Search
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Glory Road (2006) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Sports films have long been a popular genre in Hollywood as classics such as Pride of the Yankees, The Natural, and Raging Bull are all examples of some of the finest examples of sports films which encapsulate the very essence of the sport they portray.
In the new film Glory Road Josh Lucas stars as Don Haskins, a girls Basketball coach who is given the chance to coach a Division 1 team at Texas Western in 1966.
The small school cannot offer the coach much in the way of amenities as Don and his family are required to live in the student’s dorm. Since his dreams of playing pro ball came to a halt after a knee injury, Haskins looks at his job as a chance for him to make a name for himself.
The task will be daunting as Texas Western is a very small school that puts the majority of its athletic budget into the football program leaving next to no money for the gym, new equipment, and recruiting of players.
After a frustrating attempt to recruit players at a local invitational, Haskins sets his sites on a young African American player who while big on attitude, is also big on potential.
With scholarships to offer, Haskins and his staff travel the nation and shock the conservative school by offering scholarships to 8 African American players. In a day and age when teams had at most 1-2 African American players; many of whom did not see much playing time; this is a risky move for the coach.
Undaunted, the coach begins the process of integrating his new players with his current players all of whom are Caucasian, which leads to some tension over starting rights, abilities, and styles.
Haskins is a no nonsense coach who is very strict in regards to grades, effort in practice, and above all avoiding late nights and carousing while the season is underway. Despite this, many players decide to test the will of the coach which raises issues of commitment to the team and discipline, all of which are standard staples of sports films.
When the season starts, a funny thing happens. Not only is the coach playing his African American players in a heavy rotation, but little Texas Western is winning their games and beating some of the more noted teams in the country in the process.
As their notoriety increases so does the amount of hostility directed towards the team from racially incensed fans who do not like the make up of the team and especially hate their success.
Despite this, the team finds itself in the National Championship game against powerful Kentucky coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp (Jon Voight), where Haskins makes history by starting and playing only his African American players which is a first in NCAA finals history.
While the marketing and trailers for the film certainly do not hesitate from telling you most of the above and underscoring that the team ends up in the finals and that the film is based on a true story, it is not about the final results, it is about the journey the team took getting there.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a master at knowing what the fans want and director James Gartner gives viewers a by the number film that delivers the goods. Yes, the film heavily uses all the sporting clichés from the ailing player, the us against the world mentality, the team of misfits, and so on all of which combines to offer little cinematic tension as it is very clear early on and from the ads where this film will end up.
Despite tipping their hand early and throughout, the filmmakers have decided not to rock the boat and have stuck with a tried and true formula that results with a winning albeit very predictable film.
Lucas does a solid job in the roll and makes the best of the material he has to work with. The game sequences are well managed and rousing which had members of my preview audience cheering.
While it offers little originality, Glory Road is a lot of fun, and despite mining every cliché in the book, is an entertaining time at the movies.
In the new film Glory Road Josh Lucas stars as Don Haskins, a girls Basketball coach who is given the chance to coach a Division 1 team at Texas Western in 1966.
The small school cannot offer the coach much in the way of amenities as Don and his family are required to live in the student’s dorm. Since his dreams of playing pro ball came to a halt after a knee injury, Haskins looks at his job as a chance for him to make a name for himself.
The task will be daunting as Texas Western is a very small school that puts the majority of its athletic budget into the football program leaving next to no money for the gym, new equipment, and recruiting of players.
After a frustrating attempt to recruit players at a local invitational, Haskins sets his sites on a young African American player who while big on attitude, is also big on potential.
With scholarships to offer, Haskins and his staff travel the nation and shock the conservative school by offering scholarships to 8 African American players. In a day and age when teams had at most 1-2 African American players; many of whom did not see much playing time; this is a risky move for the coach.
Undaunted, the coach begins the process of integrating his new players with his current players all of whom are Caucasian, which leads to some tension over starting rights, abilities, and styles.
Haskins is a no nonsense coach who is very strict in regards to grades, effort in practice, and above all avoiding late nights and carousing while the season is underway. Despite this, many players decide to test the will of the coach which raises issues of commitment to the team and discipline, all of which are standard staples of sports films.
When the season starts, a funny thing happens. Not only is the coach playing his African American players in a heavy rotation, but little Texas Western is winning their games and beating some of the more noted teams in the country in the process.
As their notoriety increases so does the amount of hostility directed towards the team from racially incensed fans who do not like the make up of the team and especially hate their success.
Despite this, the team finds itself in the National Championship game against powerful Kentucky coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp (Jon Voight), where Haskins makes history by starting and playing only his African American players which is a first in NCAA finals history.
While the marketing and trailers for the film certainly do not hesitate from telling you most of the above and underscoring that the team ends up in the finals and that the film is based on a true story, it is not about the final results, it is about the journey the team took getting there.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a master at knowing what the fans want and director James Gartner gives viewers a by the number film that delivers the goods. Yes, the film heavily uses all the sporting clichés from the ailing player, the us against the world mentality, the team of misfits, and so on all of which combines to offer little cinematic tension as it is very clear early on and from the ads where this film will end up.
Despite tipping their hand early and throughout, the filmmakers have decided not to rock the boat and have stuck with a tried and true formula that results with a winning albeit very predictable film.
Lucas does a solid job in the roll and makes the best of the material he has to work with. The game sequences are well managed and rousing which had members of my preview audience cheering.
While it offers little originality, Glory Road is a lot of fun, and despite mining every cliché in the book, is an entertaining time at the movies.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Magic Study (Study, #2) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this book and seeing all these hateful, negative reviews honestly puts a bad taste in my mouth. I can understand if its not someones cup of tea but some of the things people are complaining about are just nonsensical. I feel that they have never been in the situations these characters have and therefore judge them in ways that are ignorant and unfair.
I didnt feel like Yelena was a Mary-sue. In fact, she had her butt handed to her on more than one occasion. Most of the skills that Yelana has, she developed herself through hard work and practice. I also feel people misinterpreted her relationship with her brother and her brothers behavior. It clearly states why she was upset with him, and I agree with her. I also understand why her brother acts the way he does and it is not unrealistic considering the circumstances.
And heaven forbid people have faults. Any time a character has a negative trait or does something wrong, etc. people down them for it. I feel it made the characters more human and realistic. People have faults and mess up sometimes. Thats life!
I would also like to point out that this series is about Yelena. Not Yelena and Valek. It is not about them or their romance. Therefore, it didnt bother me that Valek was only present for the last fourth of the book. If you go into this book hoping for more than that, then yes you are going to be disappointed. But you should have expected it from the way Poison Study ended and the synopsis.
I will agree, however, that there are a lot of similarities between Magic Study and Poison Study in terms of villains and their actions, but I dont think the author was lazy about it. It didnt detract from enjoying Magic Study whatsoever.
I understand there are a lot of bad reviews for the book, but I honestly think that this is one book you need to ignore the reviews and just read for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
I didnt feel like Yelena was a Mary-sue. In fact, she had her butt handed to her on more than one occasion. Most of the skills that Yelana has, she developed herself through hard work and practice. I also feel people misinterpreted her relationship with her brother and her brothers behavior. It clearly states why she was upset with him, and I agree with her. I also understand why her brother acts the way he does and it is not unrealistic considering the circumstances.
And heaven forbid people have faults. Any time a character has a negative trait or does something wrong, etc. people down them for it. I feel it made the characters more human and realistic. People have faults and mess up sometimes. Thats life!
I would also like to point out that this series is about Yelena. Not Yelena and Valek. It is not about them or their romance. Therefore, it didnt bother me that Valek was only present for the last fourth of the book. If you go into this book hoping for more than that, then yes you are going to be disappointed. But you should have expected it from the way Poison Study ended and the synopsis.
I will agree, however, that there are a lot of similarities between Magic Study and Poison Study in terms of villains and their actions, but I dont think the author was lazy about it. It didnt detract from enjoying Magic Study whatsoever.
I understand there are a lot of bad reviews for the book, but I honestly think that this is one book you need to ignore the reviews and just read for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Carma (21 KP) rated Bad Influence (Bad Bachelors, #3) in Books
Jun 17, 2019
Annie is the brains behind the Bad Bachelor website. It has brought a myriad of emotions to women around NYC and beyond. Some people are for the site and others want her to shut it down for ruining lives. Either way Annie knows it is helping most women navigate the dating world and she doesnt want to take that away from them. She has firmly stayed out of the dating world since her relationship ended years ago when she chose her family over her relationship. Joseph is never far from her thoughts but that is as close as she wants him, until she knocks him into a pond by accident.
Joseph has returned home again after making a name for himself overseas. He hasnt stopped thinking about Annie much over the years, as his ex fiancé can attest to. He is hoping to get a chance to have a good heart to heart with her and apologize for leaving her the way he did. While contemplating his thoughts at their spot by the pond he literally bumps into his past.
Annie and Joseph didnt have a great conversational past and they both fully admit it. Now that theyve gotten a second chance will they make the best of it this time or fall back into their old habits? Annie doesnt want to fall back into her past, especially while she is being threatened by someone over the Bad Bachelors website but she needs Josephs help to find out who is behind the threats.
Bad Influence is the third book in the Bad Bachelor series and a great continuation of the storylines. I received an advance copy from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. A 4 ½ star read, personally I found some slower parts to the story but overall a very good read. You dont have to read in any order as each is a standalone but if you want background on the other 2 main couples and/or the website I would recommend starting with book one, Bad Bachelor.
Joseph has returned home again after making a name for himself overseas. He hasnt stopped thinking about Annie much over the years, as his ex fiancé can attest to. He is hoping to get a chance to have a good heart to heart with her and apologize for leaving her the way he did. While contemplating his thoughts at their spot by the pond he literally bumps into his past.
Annie and Joseph didnt have a great conversational past and they both fully admit it. Now that theyve gotten a second chance will they make the best of it this time or fall back into their old habits? Annie doesnt want to fall back into her past, especially while she is being threatened by someone over the Bad Bachelors website but she needs Josephs help to find out who is behind the threats.
Bad Influence is the third book in the Bad Bachelor series and a great continuation of the storylines. I received an advance copy from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. A 4 ½ star read, personally I found some slower parts to the story but overall a very good read. You dont have to read in any order as each is a standalone but if you want background on the other 2 main couples and/or the website I would recommend starting with book one, Bad Bachelor.
Buck 'Em: The Autobiography of Buck Owens
Buck Owens and Randy Poe
Book
Buck 'Em! The Autobiography of Buck Owens is the life story of a country music legend. Born in Texas...
TC
The Chambers Crossword Dictionary
Book
The bestselling reference for crossword solvers and settersThe Chambers Crossword Dictionary is the...
Zones of Control: Perspectives on Wargaming
Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, Pat Harrigan and James F. Dunnigan
Book
Games with military themes date back to antiquity, and yet they are curiously neglected in much of...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Girl On The Third Floor (2019) in Movies
Nov 1, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Girl on the third floor is a slow paced film about a man, Don Koch who is renovating a rundown house. Of course there is something strange going on.
The film has Amityville vibes, with leaking plug sockets and bleeding walls but also vibes with Fatal Attraction, it's true that there are strange things about the house but it doesn't necessarily mean it's haunted, right, and, this way the film does leave you wondering what is happening. At least for a short while.
Like a lot of haunted house movies, Girl on the third floor, starts slow, there are weird stains and sounds, the dog barks at nothing and marbles roll around. Occasionally you can catch a glimpse of something in a mirror or something moves in the back ground but these are all well used tropes and the film plays on a lot of familiar tropes. This doesn't mean that it is a bad film but I found myself trying to work out where certain characters fitted in.
One thing 'Girl on the third floor' does do well is only feed you the information you need, giving you a chance to work out what is happening before it puts most of the peace's together because there is one character I'm not sure about and one thing about the ending that I'm... Well I'm not going to spoil that but, if they did what I think they did then it's been done better.
I did see reviews saying that 'Girl on the third floor' was one of the films that is so disturbing that you watch it to the end but I didn't find that true. True it is atmospheric and there are a couple of scenes that are a bit gross and a couple of the themes push things a bit but they are only briefly mentioned or cut away from. Maybe I've just seen too many horrors but it was well watchable, I think something like 'Hereditary' was much more disturbing.
Girl on the third floor is a good film but I found that it had all been done before, nether the less it is probably above average.
The film has Amityville vibes, with leaking plug sockets and bleeding walls but also vibes with Fatal Attraction, it's true that there are strange things about the house but it doesn't necessarily mean it's haunted, right, and, this way the film does leave you wondering what is happening. At least for a short while.
Like a lot of haunted house movies, Girl on the third floor, starts slow, there are weird stains and sounds, the dog barks at nothing and marbles roll around. Occasionally you can catch a glimpse of something in a mirror or something moves in the back ground but these are all well used tropes and the film plays on a lot of familiar tropes. This doesn't mean that it is a bad film but I found myself trying to work out where certain characters fitted in.
One thing 'Girl on the third floor' does do well is only feed you the information you need, giving you a chance to work out what is happening before it puts most of the peace's together because there is one character I'm not sure about and one thing about the ending that I'm... Well I'm not going to spoil that but, if they did what I think they did then it's been done better.
I did see reviews saying that 'Girl on the third floor' was one of the films that is so disturbing that you watch it to the end but I didn't find that true. True it is atmospheric and there are a couple of scenes that are a bit gross and a couple of the themes push things a bit but they are only briefly mentioned or cut away from. Maybe I've just seen too many horrors but it was well watchable, I think something like 'Hereditary' was much more disturbing.
Girl on the third floor is a good film but I found that it had all been done before, nether the less it is probably above average.
Ab Workout Free - Abdominal Crunch Exercise Workouts
Health & Fitness and Sports
App
New year, new you! Ab Workout can help shape and tone your abdominal muscles today. ***** Ab...
The Weather Station by The Weather Station
Album Watch
On her fourth (and tellingly self-titled) album as The Weather Station, Tamara Lindeman reinvents,...
alternative folk rock
Great Villain (1 more)
Great Crime Story
Too many characters (1 more)
Some characters not needed
An ex-child soldier, a violent, hairless man, and a drug lord make up the cast of characters in the Thomas Harris novel, 'Cari Mora.' Mora, our title character, is the ex-child soldier that now lives in Miami, Flordia, where she watches over a deceased drug lord's mansion. This drug lord is the real-life Pablo Escobar.
Written in Harris' crime fiction style, 'Cari Mora' quickly starts with men competing to get to the rumored millions of dollars in gold that is suppose to be at the Escobar mansion. One of these men is a very memorable German character named Hans-Peter Schneider, who readers come to know as someone that is hired to kill/deliver people to rich customers, as well as selling organs on the black market: " He [Schneider] could see his reflection in the glass side of his liquid cremation machine where he was dissolving Karla, a girl who hadn't worked out for business." When Schneider meets Mora, he immediately wants to sell her to a high paying customer.
The novel's main subject is Escobar's hidden gold, but readers also get a glimpse into the underworld of human trafficking and hired thugs. Most interestingly, the story surrounds the dark past of certain characters - - - mostly Mora and Schneider- - - who also happen to be the most put-together characters in all of the novel. All other characters seem to be filler, where most of their stories either don't end or aren't explained. Such as the character Benito, when the reader gets to follow him home, there is a mere snippet about his family life that leaves us wanting more: " Lupe was waiting at Benito's house, in spirit, in the small garden she had made behind Benito's house. He felt her presence warm and close to him as fireflies winked over the white blossoms, luminous under the moon. Benito poured a glass of Flor de Cana for himself and one for her. He drank both of them sitting in the garden with Lupe, and being there together was enough. "
While the treasure hunt is going on, a man named Jesus Villarreal becomes an important character that used to be Escobar's captain- - - and who knows exactly where the gold is hidden; he has not only made a deal with Schneider, but also another drug lord named Don Ernesto- - - if he tells exactly how to get the gold, safely, his wife, son and sister-in-law must be taken care of when he is gone.
This story has twist and turns known in every great crime fiction novel: a woman who is more than what she seems, thugs with guns, dark backstories, and fast-reading action. Yet, the story contains so many characters,even new ones coming in on almost every chapter, that it could be hard for readers to keep in mind who is who, especially with not enough description to tell them apart. Another disappointment is the character named Detective Terry Robles, who had such an amazing story to tell - - - from he and his wife being shot up by druggies to Robles seeking revenge when his wife can't exactly remember who she is,let alone who he is, because of her injury - - - but his story never comes to fruition, and we never get to experience the end of it.
As great as a character Mora is, I personally believe that Schneider would have been a much more interesting view point to read from. The story would have taken on a completely different appeal if the focus had been on strictly him. For instance, one of the most intriguing parts was reading about Schneider's past which may hold the key to why he is who he is : "His parents were in the freezer and he could hear their voices through the door. They could not get out because the freezer door was secured with a chain Hans had tied in an excellent chain knot, the way his father had taught him to tie a chain, shaking the knot until the links jammed tight. "
Although I wish for a different view point, I will say again that Mora is a well-written character - - - her character just becomes flat in certain places- - - but she still makes the story worth reading. Harris did a wonderful job in showing the darker side of life, as he has always done with his Hannibal series. If anyone is a fan of the Netflix show 'Narcos,' or crime fiction surrounding drug lords, they will certainly enjoy this book from beginning to end.
Written in Harris' crime fiction style, 'Cari Mora' quickly starts with men competing to get to the rumored millions of dollars in gold that is suppose to be at the Escobar mansion. One of these men is a very memorable German character named Hans-Peter Schneider, who readers come to know as someone that is hired to kill/deliver people to rich customers, as well as selling organs on the black market: " He [Schneider] could see his reflection in the glass side of his liquid cremation machine where he was dissolving Karla, a girl who hadn't worked out for business." When Schneider meets Mora, he immediately wants to sell her to a high paying customer.
The novel's main subject is Escobar's hidden gold, but readers also get a glimpse into the underworld of human trafficking and hired thugs. Most interestingly, the story surrounds the dark past of certain characters - - - mostly Mora and Schneider- - - who also happen to be the most put-together characters in all of the novel. All other characters seem to be filler, where most of their stories either don't end or aren't explained. Such as the character Benito, when the reader gets to follow him home, there is a mere snippet about his family life that leaves us wanting more: " Lupe was waiting at Benito's house, in spirit, in the small garden she had made behind Benito's house. He felt her presence warm and close to him as fireflies winked over the white blossoms, luminous under the moon. Benito poured a glass of Flor de Cana for himself and one for her. He drank both of them sitting in the garden with Lupe, and being there together was enough. "
While the treasure hunt is going on, a man named Jesus Villarreal becomes an important character that used to be Escobar's captain- - - and who knows exactly where the gold is hidden; he has not only made a deal with Schneider, but also another drug lord named Don Ernesto- - - if he tells exactly how to get the gold, safely, his wife, son and sister-in-law must be taken care of when he is gone.
This story has twist and turns known in every great crime fiction novel: a woman who is more than what she seems, thugs with guns, dark backstories, and fast-reading action. Yet, the story contains so many characters,even new ones coming in on almost every chapter, that it could be hard for readers to keep in mind who is who, especially with not enough description to tell them apart. Another disappointment is the character named Detective Terry Robles, who had such an amazing story to tell - - - from he and his wife being shot up by druggies to Robles seeking revenge when his wife can't exactly remember who she is,let alone who he is, because of her injury - - - but his story never comes to fruition, and we never get to experience the end of it.
As great as a character Mora is, I personally believe that Schneider would have been a much more interesting view point to read from. The story would have taken on a completely different appeal if the focus had been on strictly him. For instance, one of the most intriguing parts was reading about Schneider's past which may hold the key to why he is who he is : "His parents were in the freezer and he could hear their voices through the door. They could not get out because the freezer door was secured with a chain Hans had tied in an excellent chain knot, the way his father had taught him to tie a chain, shaking the knot until the links jammed tight. "
Although I wish for a different view point, I will say again that Mora is a well-written character - - - her character just becomes flat in certain places- - - but she still makes the story worth reading. Harris did a wonderful job in showing the darker side of life, as he has always done with his Hannibal series. If anyone is a fan of the Netflix show 'Narcos,' or crime fiction surrounding drug lords, they will certainly enjoy this book from beginning to end.