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Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
After putting in plenty of years and two prior movies spent protecting the President, Secret Service member Mike Banning is up for promotion. In Angel Has Fallen, the third installment of the Fallen franchise, Banning has been personally hand-picked by President Allan Trumbull to take over as the new Secret Service Director. Trumbull tells him the good news directly during a getaway fishing trip, but then things quickly turn bad when a drone attack attempts to assassinate the President. Banning is able to successfully save himself and the President, but the attack kills all the rest of the Secret Service members on site and the aftermath leaves Trumbull in a coma. Planted DNA evidence linking Banning to an involvement in the attack leads to his arrest, and with the President unconscious, he has no other witness to clear his name. Banning’s obviously been framed and set-up and will have to escape from authorities to find out who is responsible, and to also protect the President from any further attempts on his life.

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, Angel Has Fallen is a film that starts off pretty well, yet I feel that the whole narrative of Banning being so easily framed is pretty hard to believe, especially given that he’s been the hero of two films already. It’s the driving force of the film’s story and yet it seems highly questionable to me that the intelligence committee would be so quick to blame it all on Banning considering his reputable history. Naturally any attack on the President is taken very seriously, but the FBI is extremely quick to condemn the man that just saved his life. I think it’s the weakest part of the story, although story is not an area this film ever really excels at. I would even say that most of its attempts at being smart usually fall flat. Regardless, this is the kind of movie that would be best enjoyed if you didn’t take it too seriously. It’s in many ways a throwback to the macho action movies of yesteryear, and that’s where it makes up for its shortcomings.

As the first film I’ve seen in this series, I admittedly had low expectations for it. If not for my dad wanting to see it, I probably would have skipped it entirely, but in truth it turned out to be better than I had anticipated. It’s also been the number one movie at the box office for two weeks running, so what do I know? I must confess that ever since seeing Den of Thieves last year, I’ve instantly become a huge fan of Gerard Butler, whose filmography I’ve largely overlooked. I love his energy, his over-the-top acting and his tough guy persona. He’s a great fit here in Angel Has Fallen as Banning and is enjoyable to watch, even if at times it can be a little hard to believe that he’s somehow always the smartest guy in the room.

The rest of the cast in the movie is respectful as well. Morgan Freeman is a comfortable choice as President Trumbull, and he truly makes me long for a time when we had a sane and competent President. It’s a rather reserved role for Freeman, as he spends most of the runtime in a coma. Still, he’s a graceful and welcome presence who has at least a couple moments to shine. Jada Pinkett Smith has the unfortunate role of playing the FBI agent who orders Banning’s arrest, and I wish she had a bit more to work with. Nick Nolte plays Banning’s estranged father Clay, a paranoid war veteran living off the grid, and he’s one of the highlights of the film. I enjoyed his character’s relationship with Banning, and he and Butler play off each other well. Danny Huston also gives a worthwhile performance as Banning’s former military companion Wade Jennings.

Despite having the appearance of a run-of-the-mill, rescue-the-President type of action movie, the action is actually for the most part quite admirable. Right from the get-go, it makes an impressive statement with its tense and exciting introductory scene which feels reminiscent of tactical military-style video games. The movie is heavy on explosions, shootouts, and hand-to-hand combat, and its action is generally fun. There’s also an impressive final stand-off that’s surprisingly well-planned and executed. It’s in moments like this where the movie demonstrates its intelligence and expertise. If not for these strong action sequences, I feel the movie as a whole would have suffered tremendously, but it rightfully delivers on what we came to see. Of course, not all of the action is stellar, and there’s a clunker of a car chase thrown into the mix, but overall I was entertained.

One area where the movie could have used some more improvement was with the special effects. They’re sufficient in the sense that they still clearly convey what the movie is trying to show, but a lot of it looks noticeably fake. It’s unfortunate, but I also don’t believe it was ever a major distraction. Another issue with the film is that its run-time feels a little long and there are some subplots that I really couldn’t care less about. It’s your standard government scheming and political conspiracy stuff, complete with all of the twists you would expect, but it isn’t particularly interesting, even if it does explain the purpose of the initial attack on the President.
Overall, I had a better time with Angel Has Fallen than I would have imagined. It’s far from great, but it’s good enough that I’ll probably now check out the two previous Fallen films at some point. The story might leave a lot to be desired, but the action sequences help fill the void. I would recommend it for fans of action movies, or anyone who likes Gerard Butler. It’s not something anyone needs to rush to the theater to see, but if you’re looking for a little action to end your summer with, it should do the trick.
  
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
5
6.5 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Just to be clear from the get go, a lot of Jurassic World Dominion is pure nonsense, and is yet another entry in this series that is worlds apart from Jurassic Park in terms of quality, and what it's trying to be. It has the courtesy at least, to be slightly better than the garbage fire of it's predecessor, Fallen Kingdom, and even a cynical bastard like me can admit to enjoying the extended presence of some of the legacy characters, but it's not enough to distract from the aspects that drag it down.
Perhaps most prominently, is the promise of dinosaurs rampaging the world with regular society, teased at the end of the last movie. There are parts here and there that show what that would be like, but the main bulk of the plot is focused on a potential famine cause by giant locusts. It's mind boggling why this is the main narrative, when all people want to see is massive dinosaurs fucking shit up in the suburbs or whatever. Jurassic Park is easily in my top 10 films of all time, a movie that I think of fondly, and even more so when Dominion is giving us James Bond style villains. How did we get to this point?
As mentioned, it's nice to have the likes of Alan Grant, Ellie Satler, and Ian Malcolm back in the mix, but it mainly serves as a reminder of how little chemistry Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard share. It's also ludicrous at this point, how every dinosaur will stop in it's tracks everytime Pratt's character does the dumb hand thing.
It's not all bad, honestly. Some of the action scenes are pretty fun, and a lot of the dinosaurs are puppeteered. When it's time to fall back on CGI, it's as good as it gets, and some of the new dinosaurs introduced are memorable.

It's another entry in this franchise that will no doubt have kids hitting the ceiling, but I personally think it's a shame that the quality has dipped to make room for crowd pleasing spectacle. Still though, it's better than Fallen Kingdom, so I'll take that as a small victory.
  
Tensions are building all over Key West with restaurant wars and a string of burglaries. However, it’s the fight over the Sunset Celebration lease that erupts in murder when Bart Frontgate is found dead. The police are looking at Hayley Snow’s friend Lorenzo, a man she knows couldn’t have committed the crime. But Lorenzo is hiding something. Can Hayley clear him, or will his secret convict him for murder?

I have completely fallen in love with Key West thanks to these books, and it was wonderful to visit again. The characters are strong, with Hayley showing some growth and Miss Gloria as delightful as ever. The plot is strong, combining several storylines into a cohesive and entertaining whole, although I do wish we didn’t have the constant Hayley is afraid for her job sub-plot.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-review-fatal-reservations-by-lucy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Prince of Thorns
Prince of Thorns
Mark Lawrence | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.3 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Having read The Book of the Ancestor series last year and absolutely l loved them, I was hesitant to read The Broken Empire. Tried was because I was lead to believe that BOA was a step up from BE. So I assumed I would be disappointed. What clicked with me and made me take the plunge was reading that Mark Lawrence based Jorg, our brutal protagonist on Alex from Anthony Burges' A Clockwork Orange. I had also heard that the reason why people didn't consider it as good as BOA was that they couldn't connect to study a horrible protagonist. It would be interesting to know, had I read Prince of Thorns without knowing this tidbit of trivia, whether I would have fallen into the trap of misunderstanding this book as others had. But I do definitely feel that this knowledge greatly enhanced my understanding and therefore enjoyment of the book. I would even go as far as saying I might even like it better than BOA, and that's saying something!
  
The Word Trove
The Word Trove
Elisa Vorpahl | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Whimsical marmite
This tells a warm whimsical wonderous story of a word which has forgotten its meaning. Imagine if Alice had fallen into a dictionary instead of wonderland and you are about there. This will be marmite to readers, some not appreciating its magic and metaphors and others dreaming into the depths of its poetry and philosophy. It is a beautifully presented story and has been translated brilliantly to maintain meaning in a book about language. Another word, other than whimsical I would use to describe this journey is charming. From the delightful illustrations to the size and shape of the book itself, it is full of a sincere charm that will delight those who enjoy its pages. Those who won't like the book will find out almost from the first paragraph and if you don't, then put it down and pick up something else. Those that do, then allow yourself to go on its journey and think as well as smile in this wonderful and unique treasure of a novel.
  
A Serial Killer&#039;s Desire (Heart Of Darkness #1)
A Serial Killer's Desire (Heart Of Darkness #1)
C.F. Rabbiosi | 2019 | Erotica, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ADULTS ONLY!!

211
Kindle
A serial killers Desire ( Heart of Darkness book1)
By C.F.Rabbisosi

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

He's a rich bad boy. She's a damaged beauty. Same old story?

Not even close.

Because he's not just gorgeous, he's deadly. He lures women into his deceptive web and tortures them into submission, LOVES them to death, and won't stop until they've fallen for their captor. Won't stop until they've loved him with their last breath.

But this time, he's taken the wrong girl. This time, it could be him who's captured instead, his heart chained by an astonishingly well-matched vixen.




Ok! Ok ok this was one hell of a book. So many times I’ve thought wtf! But I just couldn’t stop reading. It’s far, twisted and oddly sexy as hell! Maybe I need help? This is a new author for me and I read her words about writing dark erotica but I wasn’t expecting to love the story behind all the sex too! I’m genuinely shocked as wasn’t expecting that at all!!
  
Project Power (2020)
Project Power (2020)
2020 | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
Full disclosure: I'm a fan of both Jamie Foxx and JGL. I was very happy to hear that he was ending his hiatus to return for this film.

Netflix has released a couple of good things in recent memory, but they have also churned out some turds. I had great fears when I heard the synopsis to Project Power because I felt that if they didn't do it right that they would stop investing in the genre, or at least limit their investment.

I had read some pretty lackluster reviews before having a chance to see this for myself, and I'm thrilled that I didn't take those as a reason not to watch it myself. There are definitely some flaws in several different elements of the film, but overall I feel that they did a good job with the premise. Besides, nobody else was beating the door down to make something similar (a la White House Down/Olympus Has Fallen).

Definitely worth having a look for yourself. Interesting concept with some scathing undertones.
  
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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) in Movies

Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)  
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
So it was another midnight screening over at my local Cineworld last night, or should that be this morning, for the showing of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, a movie that I’ve been dying to see, not for the dinosaurs, but for the return of Jeff Goldblum to the franchise.

It’s been three years since the incident at Jurassic World back in 2015 and now the dinosaurs and the island are threatened by extinction from the volcano that is about to wipe everything out, but the dilemma is, do you save the dinosaurs or do you let them die!

Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) wants to save the creature and luck would just so have it that Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), who is the old partner of Hammond (Richard Attenborough), wants to save them as well, bringing them to an island sanctuary to stop them from being wiped out of existence for the second time. But as with any well-laid plans, things are bound to take a turn for the worse.
  
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Merissa (11805 KP) rated Peace (The Four Horsemen, #5) in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 20, 2023)  
Peace (The Four Horsemen, #5)
Peace (The Four Horsemen, #5)
T.A. Chase | 2016 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am so glad that T.A. Chase decided to give Lam his own book. This angel is one who has played a significant hand in sorting out the Four Horsemen, and he became more interesting every time I read about him.

This book is full of revelations, action, kidnappings and love. I loved how the Four (previous) Horsemen play their parts, and Day is a fantastic character. He has his faults and is aware of them, and Lam loves him in spite of them. What angel - or fallen angel - could ask for more?

This is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found. I felt this was the perfect conclusion to this set of stories, although I could see it continuing with the shenanigans going on with the Quad. Definitely recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 9, 2016
  
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Life Finds A Way
After really enjoying Jurassic World back in 2015, I was excited when they announced that a sequel was in the works. I felt optimistic about it because the ending of Jurassic World left it wide open for a story continuation, and I didn’t feel like they were just making a new one to milk a franchise. It’s no surprise that I can be hugely critical of sequels, but I was willing to give this one a fighting chance.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is set three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World park, and characters are faced with the dilemma of what to do now a volcano on the island is beginning to erupt. It’s a huge moral dilemma: let the dinosaurs die again, or move them to a safe location where they can thrive. Ultimately, Claire and Owen end up back on Isla Nublar with the help of a rescue team to round up the dinosaurs. As you can expect, things don’t go according to plan and we soon realise the rescue team has other, darker intentions.

Whilst this film is not the strongest in the franchise, it’s still an enjoyable watch. I wasn’t expecting it to be as thought provoking as it was, which was a pleasant surprise. I felt like the storyline had a lot of depth to it, and a lot of emotional moments too. One thing I really love about the Jurassic franchise is how they make you connect and feel emotions towards CGI dinosaurs. You know they aren’t real, yet you get so invested in the narrative that you quickly forget. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom we see some familiar dinosaurs from the previous films, as well as some new ones too. In classic Jurassic nature, we also see a brand new dinosaur that humans thought was a good idea to create… for some reason.

Another thing that surprised me was the horror-like elements that were present in the film. Without giving too much away, there’s a couple of scenes that are very reminiscent of classic horror and plummets the film into a much darker, creepier atmosphere. These scenes were incredibly well done and didn’t feel out of place, even though they could’ve easily felt too jarring. It was fun to witness the franchise experimenting with this, and enhances the scary side of the dinosaurs. There’s some really impressive shots during these scenes too, that emphasises the imposing nature of these creatures.

My biggest criticism of this film is that I felt like too much was going on, and consequently the narrative felt rushed. Despite it running at just over 2 hours, I almost felt like we needed another half hour to properly tell the story without glossing over some really important plot points. The main narrative was paced okay but then we had random side storylines that seemed unnecessary and just left me confused more than anything. It’s a shame they tried to cram so much into such a short space of time as there was no need to do that.

Long time fans of Jurassic Park should definitely give this a go as I think it’s a solid entry into the franchise, though it doesn’t do enough to ascend above its predecessors. It’s what I’ve described as a “fun, Monday night film” to people who’ve asked, so if you’re looking for a visually impressive blockbuster with loud roars and some creepy elements, this film is perfect for you.

https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/06/24/life-finds-a-way-jurassic-world-fallen-kingdom-review/