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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated The General’s Gold in Books

Oct 29, 2024 (Updated Oct 29, 2024)

Hunting for a Golden Treasure

This book introduces us to Avery Turner, a new tech billionaire, and Carter Mosley, an internet famous adventure junkie. The two met when Carter taught Avery to scuba dive. But things really kick off when Avery learns of her friend, fellow tech billionaire, Mark Hawkins’s death. The police are ruling it an accidental drug overdose. There’s just one problem with that – Avery has never seen Mark take anything stronger than an aspirin. She goes to investigate herself, and she finds a few puzzling things that Mark left behind. Soon, she’s is on the trail of a rumored treasure that dates back to the 1700’s, pulling Carter in along the way. Can they find it?

I’ve heard good things about both of these authors but hadn’t had a chance to read them before I picked up this book. I’m glad I did give their collaboration a try. While I did find the series setup a bit slow, I was still entertained. Once the plot really kicked off, I was completely hooked and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I appreciated the logic behind things when I reached the climax. I also enjoyed the main trio of characters (Avery, her assistant, and Carter). I can’t wait to spend more time with them. The violence and language was kept to a minimum, which I appreciated. A couple of things felt like they got glossed over, but that’s a minor complaint. I’m looking forward to reading more. If you are looking for an action, adventure series, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.

Kudos

PopcornPaul (3 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) in Movies

Jul 15, 2017

Returning cast, soundtrack is great, special effects and action, cameos (1 more)

Baby Groot

Some parts can be a bit slow, but are few and far between (0 more)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Writer/director James Gunn takes us back to Knowhere to join Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Baby Groot in the follow-up to the unexpected smash Guardians of the Galaxy.
Taking up where we left off from the last movie, albeit a few years later, the Guardians are in the groove now and start the movie with a spectacular set piece with the super popular Baby Groot showing off some dance moves while the rest of them fight a gigantic intergalactic beast.
All the original cast return and have settled into the characters so the movie cracks straight on with the story. As rumours had it, this film is all about family and charts the discovery of Star-Lord’s father’s origin and how this relates to Star-Lord. Without giving too much away, Star-Lord meets his father (Kurt Russell) and has to choose between his dysfunctional family or his birth father. Another character arc of interest is in a returning character Yondu who also faces another dilemma over family.
Family pervades the movie in Gamora’s case too as Nebula (Karen Gillen) returns to provide a reluctant support to the Guardians while trying to fight them. Some impressive cameos including Sylvester Stallone and, get this, David Hasselhoff!!!
Guardian’s 2 is a fantastic (if not even better) than the first instalment and Gunn has already said he is on board for film 3. The quirkiness, the humour and the action from the first is ramped up in this one and doesn’t let you down.
There’s a shock and no less than 5 after credits scenes, so be sure to stay until the end of the movie to get your money’s worth.
A recommended movie if you like sci-fi, action or just a good exciting adventure story. It’s out now at all good cinemas.
(From @paulandpopcorn - https://popcornpaul.blogspot.co.uk/)

Kudos

Rogue Trooper Redux

5.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Video Game Watch

A pioneering tactical shooter and landmark comic book adaptation, Rogue Trooper is back, remastered...

action adventure

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated 65 (2023) in Movies

May 8, 2023

65 (2023)

2023 | Sci-Fi

6.2

(5 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Driver is Heads and Shoulders above this material

Whoever decided to cast Adam Driver as an alien spaceperson (who looks and acts suspiciously like a 21st Century American) who crash-lands on prehistoric Earth and has to battle Dinosaurs equipped with only his alien technology (including his laser-blaster) is a GENIUS for Driver is EXTREMELY watchable in this film - the best thing (by far) in this so-so sci-fi/dinosaur mash-up.

The rest of the movie? Not so much.

Basically Jurassic Park with a spaceman twist, 65 (so named for the spaceman that crash lands on Earth at around 65 million years B.C. - just before the “dinosaur killing” asteroid hits the Earth) tells the tale of said Spaceman, MIlls (Driver) who crashes on Earth and (along with another survivor, Koa played by Ariana Greenblatt) must make their way across unfriendly, hungry Dinosaur territory to their escape ship and get off the planet before the asteroid hits.

You’ve seen the humans vs. dinosaur action before in all of the Jurassic Park films - so there’s nothing new here. Writer/Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods put together a fairly standard “man vs. beast” action flick. It felt like that these two were playing with their Jurassic Park and Astronaut toys in their bedroom and this was the adventure they came up with.

The differentiator in this film is the performance of Driver who puts his all into his portrayal of Mills as he (mostly) silently, but professionally, makes his way across hostile territory to gain access to rescue. Driver (who I don’t think has ever given a bad performance) is head and shoulders above the material here and he, alone, is worth spending an hour and a 1/2 of your time on this film.

Roll your eyes at the Dinosaur action, marvel at the Adam Driver performance.

Letter Grade: C+ (Driver “A”, the rest of the film “D”)

6 stars (out of 10) - and that’s being generous - and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)

Kudos

RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Jurassic Park (1993) in Movies

Feb 19, 2019

Jurassic Park (1993)

1993 | Adventure, Sci-Fi

8.8

(129 Ratings)

Movie Rating

This is a template for how make a great action/adventure movie. Clocking in, at for what these days, a film of its type would seem to be a modest 121 mins, it divides itself into two solid halves. The first hour debates the science, the sociology and evolutionary issues of both cloning and of course, dinosaurs, whilst skillfully setting up and yet side tracking the audience into not realising who the real villains of the movie are going to be.

From the opening scene, the Velosaraptors are clearly formidable, but the film feeds on the overwhelming desire from the audience to see the T-Rex to the point of distraction. And it works, allowing a still awe-inspiring and music-less might I add, T-Rex sequence, and then giving the fourth act over the Raptors.

This film uses every minute brilliantly, maintaining a sense of pace throughout whist not bombarding us with pointless action. I do think that this film has lost some of its standing with a general audience these days, but for no other reason than the fact that is now almost 19 years old!

But even at 19, besides holding together as tight screenplay, it still has the power to bring out that sense of wonder. The moment that the group are introduced to the Brachiosaurs for the first time is still powerful today. Just the idea of being shown a living, breathing dinosaur is just amazing and Spielberg has effectively bottled that feeling of wonder.

Well worth rediscovering…