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Dave Mustaine recommended Love by Aztec Camera in Music (curated)

 
Love by Aztec Camera
Love by Aztec Camera
1987 | Alternative
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"We were in Paris and MTV was on. I remember I was really sick at the time, and Roddy Frame was singing Deep And Wide And Tall, and he’s just a really great pop songwriter. You can tell the metal guys that have successful, long-lasting careers are usually people that listen to music outside the obvious realm and have influences from outside metal. If we’re just repeating what our peers are doing, we’re not really pushing the envelope. I also own a Scritti Politti single called Wood Beez. It came with a turntable that somebody had left at a house that me and David Ellefson moved into, and I just kind of adopted it. It’s a little bit poppy for me"

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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Bodyguard in TV

Sep 24, 2018  
Bodyguard
Bodyguard
2018 | Drama, Thriller
Best British drama in a long time
I don't really do British tv dramas, mainly because most of them are all very similar or just not my cup of tea, however after the hype surrounding this, I decided to give it a chance.

This is by far the best British drama I've seen in a long time (albeit I may not have seen many recently). Richard Madden is superb as David Budd and I really hope he goes far with his career. There's Bond rumours flying about (although to be fair those same rumours are fixed to every British actor within a certain age range) and i honestly think he would make a great Bond as long as he doesn't go with his native Scottish. The story itself is interesting and there are some fantastic twists and turns. Some of it may be a tad predictable, over the top and cliched - I almost stopped watching after episode 2 when the bodyguard slept with his ward - and you have to suspend your disbelief in parts. If only real police work in the UK was this dramatic! However I was particularly impressed with the final episode. Never before have I felt so tense and terrified watching a British drama, the tension and suspense in this episode alone was marvellous. The final scene itself was a tad disappointing as I'd expected a little more action, but the rest of the episode and series more than made up for it.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) Sep 24, 2018

I'm the same - not usually a fan of British dramas. This was very good though. A few unresolved plot points in the final episode but I read today that they're looking to do at least another series, possibly another three!

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Sarah (7798 KP) Sep 24, 2018

Really? Whilst I know there was a few unresolved things, I’m of the opinion that less is more when it comes to more series ?

Black Widow (2021)
Black Widow (2021)
2021 | Action
Good actors (1 more)
Plenty of action
Great to have a Marvel film back
Great to have Marvel back on the big screen. While not quite an origin story, we do get to see the Black Widows early years as a child at the start. Most of the film is set around the Civil war film in the time line. While on the run her past catches up with her.
The cast is very good and David Harbour is good as the Red Guardian. Russia's answer to Captain America. He generally has most of the funny moments in the film as well.
The action scenes are great and Sfx look great. Nice to have a blockbuster film to enjoy in the cinema again.
The credits are about 6 minutes long and there is a scene after them.
  
What To Say Next
What To Say Next
Julie Buxbaum | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
“It turns out cliches are cliches for a reason – they are true.”

This is the first novel I read by Julie Buxbaum and oddly enough, this isn’t the book that is sitting on my TBR list. I have another book of hers that I haven’t even cracked open yet, and I find this one instead. I think my favorite trope is the abundantly smart, socially awkward person (like Sheldon Cooper) meets someone who essentially completes them. Corny, I know, but you know what? I don’t care.

The story is of David, whom is incredibly smart but lacks some social skills and doesn’t always pick up on his surroundings. He likes his headphones and recites Pi in stressful situations (I loved him from the first chapter). Then there is Kit “Katherine”. She just lost her father in a car accident and she sits with David in the cafeteria one day because she just doesn’t want to be the one who is asked how they are feeling. I can understand that. I can appreciate the sympathy for a loved one pass, but sometimes not talking or just silence is the best for me.

David has an older sister, whom he calls Miney, and she’s sort of his guide to knowing when to react and knowing when not to do or say something. Their sibling bond is so cute. Kit has her two friends and only her mother (still in mourning of course) and along the way, Kit finds out some rather disturbing things that have been kept from her, including the accident that killed her dad.

David thinks and does things differently, which obviously, makes him an outcast at school. I loved that Buxbaum didn’t make David to be this stereotypical socially awkward guy who doesn’t know how to defend himself physically (I loved Big Bang Theory, but they could have learned to fight, just saying). So, not only is David wicked smart, but he’s also trained in techniques like Karate and Krav Maga.

“Homo is a pejorative term for a gay person, and even if my classmates are mistaken about my sexual orientation, they should know better than to use that word.”

Who ever decided that calling someone Homo was a great insult to your sexuality was highly idiotic. Homo simply means same, so how the hell is that even an insult? Who decides to redefine a word to make it negative?

One more rant…

I HATE when I see the song You Are My Sunshine used as a happy song. IT’S NOT A HAPPY SONG. Don’t let the title fool you. Read the lyrics and see that it is not happy at all. As annoyed as I was to see this song referenced in this book, the context of how it was used was a bit better than the norm. It was used to recall a memory, a particularly sad memory. I’ll definitely give props to the author for that. Thank you.

Rant over.

I wanted to read more books centering on characters with mental health/illness and I saw this book on the list. Even though David makes some bad choices, I still loved him. I loved him from the very first page of his POV. Kit was a great character and although I do question some of the things she does, like her fight with her mother going on for a long time, I loved the bond that her David eventually formed.

“All I can think is Kit kissed me, over and over until I stop thinking all together.”

It’s always so nice in that one moment where you’re not thinking at all, you’re just there in the moment.

Some things happened with the two, however, and of course it was bound to happen, but I also really liked and felt satisfied with how the story ended. I could love these two characters for a long time.

“Good-weird is what I’ve been telling myself I am for years, when just being plain weird was too much of a burden to carry.”
  
Hues by Cam the Artisan
Hues by Cam the Artisan
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Cam the Artisan is an up-and-coming hip-hop artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his “Wya?!” single.

The Kevin Cruz-directed audiovisual finds Cam the Artisan performing at various locations.

Also, the music video contains cameos from fellow rising music stars David The Tragic, Pote Baby, and a slew of Atlanta cool kids.

‘Wya?!’ contains a relatable storyline, harmonious rap vocals, and melodic instrumentation scented with a contemporary rap aroma.

The likable tune is a fan favorite from Cam the Artisan’s latest album, entitled, “Hues”.

Not too long ago, Cam the Artisan released a music video for his breakthrough single, entitled, “Bliss”.

“It really shows that Sprite is at the forefront of connecting with underground artists that are shaping our culture. Being selected to be a part of Sprite Way is an amazing feeling honestly, especially being able to represent the city of Atlanta. Also, little things like this show me I’m on the right path.” – Cam the Artisan

So far, the audiovisual for “Bliss” has collected over 16,ooo+ YouTube views, and over 900,000+ streams on Spotify.

Also, the song is featured as track #16 in the curated Sprite Way playlist featuring 18 other promising hip-hop artists.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Fury (2014) in Movies

Feb 13, 2018  
Fury (2014)
Fury (2014)
2014 | Action, Drama, War
Tanks for Nothing
Good-looking but very, very violent war movie with a convincingly horrible depiction of life as a tanker during the dying days of the Second World War. In time-honoured style a green young recruit joins Brad Pitt's crew, loses his innocence, earns respect of his fellows.

Movie can't quite seem to decide what it wants to be - the characters are portrayed as brutalised victims, executing prisoners, and there's an extraordinarily long and uncomfortable sequence in which they avail themselves of the hospitality of some recently-liberated German women, but on the other hand it concludes with them heroically mowing down Nazis by the dozen. In the end it's not really clear whether Fury thinks that War is Hell or not, but David Ayer always tells this kind of guys-in-extremis story well.
  
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David McK (3233 KP) rated Battlemage in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
Battlemage
Battlemage
Stephen Aryan | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
If I was asked to describe this debut novel in one word, that word would probably be:

Battles

Lots and lots (and lots) of Battles.

At the end of the story proper, the author acknowledges previous works that have had an influence on this, the most prominent being [authr: David Gemmell]'s [b: Legend|9275658|Legend (Legend, #1)|Marie Lu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333909141s/9275658.jpg|14157512]. It's easy to spot the similaritues between the two stories, each of which concern a siege, but there are also more than a few differences: unlike Druss, for example, Balfruss is a magic-user; the BattleMage of the title.

Maybe a tad on the long side (I felt that there were some portions that could have been trimmed down a bit), this is nevertheless a solid start to a new series
  
TA
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading, but the books haven’t been grabbing and holding my attention, and always left me wanting more. Then I saw a BookTuber that was raving about how excited she was to read The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza. She showed her ARC and talked all about the premise of the book and I know immediately that I had to read it. I had never read anything by Shaun David Hutchinson before, but now I definitely know I need to read more of his work.
Hutchinson doesn’t take long to get into the action of the book and the pace doesn’t slow down until it’s over. In the beginning, we met Elena and she explains all about how she was born of a virgin birth. She works at Starbucks and on the day, she is going to finally talk to her crush Freddie everything goes downhill. See, Freddie gets shot by David Combs and Elena heals Freddie and saves her life. At the same time a beam of light comes down from the sky and David Combs disappears. Coincidence? I’ll never tell… You need to read the book to find out.
The characters were phenomenal and relatable. I don’t have anything directly in common with any of the characters, but I loved them so much. They were quirky, genuine, and loveable. The character development throughout the book helped to move the story along and unravel all the pieces. Each of the characters were critical to the story in their own way. They didn’t always seem like they were playing a roll, but it was mandatory for each of them to be there. Each character also learned a lesson which is amazing to see in YA fiction, as I feel it’s something that seems to be lacking lately.
Shaun David Hutchinson is an absolutely amazing writer and the way he weaves a story with the written word makes your want to curl up in his books and become one of his characters. His writing style is delightful, thought provoking, and engaging. I can’t wait to read more of his books and look forward to seeing what the future holds for such a talented individual.
  
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Emma (519 KP) rated Dark Winter in Books

Jun 13, 2019  
Dark Winter
Dark Winter
David Mark | 2017 | Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Keeps the reader enthralled (0 more)
Local story
I took this book on holiday with me,Ironically to the western highlands where the main character is from, and I live 20 miles from Hull where the story is based, which is why the story resonated wirh me so well. I enjoyed the feeling of being able to picture the areas that are being described in the book.
I thought for a debut novel David Mark did a fantastic job of keeping the reader enthralled by the drama of the story, but also kept the story nice and concise, it didn't drag on too long. Also I managed to guess who the culprit was, but had to read all the way to the end to find out how he/she was connected with the whole case.
Overall a very good book and I will definitely be buying more from this author.
  
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David Schwartz recommended Videodrome (1983) in Movies (curated)

 
Videodrome (1983)
Videodrome (1983)
1983 | Horror, Sci-Fi

"David Cronenberg’s reflexive masterpiece of modern horror, with James Woods as a seedy purveyor of soft-core exploitation for cable TV, and Debbie Harry as his siren, brought the media-as-message theories of fellow Torontonian Marshall McLuhan to visceral life. This was one of the first movies I rented on VHS, and Videodrome is partly an exploration of the strange, clunky physical sensation attached to the idea of a feature film being available on a paperback-size plastic-and-tape cassette that is inserted into a machine . . . and our brains. A quarter century later, Cronenberg’s dazzling vision of a world where image and flesh are one—“long live the new flesh”—Videodrome’s futuristic vision is timelier than ever. And above all that, the movie is sexy, smart, funny, and fascinating, moving adeptly between its layers of reality, imagination, and that vast territory in between."

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