Search

Search only in certain items:

Finale (Hush, Hush, #4)
Finale (Hush, Hush, #4)
Becca Fitzpatrick | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hush Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick

Finished: April 24th, 2019

This series was amazing and has a very emotional ending. I chose to read this series because it's about Fallen Angels. I love Patch's and Nora's relationship and all they went through I'm happy they got the happy ending they deserved. I cried when Patch was able to feel in the end but wish Scott's ending was better though and wished he had survived the war. I was not expecting Vee to be Nephil as well. Marcie's end was sad as well but I'm really glad it worked out for Patch, Nora and her mom in the end.

Do I recommend? Yes
  
This Fallen Prey (Casey Duncan, #3)
This Fallen Prey (Casey Duncan, #3)
Kelley Armstrong | 2018 | Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
10
9.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kelley Armstrong is a cruel, evil woman.

This Fallen Prey takes you on a rollercoaster as Casey tells you all about the day the Council drops a dangerous serial killer into Rockton without any advance warning.

What you get from that point on is a crazy edge of the seat ride as you try and figure out whether he's really what the council have claimed, or if there's something deeper and more complex going on. With betrayals and deaths and twists that just keep you turning the pages, the third book of the Casey Duncan series does not disappoint.

It does leave us with a minor cliffhanger.. and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!
  
40x40

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Battle at Big Rock (2019) in Movies

Sep 16, 2019 (Updated Feb 22, 2020)  
Battle at Big Rock (2019)
Battle at Big Rock (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Short films are always hard to properly rate, especially as Battle at Big Rock is less than 9 minutes long!
But what we get here is a quick blast of dinosaur action that takes place soon after Fallen Kingdom, and revolves around a family on a camping trip, where they get stuck in the middle of two different dinosaur species fighting.

The short has a couple of cool shots as the chaos unfolds, and is a nice little appetiser for the upcoming third film in the Jurassic World trilogy, and it directly deals with the issue of dinosaurs living amongst us.

I would have given this a 6, but the awesome end credits sequence brings it up a mark.
  
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Nolte steals the movie
It's always interesting to me that when I leave a film and realize that the best part of the movie I just saw was the extra scene during the credits. What were the folks that made this movie thinking? Did they save the best for last? Most of the time it is - unfortunately - that this scene shines BECAUSE it really has nothing to do with the rest of the film, in both style and substance.

Such is the case with ANGEL HAS FALLEN the 3rd film in the "Fallen" series (following OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN and LONDON HAS FALLEN) that follows the trials and tribulations of White House Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) as he tries, once again, to save the President (a game, stern - yet sincere - Morgan Freeman) from an assassination attempt. But this time...the twist is...that Mike is framed for the attempt, so he has to go on the lamb "The Fugitive" style to clear his name and to find out who really dunnit.

I figured out who dunnit - and who was behind it - in about the first 3 minutes those characters/performers were on the screen - but it's the destination, not the journey, that counts in these types of films and this journey is..."so-so".

The plot contrivances, action sequences and chase scenes are all pretty middle-of-the-road with Director Ric Roman Waugh (SNITCH, FELON) resorting to the quick-cut, jittery camera "cinema verite" style of action shooting that, to me, shows laziness in choreography and originality and ends up giving me a bit of a headache.

So...failing a good plot and good action sequences, a film like this must have good, interesting characters and good, interesting actors inhabiting them. And...for the most part...that part of this film generates some interest as the previously mentioned Morgan Freeman, the always dependable Lance Reddick, the oily Danny Huston and the quirky Tim Blake Nelson all share the screen to good effect. Piper Perabo also joins the fray as Mike's wife and she elevates that side of the proceedings.

In the end, it comes down to the screen presence and charisma of star Gerard Butler as Mike and - unfortunately - he just doesn't have enough of that to keep things interesting. Especially when he spends a large part of the film playing against an actor who plays Butler's father - the one and only Nick Nolte.

And he...just about...steals the movie. Here is an actor that has screen presence and charisma to spare, even under long hair, a beard and a voice that has seen many, many cigarettes and booze.

And this takes us back to the beginning (or should I say, the end) of the film...Nolte and Butler share the end credits scene and it's, by far, the best darn thing in this mediocre film.

If you're going to sit through this, make sure you stay for the end credits scene.

Letter Grade B-

6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Not The Best In The Series But A Good Farewell
Angel Has Fallen is a 2019 action/thriller movie directed by Ric Roman Waugh with screenplay written by Waugh, Robert Mark Kamen and Matt Cook from story by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. Producers on the film included Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Matt O'Toole, John Thompson, Les Weldon, and Yariv Lerner. It was produced by Millennium Media, G-Base and distributed by Lionsgate. The film stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Piper Perabo, and Lance Reddick.


Undergoing training at a private military facility, Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself hiding the fact that he's suffering from migraines, insomnia and self-medicating to deal with severe back pain. He is nominated by the President Alan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), for the position of Secret Service Director to replace retiring Director David Gentry (Lance Reddick). An assassination attempt occurs during the President's fishing trip and his security detail is killed by armed drones, leaving only himself and Banning the sole survivors. Banning is arrested by FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) after finding substantial evidence that Banning is responsible for the attack. After escaping from his captors Banning must evade his own agency and the FBI to find the real threat to the President. To save the country from imminent danger he must turn to unlikely allies and uncover the truth to clear his name.

 

This movie was all over the place but it was good. I think i liked it better than the last one which was London Has Fallen, but not as much as the original movie Olympus Has Fallen. It was refreshing to see Gerard Butler's character Mike Banning humanized a bit in this film. The plot was a little predictable but I enjoyed the whole man on the run while trying to still do his job angle to it. Like I said the movie was kind of all over the place and didn't have the action scenes as tight as in the other films especially in the middle of the movie but it didn't matter too much overall. Fairly entertaining, it was a good movie to end the summer action movies off with. I give it a 7/10.
  
Envy (Fallen Angels, #3)
Envy (Fallen Angels, #3)
J.R. Ward | 2011
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's a J R Ward (0 more)
Got a bit repetitive (0 more)
Recommended
Contains spoilers, click to show
A man and a woman tread the lines of danger, desire, and deliverance in the new novel of the Fallen Angels from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father- while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers... to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.




This has to be my second best series done by J R Ward my first being Bourbon Kings. So again we see Davina and Jim go head to head! This one saw the loss of Eddie which I wasn't quite prepared for! So it's now just don't two the two angels while Davina continues to cheat!

I struggled in parts with this instalment to be completely honest I got a little bored with the side story of Veck and Riley but all in all an ok addition to the series.
  
This book will give you a literal view of angels—they’re nothing like what we imagine them, and they’re nothing like what contemporary fiction makes them out to be, either (angels serving God or fallen angels both). They are warriors—glorious, perfect, merciless warriors.

The best thing about this book is that Dr. Jeremiah is very centered with what the Bible says. The Bible is our ultimate source of truth, and if we have a “religious experience” that contradicts the Bible, if we begin to worship Angels more than God, if we get wrapped up in what he calls “Angelmania,” we have a serious problem.

 Angels is insightful and clarifying, and it answers many questions both that I’ve had and others I’d never even thought about.
  
Cloverfield (2008)
Cloverfield (2008)
2008 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Good thinking for camera to be handheld (0 more)
Rarely see the picture (0 more)
Good concept, not a great outcome
So I was watching this recently, I remember thinking what on earth is this. So it's initially set in USA and is about alien animals overturning a major city. The entire film is recorded on a hand held camera which is a good idea, but I find myself asking if it really pulled it off successfully. You spend a lot of time looking at darkness just listening.

I appreciate the thought behind it and given the visual effects crew had stepped up I think if had potential to be a real hit. Instead it has dropped under the radar.

Just another fallen potential great.
  
40x40

365Flicks (235 KP) rated Struck (2019) in Movies

Oct 31, 2019 (Updated Oct 31, 2019)  
Struck (2019)
Struck (2019)
2019 | Drama
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Further proof that Budget and star power is not everything
A movie that relies solely on the performance of its actors, A movie that has you thinking it could be one thing but shows you its actually something else, A story that takes an unflinching look into the social conscious.

Writer/Directors Alexander Milo Bischof and Michael Couvaras have come out the gates with an excellent first feature film. Wonderfully written with viscerally real dialogue dealing with some complex real life issues plucked straight from the headlines that if not given care and attention would just have fallen flat. Our core cast of relative newcomers put in performances they can all be proud of and I hope to see more from our young stars going forward.
  
40x40

Nicholas Sparks recommended Casablanca (1942) in Movies (curated)

 
Casablanca (1942)
Casablanca (1942)
1942 | Drama, Romance, War

"This movie is the best example of the theme “if you love someone, sometimes you have to let them go.” This guy [Rick], he has fallen in love with this woman, and he can’t get over her. She comes back, and she’s married to this freedom fighter, someone that the Nazis are hunting. If he doesn’t give her these two plane tickets, he gets the girl, because the Nazis will find this guy. If he gives her the tickets, her husband is saved and he’ll never see her again. Boy, what a choice. Love often confronts us with some choices that are the toughest things of all. They include compromise and at times, sacrifice. And to me, Casablanca did that phenomenally well."

Source