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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Chuck Steak in Books
Nov 11, 2019
Remember those action movies from the 80s and 90s? The ones where the chisel-jawed hero catches the bad guy via a convoluted and improbable plot, over the top action scenes and mass collateral damage? Chuck Steak doesn't just remember them. He IS them.
Maverick stop-at-nothing-even-if-it-causes-millions-of-dollars-of-damage-and-gets-me-suspended-again cop Chuck Steak (not the meat) has a new adversary. A bomb has been planted in his girlfriend and Chuck is being blackmailed into doing things he doesn't want to do, like be nice to his in-laws-to-be, become tolerant and accepting of minorities and work with a partner. He blunders through each increasingly ridiculous task, always managing it in unlikely ways, in the nick of time and causing maximum destruction in the process. But the mastermind behind the plan is always one step ahead. Has the apparently invincible Chuck Steak finally met his match?
First things first, this is in no way a serious book. As is fitting for the movie genre it is inspired by, everything is larger than life and twice as loud. There is however coherence to the plot (even though it does meander around for some gratuitous action scenes) and the twists, turns and red herrings thrown out in the final chapters as to who the villain is will certainly wrong foot many readers and in the end it does make some kind of sense.
There is also a subtext around acceptance of people who are different; Chuck and the police are portrayed very much as the intolerant knuckleheads of action movies, but his realisations that how he normally behaves could be grossly offensive provide some of the more striking moments of the book.
The prose is fast and loose, with flashbacks, changes of point of view and the occasional sub plot thrown in. The characterisation is bold, from the incredibly clichéd police captain to the more nuanced father in law. They bounce of each other in interesting ways and are each a key part of Chuck's journey. Some of the writing is a little cluttered and confused but that just adds to the feeling of this being a headlong rush to the final chapter.
80s and 90s action flicks were just 2 hours of pure escapist entertainment, never intended to be anything other than enormous fun. Chuck Steak captures the spirit of these well. An absolute riot to read.
Rated R for pretty much everything that makes things R rated
Maverick stop-at-nothing-even-if-it-causes-millions-of-dollars-of-damage-and-gets-me-suspended-again cop Chuck Steak (not the meat) has a new adversary. A bomb has been planted in his girlfriend and Chuck is being blackmailed into doing things he doesn't want to do, like be nice to his in-laws-to-be, become tolerant and accepting of minorities and work with a partner. He blunders through each increasingly ridiculous task, always managing it in unlikely ways, in the nick of time and causing maximum destruction in the process. But the mastermind behind the plan is always one step ahead. Has the apparently invincible Chuck Steak finally met his match?
First things first, this is in no way a serious book. As is fitting for the movie genre it is inspired by, everything is larger than life and twice as loud. There is however coherence to the plot (even though it does meander around for some gratuitous action scenes) and the twists, turns and red herrings thrown out in the final chapters as to who the villain is will certainly wrong foot many readers and in the end it does make some kind of sense.
There is also a subtext around acceptance of people who are different; Chuck and the police are portrayed very much as the intolerant knuckleheads of action movies, but his realisations that how he normally behaves could be grossly offensive provide some of the more striking moments of the book.
The prose is fast and loose, with flashbacks, changes of point of view and the occasional sub plot thrown in. The characterisation is bold, from the incredibly clichéd police captain to the more nuanced father in law. They bounce of each other in interesting ways and are each a key part of Chuck's journey. Some of the writing is a little cluttered and confused but that just adds to the feeling of this being a headlong rush to the final chapter.
80s and 90s action flicks were just 2 hours of pure escapist entertainment, never intended to be anything other than enormous fun. Chuck Steak captures the spirit of these well. An absolute riot to read.
Rated R for pretty much everything that makes things R rated
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
This isn't a bad film all in all, it certainly fills a more traditional (?) magical gap in recent releases.
The best thing about The House With A Clock In Its Walls is definitely Cate Blanchett, she plays eccentric beautifully in this one and I don't think there were any of her scenes that I wasn't fond of. She bounces well with Jack Black, and their little moments of bickering are amusing and express their playful friendship really well.
Jack Black is very, well, Jack Black in this. He's a good comedic actor, but his roles are always quite similar in ways. That's not a negative thing as such, I like that he's consistent and you know you'll enjoy his performance.
We've been blessed with some great performances from kids in films recently, Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying in The Meg and Jacob Tremblay as Rory McKenna in The Predator, were both brilliant in their roles and were blessed with some great scenes and lines. Owen Vaccaro in this portrayed the awkward Lewis with conviction and was on point for what the film set out for him, but what he was given was on par with the film as a whole. It was good, but it didn't have any oomph behind it.
The story itself seemed to be jogging along nicely in the background, but I'm always left wondering about the baddie reveals. Would the film have felt better if there was less lead up and more of the spooky bad guy moments? I'm honestly not sure, but he seemed to appear and then disappear in a puff of smoke. I wonder how much screen time he had in total?
I will say this... I don't ever need to see "baby" Jack Black ever again. It was creepy, the graphics were horrendous and it was completely inaccurate to the events that were about to unfold, as was evident with the rest of the town who we see experiencing the same thing.
Based on the book The House With A Clock In It's Walls by John Bellairs.
What should you do?
It's not a bad family film to go and see if you've got a couple of hours to spare.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the magic would be too cliché, I'd like a topiary winged lion please.
The best thing about The House With A Clock In Its Walls is definitely Cate Blanchett, she plays eccentric beautifully in this one and I don't think there were any of her scenes that I wasn't fond of. She bounces well with Jack Black, and their little moments of bickering are amusing and express their playful friendship really well.
Jack Black is very, well, Jack Black in this. He's a good comedic actor, but his roles are always quite similar in ways. That's not a negative thing as such, I like that he's consistent and you know you'll enjoy his performance.
We've been blessed with some great performances from kids in films recently, Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying in The Meg and Jacob Tremblay as Rory McKenna in The Predator, were both brilliant in their roles and were blessed with some great scenes and lines. Owen Vaccaro in this portrayed the awkward Lewis with conviction and was on point for what the film set out for him, but what he was given was on par with the film as a whole. It was good, but it didn't have any oomph behind it.
The story itself seemed to be jogging along nicely in the background, but I'm always left wondering about the baddie reveals. Would the film have felt better if there was less lead up and more of the spooky bad guy moments? I'm honestly not sure, but he seemed to appear and then disappear in a puff of smoke. I wonder how much screen time he had in total?
I will say this... I don't ever need to see "baby" Jack Black ever again. It was creepy, the graphics were horrendous and it was completely inaccurate to the events that were about to unfold, as was evident with the rest of the town who we see experiencing the same thing.
Based on the book The House With A Clock In It's Walls by John Bellairs.
What should you do?
It's not a bad family film to go and see if you've got a couple of hours to spare.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Having the magic would be too cliché, I'd like a topiary winged lion please.
Like a Girl: Astronaut
8.0
Rate It
Book
Meet Ashley the Astronaut! An awesome woman who explores our solar system. In this great book we...
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Back to the Future Part II (1989) in Movies
Aug 8, 2018
Great cast yet again (3 more)
Funny and smart
A flying delorian!!!!!
Seeing what could have been
The greatest time travel movie of all time!
This is by far my favourite of the trilogy and that's saying something because the all the movies are fantastic.
Compared to the others though this has everything. They go everywhere. Past, present, future and alternate timelines which takes you on a fun journey.
The music is again fantastic and adds to every selcebe whether it's funny, suspenseful or just full of action.
There is a cast change with Jennifer but this ain't really distracting. Tbh I didn't even notice until later on and I'm aware of some drama behind the scenes with Crispin Glover which meant they had to use a stand in and nothing was noticeable. The actors were on top form playing different ages of themselves.
Their take on the future was an interesting 1 and nothing like what we actually have considering they went to the year 2015. Hoverboards, hologram jaws, flying cars and who would ever wear their trousers inside out haha and not an iPhone in sight. I found the past far more interesting as it's set during the first movie.
The story was great basically going into the whole thing about being seduced by the knowledge of the future to help yourself in the past. It's something we all want to do and given to the wrong person you can see how dark things can go.
Overall a fantastic, fun, charming movie which can easily be recommended and easily one of my favourite movies of all time.
Compared to the others though this has everything. They go everywhere. Past, present, future and alternate timelines which takes you on a fun journey.
The music is again fantastic and adds to every selcebe whether it's funny, suspenseful or just full of action.
There is a cast change with Jennifer but this ain't really distracting. Tbh I didn't even notice until later on and I'm aware of some drama behind the scenes with Crispin Glover which meant they had to use a stand in and nothing was noticeable. The actors were on top form playing different ages of themselves.
Their take on the future was an interesting 1 and nothing like what we actually have considering they went to the year 2015. Hoverboards, hologram jaws, flying cars and who would ever wear their trousers inside out haha and not an iPhone in sight. I found the past far more interesting as it's set during the first movie.
The story was great basically going into the whole thing about being seduced by the knowledge of the future to help yourself in the past. It's something we all want to do and given to the wrong person you can see how dark things can go.
Overall a fantastic, fun, charming movie which can easily be recommended and easily one of my favourite movies of all time.
Pep Confidential: The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola's First Season at Bayern Munich
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'Access inside the changing room and behind the scenes that any journalist or writer would kill for...
Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs
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An insider's account of Apple's creative process during the golden years of Steve Jobs. Hundreds...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Ninja Assassin (2009) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
The Ozunu Clan has long been secretly kidnapping and training children to become ninjas. But when a set of Europol agents get a little too close to discovering the secret, it is up to a former student of the Clan, Raizo (Rain), to defend the agents against the brutal ninjas’ attacks.
The film is loosely plotted at best, but it does manage to keep the viewer interested. Maybe it is the consistent comedy mixed with undeniable bloodshed. And there is bloodshed. “Ninja Assassin” is absolutely splattered with gore, weapons, and the unexpected attack that only ninjas can bring.
Joel Silver, of “Lethal Weapon”, “Die Hard”, and “Predator” fame, and the renowned Wachowski brothers, creators of “the Matrix”, are the producers behind “Ninja Assassin”. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the fight scenes are also engrossing in this ninja-tacular flick.
The international cast includes Korean superstar Rain as Raizo and martial arts regular Sho Kosugi, as the ninja master. The appearance of Ben Miles (from the hit British TV show “Coupling”) as Ryan Maslow, superior to the Europol officer and lead Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), also enhances the casting of this one of kind film.
And it is one of a kind. What is most appealing about “Ninja Assassin” is that it truly displays ninjas in the way every child thinks about them; cunning, violent, and awesome. Somehow in a world full of films that feel like a new version of the same old thing, “Ninja Assassin” has… dare I write… a freshness.
Keeping you on the edge of your seat, focused on the nonstop 360 degree fight sequences and funny one-liners, “Ninja Assassin” brings more than expected to the big screen.
The film is loosely plotted at best, but it does manage to keep the viewer interested. Maybe it is the consistent comedy mixed with undeniable bloodshed. And there is bloodshed. “Ninja Assassin” is absolutely splattered with gore, weapons, and the unexpected attack that only ninjas can bring.
Joel Silver, of “Lethal Weapon”, “Die Hard”, and “Predator” fame, and the renowned Wachowski brothers, creators of “the Matrix”, are the producers behind “Ninja Assassin”. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the fight scenes are also engrossing in this ninja-tacular flick.
The international cast includes Korean superstar Rain as Raizo and martial arts regular Sho Kosugi, as the ninja master. The appearance of Ben Miles (from the hit British TV show “Coupling”) as Ryan Maslow, superior to the Europol officer and lead Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), also enhances the casting of this one of kind film.
And it is one of a kind. What is most appealing about “Ninja Assassin” is that it truly displays ninjas in the way every child thinks about them; cunning, violent, and awesome. Somehow in a world full of films that feel like a new version of the same old thing, “Ninja Assassin” has… dare I write… a freshness.
Keeping you on the edge of your seat, focused on the nonstop 360 degree fight sequences and funny one-liners, “Ninja Assassin” brings more than expected to the big screen.
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox
8.0
Rate It
Book
In this New York Times bestseller, comedy legend Carol Burnett tells the hilarious behind-the-scenes...
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Some Sunny Day in Books
Nov 27, 2018
Full review on www.diaryofdifference.com
Some Sunny Day was one of those books that go slowly, and tell a story of another times, reviving memories and emotions. A story of a lady that is sent to India to take care for the British Soldiers in the Second World War.
A beautiful memoir, full of lively descriptions that make the scenes more realistic. A powerful story of love, bravery, tragedy, sacrifices and hope.
Madge is a character that all people can relate to. Even though a nurse, and sent to another country, Madge is also a lady just like any other, capable of making decisions, mistakes, fall in love, lose the people she loves and hope for a better future.
A very relatable and non-distant character, too realistic for our own good. I loved her so much, and I was eager to know her story.
The pace, however, for me, was too slow. It took me a while to finish this book, and I stopped reading it two times before I finally finished it. The line between this being a great read and a DNF was very thick. That is why a few of my stars have to go away.
I love memoirs, I love stories behind the scenes of wars. Being born and growing up in the Balkans, this is something that triggers us very close to the heart. Being taught in school to protect each other, and living with our father’s stories of how they went and served in the army is something we can all relate to, and respect all these people that are ready to give their lives for a country.
Those were times when I couldn’t have been easy at all, being away from your family, your loved ones. Hard times not only for the people serving the army, but also the people at home, that miss them and pray for them every single day.
What are we all fighting for? How can war bring peace?
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
Some Sunny Day was one of those books that go slowly, and tell a story of another times, reviving memories and emotions. A story of a lady that is sent to India to take care for the British Soldiers in the Second World War.
A beautiful memoir, full of lively descriptions that make the scenes more realistic. A powerful story of love, bravery, tragedy, sacrifices and hope.
Madge is a character that all people can relate to. Even though a nurse, and sent to another country, Madge is also a lady just like any other, capable of making decisions, mistakes, fall in love, lose the people she loves and hope for a better future.
A very relatable and non-distant character, too realistic for our own good. I loved her so much, and I was eager to know her story.
The pace, however, for me, was too slow. It took me a while to finish this book, and I stopped reading it two times before I finally finished it. The line between this being a great read and a DNF was very thick. That is why a few of my stars have to go away.
I love memoirs, I love stories behind the scenes of wars. Being born and growing up in the Balkans, this is something that triggers us very close to the heart. Being taught in school to protect each other, and living with our father’s stories of how they went and served in the army is something we can all relate to, and respect all these people that are ready to give their lives for a country.
Those were times when I couldn’t have been easy at all, being away from your family, your loved ones. Hard times not only for the people serving the army, but also the people at home, that miss them and pray for them every single day.
What are we all fighting for? How can war bring peace?
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
Joss Whedon: Geek King of the Universe - A Biography
Amy Pascale and Nathan Fillion
Book
'Packed with trivia, filled with wit and endlessly readable, this is the biography Joss's career...