Search
Darren (1599 KP) rated Crank (2006) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Chev Chelios somehow survives his mile high fall from the first film, he is given a new artificial heart which he must keep charged or he will die, he goes in search of his own heart which will see him go against another gang in LA, Eve now knows about Chev’s career, she has become a stripper and will supporting him trying to get his heart back. Doc Miles will do everything he can to help Chev giving him advice on how to keep his heart going. Venus is the brother of Kaylo who goes on to help Chev to get revenge for his own brother’s death. We have more gangs that are working against Chev this time, some return others are new.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Flight 7500 (TBD) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Chev Chelios somehow survives his mile high fall from the first film, he is given a new artificial heart which he must keep charged or he will die, he goes in search of his own heart which will see him go against another gang in LA, Eve now knows about Chev’s career, she has become a stripper and will supporting him trying to get his heart back. Doc Miles will do everything he can to help Chev giving him advice on how to keep his heart going. Venus is the brother of Kaylo who goes on to help Chev to get revenge for his own brother’s death. We have more gangs that are working against Chev this time, some return others are new.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Midnight Man (2016) in Movies
Oct 31, 2019
Characters – Chev Chelios somehow survives his mile high fall from the first film, he is given a new artificial heart which he must keep charged or he will die, he goes in search of his own heart which will see him go against another gang in LA, Eve now knows about Chev’s career, she has become a stripper and will supporting him trying to get his heart back. Doc Miles will do everything he can to help Chev giving him advice on how to keep his heart going. Venus is the brother of Kaylo who goes on to help Chev to get revenge for his own brother’s death. We have more gangs that are working against Chev this time, some return others are new.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Performances – Jason Statham does what he can with the leading role, he handles the action with ease, only he just doesn’t reach the same levels as before, this does affect the rest of the cast who do struggle to make an impact in this film.
Story – The story does follow the next chapter of Chev’s life, the one after he should have died, only for him to get a new chance which sees him needing to race against time to get his own heart back. This side is simple enough at does work for what the film is doing, Chev take on endless amounts of enemies, the problem here with the story is that we dive too much into the side characters of what is going on and end up getting too many completely random scenes which just seem offensive on too many levels. This story does end up becoming messy and just has one of the worst scripts out there.
Action/Crime – The action does try to become bigger, only for it to be shot in a style which doesn’t make it easy to connect. The criminal world does feel bigger, but now everything does seem more personal rather gang controlled.
Settings – The film remains set in LA which does continue to show the crazy gangs that are meant to operate in this city.
Special Effects – The effects do feel like they are being more ambitious, only for some to be so farfetched they only seem to make things look confusing, including an insulting looking Godzilla like fight.
Scene of the Movie – Final showdown.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Godzilla like fight.
Final Thoughts – This is a wildly over the top sequel which only ends up becoming too much to handle for the crazy nature of everything going on.
Overall: Too wild.
Gather the Daughters
7.3
Rate It
Book
Never Let Me Go meets The Giver in this haunting debut about a cult on an isolated island, where...
The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
9.0
Rate It
Book
"There wasn't a meeting when someone didn't mention Black Hawk Down ." - A senior Obama...
Into The Churn
10.0
Rate It
Book
Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s...
Young Adult Science Fiction Adventure Action Romance
The Unprofessional Soldier - Memoirs of a Foot Soldier in the Mesopotamian Campaign of the Great War
Book
Are lessons ever really learned? Incredibly detailed and highly emotive, The Unprofessional Soldier...
JT (287 KP) rated Street Kings (2008) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Street Kings follows the likes of Training Day and Harsh Crimes in dramatising the murky underworld of police corruption. In the hands of director David Ayer he’s scattered the narrative with gritty confetti. Pre John Wick, Keanu Reeves was still kicking ass and taking names – he is a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy – nothing new there then.
Reeves plays vodka-swilling undercover cop Tom Ludlow, who is still reeling from the death of his wife and has been implicated in the murder of an officer. Now he has to fight to clear his name with the help of Forest Whitaker.
Ayer is well suited to this genre having written the scripts for Training Day, End of Watch and Harsh Times, so he understands the complexities of the genre in order to deliver a fast paced story. Intercutting the action at the right times.
Of course corruption is not uncommon in fiction and there is always a group of officers hell bent on covering up as much as they can and disposing of as many people as they need to.
The introduction of Hugh Laurie as Captain James Biggs, a man who seems clean cut but is not to be trusted, is a solid addition, although I still seem him as the idiotic Prince Regent in the Blackadder series.
Reeves and Whitaker each turn in a decent performance and there is enough meat on the bone make this a intelligently paced thriller.
Reeves plays vodka-swilling undercover cop Tom Ludlow, who is still reeling from the death of his wife and has been implicated in the murder of an officer. Now he has to fight to clear his name with the help of Forest Whitaker.
Ayer is well suited to this genre having written the scripts for Training Day, End of Watch and Harsh Times, so he understands the complexities of the genre in order to deliver a fast paced story. Intercutting the action at the right times.
Of course corruption is not uncommon in fiction and there is always a group of officers hell bent on covering up as much as they can and disposing of as many people as they need to.
The introduction of Hugh Laurie as Captain James Biggs, a man who seems clean cut but is not to be trusted, is a solid addition, although I still seem him as the idiotic Prince Regent in the Blackadder series.
Reeves and Whitaker each turn in a decent performance and there is enough meat on the bone make this a intelligently paced thriller.
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated The Vampire went to Georgia in Books
May 23, 2019
I really have to say that as much as I loved this book and this series, that I found the final battle a little anticlimactic. I was really hoping for more, and even though I did hope for more, I wasn't entirely disappointed. In this 216 page book, I think I cried for a third of it. I have to say that even with a few things I would have loved to see differently, that the overall book was amazing.
First, to see everything that we only got glimpses at before to unfold, was amazing. To learn how some of the characters who seemed to just be filler to hold such an important role in saving the world was truly inspiring. I think my favorite part was learning how Death himself had changed because of Pandora and her lover, as well as how Scarlett and Tenebris were stronger in this world together than Tenebris had been in other worlds by herself. I have to say that the love that Death had for his daughters Scarlett and Tenebris. had been touching and surprisingly difficult to understand when he was asking so much from them. But it wasn't just his love that made you smile and feel all warm and fuzzy, it was the love of all those around them as well. To willingly sacrifice yourself for someone is a huge deal and there were plenty of sacrificing in this book that kept your heart bleeding. However, I have to say, it was what definitely made me not want to stop reading.
This kind of thing reminds me of a saying that states if you love someone truly, then you have to be willing to let go of them. Everyone in this book had loved Scarlett so much, they were willing to do whatever it took, even if it broke her down to nothing. I hated seeing her hurt that way but the strength while dealing with it all and how she was determined to be strong and prove what everyone was saying in times to be false, was just truly amazing. Even though I felt like my own heart was being ripped out, I could see how all the betrayals and pains of the previous books helped her cope and deal with the impending battle, whether or not that I felt she deserved any of it.
Even though love and romance was spread through the series, the romance was heavily lacked in this book. Which made is extremely serious. Though you knew who loved who and it was stated in their appropriate times, the book just didn't have all the romantic drama the others had. It seemed to be too serious at times and I would have loved some comedy or that romantic air to it to help break up all the seriousness that the book seemed to drag on about. Not saying the seriousness ruined the book. It just seemed to end slightly anticlimactic compared to what you were being led to believe would happen. Which would have to be the biggest complaint I had. This next part WILL have spoilers and I apologize for that, but it may save you from feeling let down. If you don't wish to read the spoilers, you can skip to the final paragraph.
When you first learn of how War and Scarlett and Tenebris are connected and how there will be a battle between War nd Scarlett, who is the shell that holds Tenebris and ground the chaotic being, you find yourself excited for the battle. However, at the end, during the face off, Death grants the girls one last gift and suddenly War just pretty much gives up. Don't get me wrong, if I had to fight the dragon Scarlett and Tenebris transformed into, I would be ready to throw in the towel, but still, Tenebris was supposed to be War's right hand woman and to see her standing by Death should have been the rage enough to lead that woman into battle. This is War after all. But no the Horseman pretty much just gives up and allows herself to die. To me, not having the battle and making it end in such a way was disheartening and I am quite upset over it. I was moved to tears all the way up until this point and now I can't even get the action I felt I needed to be okay with the prior actions of characters. Needless to say, the fight scene wasn't all that it could have been.
I would rate this book 3 stars out of 5 stars because as much as I loved crying at certain parts and we were able to learn more about a few of the beloved characters and so on, the ending wasn't all that it was chalked up to be. It was a huge let down, in my opinion. The series overall was amazing and besides the ending I would just make a few changes, like maybe adding the novellas into the books that they belong before or after, instead of leaving a note before a book about a novella being needed for that book. And maybe making the ending have slightly more action. I would rate the series overall, 4 stars out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone into the paranormal romance and adventure scene with a bit of mystery in it.
First, to see everything that we only got glimpses at before to unfold, was amazing. To learn how some of the characters who seemed to just be filler to hold such an important role in saving the world was truly inspiring. I think my favorite part was learning how Death himself had changed because of Pandora and her lover, as well as how Scarlett and Tenebris were stronger in this world together than Tenebris had been in other worlds by herself. I have to say that the love that Death had for his daughters Scarlett and Tenebris. had been touching and surprisingly difficult to understand when he was asking so much from them. But it wasn't just his love that made you smile and feel all warm and fuzzy, it was the love of all those around them as well. To willingly sacrifice yourself for someone is a huge deal and there were plenty of sacrificing in this book that kept your heart bleeding. However, I have to say, it was what definitely made me not want to stop reading.
This kind of thing reminds me of a saying that states if you love someone truly, then you have to be willing to let go of them. Everyone in this book had loved Scarlett so much, they were willing to do whatever it took, even if it broke her down to nothing. I hated seeing her hurt that way but the strength while dealing with it all and how she was determined to be strong and prove what everyone was saying in times to be false, was just truly amazing. Even though I felt like my own heart was being ripped out, I could see how all the betrayals and pains of the previous books helped her cope and deal with the impending battle, whether or not that I felt she deserved any of it.
Even though love and romance was spread through the series, the romance was heavily lacked in this book. Which made is extremely serious. Though you knew who loved who and it was stated in their appropriate times, the book just didn't have all the romantic drama the others had. It seemed to be too serious at times and I would have loved some comedy or that romantic air to it to help break up all the seriousness that the book seemed to drag on about. Not saying the seriousness ruined the book. It just seemed to end slightly anticlimactic compared to what you were being led to believe would happen. Which would have to be the biggest complaint I had. This next part WILL have spoilers and I apologize for that, but it may save you from feeling let down. If you don't wish to read the spoilers, you can skip to the final paragraph.
When you first learn of how War and Scarlett and Tenebris are connected and how there will be a battle between War nd Scarlett, who is the shell that holds Tenebris and ground the chaotic being, you find yourself excited for the battle. However, at the end, during the face off, Death grants the girls one last gift and suddenly War just pretty much gives up. Don't get me wrong, if I had to fight the dragon Scarlett and Tenebris transformed into, I would be ready to throw in the towel, but still, Tenebris was supposed to be War's right hand woman and to see her standing by Death should have been the rage enough to lead that woman into battle. This is War after all. But no the Horseman pretty much just gives up and allows herself to die. To me, not having the battle and making it end in such a way was disheartening and I am quite upset over it. I was moved to tears all the way up until this point and now I can't even get the action I felt I needed to be okay with the prior actions of characters. Needless to say, the fight scene wasn't all that it could have been.
I would rate this book 3 stars out of 5 stars because as much as I loved crying at certain parts and we were able to learn more about a few of the beloved characters and so on, the ending wasn't all that it was chalked up to be. It was a huge let down, in my opinion. The series overall was amazing and besides the ending I would just make a few changes, like maybe adding the novellas into the books that they belong before or after, instead of leaving a note before a book about a novella being needed for that book. And maybe making the ending have slightly more action. I would rate the series overall, 4 stars out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone into the paranormal romance and adventure scene with a bit of mystery in it.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Alice in Zombieland - White Rabbit Chronicles in Books
Feb 1, 2018
This was an interesting re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland. In Alice in Zombieland, Alice Bell's life has always been curtailed by her father's insistence that monsters exist. The family cannot leave the house after dark, she's been taught how to fight hand-to-hand and with a couple of weapons, and they never - NEVER - drive past the graveyard. All of this changes in one night - when Alice "falls down the rabbit hole" as it were - and discovers her father wasn't insane after all.
Now, living with her grandparents, haunted by visions of her little sister and glimpses of monsters in the dark, Alice - or Ali, as she insists on being called - finds herself being called on to fight the monsters alongside the roughest crowd in her high school. Falling in love with the leader of the bad boys doesn't help her social life, but might help her stay alive.
I enjoyed this book and will probably pick up the sequel, Through the Zombie Glass, if I can find it at the library. The writing flowed well most of the time, and while Alice began a little whiny, by the end of the book she was pretty bad ass. It felt.... a little more "young adult" than some young adult books I've read; the emotions seemed detached or damped down a bit. While she was dealing with grief over the loss of her family, and possible death at the hands of zombies, it just didn't feel as raw as I think those emotions should have felt. And the notion of a bunch of high school kids fighting zombies - with the support of adults, including the high school principal - was a little weird. Still an interesting book, and not a waste of time, but it felt a lot like "teenagers are special snowflakes!"
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Now, living with her grandparents, haunted by visions of her little sister and glimpses of monsters in the dark, Alice - or Ali, as she insists on being called - finds herself being called on to fight the monsters alongside the roughest crowd in her high school. Falling in love with the leader of the bad boys doesn't help her social life, but might help her stay alive.
I enjoyed this book and will probably pick up the sequel, Through the Zombie Glass, if I can find it at the library. The writing flowed well most of the time, and while Alice began a little whiny, by the end of the book she was pretty bad ass. It felt.... a little more "young adult" than some young adult books I've read; the emotions seemed detached or damped down a bit. While she was dealing with grief over the loss of her family, and possible death at the hands of zombies, it just didn't feel as raw as I think those emotions should have felt. And the notion of a bunch of high school kids fighting zombies - with the support of adults, including the high school principal - was a little weird. Still an interesting book, and not a waste of time, but it felt a lot like "teenagers are special snowflakes!"
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com