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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James in Books
Jun 21, 2019
Sunny St. James is twelve and getting a new heart. She was diagnosed at the age of ten with cardiomyopathy: a failing heart. That was two years ago. Sunny’s been through a lot in her short life. Her dad passed away in an accident right after she was born. When she was four, her mom, Lena, couldn’t take care of her anymore, so she gave her to her best friend, Kate. Kate and Sunny moved to Juniper Island, where Kate runs Cherry Picked Books. And recently, Sunny’s best friendship with Margot ended. But she’s getting a heart transplant, and everything is going to change now. Sunny even has a new life plan, which includes finding a new best friend and kissing some boys. So when she meets Quinn, a new girl, on the beach, it seems like all the pieces of her plan are coming together. But Quinn makes Sunny question some things—including whether she wants to kiss boys at all.
“I’m going to die today. Definitely for a few minutes and maybe forever. Kate keeps telling me no way, nohow is it going to be forever, but she isn’t the one who’s about to have her most important internal organ switched out like a new swimsuit at the start of the summer.”
Oh this book, this book. Ashley Herring Blake did it again. She is just such a wonderful, wonderful writer. I simply fell head over heels for Sunny, who stole my heart from the first pages of this beautiful book. She is strong, vulnerable, and a darling character who came to life through Blake’s lovely writing. She goes through so much in her life—and in the chapters of this book—and yet there’s so much hope and laughter. I cannot even describe it. The book opens with Sunny’s transplant and then we move on from there, as she works to implement her three-step plan:
“Step One: Do awesome amazing things I could never do before. Step Two: Find a new best friend. Step Three: Find a boy and kiss him.”
To Sunny’s twelve-year-old reasoning, it all makes perfect sense. She has a new heart, so it’s a perfect time to be a new person. In fact, with the new heart, there’s no reason to feel the things she felt before, which might have included some desires to kiss girls. When she meets Quinn on the beach—Quinn and her mom are in town for the summer, as Quinn’s mom is a nature photographer—they become fast friends. It seems like they will be on a quest to kiss boys together. But things quickly go awry (seriously – there are some hilarious comedic scenes as the two attempt to kiss some boys). This book does such an amazing job at capturing the loneliness of young gay kids. I so wish there books like this around when I was a teen. Sunny is so sweet, so real, and so raw as she works through her confusion about liking girls. This is such a wonderful and needed book for middle schoolers (and everyone)—for queer kids as they try to figure out things like Sunny and for the allies who need to support them. I wish everyone could read it. Not only does Sunny struggle with her feelings about liking girls and boys, but she must deal with the return of her long-lost mother, Lena. In another book, these two storylines might feel crowded, but Blake handles them deftly.
And it’s such a lovely story at its heart—because, truly, it’s a book about hearts and those you love and who love you. I defy you to read this book and not fall in love with Sunny St. James. She is a character who will stick with you long after you read the last page. Blake has created yet another lasting story through her magical words. I highly recommend this book. 4.5+ stars.
“I’m going to die today. Definitely for a few minutes and maybe forever. Kate keeps telling me no way, nohow is it going to be forever, but she isn’t the one who’s about to have her most important internal organ switched out like a new swimsuit at the start of the summer.”
Oh this book, this book. Ashley Herring Blake did it again. She is just such a wonderful, wonderful writer. I simply fell head over heels for Sunny, who stole my heart from the first pages of this beautiful book. She is strong, vulnerable, and a darling character who came to life through Blake’s lovely writing. She goes through so much in her life—and in the chapters of this book—and yet there’s so much hope and laughter. I cannot even describe it. The book opens with Sunny’s transplant and then we move on from there, as she works to implement her three-step plan:
“Step One: Do awesome amazing things I could never do before. Step Two: Find a new best friend. Step Three: Find a boy and kiss him.”
To Sunny’s twelve-year-old reasoning, it all makes perfect sense. She has a new heart, so it’s a perfect time to be a new person. In fact, with the new heart, there’s no reason to feel the things she felt before, which might have included some desires to kiss girls. When she meets Quinn on the beach—Quinn and her mom are in town for the summer, as Quinn’s mom is a nature photographer—they become fast friends. It seems like they will be on a quest to kiss boys together. But things quickly go awry (seriously – there are some hilarious comedic scenes as the two attempt to kiss some boys). This book does such an amazing job at capturing the loneliness of young gay kids. I so wish there books like this around when I was a teen. Sunny is so sweet, so real, and so raw as she works through her confusion about liking girls. This is such a wonderful and needed book for middle schoolers (and everyone)—for queer kids as they try to figure out things like Sunny and for the allies who need to support them. I wish everyone could read it. Not only does Sunny struggle with her feelings about liking girls and boys, but she must deal with the return of her long-lost mother, Lena. In another book, these two storylines might feel crowded, but Blake handles them deftly.
And it’s such a lovely story at its heart—because, truly, it’s a book about hearts and those you love and who love you. I defy you to read this book and not fall in love with Sunny St. James. She is a character who will stick with you long after you read the last page. Blake has created yet another lasting story through her magical words. I highly recommend this book. 4.5+ stars.
Hadley (567 KP) rated Those Bones Are Not My Child in Books
Nov 12, 2019
A different type of True Crime book (1 more)
Things you probably didn't know about the case
Writing transitions are confusing (1 more)
Smash poetry breaks up the flow
Toni Cade Bambara, a writer, documentary filmmaker and screenwriter, gives True Crime readers a unique viewpoint of the real Atlanta Child Murders. Bambara mostly writes from the eyes of Marzala, a mother of three whose oldest son goes missing during one of the worst murder sprees in Atlanta's history. Marzala and her family were not actual people during this time- - - all of them are based off of parents and siblings of the real victims. Not soon after Marzala does everything she can with the police to find her son, she joins a group of African-Americans that are outraged by the lack of progress to catch who is killing Atlanta's black children. This group forms what is called STOP (a citizen-run task force). For the majority of the book, Marzala with most of the black community in the area typed out letters to prominent government officials asking for help to stop the murders, also using Vietnam vets in the area to use their tracking skills to keep an eye on suspects, and investigating buildings that police refused to believe had anything to do with the childrens' disappearances and/or murders, which Bambara did an amazing job putting all the real facts together of the actual community members that were involved with this at the time. This story is upsetting, but enlightening on how politics may have caused so many children to be murdered. This is a story no reader will ever forget.
Bambara writes not in a normal narrative - - - just telling a story from specific viewpoints, but she often breaks off into smash poetry to depict a character's state-of-mind, which, sometimes can be off putting for the reader, breaking the flow of the story. Yet, the use of smash poetry combined with the era and the heart breaking subject at hand, separates Those Bones Are Not My Child from every True Crime book I have ever read. But a note for fans of True Crime, this story is from the view point of the victims' families and the search they went through to try and catch the murderer(s), unlike most TC books, which follow the police through the investigation leading to, usually, the capture of the perpetrator. From living in Atlanta during the time of the murders, Bambara was able to reconstruct the life of a black family in 1980's Georgia, while focusing on the effect these terrible crimes had on the surrounding community. Bambara did an amazing job on what most writers cannot.
The amount of characters, specifically the fictional ones, are very well created. She describes just enough to give readers the ability to tell them apart, showing every now and then from their own viewpoints. Out of all the characters, I came to really like Zala's two other children: Kenti and Kofi. One particular scene shows the strain of Sonny's disappearance on their family: " Zala parked the comb again and sat back. 'Listen, you two.' Kofi dropped down onto his knees. 'The police and the newspapers don't know what the hell is going on, so they feel stupid, because they're supposed to know, they're trained to know, they're paid to know. It's their job. Understand? But it's hard for grown-ups to admit they're stupid, especially if they're professionals like police and reporters. So they blame the children. Or they ignore them and fill up the papers with the hostages in Iran. Understand? And now... Jesus... they've got people calling those kids juvenile delinquents.'
'Don't cry.' Kenti tried to lean into her lap and got pushed away.
'They don't know a damn thing and they act like they don't want to know. So they blame the kids 'cause they can't speak up for themselves. They say the kids had no business being outdoors, getting themselves in trouble.'
'You let us go outdoors.'
'Of course I do, baby. We go lots of places, 'cause a lot of people fought hard for our right to go any damn where we please. But when the children go out like they've a right to and some maniac grabs them, then it's the children's fault or the parents who should've been watching every minute, like we don't have to work like dogs just to put food on the table.'
Kofi walked on his knees towards the bed, but he didn't lean on her like he wanted 'cause she might push him away. So he just put his hand on the mattress next to hers."
During the Atlanta Child Murders, victims were random, except for that they were children from the same neighborhood, and they were African-American. At first, police didn't believe a serial murderer was going around abducting children, but rather that 'poor, broken' families were killing their own. In the Prologue, Bambara shows that the victims' families and private detectives came up with more ideas of the motive than the police did:
" White cops taking license in Black neighborhoods.
The Klan and other Nazi thugs on the rampage.
Diabolical scientists experimenting on Third World people.
Demonic cults engaging in human sacrifices.
A 'Nam vet unable to make the transition.
UFO aliens conducting exploratory surgery.
Whites avenging Dewey Baugus, a white youth beaten to death in spring '79, allegedly by Black youths.
Parents of a raped child running amok with 'justice.'
Porno filmmakers doing snuff flicks for entertainment.
A band of child molesters covering their tracks.
New drug forces killing the young (unwitting?) couriers of the old in a bid for turf.
Unreconstructed peckerwoods trying to topple the Black administration.
Plantation kidnappers of slave labor issuing the pink slip.
White mercenaries using Black targets to train death squadrons for overseas jobs and for domestic wars to come. "
All of these theories are explored with evidence in Those Bones Are Not My Child. One scene in Part III, Zala's cop friend, B.J. shows up to her house to tell her to stop bringing attention to the investigation, " 'That Eubanks woman - - - your husband's friend? - - - she said you were bringing in the TV networks to blow the case open. I thought we had an agreement to keep each other informed. This morning I find out through the grapevine that you parents got a medium stashed in a hotel here in town, some woman who's been making headlines up north with cases that supposedly have the authorities stumped. If you knew how much work has been done on this case - - - no, listen, don't interrupt me. Then I find out - - - and not from you - - - that some of you parents are planning to tour the country cracking on the investigation. That's not too smart. And you should have told me.' " These two may have been fictional characters, but in Bambara's Acknowledgments, she states that all scenarios were true, and that she made B.J. to tell about the actual police officers who were involved with the investigation.
The tension between the police and the public is felt throughout the entire story. Despite all of the work the citizen task force put in, police arrested a man named Wayne Williams for the murder of two adult victims (who, due to their mental age, which was stated to be that of children, were placed on the victims' list of the Atlanta Child Murders): " Wayne Williams, charged with the murder of twenty-seven-year-old Nathaniel Cater and implicated in the murder of the other adults and children on the official list..." Zala, having worked for almost a year at the STOP offices, she, along with most of the community, doubt that Williams was a lone killer or even the killer at all. Williams never stood trial for the childrens' murders, but the police informed the public that he did it, case closed - - - although, after Williams' arrest, children were still being abducted and their bodies were still being found. Even after Williams' trial and the guilty verdict for two adult victims, some people stuck around to continue to investigate and claim Williams a 'scapegoat' of politics: " There were still pockets of interest and people who wouldn't let the case go. James Baldwin had been coming to town off and on; a book was rumored. Sondra O'Neale, the Emory University professor, hadn't abandoned her research, either. From time to time, TV and movie types were in the city poking around for an angle. Camille Bell was moving to Tallahassee to write up the case from the point of view of the STOP committee. The vets had taken over The Call now that Speaker was working full-time with the Central American Committee. The Revolutionary Communist Party kept running pieces on the case in the Revolutionary Worker. Whenever Abby Mann sent down a point man for his proposed TV docudrama, the Atlanta officials and civil rights leaders would go off the deep end. " At the end of it all, the questions still remain: did Williams kill all of those children by himself? Was he part of a pornographic cult that killed the children? Or is Williams completely innocent, and the murderer(s) are still out there? In Those Bones Are Not My Child, I guarantee you will be left questioning if the police were right.
All in all, the writing transitions can become confusing sometimes, especially the interludes of smash poetry, but I highly recommend this book to people who like the True Crime genre, especially of any interest in this specific case.
Bambara writes not in a normal narrative - - - just telling a story from specific viewpoints, but she often breaks off into smash poetry to depict a character's state-of-mind, which, sometimes can be off putting for the reader, breaking the flow of the story. Yet, the use of smash poetry combined with the era and the heart breaking subject at hand, separates Those Bones Are Not My Child from every True Crime book I have ever read. But a note for fans of True Crime, this story is from the view point of the victims' families and the search they went through to try and catch the murderer(s), unlike most TC books, which follow the police through the investigation leading to, usually, the capture of the perpetrator. From living in Atlanta during the time of the murders, Bambara was able to reconstruct the life of a black family in 1980's Georgia, while focusing on the effect these terrible crimes had on the surrounding community. Bambara did an amazing job on what most writers cannot.
The amount of characters, specifically the fictional ones, are very well created. She describes just enough to give readers the ability to tell them apart, showing every now and then from their own viewpoints. Out of all the characters, I came to really like Zala's two other children: Kenti and Kofi. One particular scene shows the strain of Sonny's disappearance on their family: " Zala parked the comb again and sat back. 'Listen, you two.' Kofi dropped down onto his knees. 'The police and the newspapers don't know what the hell is going on, so they feel stupid, because they're supposed to know, they're trained to know, they're paid to know. It's their job. Understand? But it's hard for grown-ups to admit they're stupid, especially if they're professionals like police and reporters. So they blame the children. Or they ignore them and fill up the papers with the hostages in Iran. Understand? And now... Jesus... they've got people calling those kids juvenile delinquents.'
'Don't cry.' Kenti tried to lean into her lap and got pushed away.
'They don't know a damn thing and they act like they don't want to know. So they blame the kids 'cause they can't speak up for themselves. They say the kids had no business being outdoors, getting themselves in trouble.'
'You let us go outdoors.'
'Of course I do, baby. We go lots of places, 'cause a lot of people fought hard for our right to go any damn where we please. But when the children go out like they've a right to and some maniac grabs them, then it's the children's fault or the parents who should've been watching every minute, like we don't have to work like dogs just to put food on the table.'
Kofi walked on his knees towards the bed, but he didn't lean on her like he wanted 'cause she might push him away. So he just put his hand on the mattress next to hers."
During the Atlanta Child Murders, victims were random, except for that they were children from the same neighborhood, and they were African-American. At first, police didn't believe a serial murderer was going around abducting children, but rather that 'poor, broken' families were killing their own. In the Prologue, Bambara shows that the victims' families and private detectives came up with more ideas of the motive than the police did:
" White cops taking license in Black neighborhoods.
The Klan and other Nazi thugs on the rampage.
Diabolical scientists experimenting on Third World people.
Demonic cults engaging in human sacrifices.
A 'Nam vet unable to make the transition.
UFO aliens conducting exploratory surgery.
Whites avenging Dewey Baugus, a white youth beaten to death in spring '79, allegedly by Black youths.
Parents of a raped child running amok with 'justice.'
Porno filmmakers doing snuff flicks for entertainment.
A band of child molesters covering their tracks.
New drug forces killing the young (unwitting?) couriers of the old in a bid for turf.
Unreconstructed peckerwoods trying to topple the Black administration.
Plantation kidnappers of slave labor issuing the pink slip.
White mercenaries using Black targets to train death squadrons for overseas jobs and for domestic wars to come. "
All of these theories are explored with evidence in Those Bones Are Not My Child. One scene in Part III, Zala's cop friend, B.J. shows up to her house to tell her to stop bringing attention to the investigation, " 'That Eubanks woman - - - your husband's friend? - - - she said you were bringing in the TV networks to blow the case open. I thought we had an agreement to keep each other informed. This morning I find out through the grapevine that you parents got a medium stashed in a hotel here in town, some woman who's been making headlines up north with cases that supposedly have the authorities stumped. If you knew how much work has been done on this case - - - no, listen, don't interrupt me. Then I find out - - - and not from you - - - that some of you parents are planning to tour the country cracking on the investigation. That's not too smart. And you should have told me.' " These two may have been fictional characters, but in Bambara's Acknowledgments, she states that all scenarios were true, and that she made B.J. to tell about the actual police officers who were involved with the investigation.
The tension between the police and the public is felt throughout the entire story. Despite all of the work the citizen task force put in, police arrested a man named Wayne Williams for the murder of two adult victims (who, due to their mental age, which was stated to be that of children, were placed on the victims' list of the Atlanta Child Murders): " Wayne Williams, charged with the murder of twenty-seven-year-old Nathaniel Cater and implicated in the murder of the other adults and children on the official list..." Zala, having worked for almost a year at the STOP offices, she, along with most of the community, doubt that Williams was a lone killer or even the killer at all. Williams never stood trial for the childrens' murders, but the police informed the public that he did it, case closed - - - although, after Williams' arrest, children were still being abducted and their bodies were still being found. Even after Williams' trial and the guilty verdict for two adult victims, some people stuck around to continue to investigate and claim Williams a 'scapegoat' of politics: " There were still pockets of interest and people who wouldn't let the case go. James Baldwin had been coming to town off and on; a book was rumored. Sondra O'Neale, the Emory University professor, hadn't abandoned her research, either. From time to time, TV and movie types were in the city poking around for an angle. Camille Bell was moving to Tallahassee to write up the case from the point of view of the STOP committee. The vets had taken over The Call now that Speaker was working full-time with the Central American Committee. The Revolutionary Communist Party kept running pieces on the case in the Revolutionary Worker. Whenever Abby Mann sent down a point man for his proposed TV docudrama, the Atlanta officials and civil rights leaders would go off the deep end. " At the end of it all, the questions still remain: did Williams kill all of those children by himself? Was he part of a pornographic cult that killed the children? Or is Williams completely innocent, and the murderer(s) are still out there? In Those Bones Are Not My Child, I guarantee you will be left questioning if the police were right.
All in all, the writing transitions can become confusing sometimes, especially the interludes of smash poetry, but I highly recommend this book to people who like the True Crime genre, especially of any interest in this specific case.
Birthday Sweet - Birthday calendar & reminder for Facebook
Catalogs and Social Networking
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The best, cleanest and most powerful Birthday Calendar / Reminder / Countdown app on the App Store,...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Bad Boys for Life (2020) in Movies
Mar 9, 2020
Welcome to Miami - again!
Will Smith seems to have been having a lacklustre period in his career. His genie from "Aladdin" got a rather lukewarm reception. And his last movie - "Gemini Man" - billed as a big summer blockbuster - failed to impress. True it wasn't a commercial disaster (raking in at the time of writing about 150% of budget), but it's still a film on a plane for me that, even if I'm bored, I'll say "nah" to.
Perhaps it's for this reason that Smith reached for an old and reliable property to dust off for another outing.
And, do you know, it's not half bad.
I only recently saw this one, right at the end of its UK cinema run, because frankly it appealed to me like being hit round the head with a cold fish. Martin Lawrence is an actor who just grates on me enormously. I'm sure he's a lovely chap; kind to animals; donates to charity; etc - but I generally just don't find him funny. (Here though he has a killer line about condom use that made me chuckle.) It feels to me like he is on implausible ground here re-treading the role of aging detective Marcus Burnett. One look at Burnett lumbering along and you would think "well, he'd never pass the medical" for the on-street role he's portrayed doing. His buddy is detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), who has a sordid past that is set to catch up on him.
Since we start the story in Colombia, where Isabel Aretas (Kate Del Castillo), the witchy wife of a notorious deceased drug baron, is sprung from prison by her son Armando (Jacob Scipio) in what I admit is a clever and novel way. The Aretas family is bent on revenge - - and a key target in their sites is Lowrey.
Burnett is newly a grandparent and hell-bent on retirement. But with Lowrey and his associates with a target on their backs, will there be one last chance to "Ride Together, Die Together"?
Not seen the first two movies? Not to worry! There are movies, like LOTR, where if you've missed the first two movies in the series you will be left in serious "WTF" territory in trying to watch the third. This is not one of those movies. The story is entirely self-contained, and refers to events never seen prior to the first film in the series.
But whether the movie is for you will depend on your tolerance for loud and brash visuals and music with the knob turned up to 12. Directors Adil and Bilall (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah - Belgian film school buddies best known for the critically acclaimed 2015 feature "Black") - don't do anything by halves.
There is a scene in "Lost Series 3" in which Sawyer, Kate, and Alex have to bust young Karl out of the mysterious room 23 where he is being tortured by having his eyes kept open while watching a collage of images continually smashed into his eyeballs. This movie feels a little like that after a while.
This is not by any means a criticism that it's poorly done. There is some truly stunning cinematography of the Miami skyline by Belgian cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, including a 'pull-back' drone shot from a conversation on the top of a building that is quite AWESOME! And there are more than enough "fast action - then slo-mo - then fast again" shots to keep music-video junkies happy!
The music score by Lorne Balfe is also pumping, adding a dynamism to the frantic action scenes that keeps you entertained.
The screenplay by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan is assuredly familiar: it's not going to win any prizes for originality. We've seen the cartel/revenge plotline played out in multiple movies over the years. And we've also seen the "buddy cops with aging partner taking retirement" angle from the "Lethal Weapon" series. This just sticks them together.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence wise-crack their way through the comedy well-enough, though for me it never reaches the heights of the pairing of Smith and Tommy Lee Jones from MiB (or indeed Mel Gibson and Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon). Elsewhere we have Vanessa Hudgens as a cute cop, still trying to break through from "Disneyfication" into mainstream flicks. For one horrible moment, when I saw her name on the cast, I thought she might be the love interest to Smith. But no. That honour goes to Mexican beauty Paola Nuñez who, with only a 10 year age gap, becomes a less gag-worthy pairing. She plays a female leadership role (every 20's film now needs one) as the head of a new crime division.
Also good value is Joe Pantoliano reprising his role as Captain Howard - Lowrie's exasperated boss. Playing it by the numbers, every film like this has to have one!
Where the plot does add some interest is in a surprising scene mid-film and a twist that I didn't see coming. But this twist felt - in the context of the release date or the film - like a mistake (a "Spoiler Section" in my review on the One Mann's Movies web site discusses this).
All of this happens of course against a backdrop of a body count of bad guys being killed in ever more graphic and gory ways, while the good guys generally dodge every bullet, grenade and crashing helicopter heading their way.
It's that time of year when films are released to die. Where studios drop their movies that are never going to trouble the Academy and are not deemed worthy of summer or even late spring release. But they should have had more faith in this one, for it's not half bad. True, you may need a couple of paracetamols afterwards, but if your corneas and ear-drums can stand the pace, its not short on entertainment value.
(For the full graphical review, check out the One Mann's Movies link here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/03/08/one-manns-movies-film-review-bad-boys-for-life-2020/ ).
Perhaps it's for this reason that Smith reached for an old and reliable property to dust off for another outing.
And, do you know, it's not half bad.
I only recently saw this one, right at the end of its UK cinema run, because frankly it appealed to me like being hit round the head with a cold fish. Martin Lawrence is an actor who just grates on me enormously. I'm sure he's a lovely chap; kind to animals; donates to charity; etc - but I generally just don't find him funny. (Here though he has a killer line about condom use that made me chuckle.) It feels to me like he is on implausible ground here re-treading the role of aging detective Marcus Burnett. One look at Burnett lumbering along and you would think "well, he'd never pass the medical" for the on-street role he's portrayed doing. His buddy is detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), who has a sordid past that is set to catch up on him.
Since we start the story in Colombia, where Isabel Aretas (Kate Del Castillo), the witchy wife of a notorious deceased drug baron, is sprung from prison by her son Armando (Jacob Scipio) in what I admit is a clever and novel way. The Aretas family is bent on revenge - - and a key target in their sites is Lowrey.
Burnett is newly a grandparent and hell-bent on retirement. But with Lowrey and his associates with a target on their backs, will there be one last chance to "Ride Together, Die Together"?
Not seen the first two movies? Not to worry! There are movies, like LOTR, where if you've missed the first two movies in the series you will be left in serious "WTF" territory in trying to watch the third. This is not one of those movies. The story is entirely self-contained, and refers to events never seen prior to the first film in the series.
But whether the movie is for you will depend on your tolerance for loud and brash visuals and music with the knob turned up to 12. Directors Adil and Bilall (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah - Belgian film school buddies best known for the critically acclaimed 2015 feature "Black") - don't do anything by halves.
There is a scene in "Lost Series 3" in which Sawyer, Kate, and Alex have to bust young Karl out of the mysterious room 23 where he is being tortured by having his eyes kept open while watching a collage of images continually smashed into his eyeballs. This movie feels a little like that after a while.
This is not by any means a criticism that it's poorly done. There is some truly stunning cinematography of the Miami skyline by Belgian cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, including a 'pull-back' drone shot from a conversation on the top of a building that is quite AWESOME! And there are more than enough "fast action - then slo-mo - then fast again" shots to keep music-video junkies happy!
The music score by Lorne Balfe is also pumping, adding a dynamism to the frantic action scenes that keeps you entertained.
The screenplay by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan is assuredly familiar: it's not going to win any prizes for originality. We've seen the cartel/revenge plotline played out in multiple movies over the years. And we've also seen the "buddy cops with aging partner taking retirement" angle from the "Lethal Weapon" series. This just sticks them together.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence wise-crack their way through the comedy well-enough, though for me it never reaches the heights of the pairing of Smith and Tommy Lee Jones from MiB (or indeed Mel Gibson and Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon). Elsewhere we have Vanessa Hudgens as a cute cop, still trying to break through from "Disneyfication" into mainstream flicks. For one horrible moment, when I saw her name on the cast, I thought she might be the love interest to Smith. But no. That honour goes to Mexican beauty Paola Nuñez who, with only a 10 year age gap, becomes a less gag-worthy pairing. She plays a female leadership role (every 20's film now needs one) as the head of a new crime division.
Also good value is Joe Pantoliano reprising his role as Captain Howard - Lowrie's exasperated boss. Playing it by the numbers, every film like this has to have one!
Where the plot does add some interest is in a surprising scene mid-film and a twist that I didn't see coming. But this twist felt - in the context of the release date or the film - like a mistake (a "Spoiler Section" in my review on the One Mann's Movies web site discusses this).
All of this happens of course against a backdrop of a body count of bad guys being killed in ever more graphic and gory ways, while the good guys generally dodge every bullet, grenade and crashing helicopter heading their way.
It's that time of year when films are released to die. Where studios drop their movies that are never going to trouble the Academy and are not deemed worthy of summer or even late spring release. But they should have had more faith in this one, for it's not half bad. True, you may need a couple of paracetamols afterwards, but if your corneas and ear-drums can stand the pace, its not short on entertainment value.
(For the full graphical review, check out the One Mann's Movies link here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2020/03/08/one-manns-movies-film-review-bad-boys-for-life-2020/ ).
Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) in Movies
May 10, 2019
"you didn't see that coming?"
I laughed. I wet my fan boy undies more than once. I wanted to pump the air with my fist and shout 'Hell yeah!' on more than one occasion. (ok, I did. Once. No one was looking. I think)
And still I feel disappointed that Age of Ultron did not manage to cut its own strings attached so strongly to the Marvel Template.
From the opening it's clear we're watching a film without bookends. Thrust into the action with Whedon's trademark 'give every character its moment' visuals, the second installment in the Avengers is aware it doesn't need to introduce itself, it just needs to reacquaint itself with a flashy entrance. And boy does it ever. There's the quick-fire banter, the kinetic action and the energetic fun that made the first film so great.
When the plot kicks in, many of Whedon's quirks remain and to great effect. It's fun, familiar and exciting. We get thrust from one amazing set piece to the next, are treated with some truly outstanding action sequences and are easily allowed to sit back and enjoy the ride. There are a couple of outstanding character moments, most notably for the more 'human' Avengers, something I felt worked rather well, mostly because it was unexpected and because it provided some much needed connection to characters without their own movie franchise.
The new characters are fine. Quicksilver is underdeveloped and never transcends his power, but the Scarlet Witch is absolutely spot on. Olsen plays her with conviction and her development is handled beautifully. Can't wait to find out what they have in store for her. When the Vision first made his appearance I audibly gasped. A firm favourite of mine, his creation and subsequent actions were put in the film especially for me. I'm sure of it.
What misfired for me was some of the comedy, which felt rather forced and the villain. The first is rather easy to step over, the second is a bigger problem. Ultron is a truly formidable adversary, one that deserves a larger platform than he is given here. It seems that the second film was always going to be a transition film to the (probable) epicness ahead and I therefore find Ultron to be an odd choice for the villain. Don't get me wrong, he looks and sounds fantastic and Spader does a truly excellent job, but he feels shoehorned into a middle part that is structured the exact same way the previous film was and most Marvel films are. Again, not necessarily a problem, but I had expected more from this one. The hinted at darker tone is not really there, the seriousness of the threat is not really convincing because it is not given the time to develop properly. There is a moment in the film I felt it was going to happen, where the team is truly rattled and defeated, but it is fleeting as we're already hurrying towards the next sequence. Whedon lacks focus here and seems preoccupied with building up rather than just telling a story. And that's a shame. I felt there was an opportunity here to break away from the mould most of these films seem intent to cast themselves in and it is an opportunity they missed. Better luck next time.
Now, having said all that, I always rate these films by how much fun I had and let me assure you, there is plenty to be had. The Hulkbuster, the final showdown, the nightmare visions all had me smiling like a git.
For all its faults it still is a cut above most big blockbusters in that it delivers the goods with confidence and gusto and never forgets to try and entertain the crap out of its audiences.
And still I feel disappointed that Age of Ultron did not manage to cut its own strings attached so strongly to the Marvel Template.
From the opening it's clear we're watching a film without bookends. Thrust into the action with Whedon's trademark 'give every character its moment' visuals, the second installment in the Avengers is aware it doesn't need to introduce itself, it just needs to reacquaint itself with a flashy entrance. And boy does it ever. There's the quick-fire banter, the kinetic action and the energetic fun that made the first film so great.
When the plot kicks in, many of Whedon's quirks remain and to great effect. It's fun, familiar and exciting. We get thrust from one amazing set piece to the next, are treated with some truly outstanding action sequences and are easily allowed to sit back and enjoy the ride. There are a couple of outstanding character moments, most notably for the more 'human' Avengers, something I felt worked rather well, mostly because it was unexpected and because it provided some much needed connection to characters without their own movie franchise.
The new characters are fine. Quicksilver is underdeveloped and never transcends his power, but the Scarlet Witch is absolutely spot on. Olsen plays her with conviction and her development is handled beautifully. Can't wait to find out what they have in store for her. When the Vision first made his appearance I audibly gasped. A firm favourite of mine, his creation and subsequent actions were put in the film especially for me. I'm sure of it.
What misfired for me was some of the comedy, which felt rather forced and the villain. The first is rather easy to step over, the second is a bigger problem. Ultron is a truly formidable adversary, one that deserves a larger platform than he is given here. It seems that the second film was always going to be a transition film to the (probable) epicness ahead and I therefore find Ultron to be an odd choice for the villain. Don't get me wrong, he looks and sounds fantastic and Spader does a truly excellent job, but he feels shoehorned into a middle part that is structured the exact same way the previous film was and most Marvel films are. Again, not necessarily a problem, but I had expected more from this one. The hinted at darker tone is not really there, the seriousness of the threat is not really convincing because it is not given the time to develop properly. There is a moment in the film I felt it was going to happen, where the team is truly rattled and defeated, but it is fleeting as we're already hurrying towards the next sequence. Whedon lacks focus here and seems preoccupied with building up rather than just telling a story. And that's a shame. I felt there was an opportunity here to break away from the mould most of these films seem intent to cast themselves in and it is an opportunity they missed. Better luck next time.
Now, having said all that, I always rate these films by how much fun I had and let me assure you, there is plenty to be had. The Hulkbuster, the final showdown, the nightmare visions all had me smiling like a git.
For all its faults it still is a cut above most big blockbusters in that it delivers the goods with confidence and gusto and never forgets to try and entertain the crap out of its audiences.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Dollhouse (Dark Carousel #1) in Books
Oct 29, 2020
I had been in a book funk for awhile, so when someone recommended Dollhouse by Anya Allyn, I thought I'd give it a try. It seemed right up my alley, and luckily, I wasn't disappointed!
I loved the plot of Dollhouse! Cassie, Evan, Aisha, and Lacey are all friends from school. One day they venture out in the forest. Aisha leaves the group and ventures further into the forest. The three others look for Aisha, but it's like she's vanished. With the cops not being able to find Aisha and Evan being accused of her disappearance, Lacy, Evan, and Cassie go back to the forest to look for her. They find a huge mansion and decide to go in it to search for Aisha. However, what they find is a secret passage that leads into a real life dollhouse where the girls are all forced to look like dolls to appease Jessamine, the leader of the dolls and toys. Getting in was easy, but getting out will be the hard part.
The world building was done beautifully. I felt like I was right there beside each character as the plot unfolded as well as the emotions each character would feel. While the book started out slow, it wasn't long before the action quickly picked up, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. There were a couple of times where the pacing became a bit too quick during the action unfolding where I felt a bit lost with what was going on, but the pacing quickly corrected itself. There are a few plot twists that I never saw coming, and there are a few that are semi-predictable. However, I enjoyed everything as well as trying to figure out what was going on. I feel that Dollhouse could be read as a standalone, but as it's a series, it's best to read all the books in the Dark Carousel series if you need one hundred percent closure and more back story.
I loved each and every character featured in Dollhouse. Each character had enough backstory to be fleshed out very well. I believe every character also acted their appropriate age. Cassie was such a strong lead character, and I admired her tenacity to do whatever it took to find a way out. Her loyalty to her friends was noble, and her resolve to not give up was an inspiration. Evan was another character that had the same traits as Cassie. He wanted to protect the girls and didn't care what would happen to himself. I wouldn't say he was reckless though. Missouri and Philly were my favorite characters even though they weren't the main ones. Missouri wanted to protect everyone, and I loved how much of a mother figure she was to little Philly. Jessamine was an awesome antagonist. I loved reading about her so much, and I also loved trying to figure out her backstory. (The bulk of Jessamine's backstory is featured in the second book of the series, Paper Dolls.) There were times when I actually felt sorry for Jessamine, but she was quite selfish. I would have loved to learn more about how Donovan (the man who lived in the mansion the living dollhouse was in) fits into the whole narrative, but perhaps that will be explained throughout the rest of the series. Another thing I really loved about Dollhouse was that the stuffed animals and the wooden clown came to life and were beyond life sized. I felt that was a pretty awesome (and spooky) touch.
Trigger warnings for Dollhouse include fear, kidnapping, some violence, ghosts, druggings, death, and murder.
Overall, Dollhouse was a fantastic fast-paced read that I didn't want to put down. Once the pacing picks up, it's easy to devour in just one setting with its fantastic cast of characters and great narrative. I would definitely recommend Dollhouse by Anya Allyn to those aged 14 and older who love to get lost in a spooky well written story.
I loved the plot of Dollhouse! Cassie, Evan, Aisha, and Lacey are all friends from school. One day they venture out in the forest. Aisha leaves the group and ventures further into the forest. The three others look for Aisha, but it's like she's vanished. With the cops not being able to find Aisha and Evan being accused of her disappearance, Lacy, Evan, and Cassie go back to the forest to look for her. They find a huge mansion and decide to go in it to search for Aisha. However, what they find is a secret passage that leads into a real life dollhouse where the girls are all forced to look like dolls to appease Jessamine, the leader of the dolls and toys. Getting in was easy, but getting out will be the hard part.
The world building was done beautifully. I felt like I was right there beside each character as the plot unfolded as well as the emotions each character would feel. While the book started out slow, it wasn't long before the action quickly picked up, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. There were a couple of times where the pacing became a bit too quick during the action unfolding where I felt a bit lost with what was going on, but the pacing quickly corrected itself. There are a few plot twists that I never saw coming, and there are a few that are semi-predictable. However, I enjoyed everything as well as trying to figure out what was going on. I feel that Dollhouse could be read as a standalone, but as it's a series, it's best to read all the books in the Dark Carousel series if you need one hundred percent closure and more back story.
I loved each and every character featured in Dollhouse. Each character had enough backstory to be fleshed out very well. I believe every character also acted their appropriate age. Cassie was such a strong lead character, and I admired her tenacity to do whatever it took to find a way out. Her loyalty to her friends was noble, and her resolve to not give up was an inspiration. Evan was another character that had the same traits as Cassie. He wanted to protect the girls and didn't care what would happen to himself. I wouldn't say he was reckless though. Missouri and Philly were my favorite characters even though they weren't the main ones. Missouri wanted to protect everyone, and I loved how much of a mother figure she was to little Philly. Jessamine was an awesome antagonist. I loved reading about her so much, and I also loved trying to figure out her backstory. (The bulk of Jessamine's backstory is featured in the second book of the series, Paper Dolls.) There were times when I actually felt sorry for Jessamine, but she was quite selfish. I would have loved to learn more about how Donovan (the man who lived in the mansion the living dollhouse was in) fits into the whole narrative, but perhaps that will be explained throughout the rest of the series. Another thing I really loved about Dollhouse was that the stuffed animals and the wooden clown came to life and were beyond life sized. I felt that was a pretty awesome (and spooky) touch.
Trigger warnings for Dollhouse include fear, kidnapping, some violence, ghosts, druggings, death, and murder.
Overall, Dollhouse was a fantastic fast-paced read that I didn't want to put down. Once the pacing picks up, it's easy to devour in just one setting with its fantastic cast of characters and great narrative. I would definitely recommend Dollhouse by Anya Allyn to those aged 14 and older who love to get lost in a spooky well written story.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Kingdomino in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
So I am building a kingdom with these land pieces and I can just make my kingdom look however I want? Oh, I have to stay within a 5×5 square but my castle can go anywhere? And I can pick any one of those tiles in that column there? That sounds easy. Wait, that’s all? That’s the entire game?
DISCLAIMER: This review is focused on vanilla Kingdomino. We have the Age of Giants expansion and will be reviewing that as well. Maybe. If or when we do we will add that content to this review or link to it here. -T
Yep. That’s the entire game. On your turn you take the tile your meeple is currently sitting on and place it on another tile from the current offer column. That new tile will be your tile to be placed during the next round. Now you take the tile you just moved from and place it anywhere on your kingdom “grid” matching up similar land types if you can. Each crown icon shown in a land type will score 1 VP per land tile that is connected and matching. Example: you have a sand tile with two crowns on it. You have connected several tiles together and you have a connected sand area of seven squares showing sand. Two crowns times seven squares equals 14 VPs for that sand area. Just do that for all areas with crowns to get your final score.
Where is the conflict, you ask? Every good story has a conflict! Well, you cannot take just ANY tile you want. The tiles are placed in the offer column in numeric order (on the backs of the tiles are numbers). Then they are flipped so you can see what is coming up on the next round. Whomever chooses the lowest number tile goes first, and subsequently chooses their tile for the next round. Herein lies the conflict and what little player interaction there is in the game: you can block your opponent(s) by taking the tiles you see they may want. I personally do not play any games this way, but it’s a valid strategy. I am in it to win it, not in it to make you lose it.
Ok, so at first glance this is a children’s game. It can also be a hard sell to get people to want to play it. “It’s like Dominoes, but better.” That usually doesn’t spark a whole lot of energy and interest when I open with that. I am open to better sales pitches because this is a truly great game. Yes, it’s ultimately Dominoes at its heart. Yes, it’s very light. But dang it, this game is really fun!
The little cardboard castles that you build around are cute, but also kinda unnecessary. The meeples are, well, meeples. Not really too exciting to look at, but they are merely there to show player color. The domino tiles are a good thickness and the art is fun and whimsical. I LIKE looking at the tiles and sometimes finding a little hidden easter egg in there. I have no complaints about the components. Good on you, Blue Orange Games.
The game play is so simple but also so engaging! My mother, who usually only plays Rummikub, actually agreed to play this with me and she really really enjoyed it! Kids can play it and do really well. Older adults can too! It’s a great game to consider for gateway gaming, for a filler palate cleanser, or even for lighthearted tournament play. It just works well in so many scenarios. Is it my favorite game of all time? No. Is it in my Top 10? No. But I can guarantee you that I will never get rid of this little gem.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games gives this title a royal 14 / 18. Build on, Kingdomino!
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/27/kingdomino-review/
DISCLAIMER: This review is focused on vanilla Kingdomino. We have the Age of Giants expansion and will be reviewing that as well. Maybe. If or when we do we will add that content to this review or link to it here. -T
Yep. That’s the entire game. On your turn you take the tile your meeple is currently sitting on and place it on another tile from the current offer column. That new tile will be your tile to be placed during the next round. Now you take the tile you just moved from and place it anywhere on your kingdom “grid” matching up similar land types if you can. Each crown icon shown in a land type will score 1 VP per land tile that is connected and matching. Example: you have a sand tile with two crowns on it. You have connected several tiles together and you have a connected sand area of seven squares showing sand. Two crowns times seven squares equals 14 VPs for that sand area. Just do that for all areas with crowns to get your final score.
Where is the conflict, you ask? Every good story has a conflict! Well, you cannot take just ANY tile you want. The tiles are placed in the offer column in numeric order (on the backs of the tiles are numbers). Then they are flipped so you can see what is coming up on the next round. Whomever chooses the lowest number tile goes first, and subsequently chooses their tile for the next round. Herein lies the conflict and what little player interaction there is in the game: you can block your opponent(s) by taking the tiles you see they may want. I personally do not play any games this way, but it’s a valid strategy. I am in it to win it, not in it to make you lose it.
Ok, so at first glance this is a children’s game. It can also be a hard sell to get people to want to play it. “It’s like Dominoes, but better.” That usually doesn’t spark a whole lot of energy and interest when I open with that. I am open to better sales pitches because this is a truly great game. Yes, it’s ultimately Dominoes at its heart. Yes, it’s very light. But dang it, this game is really fun!
The little cardboard castles that you build around are cute, but also kinda unnecessary. The meeples are, well, meeples. Not really too exciting to look at, but they are merely there to show player color. The domino tiles are a good thickness and the art is fun and whimsical. I LIKE looking at the tiles and sometimes finding a little hidden easter egg in there. I have no complaints about the components. Good on you, Blue Orange Games.
The game play is so simple but also so engaging! My mother, who usually only plays Rummikub, actually agreed to play this with me and she really really enjoyed it! Kids can play it and do really well. Older adults can too! It’s a great game to consider for gateway gaming, for a filler palate cleanser, or even for lighthearted tournament play. It just works well in so many scenarios. Is it my favorite game of all time? No. Is it in my Top 10? No. But I can guarantee you that I will never get rid of this little gem.
That said, Purple Phoenix Games gives this title a royal 14 / 18. Build on, Kingdomino!
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/27/kingdomino-review/
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
Jul 20, 2017
There has been an awakening...
Contains spoilers, click to show
There was a point where I honestly thought that this day was never going to come. Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in 30 years we have an exciting, entertaining Star Wars movie. Now this review will contain a non spoilers section and a spoilers section, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, maybe don’t read past the spoiler warning. So, strap in because if this franchise is starting as it means to go on, then I’ve got a good feeling about this…
First off, let’s talk about the new cast. All three of them are fantastic in their performances, with Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron respectively. Poe has the smallest role, which is my biggest and only complaint about the character, because he is awesome. He is funny, he’s an amazing pilot, he reeks of cool and he is the one character in this movie that I’d love to get a pint with. Finn is another new character, dealing with an inner conflict, (which I won’t ruin,) but is still likeable and relatable. Rey is arguably the most central of the three new main cast members and she delivers also, she sold the fairly bland character dealing with an exciting new adventure calling her name pretty well, but possibly could have done more in a few scenes, as it sort of feels like they could have cast anyone of the same age in this role and they would have delivered, but she did well enough. Of course, the old cast are also back, Anthony Daniels as C3PO is just as irritating as he was 30 years ago and while it’s nice to see Peter Mahew back as Chewie, they really could have put any tall, thin guy into the furry costume and it wouldn’t have made any difference. Carrie Fisher is back as Leia and the while lines she had were entertaining and at times touching, she simply wasn’t in the movie enough. I won’t talk about Luke until the spoilers section, so let’s move on to Han. It’s nice to see grumpy old gramps Harrison Ford actually look enthusiastic and as if he is actually enjoying himself for a change. His performance surprisingly isn’t phoned in and he genuinely commits to the role just as much as he did 30 years ago. Also, out of the original returning cast, he is definitely in the movie most.
Now that we have discussed the light side, now let’s move onto the dark side. Personally I don’t think these characters are as strong as the protagonists. It’s not the fault of the actors, Domnall Gleason as Hux is great, super evil and almost Nazi-like, Andy Serkis as Snoke is intimidating in his performance also and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is one of the best performances in the movie, showing sadness and anger, all while being an unhinged threatening presence. The problem here is that the villains in this movie just don’t have the same impact as the villains in the original , Hux and Ren are made out to be young and naïve and while Snoke is pulling the strings, but we only ever see him as a hologram and even then, we don’t see him all that much. It’s as if this is these villain’s origin story, but in A New Hope, the villains and the Empire already felt like an established, villainous organisation, whereas in this movie it is as if a bunch of amateurs have happened across a new death star (let’s not lie, that’s all that the Starkiller base is,) and they don’t really know what they are doing. And Captain Phasma? Hardly worth talking about, she is in two scenes and does nothing in either of them besides let herself get taken advantage of. So that’s a summary on how I felt about the characters in general, onto the movie as a whole.
I feel that Abrams has gotten the tone of this movie just right. It’s funny enough that it’s constantly entertaining and never boring and it’s serious enough that you feel a genuine, palpable threat throughout. The score is also fantastic, as is expected from John Williams and overall the effects are spot on also. I did have a slight problem with some of the CGI characters, namely Snoke, the tentacle monsters that show up briefly and the market owner that was in possession of the Falcon at the start of the movie played by Simon Pegg, but there were also a lot of puppets and practical effects were used and it really pays off in the overall look of the movie, no more crammed scenes of cartoon garbage like the prequels, just what matters. The pacing of this movie is very fast, some might say too fast, with Abrams not really giving the viewers time to breathe and digest what they just saw before throwing another dogfight or lightsaber battle at them, but hey, at least you can’t say it’s boring and I’m happy to say that there isn’t a senate discussion in sight. I really do feel like I have to see the movie again however before making an overall verdict and that is due to the extremely fast pacing and because of all of the significant events that happen nothing really stands out, which leaves a lack of meat on the bone. The story is well written however, the world is built well and the characters are all introduced well, but the story does follow a lot of the same beats as the original trilogy. Without giving anything away, the story is divided up into three distinct acts, with each taking place on a different planet followed by an epilogue at the end. There is a cantina scene, a robot carrying an important message to be delivered, Tie Fighter vs. X Wing dogfights and a death star-like weapon of mass destruction, there is even a trench run.
Okay, so I saw the movie again on Tuesday this week and while most of what I felt the first time I felt again, making a lot of the feelings I had after my first viewing more concrete, I did notice a few new things. Also, from this point on there will be spoilers.
Knowing what was coming before it did really helped the pacing of this movie, it was much easier to digest a second time, but at no point was it a chore to watch the film again. I also noticed a lot more lens flares this time, upon first viewing I thought that the only lens flare in the movie was when the Starkiller base fires it’s weapon, but there are in fact quite a few throughout the film. Also the end scene with Luke was a lot better the second time, it didn’t feel as awkward or drawn out and felt more like a fitting end to the movie, although if you ask me, Luke should have at least had a line. Also the revelation that Kylo Ren was actually Ben Solo, Han’s son and Han’s death scene at the hands of Ren were also better on second viewing. While Han’s death was somewhat predictable and probably could have been executed better, it was nice to have him in this movie for the time we got him and I’m sure Harrison Ford is more than happy to never have to play the character again. Also BB-8 is possibly even more likable the second time. Seeing the movie again I also gained a greater appreciation for the cinematography in it, with some awesome long shots showing off the dogfights and the First Order vs. Resistance action. I’m glad I got to see the movie a second time as it has upped my opinion of the movie and if you are a Star Wars fan, it’s something that I would strongly recommend you do.
First off, let’s talk about the new cast. All three of them are fantastic in their performances, with Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron respectively. Poe has the smallest role, which is my biggest and only complaint about the character, because he is awesome. He is funny, he’s an amazing pilot, he reeks of cool and he is the one character in this movie that I’d love to get a pint with. Finn is another new character, dealing with an inner conflict, (which I won’t ruin,) but is still likeable and relatable. Rey is arguably the most central of the three new main cast members and she delivers also, she sold the fairly bland character dealing with an exciting new adventure calling her name pretty well, but possibly could have done more in a few scenes, as it sort of feels like they could have cast anyone of the same age in this role and they would have delivered, but she did well enough. Of course, the old cast are also back, Anthony Daniels as C3PO is just as irritating as he was 30 years ago and while it’s nice to see Peter Mahew back as Chewie, they really could have put any tall, thin guy into the furry costume and it wouldn’t have made any difference. Carrie Fisher is back as Leia and the while lines she had were entertaining and at times touching, she simply wasn’t in the movie enough. I won’t talk about Luke until the spoilers section, so let’s move on to Han. It’s nice to see grumpy old gramps Harrison Ford actually look enthusiastic and as if he is actually enjoying himself for a change. His performance surprisingly isn’t phoned in and he genuinely commits to the role just as much as he did 30 years ago. Also, out of the original returning cast, he is definitely in the movie most.
Now that we have discussed the light side, now let’s move onto the dark side. Personally I don’t think these characters are as strong as the protagonists. It’s not the fault of the actors, Domnall Gleason as Hux is great, super evil and almost Nazi-like, Andy Serkis as Snoke is intimidating in his performance also and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is one of the best performances in the movie, showing sadness and anger, all while being an unhinged threatening presence. The problem here is that the villains in this movie just don’t have the same impact as the villains in the original , Hux and Ren are made out to be young and naïve and while Snoke is pulling the strings, but we only ever see him as a hologram and even then, we don’t see him all that much. It’s as if this is these villain’s origin story, but in A New Hope, the villains and the Empire already felt like an established, villainous organisation, whereas in this movie it is as if a bunch of amateurs have happened across a new death star (let’s not lie, that’s all that the Starkiller base is,) and they don’t really know what they are doing. And Captain Phasma? Hardly worth talking about, she is in two scenes and does nothing in either of them besides let herself get taken advantage of. So that’s a summary on how I felt about the characters in general, onto the movie as a whole.
I feel that Abrams has gotten the tone of this movie just right. It’s funny enough that it’s constantly entertaining and never boring and it’s serious enough that you feel a genuine, palpable threat throughout. The score is also fantastic, as is expected from John Williams and overall the effects are spot on also. I did have a slight problem with some of the CGI characters, namely Snoke, the tentacle monsters that show up briefly and the market owner that was in possession of the Falcon at the start of the movie played by Simon Pegg, but there were also a lot of puppets and practical effects were used and it really pays off in the overall look of the movie, no more crammed scenes of cartoon garbage like the prequels, just what matters. The pacing of this movie is very fast, some might say too fast, with Abrams not really giving the viewers time to breathe and digest what they just saw before throwing another dogfight or lightsaber battle at them, but hey, at least you can’t say it’s boring and I’m happy to say that there isn’t a senate discussion in sight. I really do feel like I have to see the movie again however before making an overall verdict and that is due to the extremely fast pacing and because of all of the significant events that happen nothing really stands out, which leaves a lack of meat on the bone. The story is well written however, the world is built well and the characters are all introduced well, but the story does follow a lot of the same beats as the original trilogy. Without giving anything away, the story is divided up into three distinct acts, with each taking place on a different planet followed by an epilogue at the end. There is a cantina scene, a robot carrying an important message to be delivered, Tie Fighter vs. X Wing dogfights and a death star-like weapon of mass destruction, there is even a trench run.
Okay, so I saw the movie again on Tuesday this week and while most of what I felt the first time I felt again, making a lot of the feelings I had after my first viewing more concrete, I did notice a few new things. Also, from this point on there will be spoilers.
Knowing what was coming before it did really helped the pacing of this movie, it was much easier to digest a second time, but at no point was it a chore to watch the film again. I also noticed a lot more lens flares this time, upon first viewing I thought that the only lens flare in the movie was when the Starkiller base fires it’s weapon, but there are in fact quite a few throughout the film. Also the end scene with Luke was a lot better the second time, it didn’t feel as awkward or drawn out and felt more like a fitting end to the movie, although if you ask me, Luke should have at least had a line. Also the revelation that Kylo Ren was actually Ben Solo, Han’s son and Han’s death scene at the hands of Ren were also better on second viewing. While Han’s death was somewhat predictable and probably could have been executed better, it was nice to have him in this movie for the time we got him and I’m sure Harrison Ford is more than happy to never have to play the character again. Also BB-8 is possibly even more likable the second time. Seeing the movie again I also gained a greater appreciation for the cinematography in it, with some awesome long shots showing off the dogfights and the First Order vs. Resistance action. I’m glad I got to see the movie a second time as it has upped my opinion of the movie and if you are a Star Wars fan, it’s something that I would strongly recommend you do.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Rules for Disappearing (The Rules for Disappearing, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I first read about The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston, I knew I had to read this book. I was thrilled when I won an ARC copy from a blog giveaway. I was even happier that the book was even better then I thought it was going to be.
Thankfully, the book synopsis does an excellent job in describing what the book is going to be about. I'm super thankful because a lot of book blurbs these days tend to just give you the bare minimum of what the book will be about or something completely different. Anyway, since you've read above what the book is about, I won't try to tell you again since most people find it boring.
I absolutely love the title! It screams out at you to check this book out (okay, it did to me). The title is also what the chapter names are called. With each chapter, you also get a rule for disappearing, so this title is perfect!
Whilst I loved the title, I wasn't thrilled with the cover. I just felt that with what this books about and everything contained within the pages, the cover would've been better. Yes, I get that it's about up and leaving, but just showing a pair of legs running is a bit too bland. In fact, I wasn't going to bother with this book when I saw the cover, but I thought I'd give the book blurb a read which is what changed my mind. So please don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is a dull book because it's not.
I thought the world building was fantastic. I enjoyed reading about how it'd be living in the Witness Protection Program, and I must say, I'm glad that I never had to do something like that even if it would be cool to pick your own name. Elston gives us an up close and personal look into the life of someone who has to deal with this. I felt, at times, that it was me in the place of Meg. That's how real the world building felt. One thing that bothered me though was how trusting one of the adults was in this book. I won't go into details because I don't want to go into spoilers, but I just couldn't imagine any adult would let someone take off with hardly any questions asked.
The pacing was absolutely perfect! This whole book was one big page-turner. I kept telling myself I'd only read one more chapter and then get back to real life. Before I knew it, I'd finished the book. I had to know what was going to happen next. Not once does the pacing become dull.
The plot was fantastic! I'd never read a book that had to do with the Witness Protection Program. I loved the way the plot was written and the predicament of Meg getting close to Ethan. It was very interesting to read about everything and to see how things would play out. I did, however, predict who the baddie really was, and I was right. I had pretty much seen it coming since that character was mentioned, but the story was still interesting to read. I just wish the ending would've explained a bit more, but I've just read that there will be a sequel out next year so hopefully things will be explained more then.
I absolutely loved the characters! Meg was a very strong character throughout the whole book. The way she handled things was very interesting to read about. I liked how she was torn and how she'd rationalize things especially when it came to getting close to Ethan. I enjoyed how much Ethan was willing to put on the line to get close to Meg. He was a true gentleman, but not over the top like you get in cheesy romance novels. I loved his dedication to Meg. Teeny seemed to act like that of an 8 year child instead of an 11 year old girl. The book says she acts younger because of what she's been through with having to move house and change lives every so many weeks. I just didn't buy it. She acted too young almost all the time! While I did enjoy the character of Teeny, I just wish she would've acted her age a little more throughout the book. Pearl was definitely my favorite character, and while she isn't mentioned a lot, I still loved whenever she'd show up in the book. I loved her sweet nature and how she was willingly to help anyone out.
The interactions between the characters was very believable and never felt forced. Even the swearing never felt forced. The dialogue is very enjoyable, and I enjoyed it the most when Meg was forced with a problem. I loved reading about how she was going to solve it. Like I said, there is some bad language, but I'd say it's only moderate.
Overall, The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston is an interesting, refreshing read as well as a book that keeps you hooked until the very end.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who just want a good book to read.
I'd give The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston a 4.5 out of 5.
When I first read about The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston, I knew I had to read this book. I was thrilled when I won an ARC copy from a blog giveaway. I was even happier that the book was even better then I thought it was going to be.
Thankfully, the book synopsis does an excellent job in describing what the book is going to be about. I'm super thankful because a lot of book blurbs these days tend to just give you the bare minimum of what the book will be about or something completely different. Anyway, since you've read above what the book is about, I won't try to tell you again since most people find it boring.
I absolutely love the title! It screams out at you to check this book out (okay, it did to me). The title is also what the chapter names are called. With each chapter, you also get a rule for disappearing, so this title is perfect!
Whilst I loved the title, I wasn't thrilled with the cover. I just felt that with what this books about and everything contained within the pages, the cover would've been better. Yes, I get that it's about up and leaving, but just showing a pair of legs running is a bit too bland. In fact, I wasn't going to bother with this book when I saw the cover, but I thought I'd give the book blurb a read which is what changed my mind. So please don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is a dull book because it's not.
I thought the world building was fantastic. I enjoyed reading about how it'd be living in the Witness Protection Program, and I must say, I'm glad that I never had to do something like that even if it would be cool to pick your own name. Elston gives us an up close and personal look into the life of someone who has to deal with this. I felt, at times, that it was me in the place of Meg. That's how real the world building felt. One thing that bothered me though was how trusting one of the adults was in this book. I won't go into details because I don't want to go into spoilers, but I just couldn't imagine any adult would let someone take off with hardly any questions asked.
The pacing was absolutely perfect! This whole book was one big page-turner. I kept telling myself I'd only read one more chapter and then get back to real life. Before I knew it, I'd finished the book. I had to know what was going to happen next. Not once does the pacing become dull.
The plot was fantastic! I'd never read a book that had to do with the Witness Protection Program. I loved the way the plot was written and the predicament of Meg getting close to Ethan. It was very interesting to read about everything and to see how things would play out. I did, however, predict who the baddie really was, and I was right. I had pretty much seen it coming since that character was mentioned, but the story was still interesting to read. I just wish the ending would've explained a bit more, but I've just read that there will be a sequel out next year so hopefully things will be explained more then.
I absolutely loved the characters! Meg was a very strong character throughout the whole book. The way she handled things was very interesting to read about. I liked how she was torn and how she'd rationalize things especially when it came to getting close to Ethan. I enjoyed how much Ethan was willing to put on the line to get close to Meg. He was a true gentleman, but not over the top like you get in cheesy romance novels. I loved his dedication to Meg. Teeny seemed to act like that of an 8 year child instead of an 11 year old girl. The book says she acts younger because of what she's been through with having to move house and change lives every so many weeks. I just didn't buy it. She acted too young almost all the time! While I did enjoy the character of Teeny, I just wish she would've acted her age a little more throughout the book. Pearl was definitely my favorite character, and while she isn't mentioned a lot, I still loved whenever she'd show up in the book. I loved her sweet nature and how she was willingly to help anyone out.
The interactions between the characters was very believable and never felt forced. Even the swearing never felt forced. The dialogue is very enjoyable, and I enjoyed it the most when Meg was forced with a problem. I loved reading about how she was going to solve it. Like I said, there is some bad language, but I'd say it's only moderate.
Overall, The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston is an interesting, refreshing read as well as a book that keeps you hooked until the very end.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who just want a good book to read.
I'd give The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston a 4.5 out of 5.
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