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Atomic Blonde  (2017)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
2017 | Action, Mystery, Thriller
The beginning of the end of the Cold War,1989. East and West Germany still separated by more than just a wall. An MI6 agent sent to retrieve a knock list two weeks prior has been killed and the list is missing. It contains information on every agent for each agency who have representation in Berlin. MI6 sends in Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), specialist in intelligence collection and hand to hand combat. She would have to work with the section chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to retrieve the list before it falls into the hands of the competition.

Lorraine’s fight scenes, carefully choreographed to deliver efficiency in movement where not one strike is wasted. The action sequences truly drives the pace of the storyline. one would think that this is just the average action film but it’s not. This film’s storyline has very good pacing although there are points of slight foreshadowing, but it keeps one guessing about peoples loyalties even after it is established…or is it?

Charlize plays Lorraine with the coolness on par with 007, but with a realistic enemy. McAvoy’s Percival is the agent that has spent so much time in Berlin where he has become entrenched in the role of a black-market trader so familiar with the east/west that he believes he knows how to run the game. He toggles back and forth from East to West like an eel slithering through the hands of fishermen.

We also see a few familiar faces playing key appointments in the spy game. Toby Jones as Eric Gray, Lorraine’s boss and John Goodman as Emmet Kurzfeld, the CIA attaché to this mission with MI6. Sofia Boutella, who we have seen in Kingsman and The Mummy plays Delphine Lasalle, the fledgling agent from France documenting Lorraine’s every move.

The film is set to the steady rhythm of 80’s electronic New Wave. The soundtrack in this movie does not function solely as accompaniment. Each scene is accentuated by songs carefully curated to enhance each moment as a supporting character.

Based on Antony Johnston’s 2012 Graphic Novel “The Coldest City” Director David Leitch (John Wick & Deadpool 2 ) gives us an ass kicking female protagonist that is clever, darkly witty and can take on pretty much anything that comes her way. The stunts are filmed with an experienced fluidity and the movements are crisp, definitely a benefit from Leitch’s stunt expertise.

So far, the summer blockbuster season can be named the point where female action heroes can hold the attention of the viewer, no longer seen as the frail victim or second fiddle to the man. She can take care of business and put the hurt on anyone that comes at her as well as share with the audience that she has emotional depth.

My attention was captured from the first shot to the ending credits.
  
Vacancy (2007)
Vacancy (2007)
2007 | Horror, Mystery
4
6.4 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
While driving down a back road late one evening on their way to L.A. an embattled couple, are about to make a stop that could cost them their lives. In Vacancy, Amy and David Fox, are returning home from a trip to celebrate the anniversary of their in laws.
The fact that they had to hide their failing marriage, and the tensions that still remain as a result, have driven Amy and David to the point of irritability and they never cease to find new ways to verbally spar with one another.

When their car breaks down, they are happy to discover a gas station attendant who tells them that he can get their car repaired enough to make it to the next town where they will be able to get the help that they need in the morning.

This proves not to be the case as their car once again breaks down shortly after they resume their trip, which forces Amy and David to walk back into town and stay the night at the only hotel in the remote locale.

Frustrated by their situation, the two resign themselves to their situation and check into the hotel and soon make a startling discovery. A stack of video tapes in the room seems to indicate that a series of ghastly murders has been committed in their room, and when hidden cameras are discovered, Amy and David soon realize that they are to be the stars of a future tape.

Trapped and alone, the duo must stave off a series of attacks and find a way to survive, so they can escape the nightmare they have stumbled into.

At first the premise of the film seems to be a step above the usual genre film, as the two leads, Wilson and Beckinsale, bring acredibility to their roles, and do develop their characters beyond the paper thin constructs that are so common in films of this type.

Sadly the film does not take advantage of this advantage and soon becomes a series of pat situations and a surprisingly odd lack of tension and suspense in the film.

One of the biggest problems in the film is that it tips it’s hand way to early in the film, as we know what is going on as the discovery of the tapes eliminates much of the mystery. Had the film saved this piece of information until the end of the film, it might have had far more impact as the audience would be left wondering why the bizarre events were happening to the couple.

Another issue for me was the small cast, as with only Wilson and Beckinsale in peril for the majority of the film, the tension level was greatly reduced, as you know that neither of them is going to be killed early in the film, as that would leave the movie without any protagonists.

As much as I liked the concept and casting, especially Frank Whaley as the creepy hotel clerk, Vacancy is simply a good idea that never rises above its premise, and ends up content to recycle the same old formula from dozens of other horror films without offering any of the thrills or chills, and leaves you unsatisfied.
  
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Nick Rhodes recommended Remain in Light by Talking Heads in Music (curated)

 
Remain in Light by Talking Heads
Remain in Light by Talking Heads
1980 | Rock
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I saw Talking Heads as a kid at Birmingham Barbarella’s. They were about to release Talking Heads: 77. They were quirky and I didn’t know so much about them but they were out of New York, so it was interesting. Anything out of New York I would just buy, whether it was Richard Hell And The Voidoids, Patti Smith, the CBGB scene or Blondie. I loved Blondie and think they are one of the most underrated bands ever – so many great songs, the irony of the lyrics and Debbie’s voice and style. I put Talking Heads in because I think their sense and appetite for experimentation is pretty extraordinary. All of their records have got something on them which was so original. I love the Fear Of Music album but I think the masterpiece is Remain In Light which I suspect Brian Eno had a rather large hand in. Either way, that Byrne-Eno combination worked brilliantly together. The album had the surprise hit single on it – ‘Once In A Lifetime’ – and that again was so unique and had that quirky sense of humour in the video. David Byrne really captured an aspect of America that nobody else did. To me, Talking Heads were the great American band of the eighties. There were lots of other bands that were good – The Cars wrote some great songs – but Talking Heads’ use of percussion, their use of African music and Byrne’s lyrics were so special. For me, he is one of the best lyricists out there."

Source
  
LH
Lion's Honey: The Myth of Samson
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was a little surprised as to what comprised this book, as I expected to find a fictional retelling after the reproduction of Judges 13-16 of the King James Bible. Instead, what follows is a detailed commentary that examines and dissects the Biblical account, using even the original language to understand the full meaning of the text, with all of its nuances and allusions. As many times that I have studied the story of Samson in church growing up, there is apparently quite a bit that I never knew about such an interesting character in Hebrew history.
As any person chosen of God to do His will, Samson is a man plagued by his destiny and how it separates him from the rest of humanity. Though chosen of God from the womb to live as a Nazarite, he is still very much human with human urges. Almost constantly at war with himself, Samson seems to set himself up to be hurt by those he puts his trust in so that he may let loose his anger and rage against those who hold his people captive -- the Philistines. Like so many modern-day psychological head cases, much of his choices are also driven by a need for that hidden something lacking in his relationship with his parents. He looks for it in the wrong places and the wrong women, even paying a visit to a prostitute. He seems to use his strength and anger with an artistic flair, first setting up a group of Philistines at his wedding with an unsolvable riddle, and later finding rather unique ways of further punishing the Philistines, such as using the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand of them. Furthermore, every verbal account from Samson is spoken poetically.
What I found most interesting is the way that David Grossman explored the account of Samson and Delilah. He alludes that Samson in fact knew the betrayal that Delilah harbored and welcomed it in order to finally shed his God-given destiny. While he ends his life in a final act of redemption, I have to wonder if he did complete the task that God had given him to "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
Despite the intense detail that David Grossman goes into when writing this study of Samson, the book is a very good read and well worth my time.
  
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Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Hatchet (2006) in Movies

Jan 4, 2019 (Updated Jan 4, 2019)  
Hatchet (2006)
Hatchet (2006)
2006 | Horror
Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) (2 more)
Good blend of comedy and horror
Finally a ________er kill!!!!
SLASHER FANS REJOICE!!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Having seen this film in 2009 after a friend loaned ke his copy... Which i never returned... Because this movie is the "tits" ( watch Holliston to understand).
Epic performances from Joel David Moore, Dieon Richmond, Tamara Feldman and the always reliable killing machine, KANE FUCKING HODDER!!!!!
Sorry if I fanboy out about Kane... The man is a living legend of horror fandom. He is also one of the nicest, most genuinely thankful to his fans actor that i have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Anyways... Back to the task at hand.
Hatchet starts off strong... Never taking it's foot of the pedal for even one split second.
You may thibk to yourself before watching this, "Oh great. Another empty plotted excuse for bare breasted women get hacked to pieces... Big whoopity do!!!"
But, friends, let me reassure you... You will never see some of the kills in this movie done with this much love for the game attitude as the ones brought to film by the mind of Adam Green.
Seeing an annoying wifes head torn in half with someones bare hands... A face smoothed off with a fucking belt sander... And... Finally Kane gets his hands on Robert Englund and tears him limb from limb...
This is and always will be my favorite horror debut of all time.
Keep an eye out for Candyman himself Mr. Tony Todd as Voodoo Shop proprieter Rev. Zombie.
I can not say enough good things about this movie. Once you view it... You will not be disappointed.
Victor Crowley = Slasher God.
  
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween
Jeph Loeb | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Of all the Superhero's around, I personally think that Batman has the best Rogue's gallery of villains: Superman, for instance, has Lex Luthor And (to a lesser extent) General Zod, while Spiderman has, what, Green Goblin? Dr Octopus? Venom?

Batman, on the other hand (and purely off the top of my head): The Joker. The Penguin. Poison Ivy. The Riddler. Catwoman (on/off as a villain). Scarecrow. Bane. And Two-Face.

Admittedly, some of those characters are now more famous than they used to be before due to the various Batman films, with the last four (And the first) mentioned in my list all appearing in the more-recent Christopher Nolan 'Dark Knight' series of Batman films. Of that trilogy, the second movie concerned itself principally with two main villains: The Joker, and Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face) and, in particular, the circumstances that led District Attorney Dent to become Two-Face.

Those circumstances are also the subject of this graphic novel, which also has a foreword/introduction by the director and writer of 'The Dark Knight', Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, in which they acknowledge the huge debt their movie owes to this novel.

This is also commonly cited as one of the better Batman stories, and is set during the early days of Batman's crusade against criminality in Gotham - there's no Robin here, nor Oracle (well, there is, but only as a baby), for instance.

As such, it makes a good intro (IMO) into the Batman mythos, not far behind the futuristic The Dark Knight Returns or the early-set Year One.
  
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JT (287 KP) rated End of Watch (2012) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
End of Watch (2012)
End of Watch (2012)
2012 | Drama
10
8.7 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Officer Brian Taylor’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) opening monologue in which we see a car chase and shoot out from the front dashboard camera of a Los Angeles black and white, sets the tone for what will be a gripping action flick.

It’s an indication that this cop film is not going to be as clear cut as any before it, and its no frills policy will surely shock most viewers as officers Taylor and Zavala (Michael Peña) tackle everything from the mundane to the murderous on their watch. We follow the pair during their daily routines which includes in the locker room, the briefing room as well as unique camera set ups from inside the patrol car and a hand held that Taylor carries along with him.

It’s incredibly well shot, and takes the conventional cop film and gives it a big slice of realism. It would give you the impression of what a real ride along might include, and the kinds of situations they find themselves in.

“I am the police, and I’m here to arrest you. You’ve broken the law.”

These situations might affect you in different ways, like the one involving two young children, which is particularly hard to watch. Director David Ayer has not shied away from the brutality of the surroundings the officers find themselves in, and uncomfortable scenarios are all part and parcel of this job. It’s not long before they start to ruffle a few feathers not just on the streets but within their own department. When they uncover a drug cartel which is a small piece of a very large jigsaw they are marked for death.

The film is also looked at from the view point of LA’s criminal underworld, where it seems everyone has a hand held camera and likes to film themselves. It seems a bit stupid really and maybe Ayer should have kept that side of the story to the conventional camera, it doesn’t work all that well if I’m honest. The relationship between Taylor and Zavala is probably the most believable of any on screen buddy cop partnerships, not since Lethal Weapon (the first film at least) has a pairing conveyed such emotion and chemistry. You’d almost believe that these two had been together for years.

Ayer has had plenty of experience in this field already, having written the scripts for S.W.A.T, Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, but those films only looked at cops from the outside. End of Watch goes in just that little bit further which helps to make it unique from all the rest.
  
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
2012 | Action, Mystery
6
6.3 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
When Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass distanced themselves from another trip into the Bourne-verse it was hard to see if any film would ever make it into production. Then, along came Tony Gilroy, writer of the first three films he seemed to be the logical choice to co-write and direct the fourth installment in this ever popular action franchise.

The Bourne Legacy runs almost parallel with the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, but in this film the only time we get to see Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne is from the odd photograph and his name etched into wood on the underside of a bunk bed.

It’s time for a stare off!
For this outing Renner plays Aaron Cross an ‘outcome’ agent who finds himself on the run when the powers that be realize that Bourne has broken through and passed vital information about Treadstone and Black Briar to Pam Landy, who in turn passes it onto the media. So Retired Col. Eric Byer, USAF ( Norton) part of the sinister hierarchy decides it’s time to shut down and eradicate all other ops, including Cross.

It’s fraught with the occasional plot hole, (just how did Cross know where Shearing lived) here and there but that does little damage to the overall story which is actually quite good. Renner, who is already well equipped for these types of action films fills the void left by Damon very well. When he’s not battling wolves and shooting drones out of the sky he’s driving a motorbike through the streets of Manila, as well as running through every back street and staircase he can find. And he’s more than capable at hand to hand combat.

He’s joined on his adventure by Dr. Marta Shearing (Weisz) who worked with Cross in the beginning and was tasked with providing the agents with a specific set of medication to take, of which it seems Cross is no longer required but is desperately dependent on. Whereas Bourne tried to piece together parts of his life, Cross is like a crackhead desperate for the next fix and so his motives are different.

Gilroy manages the story well and there are some brief cameos from the likes of Scott Glenn, David Strathairn and Albert Finney to provide a reminder to us all about what has happened previously, just in case we are dealing with our own bout of memory loss. It’s disappointing not to see Damon reprise one of the best roles of his career but Renner does an admirable job and there is no question that there will be more life in him yet.
  
IC
Imperfect Chemistry (Imperfect, #1)
Mary Frame | 2014
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> might be one of those few New Adult romance novels that I actually really enjoyed...</b>

In the first of Mary Frame's <i>Imperfect</i> series, Lucy London has to come up with an experiment testing how emotions work as a pathogen – a nearly impossible feat since she never had a normal childhood in the first place. She's an absolute genius – in college since thirteen and has a doctorate at twenty or twenty-one.

From the very beginning, <b>Lucy is introduced to us as someone who sounds like a textbook and speaks in tones that are formal.</b> The whole <a title="Out of the Cave by Cotton E. Davis" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-out-of-the-cave-by-cotton-e-davis/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">textbook aspect doesn't backfire</a> here – it's pretty much expected from someone who's been in college for awhile. In the process of trying to come up with a hypothesis for her experiment, Lucy tries to become as normal as possible. I personally thought <b>Lucy is absolutely adorable in her attempts to become "normal."</b> She has a desire to run away around those who cry because she has no clue what to do and the whole "solve heartbreak with PJs and ice cream" experience she has with Taylor Swift quotes mixed in with her usual technicalities.

She's <b>very much like David in <i><a title="The Sorcerer's Apprentice" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/movie-review-the-sorcerers-apprentice/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Sorcerer's Apprentice</a></i></b> – they're both socially awkward, and Lucy definitely has her <b>moments in the book where her extremely awkward side comes out.</b> Lucy just has other moments where <b>her attempt to become normal is cute, hilarious, and funny</b> – it's just a lot of fun reading how she becomes more social, experiences emotions, and makes some friends at her university instead of wallowing away in loneliness.

<b>The romance in <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> went hand in hand with the overall plot of the story</b> – Lucy's experiment isn't exactly on love, but <b>Frame factors in the romance nicely.</b> Jensen and Lucy certainly don't banter or have a <a title="Read Sophia's Confessions of a Queen B* review" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-confessions-of-a-queen-b-by-crista-mchugh-review-and-giveaway/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">very entertaining relationship like Alexis and Brett do</a>, but they have an <b>in-depth relationship rather than the whole "finally notice each other and think the other is hot, have sex, live happily ever after" or the whole emotional baggage consisting of running away from the past.</b>

I think it's just Lucy in general – she's simply too adorable for words.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfect-chemistry-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
Let Me In (The Boys Club #1)
Let Me In (The Boys Club #1)
Luna David | 2018 | Contemporary, Erotica, LGBTQ+
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Let Me In (The Boys Club #1) by Luna David
Let Me In is the first book in The Boys Club, and we meet Liam, who at only twenty is already dealing with a tough hand in life. He is working three jobs to try and put food on the table, as well as saving for his sister's education, AND to get them out of the town they currently live in. When an offer is made to him, it seems too good to be true, but eventually, he goes with his heart. Cash is sad to see his current boy, Tommy, leave, but he knows it's for the best. What he doesn't expect is for Tommy to find him a new boy!

Things start of badly with Cash being under pressure, and not knowing anything about what's going on. However, that didn't stop him from acting like a jerk after that, much to Liam's hurt. I loved how Liam proved himself to be stronger than he thought, as well as putting his self-care first. He found new friends, got himself out of the situation, and tried to move on. Of course, it's after it happens that Cash realises just what a golden nugget he had in Liam.

This book was very easy to read, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noted. It is a very sweet book, whilst also being steamy in scenes. It is actually Cash who has to do the most growing in this book, and it was great to see him finally let Liam in. Although this book is complete, in and of itself, I would love to continue with this series, and I also hope Carter has his book. I really want to know his story.

If you like Daddy kink, then I can definitely recommend this book!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!