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Leaving Neverland (2019)
Leaving Neverland (2019)
2019 | Documentary
Haunting
I’ll start by saying that I’ve never really been an MJ fan. Yes I like some of his music, but that’s about it and I have always wondered whether there wasn’t something a bit off about him. Similar to the likes of Jimmy Saville - MJ definitely had a weird creepy air about him. This documentary for me only helped reinforce what I’d already suspected, and it’s a harrowing thing to watch. These are stark, no holds barred accounts of abuse that these two men suffered as children to the point where nothing is held back. These accounts are very explicit, and for me this just made them seem more real and accurate. And the fact that it also digs into how this affected all of their family members too makes it even more haunting - it doesn’t just focus on the men as individuals but their relatives too. This definitely isn’t a documentary for the faint hearted although I did think that the 4 hour run time is a little too long.

Yes this is a one sided documentary, but for me it doesn’t make it any less believable. And strangely what I found most disturbing about this is the reaction of the MJ super fans to Wade. How these people can say such horrific things about another human being, just because they don’t like what’s being said about their idol, is truly disgusting. What saddens me though is that these people will have the same reaction to this documentary.
  
Fighting for All (Soul Match #5)
Fighting for All (Soul Match #5)
Morticia Knight | 2018 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
a fitting end!
This is book 5 in the series and you really should read the other four before this one. You will need what everyone has been through to get to this point. And because I said so?

Chris, Lasar and Nary arrive at the air base the rebellion is camped out at, with the Nall and his forces hot on his heels. Can they overcome the Nall and more importantly, the Void? The fate of the human race AND Alasharian people depend on it!

It's always sad to see the end of a series, particularly one I've enjoyed so much, but Ms Knight pulls a blinder with this one!!

All three triads have their time, both sexy and fighting the Void. Lasar suffers a terrible loss. Morgan and Rama are gravely injured. The Sha Sha Ar actually turns up for real too! And Chris fully embraces his destiny. I loved that there were some male/female pairings beginning here too, and that they were unexpected. I loved that the Sha Sha Ar changed the rules, so that not only Chris embraces his destiny, but Lasar and Nary too.

While it's obvious what the outcome of the battle is, it's HOW it's won that would be spoilers, and what the participants to to overcome the pull of the Void.

I can't say much else, or that would be spoilers, but know that love really does make the world go round, no matter what!!

Fabulous finale, thank you Ms Knight!!

5 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere*
  
A Cut for a Cut (Detective Kate Young #2)
A Cut for a Cut (Detective Kate Young #2)
Carol Wyer | 2021 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Detective Kate Young is back in the second installment of Carol Wyer's Detective Kate Young series, A Cut for a Cut. To give a fair review, I read the first book in the series, An Eye for an Eye. Some books in a series can stand alone. With this one, you would benefit from reading the first book.

I am a fan of Wyer's two police procedural series, her DI Robyn Carter series and the Detective Natalie Ward series, and was excited about a new series.

Young is a damaged but determined detective who works with a small team. She is struggling to come to terms with her husband's murder, and her team begins to notice she is not on the top of her game when they are tasked with finding who is sexually assaulting then killing young women. The investigation hits home when one of the victims is a woman the team all know through work. All through this, Kate continues an unsanctioned investigation started in the first book.
 
Let me just say, if you are a fan of British police procedural and strong women characters, then this or either of Wyer's other two series are ones to read.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.
  
Undead (2003)
Undead (2003)
2003 | Horror
7
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I watched a Top 30 zombie movies video on YouTube and this film was on it. I have never heard of it before then and given that it was a micro budget film from Australia that was big on the festival circuit in 2003, probably not surprising it had passed me by.
First up, if you want a serious zombie film like 28 Days or Romero's Dead films look elsewhere, you won't enjoy this. If however you don't mind some slapstick gore and tounge firmly in rotted cheek humour and like early Peter Jackson splatter horror Braindead this is for you.
In a quaint Aussie fishing village meteorites fall from the sky and before you can say this looks familiar the townsfolk are turned to the ravenous undead.
Yes the acting is hammy, the dialogue at times is weird but this film is at its heart, fun. Blood, gore and brains soak the screen as things break down. Also, what is in the rain?
Characters are a bit stereotypically but I feel the ending is the most satisfying ending to a zombie film ever. Yes it looks on paper like an idea that shouldn't work but somehow it does.
Good debut from the Spierig brothers made for $2 million Aussie dollars and effects done on a laptop. It's better then some big studio zombie flicks.
Lot of negative reviews of this on IMDb, I don't understand why it's by no means perfect but it's a lot of fun with a great early Peter Jackson vibe.
  
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Harrison Ford (2 more)
It makes kids laugh
Enough subtle humour for adults
Some of the best bits have been in the ads (0 more)
More animated antic, good for kids, not amazing
So The Secret Life of Pets was a decent animated movie, with lead voicing being done by Patton Oswalt, while not really requiring a sequel it got one and its really okay, the plots on animated films can not be difficult given the young audience, so adults may find this kind of obvious what will happened from start to end.

The voice talents of Harrison Ford do add to the film, and being honest, is the reason I gave a 6 instead of a 5. The marketing for the film has been quite heavy in recent weeks and was prominent at MCM Comic-Con over the launch weekend.

It is fair to say the film succeeds in its goal, it makes the little humans laugh, and really that is what you want.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Shining in Books

Mar 7, 2018 (Updated Mar 7, 2018)  
The Shining
The Shining
Stephen King | 1977 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
9
8.5 (66 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another King masterpiece
I'm ashamed to say that I've only just read The Shining for the first time, and I'm regretting taking so long to get around to it.

It's a brilliant and creepy supernatural tale, with great characters and development. It works well by switching between the viewpoints of each of the 4 main characters, and the transformation and depth of Jack especially is very well written. The plot itself is very interesting without verging on the side of bizarre (which a lot of supernatural/horror stories tend to do).

I've read King really hates the Kubrick film adaptation and now having read the book, i can see why. The film is almost a bare bones version of the book with barely a passing resemblance to the original story. Character development and depth is so prevalent in this book yet majorly lacking in the film.

If you like the film, read the book to see how it's really meant to be done.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (1991) in Movies

Feb 12, 2018 (Updated Feb 12, 2018)  
Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (1991)
1991 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
One last spin around the Alpha Quadrant for the original crew before they're dispatched to the Starfleet equivalent of a retirement home: the Klingon version of Chernobyl blows up, forcing the bumpy-headed ones to enter peace talks with the Federation; Klingon Gorbachev gets offed and Kirk and McCoy are framed for the murder.

As you can probably tell I've always felt this particular Trek movie to be rather over-rated; it deals with issues of racism and xenophobia but never goes dark enough to properly do them justice. Dramatically it would have been much more interesting if one of the regular characters had turned out to be a traitor, but the Trekkies would have gone berserk (to say nothing of the actor, I expect). Ambles along pleasantly enough, in the end: the studio's insistence on including as many jokes as possible continues to plague the series, and the political allegories are simplistic. Christopher Plummer has fun chewing the scenery as a Shakespeare-loving Klingon warrior.
  
Star Wars, Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes
Star Wars, Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes
Jason Aaron, John Cassaday | 2015 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Flagship entry in Marvel's take-over of the Star Wars comics, this is set between the events of 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' and, I have to say, is also a pretty enjoyable read!

It probably helps, of course, that the opening panels start with the iconic crawl, before moving to an expanse of space, with a spaceship then passing overhead - as close, in short, as you can get to the opening of the films in comic form! It also helps that all the main character - Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 all make a return, all looking pretty much as they did on the screen back then

OK, it's not perfect, with the reveal of Han's secret past (in particular) for me falling a bit flat, and with the story losing it's pace after the somewhat spectacular early pyrotechnics, but if this is anything to go on? We're in good hands.
  
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