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Julie (77 KP) rated King's Cage in Books

Sep 9, 2017  
King's Cage
King's Cage
Victoria Aveyard | 2016 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.4 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
OMG! (1 more)
I can't even.
Cal is a dick. (0 more)
"I was pretty upset at the end of Glass Sword when Mare was captured by Maven. I think we [the readers] all were. But let me tell you something; it was worth it. Yeah, I said it. I’m glad she got captured and made a prisoner.

I don’t mean for it to sound so harsh, but honestly, if Mare hadn’t been captured, we wouldn’t have been able to see all the character development that happens throughout King’s Cage.

Mare kind of breaks down and then builds herself back up. As horrible as it sounds, I loved seeing her devolve into this weak girl because that’s exactly what should happen to someone in her situation. Aveyard didn’t sugarcoat the conditions which Mare lived in while being kept a prisoner. It made it realistic. I also liked watching Mare learn more about her ability. Her use of lightning is more powerful than she realized, and it was cool seeing what she’s really capable of." Read my entire review here: https://thenerdybookwormsite.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/kings-cage-by-victoria-aveyard/
  
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (Deadpool Killogy, #1)
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (Deadpool Killogy, #1)
Cullen Bunn | 2012 | Comics & Graphic Novels
7
7.7 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fan-fiction in the most delightful way.
A ‘What it says on the tin’ comic including issues 1 through 4 of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and, in the edition read (I don’t know if it is in all editions) issues 1 through 4 of something called ‘Classics Killustrated’ in which Deadpool travels through some classic novels: Dracula, Moby Dick, Don Quixote and Little Women to name a few (and the film version of Frankenstein) killing everything that gets in his way. (Also showing where the inspiration for different Marvel characters came from.()

If you are new to comics, or just to Marvel, this may not be a great getting on point, as many characters are dropped into the story with little explanation as to who they are or what they can do (including Namor, who has around 79 years of backstory). However, these characters are really only props for Deadpool’s story, so not knowing who they are may not affect your enjoyment of what is really just a gory outing for the Merc.

Overall an interesting read, though not the greatest piece of Deadpool media in recent years.
  
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David Gawain Gillham (0 KP) created a post

Nov 25, 2019  
Harriet
First things first, when I woke up today I did not think I would be in church today, but this film had piked my interest as I like a good trueish story.
Right next thing it did not help the lights came on at the start of the film & I was the only idiot that thought you should tell somebody oh & dick in front of me was eating the loudest food possible which forced me to move.
To the film. Every film based on actual events has to be taken with a pinch of salt. People in America have boycotted this film mainly their American hero is portrayed but an English lady. That should not really matter as this story of a very brave lady needed to be told. It is really well done & the way some of the music incorporated into the film is a clever touch. It manages to highlight how barbaric being a slave was and luckily it has mostly been eradicated these days. An underrated film that is a good education about a part of American's dark history. 8/10
     
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Ari Aster recommended Naked (1993) in Movies (curated)

 
Naked (1993)
Naked (1993)
1993 | Drama
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I guess the next one would be Naked, by Mike Leigh. Mike Leigh might be my favorite living filmmaker. A lot has been said about his working method, you know. He spends about six months with his actors basically finding the characters and improvising and building these relationships. Then after that, he’ll go off and write a script based on the improvisations that took place over those six months. It results in some of the most vivid character work I’ve ever seen. The relationships in his films are so rich, and you just feel so much history there. That’s because the history has really been built. It really exists. But what people don’t really talk much about is just how wonderful a craftsman he is. His films are gorgeous and they’re beautifully made. I mean, his work with Dick Pope is just incredible, and they’re all so impeccably structured. So, I just think he’s made so many masterpieces. I toggled between Naked and Topsy-Turvy and Secrets and Lies being my favorite. But right now, Naked is the one that is coming to me."

Source
  
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Die Hard 2 (1990)
1990 | Action, Mystery
I'm not going to lie, about 10% of the reason I like this one is because of William Sadler doing naked tai chi.

Could you imagine Die Hard 2 filmed these days? There'd be no tasing Dick, what a disappointment.

Of the few things that bother me about this one the film's yippee ki-yay for me could have been better timed. He's got the perfect moment coming up, if he'd have just left it until after he lit the fuel... "Yippee ki-yay, motherf*****!" *two beats* BOOM.



Sadly Die Hard 2 is my least favourite out of the four... like I said, we don't count the fifth one. Not that that's a bad thing, it's still damn good, it's just up against some stiff competition.

In the first one McClane has Powell, in Vengeance he has Zeus and in 4.0 he has Farrell. For some reason in 2 they didn't give him someone to properly develop a relationship with, there are lots of people there for him to interact with, but nothing really lasts very long before he's off to the next one.
  
Total Recall (1990)
Total Recall (1990)
1990 | Action, Sci-Fi
Arnold is great in it (2 more)
Sharon Stone looks great
Great are they or aren’t they plot
Bit dated now (0 more)
One of Arnie’s best
By 1990 Schwarzenegger was in full stride and could do no wrong. He even tried his hand in comedy (Twins) with Danny De Vito and won audiences. Futuristic sci fi is where Schwarzenegger’s real strength is (The Running Man, Terminator Franchise, Eraser, Predator..) and the perfect example of this (other than Terminator 2) is Total Recall. It has everything from very quotable lines to an intriguing story which raises the bar on previous Schwarzenegger entries (originally a Philip K Dick story). The basic story line is a construction worker call Doug Quaid dreams of going to Mars but when he finally gets the chance things might not all be what they seem. Is he a secret agent? Is he on Mars? Did he get a divorce? And will those people get air? Sure it looks dated now but this was considered one of the most expensive movies made at the time and the dated graphics can be sidelined for seeing what happens to Schwarzenegger’s Quaid. If you buy the special edition dvd, you’re in for a treat also as Schwarzenegger provides his take on what a commentary is. Check it out.
  
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Edgar Wright recommended Brazil (1985) in Movies (curated)

 
Brazil (1985)
Brazil (1985)
1985 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

"When I first saw Brazil in the late ’80s, it hit me like a truck. It was such a powerful, bold vision, so joyous in its escapism and so crushing in its ultimate nihilism, that it left my teenage mind in tatters. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d watched but knew it was unlike anything I’d seen before. The impressive (and somewhat sad) fact is that, decades later, I still haven’t seen anything quite like Brazil. It escaped from Terry Gilliam’s brain with such velocity that its power even today is undeniable. I showed it at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles in January of this year, and it still confounded me. I asked Terry Gilliam if he would write a quick intro for me to read out before the screening. This was it: Brazil was made by a bunch of young people who didn’t know any better. They are older and wiser now, but it seems America isn’t. It’s a pity that George W. and Dick Cheney aren’t still running the show. I was tempted to sue them for the illegal and unauthorized remake of Brazil. Just think . . . more people are living my movie than ever went to see it."

Source
  
Eddie Murphy Delirious (1983)
Eddie Murphy Delirious (1983)
1983 | Comedy, Documentary, Musical
Has some all-timer bits, the entire segment with Eddie doing the drunk father routine had me doubled over in laughter - but otherwise disappointed to report that this is a mostly middling routine. Murphy's presence as a performer of course can never be understated, the dude is a force of nature even here at 22 and on SNL as young as 19. But this was *definitely* around the time where mainstream profanity (on this level, at least) in stand-up was still in its infancy and starting to become this enticingly risque thing because for the most part this uses vulgarity as a crutch in place of where a lot of these jokes need some room to breathe. I'm no stickler but the "lol I said dick!' act is only funny so many times, I adore caustic humor but when it's in service of such weaksauce, simple jokes it has all the nuance of a neckbeard Reddit post. Feels a lot like Chappelle's 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 & 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 in that it just seems like a surface-level attempt at provocation at times. Plus the transitions are super awkward. The first half is kind of boring though overall I did laugh quite a lot, but I left feeling almost nothing. Definitely not as iconic as the leather suit.
  
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated In the Heart of the Sea (2015) in Movies

Apr 9, 2021 (Updated Jul 4, 2021)  
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
2015 | Action, Drama
If this story was handled with a bit more bite, a little less austere loyalty to formula than Ron Howard's PG-13 cleanliness then honestly this could have been the solid adventure movie it so clearly wants to be. It's already got the right look for it - with these pretty much perfect sea-faring nautical visuals: rich blues, greens, and yellows smoothly coat dutch angles of people looking wide-eyed into the sky with the wind flowing through their hair and whatnot... it's beautiful until it directly clashes with this indefensible CGI. The whales look like shit and the horrendous green screen work makes everyone constantly look like that last scene from 𝘎𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘔𝘢𝘯. The framing device with Whishaw and Gleeson - both of whom are award-worthy in this (particularly Gleeson, giving some of the best work of his career painting a deeply effective complex portrait of this clearly haunted man) - is more exciting and emotive than the actual story, which shambles at such a laborious pace that one can even stop laughing at Hemsworth's piss-poor accent. Just feels manufactured, cuts a bit too much to simulate fun rather than actually having it. Has its moments but you're better off just re-reading "Moby Dick".
  
Half Baked (1998)
Half Baked (1998)
1998 | Comedy
Ironically, not even that much better while high. I liked this for the majority of the runtime but that third act really tried my patience - falls into the exact line as other late 90s/early 00s buddy comedies in vein of 𝘋𝘶𝘥𝘦, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳? and the like that I just fucking hate, where the film completely gives up and a bunch of tiring 'wacky' stuff happens until it abruptly ends. Pretty typical hit-or-miss stoner comedy of the era but easy to forgive when the thing isn't even 85 minutes in length. It's agreeable enough with some seriously funny shit in it every now and again, mostly only holding its own in the sea of other similar movies due to its trio of three sharp, exuberant lead performances - Jim Breuer's final boss tie-dyed pothead steals the show with extreme prejudice (seriously, has anyone else in a movie ever exuded *more* stoner energy than this guy?). Can be lumped right in with 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 in the "kind of funny, semi-decent films written by people who are clearly above such work but also maybe that was the point of it to begin with?" pile. But Bob Saget's "I used to suck dick for coke!" bit remains as iconic and effortlessly hysterical as ever.