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Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) in Movies
Oct 5, 2017
The Action (2 more)
The Cast
The Robot Dogs
Crazy, Outrageous and Bloody Good Fun
Walking into the this movie I was expecting great things. I loved the first one and was actively waiting for number 2. Like all sequels unfortunately it did not live up to the first one. I am not saying it was a bad movie, because it was still fantastic, but it just did not have the same pop as the first.
Some of my favorite things about this movie was the action. Spy movies always have a way of make the crazy look very good. The gadgets they use I wish existed in real life because I would like one of each. Or maybe they are real and CIA and MI6 just keep them hidden from the real world. But as for the action the I was done so well. The fight scenes were done so seamlessly. My personal favorite was the fight scenes with the lassos, I know it was all mostly special effects but I was amazing to see it pulled off.
Comedy in the is movie is fantastic, they got the right group of actors together. Julianne Moore played one hell of a bad ass bad guy. I mean eating someone it just insane. But who knows, maybe I would eat people if it were legal. Her robot dogs were the best, I wish I had a set. Unfortunately they had to be charged to be effective. I think this is the first movie I have seen where robots needed to be charged and were not just ready to be used. Fun twist.
All and all, if you loved the first one, see this one. Just don't go in thinking this one will be better, go in thinking this is going to be a fun action movie.
Some of my favorite things about this movie was the action. Spy movies always have a way of make the crazy look very good. The gadgets they use I wish existed in real life because I would like one of each. Or maybe they are real and CIA and MI6 just keep them hidden from the real world. But as for the action the I was done so well. The fight scenes were done so seamlessly. My personal favorite was the fight scenes with the lassos, I know it was all mostly special effects but I was amazing to see it pulled off.
Comedy in the is movie is fantastic, they got the right group of actors together. Julianne Moore played one hell of a bad ass bad guy. I mean eating someone it just insane. But who knows, maybe I would eat people if it were legal. Her robot dogs were the best, I wish I had a set. Unfortunately they had to be charged to be effective. I think this is the first movie I have seen where robots needed to be charged and were not just ready to be used. Fun twist.
All and all, if you loved the first one, see this one. Just don't go in thinking this one will be better, go in thinking this is going to be a fun action movie.
Merissa (13422 KP) rated Hale and Gemini (The Alder Tales #3) in Books
Jul 18, 2017
Hale and Gemini (The Alder Tales #3) by R.S. McCoy
Hale and Gemini is the fairytale retelling of Hansel and Gretel, written in R.S. McCoy's inimitable style. It is the third book in The Alder Tales series, and although I would say you don't 'have' to have read those to understand the story, you will benefit immensely from reading books one and two, plus you get the added bonus of reading fantastic stories.
What to say about this one? My first thought was "poor Hale". He got put through the wringer in the previous book, and you can't even be annoyed with Raene for doing so. He makes the decision to leave Clan land and travel to Pyrona, in the hope of reuniting with his sister, Blossom, not realising that her story has moved her on from there. Gemini follows him for her own reasons, and through arguments and disagreements, these two become friends with the possibility of more.
I LOVE THIS SERIES! Every story is different, and yes it's a retelling, but no it's not 'usual'. This world is unique (as far as I am aware), with characters that are simply amazing. Each section has people that you will loathe and love, sometimes both! The world-building is second to none, and the political scheming constantly has me amazed.
It was with a smile on my face that I read about Kaide and Blossom! Seriously, I NEED these two to be happy! Parson and Raene continue to delight, and then we have Hale and Gemini.
Fair Warning - this book ends on one helluva cliffhanger. It should be against the law! ;) A fantastic read that updates you on past pairings, gives full attention to the new story, whilst leaving you wanting more. I definitely can't wait for book 4! Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
What to say about this one? My first thought was "poor Hale". He got put through the wringer in the previous book, and you can't even be annoyed with Raene for doing so. He makes the decision to leave Clan land and travel to Pyrona, in the hope of reuniting with his sister, Blossom, not realising that her story has moved her on from there. Gemini follows him for her own reasons, and through arguments and disagreements, these two become friends with the possibility of more.
I LOVE THIS SERIES! Every story is different, and yes it's a retelling, but no it's not 'usual'. This world is unique (as far as I am aware), with characters that are simply amazing. Each section has people that you will loathe and love, sometimes both! The world-building is second to none, and the political scheming constantly has me amazed.
It was with a smile on my face that I read about Kaide and Blossom! Seriously, I NEED these two to be happy! Parson and Raene continue to delight, and then we have Hale and Gemini.
Fair Warning - this book ends on one helluva cliffhanger. It should be against the law! ;) A fantastic read that updates you on past pairings, gives full attention to the new story, whilst leaving you wanting more. I definitely can't wait for book 4! Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Midnight Special (2016) in Movies
Jul 21, 2017
A Modern Sci-Fi Classic
This movie really impressed me. Michael Shannon is, as always, fantastic in his performance and he showed a side of character here that we don’t normally get to see from him. He plays a compassionate and loving father on a mission and he will stop at nothing to succeed. Joel Edgerton is also typically brilliant in the film. He plays an old fried of Shannon’s character helping him on his quest and again is different here to any other role we have seen him in so far. Frankly I think these two actors are two of the best working in Hollywood today and this movie showcases their diversity, talent and ability to totally vanish into a role and sell their performance effortlessly. However, the real star of the show is the young actor Jaeden Lieberher, who plays Alton Meyer, the extraordinary boy that the plot revolves around. When I first saw his performance I thought he was extremely good for a child actor, but reflecting on it again, it is just a fantastic performance regardless of his age. His chemistry with the other actors was spot on and he carried this movie flawlessly, which left me very impressed. Kirsten Dunst also makes an appearance as Alton’s mother and again gives a stellar performance, she is tired of having to constantly be on the run and although she sometimes doubts her husband’s plan, she sticks by him until their mission is complete. Adam Driver is the scientist working for the government who are after Alton and he puts in a decent performance as the pseudo antagonist of the movie. I should really stop here though as you are better going into this movie with as little previous knowledge as possible. In summary, this is the movie that Super 8 wishes it was, essentially it’s ET for grown ups and it is definitely worth your time and money.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Never Never in Books
Sep 6, 2017
Fantastic retelling of Peter Pan from Hook's point of view
Where do I start with this one? I had ups and downs with this book. It’s a retelling of Peter Pan, from Captain Hook’s viewpoint. And it reveals that James Hook was actually a boy taken to Neverland who thought it was going to be temporary, but then Pan refused to take him home.
I LOVE that it showed Hook as a sympathetic character. And in my interpretation, Hook is still that lonely 13-year-old boy that Pan stole, artificially aged through the tricks of Neverland. Being a 13-year-old boy explains the hysterical fear of the crocodile, and the blind rages at Pan. He’s still a child, without the emotional maturity of a man, and that explains a lot of his actions in the original Disney movie. (Which is incorporated in the last part of the book.)
I was disappointed in the ending of the book. Not in the writing – the writing was fantastic – but in the actual events. I wanted a different ending. (I’m trying not to spoil too much!)
And Hook’s romance – well. It was unexpected, but it made sense, and I enjoyed it. For a while it was the only pure thing he had, but even that was spoiled by Pan. Hook really just couldn’t catch a break.
It’ll be interesting to see how this compares to the other Hook retellings out there, which I’m planning to read as well – Peter Pan is one of my husband’s favorite fairy tales, and I love seeing fairy tales from the villain’s point of view.
To sum up: A solid retelling from Captain’s Hook point of view – the ending was not quite what I wanted, but villain’s stories almost never end happily for the villain, I suppose. Definitely worth the read.
You can find all of my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I LOVE that it showed Hook as a sympathetic character. And in my interpretation, Hook is still that lonely 13-year-old boy that Pan stole, artificially aged through the tricks of Neverland. Being a 13-year-old boy explains the hysterical fear of the crocodile, and the blind rages at Pan. He’s still a child, without the emotional maturity of a man, and that explains a lot of his actions in the original Disney movie. (Which is incorporated in the last part of the book.)
I was disappointed in the ending of the book. Not in the writing – the writing was fantastic – but in the actual events. I wanted a different ending. (I’m trying not to spoil too much!)
And Hook’s romance – well. It was unexpected, but it made sense, and I enjoyed it. For a while it was the only pure thing he had, but even that was spoiled by Pan. Hook really just couldn’t catch a break.
It’ll be interesting to see how this compares to the other Hook retellings out there, which I’m planning to read as well – Peter Pan is one of my husband’s favorite fairy tales, and I love seeing fairy tales from the villain’s point of view.
To sum up: A solid retelling from Captain’s Hook point of view – the ending was not quite what I wanted, but villain’s stories almost never end happily for the villain, I suppose. Definitely worth the read.
You can find all of my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Review: this is a beautiful (huge! like, 2 inches thick.) book bursting with incredible pictures that make me crave salad like i never have before and make octopus actually look edible (and appealing), information that I never would have known or thought about about the ingredients, and fantastic (and some… interesting…)recipes. A typical recipe will include a beautiful full page photograph, description of the food, very easy to read and easy to follow instructions, extra ideas and variations, and little notes and tips and pieces of advice.
There are eleven categories: My Father’s Garden, Open Water, Dinner family style, My First Recipes, The hunting trip, a Lamb and a Goat, Psilakis Birthday Dinners, Kefi—A time to dance, Big party cooking, Anthos—the new world, and The Aegean Pantry. the back of the book includes recipes by type of dish and even metric conversions.
Each section is headed off with a two or three page story about Michael’s life and lots of photographs. some of the stories are sweet, like him remembering cooking for his parents for the first time. some are things i can relate to, like the thrill and pride of learning to dance. (though I never learned to dance on an empty glass beer bottle.) and some stories are sad and sweet, like him telling the time he watched his father kill the lamb that was his friend for Easter dinner.
a quick sampling of the recipes, some that sound fantastic:
*Warm Feta with Tomato, Olive and pepper salad
*Whole Spit roasted lamb
*Grilled watermelon and grilled manouri (which sounds discussing but the photograph looks incredible)
*roasted scallops with cauliflower, tart dried cherries, and capers in brown butter sauce
*Steak with bone marrow htippiti
*Dumplings with sausage, dandelion greens, sundried tomato and pine nuts
Now I’m hungry.
Recommendation: anyone who enjoys cooking really good food, gourmet, beautiful photographs of really good food, or just loves cooking in general.
There are eleven categories: My Father’s Garden, Open Water, Dinner family style, My First Recipes, The hunting trip, a Lamb and a Goat, Psilakis Birthday Dinners, Kefi—A time to dance, Big party cooking, Anthos—the new world, and The Aegean Pantry. the back of the book includes recipes by type of dish and even metric conversions.
Each section is headed off with a two or three page story about Michael’s life and lots of photographs. some of the stories are sweet, like him remembering cooking for his parents for the first time. some are things i can relate to, like the thrill and pride of learning to dance. (though I never learned to dance on an empty glass beer bottle.) and some stories are sad and sweet, like him telling the time he watched his father kill the lamb that was his friend for Easter dinner.
a quick sampling of the recipes, some that sound fantastic:
*Warm Feta with Tomato, Olive and pepper salad
*Whole Spit roasted lamb
*Grilled watermelon and grilled manouri (which sounds discussing but the photograph looks incredible)
*roasted scallops with cauliflower, tart dried cherries, and capers in brown butter sauce
*Steak with bone marrow htippiti
*Dumplings with sausage, dandelion greens, sundried tomato and pine nuts
Now I’m hungry.
Recommendation: anyone who enjoys cooking really good food, gourmet, beautiful photographs of really good food, or just loves cooking in general.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The White City in Books
Mar 1, 2019
The Characters (3 more)
The Plot Line
True Crime Elements
Writing Style
Fantastic Debut!
I am a lover of true crime, historical fiction, suspense and romance. I mean a huge lover of all of them. So, when I saw that this was the best of all of those worlds, I was ecstatic. This is a debut novel from Grace Hitchcock and let me tell you what. The detail she includes in this story, made me feel like I was right there in the center of the World’s Fair, following these awesome characters, and reaching an ending that left me wanting another story just like it.
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated After Life in TV
Apr 3, 2019 (Updated Apr 3, 2019)
Brilliantly written (1 more)
Fantastically performed by the entire cast
Beautiful
Ricky Gervais seems to be like Marmite to most people. I have always really liked the guy. I love The Office and Extras and his first 3 stand up shows are amongst some of the funniest that I have ever seen. In the years since however, I have seem to fallen away from his projects. Not for any particular reason, but this lull meant that shows like Derek, Life's Too Short and An Idiot Abroad all passed me by. I'm not sure what it was about After Life that got me back on-board, maybe it was the fact alone that it was on Netflix.
Regardless, this show is fantastic. It is hilarious, it is truly touching, it is brilliantly written, acted and surprisingly well shot for what it is. The characters are all fantastic and their relationships with each other and the way that they analyse and question each other is brilliant too.
I think that the most impressive thing about the show overall though, is how much Gervais is able to say with such a simple premise and a small cast. There are only about 15 characters that we see in the small village where the show is set and yet Gervais has managed to tackle some really serious issues like grief, depression and suicide in a realistically convincing way and on top of that, he still manage to make you laugh. It really a masterful script and the entire cast do a brilliant job in their respective roles.
Overall, this is one of the best things that I have seen this year and I would strongly encourage everyone to give it a go, even if you are not a fan of Gervais or his previous projects. This show can take you from splitting your sides laughing to tearing up in an instant and any piece of art that can make me feel that way is extremely valuable in my eyes. Also the dog is amazing.
Regardless, this show is fantastic. It is hilarious, it is truly touching, it is brilliantly written, acted and surprisingly well shot for what it is. The characters are all fantastic and their relationships with each other and the way that they analyse and question each other is brilliant too.
I think that the most impressive thing about the show overall though, is how much Gervais is able to say with such a simple premise and a small cast. There are only about 15 characters that we see in the small village where the show is set and yet Gervais has managed to tackle some really serious issues like grief, depression and suicide in a realistically convincing way and on top of that, he still manage to make you laugh. It really a masterful script and the entire cast do a brilliant job in their respective roles.
Overall, this is one of the best things that I have seen this year and I would strongly encourage everyone to give it a go, even if you are not a fan of Gervais or his previous projects. This show can take you from splitting your sides laughing to tearing up in an instant and any piece of art that can make me feel that way is extremely valuable in my eyes. Also the dog is amazing.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Favourite (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Something special
#thefavourite will not only leave you #feeling uncomfortable, vulnerable & #disturbed but your brain challenged & your thoughts running rampant. At its core #Favourite is a 3 way power struggle between its lead characters but what's oh so staggering about it when taking a closer look is the sheer depth & intricacy going on here around this already strong base. As these 3 #women duke it out for the top spot the stakes & #madness just seems to escalate more & more. What's so #terrifying is what the effects of all these petty & #selfish acts/behaviour are having on the country they are all in a sense running. Layered cleverly with numerous metaphors this #film is not only visually #creative but sound work & scenes are overlapped to #haunting effect at times eg a scenes of #gun duels symbolizing the #fight for control between 2 characters or #sex representing characters being dominated or #humiliated. Each character is played well with all 3 having interesting, deep & complex personalities & as we watch each of them fall, rise & fight for #power my opinion on each of the changed drastically. I also loved the many scenes showing the welthy having fun in silly, wasteful, cruel & inhumane ways while the poor struggle & taxes increase. Cinematography is excellent with so many fantastic wide shots, low camera angles & an almost static style fish eyed cctv camera feel at times making most scenes feel intimate, close & personal. Score wise its unnerving feeling almost like stabbing knives or wires pulling constantly at your senses which helps ramp up the intensity of every scene keeping you on edge all the time. With a fantastic ending & downright gorgeous production design The Favourite is an interesting & very relevant look at power/control & how it can be easily manipulated & abused to sickening effect. Well worth seeing even though you may leave with a headache from its sheer intensity haha. #odeon #odeonlimitless #queen #royal #thursdaythoughts #silly #filmbuff #filmcritic #review #thefavoritemovie #congress ##politics #political #drama
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Jason
#themeg all be it a highly forgettable film manages to be an extreamly enjoyable #shark romp that ends just before it begins to out stay its welcome. Sitting somewhere between #Theshallows & #deepbluesea #meg is an an American-Chinese co-production & it shows. There's an incredible amount of #chinese cast members here witch is very refreshing to see in a big #American #blockbuster & they all do a fantastic job at acting too. China locations are also #beautiful to look at & there's a fantastic sense of depth to the #ocean visuals making for some gorgeously tense silent under #water scenes. Cgi is alright for the most part & does a good job with its highly detailed shark models. Surprisingly #jasonstatham is the star of the show here & when he wasnt on screen I was longing for more time with him rather than the shark itself. Not only is he extremely #charming & charismatic he's absolutely hilarious, clearly realising what type of movie he signed up for & just having a ton of fun. Its a very silly film which plays to its advantage but the problems come when it tries to get to serious, it just kills the flow & makes the film #grind to a halt at times. Over all the message was alright too with its themes of how the human ego leads us to being so #cocky & sure of ourselves that we believe we are superior & invulnerable only to be shot down or knocked off guard by something more primitive. Major influences from old #japanese #monster #movies are a nice touch & characters are all very likable but they seem to have no cares for each other at all which all though odd actually does work in the films favour. A bit repetitive after a while with an abrupt anticlimactic ending Meg is well worth a watch & a ton of #silly forgettable #fun. Way less violent than I expected too. #odeon #odeonlimitless #friyay #gore #horror #scary #themegmovie #review #filmbuff #sharknado
Michael Packner (32 KP) rated Pyewacket (2017) in Movies
Jun 16, 2019
Pacing (6 more)
Dark tone
Dark and sadistic ending
Fantastic acting from every character
Well thought out story
Moral lesson: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Moral lesson 2: Be careful what you do in anger. You might never be able to take it back.
Somewhat of a rushed ending (1 more)
Some minor loose ends that could've been tied up better.
Pyewacket is definitely a hidden gem. I love indie horror films because they have so much more freedom to be what the filmmaker wants, rather than something with great potential but watered down to appeal to a wider audience. Pyewacket plays to it's audience and it makes the film that much better. I typically do not like supernatural horror because it's just so ridiculous. I know, it's a movie and I should learn to be more forgiving. I'm a slasher fanatic and not too many of them are high on realism. I guess it's just a preference I've developed. Anyway, I do enjoy the occasional supernatural get down, especially if it's dark and done well, ex: Sinister. Pyewacket is both dark and done well. I'm also a sucker for a good slow burn that's not afraid to set itself up and properly build tension. Again, Pyewacket succeeds here. The film is extremely dark and gives us one hell of a dark and twisted gut punch ending. It even teases the ending, convinces you it's going there, pulls back enough to fake you out, then dives right back in and gives it to you with an extra punch. Magnificent! The only real gripe I have is that while the ending is fantastic, it also feels a bit rushed. They could've tacked on an extra 20 minutes and really went for it, but I surmise budget was to blame. I also wish we could've seen more from her friend who went nutty, but that's a smaller issue and definitely forgivable. Definitely worth the rent.