Search
Search results
Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs
Book
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...
Unraveling the Secrets
Podcast
Welcome to "Unraveling the Secrets." My name is Dennis Crenshaw. My co-host is Rick "Oz" Osmon....
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Bread & Tulips (2001) in Movies
Nov 17, 2021
Pacing not quite enough to save this movie
When a woman is left behind at a rest stop during a family vacation, she uses the opportunity to settle into the town a become a local.
Acting: 10
Licia Maglietta is magnificent as main star Rosalba. She holds her own in a number of different scenes throughout and really is the standout of the movie. I was impressed with a number of the other performances as well, but Bread and Tulips wouldn’t have had nearly the same amount of quality without her.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 1
One of the areas in which the film grossly suffers. There isn’t much that stands out in my memory about how this film was shot other than it being just plain…meh. It shoots like a monotonous mess making it hard for you to really want to commit your attention and time. Scenes are extremely basic with no real pop.
Conflict: 4
Entertainment Value: 5
While Bread and Tulips has its moments, it really was more of a background movie for me. The effort is solid in a few spots, but the movie ultimately just dragged and had me counting down to the resolution. Ultimately it never really succeeded in holding my attention.
Memorability: 6
With a handful of solid moments, nothing really jumped out here as overly memorable for me. It is memorable in the sense of having a unique concept, but it never fringes on impactful. I was hoping for more meat and I got scraps instead.
Pace: 7
The film does drag in spots where it should be moving a bit more quickly. However, it moves pretty evenly through the story for the most part. Could there have been a handful of parts that were cut out? Sure. Overall, though, the pace is pretty fluid.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 4
After all was said and done, the ending was just ok. I was hoping for some kind of surprise to redeem the movie, but it went pretty much how I expected it to go. Not impressed.
Overall: 53
A lot of people enjoyed Bread and Tulips if we go by what Rotten Tomatoes is saying. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. The story overall is very underwhelming. I am absolutely ok with never seeing this one again.
Acting: 10
Licia Maglietta is magnificent as main star Rosalba. She holds her own in a number of different scenes throughout and really is the standout of the movie. I was impressed with a number of the other performances as well, but Bread and Tulips wouldn’t have had nearly the same amount of quality without her.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 1
One of the areas in which the film grossly suffers. There isn’t much that stands out in my memory about how this film was shot other than it being just plain…meh. It shoots like a monotonous mess making it hard for you to really want to commit your attention and time. Scenes are extremely basic with no real pop.
Conflict: 4
Entertainment Value: 5
While Bread and Tulips has its moments, it really was more of a background movie for me. The effort is solid in a few spots, but the movie ultimately just dragged and had me counting down to the resolution. Ultimately it never really succeeded in holding my attention.
Memorability: 6
With a handful of solid moments, nothing really jumped out here as overly memorable for me. It is memorable in the sense of having a unique concept, but it never fringes on impactful. I was hoping for more meat and I got scraps instead.
Pace: 7
The film does drag in spots where it should be moving a bit more quickly. However, it moves pretty evenly through the story for the most part. Could there have been a handful of parts that were cut out? Sure. Overall, though, the pace is pretty fluid.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 4
After all was said and done, the ending was just ok. I was hoping for some kind of surprise to redeem the movie, but it went pretty much how I expected it to go. Not impressed.
Overall: 53
A lot of people enjoyed Bread and Tulips if we go by what Rotten Tomatoes is saying. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. The story overall is very underwhelming. I am absolutely ok with never seeing this one again.
A Guide to Publishing for Academics: Inside the Publish or Perish Phenomenon
Book
Most academics still wrestle with the "publish or perish" phenomenon. Based on Dr. Liebowitz's 25...
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
Book
From the former Treasury Secretary, the definitive account of the unprecedented effort to save the...
How Banks Work: And How to Get Yours Working for You
Book
Alex Lynford was a senior bank manager for three decades of heyday, crash and painful recovery. He...