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Sin City (2005)
7.5
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Movie Watch
Sin City (also known as Frank Miller's Sin City)[3] is a 2005 American neo-noir crime anthology film...
Sin City Frank Miller Robert Rodriguez Comic book
Abstract Academy
7.0
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Tabletop Game
At the Abstract Academy, competition is fierce. You and your fellow art students vie for top marks...
Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)
7.0
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Book
Falling for a straight guy is putting extra nuts in the rocky road to my life goals... I have two...
Contemporary MM Romance
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated To Best the Boys in Books
Oct 5, 2020
I love Mary Weber as much as her food recipes she shares with us every single month! I don’t usually decide whether to read a certain book by its cover, but this cover made me want to find out more about it. When I read the synopsis, I had to read it, as it captures women fighting for their rights in a young-adult format, and it simply was something I couldn’t miss.
I will be honest with you and say that this book didn’t deliver. Maybe it was my expectations, after all, that got me too excited for my own good.
Let’s start with Rhen. She is a girl that loves science, and her father has taught her everything he knows. They are poor family and don’t have all the equipment in the world, but that doesn’t stop them to keep discovering and learning every day. In their kingdom, an unknown disease comes around, and Rhen’s mum is ill, with no cure yet. Rhen wants desperately to find a cure, and a rich boy wanting to marry her might promise her all the equipment she needs, but now it’s time that she lacks.
When the men’s annual tournament is about to begin, with boys fighting for the science scholarship, Rhen knows that she has no choice but to enter, disguised as a boy, and try to win this – for her, for her dad, and most importantly, for her mum.
The book flows really slowly. We get to about half of the book when Rhen decides to enter the tournament. I expected this to happen in the first couple of chapters, and to then have the adventure from within the labyrinth. For me, it was quite a slow beginning, but some of you might enjoy that. The writing is beautiful throughout.
>I loved the fighter within Rhen. She is a fierce person, determined to fight for what she wants. Even though throughout the book she has trouble with realising what is it that she really wants, we can see a bit of character development in her.
As a book that is supposed to cover gender equality, and women fighting for the same rights as men, this book didn’t really deliver. The letter states that every gentleperson – not gentleman. Which means, that inequality never truly exists at all. Women could have entered this competition, but they just chose not to.
The whole competition, the labyrinth and the scholarship lacks details and has enormous loopholes: one scholarship is given to one person – the one that wins the labyrinth. And after the winner is chosen, we have a scene where they all take a test, including the winner?
The disguise was a huge and important part of this book, as Rhen and her friend are pretending to be boys. Rhen cuts her hair, and her friend just pins it and ties it with a hat. They both wear boy clothes and barely remember to lower their voices. And that is all they do to not get recognised. And somehow, the people that know them their whole life fail to recognise them. A bit unbelievable…
I wish I loved this book, because I truly fell in love with the cover and the synopsis. But the whole labyrinth set-up seemed to be a side-story, with the illness being the main story, and the realisation of what Rhen actually wants to achieve. Random characters were introduced, that didn’t drive the story one bit, and the author also happened to throw in an inconsistent romance and a love triangle.
I hate to say this, but the book seems like an unfinished draft. It seemed so promising, and all I thought I would get out of this was non-existent.
I am not sure if I would want to recommend this book to you guys. If you want to give it a try, I encourage you, and would love to talk about it and hear what you think, but if you are here because you loved the synopsis, this book will probably not satisfy you
I will be honest with you and say that this book didn’t deliver. Maybe it was my expectations, after all, that got me too excited for my own good.
Let’s start with Rhen. She is a girl that loves science, and her father has taught her everything he knows. They are poor family and don’t have all the equipment in the world, but that doesn’t stop them to keep discovering and learning every day. In their kingdom, an unknown disease comes around, and Rhen’s mum is ill, with no cure yet. Rhen wants desperately to find a cure, and a rich boy wanting to marry her might promise her all the equipment she needs, but now it’s time that she lacks.
When the men’s annual tournament is about to begin, with boys fighting for the science scholarship, Rhen knows that she has no choice but to enter, disguised as a boy, and try to win this – for her, for her dad, and most importantly, for her mum.
The book flows really slowly. We get to about half of the book when Rhen decides to enter the tournament. I expected this to happen in the first couple of chapters, and to then have the adventure from within the labyrinth. For me, it was quite a slow beginning, but some of you might enjoy that. The writing is beautiful throughout.
>I loved the fighter within Rhen. She is a fierce person, determined to fight for what she wants. Even though throughout the book she has trouble with realising what is it that she really wants, we can see a bit of character development in her.
As a book that is supposed to cover gender equality, and women fighting for the same rights as men, this book didn’t really deliver. The letter states that every gentleperson – not gentleman. Which means, that inequality never truly exists at all. Women could have entered this competition, but they just chose not to.
The whole competition, the labyrinth and the scholarship lacks details and has enormous loopholes: one scholarship is given to one person – the one that wins the labyrinth. And after the winner is chosen, we have a scene where they all take a test, including the winner?
The disguise was a huge and important part of this book, as Rhen and her friend are pretending to be boys. Rhen cuts her hair, and her friend just pins it and ties it with a hat. They both wear boy clothes and barely remember to lower their voices. And that is all they do to not get recognised. And somehow, the people that know them their whole life fail to recognise them. A bit unbelievable…
I wish I loved this book, because I truly fell in love with the cover and the synopsis. But the whole labyrinth set-up seemed to be a side-story, with the illness being the main story, and the realisation of what Rhen actually wants to achieve. Random characters were introduced, that didn’t drive the story one bit, and the author also happened to throw in an inconsistent romance and a love triangle.
I hate to say this, but the book seems like an unfinished draft. It seemed so promising, and all I thought I would get out of this was non-existent.
I am not sure if I would want to recommend this book to you guys. If you want to give it a try, I encourage you, and would love to talk about it and hear what you think, but if you are here because you loved the synopsis, this book will probably not satisfy you
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Remastered) in Video Games
Oct 8, 2020
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 Takes What Was Old And Makes It New And Amazing
It’s a sunny day in Southern California. Friends are gathered around the Playstation and the CRT. The game in the console is letting us do what many of us just can’t do in real life. You’re mashing buttons trying to string together those combos for bragging rights among your friends. There’s a cold drink by your side, and your friend’s mom pops in to see if anyone wants some tortas. Nostalgia at its finest. I know this wasn’t everyone’s childhood, it wasn’t even mine most of the time. But those moments when we were blissfully unaware of what the future holds were some of the greatest of our lives. And like some out there, I can link a lot of this to video games, and few are more important in my life than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
Flash forward 21 years and the world is crumbling around us. But there’s still that shining light waiting for those of us that know. An escape. A chance to do something we really can’t do in real life. Most of us couldn’t do it in 1999 either, but that’s neither here nor there. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is the perfect release during this pandemic, whether you believe in it or not (I can’t believe I actually have to type those words). It gives the nostalgic fun to the old-timers like me, and introduces a whole new generation of gamers.
As I am sure you know by now, THPS1+2 is essentially the exact same games that we know and love, with a few minor tweaks. First and foremost, graphics have been updated significantly. From cut scenes to gameplay, everything has been modernized. Even the veteran skaters in the game have been updated to their current appearances, though their original appearances in the game are still available. There are other small things, like Subway Tokens being updated to Subway Cards, which, in true Tony Hawk fashion, are also about to be discontinued from use in the NY Subway System (tokens were on their way out when the game first released).
We also see some new skaters this time around, with a good addition of female skaters to the game. But beyond that, the games are, in many, many ways the same as original. It feels the same, and quite honestly looks the exact same to what I remember. Now clearly, this is not the case, but it’s weird what the brain will tell you when looking at things 20 years apart. Not only is the game play, goals, and levels set up exactly the same as it has always been, even most of the original soundtrack is present, with the addition of 37 new songs as well.
There’s not a lot I can tell you that will convince you either way. You’re either a fan of the series or you’re not. If you had a problem with the series back then, especially some people’s issues over the controls (which brought about competition such as Skate – which is being rebooted as well – or the newly released Skater XL), you will likely have the same issues now. As mentioned, and as you will see in many reviews, the gameplay is nearly identical to the first releases of both games. It is just really nice to revisit an important part of my young adult life, even if they still included those crappy competition levels.
With a price tag of $39.99, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 seems the perfect bit of happy distraction to help get us through the unknown in these difficulty times. My only qualm with the game would be platform availability. It’s available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (by way of Epic Games Store), but I think they hindered themselves with 2 decisions: no Nintendo Switch version and EGS. I would love to be able to take this game on the go with me on the Nintendo, and the alleged anti-consumer practices of Epic Games regarding their store, not to mention their current publicity stunt with Apple and Google, has left a sour taste in the mouths of many gamers. Hopefully we will see availability on more platforms, including Stadia, in the future.
Flash forward 21 years and the world is crumbling around us. But there’s still that shining light waiting for those of us that know. An escape. A chance to do something we really can’t do in real life. Most of us couldn’t do it in 1999 either, but that’s neither here nor there. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is the perfect release during this pandemic, whether you believe in it or not (I can’t believe I actually have to type those words). It gives the nostalgic fun to the old-timers like me, and introduces a whole new generation of gamers.
As I am sure you know by now, THPS1+2 is essentially the exact same games that we know and love, with a few minor tweaks. First and foremost, graphics have been updated significantly. From cut scenes to gameplay, everything has been modernized. Even the veteran skaters in the game have been updated to their current appearances, though their original appearances in the game are still available. There are other small things, like Subway Tokens being updated to Subway Cards, which, in true Tony Hawk fashion, are also about to be discontinued from use in the NY Subway System (tokens were on their way out when the game first released).
We also see some new skaters this time around, with a good addition of female skaters to the game. But beyond that, the games are, in many, many ways the same as original. It feels the same, and quite honestly looks the exact same to what I remember. Now clearly, this is not the case, but it’s weird what the brain will tell you when looking at things 20 years apart. Not only is the game play, goals, and levels set up exactly the same as it has always been, even most of the original soundtrack is present, with the addition of 37 new songs as well.
There’s not a lot I can tell you that will convince you either way. You’re either a fan of the series or you’re not. If you had a problem with the series back then, especially some people’s issues over the controls (which brought about competition such as Skate – which is being rebooted as well – or the newly released Skater XL), you will likely have the same issues now. As mentioned, and as you will see in many reviews, the gameplay is nearly identical to the first releases of both games. It is just really nice to revisit an important part of my young adult life, even if they still included those crappy competition levels.
With a price tag of $39.99, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 seems the perfect bit of happy distraction to help get us through the unknown in these difficulty times. My only qualm with the game would be platform availability. It’s available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (by way of Epic Games Store), but I think they hindered themselves with 2 decisions: no Nintendo Switch version and EGS. I would love to be able to take this game on the go with me on the Nintendo, and the alleged anti-consumer practices of Epic Games regarding their store, not to mention their current publicity stunt with Apple and Google, has left a sour taste in the mouths of many gamers. Hopefully we will see availability on more platforms, including Stadia, in the future.
FC Barcelona Fantasy Manager 2017-Top soccer game
Games and Sports
App
The new edition of the free football live game from FC BARCELONA FANTASY MANAGER 2017 will bring the...
Bracket Maker for the iPad
Sports and Education
App
This is a great portable program to help you create brackets for tournaments, friendly competition,...
Lee (2222 KP) rated I Feel Pretty (2018) in Movies
May 21, 2018
Pretty Average
Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) feels average, and anything but pretty in this world. Clothing store workers sneer at her choice of fashion, suggesting that she should instead venture in the direction of the plus size clothing. Supermarket customers mistake her as just a downtrodden employee, focusing instead on the 'perfect' girl standing beside her. In busy bars, workers favour the pretty girls ordering drinks over her, and in her exercise class she's made to feel uncomfortable at her larger than average footwear needs. She's also part of a small group of 3 friends, who all struggle to attract dates in this superficial world, and wish they were prettier.
Then one day, Renee falls off her exercise bike and bangs her head. When she comes round, she believes that magic has made her beautiful, and she thinks that all her friends are seeing someone completely different. Only they're not, they're seeing exactly the same person as before.
This perceived change gives Renee a new found confidence. She believes that men are trying to hit on her, and in one of the movies funnier moments, she believes she can win a bikini competition. She also pursues her dream of becoming receptionist for the large cosmetics company she works for, moving from the dull, dark office of their online division all the way up to their big shiny head office where all the beautiful people work. And where her idol and boss, Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) works. Eventually, another bang to the head reverses the 'spell' and Renee has to try and deal with the sudden realisation that beauty really is only skin deep.
With Amy Schumer onboard for this, I guess I was expecting it to be a lot funnier than it actually is. While I didn't not like it, I've got to say I was pretty disappointed overall. There's obviously a strong message to this movie, but it gradually becomes muddled as the movie progresses and isn't effectively executed, which is a real shame considering. I wondered if being a man, I was maybe missing the message and failing to appreciate it as much as a woman might, but my wife actually felt the same way.
Then one day, Renee falls off her exercise bike and bangs her head. When she comes round, she believes that magic has made her beautiful, and she thinks that all her friends are seeing someone completely different. Only they're not, they're seeing exactly the same person as before.
This perceived change gives Renee a new found confidence. She believes that men are trying to hit on her, and in one of the movies funnier moments, she believes she can win a bikini competition. She also pursues her dream of becoming receptionist for the large cosmetics company she works for, moving from the dull, dark office of their online division all the way up to their big shiny head office where all the beautiful people work. And where her idol and boss, Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) works. Eventually, another bang to the head reverses the 'spell' and Renee has to try and deal with the sudden realisation that beauty really is only skin deep.
With Amy Schumer onboard for this, I guess I was expecting it to be a lot funnier than it actually is. While I didn't not like it, I've got to say I was pretty disappointed overall. There's obviously a strong message to this movie, but it gradually becomes muddled as the movie progresses and isn't effectively executed, which is a real shame considering. I wondered if being a man, I was maybe missing the message and failing to appreciate it as much as a woman might, but my wife actually felt the same way.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla Vs Biollante (1989) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)
The Rise of the Rose of the Risen Dead
Toho Studios held a competition to find the plot for their next Godzilla movie after the semi-reboot of the series in 1984, and this is the film that resulted from the winning idea. Heaven knows what the losing entries must have been like, because this is a tale dripping with utter insanity of a kind you just don't get in conventional western movies.
Scientists hoping to grow extra-resilient genetically-modified wheat give some harvested Godzilla cells to a brilliant scientist who has been left unhinged by the death of his lovely young daughter in a terrorist attack. The scientist promptly decides to use the G-cells to create a new form of hybrid rose (as you would), which starts to exhibit worrying Godzilla-ish tendencies (demolishing the greenhouse and heading off across country, for instance). It transpires the new creature is possessed by the spirit of the scientist's daughter. 'I think now I may have made a mistake,' admits the scientist, in one of the great movie understatements.
Not to worry, for Godzilla himself erupts from the volcanic prison he was stuck in at the end of the previous film, and the new creature (Biollante, in case you haven't already figured it out) may be able to lend a hand in sorting him out. There is also a slightly dull subplot about evil American corporations and spies from the desert nation of Saradia (i.e. Saudi Arabia) which sometimes gets in the way of the monster action.
Well, if you've ever wanted to see cinema's most famous mutant nuclear dinosaur battling a botanical semi-clone of himself which has been possessed by the ghost of a young woman, this is the movie for you. Actually, this is a cut above most Godzilla movies of this period, being filled with (admittedly mad) ideas and actually keeping Godzilla at the centre of the plot. The monsters look good and it treats them with a welcome seriousness. Unfortunately, the poor box office for this outing led Toho to adopt a policy of bringing back old favourites in subsequent movies, rather than new monsters, but this is a refreshingly different and rather well-made Godzilla film.
Scientists hoping to grow extra-resilient genetically-modified wheat give some harvested Godzilla cells to a brilliant scientist who has been left unhinged by the death of his lovely young daughter in a terrorist attack. The scientist promptly decides to use the G-cells to create a new form of hybrid rose (as you would), which starts to exhibit worrying Godzilla-ish tendencies (demolishing the greenhouse and heading off across country, for instance). It transpires the new creature is possessed by the spirit of the scientist's daughter. 'I think now I may have made a mistake,' admits the scientist, in one of the great movie understatements.
Not to worry, for Godzilla himself erupts from the volcanic prison he was stuck in at the end of the previous film, and the new creature (Biollante, in case you haven't already figured it out) may be able to lend a hand in sorting him out. There is also a slightly dull subplot about evil American corporations and spies from the desert nation of Saradia (i.e. Saudi Arabia) which sometimes gets in the way of the monster action.
Well, if you've ever wanted to see cinema's most famous mutant nuclear dinosaur battling a botanical semi-clone of himself which has been possessed by the ghost of a young woman, this is the movie for you. Actually, this is a cut above most Godzilla movies of this period, being filled with (admittedly mad) ideas and actually keeping Godzilla at the centre of the plot. The monsters look good and it treats them with a welcome seriousness. Unfortunately, the poor box office for this outing led Toho to adopt a policy of bringing back old favourites in subsequent movies, rather than new monsters, but this is a refreshingly different and rather well-made Godzilla film.
Sam Hill (23 KP) rated Super Dungeon Explore: Forgotten King in Tabletop Games
Jun 21, 2019
Super Dungeon Explore: Forgotten King is the follow up to the hugely successful Super Dungeon Explore (spoiler alert; I wasnt the base games biggest fan). Forgotten Kings has slipped a little more under the radar, possibly due to the hugely controversial kickstarter for the base game, and Soda Pops split from the publisher who helped launch their (and a number of successful KS campaigns), but also likely due to the fact that since the base set came out miniature based board games have gone from being a rarity, to a more mainstream product.
Its here that Forgotten Kings falls to pieces. When SDE launched it was a top end board game, and was excitingly innovative, playing like a fusion of Warhammer-a-likes, Euro board games, and an rpg. With no direct comparison it shone out as something special, but Forgotten Kings has launched into a market surrounded by superior games more tailored to specific gamers.
Want a quick fun mini based game; here's Zombicide, want a complex deep and strategic mini based board game; here's Dark Souls.
And therein lies the issue, Gorgotten King is a mesh of simple things and randomness, and a level of complexity in set up phases that makes you read the rules three times.
The one thing Forgotten Kongs nails perfectly is the miniatures. The models are detailed, cute and fun to paint. If you can pick up a decently priced copy and have a use for then it is almost worth picking up a copy just for them.
Forgotten Kings also has one feature to lift it above the original version; the introduction of Arcade mode. Whilst the normal rules requires one player to sit in a dungeon master style role in Arcade Mode an AI system has been introduced to allow you to solo play, or all play on the same side.
Like the original Forgotten Kings still feels very much like an 8-bit experience on a board, but, like its video game counterparts, the competition has moved on to better things.
Its here that Forgotten Kings falls to pieces. When SDE launched it was a top end board game, and was excitingly innovative, playing like a fusion of Warhammer-a-likes, Euro board games, and an rpg. With no direct comparison it shone out as something special, but Forgotten Kings has launched into a market surrounded by superior games more tailored to specific gamers.
Want a quick fun mini based game; here's Zombicide, want a complex deep and strategic mini based board game; here's Dark Souls.
And therein lies the issue, Gorgotten King is a mesh of simple things and randomness, and a level of complexity in set up phases that makes you read the rules three times.
The one thing Forgotten Kongs nails perfectly is the miniatures. The models are detailed, cute and fun to paint. If you can pick up a decently priced copy and have a use for then it is almost worth picking up a copy just for them.
Forgotten Kings also has one feature to lift it above the original version; the introduction of Arcade mode. Whilst the normal rules requires one player to sit in a dungeon master style role in Arcade Mode an AI system has been introduced to allow you to solo play, or all play on the same side.
Like the original Forgotten Kings still feels very much like an 8-bit experience on a board, but, like its video game counterparts, the competition has moved on to better things.