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It: Chapter Two (2019)
It: Chapter Two (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
Characters – Bill was always considered the leader of the gang, he went onto write books and coming back he must face the fear about his brother’s death. Beverly has married an abusive rich man that she wants to escape from, which sees her return to Derry, where she could recapture her own love interest from childhood. Richie is a stand up comedian that is just how you would imagine him to grow up to be like, he gets plenty of laughs through the film. Mike never left Derry, he has been studying how to defeat Pennywise once and for all, he calls everybody back to the town. Ben was the fat kid, he transformed himself and became an architect with great success, he will see this return as a chance to tell Beverly how he feels. Eddie is reluctant to return though it does get him away from his wife, that is just like his mother, he will need to overcome the fears which have held him back before. Stanley is one of the group that doesn’t return, he has his reasons and it poses the reality of what will come with returning. Pennywise is the evil figure, who mostly looks like a clown, though he can become anything he wants to play into the fears. It is strange that we just don’t get that invested in the adult versions of the characters.

Performances – Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy are the two biggest names in the film, they are both fine, because nobody is a true main character, the two could do more and McAvoy is difficult to watch because his choice of accent reminds me about the 10-year-old he plays in Split. Bill Hader and James Ransone are the stars of the returning characters, they still have great chemistry. Isaiah Mustafa and Jay Ryan are both solid enough, though the characters seem to have swapped around.

Story – The story is the second part of the massive book, it follows the adult versions of the losers club that must return to fight Pennywise once again. This is a very long story, it is just under 3 hours long, which does feel like it drags along at times, once problem comes with more flashbacks with hauntings, there is no peril here, because we know the adult versions live. One of the strengths in the film is the idea of being reunited after years away with friends, it does feel natural and just how you would imagine it being. One of the issues I found in the first film was that Ben was the one that spent time learning the history of the town, while Mike did barely anything, it confused me because I always remembered it being Mike that understood the history, here it is Mike and Ben doesn’t seem to care anymore, add in the weird love triangle and you will feel like we have more that didn’t need to be here too.

Horror – The horror side of the film follows the hauntings that both the kids and adults go through, it is more just separate characters getting haunting throughout. Nothing feels as scarier as the first one was.

Settings – The film takes us back to Derry, we do get flashbacks with other moments that make sense and return to the old places where the scares happen.

Special Effects – The effects are brilliant in places, though it does feel certain CGI moments just don’t work.


Scene of the Movie – Richie’s memory.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – James McAvoy’s accent.

Final Thoughts – This is a bogged down horror that just is way too long to get the best out of the scares, just like the mini series, it fizzles out.

Overall: Disappointing sequel.
  
RO
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Michael is a 14-year-old who has electrical powers and is joined in this novel by his fellow Electro-Clan members. In this book, Michael and his friends must battle the Elgen again in order to save his mother from their clutches. It was nice to see the world we had come to inhabit in the first book expanded in the second. We got a deeper look into the Elgen, their plans and one of their other secret locations. If you haven't read the first book, this may spoil you so please read that (or my first review) before you read the second book's review.

I felt the same way about the second book as I did the first. The overall idea of this story was very intriguing, although I found the writing to be lacking at times. One of the biggest elements that drew me out of the story was the author's inability to choose a word other than <i>said</i> to describe when a person was speaking. It became frustrating to listen to the characters talk when the entire page just repeated, "he said... she said... then they said... he said again." By that point, I was pretty over the word said. It definitely detracted from the story, which I found enjoyable overall.

There was a little more character development in this novel than the first, as I found myself connecting to the characters more. Although I still don't find that they are three-dimensional enough, I do care if they succeed or not. The relationship between Michael and Taylor was very insta-love-y in the first book, but I liked seeing more support for it in this book. It is starting to feel more authentic and less like an overused trope.

As there are five other books in the series, I hope that the character development and world building will be improved upon. It definitely continued from the first to the second book and I felt more knowledgeable about the world as the story continued. The author definitely writes for a younger audience; the writing style was not as developed or mature as I would expect for a young adult reader.

I would recommend it to middle-grade readers, as well as young adult/teen readers who enjoy their fantasy books in a familiar setting. Don't expect flowery writing or deep characterization, just let the story take you on a fun, easy journey.
  
WI
Window in the Wall
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

<i>The Window in the Wall</i> by Ginny Merritt is based upon the bible story of Rahab and the spies, and the fall of Jericho. Although most Christians will know this story well it is probably not as well known amongst children. By making the main character a young girl, Talia, Merritt makes it suitable for young readers to enjoy.

Talia lives with her parents and brother within the walls of Jericho and loves helping her father in the flax fields. An approaching army strikes fear into her heart despite reassurances that nothing can destroy the strong walls and get into the city. However Talia’s aunt, Rahab, has been told different by a couple of Israelite spies who promise her and all her family safety as a reward for helping them. As many family members that Rahab can persuade sit and wait in Rahab’s room to see what happens and hopefully be saved. Unfortunately there are a few people who refuse to believe in what Rahab is saying nor that there is a God that is Lord of all.

Those familiar with the story will know the outcome of the story, but children will race through this book eagerly wanting to discover what happens to Talia and her family.

As an adult reading <i>The Window in the Wall</i> the references to Rahab’s characteristics will make more sense whereas they will most likely go over children’s heads. Having it written from a child’s perspective will help children to learn this bible story. Talia has many questions, which adults will not answer, as will the readers!

Merritt has helpfully included a pronunciation guide at the back of the book to help readers with the tricky foreign names that they encounter in the story. As an adult these names were not particularly difficult, but this would be a great benefit to younger readers.

Adults that read this book need to keep in mind the age of the target audience. The story does not go into much depth and may not be that engaging to those familiar with their bible stories.

The story of Rahab is not an easy one to rewrite for children but Merritt has done an excellent job. Books such as <i>The Window in the Wall</i> would be a great way of teaching Christian children about their faith without boring them with sermons.
  
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Joe Abercrombie | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book of the Shattered Sea trilogy and takes place a couple of years after the previous book, Half the World. The long forecast war between Gettland and the High King commences with the High King's champion, Bright Yilling, invading Throvenland. Princess Skara manages to escape to Gettland where she joins the allies so that she can take her homeland back from the invaders.

Father Yarvi is also determined to strike back, to carry out the oath of vengeance he swore against his father's killers. To do this he must defeat Bright Yilling and his army and then take on the High King himself. But just how far is he prepared to go in order to secure victory?

I actually can't say too much in detail about this book without giving anything away. Much like the previous book, this one seems like a fairly conventional epic fantasy style story for a good half. But then Abercrombie starts to twist the knife as the reader's expectations based on the usual fantasy tropes are knocked down one by one.

Certainly there is much here that is unconventional in many ways and I confess to having a rather mad smile on my face at one point due to the utter craziness of what is going on - but Abercrombie handles it well having laid the groundwork well in advance. It is never clear who is going live and who is going to die, and who is going to win and who is going to lose.

After the first two books, which have quite a lot of conversations and philosophy, this is essentailly one long drawn out battle against various parties in various locations. Some battles are fought with swords and others with words, but both are just as deadly for the loser. The fight scenes are very violent and as expected it's pretty grim and dark at times.

There is plenty of scope left at the end for more stories set in the world of the Shattered Sea and these would be welcome but it also clear that the story of Yarvi and his revenge has been completed.

Not the best of the series, the first half is probably too conventional but the second half turns so much on its head it redeems the book completely.

Rating: Lots of violent battles and deaths, some scatalogical phrases and some non-explict sexual scenes. Young Adult but more at the Adult than Young end of that spectrum
  
<b><i>I received this book for free from Roger Charlie in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rampart Guards</i> basically made me realize that I'm definitely growing out of middle grade books and I should move on. This is an extremely scary thought, because what if I get tired of young adult books next?! That probably won't happen for a good while, and I've yet to actually read an adult novel that isn't from the cause of required reading.
<p style="text-align: left;">The first book in the <i>Chronicles of Jason Lex</i> starts out extremely slow, but picks up pace as the story progresses. Jason's mom suddenly goes missing, and Jason (along with his family) suddenly gets forced to move to a small town with their grandmother to get away from the painful memories of their mom. And to top it off, Jason sees weird blue electricity-like wisps coming out from his hands and eels in the sky later revealed as Skyfish. He's also a little whiny at the beginning of the novel, but eventually drops it as he realizes, "Oh, hey. Cryptids are real. Someone is hoping to expose these creatures and kill millions in the process, and if I don't get my act together, I might lose everything as well."
Wendy Terrien's debut novel is right up my alley in regards to concept – <i>The Rampart Guards</i> is about cryptozoology, the study of creatures that may or may not exist. It's not everyday Big Foot, Loch Ness, and other creatures play a critical role in the plot of a novel, and it's the primary reason why <i>The Rampart Guards</i> caught my eye the moment the book was pitched to me.

I adored learning about all kinds of different creatures I've never heard of until I read this book, and if I do decide to continue on with the series, learning more about the cryptids and how this entire world works is going to be one thing I'll be extremely excited for.

Even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, <i>The Rampart Guards</i> will be a fantastic read for younger audiences.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-rampart-guards-by-wendy-terrien/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
Monsters University (2013)
Monsters University (2013)
2013 | Action, Animation, Comedy
Monsters University brings Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and the whole gang back in what I can only describe as a huge win.

Twelve years after Disney and Pixar brought us the wildly successful Monsters Inc., Pixar finally follows up with this year’s must-see family movie, which comes to us in the form of a prequel.

Monsters University opens by showing us a very young Mike Wazowski, who gets lost on a school trip to a very familiar scare floor at Monsters Inc. After surviving a trip to the human realm, he receives a hat from one of the professional scarers, emblazoned with MU. From that point on, a wide-eyed Wazowski dedicates his life to getting into Monsters University.

Fast forward many years and Mike is at his first day of college. MU becomes the backdrop for the education, friendships, scare games, and destiny-setting events that lead into the original movie we already know and love.

I was a bit skeptical going in I was a fan of the original, but prequels are damned hard to pull off, and kid/family movies aren’t typically my preference. Fortunately, after the first 15 minutes, the humor started picking up. The writers, designers, and artists did a masterful job of combining kid-humor antics with adult humor. Like many Pixar films, it contains one-liners and inside jokes that require life experience to really appreciate. (There was nothing dirty, just more adult-themed quips.)

I was impressed by the pacing, the detail, and the seamless flow of the animation, not to mention the excellent voice talent. Crystal, Goodman, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, and all the other actors did top-notch work.

I do have two complaints. There was not one mention of Mike Wazowski’s parents. We don’t know who they were or what they did, nor did we even get a visual of what they looked like. In a world occupied by such a wide variety of monsters, my curiosity was piqued. Even more maddening was the repeated mention of James P (Sulley) Sullivan’s father, who was apparently a very famous scarer. Sully is repeatedly reminded of living up to the family name, yet we never see so much as a picture showcasing his family. Perhaps this was addressed in a scene that didn’t make it from storyboards to the final cut.

Those minor issues aside, Monsters University is done very well, and it is extremely entertaining. From the many laugh-out-loud moments to the solemn, tear-jerking scenes, this movie is a real win.
  
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
2021 | Animation, Family
Script this time appeals to both Kids and Adults (1 more)
Gleeson, Byrne and Oyelowo are great together
This bunny has legs
I appreciate I'm over 2 months late in seeing "Peter Rabbit 2". But the grandkids were staying for the weekend and wanted to see it again!

Positives:
- This time the movie manages - "Paddington 2" style - to find a good balance between slapstick jokes that appeal to the target younger audience (my grandkids were roaring at certain bits) and the 'dragalong' adult audience. Some of these are gorgeously surreal - like the skiing badger in the Alps as a "university prank". It certainly passes the "6 laugh" test for a comedy, and generated a couple of good guffaws (the Austin Powers landing in the Aston Martin and the subsequent take-off was one for me).

- In the first movie, James Corden's voicing of Peter Rabbit tended to grate with me enormously. Here he gamely plays up to that, accepting that he is a bit of a "marmite" character with a lot of people. It's a fine comic moment.

- Rose Byrne and Domnhall Gleeson make a cute and watchable couple. (Rose Byrne could read the phone directory for me). They are well supported here by David Oyelowo ("Don't look into his eyes") who is the least villainous villain in any movie in recent memory! Also fun are trying to spot the guest voice artistes who include Margot Robbie, Sia, Elizabeth Debicki, Sam Neill, Lennie James and Hayley Atwell.

Negatives:
- A few of the jokes don't quite land (a one-note cockeral story, for example, is overplayed).

- As I've been doing some Supporting Artist work recently, I've become obsessed with observing Extras and the continuity of Extras in shots. There are a few inconsistencies in the mix on this one!

Summary Thoughts: It's fair to say (although I never actually wrote a full review for it) that I was NOT a fan of the original Peter Rabbit movie from 2018. Corden grated; there was not enough for adult viewers and some of the included scenes were highly questionable: try explaining to a three-year-old why Peter was stabbing a dead old man in the eye with his finger! I've avoided watching it again on the TV like the plague.

This sequel was, I thought, much better, being entertaining for both kids and adults. I wonder if I now watched the first movie I might find it, in hindsight, more palatable? Perhaps I will give it a try sometime.

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on t'interweb, Facebook or Tiktok. Thanks.)
  
    Numbers League

    Numbers League

    Education and Games

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    Numbers League is made for ages 5 to Adult. "My kids beg to play this game." -GeekDad, Wired.com...