Search
Search results
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated American Vampire, Vol. 6 in Books
Jul 21, 2019 (Updated Jul 21, 2019)
Not all the art works (for me) (1 more)
Adult content.... but if you made it this far in the series, that's not a surprise
Filler Anthology, but still fun...
Note: this review is transposted from my personal review blog, and so was originally written several years ago.
So, it has come to this. The sixth and latest collection of American Vampire comics. Now it’s not just my library’s slow acquisition policies holding me back, but the fact that there haven’t been any more published yet! Apparently the creators put the book on hiatus for a while, but they’ve at least started publishing again. I just have to wait for it to hit the collections….This particular collection is a couple of one-shots they put out in the meantime to keep our appetites whetted–one from the main American Vampire team, one with them letting a whole bunch of other comics creators play in their sandbox. Obviously, this review could spoil events from the previous collections.
First off, we have THE LONG ROAD TO HELL. Snyder and Albuquerque set out the story for this one together, with Albuquerque taking over to script and draw the story. Billy Bob and Jo are the Bonnie and Clyde of petty thieves, picking pockets by night to add to their stash. They’re hoping to have enough soon to cover the cost of renting a chapel, but one fateful encounter with a vampire coven recruitment team and everything changes…not for the better, I’m afraid. Jasper Miller is a young orphan, favorite target of a group of bullies. It seems that young Jasper is a very insightful young man, and some of what he knows makes these bullies very nervous, and he decides that the open road would be safer for him than the old orphanage. Vampire hunter Travis Kidd we’ve already met back in Vol. IV, and it’s good to see that he survived the ambush he willingly dove into at the end of that book. Seems to have picked up a katana somewhere in the interim too, which is always cool. Fate has these four on a collision course, and blood will be spilled by the time they reach the end of the road….
Moving on to the American Vampire Anthology, we open with the frame story by Snyder and Albuquerque. THE MAN COMES AROUND is set in 1967 as Skinner Sweet hides out in the middle of nowhere, hoping to avoid the major events he can sense just over the horizon. Seems there’s always someone trying to kill him, though…. Jason Aaron and Declan Shalvey then enlighten us as to what really happened on Roanoke Island in THE LOST COLONY. Here’s a hint, vampires were involved. We then move on to BLEEDING KANSAS, where Albuquerque puts down his pencil and takes a shot at writing the story, leaving the art to Ivo Milazzo. Set against that tumultuous time and place, Albuquerque and Milazzo set down for us a tale of what I can only assume are Henry Jones’ grandparents. Next up, Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes serve up a tale of terror in the frozen north with CANADIAN VAMPIRE as ex-Mountie-turned-bounty-hunter Jack Warhammer is hired to find out what happened to a German fur trading expedition missing in the wild. Becky Cloonan handles both the writing and art for GREED, starring Skinner Sweet and featuring his first encounter with those crazy folks who hail from a place called “Hollywood….” Francesco Francavilla then pulls the same trick for THE PRODUCERS, detailing the birth of a star as he makes a shady deal in exchange for fame and fortune. Gail Simone and Tula Lotay treat us to Hattie Hargrove’s origin story in ESSENCE OF LIFE, showing us just what happened to her that made her willing to screw over her best friend in the world. Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon share both the writing and artist credits for LAST NIGHT, as a lounge singer describes to a reporter the events leading up to the previous evening’s massacre at the club. Finally, Greg Rucka and JP Leon tell the tale of a dying drunk and the lowlifes who try and shanghai him in PORTLAND, 1940.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this as per the usual for this series. The writing was stellar, and the anthology format really served well for the world being depicted. As with any comics anthology, there’s a wide variety of artistic styles represented, and some of those styles I’m not really a fan of, but that’s largely a matter of taste. I could sit here and tell you that I really wasn’t a fan of Ivo Milazzo’s art on BLEEDING KANSAS (which is true), but the next guy might have loved it. I could laud Tula Lotay’s work on ESSENCE OF LIFE (also true), but the next guy may not have been a fan. That’s kind of how it works–peoples’ tastes are pretty subjective. I did enjoy getting into Hattie’s head a bit more than we were able to back when she was introduced, and Skinner Sweet’s adventures are always fun–I’ve mentioned before my weakness for antiheroes. As a historian, Roanoke’s lost colony is always a fascinating topic, and a number of the plot twists contained here were very satisfying if not always surprising. I really can’t wait for the next volume to come out so I can see the payoff to some of the plot threads being set up both here and in the teaser from the end of volume V….
CONTENT: R-rated language. Brutal, bloody vampire violence–these aren’t sparkly, angst-ridden pretty boys, these are monsters through and through. Some explicit and implicit sexual content, including what more or less constitutes a rape. No real occult content, as there isn’t a spiritual element to this version of vampirism.
Original review link: https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/review-american-vampire-volume-vi-by-scott-snyder-rafael-albuquerque/
So, it has come to this. The sixth and latest collection of American Vampire comics. Now it’s not just my library’s slow acquisition policies holding me back, but the fact that there haven’t been any more published yet! Apparently the creators put the book on hiatus for a while, but they’ve at least started publishing again. I just have to wait for it to hit the collections….This particular collection is a couple of one-shots they put out in the meantime to keep our appetites whetted–one from the main American Vampire team, one with them letting a whole bunch of other comics creators play in their sandbox. Obviously, this review could spoil events from the previous collections.
First off, we have THE LONG ROAD TO HELL. Snyder and Albuquerque set out the story for this one together, with Albuquerque taking over to script and draw the story. Billy Bob and Jo are the Bonnie and Clyde of petty thieves, picking pockets by night to add to their stash. They’re hoping to have enough soon to cover the cost of renting a chapel, but one fateful encounter with a vampire coven recruitment team and everything changes…not for the better, I’m afraid. Jasper Miller is a young orphan, favorite target of a group of bullies. It seems that young Jasper is a very insightful young man, and some of what he knows makes these bullies very nervous, and he decides that the open road would be safer for him than the old orphanage. Vampire hunter Travis Kidd we’ve already met back in Vol. IV, and it’s good to see that he survived the ambush he willingly dove into at the end of that book. Seems to have picked up a katana somewhere in the interim too, which is always cool. Fate has these four on a collision course, and blood will be spilled by the time they reach the end of the road….
Moving on to the American Vampire Anthology, we open with the frame story by Snyder and Albuquerque. THE MAN COMES AROUND is set in 1967 as Skinner Sweet hides out in the middle of nowhere, hoping to avoid the major events he can sense just over the horizon. Seems there’s always someone trying to kill him, though…. Jason Aaron and Declan Shalvey then enlighten us as to what really happened on Roanoke Island in THE LOST COLONY. Here’s a hint, vampires were involved. We then move on to BLEEDING KANSAS, where Albuquerque puts down his pencil and takes a shot at writing the story, leaving the art to Ivo Milazzo. Set against that tumultuous time and place, Albuquerque and Milazzo set down for us a tale of what I can only assume are Henry Jones’ grandparents. Next up, Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes serve up a tale of terror in the frozen north with CANADIAN VAMPIRE as ex-Mountie-turned-bounty-hunter Jack Warhammer is hired to find out what happened to a German fur trading expedition missing in the wild. Becky Cloonan handles both the writing and art for GREED, starring Skinner Sweet and featuring his first encounter with those crazy folks who hail from a place called “Hollywood….” Francesco Francavilla then pulls the same trick for THE PRODUCERS, detailing the birth of a star as he makes a shady deal in exchange for fame and fortune. Gail Simone and Tula Lotay treat us to Hattie Hargrove’s origin story in ESSENCE OF LIFE, showing us just what happened to her that made her willing to screw over her best friend in the world. Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon share both the writing and artist credits for LAST NIGHT, as a lounge singer describes to a reporter the events leading up to the previous evening’s massacre at the club. Finally, Greg Rucka and JP Leon tell the tale of a dying drunk and the lowlifes who try and shanghai him in PORTLAND, 1940.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this as per the usual for this series. The writing was stellar, and the anthology format really served well for the world being depicted. As with any comics anthology, there’s a wide variety of artistic styles represented, and some of those styles I’m not really a fan of, but that’s largely a matter of taste. I could sit here and tell you that I really wasn’t a fan of Ivo Milazzo’s art on BLEEDING KANSAS (which is true), but the next guy might have loved it. I could laud Tula Lotay’s work on ESSENCE OF LIFE (also true), but the next guy may not have been a fan. That’s kind of how it works–peoples’ tastes are pretty subjective. I did enjoy getting into Hattie’s head a bit more than we were able to back when she was introduced, and Skinner Sweet’s adventures are always fun–I’ve mentioned before my weakness for antiheroes. As a historian, Roanoke’s lost colony is always a fascinating topic, and a number of the plot twists contained here were very satisfying if not always surprising. I really can’t wait for the next volume to come out so I can see the payoff to some of the plot threads being set up both here and in the teaser from the end of volume V….
CONTENT: R-rated language. Brutal, bloody vampire violence–these aren’t sparkly, angst-ridden pretty boys, these are monsters through and through. Some explicit and implicit sexual content, including what more or less constitutes a rape. No real occult content, as there isn’t a spiritual element to this version of vampirism.
Original review link: https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/review-american-vampire-volume-vi-by-scott-snyder-rafael-albuquerque/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) in Movies
Sep 30, 2021
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Has Some Moments But Could Have Been So Much More
When audiences last saw Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy); the journalist and his parasitic symbiote Venom; had just saved the day and cemented their unusual bond with one another.
In the new film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”; Eddie and Venom are at the end of their Honeymoon phase as Venom is lingering to be free to eat bad people and do what is natural for him. Eddie meanwhile wants a more conservative approach feeding Venom chicken and chocolate as he knows the eyes of the authorities are still upon him and he has to convince the world that Venom is dead and no longer a threat.
At the same time; serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) has selected Eddie to interview him in San Quentin and the two form an unusual connection as Cletus cryptically speaks to Eddie which underlines a deeper motivation.
With the help of Venom; Eddie is able to decipher clues found on the walls of Cletus’s cell which leads authorities to several of his victims. This results in a rapid rise in status for Eddie and fast tracks Cletus for execution as his main means of leverage is now gone.
This leads to a rift where Eddie and Venom split and each has to struggle to adjust to life without one another.
At this point, the film has mainly been odd bits of whimsy between Venom and Eddie around the establishment of the plot and threat. However, things go into chaos mode when Cletus becomes infected with a Symbiote and turns into a destruction spewing death machine known as “Carnage”.
Cletus and Carnage both have their own agendas and Cletus uses Carnage to exact his revenge as well as locate a figure from his past that is as big a danger as he is.
As any fan of films of this genre knows; this scenario leads to a showdown between the central characters which are awash in abundant CGI, loud noises, and destruction. While this is not a bad thing and certainly one of the main reasons I enjoy films of this type; the film never seemed to fully click for me and as such was not as good as I thought it could have been.
In many ways, the film reminded me of how comic-based films were done before Marvel started their own studios and their phenomenal run of hits based on their work.
There have been multiple attempts to adapt comics into films over the last few decades and many of them have not lived up to expectations or failed outright. One of the biggest reasons is in my opinion is that those behind the projects were hindered by the studio, wanted to put their own spin on the material and strayed from the source; or failed to show the attributes that made the characters so appealing to fans.
What we often get is action sequences and CGI galore but without stories or characters that fully draw in the audience and fail to capture the essence of the comics.
Director Andy Serkis has done a great job with the visuals of the film but the tone seems off. The early part of the film is filled with comedic moments that are either hit or miss. Some of which was almost to the point where I wondered if it was supposed to be a parody.
The plot is fairly linear with nothing unexpected as it is simply bad guys get loose; bad guys cause death and destruction, can the heroes stop them. The climactic scene lacks any “wow” moments for me as it was mainly CGI characters rapidly moving around causing damage to one another and their environment. There was no real tension for me and the ultimate resolution seemed a bit anti-climactic.
For me the best moment of the film was a mid-credits scene that really popped as it sets up all sorts of interesting options and indicates that Venom may be about to graduate to bigger and better things.
For now; the cast is solid as is the CGI; I just wish the story was more engaging as it had the potential to be so much more.
3 stars out of 5
In the new film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”; Eddie and Venom are at the end of their Honeymoon phase as Venom is lingering to be free to eat bad people and do what is natural for him. Eddie meanwhile wants a more conservative approach feeding Venom chicken and chocolate as he knows the eyes of the authorities are still upon him and he has to convince the world that Venom is dead and no longer a threat.
At the same time; serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) has selected Eddie to interview him in San Quentin and the two form an unusual connection as Cletus cryptically speaks to Eddie which underlines a deeper motivation.
With the help of Venom; Eddie is able to decipher clues found on the walls of Cletus’s cell which leads authorities to several of his victims. This results in a rapid rise in status for Eddie and fast tracks Cletus for execution as his main means of leverage is now gone.
This leads to a rift where Eddie and Venom split and each has to struggle to adjust to life without one another.
At this point, the film has mainly been odd bits of whimsy between Venom and Eddie around the establishment of the plot and threat. However, things go into chaos mode when Cletus becomes infected with a Symbiote and turns into a destruction spewing death machine known as “Carnage”.
Cletus and Carnage both have their own agendas and Cletus uses Carnage to exact his revenge as well as locate a figure from his past that is as big a danger as he is.
As any fan of films of this genre knows; this scenario leads to a showdown between the central characters which are awash in abundant CGI, loud noises, and destruction. While this is not a bad thing and certainly one of the main reasons I enjoy films of this type; the film never seemed to fully click for me and as such was not as good as I thought it could have been.
In many ways, the film reminded me of how comic-based films were done before Marvel started their own studios and their phenomenal run of hits based on their work.
There have been multiple attempts to adapt comics into films over the last few decades and many of them have not lived up to expectations or failed outright. One of the biggest reasons is in my opinion is that those behind the projects were hindered by the studio, wanted to put their own spin on the material and strayed from the source; or failed to show the attributes that made the characters so appealing to fans.
What we often get is action sequences and CGI galore but without stories or characters that fully draw in the audience and fail to capture the essence of the comics.
Director Andy Serkis has done a great job with the visuals of the film but the tone seems off. The early part of the film is filled with comedic moments that are either hit or miss. Some of which was almost to the point where I wondered if it was supposed to be a parody.
The plot is fairly linear with nothing unexpected as it is simply bad guys get loose; bad guys cause death and destruction, can the heroes stop them. The climactic scene lacks any “wow” moments for me as it was mainly CGI characters rapidly moving around causing damage to one another and their environment. There was no real tension for me and the ultimate resolution seemed a bit anti-climactic.
For me the best moment of the film was a mid-credits scene that really popped as it sets up all sorts of interesting options and indicates that Venom may be about to graduate to bigger and better things.
For now; the cast is solid as is the CGI; I just wish the story was more engaging as it had the potential to be so much more.
3 stars out of 5
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Strain - Season 4 in TV
Sep 20, 2017
Fantastic finish (2 more)
Twists and turns, you never see what's coming
Bring the band back together
Heart stopping ending to an amazing show
Contains spoilers, click to show
I thought I should come back and write a review for the completion of the 4th and final season of The Strain. Overall this was a fantastic season and finale. After the 3rd season ended you just thought the vampires were just going to win the whole thing and take over the world. It left you wondering where everyone was going to end up and if they were even going to fight back.
Well fight back they did. The season did start out fairly slow, learning where everyone ended up and what they were doing to win the war. Eff was the one that just gave up until running into some resistance fighters. I guess having your son start a nuclear war will do that. The rest of the team broke off to find was to fight back and kill the master. By episode 4 you saw were everyone was and they were working their way back to New York to kill the Master.
One of the coolest thing I think I got to learn about this season was some back story on Quilan and why he was in the fight. The flashbacks was something I didn't think we were going to get this season.
There were a lot of sad parts to the final 2 episode. Losing the professor I think was the hardest part. Even though he was kranky, everyone still loved him and wanted to see him finally kill the Master, but his did the next best thing and kill his Nazi enemy.
I won't tell you who dies at the end, but if you followed the comics you already know. If you have never watched the show pick it up or stream it. This was a fantastic show and sorry to see it come to a close, but it was a great closing episode, that is so rare sometimes. Happy hunting and if you see a big old wooden coffin, don't open it.
Well fight back they did. The season did start out fairly slow, learning where everyone ended up and what they were doing to win the war. Eff was the one that just gave up until running into some resistance fighters. I guess having your son start a nuclear war will do that. The rest of the team broke off to find was to fight back and kill the master. By episode 4 you saw were everyone was and they were working their way back to New York to kill the Master.
One of the coolest thing I think I got to learn about this season was some back story on Quilan and why he was in the fight. The flashbacks was something I didn't think we were going to get this season.
There were a lot of sad parts to the final 2 episode. Losing the professor I think was the hardest part. Even though he was kranky, everyone still loved him and wanted to see him finally kill the Master, but his did the next best thing and kill his Nazi enemy.
I won't tell you who dies at the end, but if you followed the comics you already know. If you have never watched the show pick it up or stream it. This was a fantastic show and sorry to see it come to a close, but it was a great closing episode, that is so rare sometimes. Happy hunting and if you see a big old wooden coffin, don't open it.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Captain Marvel (2019) in Movies
May 14, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2020)
Captain Marvel delivers a solid and safe chapter into the MCU
Contains spoilers, click to show
After 10 years of connected movies, Marvel are finally introducing one of their most powerful characters into their cinematic universe, and there's plenty to be excited about.
It's Marvel's first truly female led movie for a start, and the decision to forgo the original Mar-vell from the comics, and dive straight into the story of Carol Danvers is a wise move.
This decision routes the film in a 90s setting, with plenty of nostalgic call backs (Blockbuster anyone?), and a solid grunge filled soundtrack, that compliments a world that is yet to see The Avengers.
It's fun to see a non jaded Nick Fury, blissfully unaware of the extent of the cosmic universe, and a pleasure to see Clark Gregg return to the MCU as Coulson (a short but sweet roll). Side roles for Anette Benning and Lashana Lynch are nicely fleshed as well.
At this point, I'm still not 100% sold on Brie Larson, but she carries the film well enough for it to be an above average origin story, but honestly, the supporting cast outshines her at times (even Goose the cat threatens to steal the show at times).
As for the villains, well, the trailers painted the long anticipated Skrulls as the main threat, but the movie pulls a right turn midway through, and reveals that Talos and his Skrull followers are actually refugees, trying to escape the clutches of Jude Law and his murderous Kree death squad.
The Skrulls are a welcome edition to the MCU, and sets up a possible Secret Invasion storyline in the future, however, the direction of the story and the script pummels Jude Law into one the most underwhelming MCU villains we've had so far.
By the same merit, this film is all about it's titular character, and I would imagine the writers never wanted that focus to stray - Carol Danvers is here to stay after all.
Captain Marvel is a low stakes, colourful comic book adventure that nicely and safely fills a gap in the MCU, and sets us you nicely for post Endgame stories.
It's Marvel's first truly female led movie for a start, and the decision to forgo the original Mar-vell from the comics, and dive straight into the story of Carol Danvers is a wise move.
This decision routes the film in a 90s setting, with plenty of nostalgic call backs (Blockbuster anyone?), and a solid grunge filled soundtrack, that compliments a world that is yet to see The Avengers.
It's fun to see a non jaded Nick Fury, blissfully unaware of the extent of the cosmic universe, and a pleasure to see Clark Gregg return to the MCU as Coulson (a short but sweet roll). Side roles for Anette Benning and Lashana Lynch are nicely fleshed as well.
At this point, I'm still not 100% sold on Brie Larson, but she carries the film well enough for it to be an above average origin story, but honestly, the supporting cast outshines her at times (even Goose the cat threatens to steal the show at times).
As for the villains, well, the trailers painted the long anticipated Skrulls as the main threat, but the movie pulls a right turn midway through, and reveals that Talos and his Skrull followers are actually refugees, trying to escape the clutches of Jude Law and his murderous Kree death squad.
The Skrulls are a welcome edition to the MCU, and sets up a possible Secret Invasion storyline in the future, however, the direction of the story and the script pummels Jude Law into one the most underwhelming MCU villains we've had so far.
By the same merit, this film is all about it's titular character, and I would imagine the writers never wanted that focus to stray - Carol Danvers is here to stay after all.
Captain Marvel is a low stakes, colourful comic book adventure that nicely and safely fills a gap in the MCU, and sets us you nicely for post Endgame stories.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Overwatch in Video Games
Jul 22, 2018
So many different and interesting characters (4 more)
Different ways to play
Incredible lore
All new maps and characters are free
Amazing graphic style
My favourite game of the generation
This is by far my favourite game of the generation and that's saying a lot because there are some amazing games I've played.
It may not be for everyone. There is no single player story campaign. The story and lore are things you kinda have to work out for yourself through voice lines, online comics, animated shorts etc
There will always be a character for someone whether your a medic or a tank protecting everyone or someone who goes running in guns blazing. You have a character who uses a jump jet and shoots rockets but then you have a robot who can turn itself into a turret.
You can play this game for hours and hours and it's an easy game to get into for all newcomers. You used to call of duty? There's a character there with an assault rifle, you got snipers and shotgun users. There are 27 heroes to choose from right now.
And the beauty of this is, no paid dlc. All maps and characters in the future are 100% free. There is no leveling up characters so everyone is on an even playing field. Only reason you level up is to win loot boxes. I know theres a huge controversy surrounding them but you only get comsrtics and they are fun to collect.
The game itself is 6v6 with different modes. Control, escort payload, capture. The usual stuff, then some extra stuff in arcade like mystery heroes where you become a random hero everytime you die, 3v3 elimination, death match. You have the usually quick play games but once you become level 25 you can start playing competitive if that's your thing.
It's a game you are constantly getting better at. Blizzard are constantly tweaking it with patches to keep it fresh. Plus there's a new character coming soon which is a hamster in a mech!!! What's not to love about that????
I do recommend playing it. Its fun to play on your own AND in a group.
It may not be for everyone. There is no single player story campaign. The story and lore are things you kinda have to work out for yourself through voice lines, online comics, animated shorts etc
There will always be a character for someone whether your a medic or a tank protecting everyone or someone who goes running in guns blazing. You have a character who uses a jump jet and shoots rockets but then you have a robot who can turn itself into a turret.
You can play this game for hours and hours and it's an easy game to get into for all newcomers. You used to call of duty? There's a character there with an assault rifle, you got snipers and shotgun users. There are 27 heroes to choose from right now.
And the beauty of this is, no paid dlc. All maps and characters in the future are 100% free. There is no leveling up characters so everyone is on an even playing field. Only reason you level up is to win loot boxes. I know theres a huge controversy surrounding them but you only get comsrtics and they are fun to collect.
The game itself is 6v6 with different modes. Control, escort payload, capture. The usual stuff, then some extra stuff in arcade like mystery heroes where you become a random hero everytime you die, 3v3 elimination, death match. You have the usually quick play games but once you become level 25 you can start playing competitive if that's your thing.
It's a game you are constantly getting better at. Blizzard are constantly tweaking it with patches to keep it fresh. Plus there's a new character coming soon which is a hamster in a mech!!! What's not to love about that????
I do recommend playing it. Its fun to play on your own AND in a group.
Louise (64 KP) rated Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick in Books
Jul 2, 2018
When I saw this making the rounds on booktube, I thought I must read it, it sounds amazing and nothing I have never read before. It appears graphic novels and comics are popular once again.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in Movies
Nov 20, 2018
If you like the leads, you'll like this film
The family was surfing through the "Pay-Per-View" films the other night when we settled on THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME. I knew that this action.comedy came and went pretty quickly this past summer, so I wondered what was wrong with it. But with 2 strong leads in Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, we decided to give it a try.
And we're glad we did, for THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME is a very fun, very funny action/comedy that delivers the goods with 2 charismatic and very watchable lead actresses.
Kunis stars as Audrey, a waitress who's boyfriend dumps her. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend was...any guesses...a spy! And in his things in Audrey's apartment is an item that other spies want to get. Audrey must go on the run with her roommate and best friend, Morgan to escape the "bad guys" and figure out what to do to stay alive while keeping the item safe.
Pretty standard plot set-up, to be sure. But in the hands of 2 comics like Kunis and McKinnon, it rises above average fair. Kunis is winning in her role and is pleasant enough personality to spend 2 hours with. McKinnon, on the other hand, is hilarious. Now, some say that "a little Kate McKinnon goes a long way". I don't agree with that. I find her fascinatingly funny to watch. Ranking right up there with Will Ferrell as a comedian who will go anywhere and do anything for a joke. Joining in on the fun are Jane Curtin and Paul Reiser as the parents of one of the characters. They are a welcome addition to the proceedings.
Writer and Director Susanna Fogel does a nice job of keeping the plot moving and mixes fun action/chase scenes in between the comedy sequences in a formula that works very well, indeed.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed THE SPY WHO DUMPED - and you (and your house guests) will, too.
Letter Grade: B+
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And we're glad we did, for THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME is a very fun, very funny action/comedy that delivers the goods with 2 charismatic and very watchable lead actresses.
Kunis stars as Audrey, a waitress who's boyfriend dumps her. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend was...any guesses...a spy! And in his things in Audrey's apartment is an item that other spies want to get. Audrey must go on the run with her roommate and best friend, Morgan to escape the "bad guys" and figure out what to do to stay alive while keeping the item safe.
Pretty standard plot set-up, to be sure. But in the hands of 2 comics like Kunis and McKinnon, it rises above average fair. Kunis is winning in her role and is pleasant enough personality to spend 2 hours with. McKinnon, on the other hand, is hilarious. Now, some say that "a little Kate McKinnon goes a long way". I don't agree with that. I find her fascinatingly funny to watch. Ranking right up there with Will Ferrell as a comedian who will go anywhere and do anything for a joke. Joining in on the fun are Jane Curtin and Paul Reiser as the parents of one of the characters. They are a welcome addition to the proceedings.
Writer and Director Susanna Fogel does a nice job of keeping the plot moving and mixes fun action/chase scenes in between the comedy sequences in a formula that works very well, indeed.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed THE SPY WHO DUMPED - and you (and your house guests) will, too.
Letter Grade: B+
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Deadpool (2016) in Movies
Aug 15, 2019
An X-Men spin off, of a poorly received character from an earlier X-Men spin off... FOX must have had some major trust in Ryan Reynolds to give Deadpool the green light after the mess of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
I've been a huge fan of Deadpool comics since as long as I can remember. When I was younger, the 4th wall breaking, the hyper violence, comedy, and self awareness that he is a comic book character, was always something that appealed to me.
So I, like many other Marvel fans, really hated what they did with the character in Origins, and it seems Ryan Reynolds did as well, pitching a rough sequence to FOX which convinced them to give this beloved characters another shot. God bless Ryan Reynolds.
And it paid off in spades. And it's easy to see why - Deadpool is a great movie.
The character himself is near perfect. He looks the part, he sounds the part, and it's great that the studio didn't shy away from an R rating.
The violence in Deadpool is frequent and messy, as is the cursing and crudeness, and the result is hilarious.
The story is told mostly in flashbacks before the big last showdown, and is nicely mapped out, and we're given a hugely likable cast.
Ryan Reynolds is of course , as is T.J. Miller and Morena Baccarin.
I even liked Ed Skrein's villain, Ajax.
Deadpool even manages to sneak in a couple of X-Men with a completely CGI Colossus joining the party, as well as Negasonic Teenage Warhead - the best superhero name ever, and coincidentally the films shining star after Ryan Reynolds - Brianna Hildebrand is a welcome addition to the film, and I genuinely hope that she makes in over to the MCU in the recent Disney Fox merge.
Deadpool is important for a number of reasons - it finally does the character justice. It's also shows that spin off films away from the main X-Men cast can be really decent, and it also shows that R rated superhero films can do the business at the box office.
It's certainly in the top tier of the FOX X-Men series.
I've been a huge fan of Deadpool comics since as long as I can remember. When I was younger, the 4th wall breaking, the hyper violence, comedy, and self awareness that he is a comic book character, was always something that appealed to me.
So I, like many other Marvel fans, really hated what they did with the character in Origins, and it seems Ryan Reynolds did as well, pitching a rough sequence to FOX which convinced them to give this beloved characters another shot. God bless Ryan Reynolds.
And it paid off in spades. And it's easy to see why - Deadpool is a great movie.
The character himself is near perfect. He looks the part, he sounds the part, and it's great that the studio didn't shy away from an R rating.
The violence in Deadpool is frequent and messy, as is the cursing and crudeness, and the result is hilarious.
The story is told mostly in flashbacks before the big last showdown, and is nicely mapped out, and we're given a hugely likable cast.
Ryan Reynolds is of course , as is T.J. Miller and Morena Baccarin.
I even liked Ed Skrein's villain, Ajax.
Deadpool even manages to sneak in a couple of X-Men with a completely CGI Colossus joining the party, as well as Negasonic Teenage Warhead - the best superhero name ever, and coincidentally the films shining star after Ryan Reynolds - Brianna Hildebrand is a welcome addition to the film, and I genuinely hope that she makes in over to the MCU in the recent Disney Fox merge.
Deadpool is important for a number of reasons - it finally does the character justice. It's also shows that spin off films away from the main X-Men cast can be really decent, and it also shows that R rated superhero films can do the business at the box office.
It's certainly in the top tier of the FOX X-Men series.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019 (Updated Dec 27, 2019)
The future is bright for the MCU
Contains spoilers, click to show
Far From Home is in a tricky position, coming out a couple of months after Avengers Endgame, having to deal with the fallout out of the Infinity story arc, and also having to follow up a great first entry into the MCU Spider-Man franchise, and it's does a damn fine job.
Tom Holland continues to be a near perfect Peter Parker, and he's surrounded by a charming cast - Zendaya is great as MJ, Jon Favreau is always welcome as Happy, and Samuel L. Jackson does his usual broody Nick Fury, this time going up against the more cooky humour of Peters classmates, and it all works - the humour all lands for the most part (and as Curb Your Enthusiasm fan, I couldn't help but enjoy JB Smoove).
But the shining star in Far From Home is of course Jake Gyllenhaal. His portrayal of Quentin Beck/Mysterio is great - watching him go from a sad and scarred man, looking to save the world and be Peters friend, to the eventual (and of course expected) reveal that he's actually a calculating-genius-maniac is pretty great.
The set pieces to begin with are standard Marvel fun, but the first time Spider-Man goes head to head with Mysterio and his illusions is ok another level (zombie Iron Man anyone!?) - it feels lifted straight from the comics, and is a visual treat, knocking down Doctor Strange in terms of crazy hallucinating sequences. It's perfect!
It's also a lovely touch just how much Tony Stark has to do in this film - his character may be gone but his presence is constant throughout.
And to top everything off - the first post credit scene includes a unexpected come back that made me grin from ear to ear, and then the second one, well that was just nuts - needless to say, I'm truly excited for what comes next in the MCU.
Far From Home is fun, visually thrilling, with great cast, and for me, is up there with the top tier MCU films.
Tom Holland continues to be a near perfect Peter Parker, and he's surrounded by a charming cast - Zendaya is great as MJ, Jon Favreau is always welcome as Happy, and Samuel L. Jackson does his usual broody Nick Fury, this time going up against the more cooky humour of Peters classmates, and it all works - the humour all lands for the most part (and as Curb Your Enthusiasm fan, I couldn't help but enjoy JB Smoove).
But the shining star in Far From Home is of course Jake Gyllenhaal. His portrayal of Quentin Beck/Mysterio is great - watching him go from a sad and scarred man, looking to save the world and be Peters friend, to the eventual (and of course expected) reveal that he's actually a calculating-genius-maniac is pretty great.
The set pieces to begin with are standard Marvel fun, but the first time Spider-Man goes head to head with Mysterio and his illusions is ok another level (zombie Iron Man anyone!?) - it feels lifted straight from the comics, and is a visual treat, knocking down Doctor Strange in terms of crazy hallucinating sequences. It's perfect!
It's also a lovely touch just how much Tony Stark has to do in this film - his character may be gone but his presence is constant throughout.
And to top everything off - the first post credit scene includes a unexpected come back that made me grin from ear to ear, and then the second one, well that was just nuts - needless to say, I'm truly excited for what comes next in the MCU.
Far From Home is fun, visually thrilling, with great cast, and for me, is up there with the top tier MCU films.
Manga Storm - The Ultimate Manga Reader
Book and Entertainment
App
Looking for a nice app to *Read* and *Follow* your favorite manga from your favorite websites? ...