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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Loki - Season 1 in TV
Jul 15, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
As another chapter within the MCU, Loki is a triumph. It manages to be a driving vehicle for Loki himself, boasting fantastic special effects, fun action scenes, that signature blend of drama and comedy. But beyond that, it's a wonderful character piece. Tom Hiddleston has been wonderfully cast as the titular anti-hero from the moment he first appeared in Thor. Since then, Loki has gone through a whole heap of double crossing, dying (multiple times), heroics, villainy, and everything in between. This series finds him a purpose and a place, and that place is Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). Her role as a Loki variant makes their relationship both narcissistic and weirdly kind of sweet. Being the God of Mischief means that Loki is neither trusting, or trustworthy, but with Sylvie, all of his defences drop, and he's vulnerable. It's very well realised, and the chemistry between the two leads elevates the show tremendously. Owen Wilson is great as well, as is the the supporting cast, especially Wunmi Mosaku and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
As a deep dive into comic lore, Loki really excels. The TVA is quite a stretch as it is, but this series is brimming with deep cuts. Alioth, Miss Minutes, Throg (!), The mother-fucking Thanoscopter (officially MCU canon, fight me) and of course, the jump off point for the multiverse. The Loki variants we see in episode 5 (including a show stealing turn from Richard E. Grant) combined with the introduction of Alioth makes for one of the most entertaining episodes of anything I've ever watched. Throw in the various teases for Kang the Conqueror and it's a comic fans dream.
The series finale is wonderful. The appearance of Immortus/He Who Remains, and the very well done set up for Kang's inevitable arrival is perfect, and I can't wait to see more of Jonathan Majors going forward.
Overall, Loki really steps off the beaten path, even more so than Wandavision. It's full of fantastic character moments, great writing, and ultimately delivers another fantastic entry into this new phase for Marvel Studios, and as it stands, is my personal favourite of the Disney+ shows so far.
As a deep dive into comic lore, Loki really excels. The TVA is quite a stretch as it is, but this series is brimming with deep cuts. Alioth, Miss Minutes, Throg (!), The mother-fucking Thanoscopter (officially MCU canon, fight me) and of course, the jump off point for the multiverse. The Loki variants we see in episode 5 (including a show stealing turn from Richard E. Grant) combined with the introduction of Alioth makes for one of the most entertaining episodes of anything I've ever watched. Throw in the various teases for Kang the Conqueror and it's a comic fans dream.
The series finale is wonderful. The appearance of Immortus/He Who Remains, and the very well done set up for Kang's inevitable arrival is perfect, and I can't wait to see more of Jonathan Majors going forward.
Overall, Loki really steps off the beaten path, even more so than Wandavision. It's full of fantastic character moments, great writing, and ultimately delivers another fantastic entry into this new phase for Marvel Studios, and as it stands, is my personal favourite of the Disney+ shows so far.

tonidavis (353 KP) rated Brave: A Wicked Trilogy Volume 3 in Books
Dec 13, 2017
everything about this book is excellent (3 more)
Tink and his trolls
Tink and his amazon Prime Obsession
Fabian
Never fails to suprise
have been a long time fan of Jennifer work and this book is not exception.
Tink is once again the exuberant delight that provides both the comic relief need when things get hard and the loving emotional stable one when needed .
Ivy and Ren are a great couple with everything they faced last book this book sees there relationship tested more than ever and after so much heartache and turbulence already faced only a writer as good as Jennifer can capture how to develop their relationship so completely.
Fabian is a great character for a new character to come in and have such an impact in the final book of a series is rare of course to have a firepower of a once thought extint summer prince what do you expect from the brilliance of Jennifer.
As this is the final book of the series expect the big battle and lot of twist and turns once again.
Tink is once again the exuberant delight that provides both the comic relief need when things get hard and the loving emotional stable one when needed .
Ivy and Ren are a great couple with everything they faced last book this book sees there relationship tested more than ever and after so much heartache and turbulence already faced only a writer as good as Jennifer can capture how to develop their relationship so completely.
Fabian is a great character for a new character to come in and have such an impact in the final book of a series is rare of course to have a firepower of a once thought extint summer prince what do you expect from the brilliance of Jennifer.
As this is the final book of the series expect the big battle and lot of twist and turns once again.

Matthew (7 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Jan 10, 2018
A strong move in the right direction
A brighter and more humorous movie (compared to B v S which I also enjoyed) For me it did the job of putting a smile on my face throughout most of the movie. I still wish Green Lantern was properly in the mix but I know the Green Lantern Corps movie is upcoming. I've waited for this movie to be made since I was a kid and while it's a long way from perfect, it's fun to watch and watching Batman interactions with heroes new to the screen was always going to be exciting for me
The CGI was pretty poor in places and the story workman like,but like I said before I had a smile on my face a lot of the time. To me it was a good movie,just wish I could be writing that it was great. Hopefully we will still get to see the hero's in a movie truly worthy of their comic book counterparts
The CGI was pretty poor in places and the story workman like,but like I said before I had a smile on my face a lot of the time. To me it was a good movie,just wish I could be writing that it was great. Hopefully we will still get to see the hero's in a movie truly worthy of their comic book counterparts

Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Dark Works (the Lamp Series, Book 2) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I received this book as a member giveaway through LibraryThing for an honest review.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.

Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Society of Light (the Lamp Series, Book 3) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I received this book as a member giveaway through LibraryThing for an honest review.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.

Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Falling Embers (the Lamp Series, Book 4) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I received this book as a member giveaway through LibraryThing for an honest review.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.
I was amazed by the characters in this series. They were so real but also had a uniqueness to them. [Jason Cunningham] did a magnificent job of taking you into the struggle between good and evil and showing you the shades of grey most of us get caught up in. [The Lamp Series Omnibus] as the name suggests is four complete novels that follow Violet, Levi, Jenny and Micah as they try to come to terms with what is right and wrong. Also they must decide how best to protect those they love.
As a comic book fan and someone who loves to read about struggles of conscience this series kept me coming back for more. I was vaguely reminded of [The Stand] except this was focused on one city.It is never made clear if it goes beyond. They mystery involved also keeps you on your seat.
[Cunningham] has written a must read for fans of many types of genres.

Dreddknight (28 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Jul 27, 2017
Wasn't Man of Steel (3 more)
Wasn't Batman v Superman
Didn't get heavy handed with iffy subject matter
Diana beating wholesale @$$
Villain obvious from the start (1 more)
Above villain fight could've been better
Hey look! It's the ONLY reason that the DCCU still has a pulse!
She didn't murder thousands of people. She didn't do billions of dollars in property damage. She didn't try and murder another hero so because.
It's Wonder Woman! As in, it's a wonder that WB took THIS long to make a movie about one of DC's Trinity. And she was portrayed flawlessly. The only reason this didn't get 10/10 was the way the main villain paid off, which isn't great. Gal Gadot needs an Oscar. Also, there was no super feminism or lack of feminism; it was addressed and then back to the story. LIKE IT SHOULD BE WITH ALL COMIC MOVIES. We aren't paying $10+ a ticket to see a movie about political views! We came to see heroes be heroes! Good on you, WB. Now let's not have Aquaman suck...
It's Wonder Woman! As in, it's a wonder that WB took THIS long to make a movie about one of DC's Trinity. And she was portrayed flawlessly. The only reason this didn't get 10/10 was the way the main villain paid off, which isn't great. Gal Gadot needs an Oscar. Also, there was no super feminism or lack of feminism; it was addressed and then back to the story. LIKE IT SHOULD BE WITH ALL COMIC MOVIES. We aren't paying $10+ a ticket to see a movie about political views! We came to see heroes be heroes! Good on you, WB. Now let's not have Aquaman suck...

RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019 (Updated Feb 19, 2019)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well, unfortunately, Jane did survive the last one…
…and by now, this Tarzan series has become a simplistic, cynical cash cow. Delivering yet another formulaic adventure, almost beat for beat what has come before, we now find that Cheeta, the never aging chimp, has become the star of the show. No longer just a bit of comic relief, entire scenes are handed over to her and “Boy”, Tarzan and Jane’s adopted son, in favour of appealing to the child market no doubt.
This has become unabashed family entertainment, no longer speaking to its audience as it once did. No longer discussing the differences of a simple life versus a civilized one, nor tackling the constraints of civilization on things such a sexuality or freedom of expression.
Her the jungle is funny and safe, only threatened by primitive tribes and greedy westerners, all of whom will be stopped by Tarzan and his Elephants in the end. Though the action is good and the finale it one of the best so far, so cynical or not, it still works.
…and by now, this Tarzan series has become a simplistic, cynical cash cow. Delivering yet another formulaic adventure, almost beat for beat what has come before, we now find that Cheeta, the never aging chimp, has become the star of the show. No longer just a bit of comic relief, entire scenes are handed over to her and “Boy”, Tarzan and Jane’s adopted son, in favour of appealing to the child market no doubt.
This has become unabashed family entertainment, no longer speaking to its audience as it once did. No longer discussing the differences of a simple life versus a civilized one, nor tackling the constraints of civilization on things such a sexuality or freedom of expression.
Her the jungle is funny and safe, only threatened by primitive tribes and greedy westerners, all of whom will be stopped by Tarzan and his Elephants in the end. Though the action is good and the finale it one of the best so far, so cynical or not, it still works.

RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Transformers (2007) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019
It came as a complete shock to me that I LOVED this movie! Granted, I would consider myself to be a Michael Bay fan, but certainly not a Transformers fan. Yes, I played with toys as a kid and the concept is good, but I never really bought into the TV shoes etc… But there’s very little wrong with this film.
Great script, dialogue, action, music and pacing. I now some may scoff at my great dialogue line, but the core to this films’ success is the fact that it knows exactly what it is. It’s an action blockbuster about living alien robots that transform in to various vehicles … How seriously can you take this concept??? But it manages to take it seriously enough to draw in the audience and keep our attention for almost 2 and half hours.
My only two quibbles with this movie are Jon Voight, always a problem in my opinion, and that Australian chick and the fat black guy. The most irritating comic relief ever…? Possibly…
Great script, dialogue, action, music and pacing. I now some may scoff at my great dialogue line, but the core to this films’ success is the fact that it knows exactly what it is. It’s an action blockbuster about living alien robots that transform in to various vehicles … How seriously can you take this concept??? But it manages to take it seriously enough to draw in the audience and keep our attention for almost 2 and half hours.
My only two quibbles with this movie are Jon Voight, always a problem in my opinion, and that Australian chick and the fat black guy. The most irritating comic relief ever…? Possibly…

Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Above the Timberline in Books
May 22, 2019
I'm calling this a graphic novel because that's really what it is - it's not a comic, though. Each spread of pages is a mixture of text and oil painting - sometimes just a painting.
If it was just the text, it would be a very lackluster book. There are aspects of the story that are unexplained, and aspects that are explained only by the accompanying paintings. It's really the paintings that make this book unique. It's almost like - an adult picture book, I suppose. It actually reads more like someone found the series of paintings and constructed a story to support what they imagined was happening in the pictures.
Regardless, it's a unique experience. Manchess is a remarkable artist. The paintings are gorgeous, and the book does that thing where the text and art play around each other on the page, creating unique formatting that helps tell the story on its own, like when a full two-page spread of a painting has two lines of text to emphasize them.
Fascinating, beautiful book.
If it was just the text, it would be a very lackluster book. There are aspects of the story that are unexplained, and aspects that are explained only by the accompanying paintings. It's really the paintings that make this book unique. It's almost like - an adult picture book, I suppose. It actually reads more like someone found the series of paintings and constructed a story to support what they imagined was happening in the pictures.
Regardless, it's a unique experience. Manchess is a remarkable artist. The paintings are gorgeous, and the book does that thing where the text and art play around each other on the page, creating unique formatting that helps tell the story on its own, like when a full two-page spread of a painting has two lines of text to emphasize them.
Fascinating, beautiful book.