Search

Search only in certain items:

Rise of the Draman
Rise of the Draman
Alexander Elliott | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
RISE OF THE DRAMAN is a collection of five stories that follow the life of a boy called Croft. Set in a land where dragons and humans live together but don't really communicate, one small boy makes a big difference.

I loved how the stories all followed on from each other, giving greater insight to Croft and his relationships not only with Rueloo but also his nestmates, his father, and his friends.

One of the best parts for me were the dragons themselves. They had just as much to learn about the humans as the humans did about them. It made for some amusing moments!

Whilst this is predominantly a young adult fantasy, I thoroughly enjoyed every word and would love to have more from Croft and Rueloo. A brilliant book that had me gripped. Absolutely recommended by me.

* 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!
  
Hellfire (Beyond Human #1)
Hellfire (Beyond Human #1)
Michelle Schad | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
At times intense, dark and painful.

My heart goes out to Hadi, our main character. He's a good guy with a special gift that could (and does!) cause him a lot of problems. He's already been through an awful experience and as the story unfolds things brighten up for him only to take a turn for the worse. He tries to help others and is generally really nice.
    James 'Falcon' is pretty decent too. He's a doer, cares deeply for his people (family/friends/Gen - his dog) and doesn't let things hold him back. A proper top bloke.
    Of the other characters......I'd say that 'Duck' (gotta love code names) is an ass-hat, definitely a bloke that deserves a good crack in the chin, minimum!!

Hellfire isn't for the faint hearted or sensitive folk....It's for an adult audience, with themes of death, drug use and pain. My heart started cracking throughout and the ending made sure I couldn't put it back together.

I'm so happy it's the start of a series!!
  
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
2009 | Action, Animation, Comedy
8.2 (22 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I love Wes Anderson, and I can only compare his movies to other movies he’s made, because you can’t really compare them to other directors’ films. Obviously, Wes lives in a world that’s like his childhood, and he draws from a delicate, nerdy kind of etiquette-obsessed fairy-tale world in many different ways. There’s an elegance about what he does and an absurdity that’s almost otherworldly. His sensibility lies somewhere between the late ’50s and the late ’60s, with modern elements in there, but really it feels like an old storybook. So Fantastic Mr. Fox, I’m sure, is something he was dreaming of and you can really feel that. The casting was awesome—I love George Clooney, and I thought he was perfect for it. The pacing of Wes’s dialogue is perfect for animation—snappy, zippy, cartoonish, cute, but with an adult wink. It was incredibly well shot and the music was incredible. I just had a really good time. It was a very, very enjoyable film for any human being."

Source
  
Trailblazers: Stephen Hawking: A Life Beyond Limits
Trailblazers: Stephen Hawking: A Life Beyond Limits
Alex Woolf | 2020 | Biography
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book tells the life story of this great astronomer from his birth to the end of his days. However, this book is written in a quite simple and understandable language, that curious children could process. I think to enjoy this book, the child needs to know a little bit of physics and be interested in space and black holes. This book not only shares the parts of Stephen’s life but also explains his discoveries, that are quite technical. I really liked the illustrations in this novel, they make the whole book less textbook-like and more enjoyable to read.

As an adult, I really liked the knowledge I was able to gather from this book. Stephen Hawking was a charismatic, funny, and intelligent person, and I respect his bravery and strength. I was very happy and inspired by his inventions and personality, and I think not only children, but adults should familiarise themselves with this incredible person’s life and achievements. Do give this book a go, and hopefully, the next generation can continue his great work. 🙂
  
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man (2002)
2002 | Action, Sci-Fi
The first major blockbuster Spider-Man movie hasn't aged particularly well, but it's overflowing with charm and a great cast.

Watching this as an adult is still as much fun as it was back in 2002 (when I was a fresh faced 13 year old). Tobey Maguire, Willem Defoe, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons - all of them are really well cast and bring their comic book counterparts to life in a way that captured the imaginations of comic fans everywhere, all backed up by a fantastic score by Danny Elfman.

It's faults are few, but mainly in line with the first X-Men film - it's just doesn't quite stand up compared to comic films today and suffers from sub standard CGI and an early 2000s time stamp - I must say though - I have a special kind of love for the borderline Power Rangers villain costume that Green Goblin gets to wear...

Spider-Man is an important milestone in bringing comic books to the big screen, and will surely be enjoyed for years to come.
  
40x40

LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Chopper (2001) in Movies

Sep 19, 2020 (Updated Nov 26, 2020)  
Chopper (2001)
Chopper (2001)
2001 | Drama, Mystery
Coincidentally have mostly the exact same issues with this as I do with 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 (rut in the middle, a bit too conservative with the weird style-heavy moments, etc.), but Eric Bana in this *smokes* Tom Hardy in that. Dude is a straight up machete, it's a crime that practically no films he's in let him use his natural accent because he thickens it up here to a riotous degree. While this does offer up a pretty complex portrait of a legit nuthouse-ready man who repeatedly wants something so bad until he finally gets it, it sadly doesn't offer up too much in the way of nuance as opposed to other crime movies of the genre. The two things it consistently has going for it are Bana's ripper performance and Dominik's sleazoid visual overload that resembles a seedy adult goods store past midnight meets intense vodka vision. Fortunately paired with the handful of honestly shocking moments, that does happen to be enough. Still feels slow even at 90 minutes, however.
  
Nancy's Mysterious Letter
Nancy's Mysterious Letter
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Nancy Drew Find Nancy Drew?
Nancy Drew has received a letter from a law firm in London. They are trying to track down a Nancy Drew who has become an heiress in England. Obviously, she isn’t the intended recipient, but she sets out to find the woman with the same name. Meanwhile, she’s also trying to track down a mail thief who hit very close to home. Can she solve both cases?

With some of the other Nancy Drew books I’ve reread as an adult, I’ve complained about too many coincidences in the plot. That’s not the case here. Nancy may jump to a few wild but correct conclusions, but by the time we reach the end, everything has come together logically. Along the way, we get some great twists and turns that are tons of fun. The characters remain thin and there are a few dated references, but overall, this is a book that will keep the intended audience, middle graders, turning pages as quickly as they can to figure out exactly what is going on.
  
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Drama
Just got through watching The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot. I really had no idea what direction this movie was going to take going into it. While the title may sound silly, this movie is anything but. Sam Elliot delivers an amazing performance as a man whose adult life is bookended with being tasked to kill Hitler and Bigfoot, just as the title states, but the real story of the movie for me was the life of Sam Elliot's character in between those events, and how the worst kills for a soldier are the ones right at home in the deaths of relationships and such. Living a life of regrets and what if's, trying to move forward from your past, it's like walking through life with something stuck in your shoe poking your foot with each step. And to me, that's what this movie is really about. One regret you don't want in life, not watching Robert D. Krzykowski's feature directorial debut The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot.
  
Waking The Watcher
Waking The Watcher
Kim Loraine | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow, what a read. I could not put this erotic supernatural book down. It’s fast paced, an easy read, there’s background on the MC’s, the story was very enjoyable, and I will definitely be rereading this after I read the rest of the series!

I got such Twilight Vibes while reading, but in a major adult way i.e. the erotic scenes. But the thing about this novel, is that it really isn’t erotic. It’s on the verge of being an erotic novel, but still is hanging onto it’s PG-13 romance roots. That could just be me also.

I loved how creative the author was with this story. Vampires unable to do the deed unless they have a Watcher inside of them lying dormant. And if that Watcher senses his mate, he goes crazy with control and trys to impregnate her. I was always fighting with who I actually shipped, but I will always be a Galen fan. That rugged sexy accent is all I need. 😋😘

“Galen, you have to let her go. You’re killing her.”