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Dad Next Door (Crimson Club #5)
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Moving into my first house is step one in starting my new life. Next is setting up my contracting...
Age Gap Found Family Contemporary MM Romance Series
KalJ95 (25 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
May 5, 2020
Asks more questions than it answers. (3 more)
Fails to recover from the damages of The Last Jedi.
No sense to the narrative.
Some acting is appalling.
Goodbye, Star Wars.
Almost six months from its release, I finally sat down and treated myself to Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Ever since Disney took over the Star Wars brand, I've been sceptical of their intentions with the property, and so far I've been massively disappointed. I enjoyed the Mandalorian, and still believe Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is easily as good as the original trilogy. Controversial, I know. But the newest trilogy has dropped my interest in Star Wars altogether, as they've so far been bogged down by awful writing, humongous plot holes, and the butchering of beloved characters to make way for wooden new ones. The Force Awakens was a step in the right direction, but the nostalgia factor was what drew me in. Eight years on, it hasn't aged well at all. The Last Jedi became my Stopping point in the Galaxy far, far away. Yes it has flair and popped visually, but the story was an insult to all the fans who had cherished Star Wars back in the days of the Original trilogy. After countless rewrites, multiple directors, and suspicions of actors within feeling disheartened with the over arc of their characters (looking at you, John Boyega), The Rise of Skywalker is finally here to cap of Disney's first trilogy.
What a disaster.
The Rise of Skywalker is an incoherent, messy and boring experience to chug through. Time and time again throughout the two and a half hours, I face palmed in absolute cringe and embarrassment at what Disney have done to this once celebrated franchise. The film feels rushed, on edge to get to the next destination for the newest plot point, without explaining or finishing the previous one, pointing even more towards those rewritten scripts. The film feels like multiple entries, crammed into one sprawling narrative that can't be resolved in the time given, this is especially the case with characters like Poe and Finn, who's arcs have been destroyed to make way for Rey, and that is the biggest issue. Rey has been written as the central moving force of this trilogy, but she never undergoes any development. Sure, she learns a few things about herself in this film, and challenges the idea of who she is for a brief moment, but she’s been made the perfect Jedi without trying. Its poor and lazy writing, and fans have began to feel an agenda is presenting itself. Whilst the women feel strong, wise, intelligent, the men are all morons, blundering their way through the story and often bickering with each other. Its an observation as a critic and fan, and its made me loath almost every character introduced since The Force Awakens. It became clear how little I cared about anything that was happening when a moment of embrace for the three main heroes once the final act ended. It should feel emotional, impactful, but it feels hollow, even forced. Much like most of the decision making of the film itself.
This brings me neatly onto the content of the film, if you can make any sense of it. If this is supposed to end the Skywalker saga once and for all, why add ridiculous plot threads and more pointless characters,that add no weight or purpose to the narrative? The ending is cut so quickly after the anti-climatic ending, that we don’t even have an idea of any characters finishing point. This is just one example of how badly things have spiralled into a mish mash of ideas from different writers and directors. If The Last Jedi was the franchise jumping into a well, this film is trying it's best to climb out. The two previous entries at least connected, but this feels a stand alone chapter, with no context or reason for what happens, and what does happen makes you scratch your head all the more.
I feel sorry for the hardcore fanbase, it genuinely feels like a slap in the face to history George Lucas has created. Once you lose the interest of your core audience, I feel its time to cut your losses. And yet again, another franchise has seen its demise. It feels like a symptomatic failure that the entertainment industry still don’t understand. You can buy any brand you want, but you can’t buy the fans love. Whatever direction Star Wars goes into next, I will not be tuning in.
What a disaster.
The Rise of Skywalker is an incoherent, messy and boring experience to chug through. Time and time again throughout the two and a half hours, I face palmed in absolute cringe and embarrassment at what Disney have done to this once celebrated franchise. The film feels rushed, on edge to get to the next destination for the newest plot point, without explaining or finishing the previous one, pointing even more towards those rewritten scripts. The film feels like multiple entries, crammed into one sprawling narrative that can't be resolved in the time given, this is especially the case with characters like Poe and Finn, who's arcs have been destroyed to make way for Rey, and that is the biggest issue. Rey has been written as the central moving force of this trilogy, but she never undergoes any development. Sure, she learns a few things about herself in this film, and challenges the idea of who she is for a brief moment, but she’s been made the perfect Jedi without trying. Its poor and lazy writing, and fans have began to feel an agenda is presenting itself. Whilst the women feel strong, wise, intelligent, the men are all morons, blundering their way through the story and often bickering with each other. Its an observation as a critic and fan, and its made me loath almost every character introduced since The Force Awakens. It became clear how little I cared about anything that was happening when a moment of embrace for the three main heroes once the final act ended. It should feel emotional, impactful, but it feels hollow, even forced. Much like most of the decision making of the film itself.
This brings me neatly onto the content of the film, if you can make any sense of it. If this is supposed to end the Skywalker saga once and for all, why add ridiculous plot threads and more pointless characters,that add no weight or purpose to the narrative? The ending is cut so quickly after the anti-climatic ending, that we don’t even have an idea of any characters finishing point. This is just one example of how badly things have spiralled into a mish mash of ideas from different writers and directors. If The Last Jedi was the franchise jumping into a well, this film is trying it's best to climb out. The two previous entries at least connected, but this feels a stand alone chapter, with no context or reason for what happens, and what does happen makes you scratch your head all the more.
I feel sorry for the hardcore fanbase, it genuinely feels like a slap in the face to history George Lucas has created. Once you lose the interest of your core audience, I feel its time to cut your losses. And yet again, another franchise has seen its demise. It feels like a symptomatic failure that the entertainment industry still don’t understand. You can buy any brand you want, but you can’t buy the fans love. Whatever direction Star Wars goes into next, I will not be tuning in.
Andrew Furlong (14 KP) rated Star Trek Generations (1994) in Movies
Sep 27, 2017
Seeing Kirk and Picard in the same scene, even doing menial things, is still amusing (3 more)
Some interesting themes of time
The TNG crew is as likable as ever
Dennis McCarthy's subtle score is solid
The Nexus is a confusing plot device (1 more)
Feels too much like a TNG 2 parter
A bit too tvish perhaps, but not as bad as it's made out
While it does have flaws I do think Generations is better than it's regarded. The Nexus certainly creates a lot of plot holes and there's nothing this could have done that an episode of the show couldn't, but as someone who loves the show and TNG crew I find it enjoyable enough.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Duolingo Spanish Podcast in Podcasts
Jan 4, 2018 (Updated Jan 4, 2018)
Interesting and useful
@Duolingo is one of the most popular language learning apps on the market, so it was only a matter of time it explored other avenues. With its new Spanish podcast range, it has upped its game, as it feels much more useful and meaningful than learning sentences such as "I am a pretty duck".
The main topic of discussion is life experiences, from meeting heroes to rites of passage - it seems far more relevant than the content of the app. And the podcast is bilingual. However, it is for intermediate level which is perhaps why the content is a bit more interesting and varied. So far, so good.
The main topic of discussion is life experiences, from meeting heroes to rites of passage - it seems far more relevant than the content of the app. And the podcast is bilingual. However, it is for intermediate level which is perhaps why the content is a bit more interesting and varied. So far, so good.
Bird (1704 KP) rated The Shallows (2016) in Movies
May 7, 2017
It does grip you (when you are eventually introduced to the shark) (3 more)
Blake Lively does well to pull off the role as the movie's almost exclusive focus
Some beautifully shot scenes
You genrerally share the fear. It's a simple premise - stuck in the ocean with a big shark!
The first part of the movie exists to develop Lively's character but takes far too long (5 more)
Endless, unnecessary shots of Lively's 'rear end' cheapens the movie in its early stages
You get a LOT of blood from from a leg wound
Nothing new here - feels like an amalgamation of a few other better known movies
Some plot holes
That electronic music!
Jaws meets Castaway
John Garrett (27 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2017
Gal Gadot (2 more)
Chris Pine
The story
Who knew DC could make a movie like this???
The finally done it. DC made a movie which was engaging, enjoyable and had a solid performance from its lead. Wonder Women has succeeded where man of steel and BvS fell short. The story of Dianna was not to watch, mainly due to the performances from the leads Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. There felt like there was real stakes in this movie which superhero movies sometimes lack. Where the movie falls short is the disposable villain .....it never really feels like Aries was a prominent plot point and was added in. All in all I found wonder women a please surprise.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in Video Games
Jul 24, 2017
Futuristic Fun
I’m actually still making my way through this game’s campaign, but I am around 9-10 hours in and what I have played so far is great. I remember being very pleasantly surprised when I played though the last Deus Ex game, “Human Revolution,” during the PS3’s lifecycle and this game is essentially more of the same and it fixes the problems of the previous game. This game feels much more AAA than the last entry and the graphics and dialogue are of a much higher standard this time around. The art direction and gameplay is almost exactly the same as before only here you can experiment with more augmentations.
Wittsend (43 KP) rated The Girl in the Red Coat in Books
Aug 2, 2017
This was such a richly crafted novel! I'm still taking everything in. When Beth's eight-year-old daughter vanishes without a trace right before her eyes, it feels as though her world has surreptitiously turned on its axis. How does a parent recover from something so tragic? When the leads fizzle out and time goes on, The author paints a loving and endearing portrait of a mother struggling to stay alive, and to put one foot in front of the other day after day. She refuses to give up hope or to ever stop looking for her little girl.
The author's skillful use of alternating perspectives between chapters, and a totally unexpected plot twist, made this thrilling to read.
The author's skillful use of alternating perspectives between chapters, and a totally unexpected plot twist, made this thrilling to read.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Coming Out On Top in Video Games
May 15, 2018
Exclusively Gay Romance (3 more)
Good Character Art
HIgh Replay Value
Multiple Story Arcs
The Daddy of Gay Visual Novels
Coming Out on Top is a visual novel about Mark Matthews (who's kind of a weenie), college senior, newly out of the closet. Guide him through his last semester of school and through various sexual misadventures. There are several characters you can develop a "romance" with, and the storylines are not always obvious. You have to learn the characters motives to get them to like you. Other times, it feels more random. However, there is a good variety of characters for you to meet and romance.
(And the art is pretty sexy. Something for everyone, I think.)
(And the art is pretty sexy. Something for everyone, I think.)
Jessica Erdas (463 KP) rated Darkness on the Edge of Town in Books
May 16, 2018
This book had a lot of potential, the storyline was pretty captivating and mysterious. However, it wound up being a disappointment. The entire book builds up to what caused the darkness, what is in it and why you hear screams following whoever goes in and why they never return. The story lacks any real conclusion or explanation and doesn't even elaborate on the events that take place for the main characters towards the end. The story feels like it dropped off the face of the earth when it should have explained more. The writing style was memorable but the lack of a proper ending masks it to where you forget that you enjoyed parts of the story.