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The Science of Discworld
Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen
8.5
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Book
This is the fantastic first book in the Sunday Times bestselling Science of Discworld series. When a...
World War I and the Origins of U.S. Military Intelligence
Book
In World War I and the Origins of U.S. Military Intelligence, military historian James L. Gilbert...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Jun 16, 2021
Shh!
Initially, when I saw A Quiet Place 2 for review, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did because of how disappointing I found the first movie. However, sometimes I am very glad to be proven wrong and this is one of those times.
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The 5th Wave: Book 1 in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This is the first book in the series. A teenage Cassie was living a normal life with her mom, dad and her little brother Sammy until the alien spaceship showed up above Earth. The waves start hitting the Earth and Cassie’s life turns upside down. She gets separated from her little brother Sammy and makes him a promise that she will find him. Along the way to find Sammy she meets this perfect man, Evan Walker but is he really so perfect, or is he hiding something? Will Cassie find Sammy? What else she will find along the way? Oh, You will have to read it to figure that out. :p
If you read “Divergent” or “Maze runner” you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The main character – Cassie is a very strong and ambitious teenager and hardly takes NO for an answer. Her main focus in this book was Sammy, which I found sometimes quite annoying. Yes, I understood that Sammy is your priority but why do you need to remind me that in every second page? :S Other characters are really strong and interesting as well. If there would be team Ben (another boy Cassie fancies) and team Evan I would definitely be in the second one. I found his character very mysterious, charming and would’ve liked to read more about things from his perspective.
The plot of this book is really catching. It is very fast-paced and has lots of action going on in there. I really enjoyed the way the book was written, giving the view of the story from different angles. One chapter talks about what Cassie is up to, another chapter tells you what’s going on in the camp. I really enjoyed that characters had their say in the book and it wasn’t just a one-way story. It is really easy to read this book, it sucks you in and keeps you in the world of aliens and doubt. To conclude, this is a great book if you are a Young Adult series fan, it is filled with action and teenage romance, surrounded with love for the family and grief.
If you read “Divergent” or “Maze runner” you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The main character – Cassie is a very strong and ambitious teenager and hardly takes NO for an answer. Her main focus in this book was Sammy, which I found sometimes quite annoying. Yes, I understood that Sammy is your priority but why do you need to remind me that in every second page? :S Other characters are really strong and interesting as well. If there would be team Ben (another boy Cassie fancies) and team Evan I would definitely be in the second one. I found his character very mysterious, charming and would’ve liked to read more about things from his perspective.
The plot of this book is really catching. It is very fast-paced and has lots of action going on in there. I really enjoyed the way the book was written, giving the view of the story from different angles. One chapter talks about what Cassie is up to, another chapter tells you what’s going on in the camp. I really enjoyed that characters had their say in the book and it wasn’t just a one-way story. It is really easy to read this book, it sucks you in and keeps you in the world of aliens and doubt. To conclude, this is a great book if you are a Young Adult series fan, it is filled with action and teenage romance, surrounded with love for the family and grief.
Sim 299 (I Am Sleepless #1)
9.0
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Book
The planet Ethos is at war with a savage enemy known as the Splicers. Their only successful defense...
Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Mystery
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated A Quiet Place (2018) in Movies
Apr 5, 2018
Shhh. You Make a Sound You Die.
These types of movies are never really my favorite. Most of the time the trailer is what makes me not want to see a movie. This time was a little bit different. I didn't really know what to think of this trailer, it wasn't really appealing but I thought I might be good. So I broke the trend and went to see it. This was a fantastic movie and it was written and directed by a guy would not normally associate with horror. .John Krasinski, most known for comedy and sometime drama, made me really like this movie.
This movie is about a world taken over by monsters that find and kill you by sound. Could you live in a world of silence? I don't think I could, but in a movie with almost no dialogue they did an amazing job. Now there was sign language, which I thought was very smart, otherwise facial expressions and body language was the words of this movie. The grown up actors were great. The kids actually did a very good job with this. Sometimes kids do not have the emotional range to be able to pull something like this off.
There are several this in this movie that are never really answered. One of them is where the monster came from. Not that it really matters but I kind of would like to know if they are aliens or just monsters that just showed up one day. I think they came from the upside down. They really do look like demogorgons from Stranger Thing. I thought this was kind of a cheat, but the way they act and kill was very original.
It wasn't a bloody or gorey movie, which was just fine. The suspense was done just right,. making you jump in just the right places. The other cool thing with this movie was, being that there was no dialogue for about the first 45 minutes the theater was creepy quiet. Like you could hear a pin drop.
If you can go see this movie, you will not be disappointed. You might also be afraid to talk or make a noise upon leaving the theater. Until next time, enjoy the show.
This movie is about a world taken over by monsters that find and kill you by sound. Could you live in a world of silence? I don't think I could, but in a movie with almost no dialogue they did an amazing job. Now there was sign language, which I thought was very smart, otherwise facial expressions and body language was the words of this movie. The grown up actors were great. The kids actually did a very good job with this. Sometimes kids do not have the emotional range to be able to pull something like this off.
There are several this in this movie that are never really answered. One of them is where the monster came from. Not that it really matters but I kind of would like to know if they are aliens or just monsters that just showed up one day. I think they came from the upside down. They really do look like demogorgons from Stranger Thing. I thought this was kind of a cheat, but the way they act and kill was very original.
It wasn't a bloody or gorey movie, which was just fine. The suspense was done just right,. making you jump in just the right places. The other cool thing with this movie was, being that there was no dialogue for about the first 45 minutes the theater was creepy quiet. Like you could hear a pin drop.
If you can go see this movie, you will not be disappointed. You might also be afraid to talk or make a noise upon leaving the theater. Until next time, enjoy the show.
TacoDave (3640 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
Apr 10, 2019 (Updated Apr 10, 2019)
Special Effects (1 more)
90's Setting
Acting (2 more)
Story
Overt Politicalization
Captain "Meh"vel.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I finally saw Captain Marvel, just a few weeks after the rest of the world. It has already made over $1 billion, so I know I'm late to the game.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's a serviceable Marvel movie. It ranks up there with Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World as well-made, enjoyable, yet forgettable superhero fare. At the end I realized it doesn't really explain anything and doesn't really amount to much except a mouthpiece for feminists raging against toxic masculinity and a cry to help refugees, and that's disappointing.
What are Captain Marvel's powers? It never really explains. She shoots energy beams. She learns to fly, somehow. And apparently she can breathe in space (?). But how or why or what the limits of her powers are is never discussed.
Neither are weaknesses. Superman has kryptonite. Batman and Iron Man are humans using technology to help them, but can be killed. Even Vision died without his infinity stone. But apparently Captain Marvel is just such a kick-ass woman that she can't be hurt. The film seems to suggest that her only weakness is her lack of self-empowerment.
And while I don't mind a movie having a political bent, everything in this movie that is trying to promote a social message is too on-the-nose, too in-your-face to work. "I'm Just a Girl" plays while she beats people up. A man says she should smile. A pilot says "You know why it's called the COCKpit, right?" Ninety percent of the music features a female singer (the only one I noticed that didn't was Nirvana's "Come As You Are"). It's just ... too much. Or too blatant. It kept pulling me out of the movie, as if the director(s) were seated next to me, poking me in the arm, saying "See what we did there? Subtext!"
One of the aliens even refers to earth as a sh!t-hole, a clear, obvious reference to Donald Trump.
So that's Captain Marvel. 10% muddled action, 30% jokes (mostly funny), 5% story, and 55% political message. Oh, and 127% GURL POWER.
I enjoyed it as a prelude to Avengers: Endgame, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's a serviceable Marvel movie. It ranks up there with Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World as well-made, enjoyable, yet forgettable superhero fare. At the end I realized it doesn't really explain anything and doesn't really amount to much except a mouthpiece for feminists raging against toxic masculinity and a cry to help refugees, and that's disappointing.
What are Captain Marvel's powers? It never really explains. She shoots energy beams. She learns to fly, somehow. And apparently she can breathe in space (?). But how or why or what the limits of her powers are is never discussed.
Neither are weaknesses. Superman has kryptonite. Batman and Iron Man are humans using technology to help them, but can be killed. Even Vision died without his infinity stone. But apparently Captain Marvel is just such a kick-ass woman that she can't be hurt. The film seems to suggest that her only weakness is her lack of self-empowerment.
And while I don't mind a movie having a political bent, everything in this movie that is trying to promote a social message is too on-the-nose, too in-your-face to work. "I'm Just a Girl" plays while she beats people up. A man says she should smile. A pilot says "You know why it's called the COCKpit, right?" Ninety percent of the music features a female singer (the only one I noticed that didn't was Nirvana's "Come As You Are"). It's just ... too much. Or too blatant. It kept pulling me out of the movie, as if the director(s) were seated next to me, poking me in the arm, saying "See what we did there? Subtext!"
One of the aliens even refers to earth as a sh!t-hole, a clear, obvious reference to Donald Trump.
So that's Captain Marvel. 10% muddled action, 30% jokes (mostly funny), 5% story, and 55% political message. Oh, and 127% GURL POWER.
I enjoyed it as a prelude to Avengers: Endgame, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again.
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated 2012 (2009) in Movies
May 30, 2018
As a disaster movie it doesn't get much better than this.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Roland Emmerich has done it again. He seems to get a kick out of bringing out humanities worst fears and putting them on screen in all its glory. After destroying a large part of the world in Independence Day: ID4, and trashing New York with Godzilla, he decides to go the rest of the way and change the face of the earth forever and in the process kill off most of humanity. What is the enemy this time? Aliens? Nope done that. Monsters? Nope also done that. Bad weather? Once again done that. What is left? I know lets have the sun spit out solar flares that heat up the earth's core and destabilize the planet! Whatever his problem with humanity is, it translates well on to film. This is an epic disaster movie. No part of the world is safe and there is no magic quick fix here.
The film itself is simple, massive destruction minimal plot. But in this case it really works. With amazing effects and a great cast that includes John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover and the story is played out well and the acting is good. It is not too over the top except the stand out performance from the great Woody Harrelson. He is your go to guy when you are looking for crazy, and once again he pulls off the crazy guy effortlessly.
I really enjoyed this film and I think it has been given an unfairly hard time by critics and movie goers alike. I don't understand what people expected from this film. It is a disaster film not The Shawshank Redemption! I expected disaster and destruction and it exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect award winning performances by the actors (many of who are award nominees and winners), and I didn't expect a plot more complicated than oh s**t, we are going to die what can we do? Many viewers and critics must have forgotten the other films by Roland Emmerich when viewing this or they were comparing it to other films that were released at the same time. However I judge a film on its own merit and not comparing it to films that are in a different category. As a disaster movie it doesn't get much better than this.
The film itself is simple, massive destruction minimal plot. But in this case it really works. With amazing effects and a great cast that includes John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover and the story is played out well and the acting is good. It is not too over the top except the stand out performance from the great Woody Harrelson. He is your go to guy when you are looking for crazy, and once again he pulls off the crazy guy effortlessly.
I really enjoyed this film and I think it has been given an unfairly hard time by critics and movie goers alike. I don't understand what people expected from this film. It is a disaster film not The Shawshank Redemption! I expected disaster and destruction and it exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect award winning performances by the actors (many of who are award nominees and winners), and I didn't expect a plot more complicated than oh s**t, we are going to die what can we do? Many viewers and critics must have forgotten the other films by Roland Emmerich when viewing this or they were comparing it to other films that were released at the same time. However I judge a film on its own merit and not comparing it to films that are in a different category. As a disaster movie it doesn't get much better than this.
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Violet Souls (The Evoxian Legacies #1) in Books
Oct 19, 2018
Violet Souls (The Evoxian Legacies #1) by Abbey MacMunn
Violet Souls is the first book in The Evoxian Legacies, which tells us about violet-eyed aliens living amongst the humans here on Earth. Bree is one such alien, although she doesn't know it. She has always felt differently to the others, but never knew why. She wears blue contact lenses to hide her violet eyes, as she was teased when she was younger. When she searches for more information on her birth parents, it opens up a whole new world of which she was unaware.
This started off really well, with plenty of action and build up to her actually finding out just who, or what, she is. Bree is a no-nonsense character, determined to do what is right by her daughter. I think the thing for me is that Bree was just too laid back! If I found out I was an alien from another world, which is dying, and I have a soul mate I chose when I was a baby, oh, and my talisman grants me a special power too. No matter how relaxed I tended to be in 'normal' life, I think I would still have some sort of panic attack over all of the above. Not Bree though, nope, not happening. You can throw what you want at this woman, and she won't even blink an eye. Torture? Boring. Death of an enemy turned friend to helped her? So yesterday. Daughter ageing quickly? It's fine. I liked Bree, I really did, but I found her emotions definitely needed broadening.
On the whole, this was a great start to the series, and an epic cast of supporting characters I would love to learn more about. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow (unless you count the emotional distance). This IS the start of a new series, so be prepared for world and character building, which you always need. I can't wait to see where this series will go. Definitely 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!
This started off really well, with plenty of action and build up to her actually finding out just who, or what, she is. Bree is a no-nonsense character, determined to do what is right by her daughter. I think the thing for me is that Bree was just too laid back! If I found out I was an alien from another world, which is dying, and I have a soul mate I chose when I was a baby, oh, and my talisman grants me a special power too. No matter how relaxed I tended to be in 'normal' life, I think I would still have some sort of panic attack over all of the above. Not Bree though, nope, not happening. You can throw what you want at this woman, and she won't even blink an eye. Torture? Boring. Death of an enemy turned friend to helped her? So yesterday. Daughter ageing quickly? It's fine. I liked Bree, I really did, but I found her emotions definitely needed broadening.
On the whole, this was a great start to the series, and an epic cast of supporting characters I would love to learn more about. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow (unless you count the emotional distance). This IS the start of a new series, so be prepared for world and character building, which you always need. I can't wait to see where this series will go. Definitely 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!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Marvel Studios has once again launched a new franchise within their expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe with the arrival of “Captain Marvel”. The film tells the origin of the title character (Brie Larson), who struggles with gaps in her memory while serving as a Kree Protector under the supervision of Yon-Rogg (Jude Law).
When things do not go as planned during a mission; the good Captain finds herself on Earth forced to wait for her crew to retrieve her. The gaps in her memory combined with the arrival of the shape-shifting Skrulls are bad enough, but now there is also the arrival of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) for her to contend with.
Being set in the 90s we get a Fury that has yet to be awakened to what is truly out there so he finds the claims of alien beings a bit hard to grasp until fate pairs him with the Captain who must stop the threat posed by the aliens and unlock the mystery of her missing memories.
While the film takes a while to get going; there is enough action scattered throughout to keep your interest and the finale is a rousing FX showcase that really helps establish the character and delivers what fans expect.
Naturally there is a good amount of humor along the way and the dynamic between Larson and Jackson is very good and I hope we get to see them paired on future Marvel adventures.
The supporting cast of Jude Law, Annette Bening, and Ben Mendelsohn is great and it was nice to see many other characters from past Marvel films appear as younger versions of themselves.
The film had to balance establishing the character and setting up further adventures with making sure audiences understood her importance and why her presence in “Avengers: Endgame” is connected and does so very well.
Larson was amazing in the title role as she portrays a strength and confidence without ever being arrogant but there is also a quick wit and at times; a vulnerability that makes her character more well-rounded than people would expect from a comic based film.
It is amazing to me how Marvel Studios can take some of their lesser known characters and turn them into Box Office gold and their winning formula continues with this entertaining new franchise.
http://sknr.net/2019/03/05/captain-marvel/
When things do not go as planned during a mission; the good Captain finds herself on Earth forced to wait for her crew to retrieve her. The gaps in her memory combined with the arrival of the shape-shifting Skrulls are bad enough, but now there is also the arrival of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) for her to contend with.
Being set in the 90s we get a Fury that has yet to be awakened to what is truly out there so he finds the claims of alien beings a bit hard to grasp until fate pairs him with the Captain who must stop the threat posed by the aliens and unlock the mystery of her missing memories.
While the film takes a while to get going; there is enough action scattered throughout to keep your interest and the finale is a rousing FX showcase that really helps establish the character and delivers what fans expect.
Naturally there is a good amount of humor along the way and the dynamic between Larson and Jackson is very good and I hope we get to see them paired on future Marvel adventures.
The supporting cast of Jude Law, Annette Bening, and Ben Mendelsohn is great and it was nice to see many other characters from past Marvel films appear as younger versions of themselves.
The film had to balance establishing the character and setting up further adventures with making sure audiences understood her importance and why her presence in “Avengers: Endgame” is connected and does so very well.
Larson was amazing in the title role as she portrays a strength and confidence without ever being arrogant but there is also a quick wit and at times; a vulnerability that makes her character more well-rounded than people would expect from a comic based film.
It is amazing to me how Marvel Studios can take some of their lesser known characters and turn them into Box Office gold and their winning formula continues with this entertaining new franchise.
http://sknr.net/2019/03/05/captain-marvel/