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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
14,000,605:1 …. or perhaps 50:50!
So, it’s been a week of full-on work and family commitments…. which means it’s also been a week of ducking and dodging of film reviews in case of spoilers! (Actually, all my favourite bloggers have been pretty good!). This review will also be spoiler free,but there is just SO MUCH that can be discussed there will be a Spoiley McSpoiler section after the trailer video.
Upfront I have to admit that I’m not the world’s greatest MCU fan, but even I felt a twinge of anticipation on going into this 19th instalment: a film that has had fan-boys frothing at the loins for years. And the film doesn’t disappoint, drawing together most (but not all) threads of the disparate MCU universe into a sprawling epic adventure.
Thanos (which inappropriately always seems to autocorrect to “Thanks”!) is played by a CGI’d Josh Brolin, first glimpsed as a “monkey” after the original “Avengers” movie where his quest for the “infinity stones” was first mooted. This particular McGuffin has been revealed in parts throughout the series, with others being surreptitiously slipped into this instalment. With all six stones, Thanos will be able to fully exercise his God fixation over the Universe. Will the Avengers and their new Guardian friends (“Who the hell are you guys?” LOL) be able to stop him?
There are shocks and surprises aplenty. Most of these come courtesy of Thanos who, although like all megalomaniac Bond villains is as mad as a box of frogs, has a backstory and a depth of character that is several cuts above most movie villains.
All of the cast seem to have great fun bouncing off each other. The only performance I found out of kilter was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner who (to me) seemed to be really off his game and false, at least for the early scenes in the movie.
The special effects are – naturally – top-notch and are clever in trying to smooth the joins between the ‘traditional’ view of the Avengers world and the garish world of the Guardians of the Galaxy crew.
Cinema staff must hate a Marvel movie as they have to wait til the very end of the credits before they can move in to clean! And there is a “monkey” (and a good one) at the very end of the credits here, but the credits are very, very long!
So, in summary, it’s complete nonsense as normal, but it’s high-class nonsense, well-written, suitably humorous and provides excellent popcorn entertainment. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are to be congratulated in pulling off what could have been a disaster. Recommended.
Upfront I have to admit that I’m not the world’s greatest MCU fan, but even I felt a twinge of anticipation on going into this 19th instalment: a film that has had fan-boys frothing at the loins for years. And the film doesn’t disappoint, drawing together most (but not all) threads of the disparate MCU universe into a sprawling epic adventure.
Thanos (which inappropriately always seems to autocorrect to “Thanks”!) is played by a CGI’d Josh Brolin, first glimpsed as a “monkey” after the original “Avengers” movie where his quest for the “infinity stones” was first mooted. This particular McGuffin has been revealed in parts throughout the series, with others being surreptitiously slipped into this instalment. With all six stones, Thanos will be able to fully exercise his God fixation over the Universe. Will the Avengers and their new Guardian friends (“Who the hell are you guys?” LOL) be able to stop him?
There are shocks and surprises aplenty. Most of these come courtesy of Thanos who, although like all megalomaniac Bond villains is as mad as a box of frogs, has a backstory and a depth of character that is several cuts above most movie villains.
All of the cast seem to have great fun bouncing off each other. The only performance I found out of kilter was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner who (to me) seemed to be really off his game and false, at least for the early scenes in the movie.
The special effects are – naturally – top-notch and are clever in trying to smooth the joins between the ‘traditional’ view of the Avengers world and the garish world of the Guardians of the Galaxy crew.
Cinema staff must hate a Marvel movie as they have to wait til the very end of the credits before they can move in to clean! And there is a “monkey” (and a good one) at the very end of the credits here, but the credits are very, very long!
So, in summary, it’s complete nonsense as normal, but it’s high-class nonsense, well-written, suitably humorous and provides excellent popcorn entertainment. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are to be congratulated in pulling off what could have been a disaster. Recommended.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
In this third entry into the Where Are They Now? series, Tilda Harper finds herself doubting her abilities as a journalist after two unfortunate incidents go awry. Invited to meet and interview the star of the movie, which itself is based on a comic from the eighties that is now a cult classic, Tilda sets off. As she interviews the star, John Laryea, who was also in a musical-adventure television show as a teen, and various others involved with the film project, she witnesses the hit-and-run of Laryea and his assistant. While she discovers who was behind that "accident" and works to clear the main suspect's name, she also is hired to find out who Leviathan, the mysterious creator of the classic comic book series, Pharos, actually is.
A smart main character, Tilda may make some mistakes but she's never dumb and never annoying. She goes about her work in a very professional way even if she may have some sarcastic thoughts about someone or something. I really do like her, she's not a silly nitwit who gets by on luck or relies on a guy. The cast of characters are, as usual, interesting and incorporated very well into the plot. Along with the new faces, some familiar ones are here as well. Cooper, Tilda's best friend who always brings some lightheartedness, isn't as prominent in this book as he has been in the others, I believe it's only through phone conversations, but luckily the book doesn't suffer because of this. Tilda's sister, June is in it for a short amount of time that doesn't diminish her repartee with Tilda. Nick (Tilda's former and maybe future love interest) and his dad, Dom, are the two who feature predominantly since Dom's company is in charge of the film's security. Following the pattern of each book, a new roommate is introduced, though I'm sure she'll be gone by the next outing, this time the roommate is an animal collector, the latest being a snake Tilda's not too fond of.
The two plots are well-paced and complement each other nicely. Pretty much every page of the book was interesting, with clues so subtly embedded I didn't always pick up on them, that it held my attention to the very end. I love the concept of this series and while I liked the previous books, I believe this may just be the best one to date and hope there are many more to come.
Series order:
[b:Curse of the Kissing Cousins|2384227|Curse of the Kissing Cousins (Where are They Now?, #1)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266777949s/2384227.jpg|2391239]
[b:Who Killed the Pinup Queen?|7518303|Who Killed the Pinup Queen? (Where are They Now?, #2)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277167352s/7518303.jpg|9733117]
[b:Blast from the Past|8592435|Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3)|Toni L. P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327922876s/8592435.jpg|13462058]
A smart main character, Tilda may make some mistakes but she's never dumb and never annoying. She goes about her work in a very professional way even if she may have some sarcastic thoughts about someone or something. I really do like her, she's not a silly nitwit who gets by on luck or relies on a guy. The cast of characters are, as usual, interesting and incorporated very well into the plot. Along with the new faces, some familiar ones are here as well. Cooper, Tilda's best friend who always brings some lightheartedness, isn't as prominent in this book as he has been in the others, I believe it's only through phone conversations, but luckily the book doesn't suffer because of this. Tilda's sister, June is in it for a short amount of time that doesn't diminish her repartee with Tilda. Nick (Tilda's former and maybe future love interest) and his dad, Dom, are the two who feature predominantly since Dom's company is in charge of the film's security. Following the pattern of each book, a new roommate is introduced, though I'm sure she'll be gone by the next outing, this time the roommate is an animal collector, the latest being a snake Tilda's not too fond of.
The two plots are well-paced and complement each other nicely. Pretty much every page of the book was interesting, with clues so subtly embedded I didn't always pick up on them, that it held my attention to the very end. I love the concept of this series and while I liked the previous books, I believe this may just be the best one to date and hope there are many more to come.
Series order:
[b:Curse of the Kissing Cousins|2384227|Curse of the Kissing Cousins (Where are They Now?, #1)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266777949s/2384227.jpg|2391239]
[b:Who Killed the Pinup Queen?|7518303|Who Killed the Pinup Queen? (Where are They Now?, #2)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277167352s/7518303.jpg|9733117]
[b:Blast from the Past|8592435|Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3)|Toni L. P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327922876s/8592435.jpg|13462058]
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Witch Elm: A Novel in Books
Mar 18, 2019
Interesting but long and slow at times
Life has always been pretty easy for Toby--school, girls, job, etc. All that changes in an instant, however, after a night out with his two best friends. Upon arriving home, Toby surprises two burglars in his home. They beat him horribly, leaving him with terrible injuries that may impact his life forever. Unable to go back to work, Toby reluctantly heads to the Ivy House, his family home, where he spent many happy summers with his cousins. His Uncle Hugo is ill--with irreparable brain cancer--and Toby agrees to help care for him in his last few months. Then Toby's nephew discovers a skull in the backyard of Ivy House and everything changes again. Toby begins questioning everything he remembered about his happy childhood--and his own guilt and innocence.
This is the first "stand-alone" for Tana French, versus her group of loosely connected police procedural novels. For some reason, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I found myself sort of missing the detective side of things. As this is a typical Tana French novel, there are a lot of thoughts and feelings, with Toby explaining (a lot) about how he feels, how things affect him, etc. It's always something you just have to be prepared for and used to with her books. She's a wonderful writer, and the novel's setting unfolds so easily around you.
Of course, it also means that things can happen fairly slowly. The discovery of the skull, for instance, while heralded in the novel's description, doesn't happen until around 200 pages in. Those first 200 pages can be a bit slow. Things do pick up when they find the skull, but there is definitely a lot of character-driven angst that accompanied the mystery of what happened in the backyard of the Ivy House, and sometimes it was a bit much for me.
Toby has to grow on you, and the book is Toby central, with everything coming in from him and all his many ramblings. The other characters are a bit hard to like (with the exception, perhaps, of poor Hugo), which doesn't make things any easier. A lot of bickering unlikable relatives can only take you so far.
Still, I was intrigued as to what had gone down in the backyard to lead to a skull landing in a tree, and I cannot argue that French is just a lovely writer, who can weave a beautiful scene. This was an interesting novel and compelling at times, but it was a bit long, and it took me a over a week to finish, which is certainly longer than usual in my typical reading span. I never really felt excited to read it, though I often enjoyed it once I picked it up, if that makes any sense. I'll still be back to read whatever Tana French writes, of course.
This is the first "stand-alone" for Tana French, versus her group of loosely connected police procedural novels. For some reason, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I found myself sort of missing the detective side of things. As this is a typical Tana French novel, there are a lot of thoughts and feelings, with Toby explaining (a lot) about how he feels, how things affect him, etc. It's always something you just have to be prepared for and used to with her books. She's a wonderful writer, and the novel's setting unfolds so easily around you.
Of course, it also means that things can happen fairly slowly. The discovery of the skull, for instance, while heralded in the novel's description, doesn't happen until around 200 pages in. Those first 200 pages can be a bit slow. Things do pick up when they find the skull, but there is definitely a lot of character-driven angst that accompanied the mystery of what happened in the backyard of the Ivy House, and sometimes it was a bit much for me.
Toby has to grow on you, and the book is Toby central, with everything coming in from him and all his many ramblings. The other characters are a bit hard to like (with the exception, perhaps, of poor Hugo), which doesn't make things any easier. A lot of bickering unlikable relatives can only take you so far.
Still, I was intrigued as to what had gone down in the backyard to lead to a skull landing in a tree, and I cannot argue that French is just a lovely writer, who can weave a beautiful scene. This was an interesting novel and compelling at times, but it was a bit long, and it took me a over a week to finish, which is certainly longer than usual in my typical reading span. I never really felt excited to read it, though I often enjoyed it once I picked it up, if that makes any sense. I'll still be back to read whatever Tana French writes, of course.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Maze Runner in Books
Jan 31, 2018
I wanted to read this book before the movie came out. One usually hears, "The book is better than the movie." And I always make the effort to read the book first. I haven't seen the Fault in Our Stars yet (sorry) because I haven't read the book - but plan to!
I honestly didn't know the plot of this book prior to reading it and I'm glad. It's a dystopian-style novel akin to Divergent or the Hunger Games. The unique premise sparked my interest and compelling narrative kept it, rapt, for the two days it took me to "read" it. (The first copy I could get my hands from my library on was the audio version, so it's takes longer to read and forces me to review it differently.)
Unlike some novels, I found myself enjoying the speaker of the novel rather than being taking out of the story by their voice acting. It's always amusing to hear the reader do the opposite gender. Despite the quality of the audiobook, my advice? Read the physical book. There are intricacies and conversations that you may wish to reread, which can't happen easily with the audio. Simply, you miss things.
The main characters were quite enjoyable: witty, flawed, cunning, and volatile. Although the explanation of their thoughts or feelings might be redundant, even sometimes being repeated on numerous occasions, verbatim... The characters could have been developed a little better, but I do feel like they evolved. After a time, the characters came into their own. Each had a unique voice and personality. As with all good books, the reader develops a connection to a certain character or characters. That is a sign that the book is worthy of the notice and devoted readers that it receives. (You know the book where a main/supporting character dies and you think, 'that's sad...' and then the other one that caused you to break down in tears. Looking at you J.K.)
The slang? Not my cup of tea. You could tell what the words were supposed to represent if you paid attention to the context, and they weren't incredibly inventive. I could have done without that aspect of it.
I think that the revealing of important information could have been approached better, rather than an "info dump". The book would have been stronger if various characters worked out the why or how and together they determined what was happening. Unfortunately, the main character is the one who manages to "figure" everything out, solely by recalling every important detail when it is finally needed.
The plot was fantastic. I never found my attention wandering and highly recommend it for most teen readers. It's certainly an enjoyable, easy read (middle school level and above, generally) but one that has a degree of quality to substantiate it.
And in case you've been living under a rock, the Maze Runner is being released soon - so go read the book! Then you have my permission to see the movie.
I honestly didn't know the plot of this book prior to reading it and I'm glad. It's a dystopian-style novel akin to Divergent or the Hunger Games. The unique premise sparked my interest and compelling narrative kept it, rapt, for the two days it took me to "read" it. (The first copy I could get my hands from my library on was the audio version, so it's takes longer to read and forces me to review it differently.)
Unlike some novels, I found myself enjoying the speaker of the novel rather than being taking out of the story by their voice acting. It's always amusing to hear the reader do the opposite gender. Despite the quality of the audiobook, my advice? Read the physical book. There are intricacies and conversations that you may wish to reread, which can't happen easily with the audio. Simply, you miss things.
The main characters were quite enjoyable: witty, flawed, cunning, and volatile. Although the explanation of their thoughts or feelings might be redundant, even sometimes being repeated on numerous occasions, verbatim... The characters could have been developed a little better, but I do feel like they evolved. After a time, the characters came into their own. Each had a unique voice and personality. As with all good books, the reader develops a connection to a certain character or characters. That is a sign that the book is worthy of the notice and devoted readers that it receives. (You know the book where a main/supporting character dies and you think, 'that's sad...' and then the other one that caused you to break down in tears. Looking at you J.K.)
The slang? Not my cup of tea. You could tell what the words were supposed to represent if you paid attention to the context, and they weren't incredibly inventive. I could have done without that aspect of it.
I think that the revealing of important information could have been approached better, rather than an "info dump". The book would have been stronger if various characters worked out the why or how and together they determined what was happening. Unfortunately, the main character is the one who manages to "figure" everything out, solely by recalling every important detail when it is finally needed.
The plot was fantastic. I never found my attention wandering and highly recommend it for most teen readers. It's certainly an enjoyable, easy read (middle school level and above, generally) but one that has a degree of quality to substantiate it.
And in case you've been living under a rock, the Maze Runner is being released soon - so go read the book! Then you have my permission to see the movie.
Kristin (149 KP) rated When the Siren Calls (The Siren, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Infidelity, fraud, and just plain ol' lying: That's what Julian "Jay" Brooke is all about. Whether he's running around with his mistress Lucy, trying to get into the pants of assistant Gina or the married Isobel, or selling timeshares at inflated prices to the filthy rich, Jay always has something up his sleeve. Can he get away with it all, or is it just a house of cards, waiting to come down?
Isobel Roberts is a married woman, on vacation with her husband in Morocco when she first encounters Jay, who saves her from an unsightly development in the market. From that point on, she thinks of him, her feelings growing into more than she's ready for, or so she thinks. What will she choose to do: Stay committed to her husband, or stray into the arms (and bed) of another (married) man?
There are so many characters in this book whose stories grab your attention (aside from Jay and Isobel). Lucy's feisty in trying to get her way in her relationship with Jay; Isobel's friend Maria is the no-nonsense birdie on Isobel's shoulder, helping her along throughout her decisions, whether good or bad; Andy Skinner is always trying to figure out just what Jay has pulled him into with this timeshare business in Tuscany, and whether or not he's getting screwed in the process; and so many more. With all the people involved, how long will it take for Jay's lies to come to the surface, or will he get away with everything?
Honestly, almost from the jump I wanted Jay to get caught at something, whether it was the infidelity, the fraud in Tuscany, just something. There's so many people in the world just like him, who think they're above everything and everyone and nothing can touch them, and I REALLY wanted someone to knock him down a peg (or several). There's schemes going on, underhanded business deals, price-gouging against "holiday tourists", and so much more. For the life of me, I wanted to just scream at all the characters to get them to catch onto it all.
The reason I dropped to 4 stars is because I got a little confused in the beginning as to the timeline, as weeks/months would pass between chapters, which bounce back and forth between characters, so I had a hard time keeping track for a little while. However, the time frame slows down, and it's easier to tell what's going on after the first quarter or so of the story.
Now, all that being said, DOES Jay ever get caught? Do his lies catch up to him, either in his personal or professional life, or does he get away scot-free? You'll have to read and see! =)
4 stars
Infidelity, fraud, and just plain ol' lying: That's what Julian "Jay" Brooke is all about. Whether he's running around with his mistress Lucy, trying to get into the pants of assistant Gina or the married Isobel, or selling timeshares at inflated prices to the filthy rich, Jay always has something up his sleeve. Can he get away with it all, or is it just a house of cards, waiting to come down?
Isobel Roberts is a married woman, on vacation with her husband in Morocco when she first encounters Jay, who saves her from an unsightly development in the market. From that point on, she thinks of him, her feelings growing into more than she's ready for, or so she thinks. What will she choose to do: Stay committed to her husband, or stray into the arms (and bed) of another (married) man?
There are so many characters in this book whose stories grab your attention (aside from Jay and Isobel). Lucy's feisty in trying to get her way in her relationship with Jay; Isobel's friend Maria is the no-nonsense birdie on Isobel's shoulder, helping her along throughout her decisions, whether good or bad; Andy Skinner is always trying to figure out just what Jay has pulled him into with this timeshare business in Tuscany, and whether or not he's getting screwed in the process; and so many more. With all the people involved, how long will it take for Jay's lies to come to the surface, or will he get away with everything?
Honestly, almost from the jump I wanted Jay to get caught at something, whether it was the infidelity, the fraud in Tuscany, just something. There's so many people in the world just like him, who think they're above everything and everyone and nothing can touch them, and I REALLY wanted someone to knock him down a peg (or several). There's schemes going on, underhanded business deals, price-gouging against "holiday tourists", and so much more. For the life of me, I wanted to just scream at all the characters to get them to catch onto it all.
The reason I dropped to 4 stars is because I got a little confused in the beginning as to the timeline, as weeks/months would pass between chapters, which bounce back and forth between characters, so I had a hard time keeping track for a little while. However, the time frame slows down, and it's easier to tell what's going on after the first quarter or so of the story.
Now, all that being said, DOES Jay ever get caught? Do his lies catch up to him, either in his personal or professional life, or does he get away scot-free? You'll have to read and see! =)
4 stars