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Awix (3310 KP) rated Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader in Books
Oct 10, 2019
Fair to middling Star Wars tie-in novel, dealing with the aftermath of Episode III. For a novel named after Vader with his mush all over the cover, much of the novel deals with Palpatine (which was fine by me) and much with a band of rather bland fugitive Jedi (which unfortunately wasn't). Vader himself doesn't turn up until well into the book, giving it a slightly lopsided feel; the new characters aren't as interesting as the ones from the movies.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.
Angelfire (Angelfire, #1)
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First there are nightmares. Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Star Trek III - The Search for Spock (1984) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
Why mess with a winning formula? Most of the original cast return for this next outing – with Robin Curtis stepping in for Kirstie Alley who “didn’t want to get typecast”. And the story continues from where we left off. But it all feels more forced this time. There are various absurdities in the story that make things very convenient! There are also things that make you say “hang on a minute” from Star Trek II. (For example, McCoy just stands there without objection in the funeral scene! Wouldn’t a “wait a minute” at that point have saved an AWFUL lot of grief??!).
Christopher Lloyd is wonderfully over the top as the Klingon commander, making a very believable baddie. And he really is a villain, allowing Shatner the opportunity to test his acting range (unfortunately, he singularly fails): “You Klingon bastard, you killed my son…. You Klingon bastard, you killed my son”.
Overall, it’s not a total disaster, but it all feels lacklustre and lazy after the glory of the Wrath of Khan. It makes you wonder what might have been if Nicholas Meyer had stayed at the helm to direct it instead of Nimoy.
Christopher Lloyd is wonderfully over the top as the Klingon commander, making a very believable baddie. And he really is a villain, allowing Shatner the opportunity to test his acting range (unfortunately, he singularly fails): “You Klingon bastard, you killed my son…. You Klingon bastard, you killed my son”.
Overall, it’s not a total disaster, but it all feels lacklustre and lazy after the glory of the Wrath of Khan. It makes you wonder what might have been if Nicholas Meyer had stayed at the helm to direct it instead of Nimoy.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Altered (Altered #1) in Books
May 8, 2023
Seth is in the military and is suffocating under the guilt he feels at his friend's death, which he feels he should have prevented. Blue is a waitress in a very small town, living with her grandmother, and with no way out that she sees. She gets home from work and goes to bed feeling ill, to wake up to something straight out of the X Files. The whole town is dead, including her gran, or so it seems. Before long, she finds another survivor and they also find out that a private military firm is on their way, which can't be a good thing. Through trials and tribulations, they search for safety whilst being hunted at every turn, not knowing who to trust.
This is a fast-paced novel with plenty of action and romance. I am intrigued with where this story is going and can't wait to read more. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 28, 2015
This is a fast-paced novel with plenty of action and romance. I am intrigued with where this story is going and can't wait to read more. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 28, 2015
Ross (3284 KP) rated Spy (2015) in Movies
Nov 20, 2017
What a great laugh. Where other spy spoof films have focused too much on the comedy and not bothered with a decent story, this feels more like a decent spy film with a good amount of comedy injected in.
Jude Law plays pretty much every role he has ever played, as does Jason Statham - to hilarious results.
Peter Serafinowicz is great as an Italian sex pest (like a young Berlusconi).
Melissa McCarthy is simply brilliant in this film, at times soft and sensitive, then hard and uncompromising.
Even Miranda Hart doesn't manage to spoil it!
Jude Law plays pretty much every role he has ever played, as does Jason Statham - to hilarious results.
Peter Serafinowicz is great as an Italian sex pest (like a young Berlusconi).
Melissa McCarthy is simply brilliant in this film, at times soft and sensitive, then hard and uncompromising.
Even Miranda Hart doesn't manage to spoil it!