fairy godmothers, I didn't like it in the first film and it doesn't change in this one either.

I was entertained through the whole film but since seeing it I don't have much of an urge to see it again or to see a third instalment. It didn't make much of an impression on me but it wasn't boring, on the scale of things I guess that's not bad.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/maleficent-mistress-of-evil-movie-review.html
  
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<b><i>‘’I was born to destroy everything you ever loved before me.’’</i></b>

It is very hard for me to judge this work and write a book review. It's hard to tell you what I think because I don't feel like I'm an expert in poetry.  I love reading poetry, but I don't read it as much. I love poetry, but maybe I don't understand it.

<b><i>Bright Pink Ink: New and Selected Poems</i></b> has a jolly vibe to it, a lot of love & happiness, emotions of loss, missing loved ones and love, as well as a feminist vibe that is refreshing. It was an enjoyable read. 

However, it also holds a little bit if monotony with it, very short poems or poems that are written as prose. I encountered a few repetitive sentences on a few occasions and while I know that repeating a line is common in poetry to straighten the meaning and add rhythm - in this occasion it wasn't pleasurable to read. 

<b><i>"Maybe I should tell them about my husband's laugh. A sound that erupts as suns inside me till I float - free as dust." </i></b>

I loved <b><i>‘’A poem from 4/14/2015 read on 6/21/2017’’.</i></b> It is written quite well, with two parallel stories happening while you read, in a different timeline. I really enjoyed it, despite the great annoyance that is the date. The only logical date format I know of is day - month - year. 

There were a lot of feminist vibes through the poems, which was pleasantly enjoyable. On this topic, <b><i>"Mortal Gods Demand a Sacrifice"</i></b> was my favourite one. 

<b><i>"The moon must've thought you were the sun." </i></b>

Thank you to the author Laura Dinovis Berry for sending me a copy of Bright Pink Ink in exchange for an honest review. 

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It&#039;s a Bright World to Feel Lost In
It's a Bright World to Feel Lost In
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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<b><i>I love cute little books, especially when they contain something emotional or motivating around them.</i></b>

This book was one of those cute little books that you pick up now and then, have a quick read through and then go on with your life. And that is the reason why I chose to review it. 

The book is supposedly written by a bear called Mawson that gives life advice. And it's meant for adults, not children. It doesn’t follow any particular story - in fact - it all seems to be a bit of randomly places throughout the pages, with a lot of adorable pictures of a teddy bear doing things. However, I was having some troubles understanding this book. 

The teddy bear is so cute and the images are indeed adorable, but I found the text depressing, rather than motivating. Yes - it is a bright world to feel lost in, and we do find ourselves lost all the time. But what can we do about it? What is the teddy bear doing about it? I just didn’t get it. I don’t think the messaging was there. I am not sure the author delivered everything that he wanted to say in this book. 

The words had random capital letters, a few spelling errors, and they were also randomly places on the pages, alongside the images, which to some people might be appealing, but to me - it just puts me off. I understand this is the bear typing..... but as I said - definitely annoyed me and I found it ridiculous. 

<b>I know I am supposed to love this book, because it has a teddy bear on the cover - but I just didn’t. </b>

Thank you to the author (bear's guardian) Mark O'Dwyer for sending across this book to me in exchange for an honest review. 

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<b><i>Have you ever wanted a steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling? You might not get the Disney fantasy, but you will get the true love part. Or will you?</i></b>

Charlotte is a nanny and she goes in a rich family to take care of a little boy. His mother is demanding and his father stays in his room at all times.

Mr. King survived a fire accident and half of his face is covered with a golden mask, to hide the sad memories. He almost never goes out and his son is scared of him. Also,he only visits him at night.
He always talks to his son’s nannies through the intercom, to ask about his day. But with this nanny, it feels different. He can’t wait to hear her voice.

Compared to ‘’Nanny and the Beast’’, The Man in the Mirror is not as steamy, and the love relationship feels a bit more realistic. However, the story is still under developed for my tastes.
The nannies in Georgia’s books are represented in a bit of an unrealistic way. As a nanny, I think you will always influence the child you spend time with. Bear in mind, you spend all day, every day with them. But there are rules and boundaries set by the parents, and you do not cross those. The author somehow forgot about this part, it seems.

The Man in the Mirror opens up plenty of topics for discussion and in the end, it is a quick and enjoyable read. Georgia’s books are the ones that you pick up, wanting to have a quick read moment and relax.

If this book sounds intriguing, go and grab your copy, and let me know in the comments whether you enjoyed it.

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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Bastille Spy in Books

Aug 1, 2019 (Updated Aug 1, 2019)  
The Bastille Spy
The Bastille Spy
C. S. Quinn | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very enjoyable historical spy adventure!
England’s best spy, in this novel set in only just pre-Revolution Paris (1789), is Attica Morgan. Yes, in a time where a woman was deemed to be the fairer, weaker sex, Attica is a ruthless, all-action spy in His Majesty’s Government. And I loved her.

I’ve no idea how likely this would have been, and largely speaking, I don’t actually care. This book is non-stop action, as Attica is asked to investigate the murder of a rebel in the Bastille. She sees how dangerous Paris is becoming, and how the French royal family really don’t care about their poorer subjects. Attica teams up with a Privateer/ Pirate to complete her mission - and I found myself wondering (and hoping - see point 2):
1. When the next book will be coming out*, and
2. Will he be in it!

*for the record, I know that this book has only just released, and I’m firmly of the opinion that authors should take as long as they want/ need to take over writing their books. Can’t help but want to see more of these fabulous characters though!

Attica’s backstory is fascinating: the bastard daughter of a British nobleman who has escaped from slavery, educated and brought up as a Lady, she is expected to marry to her family’s advantage (or to that of the Crown). Attica doesn’t really like playing by the rules though, and trains to be a spy - which sounds brutal, but prepares her for some pretty risky missions.

The French people generally, whether Royalists or Republicans, don’t come off terribly well. The Republicans all seem to be pretty bloodthirsty and immoral, the Royalists are ‘just’ immoral. So, happy days (I should also say here that I know lots of lovely French people who are neither immoral or bloodthirsty. Just to make that clear 😉)!

Have I said how much I liked this book? Because I really did. If you want a fun, exciting, historical fiction novel, then this will be right up your street. I’m definitely putting this in my ‘Look out for the next in the series’ watchlist (yes, I really do have one of those).


Many thanks to Jellybooks who provided me with a copy of this book to read and review all the way back in April 2019! I’ve had to try very hard to keep this under my hat since then!
  
Triple Frontier (2019)
Triple Frontier (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Crime
All-star cast, really great action scenes, did a great job of showing character's motivation (0 more)
slow burner, weird pacing, not enough action or too long of gaps inbetween (0 more)
Choices and Consequences - 7/10
Triple Frontier is a 2019 action/thriller movie directed by J.C. Chandor. The screenplay was written by J.C. Chandor and Mark Boal with story also by Mark Boal. Starring Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.


In Columbia fighting drug crime, Santiago "Pope" Garcia (Oscar Isaac), has been working for 3 years. Finally the moment he's been waiting for occurs, when his informant, a woman named Yovanna (Adria Arjona), offers the location of a big time drug lord in exchange for smuggling her brother and her out of the country. She also tells him that the drug lord Lorea keeps all his money with him in his safe house in the jungle. Pope recruits his friends, a group of ex Army Special Forces, for a mission to take out Lorea and seize the money for themselves. But when things go wrong it's one unexpected turn of events after the other, with things spiralling out of control. In an epic battle for survival they are pushed to their breaking point, putting their morals, skills, and loyalties to the test.


This movie was good. Wasn't quite what I expected. As good as it was, I feel like it was missing something. It was a little slow in the beginning, after the first action sequence, and pacing was a bit off. Definitely as advertised in being an action/thriller. If you like action scenes where they shoot-'em-up, this definitely has plenty. I just felt with the pacing that they were far and in between. The acting was very good, the only thing I would say is that the characters didn't have much to keep you connected to them and really care about what happens to them in the long run. It felt like they weren't fully fleshed out and they could have done more to do that better. One thing it did do very well was how it showed the motivations of some of the characters and what led them to the decisions they made. I give this movie a 7/10.
  
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Rambo's Last Hurrah, Decent Action Flick
Rambo: Last Blood is a 2019 action movie directed by Adrian Grunberg, with screenplay written by both Sylvester Stallone and Matthew Cirulnick and story by Stallone and Dan Gordon. It was produced by Millennium Media, Balboa Productions and Templeton Media and distributed by Lionsgate with producers Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton, Yariv Lerner and Les Weldon. The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Adriana Barraza.


In Bowie, Arizona on his father's horse ranch John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) lives with his old friend Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), eleven years after the events in Burma. Against Rambo and Maria's wishes, Gabriela ventures to Mexico to find her estranged father when her friend Gizelle finds his location. In Mexico she is drugged and kidnapped by a Mexican Cartel and now Rambo must do everything he can to save her.


I have to say that before I saw this movie I was hearing bad things from reviewers and critics. That made me lower expectations before I saw it but what I took away from it was that it was going to be lacking story wise but definitely shouldn't be lacking in action. Then I was very surprised to learn that the creator of Rambo said that the movie wasn't good. Now I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the movie. After watching it, I have to say that this movie was good. I have to be honest and say that usually I'm a sucker for revenge movies but this movie was better than what I thought it would be. The plot, of course was very simple but for the story it was trying to tell, it didn't need to be complicated. The acting was alright, some actors could have done a better job. Stallone did a decent job reprising John Rambo. The setting when they travel to Mexico was pretty realistic and I really liked his ranch in Arizona that was the backdrop for the third act of the movie. The action was really brutal and gory which was expected as the last installment in the franchise Rambo was also equally brutal. All in all I thought this movie was pretty good, I give it a 7/10.
  
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Not The Best In The Series But A Good Farewell
Angel Has Fallen is a 2019 action/thriller movie directed by Ric Roman Waugh with screenplay written by Waugh, Robert Mark Kamen and Matt Cook from story by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. Producers on the film included Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Matt O'Toole, John Thompson, Les Weldon, and Yariv Lerner. It was produced by Millennium Media, G-Base and distributed by Lionsgate. The film stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Piper Perabo, and Lance Reddick.


Undergoing training at a private military facility, Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself hiding the fact that he's suffering from migraines, insomnia and self-medicating to deal with severe back pain. He is nominated by the President Alan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), for the position of Secret Service Director to replace retiring Director David Gentry (Lance Reddick). An assassination attempt occurs during the President's fishing trip and his security detail is killed by armed drones, leaving only himself and Banning the sole survivors. Banning is arrested by FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) after finding substantial evidence that Banning is responsible for the attack. After escaping from his captors Banning must evade his own agency and the FBI to find the real threat to the President. To save the country from imminent danger he must turn to unlikely allies and uncover the truth to clear his name.

 

This movie was all over the place but it was good. I think i liked it better than the last one which was London Has Fallen, but not as much as the original movie Olympus Has Fallen. It was refreshing to see Gerard Butler's character Mike Banning humanized a bit in this film. The plot was a little predictable but I enjoyed the whole man on the run while trying to still do his job angle to it. Like I said the movie was kind of all over the place and didn't have the action scenes as tight as in the other films especially in the middle of the movie but it didn't matter too much overall. Fairly entertaining, it was a good movie to end the summer action movies off with. I give it a 7/10.
  
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Spider-Man Knocks It Out Of The Park In This Summer Vacation Superhero Hybrid
Spider-Man Far From Home is a 2019 superhero movie directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris Mckenna and Erik Sommers. It was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, and Jake Gyllenhaal.


The Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe to accommodate the students who were resurrected by "the blip". Peter plans to avoid heroics and confess his feelings to "MJ" on this trip but is warned by Happy that Nick Fury is trying to get in contact with him. Distraught about the events in Endgame and the questions overwhelming him about Tony Stark, Peter decides to not answer when Fury calls him causing Fury to seek him out on his vacation.


This movie was phenomenal. It was really awesome and a perfect summer action blockbuster. Marvel did not drop the ball with this one and I'm so glad I saw it before anybody spoiled it for me because it had plenty of surprises. Especially the after credits scenes, the one after the movie finishes and the one at the very end after the credits. Jake Gyllenhaal was perfect as Mysterio and his acting was on point and Ned (Jacob Battalon) was awesome as Pete's best friend and wing-man in this movie too. The action was great and the effects were spectacular especially for Mysterio and his powers, they really did a amazing job. I really couldn't find much that I didn't like in this movie other than a couple ways the plot or story didn't unfold in a way that I liked; but that's probably me just being picky and a super fan from the comics and watching the cartoons. Also a part having to do with Peter taking a major injury and kind of just shrugging it off when he should have been hurt worse. Zendaya did a good job of portraying "MJ" and showing her come out of her shell a little more too which I though was also cool. I give this movie a 8/10 and I also give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?
  
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Toy Story 4 (2019)
2019 | Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Funny, Heartwarming, And Beautifully Animated
Toy Story 4 is a 2019 CG/comedy movie directed by Josh Cooley and based on screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, and Stephany Folsom; along with John Lasseter, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Valerie LaPointe, and Martin Hynes. It was produced by Picard Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Keanu Reeves.


Woody (Tom Hanks) and the other toys are happy in their new life after Andy donates his toys to Bonnie; but Woody worries Bonnie will feel overwhelmed at school when she starts kindergarten. Woody sneaks into her backpack and recovers her arts and crafts supplies when a classmate throws them away. She uses the supplies, including a spork Woody grabbed to create a handmade toy she names "Forky" (Tony Hale). And when Bonnie and her family go on a road trip, Forky jumps out of the window setting off a chain of events that will change the group forever.


This movie was funny, stunningly animated, and emotionally touching. They really were shooting to impress with the amount of detail they had in this movie, from the glossy porcelain shine of Bopeep, to the fur on the cat, to all the other toys little details. I liked how the action was very character driven and how the storytelling was really well done. The character growth/arc for Bopeep was one of my favorites and I really enjoyed the cast of new characters and how they were incorporated as well like, Keanu Reeves and Key and Peele. This was such a great movie and it got me choked up at the end of the movie and I couldn't find anything to really complain about but then I read an article that made me question how I felt about it and what I saw. I'll see if I can add the link to it at the end of my review. It ultimately made me drop my rating by a point, I almost gave this movie a 9, but I give it a 8/10. But I do give it my "Must See Seal Of Approval".


Here is the link to the article: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/theres-a-problem-with-toy-story-4-opinion/1100-6468073/