Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Tom Jones recommended Greatest Songs by Little Richard in Music (curated)

 
Greatest Songs by Little Richard
Greatest Songs by Little Richard
1995 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's got all the classics on it: 'Good Golly Miss Molly', 'Rip It Up'. It's tremendous, when you put that thing on: from start to finish, it's boom all the way! First of all, I thought he was a girl, because I heard him do 'Rip It Up' and I'd heard Bill Haley & The Comets - they covered a lot of things where we didn't know what the originals were at first, but then you'd hear them - sometimes in movie houses funnily enough, like in Pontypridd, between films, they would play records. Sometimes they'd play the original American ones, but that's when I heard 'Rip It Up' by Little Richard. I thought, 'Some chick has covered Billy Haley & The Comets', but it was the original record. And then the same thing with 'Ain't That A Shame' - I heard the Pat Boon version before I heard Fats Domino. We never got to them that early - there was always somebody covering them first, getting the jump on it. It definitely made me appreciate the songs more when I first heard it, no doubt about it. Americans - they're paranoid about the lyrics that might be a little risque. With Big Joe Turner, on his version of 'Shake Rattle and Roll', there's some - 'you're wearing those dresses, the sun comes shining through / I can't believe my eyes, all that mess belongs to you' - [laughs] well, they cut that back out straightaway! Bill Haley & The Comets: 'Wearin' those dresses, your hair done up so nice / you look so warm, but your heart is cold as ice' - they changed it"

Source
  
40x40

Alexis Taylor recommended Mid-Eighties by Robert Wyatt in Music (curated)

 
Mid-Eighties by Robert Wyatt
Mid-Eighties by Robert Wyatt
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Old Rottenhat is an album that came out in 1985, and Works In Progress is an EP from the same time. They get grouped together on a compilation album called Mid-Eighties. On that album, he's using a lot more synthesiser, and a lot less acoustic and jazz instrumentation. I heard that when I was working at Domino where I used to work a few years ago, and it was just on in the office. I'd heard plenty of other Robert Wyatt but this was the stuff that I liked the most. I liked the combination of his very frail, beautiful voice mixed with properly 80s-sounding synthesisers. I like the claustrophobic sound, and the reverbs, and the synths. They're not nasty-sounding synths. For me, it's just very colourful-sounding music. I got to work with him more recently with Hot Chip, because we were such fans, and it was a real pleasure to be in the studio with him. He gave a lot of himself to the project, and came up with some amazing parts to add to our tracks. He would sing one song of mine, but he wouldn't sing another because he needed them to feel like something he had lived. I have to feel like stuff resonates with me. I liked his honesty, and what he bought to those recordings was amazing. There's a lot to learn from him - he's very political, and I'm not like that at all. And one of the things he was doing when he made Old Rottenhat was creating lyrics that nobody could misunderstand, in terms of political meaning. I was impressed by him not hiding anything, and that's something I like to do with my music in terms of the emotional content."

Source
  
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
Insanely violent… insanely funny.
It’s a pretty good bet that the cinema-going public will be pretty evenly divided between those that think films like “Deadpool“, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” are enormous fun and those that think they are crass, puerile and appealing to all the basest instincts of human beings. I happen to fall into the first category, and “Deadpool 2” lives up to – and in some cases surpasses – the quality of the first film.

It’s a “family film” (LoL). Ryan Reynolds is back again as the eponymous superhero (aka Wade Wilson) and we start the film with him in a state of romantic bliss with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). But things quickly go south, and what follows is a convoluted plot involving a local gangster, an Arnie-type character from the future (Josh Brolin) and an potentially dark X-powered child Firefist (Julian Dennison, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”). Deadpool has to use all his powers to restore order to the planet. Given that his “power” is the ability to rejuvenate himself after surviving the most catastrophic injuries, you can predict that things will get messy!

Yes guys, it’s violent… very, very violent! But it’s done in such a “Tom and Jerry” style that it always comes out as a “Bluuugggghhhhaaaaa!” (* that’s supposed to be the noise of a huge guffaw) rather than an “Ugggh” (retch).

A particular high point for me was the assembly of the ‘X-Men-Lite’ team called “X-force”. The ‘interviews’ for this are hilarious, but the first sortie of the team to intercept a convoy moving prisoners** is even better. It’s just snort-your-Ben-and-Jerry’s-out-of-the-nose funny. This scene also includes precisely 1.8 seconds of a splendid cameo in the part of “Vanisher”!

There are many scenes, supported by numerous snide one-liners, that reference movie classics. A subliminal cameo(s) shot in the X-Men house is just brilliant. Equally brilliant but much more disturbing is a variant on that most famous scene from “Basic Instinct”…. this falls into the “can’t unsee” category of movie clips!

But the film rather over-eggs the comic asides, with a scattergun approach to the comedy that works 70% of the time but not for the other 30%. The best ones are Deadpool’s snide aside to camera. Where the script over-reaches is where the joke gets spread across the cast: one ensemble scene in particular in the flat of blind Al (Leslie Uggams) is: a) delivered so fast as to be practically unintelligible and b) falls as flat as a pancake as a result.

Josh Brolin must have signed a three-film baddie deal, since here he pops up again just weeks after his brilliant Thanos-turn in “Avengers: Infinity War“. And as for that performance, here he is superbly nuanced, with scenes that are truly touching (and with less CGI) .

Across the superhero ensemble, Zazie Beetz stands out as “Domino”. She really should be called “Lucky” though (and yes Andrea ‘Van Helsing’ Ware… I know you have the trademark on that character name! 🙂 ). Domino is my favourite character in the film… just so cool and stylish.

And credit where credit’s due, Ryan Reynolds (“Life“, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard“) is again outstanding as Deadpool. Given he is such a dish (not speaking personally here you understand) he is very brave to portray his character in such an self-deprecating and downbeat way. The final scene in the film (following some brilliant “tidying up the timeline” scenes) is so gloriously self-mocking that I LoLed myself all the way home. Outstanding.

As Marvel films go, it’s another corking comedy. But so close to the knuckle in places, I suspect this is not a character that will feature in the Infinity War sequel!
  
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
Well, I’ve got to eat crow. See, when I reviewed the first Deadpool movie, I said there was no way they could pull a sequel off. That it was one trick pony. I was… wrong. Horribly wrong. I’m just back from Deadpool 2, and I’ve got to tell you that it was ridiculously funny and they did a great job overall. It was filled with typical Deadpool crudeness, was completely over the top, and yet still managed to have a scene that walloped me in the gut. (Yes, I sniffled.)

As for the actors: Zazi Beetz, who I was first introduced to in Geostorm, is an extremely charismatic actress. She’s a sheer pleasure to watch on the screen as Domino, and I can’t wait to see her in more movies. Josh Brolin did Cable right. (Well, I don’t know that he did him right, considering I’d never heard of the character before, but you get the point.) Julian Dennison (Firefirst), Leslie Uggams, and Morena Baccarin all deserve their nods as well. Oh, and Ryan Reynolds performed as expected.

As with the first Deadpool, this is not a movie to take a kid to. The jokes are sometimes offensive, the language is strong, and there’s a wee bit of dick jokes involved. I actually heard one of the fellow moviegoers go quite loudly “Not cool!” at one particular crack.

Deadpool 2 didn’t nail everything. As stated, the jokes could be a bit offensive. They definitely strung out some things a bit further than they needed to go. However, on the whole, it was an enjoyable experience that had me giggling at several points during the movie.

On a side note: The advertising for Deadpool 2 has been on point. I’ve snickered at basically every single piece of advertising I’ve seen. I think that’s what made me so willing to go watch the movie even though I was for sure there would be suckage.
  
211 of 230
Kindle
Rogue Warrior ( Dark Warrior Alliance book 10)
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

The most important tenet of being a Dark Warrior is to uphold the law and order of the Tehrex Realm, but one look at an Angel's Kiss victim and Santiago breaks every rule. Thumbing his nose at the Vampire King and his life at Zeum, Santiago is shocked when his Omega refuses him sanctuary within the pack. Facing life as a lone wolf doesn't deter Santiago from his mission as he continues to fight evil and put an end to the destructive drug taking over the realm. He is forced to evaluate his principles when he discovers the assassin hired to kill him is his Fated Mate. Will the domino affect of killing his mate's brother threaten not only his position as a Dark Warrior, but her trust and love? Tori's human life ended centuries before when Freya found her dying on a battlefield. She's never fit in with the other Valkyrie and looks forward to fulfilling the required time with the Assassin's Guild so she can pursue her true passion of painting. What she plans as her last job is enticing for two reasons... the high dollar figure attached and the fact that the mark is her brother's killer. Tori curses fate when her hatred for Santiago is outweighed by her attraction. Determined to find the proof necessary to condemn Santiago, she isn't prepared when it backfires and her morals and beliefs are called into question.

Santi has always been a favourite of mine and I’m so glad I finally got to his story and mating. I loved Tori too! This was one of the best ones I’ve read so far and I do really love these warriors. It’s always fun catching up with the other warriors and the triplets. Definitely recommend.
  
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
Dead waste
#deadpool2 has a bad case of 'bigger doesn't always mean better', its not a bad #film its just a very safe one & the formula is already starting to wear thin. I liked the first #deadpool, it wasn't anything ground breaking but I found it nailed the character & delivered something #superhero films haven't dared do in a while (it also balanced cool action & #fun #comedy well). With deadpool 2 we get more of the same & while the scale, budget & ideas seem to have been upped the films itself feels a tad flat, lifeless & overstuffed. First the good the fight choreography is very well done its fast, brutal & filmed well. #Music & the score is great & compliments the film perfect. #Popculture references & cameos are fun & extremely fun & well done. Sets, costumes & props all look great & have clearly had alot of care, time & detail put into them. #joshbrolin as #cable is tremendous completely stealing the show with his scenes being by far the most entertaining. The bad - with no real unique stand out scenes or anything new to bring to the table I found myself getting bored quite quickly. Story wise its bland/basic too & we are introduced to so many uninteresting characters with uninspiring motives that I just couldn't invest in them at all. Jokes & dialog both come across as forced this time & after a while became tierd & repetitive. Cgi wise its a mess going from good to damn right embarrassing at times (I just dont get some of the decisions to keep some scenes/characters in when they look this bad, it just made the film feel cheap & pulled me out of the experience constantly). Overall its not a bad film its just a very very average & unnecessary one. Id say its not a patch on the first one & that wasnt that amazing either. #Kids will #love it for its crude humour & gratuitous violence & hardcore #marvel fans probably wont have a bad word to say about it but for me I was disappointed & was hoping for a new direction not more of the same old. Definitely watchable but sadly forgettable. #odeonlimitless #odeon #avengers #ryanreynolds #mcu #comic #cinifile #tuesdaythoughts #spiderman #hughjackman #xmen #review #comicon #domino #deadpoolmovie
  
40x40

Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Deadpool 2 (2018) in Movies

Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)  
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
More of the same
Who would have thought we would get to this? I certainly didn’t. After the right royal mess 20th Century Fox made of everyone’s favourite anti-hero, Deadpool, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine all those years ago, it felt like a solo outing would never be possible, never mind a sequel.

Deadpool senior went on to gross nearly $800million worldwide, impressive for an R-rated (15 certification) flick, and was an undisputed king of comic-book hero movies. Like Guardians of the Galaxy was for Marvel Studios, Deadpool was a huge gamble that paid off massively thanks to Ryan Reynold’s brilliant comic-timing and an origins story that wasn’t done to death. Naturally, a sequel was always on the cards. But are we looking at a sequel of Empire quality or Speed 2: Cruise Control?

Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool (Reynolds) is back, and this time he decides to joins force with three mutants – Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) and Domino (Zazie Beets) – to protect a boy from the all-powerful Cable (Josh Brolin).

One-half of John Wick’s directing team, David Leitch, is thrust into the directing chair for Deadpool 2 after Tim Miller was unceremoniously dumped from the project due to creative differences with Ryan Reynolds (read into that what you will). Thankfully, he brings that trademark style that we again saw in Atomic Blonde to this sequel and with that comes plenty of stylised action and a neon/grey colour palate plus a Celine Dion number that’s just begging for parody status.

Surprisingly, that all works rather well for this film. Propped by another cracking performance from Ryan Reynolds who has really found his calling after years of mediocrity. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he was absolutely born to play this role and his dry wit is given much more room to breathe this time around.

The rest of the cast are fine, if a little underdeveloped. Zazie Beets probably makes the most impact as mutant, Domino, but even she is a little underpowered when compared to the brilliant work the MCU has done on its heroes over the years. Josh Brolin (who must be getting paid rather handsomely this year) is great as Cable, though it is difficult to hear his voice and not immediately think of Thanos. T.J. Miller returns in a heavily reduced role as does Reynolds’ on-screen girlfriend Morena Baccarin who is criminally underused.

Story wise, it’s pretty much more of the same and that’s no bad thing. The fourth-wall breaking is as fresh as it felt two years ago and is cleverly used to hide the necessary exposition to bring the audience up-to-speed with what’s been happening in Deadpool-ville over the last couple of years.

Thankfully, there is plenty of repeat-watch value in Deadpool 2, thanks mainly to the returning cast members
The comedy hits more than it misses, though the constant quipps can be exhausting, and the action is filmed as confidently as you’d expect from the man who brought Keanu Reeves screaming into the 21st Century, but there is some incredibly poor CGI that is at odds with a movie costing over $100million. By incredibly poor, I don’t mean just a bit naff, I’m talking laughably bad.

The finale is vibrant, action-packed and as Deadpool himself says, CGI-filled, but it’s a little unoriginal and very much like its predecessor, though the inclusion of one particular character that I won’t spoil here is great fun to see.

There are also plenty of X-Men Easter eggs for fans to enjoy too. From characters showing up where you’d least expect them to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Stan Lee cameo, the film is full to the brim of in-references that only the most hardened of comic-book fans will notice on the first watch.

Thankfully, there is plenty of repeat-watch value in Deadpool 2, thanks mainly to the returning cast members. Reynolds, T.J. Miller, Leslie Uggams (Wade Wilson’s blind roommate Al) and Karan Soni (taxi driver Dopinder) are welcome returnees and ensure the film has a little heart, though not too much. After all, that wouldn’t be the Deadpool way.

Overall, Deadpool 2 is a confident sequel to one of the best comic-book movies there is. What it does right, it does very well indeed. The comedy, performances and action are all spot on. Unfortunately, there are some very poor special effects over the course of the film and in an effort to make everything bigger and badder, it occasionally feels like a mass of scenes put together to make a film. A worthy sequel, but not an Empire or Spider-Man 2 in this instance.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/05/16/deadpool-2-review-more-of-the-same/#more-6342
  
Warriors with Holy Hands
Warriors with Holy Hands
Peter Toeg | 2017
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Warriors With Holy Hands is the story of a young woman who finds herself lost in time and whose life over a period of three years is spiraling downward. Ruth Falk is stricken with an inexplicable illness and then orphaned. With only a distant relative in her life now, Ruth faces a life of debilitating pain and infirmity. She determines to look to the past for answers she believes her bloodline may reveal.



Searching through diaries and records, Ruth discovers blood relatives and others who lived far away over the course of a century. We follow their lives across three generations culminating in the revelation of indisputable connections that are created—words and actions with lasting results.



Ruth learns that a curse spoken by one ancestor may have had a devastating domino effect, one whose beginning also engaged her prayer-warrior grandmother in a pitched spiritual battle to break. A challenged believer herself, Ruth grows in the faith of her predecessors who faced ominous situations.



The rich symbolism of Judaism provides a backdrop for the saga with traditions and meaning sprinkled throughout the story.



When she faces increasing paralysis, Ruth and a birth friend in the faith journey to the Southern Highlands of Tennessee where it all began. Here in the span of seven days—over ten months—all that has unraveled in recent years comes together. Life as she knows it will never be the same.



God reveals himself to Ruth and others in remarkable ways along a tortuous path that comes full circle.


Warriors is a mystery that is finally, stunningly, revealed as serendipitous fruit from the branches of a family tree. It is a story of encouragement and life that empowers those who seek God and believe.



My Thoughts: This is a story about Ruth, a woman who is injured while deployed. As she recovers from her injuries, including PTSD and other physical injuries, she learns about her past through journals that her aunt gave to her. The author has done a skillful job of intertwining the history from the journals to the present time to Ruth. The author Peter Toeg, presents us with a good picture of how we can be affected by our past relatives whether it's good or bad.


I love history and journals. We cal learn so much through our past. This is a story about healing, both physically and of course, spiritually. The author has done a brilliant job with this storyline and I believe that others will enjoy this book also.
  
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
The Mercenary with a mouth is back with the eagerly awaited arrival of “Deadpool 2”. The films sees the generally well-meaning but highly dysfunctional Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), back to taking out bad guys as a contract player but also managing his relationship with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). When an unexpected event sends his life into a freefall, Deadpool tries to find a new purpose with the help of his X-Men associates from the last film who attempt to recruit him into their organization.

His first mission is to defuse an angry and destructive young mutant named Russell (Julian Dennison), which takes an unexpected turn and lands them both in serious trouble.

One would think that would be enough to cause some major life changes for Deadpool but thanks to the arrival of Cable (Josh Brolin), a cyborg soldier from the future; things are about to get much more complicated and intense.

Undaunted, Deadpool opts to form his own league of heroes and aside from Domino (Zazie Beetz); they seem to be as unlucky or dysfunctional as their leader which makes for some very hysterical consequences.

What follows is an action and laugh-laden adventure which brings even more of what made the first film such a success to the audience as the film takes the bawdy action of the first and ups the ante thanks in large part to an expanded budget and cast.

My biggest concern for the film was that with an expanded budget there would be too many characters and an attempt to do far too much with the film. That did play out at times in the beginning as for me, the first film worked so well as they had to let the characters rather than the action and effects carry it and the rapid-fire arrival of so many jokes and creative profanity made repeat viewing of the film necessary to catch everything.

This time out we get elaborate action and chase sequences as well as a much larger cast. At times it seemed as if this would possibly overshadow the characters and story but Reynolds and Director David Leith never let it cross that line.

They also go back to the core elements in the final third of the film which really allows the film to fully connect with the tone of the original film and brings the film home to a satisfying conclusion. What really sold the film for me was the brilliant and very inspired extended scene during the credits which allows Deadpool to “fix” various issues which perfectly captures the irreverent character and the best aspects of the series where the cast is willing to make fun of themselves as well as the larger universe in which their characters exist.

I cannot wait to see what comes next as “DeadPool 2” is another fun outing for the character and something very different from most comic based movies.

http://sknr.net/2018/05/14/deadpool-2-2/
  
X-Force, Volume 3: Not Forgotten
X-Force, Volume 3: Not Forgotten
Craig Kyle | 2010 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
After a brief hiatus, I resumed reading the X-FORCE TPBs, jumping with the third volume of Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost's dark run of X-FORCE.

This trade made up the "Not Forgotten" story arc, which sees the return of Kimura, bringing with her a whole boatload of hateful hurtin' for Laura (X-23). It is also saw some well-deserved (!) hostility on Wolverine's part toward Cry-clops for the casualties suffered in the team's hunt for Hope Summers as well as Laura being kidnapped. And, like the little b he has been all his life (sorry, not a fan of Scott Summers, but it's totally cool if you are), he just says "I know" when Wolverine tells him that it will death for him if either of the two students die. Wow!

Varied opinions on the art (again). I have always been fond of Clayton Crain's art style, especially his attention to facial details, so his art on the first two issues of the trade was outstanding! He brought a darkness mixed with creepiness to the way he drew the Leper Queen. WIN!

And that brings us to the art for the remaining three issues in the trade. I also like Mike Choi's facial details on the characters he draws. However, his attention to women's breasts and his intent to make all the women under his pencils to be well-endowed is a bit uncomfortable, especially in regard to Laura (who is supposed to be age 16, as stated by Domino in Issue 20. No need for it to be as such, to be honest.

Even more offensive was the way Rahne Sinclair, in wolf-form, was rendered like an extra in a hip-hop video (!). Come on, Rahne has always had a tiny form, never rendered like this EVER! Tho' I am sure a more than fair amount of 'shippers (I assume Rahne has 'shippers) feel differently about that. Jus' sayin'..

<a href="https://ibb.co/csQdiy"><img src="https://thumb.ibb.co/csQdiy/Xforce18_rahnegotback.jpg"; alt="Xforce18 rahnegotback" border="0" /></a>

So, art quibbling aside, the story, still continuing to be written by Yost and Kyle since it's return in 2008, was all aces! There was more than enough adrenaline-fueled excitement contained within, providing a white-knuckled ride, leading directly into the next volume of X-Force, NECROSHA!

I will advise this one, like the previous two volumes, is dark AF! There is very little, if any, humor. There is a higher violence output in this one as well, but it is warranted for sure, when you considered the odds they're up against! That said, if you can handle all that, then I encourage you to pick this one up!

Also, if you are fan of Laura Kinney/X-23, then I also encourage you, as it will give more backstory to her character.