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Gareth Leadbetter (1 KP) rated Blood Bowl (2016 edition) in Tabletop Games
Jun 24, 2019
One of the oldest and best just got a relaunch
Blood Bowl is more than just a boxed game; for some it's a way of life, boasting tournaments and fans all around the world, including players of the many spin-off video games. The base set barely touched the surface of the hobby. I thoroughly recommend seeking out the Death Zone expansions, which add league rules to the mix. There are already many team expansions (such as Elves) released with more to come. The hobby is further supported by an abundance of third party additions. If you like the idea of playing a strategic, turn-based version of American Football with Dwarves and mutant rats the look no further.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Gridiron Gang (2006) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Often the true mark of cinema, this is the category where you will often find the majority of the award winners. The challenge of combining realistic yet sympathetic characters with gripping stories and emotional themes can be a true challenge, but when it works, this is where Hollywood truly shines.
In his latest film Gridiron Gang Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock has an appealing mix of sports action, drama, and comedy on his hands that will not only touch you, but will have you cheering.
The Rock stars as Sean Porter, a former college football star who works in a L.A. Area detention center for juvenile offenders. Saddened by the wasted lives of the young men, Sean looks for them to find an alternative to the life of crime, violence, and early death that so many of his inmates face.
With 75% of offenders likely to become repeat offenders, Sean decides to start a football team with the hope of teaching the young inmates the value of hard work, sacrifice, playing as a team, and duty.
Despite some initial obstacles from the system as well as school leagues hesitant to play against convicted offenders, the team son finds themselves with a full schedule and less than three weeks to go before their first game.
The hard practice and coaching style of Sean wears on the players, but they soon find themselves in their first game against a hardened and proven team which underscores just how much work they have to do.
As pressure mounts from all sides, Sean must find a way to meld his team into a winner and prove that this is a project worth doing and that the young men in his care are not lost causes, but are deserving of a new start.
While much of the film may play out as you would expect with the team coming together to play the big game, what is refreshing about the film is the solid performance of The Rock who shows that he is more than just an action star and is very capable of acting. He mixes his portrayal of Sean with equal amounts toughness and caring, to create what is easily his most mature and well defined character to date.
The supporting cast is good, especially Xzibit as Malcolm Moore, who provides a solid supporting presence to The Rock.
While the film is heavy on football action, it also does not shy away from giving the audience a glimpse of the life that the team comes from and how old rivalries and
hostilities can follow them even when they try to leave them behind with the best of intentions.
The action on the field is first-rate as the game choreography never lets up, and is easily the most accurate portrayal of the sport ever committed to film. You can tell that the cast is playing with heart and passion and not simply going through the motions.
Despite a few predictable moments, Gridiron Gang is a very pleasant surprise that is one of the years most enjoyable and satisfying films.
In his latest film Gridiron Gang Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock has an appealing mix of sports action, drama, and comedy on his hands that will not only touch you, but will have you cheering.
The Rock stars as Sean Porter, a former college football star who works in a L.A. Area detention center for juvenile offenders. Saddened by the wasted lives of the young men, Sean looks for them to find an alternative to the life of crime, violence, and early death that so many of his inmates face.
With 75% of offenders likely to become repeat offenders, Sean decides to start a football team with the hope of teaching the young inmates the value of hard work, sacrifice, playing as a team, and duty.
Despite some initial obstacles from the system as well as school leagues hesitant to play against convicted offenders, the team son finds themselves with a full schedule and less than three weeks to go before their first game.
The hard practice and coaching style of Sean wears on the players, but they soon find themselves in their first game against a hardened and proven team which underscores just how much work they have to do.
As pressure mounts from all sides, Sean must find a way to meld his team into a winner and prove that this is a project worth doing and that the young men in his care are not lost causes, but are deserving of a new start.
While much of the film may play out as you would expect with the team coming together to play the big game, what is refreshing about the film is the solid performance of The Rock who shows that he is more than just an action star and is very capable of acting. He mixes his portrayal of Sean with equal amounts toughness and caring, to create what is easily his most mature and well defined character to date.
The supporting cast is good, especially Xzibit as Malcolm Moore, who provides a solid supporting presence to The Rock.
While the film is heavy on football action, it also does not shy away from giving the audience a glimpse of the life that the team comes from and how old rivalries and
hostilities can follow them even when they try to leave them behind with the best of intentions.
The action on the field is first-rate as the game choreography never lets up, and is easily the most accurate portrayal of the sport ever committed to film. You can tell that the cast is playing with heart and passion and not simply going through the motions.
Despite a few predictable moments, Gridiron Gang is a very pleasant surprise that is one of the years most enjoyable and satisfying films.
Sue (5 KP) rated Carbs and Cadavers (A Supper Club Mystery, #1) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
English Professor James (now the town librarian) moves back to his hometown to take care of his widowed father and is invited to join a Supper Club. The club (later called the flab five) is for members trying to lose weight. As the newly formed group start a low-carb diet and start to form friendships, the town is rocked by the murder of a high school football alumni.
James and the rest of the flab five tried to weed through who could have killed the ex-jock. Was it one of the ladies he has spurned, a boyfriend that didn’t like Brinkley’s attention to his girl, or the sweet young waitress at the town diner?
The book is more than just about a mystery. The author pulls you in and has you falling in love with the likable yet flawed James, the wanna be cop Lucy, Bennett the postman, Lindy the teacher, Gillian the pet groomer, and Jackson (James’s dad) the lovable grump.
This book is a great start to what I know will be a favored series.
James and the rest of the flab five tried to weed through who could have killed the ex-jock. Was it one of the ladies he has spurned, a boyfriend that didn’t like Brinkley’s attention to his girl, or the sweet young waitress at the town diner?
The book is more than just about a mystery. The author pulls you in and has you falling in love with the likable yet flawed James, the wanna be cop Lucy, Bennett the postman, Lindy the teacher, Gillian the pet groomer, and Jackson (James’s dad) the lovable grump.
This book is a great start to what I know will be a favored series.
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated The Boy in the Dress in Books
Jul 2, 2019
This is a good well rounded book for young folks
I really enjoyed this book. I was sceptical due to the author already being established and thought perhaps his celebrity status helped him sell book but I'll take my hat of to Walliams. This is an enjoyable little read. The language is simple and I enjoyed how current the book is. The book really demonstrates the difference between black and white and colour (colour being different and standing out from the norm).
Uniform is also a main theme in the book and very obviously gender and social acceptance. Walliams does a good job at showing that sexual preference is not linked to dress and that discrimination is wrong. In this book the child is able to experience how ludicrous gender representation by dress is by dressing the full football team up in ladies clothing, this normalises it.
The intrusive narrator who may be Walliams himself, also gives hints throughout the book about his own desire to cross dress.
Good book.
Uniform is also a main theme in the book and very obviously gender and social acceptance. Walliams does a good job at showing that sexual preference is not linked to dress and that discrimination is wrong. In this book the child is able to experience how ludicrous gender representation by dress is by dressing the full football team up in ladies clothing, this normalises it.
The intrusive narrator who may be Walliams himself, also gives hints throughout the book about his own desire to cross dress.
Good book.
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated Where the Crawdads Sing in Books
May 30, 2020
Delia Owens delivers us the story of Kya the "Marsh Girl" abandoned by her family in Barkley Cove, North Carolina.
The novel switches between times, something I always struggle a little with when reading a novel of this type. Following Kya growing up, being left in the marshes, finding and losing love and learning important life lessons along the way.
It then switches to the discovery and investigation of Barkley Cove's celebrity and much loved football player Chase Andrews. The locals decided that Kya is most likely to be the murder suspect.
Whilst beautifully written, and weaving joy and sadness through what is a very descriptive novel, I did struggle to read through this story, putting it down more times than continuing to read, and at one stage almost considered not finishing the story. I feel that perhaps the ratings and attention this book has had are perhaps over rated. Its a nice story, a little too wordy in places, but worth a read, but do not expect it to live up to the hype.
The novel switches between times, something I always struggle a little with when reading a novel of this type. Following Kya growing up, being left in the marshes, finding and losing love and learning important life lessons along the way.
It then switches to the discovery and investigation of Barkley Cove's celebrity and much loved football player Chase Andrews. The locals decided that Kya is most likely to be the murder suspect.
Whilst beautifully written, and weaving joy and sadness through what is a very descriptive novel, I did struggle to read through this story, putting it down more times than continuing to read, and at one stage almost considered not finishing the story. I feel that perhaps the ratings and attention this book has had are perhaps over rated. Its a nice story, a little too wordy in places, but worth a read, but do not expect it to live up to the hype.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated George and Lizzie in Books
Oct 29, 2020
This is the seventh book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
In high school, Lizzie made a choice--one she soon regrets--participating in something called the Great Game. The event alters the course of her life forever, along with a passionate relationship that ends in college. These moments, plus the influence of Lizzie's psychologist parents, who offer her little support as a kid, turn her into a melancholy and unfulfilled adult. Her husband, George, however, comes from a happy childhood with loving parents. He adores his family and they him. He also worships Lizzie, giving the two an unbalanced marriage. Can George and Lizzie survive an union on such unequal ground?
I'll confess that this book was not what I was expecting--I thought it was going to be a cheerful love story and a pick-me-up. It is a love story, though, all the same. George loves Lizzie. Lizzie, though, is lost in a love from the past. I'm not going to lie: Lizzie is a very frustrating character and a hard one for whom to care. She doesn't appreciate George, nor, really, much of her life. Now, she was truly saddled with terrible parents, so you have to grant her that. Her fixation on her past relationship makes you want to shake her, though.
"And because for years and years the voices in her head never let Lizzie forget that the Great Game had been a stupid idea right from the beginning and that she'd been an idiot for participating in it, her past was always there, a living thing. It shaped her present and future."
And of, of course, there is the Great Game--the event from high school which alters Lizzie's future. We can understand why Lizzie is Lizzie, but we can't always forgive her for her Lizzie type ways. Also, please note, there are a lot of football references in this book. A lot. I like football, but I'm not sure everyone who picks up a book like this will feel the same.
The story of George and Lizzie is told in very short vignettes (each with a title) that slowly move forward in time and alternate with Lizzie's past, mainly focusing on the Great Game, which so defined her life. This format takes much getting used to. There is no linear story here, but tiny bits and pieces of narrative from George and Lizzie. I almost abandoned the book when I first started--I couldn't get in the groove (and honestly, it's depressing). When I reluctantly returned to it a few days later, more prepared for the format, I could read it more easily.
In the end, I can't say I enjoyed this story. If I rated it purely on "like" factor, it would probably be a two-star read. Incorporating in Lizzie's life experiences and how a few things slowly grew on me, I'm giving this three stars, but only barely. (Also, I have real issues with how many kids from Lizzie's high school football team went on to the NFL. Maybe it's possible, but it seems insane.) 3 stars, but only eked out when they brought the chains out on the field to measure (too much?).
In high school, Lizzie made a choice--one she soon regrets--participating in something called the Great Game. The event alters the course of her life forever, along with a passionate relationship that ends in college. These moments, plus the influence of Lizzie's psychologist parents, who offer her little support as a kid, turn her into a melancholy and unfulfilled adult. Her husband, George, however, comes from a happy childhood with loving parents. He adores his family and they him. He also worships Lizzie, giving the two an unbalanced marriage. Can George and Lizzie survive an union on such unequal ground?
I'll confess that this book was not what I was expecting--I thought it was going to be a cheerful love story and a pick-me-up. It is a love story, though, all the same. George loves Lizzie. Lizzie, though, is lost in a love from the past. I'm not going to lie: Lizzie is a very frustrating character and a hard one for whom to care. She doesn't appreciate George, nor, really, much of her life. Now, she was truly saddled with terrible parents, so you have to grant her that. Her fixation on her past relationship makes you want to shake her, though.
"And because for years and years the voices in her head never let Lizzie forget that the Great Game had been a stupid idea right from the beginning and that she'd been an idiot for participating in it, her past was always there, a living thing. It shaped her present and future."
And of, of course, there is the Great Game--the event from high school which alters Lizzie's future. We can understand why Lizzie is Lizzie, but we can't always forgive her for her Lizzie type ways. Also, please note, there are a lot of football references in this book. A lot. I like football, but I'm not sure everyone who picks up a book like this will feel the same.
The story of George and Lizzie is told in very short vignettes (each with a title) that slowly move forward in time and alternate with Lizzie's past, mainly focusing on the Great Game, which so defined her life. This format takes much getting used to. There is no linear story here, but tiny bits and pieces of narrative from George and Lizzie. I almost abandoned the book when I first started--I couldn't get in the groove (and honestly, it's depressing). When I reluctantly returned to it a few days later, more prepared for the format, I could read it more easily.
In the end, I can't say I enjoyed this story. If I rated it purely on "like" factor, it would probably be a two-star read. Incorporating in Lizzie's life experiences and how a few things slowly grew on me, I'm giving this three stars, but only barely. (Also, I have real issues with how many kids from Lizzie's high school football team went on to the NFL. Maybe it's possible, but it seems insane.) 3 stars, but only eked out when they brought the chains out on the field to measure (too much?).
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Trouble with J. J. in Books
May 10, 2018
Genna Hastings, had returned home early from her vacation since she had sprained her ankle. Shortly after getting out of the car, she is hit in the head by the kids in the neighborhood who were playing football. They had been using her yard while she was gone and playing with J.J. Hennessey, the Hawks quarterback. Genna, had no idea who he was, but was definitely taken aback when she saw his yard full of pink flamingos. As if that wasn't bad enough, his whole bad boy exterior was enough to scare anyone away.
When J.J. Hennessey first meets Genna, he is taken aback. Most women swoon over him, she was having none of that.
After losing her job for the summer(Genna's a teacher), J.J. presents her with an opportunity she really can't turn down. Throughout the summer, Genna and J.J. will learn things about each other that will surprise them both.
Will this summer job lead to a summer romance? What will happen when the summer is over?
This was a cute, romantic comedy by Tami Hoag. This is the first book that I have read by her, and I'm interested to read more.
When J.J. Hennessey first meets Genna, he is taken aback. Most women swoon over him, she was having none of that.
After losing her job for the summer(Genna's a teacher), J.J. presents her with an opportunity she really can't turn down. Throughout the summer, Genna and J.J. will learn things about each other that will surprise them both.
Will this summer job lead to a summer romance? What will happen when the summer is over?
This was a cute, romantic comedy by Tami Hoag. This is the first book that I have read by her, and I'm interested to read more.
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Defensive Play (Boys on the Brink) in Books
Dec 5, 2018
Defensive Play (Boys on the Brink) by Jamie Deacon
Defensive Play is the first book by this author I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Davey knows he is gay, but he hasn't told anyone. He is a geek who has managed to earn the respect of his football team, and he is worried if he comes out, he will lose that. He thinks he has it all under control, until Adam shows up. With one glance, Davey starts to become unraveled.
This was a sweet story, with some angst in tune with the story. Mostly, it is about Davey and how he feels, what he will do, and what will the fall out be. It is a novella, so expect the pacing to be fairly fast. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow.
A thoroughly enjoyable story, and I look forward to reading more by this author. Definitely recommended by me.
* I received a copy of this book 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!
This was a sweet story, with some angst in tune with the story. Mostly, it is about Davey and how he feels, what he will do, and what will the fall out be. It is a novella, so expect the pacing to be fairly fast. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow.
A thoroughly enjoyable story, and I look forward to reading more by this author. Definitely recommended by me.
* I received a copy of this book 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!
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 4, 2021
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Everybody's All-American (1988) in Movies
Aug 5, 2020
Everybody's All American follows a 25 year span in life of a college star football player who goes on to the NFL. The movie starts off in the senior year at LSU for Gavin "Ghost" Grey and follows him through many life events culminating in a 25 year celebration of that teams championship run.
The message as indicated by synopsis and trailer is that the love of the two main characters conquers all and guides their decision making throughout their lives. That isn't the case at all. At times there is some decision making that is decidedly outside of their relationship altogether, when it comes to business and other things.
The cast was good. Dennis Quaid is always a charmer. Jessica Lange did a good job, as well. John Goodman was exceptional is his role, though his role wasn't a needed addition to the film in my opinion. What was achieved by his characters presence could have been done much more effectively. Timothy Sutton did not disappoint, though I personally forbid him from ever wearing a mustache again.
Anywho. Weird little film. Not as sports related as it would lead you to believe.
The message as indicated by synopsis and trailer is that the love of the two main characters conquers all and guides their decision making throughout their lives. That isn't the case at all. At times there is some decision making that is decidedly outside of their relationship altogether, when it comes to business and other things.
The cast was good. Dennis Quaid is always a charmer. Jessica Lange did a good job, as well. John Goodman was exceptional is his role, though his role wasn't a needed addition to the film in my opinion. What was achieved by his characters presence could have been done much more effectively. Timothy Sutton did not disappoint, though I personally forbid him from ever wearing a mustache again.
Anywho. Weird little film. Not as sports related as it would lead you to believe.