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The Third Avenue
The Third Avenue
Michael Jenkins | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Third Avenue takes us on another breakneck-speed adventure with spy, Sean Richardson. This time however, the danger comes from China - or rather a breakaway faction called Red Spear. Sean’s job is to infiltrate the organisation, find out what they want to achieve and how, and destroy them. Of course, not everything goes to plan. But there’s no need to worry, because Sean and his team have everything under control!

I love these books. Sean Richardson is reminiscent of James Bond, and always seems to be getting himself out of serious trouble - that’s after he’s got himself into it in the first place!
I hope there’s more to come from Sean Richardson, because I’ll be reading the books!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Michael Jenkins for joining in the conversation.
  
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)
Brandon Sanderson | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.2 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
<strong>What other reviews day is true.</strong>

I had read a lot of reviews of this book, and what most of them said turned out to be true. This book has pacing issues, and it was a bit of a slog to get through. That being said, it's important to remember that it is the middle book of a trilogy, and therefore you are getting only the middle of the begging. Middle and end of a story structure, and I always find that the middle of stories already drag a little anyway. What I want to stress though, is that the pay off is well worth it! I was considering taking a break from Mistborn for a couple of books, but after reading that ending, I have no choice but to continue!
  
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William H. Macy recommended Chinatown (1974) in Movies (curated)

 
Chinatown (1974)
Chinatown (1974)
1974 | Classics, Drama, Mystery

"Chinatown, I just find to be so wonderfully stylish, so well thought-out. Great acting. For some reason, the scene in that that I found so wonderful is when Nicholson gets his nose sliced open, and then there’s a band-aid on it, and then later, he’s in the bathroom with Faye Dunaway, and she dresses the thing, and she takes the band-aid off. They were very honest and graphic about this, his nose and the stitches. And then there’s romance right after that. There’s a sex scene. I think it’s when they finally do it. I found that to be genius. I don’t know why that scene always has struck me as the most wonderful juxtaposition of beautiful and ugly. I think it speaks volumes about how to deal with violence truthfully."

Source
  
Second entry in Weis and Hickman's 'Dragonlance Chronicles' trilogy: a trilogy that is almost a rite of passage for nerds like me to read after we move on from Narnia, but before we reach The Lord of The Rings.

And, I have to say, this largely follows the same structure as the mid part of JRR Tolkien's magnus opus, with the companions split into several groups, and of on several inter-connected quests.

As with the first book in the series, the characters are largely cardboard cut-outs, with it being in the world building where the novel excels. Of the companions, I also know that we are meant to associate with Tanis Half-Elf the most (or Raistlin), but I have to say: I've always had a soft spot for Sturm Brightblade the most!
  
So, if you've read my reviews of Vols 1-2 of Jeff Lemire's BLACK HAMMER, then it goes without saying that SHERLOCK FRANKENSTEIN.. would be a win, right? Not so. Let me elaborate..

The writing was top notch, nothing less than the almost always exemplary writing that we've come to expect from Jeff Lemire. The art, however, not good. I was not previously familiar with David Rubin's art, but after this, I have no interest in seeking works by him.

The art was silly, almost cartoon. Not like Dean Ormston's. It took away from the story as a whole, making it feel like a pantomime or something. Again, not a good artist choice for any future BLACK HAMMER-related projects! If not the disappointing art, I would definitely have given this five stars!
  
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Great cast (0 more)
Way too long (2 more)
Painfully slow
A bit pointless
Disappointing
There will always be a lot of hype for a new Tarantino film. After seeing a trailer for a peek of Hollywood in '69 this looked interesting. It has a large ensemble talented cast playing many of the stars of the era.
Unfortunately there doesn't appear much point to this film until the last 15 minutes. Up to then it's very slow and overly long at nearly 2 hours 40 minutes long. It jumps from scenes of characters to others with little connecting them. I thought this was going to be a fairly accurate account of events that took place at the time... But it's far from that. It has its good elements but overall it was a bit of a dissapointment.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Dean (6926 KP) Jan 9, 2020

Yes it did seem a somewhat odd film overall.

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The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) Jan 10, 2020

I liked Brad Pitts performance.... but Oscar buzz? I'm not seeing why....