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Merissa (13583 KP) rated Not Okay Cupid in Books
Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 17, 2023)
An old tale of cheating boyfriends and betraying best friends gets a revamp in this YA, humour-filled story, starring Felix and Hazel. Written from the perspectives of both of them, you are with Hazel as she learns about her boyfriend, Jay, and her best friend, Kimmy, now becoming a couple even though Jay forgot to mention it to her. School is tough and to find out in the school cafeteria is a hard one. Felix isn't prepared to let Hazel deal with it by herself, so he puts a plan in motion.
Well-written, humorous and with plenty of opportunities for reflection and passion, this story is light and thoroughly enjoyable. Movie references from the '80s abound, including one from The Princess Bride! I would have no hesitation in recommending this.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 11, 2016
Well-written, humorous and with plenty of opportunities for reflection and passion, this story is light and thoroughly enjoyable. Movie references from the '80s abound, including one from The Princess Bride! I would have no hesitation in recommending this.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 11, 2016
David McK (3649 KP) rated Top Gun: Maverick (2022) in Movies
Jun 5, 2022 (Updated Jun 17, 2023)
Legacy Sequel entry number ...?
Legacy Sequels.
That's a term for what seems to be becoming more and more the norm in Hollywood of late: sequels of films made decades ago, that don't necessarily *need* said sequel. Some examples:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Jurassic World
Mary Poppins Returns
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
and now 'Top Gun: Maverick', with Tom Cruise returning to one of his signature roles from the mid-80s, as Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.
No Kelly McGillis this time around, with her spot (and role in the proceedings) instead being taken by Jennifer Connolly's admirals daughter Penny (name dropped, but never shown in the original).
Yes, there's a definite argument to be made that, shall we call it, 'the mission' here has been done before (try watching the original Star Wars, retroactively titled 'A New Hope' and play spot the similarities), and yes, the plot may be predictable, but when it's all this much fun ...
(and no, you don't need to have seen the original, although that may help)
That's a term for what seems to be becoming more and more the norm in Hollywood of late: sequels of films made decades ago, that don't necessarily *need* said sequel. Some examples:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Jurassic World
Mary Poppins Returns
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
and now 'Top Gun: Maverick', with Tom Cruise returning to one of his signature roles from the mid-80s, as Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.
No Kelly McGillis this time around, with her spot (and role in the proceedings) instead being taken by Jennifer Connolly's admirals daughter Penny (name dropped, but never shown in the original).
Yes, there's a definite argument to be made that, shall we call it, 'the mission' here has been done before (try watching the original Star Wars, retroactively titled 'A New Hope' and play spot the similarities), and yes, the plot may be predictable, but when it's all this much fun ...
(and no, you don't need to have seen the original, although that may help)
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The latest in the highly-popular Call of Duty series has arrived and with
it comes a bold new direction for the series that mixes the familiar with
the new.
Infinite Warfare is set in the future but unlike the recent Advanced
Warfare, this is a future where space travel has become the norm and the
people of Earth find themselves in an ongoing battle with a Mars based
faction who have amassed a very large and powerful fleet of warships.
Players take on the role of Lt. Reyes who finds himself forced into
command when a surprise attack devastates much of the Earths forces and
at the mercy of the ruthless leader of the opposing forces (Kit
Harrington).
Like with last years Black Ops 3 players have a staging area and the
ability to select their weapon configurations for each mission. There is
also a Captains room where players can view newsreels and other items
should they want to take a break from the combat and explore.
Players can also select which missions to take based on the recommended
story missions or they can select side missions. In my first run through I
stuck mainly to suggested missions and was amazed at how fast I got to the
final battle, so those looking to prolong their solo campaign will want to
select some of the additional missions.
Mission play is what you would expect from Call of Duty with missions
mixing stealth and waves of enemies for players to mow down. This time out
several missions involve space combat as players will take on fighters and
enemy ships in their fighter plane which also allows for some interesting
missions where players will leave their ship to battle in Zero-G before
resuming the attack on foot.
Players also will have access to energy and ballistic weapons and can pick
up weapons and ammunition along the way.
Using futuristic grenades that cause gravity to disrupt as well as spider
like seekers is a nice touch as is the protective shield players can
deploy when the action becomes heated.
Multiplayer has always been the strong point of the series and Infinite
Warfare is no exception to this trend. There are fewer modes than in the
past, but the customization and rankings that players expect are still in
place. There are also the popular kill streak rewards that can turn the
tide of any battle.
Although some may not like the inclusion of jump packs in multiplayer, it
did not harm Advanced Warfare and the levels where fallen players float
away in Zero-G were also a very nice touch. I did briefly think I was
playing DOOM with some of the maps set on a planet exterior at first, but
soon found myself caught up in the action. Like with Black Ops 3, a
special weapon is on a timer and allows players to deploy a wide angle
machine gun called a Claw which mows down enemies with ease.
The maps like the solo portion of the game are highly detailed and
stunning to behold and the composition for the game has some very
compelling music. I played the game on an NVIDIA 960 then moved to a
NVIDIA 1060 Founders Edition card and found that the game looked and ran
amazingly well even on the highest settings.
The real treat of the game for me was the Zombie mode set at Spaceland, an
80s themed amusement park. The mode had plenty of 80s nostalgia as well as
an 80s soundtrack of hits from the era as well as a campy tone that
invoked the best of 80s horror films.
The detail level was so good that you can even take a ride on an
attraction, use some rides as weapons, and use tickets you gain to gain
power ups. For me it was simply the best initial Zombie offering of any
Call of Duty game ever.
In the end, Infinite Warfare offers one of the best campaigns in recent
years and blends old and new to create a Call of Duty experience that is
fresh yet familiar. Fans of the series should not be put off by the space
setting and should give the game a try as it is a very enjoyable and
winning combination that is as fun to play as it is great to look at.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/08/call-duty-infinite-warfare/
it comes a bold new direction for the series that mixes the familiar with
the new.
Infinite Warfare is set in the future but unlike the recent Advanced
Warfare, this is a future where space travel has become the norm and the
people of Earth find themselves in an ongoing battle with a Mars based
faction who have amassed a very large and powerful fleet of warships.
Players take on the role of Lt. Reyes who finds himself forced into
command when a surprise attack devastates much of the Earths forces and
at the mercy of the ruthless leader of the opposing forces (Kit
Harrington).
Like with last years Black Ops 3 players have a staging area and the
ability to select their weapon configurations for each mission. There is
also a Captains room where players can view newsreels and other items
should they want to take a break from the combat and explore.
Players can also select which missions to take based on the recommended
story missions or they can select side missions. In my first run through I
stuck mainly to suggested missions and was amazed at how fast I got to the
final battle, so those looking to prolong their solo campaign will want to
select some of the additional missions.
Mission play is what you would expect from Call of Duty with missions
mixing stealth and waves of enemies for players to mow down. This time out
several missions involve space combat as players will take on fighters and
enemy ships in their fighter plane which also allows for some interesting
missions where players will leave their ship to battle in Zero-G before
resuming the attack on foot.
Players also will have access to energy and ballistic weapons and can pick
up weapons and ammunition along the way.
Using futuristic grenades that cause gravity to disrupt as well as spider
like seekers is a nice touch as is the protective shield players can
deploy when the action becomes heated.
Multiplayer has always been the strong point of the series and Infinite
Warfare is no exception to this trend. There are fewer modes than in the
past, but the customization and rankings that players expect are still in
place. There are also the popular kill streak rewards that can turn the
tide of any battle.
Although some may not like the inclusion of jump packs in multiplayer, it
did not harm Advanced Warfare and the levels where fallen players float
away in Zero-G were also a very nice touch. I did briefly think I was
playing DOOM with some of the maps set on a planet exterior at first, but
soon found myself caught up in the action. Like with Black Ops 3, a
special weapon is on a timer and allows players to deploy a wide angle
machine gun called a Claw which mows down enemies with ease.
The maps like the solo portion of the game are highly detailed and
stunning to behold and the composition for the game has some very
compelling music. I played the game on an NVIDIA 960 then moved to a
NVIDIA 1060 Founders Edition card and found that the game looked and ran
amazingly well even on the highest settings.
The real treat of the game for me was the Zombie mode set at Spaceland, an
80s themed amusement park. The mode had plenty of 80s nostalgia as well as
an 80s soundtrack of hits from the era as well as a campy tone that
invoked the best of 80s horror films.
The detail level was so good that you can even take a ride on an
attraction, use some rides as weapons, and use tickets you gain to gain
power ups. For me it was simply the best initial Zombie offering of any
Call of Duty game ever.
In the end, Infinite Warfare offers one of the best campaigns in recent
years and blends old and new to create a Call of Duty experience that is
fresh yet familiar. Fans of the series should not be put off by the space
setting and should give the game a try as it is a very enjoyable and
winning combination that is as fun to play as it is great to look at.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/08/call-duty-infinite-warfare/
Darren (1599 KP) rated All Hallows' Eve (2013) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Sarah is our babysitter that is watching these horror shorts, she is trying to be responsible to the children she is babysitting for, the other characters we meet are from the shorts which are horror made and our typical heroines that don’t stand much of a chance against their enemies. The clowns are a big part of the film too appearing in certain parts right along the way and soon are just as involved in the horror.
Performances – This is a low budget movie and most of the shorts that were used, were done with actors that were just getting started, you can see the talent there without them being truly standout. Katie Maguire does the most work and is good for her part in the film.
Story – When it comes to anthology films we always need variety in the horrors we are watching, we get that which is good, the style of the shorts feels like 80s too, so we get to play with the trademarks of the horror for that era. The story outside that connections the stories works well too because it brings the unexplained to the mix to why the video was given to a child. We clearly have stronger stories which i feel was the third one and as always the middle ones are often the weakest.
Horror – When it comes to horror we get to see different styles of horror with an 80s theme throughout, each one gets to play on what we have come to know about where things will go, but with the low budget effects we know just what we have gotten ourselves into.
Settings – The film takes us to different locations which makes each story feel unique to what we are experiencing.
Special Effects – The effects are low budget which can make things look cheap, though they are used to make them have a grindhouse feeling which was nice to see.
Scene of the Movie – Most of the third tape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I felt the first story is too short and I wanted to see more.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice solid horror anthology which goes mostly for gore over suspense, it works and I can see the horror fans enjoying this one.
Overall: Nice low budget horror anthology.
Performances – This is a low budget movie and most of the shorts that were used, were done with actors that were just getting started, you can see the talent there without them being truly standout. Katie Maguire does the most work and is good for her part in the film.
Story – When it comes to anthology films we always need variety in the horrors we are watching, we get that which is good, the style of the shorts feels like 80s too, so we get to play with the trademarks of the horror for that era. The story outside that connections the stories works well too because it brings the unexplained to the mix to why the video was given to a child. We clearly have stronger stories which i feel was the third one and as always the middle ones are often the weakest.
Horror – When it comes to horror we get to see different styles of horror with an 80s theme throughout, each one gets to play on what we have come to know about where things will go, but with the low budget effects we know just what we have gotten ourselves into.
Settings – The film takes us to different locations which makes each story feel unique to what we are experiencing.
Special Effects – The effects are low budget which can make things look cheap, though they are used to make them have a grindhouse feeling which was nice to see.
Scene of the Movie – Most of the third tape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – I felt the first story is too short and I wanted to see more.
Final Thoughts – This is a nice solid horror anthology which goes mostly for gore over suspense, it works and I can see the horror fans enjoying this one.
Overall: Nice low budget horror anthology.
D1
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I'm a massive fan of the (widely slated) original TV mini-series and can't see past Tim Curry as Pennywise. However I found this to be a good alternative version. I would say it is more of a horror movie than the original version, and probably closer to the book (though it has been some time since I read that) and there is a lot less of a Stand By Me feel about it. All the child actors are excellent in this, especially Stranger Things' superbly named Finn Wolfhand as (Beep beep) Ritchie who here gets to have a lot more fun than he seems to on Stranger Things.
Bill skarsgard plays Pennywise well, at times appearing childish and just wanting to be friends, and then quickly switches to a blank mental stare.
The decision to make this two films was a brave one, though the story does lend itself well to doing so. I much preferred the 80s setting for the film with the kids being the victims and am not exactly awaiting the adult follow up with anticipation.
Bill skarsgard plays Pennywise well, at times appearing childish and just wanting to be friends, and then quickly switches to a blank mental stare.
The decision to make this two films was a brave one, though the story does lend itself well to doing so. I much preferred the 80s setting for the film with the kids being the victims and am not exactly awaiting the adult follow up with anticipation.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Princess Bride (1987) in Movies
Mar 28, 2019
Director Rob Reiner really had a fantastic career as a director going in the 80s and early 90s with the likes of When Harry Met Sally..., Stand By Me, Misery, A Few Good Men, This is Spinal Tap and this film of course.
Based on the masterful screenplay by Hollywood mega-scribe William Goldman, it quite frankly gives us the perfect showcase for "True Love".
Every character has their place in bringing the story forward, and the laughs keep coming in every scene. I used to have long passages of the screenplay memorized and could quote at will.
My kids and I will often text each other back and forth with a quote-a-thon of the film (I always win!)
Whenever someone leaves our house to go somewhere someone will always say "Have fun storming the castle!".
If I am ever needing to lighten my mood, I will sometimes even just watch a few scenes or catch some clips on YouTube. Quite honestly I can just close my eyes and recite it from memory.
What a classic!
Based on the masterful screenplay by Hollywood mega-scribe William Goldman, it quite frankly gives us the perfect showcase for "True Love".
Every character has their place in bringing the story forward, and the laughs keep coming in every scene. I used to have long passages of the screenplay memorized and could quote at will.
My kids and I will often text each other back and forth with a quote-a-thon of the film (I always win!)
Whenever someone leaves our house to go somewhere someone will always say "Have fun storming the castle!".
If I am ever needing to lighten my mood, I will sometimes even just watch a few scenes or catch some clips on YouTube. Quite honestly I can just close my eyes and recite it from memory.
What a classic!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah (1991) in Movies
Mar 7, 2018
Eighteenth Godzilla movie (fifth Ghidorah movie, if anyone cares) goes back to campy basics following the relative underperformance of Godzilla Vs Biollante. Owes a lot to 60s and 70s Godzilla movies, but also to American SF movies of the 80s - Back to the Future and Terminator have clearly been an influence. Despite all this the film has an undeniably anti-American subtext (in the future, Japan will become the world's biggest superpower, causing jealous Americans to hatch evil plot to stop this) which is actually quite amusing (possibly less so if you're actually from the USA).
Interesting story, some of the special effects are a little variable but the monster battles are undeniably good fun. Given that Godzilla was a bad guy monster in all the films from this period, and Ghidorah is nearly always the bad guy monster, the question of how to resolve the plot without the bad guy monster winning is reasonably elegant. Some surprisingly edgy moments for a Godzilla movie, too - looks, albeit obliquely, at events connected to the Second World War in a way which previous films would never have dreamt of. Definitely from close to the top of the Godzilla stack.
Interesting story, some of the special effects are a little variable but the monster battles are undeniably good fun. Given that Godzilla was a bad guy monster in all the films from this period, and Ghidorah is nearly always the bad guy monster, the question of how to resolve the plot without the bad guy monster winning is reasonably elegant. Some surprisingly edgy moments for a Godzilla movie, too - looks, albeit obliquely, at events connected to the Second World War in a way which previous films would never have dreamt of. Definitely from close to the top of the Godzilla stack.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated The Art of Escaping in Books
Sep 20, 2018
Set in Rhode Island, Erin Callahan's The Art of Escaping takes place in the summer between junior and senior year, when most students are busy making plans for their future or trying to pad their applications for college.
Then there are those like our unusual protagonist Mattie who uses her three months away from class to find herself by daring to pursue her passion for escapology.
Tracking down the daughter of her favorite escape artist (a local, female Houdini, if you will), although she's hesitant at first, Miyu gradually gives in and begins teaching Mattie the tricks of her mother's trade from lock picking to underwater escapes. Soon enough Mattie is performing her act under a stage persona at a hip speakeasy like club.
An entertaining albeit unusual YA novel that strains your suspension of disbelief, Callahan's Art gets better the further you get into it.
And while its overly stylized characters come off as wise beyond their years and their retro interests and dialogue might have played better if the book - already retro in feel - had been set in the '80s or '90s, it's a fun, fast, and wholly original read nonetheless.
Then there are those like our unusual protagonist Mattie who uses her three months away from class to find herself by daring to pursue her passion for escapology.
Tracking down the daughter of her favorite escape artist (a local, female Houdini, if you will), although she's hesitant at first, Miyu gradually gives in and begins teaching Mattie the tricks of her mother's trade from lock picking to underwater escapes. Soon enough Mattie is performing her act under a stage persona at a hip speakeasy like club.
An entertaining albeit unusual YA novel that strains your suspension of disbelief, Callahan's Art gets better the further you get into it.
And while its overly stylized characters come off as wise beyond their years and their retro interests and dialogue might have played better if the book - already retro in feel - had been set in the '80s or '90s, it's a fun, fast, and wholly original read nonetheless.