Lazarus, Vol. 3: Conclave
10.0
Rate It
Book
In a dystopian near-future, government is a quaint concept, resources are coveted, and possession is...
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
8.0
Rate It
Book
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History New York Times Book Review Top Ten books of the Year ...
Something Rotten (Thursday Next, #4)
8.5
Rate It
Book
Literary detective Thursday Next is on a mission - and it's not just a mission to save the planet....
The Parisian
10.0
Rate It
Book
As the First World War shatters families, destroys friendships and kills lovers, a young Palestinian...
The Middle East Historical Fiction
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Villains
7.0
Rate It
Book
Writer Greg Pak (WEAPON H and WEAPON X) teams up with artists Chris Sprouse (BLACK PANTHER) and more...
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
The Kaiju return with a new deadly threat that reignites the conflict between these otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and Jaegers, the human-piloted super-machines that were built to vanquish them.
The thing that really grabbed my attention in the first film was the Jaegers and in Pacific Rim Uprising the Jaegers have had an upgrade, but it’s not just them, the Kaiju have also advanced in order to create even more onscreen battles that certainly grab the attention.
Malcolm Of Earth
Book
They took him from his world to end a war on theirs… They got more than they bargained for. ...
science fiction sci-fi military sci-fi
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Dog Days (2018) in Movies
May 15, 2021
Acting: 10
Beginning: 5
Typically with stories like these that have a number of different characters sharing screen time, it really can be a challenge to get the film off to a hot start as you introduce everyone. Ten minutes in, I wasn’t completely sold on the film, but it was enough for me to say, “What the hell? I’ll give it a shot.” Not bad, but not great.
Characters: 8
Again, moving parts stories introduce a lot of characters and it’s hard to try and get people to care about everyone. While I wasn’t invested in everyone all of the time, there were plenty of moments where I cared about the character’s outcome. There were certain characters I cared about a lot more than others like the coffee shop girl and the shelter owner.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 6
This is a family film, very much meant to be light-hearted. While Disney has somehow found a way of perfecting having conflict while keeping things light, Dog Days suffered a bit more in that respect. Maybe it’s the fact that you know everything is going to work itself out in the end. Then again, you kind of know that for most movies, but it’s that drive of conflict that really makes things seem dire and leave you wondering for a bit. Not the case with Dog Days.
Entertainment Value: 10
Not going to lie, this movie really had me invested from beginning to end. It’s funny, endearing, and you get to see a bunch of cute dogs. Not going to win any academy awards, but it’s a fun movie I would recommend for any family. I didn’t leave the theater thinking I had wasted my time. It was more of a, “Wow, that was surprisingly fun.”
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
The 113-minute runtime definitely doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes having a number of storylines can confuse the audience, but I managed to follow along at an easy pace. There are no bumps, it’s pretty smooth sailing from beginning to end.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 9
Overall: 79
I can think of countless family movies that would be a better use of your two hours than Dog Days. However, for what it is, the movie does the trick. It’s undeniably cute and pretty darn entertaining. Even better if you’re a dog lover. For all of it’s cheesiness, it’s pretty solid overall.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The King of Staten Island (2020) in Movies
Jan 25, 2021
Acting: 10
Beginning: 7
The very first few moments sees main character Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) driving on the highway with his eyes closed, seemingly trying to off himself. It’s a powerful scene followed quickly by Scott and his friends tripping out with the typical hilarious banter you find in a Judd Apatow movie. While both great scenes, you still don’t get a full sense of where the story is going after the first ten minutes hence the score.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 9
Shot in a memorable style that brings out the best and worst of Staten Island at the same time. Director Apatow has a knack for capturing extremely impactful moments, especially the awkward ones. Every scene, no matter how short makes the most of its time and tells its own story. It’s such a hard thing to do yet Apatow finds a way to do it repeatedly.
Conflict: 10
It’s funny, I can’t look at Scott’s character without thinking about my 16-year-old son. He’s kind of drifting about in the same aimless way and, like Scott, doesn’t seem to understand how his now actions will affect his later. The beauty of having a character like this is the ability to be able to drive external conflict through Scott’s internal growth. He is struggling for selfish reasons. He wants his mom to be happy, but not at his expense. The dynamic of conflict is perfect.
Entertainment Value: 9
Memorability: 10
Pace: 8
The story flows along pretty smoothly, although I wasn’t happy with the 147-minute runtime. That’s a bit extensive for a comedy in my opinion. Again, I was impressed about how time was maximized for the most part, but there were a few spots where I felt things could have been trimmed.
Plot: 7
The movie does cheat to meet its end, but I was ultimately ok with it because the rest of the story was pretty incredible. The cheat is a blip on an otherwise quality story that really enhances the growth of the characters. Every scene really does come together well to tell a great story.
Resolution: 10
Overall: 90
From jump, The King of Staten Island hits you in the mouth and keeps you entertained. I enjoyed this movie for multiple reasons, but mostly because it checks all the boxes. Even the things it falls short on is just slightly missing the mark. Highly recommended.
Atlantis: Island of the Gods
Tabletop Game
Before the civilizations that we know of there was a great island, called by contemporary scientists...
Boardgames MythologyGames 2018Games