Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat
Book
"Viper Pilot" is the high-octane memoir of one of America's elite aviators: a twenty-year...
Soldier Against The Odds: From Korean War to SAS
Book
Lofty Large is, quite simply, an SAS legend. He joined the army aged 15 in February 1946 and soon...
A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War
Book
One man Steve Jobs outspokenly admired was Edwin Land, the creator of Polaroid's instant...
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Jun 23, 2018 (Updated Jun 23, 2018)
I can't believe how well this movie did at the box office compared to the actual quality of the film. You'll never say a MCU doesn't look beautiful, have gorgeous sets, costumes and good casting, but that is just not enough these days.
Being completely unfamiliar with the Black Panther comics I was going in cold, but it seemed like some of the characters just weren't that interesting or had any place to go. There were extended periods within the film where not much happens and I felt bored. Some of the CGI was also sketchy at best.
I have been on record being not the biggest MCU fan in general and if this is the highest grossing of all of them, that just isn't right.
I guess I should watch Infinity War now.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Written in the 80s but set in the near-future, this sees Bruce Wayne return to his role as the vigilante 10 years after unspecified events that saw him hang up his cape. His return, however, also sees the return of some old foes, alongside that of some new.
While - as it was written in the 80s - some of the subject matter is now out of date (most noticeably, the Cold War between America and the USSR), this still holds up surprisingly well. I also have to say that, with some crowded art panels, language and the violence throughout, this is also not one for the kiddies!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Midwich Cuckoos in Books
Nov 20, 2019
While one of his best known works, I wouldn't personally rank this as highly as say The Day Of The Triffids or The Kraken Wakes. Whereas I would recommend those to anyone, and as stories that mostly still stand up today, The Midwich Cuckoos plays a lot on themes such as Cold War paranoia to achieve much of its effect, and that has obviously diluted over the years.
It's still a good read and full of the usual Wyndham sense of humanity that grounds even the most far fetched of his stories. Perhaps not quite recommended, but worth picking up one day. It just hasn't stuck in my mind like other works, probably not a good sign for something designed to be thought provoking.
The Reaper
Gary Brozek and Nicholas Irving
Book
In the bestselling tradition of American Sniper and Shooter, Irving shares the true story of his...
US Infantryman vs German Infantryman: European Theater of Operations 1944
Book
The Allied airborne and amphibious landings on D-Day opened up the long-awaited Second Front against...
Portsmouth Dockyard Through Time
Book
Portsmouth Dockyard has a long and distinguished history. Functioning in a naval capacity since...
The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention
Book
The post-Cold War period has witnessed a substantial increase in armed humanitarian...