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10,000 Days (2014)
10,000 Days (2014)
2014 | Sci-Fi
2
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: 10,000 Days starts as we enter the world 27-years after a comet struck Earth putting the survivors into a permanent ice age, we follow two groups of survivors, once together now at war, William Beck (Schneider) on one side, Remy Farnwell (Wingfield) on the other.

As the Beck’s discover moments of truth about the disaster and a potential cure, Remy is playing his attack to take their base, the race against time for human survival is on.

 

Thoughts on 10,000 Days

 

Characters – William Beck runs one of the clans in the frozen land, he has kept his people safe, always searching for the next way to survive, hopefully peacefully even against his enemy, he knew the world before the disaster and now he wants to return to it. Remy Farnwell leads the rival clan, living on the ice he fell out with the Beck’s wanting revenge for the betrayal as he sees it. He doesn’t mind killing people in the battle which he has made too personal. We do have a lot of characters in this film, William has three sons that all look exactly the same, we have the scientist figures which seems to be three different female characters, a pilot who failed to stop the comet who still lives with the nightmare. We get so many characters it truly is hard to keep up or invest in any of them.

Performances – The performances, well this is difficult because nearly all the actors and characters look the same, it is difficult to figure out who the lead is, nobody has any sort of emotional factor or strong moments to stand out.

Story – The story is the end of the world happened, we are now in an ice age which could be coming to an end, but two war driven clans want control of the best location. This sounds interesting enough, you would be wrong, we have moments of discovery, moments of war, though this just never knows which one is the most important. Sadly, this only ends feeling boring, we don’t get invested in the characters and for some reason the film kind of just ends with a massive cliff hanger.

Sci-Fi – The world has ended and now an ice-age has hit, well that is the sci-fi side of the film.

Settings – The film give us generic location which include ice area or cold looking warehouse.

Special Effects – The effects here are just terrible and look completely fake.


Scene of the Movie – The concept should work.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The Effects.

Final Thoughts – This is a poor sci-fi movie that just doesn’t become interesting at any point in the film.

 

Overall: Boring throughout.

https://moviesreview101.com/2019/05/28/10000-days-2014/
  
Leopard (2016)
Leopard (2016)
2016 |
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Beautiful, Twisted, Dark, Intense and Mesmerizing tale of Betrayal, Violence and Heart Breaking Brotherly Love..

Anyone who listens to ourleopard5-1 Podcast knows that while Chris and myself love the fanfare of the Huge Blockbuster Marvel/DC/Star Wars releases. Well nothing can quite compare to the
smaller Independent Films that you just know every second of screen time came straight from one persons passion to make a piece of Cinema that is all there’s. A movie that can display such mastery of there craft and hit you square in the heart (or balls) and make you feel something that… In my opinion Capes and Spandex just cant do.

Leopard is available On Demand this month from Osiris Entertainment.
Leopard is exactly that type of movie. A true passion piece that is driven by the wonderfully carefully calculated mind of its Writer/Director/Actor, BUT smashed out of the park by his outstanding team of Actors. Most revleopard6iews and articles I have read liken this movie to the wonderful Paris,Texas but I personally thought it had a feeling of Shane Meadows Dead Man Shoes.

Leopard tells the story of Jack (Eoin Macken. Merlin, NBCs Night Shift Also the Writer/Director) and his brother Tom (Tom Hopper. Merlin, Black Sails). Jack is returning to his home town in Ireland after a prolonged absence and it is clear from the outset he is not all that welcome. We find that his father has passed away and he is back for the reading of the Will along with his brother Tom who is not all there (Think Lenny from Mice and Men). There relationship is fairly strained and we spend the course of the movie figuring out what happened 5 years ago and where that has left the two brothers now. Throw in some Hostile locals, A left for Dead girl to become the point of Toms fixation and a creepy Strip Club, you have leopard.

Chris and I cannot speak highly enough of this movie it ticks all of our boxes when looking for something a little bit different. The Irish setting not only makes for a great backdrop but also becomes a character within itself. The score to this movie is often hopeful and optimistic but full of eerie dread at the same time, truly wonderful. Eoin and Tom bring a level of chemistry you would hope for after there time together on Merlin. However I am going to say it here and now Tom Hopper is a Brit star to watch out for he smashed this out of the park. There is also a damn fine supporting cast in Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction) Rebecca Night (Sky 1s The Starlings) and Helen Pearson (Mrs O from Hollyoaks).
  
Wojtek: War Hero Bear
Wojtek: War Hero Bear
Jenny Robertson | 2014 | Children, Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
More reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

Well, I think this book is classified as a children’s read, but I noticed, that you should have pretty good knowledge in history, in order to understand what is going on in here. I picked up this book after reading a Holocaust memoir, so it was a very nice continuation to my reading theme. 😀

When Piotr, a polish soldier, discovers an abandoned bear cub, he decides to take him along on his journey to Palestine. But he discovers, that after losing his family to the Soviet regimen, Piotr feels very lonely, and Wojtek’s presence comforts not only him but other soldiers as well. I really liked the characters in this book, I found them charming, warm and pleasant personalities. I really enjoyed that author used multiple perspectives in this novel, I really loved reading Wojtek’s parts, I found them cute and funny. I loved the parts, were author shared Piotr’s story with the readers. It is a very sad story involving concentration camps and betrayal, but these parts made the whole book more complex and more interesting for me. (as an adult with some knowledge of history…)

The narrative follows the army squad accompanied by Wojtek, through their journeys in the middle east, and is very fun to read. I have to agree, Wojtek is a very funny and smart bear, and I loved all his mishaps. The author has done a great research for this novel, however, sometimes it felt like reading a history book, filled with war terminology and facts. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the pictures, Tim Archbold did a great job on them. I am glad that every chapter had a picture, and I was curious to find out, which scene from that chapter he decided to illustrate. 🙂

The writing style of this book was pretty straightforward, and it was quite easy and enjoyable for me. The chapters were a decent length and the pictures helped to make it more entertaining and playful. I did enjoy the setting of this book, it changes continuously, bringing in different scenery and atmosphere. I think that the ending was very realistic and believable for this novel, but some aspects left me a little bit upset with Piotr. So, to conclude, It is a great read for children as well as adults, especially if your child is learning about WWII, I think it would widen up their knowledge and you would have great fun reading it as well. Win-win situation. 😀 This novel has amusing characters as well as lots of serious and fun moments, and I do recommend to give this book a try. Enjoy 🙂
  
The Sunbearer Trials
The Sunbearer Trials
Aiden Thomas | 2022 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is a five out of five stars. I loved it and it was hard to put down once the Trials started. The Golds who take part in the Trials are Ocelo, Marino, Twins: Auristela, Aurelio, Atzi, Xochi, Dezi and Niya. The Jades who takes part are Xio and our main character Teo Son of Quetzal. The Sunbearer Trials are trials that take place to decide who will be this decade's Sunbearer and who will be the one sacrificed in order to fuel the Sol Stone for the next ten years to keep the people safe from the Obsidians. The Obsidian God's were locked away when Sol sacrificed themselves to protect their people. If a sacrifice doesn't take place every ten years to refuel the stone they will be set free. The eight golds and two jades must compete in five Trials to see who Sol deems worthy enough of being Sunbearer and the one who is sacrificed to protect all others.

This boom had a lot of action which I loved and made it very interesting. I love books that are action packed. Some Trials were more interesting than the others. My favorite was probably the trial where Aurelio and Teo teamed up and won it. They were friends when little so it must have been nice being able to work together again. I also loved the animal one the animal that Teo collected was so cute. The trial they had to collect all the stones seems fun as well. The last one was pretty scary though especially Auristela's outburst at the end of it. By the end of the book I was crying. Teo, Nina and Xio were friends throughout the Trials but I always had a bad feeling about Xio. Something about him just seemed off. So I was surprised but not surprised by their betrayal at the end.

My least favorite character of the ten competitors was probably Ocelo. He just gives off bad vibes. It was Auristela at first to but I came to realize deep down she was just trying to protect her twin brother Aurelio and help him to become Sunbearer. She wanted this for him so their mom would deem him worthy and stop treating him so badly.

Outside the Trials my favorite scene was probably when Aurelio and Teo sneaked off the boat to get the candy to cheer up Niya. I loved when Aurelio touched Teo's wings it was cute. If you love books with God's, Goddesses, and their children I definitely recommend reading this. Also, I love the cover it fits the story perfectly.
  
TC
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
8
8.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Actual rating: 3.5. Rounded to 4.

I don’t really tend to read a lot of vampire books anymore, especially when they’ve been labeled young adult. Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is definitely an exception to that habit. I needed a break from flipping pages and wanted to get in a little bit of time gaming. When I saw The Coldest Girl in Coldtown available for an immediate audio book borrow from OverDrive, I decided to give it a shot. I’d heard of Holly Black, even if I hadn’t read any of her work.
 
Black’s novel takes vampirism and spreads it in the same manner that most post-apocalyptic novels spread the infectious diseases that create zombies. Vampires are romanticized, as they often are, especially in young adult books, and in this case, they no longer live in the shadows; rather, they have taken up residence in government organized areas known as Coldtowns. Those that have been infected with the vampire virus are also holed up within the walls of this cities, and there’s no shortage of food, because people are dying to get in.
 
Waking up after passing out at a party, the main character, a young woman named Tana, finds herself amidst a massacre: people she knows have been slaughtered by vampires. The only survivors are her, an ex-boyfriend, and a strange boy. Her ex is infected, and the boy is a vampire. Deciding to turn him in for a bounty, and worried that her ex will become a vampire himself, the trio travel to Coldtown. It isn’t long before Tana finds herself caught up in what could loosely be described as vampire politics. Amongst betrayal, she must persevere in order to guarantee her own survival.
 
The majority of the story is told from Tana’s perspective, with a few chapters written in Gavriel, the vampire’s, and another one, maybe two, from her younger sister’s, Pearl’s, point-of-view. These changes exist solely to expound on certain events that have led the characters to where they are, such as Gavriel’s past — which is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts of the book. Each chapter also begins with an excerpt, usually from a poem that deals with death, the undead, or vampires.
 
Voices make a huge impact on listening to audio books, especially for me. If I can’t stand the voice, I will not finish the book more than likely. In the case of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the narrator, Christine Lakin, is absolutely amazing. Her voice is pleasant to listen to, and there is a clear difference between the way each of the characters speak.
 
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown isn’t among my favorite reads, perhaps because I prefer the more traditional approaches to vampires, but it is, undoubtedly, an fun journey. If you like your vampires a bit on the softer side of the spectrum, this one is definitely worth picking up.
  
Amberlough
Amberlough
Lara Elena Donnelly | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rich setting, memorable characters
This was the type of book that when I finished it, I had to lie back down and just stare at the ceiling. It was mind blowing. There are layers of intrigue and you don’t watch it unfold, in fact it’s the opposite, you watch it form and develop as the story progresses.

The setting in this one is one of a lot of political instability. It’s explained in the earlier parts of the book. It’s a bit difficult to follow (notes may help some readers) perhaps a character list would help in this case to keep everything straight. A glossary would have helped as well as the characters have their own slang - most of it straight forward but it would help nevertheless. That being said despite these little shortcomings, the world is rich and detailed. Amberlough is decadent and has remnants of Weimar Berlin. Now I did say previously it’s hard to follow because of the slang, but it’s precisely because of this slang that makes the world more detailed and fun to read.

The pace of the plot is slow and steady as it sets up the stage for what would follow after. It is essentially, a spy novel, so it quickly leads to a lot of double dealing, moments of backstabbing and betrayal. There are only three characters that you really need to focus on as the supporting ones just add to the flavor of the novel. Of the three that are central to the plot, one must love Aristide.

With a name like Aristide Makicosta you know he’s going to be a character to remember. He’s flamboyant, street smart and clever. Despite the world burning around him he always manages to do everything in style. It’s hard not to fall for his charms and so you would understand Cyril’s love for him. I still don’t know what to think about Cyril. He was doing the job and had to. It came at a great cost but he had no choice and he had to think for himself (although I know there seems to be a lot of hate for him).

I love Cordelia. She’s got sass, she’s just as street smart and a survivor. Her character development is on point in this book. Yes she may be just a ‘dancer’ but she soon develops into someone with a cause to defend the city she loves. Despite the horrors she goes through in the latter half of the novel, she doesn’t let it break her. It’s admirable and she’s likable not only because of her catchy personality but also because of her unstoppable strength.

That ENDING THOUGH. I felt my eyes grow wide each time I turned the pages throughout the last third of the novel. This was why I had to sit back and just absorb everything I’ve read when I finished this one. It was that good.

Greatly recommended if you like intrigue, a decadent setting, and memorable characters. I absolutely enjoyed this book.
  
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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Midday in Books

Jun 6, 2019  
Midday
Midday
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
^^ Okay, so imagine the scene. Gay couple, Vincent and Ryan are living in a beautiful penthouse – a dream home only the rich can afford. Vince has a great job at a bank, with much responsibility; it’s how he can afford the place they live, and how Ryan gets to be a ‘kept man’, whilst he works from home writing his future bestseller. What a perfect life, eh?

^^ Nope. In reality they’ve a strained love, hate relationship. Ryan is high on drugs most of the time and not getting his bestseller written at all. And Vince, well, he’s just been accosted by a man called Darragh, who demands that he withdraw eight million Euros (2 from each bank he is in charge of) and deliver it back to him at the Penthouse, by midday – or he shoots Ryan dead! It’s far from the perfect life we are first lead to believe.

^^ What a fabulous read! There are several parts to this book which made this so much more than just a ‘grab the cash and save my boyfriend from dying’ story. Yes, that is the main theme, but the way it was written took the story much deeper and darker then I ever expected.

^^ The story is told from four different perspectives, Vince, Ryan, Darragh and Jack. We watch how Vince has the pressure to get the money to save his boyfriend. We hear about Ryan and what he really gets up to, and how he is being kept hostage in his own penthouse by Darragh fearing his possible death in only a few hours – if Vince doesn’t make it back in time. We also hear the thoughts and ideals of both the baddies, and they all have something worthwhile to bring to the story, which is why I think I enjoyed this read so much. At least a huge part of why!

^^ I did have one small gripe – the flashbacks – once I got used to this author’s style, I adjusted the way I read it. But I would’ve preferred perhaps a paragraph break, so I didn’t just get thrown out of the story at times this happened. Admittedly, some transitions were better than others.

^^ Despite this, I did find this a terrific read in other areas, and have to mention (in my usual semi-cryptic way, as to not give away spoilers) how I loved fearing for Ryan’s safety at the beginning, and then as I raced through the book, I changed my view of him and wanted him dead myself! Cleverly done, David B. Lyons!

^^ The use of wannabe gangster and rookie murderer Darragh was also very well woven into the story, as was the mysterious Jack.

Overall:

Midday: A tense, fast read, filled with dark secrets, betrayal, and an ending so twisted I didn’t see it rounding the corner until it was on top of me! NICE!