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Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Book
'This is a picture book, and its first purpose is to provide the material for simple delectation',...
SI
Streampunks: Inside Youtube and the New Rebels Remaking Media
Book
The rules of entertainment have changed. Last year, the vlogger PewDiePie made more money from his...
The Astounding Illustrated History of Science Fiction
Dave Golder, Jess Nevins, Russ Thorne and Sarah Dobbs
Book
A truly astonishing, illustrated history of Science fiction, covering fantasy, and horror, with...
All in This Together: My Five Years Stalking Dave and Nick
Book
In this uproarious collection, Ann Treneman, the caustic and witty parliamentary sketch-writer for...
Mekhi Phifer recommended Aliens (1986) in Movies (curated)
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Wait for You (Wait for You, #1) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this book!
It tell the story of 19 year old Avery who had moved across America to attend college after an incident at home that she wanted to get away from. On her first day she meets Cameron Hamilton after literally bumping into him on her first day of class–someone everyone knows and likes and who every girl wants to get with. They live in the same building and quickly become friends with a running joke of Cam asking her out at least once a day.
The interaction between all the characters made me laugh or at least smile. They’re always joking around with each other and it’s a lot less serious than some of the other NA books I’ve read. That doesn’t make it bad, for me it makes it better.
That’s not to say it doesn’t deal with some issues. This one deals with abuse–though I’m not going to tell you who or what happened as that may spoil the surprise when you read it. Which you definitely should! Also some anger issues, though nothing major.
I highly recommend you read this. It comes from a great author and is a highly entertaining read.
It tell the story of 19 year old Avery who had moved across America to attend college after an incident at home that she wanted to get away from. On her first day she meets Cameron Hamilton after literally bumping into him on her first day of class–someone everyone knows and likes and who every girl wants to get with. They live in the same building and quickly become friends with a running joke of Cam asking her out at least once a day.
The interaction between all the characters made me laugh or at least smile. They’re always joking around with each other and it’s a lot less serious than some of the other NA books I’ve read. That doesn’t make it bad, for me it makes it better.
That’s not to say it doesn’t deal with some issues. This one deals with abuse–though I’m not going to tell you who or what happened as that may spoil the surprise when you read it. Which you definitely should! Also some anger issues, though nothing major.
I highly recommend you read this. It comes from a great author and is a highly entertaining read.
Jerry Cantrell recommended Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin in Music (curated)
Black Sails
7.2
Rate It
TV Show Watch
A prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island," "Black Sails" is a pirate...
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Shifter Woods: Claw (Esposito County Shifters #4) in Books
Apr 26, 2023
SHIFTER WOODS: CLAW is the fourth book in the Esposito County Shifters series, and this time we have a wolf shifter/human who has never shifted, and the Alpha of the Esposito Wolf Pack. Matt recognises Angela, or at least, she reminds him of someone but can't think of from when. As for Angela, she's just too busy trying to stay out of Bryce's abusive clutches.
Their relationship moves a little slowly as they both learn about each other, including just who Angela is. Once they get it on though, the steam is most definitely there!
Along with Bryce, you also get the ambitious she-wolf who wants the Alpha for herself. Angela deals with that with aplomb, as well as finding long-lost family and settling in with the Pack.
I enjoyed this story and feel like it is a coffee-break book. Anything by Nicola Cameron is guaranteed to be a good read and this is no exception. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 26, 2023
Their relationship moves a little slowly as they both learn about each other, including just who Angela is. Once they get it on though, the steam is most definitely there!
Along with Bryce, you also get the ambitious she-wolf who wants the Alpha for herself. Angela deals with that with aplomb, as well as finding long-lost family and settling in with the Pack.
I enjoyed this story and feel like it is a coffee-break book. Anything by Nicola Cameron is guaranteed to be a good read and this is no exception. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 26, 2023
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
A visual spectacle
It’s always a worry when a production company feels the need to force feed you the fact that a big-name is in a relatively minor role. In the case of Alita: Battle Angel, 20th Century Fox have been hammering home the fact that James Cameron is involved in a Producer capacity.
You have to feel a little sorry for director Robert Rodriguez as his name has been almost usurped by Cameron’s in the marketing push for this live-action adaptation of the classic manga. Of course, Cameron is too busy making the four Avatar sequels no-one actually cares about anymore and instead, entrusted his vision for Alita: Battle Angel to Rodriguez. He’s certainly an intriguing choice of director, but does the finished product work?
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.
After spending nearly $200million on Alita, Fox clearly think they’ve got another massive hit on their hands and to an extent, they deserve one. Battle Angel is a majestic film, filled with visual presence not dissimilar to the spectacle of watching Avatar for the first time in 2009. The bustling world of Iron City feels as if it’s living and breathing right before our eyes and that’s a testament to both Cameron and Rodriguez as well as the visual effects people down at Weta Digital.
This thriving metropolis is populated by practical and CGI effects of varying qualities, but as a movie world, it works much better than Wakanda did in Black Panther and is leagues ahead of the empty, soulless Asgard from Thor.
It is reminiscent of Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok however, with its narrow streets and market stalls. The difference here is that Iron City is a much darker, eerier place than Sakarr ever was, save for Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster towering above everything.
The casting is also very good and features some household names that were clearly intrigued by the project. Waltz is excellent as the compassionate Ido and Jennifer Connelly works well as his ex-wife, though she is underused throughout.
Alita: Battle Angel is a pleasant surprise from a director who has needed a hit for quite some time.
Ed Skrein turns up every now and then as Zapan, a cyborg bounty hunter and provides some light comic relief in a film that has more than its fair share of darker moments. TV actor Keann Johnson makes his big-budget film debut here and he is excellent as Hugo, Alita’s love interest.
Unfortunately, the initial optimism fades somewhat when you realise that Alita: Battle Angel struggles under the weight of its own script. Plot points in the first 45 minutes feel ridiculously rushed and then the film hurtles towards its climax without stopping for breath.
You get the feeling there was much more that had to be cut to trim the runtime down to a more family friendly 2 hours. The dialogue too isn’t a strong point. Overly expositional and riddled in cliché, Alita is not a film you watch because of its sparkling and witty one-liners.
Niggles aside though and Alita: Battle Angel is much better than I thought it was going to be. The plot, while unoriginal, is sweet and easy enough to swallow, making it a great family film. True, it has its darker moments, but the strong visuals and vibrant environment will make it enjoyable for older children and adults alike.
Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is a pleasant surprise from a director who has needed a hit for quite some time. It’s a flawed film that struggles to cope with its many ideas that continuously pull it in hundreds of different directions, but it’s worth a watch just for the visual spectacle and emotionally arresting story. Whether or not it recoups that colossal $200million budget remains to be seen.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/02/09/alita-battle-angel-review-a-visual-spectacle/
You have to feel a little sorry for director Robert Rodriguez as his name has been almost usurped by Cameron’s in the marketing push for this live-action adaptation of the classic manga. Of course, Cameron is too busy making the four Avatar sequels no-one actually cares about anymore and instead, entrusted his vision for Alita: Battle Angel to Rodriguez. He’s certainly an intriguing choice of director, but does the finished product work?
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.
After spending nearly $200million on Alita, Fox clearly think they’ve got another massive hit on their hands and to an extent, they deserve one. Battle Angel is a majestic film, filled with visual presence not dissimilar to the spectacle of watching Avatar for the first time in 2009. The bustling world of Iron City feels as if it’s living and breathing right before our eyes and that’s a testament to both Cameron and Rodriguez as well as the visual effects people down at Weta Digital.
This thriving metropolis is populated by practical and CGI effects of varying qualities, but as a movie world, it works much better than Wakanda did in Black Panther and is leagues ahead of the empty, soulless Asgard from Thor.
It is reminiscent of Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok however, with its narrow streets and market stalls. The difference here is that Iron City is a much darker, eerier place than Sakarr ever was, save for Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster towering above everything.
The casting is also very good and features some household names that were clearly intrigued by the project. Waltz is excellent as the compassionate Ido and Jennifer Connelly works well as his ex-wife, though she is underused throughout.
Alita: Battle Angel is a pleasant surprise from a director who has needed a hit for quite some time.
Ed Skrein turns up every now and then as Zapan, a cyborg bounty hunter and provides some light comic relief in a film that has more than its fair share of darker moments. TV actor Keann Johnson makes his big-budget film debut here and he is excellent as Hugo, Alita’s love interest.
Unfortunately, the initial optimism fades somewhat when you realise that Alita: Battle Angel struggles under the weight of its own script. Plot points in the first 45 minutes feel ridiculously rushed and then the film hurtles towards its climax without stopping for breath.
You get the feeling there was much more that had to be cut to trim the runtime down to a more family friendly 2 hours. The dialogue too isn’t a strong point. Overly expositional and riddled in cliché, Alita is not a film you watch because of its sparkling and witty one-liners.
Niggles aside though and Alita: Battle Angel is much better than I thought it was going to be. The plot, while unoriginal, is sweet and easy enough to swallow, making it a great family film. True, it has its darker moments, but the strong visuals and vibrant environment will make it enjoyable for older children and adults alike.
Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is a pleasant surprise from a director who has needed a hit for quite some time. It’s a flawed film that struggles to cope with its many ideas that continuously pull it in hundreds of different directions, but it’s worth a watch just for the visual spectacle and emotionally arresting story. Whether or not it recoups that colossal $200million budget remains to be seen.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/02/09/alita-battle-angel-review-a-visual-spectacle/