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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Alpha (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Columbia Pictures new release Alpha stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as Keda, and
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) as Tau, his father.
Tau is the tribe leader, and must determine whether the young male tribe
members are ready for the annual hunt. He tests all the spear points
crafted by the boys, and passes or fails them based on the craftsmanship
of the arrowheads.
Keda is one of the only two young men that pass the test, and in spite
of his mothers (and his own) reservations, joins the hunt.
Keda isn’t a strong figure, like his father Tau, and the movie shows
some of the tension and strife this causes the father and son. Tau is
trying to teach Keda to be a leader, and Keda seems too soft-hearted to
be able to bear the task. Keda has a hard time with the killing of
animals, even though it is needed to sustain the tribe.
The annual hunt consists of tracking down a herd of bison over a span of
days, and then creeping up on them on their grazing grounds and spooking
them into headlong flight over the edge of a high cliff. The hunters
must keep the herd from turning back to the open plain by throwing their
spears and running full-tilt at the bison. The run to push the bison
over the cliffs edge starts off well, and then takes a tragic turn when
one of the bison turns towards the hunters and charges at Keda. Kedas
confidence breaks and he turns tail to run, with the bison chasing him
down. When the bison lowers his head to charge at Keda, the bisons horn
catches in Kedas clothing and the bison turns towards the cliff face and
dump Keda over the edge.
Keda miraculously lands on a rock outcropping about half way down the
cliff face, but it is still too far for Tau to reach him. Keda is
unconscious, and does not respond to his fathers calls.
Tau is convinced that he must leave his son for dead and head towards
home in order to be able to provide for the tribe.
A day later, Keda wakes and finds himself alone, with broken bones, and
no way to get off the cliff face.
What follows is a story of coming of age and determination. Keda must
find his way off the cliff face, and using the tools given to him by his
father on the way to the bison hunting grounds, find his way home. He
finds unlikely companionship in a wolf that he injured while the wolf
pack was hunting him down to try to eat him, which he nurses back to
health. He names the wolf “Alpha”, but in truth, it is Keda who is
learning to become the alpha, or leader of the pack.
The scenery in the movie is breathtaking, and the movie really comes to
life with the 3D option. I can only imagine that it would be even better
in IMAX.
There were pieces of the film that were entirely un-realistic, but they
were rather quickly covered up by the fast-paced nature of the film.
The only part I really groaned at was the very end scene, but I will let
you draw your own conclusions on that so that I don’t ruin it for you!
My son just turned 10 and he liked it a lot, but did mention that a few
parts were not 100% “kid-friendly” due to the scare-factor. He was
specifically referring to one scene that made us both literally jump in
our seats. He said over all the movie was great and that he enjoyed it
immensely.
I would give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend that you see
it in IMAX 3D if you are able!
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) as Tau, his father.
Tau is the tribe leader, and must determine whether the young male tribe
members are ready for the annual hunt. He tests all the spear points
crafted by the boys, and passes or fails them based on the craftsmanship
of the arrowheads.
Keda is one of the only two young men that pass the test, and in spite
of his mothers (and his own) reservations, joins the hunt.
Keda isn’t a strong figure, like his father Tau, and the movie shows
some of the tension and strife this causes the father and son. Tau is
trying to teach Keda to be a leader, and Keda seems too soft-hearted to
be able to bear the task. Keda has a hard time with the killing of
animals, even though it is needed to sustain the tribe.
The annual hunt consists of tracking down a herd of bison over a span of
days, and then creeping up on them on their grazing grounds and spooking
them into headlong flight over the edge of a high cliff. The hunters
must keep the herd from turning back to the open plain by throwing their
spears and running full-tilt at the bison. The run to push the bison
over the cliffs edge starts off well, and then takes a tragic turn when
one of the bison turns towards the hunters and charges at Keda. Kedas
confidence breaks and he turns tail to run, with the bison chasing him
down. When the bison lowers his head to charge at Keda, the bisons horn
catches in Kedas clothing and the bison turns towards the cliff face and
dump Keda over the edge.
Keda miraculously lands on a rock outcropping about half way down the
cliff face, but it is still too far for Tau to reach him. Keda is
unconscious, and does not respond to his fathers calls.
Tau is convinced that he must leave his son for dead and head towards
home in order to be able to provide for the tribe.
A day later, Keda wakes and finds himself alone, with broken bones, and
no way to get off the cliff face.
What follows is a story of coming of age and determination. Keda must
find his way off the cliff face, and using the tools given to him by his
father on the way to the bison hunting grounds, find his way home. He
finds unlikely companionship in a wolf that he injured while the wolf
pack was hunting him down to try to eat him, which he nurses back to
health. He names the wolf “Alpha”, but in truth, it is Keda who is
learning to become the alpha, or leader of the pack.
The scenery in the movie is breathtaking, and the movie really comes to
life with the 3D option. I can only imagine that it would be even better
in IMAX.
There were pieces of the film that were entirely un-realistic, but they
were rather quickly covered up by the fast-paced nature of the film.
The only part I really groaned at was the very end scene, but I will let
you draw your own conclusions on that so that I don’t ruin it for you!
My son just turned 10 and he liked it a lot, but did mention that a few
parts were not 100% “kid-friendly” due to the scare-factor. He was
specifically referring to one scene that made us both literally jump in
our seats. He said over all the movie was great and that he enjoyed it
immensely.
I would give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend that you see
it in IMAX 3D if you are able!

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Merissa (13169 KP) rated A Touch of Flame (Flame #5) in Books
Jul 31, 2017
A Touch of Flame (Flame #5) by Caris Roane
A Touch of Flame is the fifth book in the Flame series. This one deals with (Mark) Braden and Maeve. He is an alpha wolf, beaten near to death before his attackers were interrupted. Maeve is the one who saves him, and refuses to leave his side until he is well. They are both on a mission - to bring down the dark witch, Veyda. Maeve has been held prisoner by her in the past, but has gaps in her memory. Braden's wife was killed whilst being tortured by Veyda, so both of them have a vested interest.
This is a fast-paced, full of action, book that will hold your interest from beginning to end. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The storyline is smooth and well-rounded, and you definitely have a vested interest in the characters. Seeing Maeve's confidence grow in her own abilities was a great piece of writing. The flame world, with the alters who live there, continues to amaze. Absolutely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a fast-paced, full of action, book that will hold your interest from beginning to end. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The storyline is smooth and well-rounded, and you definitely have a vested interest in the characters. Seeing Maeve's confidence grow in her own abilities was a great piece of writing. The flame world, with the alters who live there, continues to amaze. Absolutely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Gail (4 KP) rated First Sight, The Deal Prequel (The Deal #1.5) in Books
Jun 4, 2018
Bethany Drake has sworn off men and nothing her friend says can change that. Even though the man Lizzy points to for her one night stand is drool worthy. She wouldn’t settle no matter that he looked delicious in his suit. She had no idea that her plans and thoughts were going to be changed for a lifetime.
The author really knew how to get you caught up in this prequel. Making sure you go in for more and read the next book. I was hooked when I started to read this book and didn’t atop until I reached the end.
The chemistry between the characters will have you fanning yourself just from the word play. Let’s not forget the mind blowing loving. Adam was perfect and was ready to accept every flaw Beth had. He was an alpha when she need it and sweet and tender when the time called for it. I mean the man could convenience her out her comfort zone in seconds.
Beth was my perfect woman. She’s confident and independent. Her only flaw was her blindness in her growing feeling for Adam. You will most definitely want to pick up this book for your book boyfriend list.
The author really knew how to get you caught up in this prequel. Making sure you go in for more and read the next book. I was hooked when I started to read this book and didn’t atop until I reached the end.
The chemistry between the characters will have you fanning yourself just from the word play. Let’s not forget the mind blowing loving. Adam was perfect and was ready to accept every flaw Beth had. He was an alpha when she need it and sweet and tender when the time called for it. I mean the man could convenience her out her comfort zone in seconds.
Beth was my perfect woman. She’s confident and independent. Her only flaw was her blindness in her growing feeling for Adam. You will most definitely want to pick up this book for your book boyfriend list.

Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Fast and furious presents: Tango & cash
Ok so I was one of those people excited for this movie as I'm a big Statham/Johnson fan and wanted to see these characters work together after previously seeing their onscreen chemistry, although remained at ease as I've been duped by Hollywood before.
The movie starts by showing how different and alike the 2 characters are before throwing in some very welcome surprises.
During the movie, Statham shows how very comical he can be which is great to see but Johnson's attempt at being comical came across a little dry but was still entertaining.
This movie needs to stay far away from F&F as both are way too over the top and can only drag each Other down.
Aside from being what seems to be an odd attempt at combining F&F with the MCU, this was a great action movie none the less.
The back and forth Alpha male macho- testosterone filled competition between the two, with is worth the coin even if the story isn't you thing.
Quick note: this movie is very similar to the classic frenemy cop movie Tango and cash.
The movie starts by showing how different and alike the 2 characters are before throwing in some very welcome surprises.
During the movie, Statham shows how very comical he can be which is great to see but Johnson's attempt at being comical came across a little dry but was still entertaining.
This movie needs to stay far away from F&F as both are way too over the top and can only drag each Other down.
Aside from being what seems to be an odd attempt at combining F&F with the MCU, this was a great action movie none the less.
The back and forth Alpha male macho- testosterone filled competition between the two, with is worth the coin even if the story isn't you thing.
Quick note: this movie is very similar to the classic frenemy cop movie Tango and cash.

Merissa (13169 KP) rated Sebastian's Wolves (Among Wolves #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
*Disclaimer* I received this book from Reading Alley in return for a fair and honest review.
The title of this book tells you the start of the tale. Sebastian is a wolf who leaves his pack to be with his mate, Tim. 8 years down the line and tragedy happens, Tim dies. Sebastian has to deal with this and, for me, this is where the story picked up.
I have to say that the relationship between Tim and Sebastian didn't really do much for me. It seemed too inbalanced with Sebastian doing most of the loving. This didn't really sit well with me as I already viewed Sebastian as an alpha male. Once he meets up with his new pack then he really starts to come into his own. And then Eshan is the cherry on the icing on the cake.
This book has nice parts and not so nice parts - so don't read this if you're expecting or wanting something that is light and fluffy. We're talking murder, abuse and rape (although not in graphic detail).
Sebastian's Wolves is a well-written, steady-paced novel full of action that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys some M/M action with a paranormal twist.
The title of this book tells you the start of the tale. Sebastian is a wolf who leaves his pack to be with his mate, Tim. 8 years down the line and tragedy happens, Tim dies. Sebastian has to deal with this and, for me, this is where the story picked up.
I have to say that the relationship between Tim and Sebastian didn't really do much for me. It seemed too inbalanced with Sebastian doing most of the loving. This didn't really sit well with me as I already viewed Sebastian as an alpha male. Once he meets up with his new pack then he really starts to come into his own. And then Eshan is the cherry on the icing on the cake.
This book has nice parts and not so nice parts - so don't read this if you're expecting or wanting something that is light and fluffy. We're talking murder, abuse and rape (although not in graphic detail).
Sebastian's Wolves is a well-written, steady-paced novel full of action that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys some M/M action with a paranormal twist.

Debbiereadsbook (1487 KP) rated Red Snowflakes in Books
Nov 14, 2019
nice easy read
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Dimitri has just 5 days to convince Dena she is his fated mate, or he will die.
I really rather enyoyed this short tale of a lonley vampire waiting out his fate, I really did!
It's only short, 100 odd pages, but it was a surprising read and I cannot say why!
It's not overly sexy, and at one point I thought it might turn out clean, but I would have still enjoyed it.
Dimitri is vampire, and has some skills not *usually* associated with vampires: he can change shape into anything and every thing, he can magic things up and away. I liked that, its different.
Dena is as lonely as Dimitri and she has a strong voice, and won't take any nonsense off Dimitri when he pulls the alpha male thing, and I loved that she stood up to him.
Both Dena and Dimitri have a say, in the third person, and I read this book in one sitting. A very enjoyable sitting it was too.
Not read anything else by this author, and I would like to read more.
4 good solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Dimitri has just 5 days to convince Dena she is his fated mate, or he will die.
I really rather enyoyed this short tale of a lonley vampire waiting out his fate, I really did!
It's only short, 100 odd pages, but it was a surprising read and I cannot say why!
It's not overly sexy, and at one point I thought it might turn out clean, but I would have still enjoyed it.
Dimitri is vampire, and has some skills not *usually* associated with vampires: he can change shape into anything and every thing, he can magic things up and away. I liked that, its different.
Dena is as lonely as Dimitri and she has a strong voice, and won't take any nonsense off Dimitri when he pulls the alpha male thing, and I loved that she stood up to him.
Both Dena and Dimitri have a say, in the third person, and I read this book in one sitting. A very enjoyable sitting it was too.
Not read anything else by this author, and I would like to read more.
4 good solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

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