Search
Lee (2222 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
Apr 8, 2019 (Updated Apr 8, 2019)
Shazam is the latest DC superhero to land himself a standalone movie and continues to highlight the fact that these self contained DC offerings really do seem to be a lot better than their rushed ensemble movie output. It also shows how much better they can be when straying from the traditional dark DC gloom and deciding to inject a bit more humour and fun into it all. Aquaman recently showed just how much of a box office success that formula can be, Wonder Woman before it to a certain extent, and although Shazam does certainly have some dark themes and moments, it’s ultimately a lot more fun than either of those.
Shazam does take it’s time in introducing our superhero though, not to mention our super-villain, and the result is a much more grounded and believable movie. We begin with young boy Thaddeus Sivana, traveling by car with his elder brother and father. It’s the first of a number of dark scenes involving the Sivana family, really helping us to get a better understanding and appreciation of the man he later becomes and the motivation that drives him. We then head to present day Philadelphia, where 15 year old Billy Batson is using whatever means possible, legal or otherwise, to try and locate the birth mother he became separated from as a young boy while at a crowded funfair. Since then, Billy has been in the foster care system, and now finds himself in the care of Victor and Rosa – former foster kids themselves, who now run a home for a small group of foster children. Billy is sharing a room with Freddy, a disabled boy with an interest in superheroes and the proud owner of some pretty cool superhero memorabilia, including a batarang from Batman and a genuine bullet, flattened from having bounced off the man of steel himself! The foster home is a pretty close knit group and Billy initially struggles to fit into this large new ready made family.
And then one day, while on the run after standing up to a couple of older kids who were bullying Freddy, Billy finds himself transported to a dark mysterious cave where he inherits the powers of aged wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsoul). The wizard is the last Shazam, currently protecting the world from an invasion of the Seven Deadly Sins, but now so weak that he must transfer his powers to someone who is true of heart. Absorbing his power, Billy becomes a grown up superhero (Zachari Levy), but by saying the word Shazam he is able to alternate between his teen body and that of the mighty superhero whenever he wants.
Once he manages to convince Freddy that he is in fact Billy and not some crazy guy in a suit, they have a lot of fun trying to work out which powers Shazam actually has and how to best make use of them. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that this is where a lot of the fun lies within the movie and it’s definitely very entertaining. But Billy eventually begins having a little too much fun for Freddy’s liking, and when all he is doing is skipping school to go shoot off lightning bolts for a gathered crowd, Freddy becomes frustrated that he is wasting his gift. With great power comes great responsibility and all that. Meanwhile, young Thaddeus Sivana has now become Dr Sivana (Mark Strong), acquiring some pretty impressive powers of his own and forging his own dark path in a scene which really pushes the 12A age rating for the movie. All his life, Sivana has been seeking the power that Billy has now acquired, so when this larger than life hero shows up, goofing around and not really taking that power seriously, Dr Sivana goes after Shazam to try and take the power for himself.
From there, the rest of the movie is pretty much a cat and mouse chase between Sivana and Shazam across the city, up in the sky and down on the streets as they smash through shopping malls and buildings before culminating in a fairground showdown. It’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds, although the whole movie could probably benefit from having about 10-15 minutes cut from it. Also, the dark threat introduced so shockingly earlier on in the movie, suddenly doesn’t become so shocking or menacing towards the end. It’s indicative of the tone of the movie as a whole really, trying to remain rooted in the traditional DC gloom, but striving for family friendly box office success. These are all very minor negatives for me though – overall Shazam is a lot of fun and very lighthearted, with a lot to say about the importance of family. And the Boardman family had an absolute blast watching it!
Shazam does take it’s time in introducing our superhero though, not to mention our super-villain, and the result is a much more grounded and believable movie. We begin with young boy Thaddeus Sivana, traveling by car with his elder brother and father. It’s the first of a number of dark scenes involving the Sivana family, really helping us to get a better understanding and appreciation of the man he later becomes and the motivation that drives him. We then head to present day Philadelphia, where 15 year old Billy Batson is using whatever means possible, legal or otherwise, to try and locate the birth mother he became separated from as a young boy while at a crowded funfair. Since then, Billy has been in the foster care system, and now finds himself in the care of Victor and Rosa – former foster kids themselves, who now run a home for a small group of foster children. Billy is sharing a room with Freddy, a disabled boy with an interest in superheroes and the proud owner of some pretty cool superhero memorabilia, including a batarang from Batman and a genuine bullet, flattened from having bounced off the man of steel himself! The foster home is a pretty close knit group and Billy initially struggles to fit into this large new ready made family.
And then one day, while on the run after standing up to a couple of older kids who were bullying Freddy, Billy finds himself transported to a dark mysterious cave where he inherits the powers of aged wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsoul). The wizard is the last Shazam, currently protecting the world from an invasion of the Seven Deadly Sins, but now so weak that he must transfer his powers to someone who is true of heart. Absorbing his power, Billy becomes a grown up superhero (Zachari Levy), but by saying the word Shazam he is able to alternate between his teen body and that of the mighty superhero whenever he wants.
Once he manages to convince Freddy that he is in fact Billy and not some crazy guy in a suit, they have a lot of fun trying to work out which powers Shazam actually has and how to best make use of them. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that this is where a lot of the fun lies within the movie and it’s definitely very entertaining. But Billy eventually begins having a little too much fun for Freddy’s liking, and when all he is doing is skipping school to go shoot off lightning bolts for a gathered crowd, Freddy becomes frustrated that he is wasting his gift. With great power comes great responsibility and all that. Meanwhile, young Thaddeus Sivana has now become Dr Sivana (Mark Strong), acquiring some pretty impressive powers of his own and forging his own dark path in a scene which really pushes the 12A age rating for the movie. All his life, Sivana has been seeking the power that Billy has now acquired, so when this larger than life hero shows up, goofing around and not really taking that power seriously, Dr Sivana goes after Shazam to try and take the power for himself.
From there, the rest of the movie is pretty much a cat and mouse chase between Sivana and Shazam across the city, up in the sky and down on the streets as they smash through shopping malls and buildings before culminating in a fairground showdown. It’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds, although the whole movie could probably benefit from having about 10-15 minutes cut from it. Also, the dark threat introduced so shockingly earlier on in the movie, suddenly doesn’t become so shocking or menacing towards the end. It’s indicative of the tone of the movie as a whole really, trying to remain rooted in the traditional DC gloom, but striving for family friendly box office success. These are all very minor negatives for me though – overall Shazam is a lot of fun and very lighthearted, with a lot to say about the importance of family. And the Boardman family had an absolute blast watching it!
ClareR (5603 KP) rated Something Dark in Books
Nov 12, 2017
An unflinching look at the Social Care system in the UK
I went to see Lemn Sissay read poems from his last book 'Gold From The Stone' last year at the Chester Literature Festival, and I've been hooked ever since. His poetry is very personal, and so I was interested to see what this would be like.
This is his story of being taken in to care and the resultant damage. It's a one man show, there's no one else on stage with him, and I think this is indicative of how his life has been lived. He has always had to be self sufficient, from the day that his Foster parents (who had parented him from birth) told him at the age of 11 that 'he' didn't love them anymore (it would be more accurate to say that they didn't love him). They didn't even say goodbye to him: his brothers and sisters didn't get to say goodbye, and he was ushered into a car with his social worker and taken to a children's home.
This illustrates how children in care are 'emancipated' at 18 and expected to cope on their own. Most of them have no family or many friends, and are left to fend for themselves. Lemn was given the information to start the search for his birth mother, which is a very interesting part of the story (which I won't divulge!)
I'm actually going to see this performed by Lemn next week (14/11/17), and I'm very much looking forward to it.
This is his story of being taken in to care and the resultant damage. It's a one man show, there's no one else on stage with him, and I think this is indicative of how his life has been lived. He has always had to be self sufficient, from the day that his Foster parents (who had parented him from birth) told him at the age of 11 that 'he' didn't love them anymore (it would be more accurate to say that they didn't love him). They didn't even say goodbye to him: his brothers and sisters didn't get to say goodbye, and he was ushered into a car with his social worker and taken to a children's home.
This illustrates how children in care are 'emancipated' at 18 and expected to cope on their own. Most of them have no family or many friends, and are left to fend for themselves. Lemn was given the information to start the search for his birth mother, which is a very interesting part of the story (which I won't divulge!)
I'm actually going to see this performed by Lemn next week (14/11/17), and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Becky: The Heartbreaking Story of Becky Watts by Her Father Darren Galsworthy
Book
This is the heartbreaking story of the murder of 16-year-old Bristol schoolgirl Becky Watts, a...
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
7.9
Rate It
Video Game
For as long as you can remember, your view of the world has been limited to the heavily fortified...
Juvie
Book
Heart-wrenching and real, Juvie tells the story of two sisters grappling with accountability,...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 23, 2021
Us Against the World (Roseden U #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Betrayed by the only family he's ever known, Owen must decide: for love or team? For Roseden...
Contemporary TransM/M Romance
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Secrets, Lies & Revenge (Book 1) in Books
Jul 11, 2023
92 of 235
Book
Secrets,Lies &Revenge (Book 1)
By Ben Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four women. Three murders. Infinite secrets.
After Emily Lamont and her grandmother, Cynthia, move into the affluent neighborhood of Beechwood Close — their plan is set in motion.
Ava Shaw has built up a stellar reputation, the envy of society at Beechwood. Yet her troubled past soon catches up with her when things begin to spiral out of control, threatening to finally expose the truth she spent years hiding.
Rose Walker is struggling to find peace in her home, but when she is approached by a stranger who spins stories of a group that can change her life, things finally start to look up. Until she learns of their sinister motives…
Florence Foster is transforming her life in a desperate attempt to recapture the affections of her wandering husband. But, as divorce approaches, her worst fears come to fruition.
As plans unfold and secrets are revealed, the fate of the four women hangs in the balance. But one thing is for certain, hell hath no fury like a women scorned.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was full of drama from the start. The characters were interesting and you felt everything with them. A book full of secrets, lies and revenge it certainly was. I was lucky enough to be gifted this along with an Arc copy of book 2 in the series and I can’t wait to see how these lives continue to unfold.
Book
Secrets,Lies &Revenge (Book 1)
By Ben Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four women. Three murders. Infinite secrets.
After Emily Lamont and her grandmother, Cynthia, move into the affluent neighborhood of Beechwood Close — their plan is set in motion.
Ava Shaw has built up a stellar reputation, the envy of society at Beechwood. Yet her troubled past soon catches up with her when things begin to spiral out of control, threatening to finally expose the truth she spent years hiding.
Rose Walker is struggling to find peace in her home, but when she is approached by a stranger who spins stories of a group that can change her life, things finally start to look up. Until she learns of their sinister motives…
Florence Foster is transforming her life in a desperate attempt to recapture the affections of her wandering husband. But, as divorce approaches, her worst fears come to fruition.
As plans unfold and secrets are revealed, the fate of the four women hangs in the balance. But one thing is for certain, hell hath no fury like a women scorned.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was full of drama from the start. The characters were interesting and you felt everything with them. A book full of secrets, lies and revenge it certainly was. I was lucky enough to be gifted this along with an Arc copy of book 2 in the series and I can’t wait to see how these lives continue to unfold.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Accused (1988) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: We start The Accused by seeing Sarah (Foster) running from a bar desperately looking for help before she gets asked all the intimate questions after a rape. District prosecutor Kathryn Murphy takes over the case and takes Sarah back to the crime scene to identify the suspects. While Kathryn puts a case together she learns more about Sarah’s character and while the defence makes out Sarah is just telling a story. We see Kathryn and Lieutenant Duncan (Mulligan) try to investigate what happened they find out there are no witnesses and the case is struggling to come together. After the suspects get put in jail for a reduced charge of reckless endangerment Sarah pushes for more and after a confrontation with one of the men who got off cheered on, Kathryn opens a new case against the people who cheered on and watched leading to the ability to charge the rapist.
What The Accused shows us is however a story sounds it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. We have to let the prosecutors create a case before we judge who is guilty. It shows we need to stand up for what is right and not everything is what it seems. We see how difficult it can be for the victim against such a large amount of suspects who unite. We see how the prosecutor risks everything to get the truth about the night after finally seeing the light about what really happened. This case could break her career but as she is doing the right thing it proves to be the right thing. A big plus The Accused uses is not focusing on any of the men involved we a left to only see and hear about their actions. The Accused is a great story about fighting for what is right and how monstrous people can be. (9/10)
Actor Review
Kelly McGillis: Kathryn Murphy the district prosecutor who will fight for justice but only once she has learned all the facts. She agrees to plea agreement for the rapist but once challenged by Sarah she decides to go after the people who cheered them on. Kelly gives a good performance searching for the truth. (8/10)
kelly
Jodie Foster: Sarah Tobias the victim who has to go through the rape only to be left questioned by people on her side and the people against her. Sarah refused to back down and wants to see the people pay when she finally gets the chance on front of a courtroom full of people. Jodie gives a great performance that she full deserved the Oscar she won. (10/10)
jodie
Support Cast: Where The Accused chooses not to focus on the rapist we don’t meet too many supporting characters, we only see their actions and hear how other people saw them.
Director Review: Jonathan Kaplan – Jonathan does a great job directing The Accused he focuses on the victim and the case being built against the rapist. (9/10)
Crime: The crime The Accused focuses on was based on a real case and shows the seriousness of it. (9/10)
Drama: The Accused uses the effects to create the drama of what happened to the people involved. (9/10)
Settings: The Accused uses the settings well, we see The Mill where the crime happens, the office to see how the world is different for our victim, the small beat up house the victims lives in showing that she would be considered lower than the people involved and almost not important and the home of the prosecutor which shows us the difference in working class the two women have. (9/10)
Suggestion: I would suggest watching The Accused as it shows the victims problems after the assault rather than trying to make a monstrous villain for a crime film. (Watch)
Best Part: The Courtroom
Worst Part: The Deal
Believability: Based on a real case a young woman suffered through. (9/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Jodie Foster won Best Actress.
Box Office: $32 Million
Budget: $6 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes
Tagline: On April 18th 1987, Sarah Tobias stops for a drink at a bar called The Mill.
Trivia: Upon seeing a pre-screening of the film, Jodie Foster thought her performance as Sarah Tobias was so awful that she immediately began preparing for and taking the GRE’s for graduate school. She was prepared to leave her film career behind and focus on academia…until she won the Academy Award for her performance.
Overall: Would you fight for the truth
https://moviesreview101.com/2015/01/28/the-accused-1988/
What The Accused shows us is however a story sounds it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. We have to let the prosecutors create a case before we judge who is guilty. It shows we need to stand up for what is right and not everything is what it seems. We see how difficult it can be for the victim against such a large amount of suspects who unite. We see how the prosecutor risks everything to get the truth about the night after finally seeing the light about what really happened. This case could break her career but as she is doing the right thing it proves to be the right thing. A big plus The Accused uses is not focusing on any of the men involved we a left to only see and hear about their actions. The Accused is a great story about fighting for what is right and how monstrous people can be. (9/10)
Actor Review
Kelly McGillis: Kathryn Murphy the district prosecutor who will fight for justice but only once she has learned all the facts. She agrees to plea agreement for the rapist but once challenged by Sarah she decides to go after the people who cheered them on. Kelly gives a good performance searching for the truth. (8/10)
kelly
Jodie Foster: Sarah Tobias the victim who has to go through the rape only to be left questioned by people on her side and the people against her. Sarah refused to back down and wants to see the people pay when she finally gets the chance on front of a courtroom full of people. Jodie gives a great performance that she full deserved the Oscar she won. (10/10)
jodie
Support Cast: Where The Accused chooses not to focus on the rapist we don’t meet too many supporting characters, we only see their actions and hear how other people saw them.
Director Review: Jonathan Kaplan – Jonathan does a great job directing The Accused he focuses on the victim and the case being built against the rapist. (9/10)
Crime: The crime The Accused focuses on was based on a real case and shows the seriousness of it. (9/10)
Drama: The Accused uses the effects to create the drama of what happened to the people involved. (9/10)
Settings: The Accused uses the settings well, we see The Mill where the crime happens, the office to see how the world is different for our victim, the small beat up house the victims lives in showing that she would be considered lower than the people involved and almost not important and the home of the prosecutor which shows us the difference in working class the two women have. (9/10)
Suggestion: I would suggest watching The Accused as it shows the victims problems after the assault rather than trying to make a monstrous villain for a crime film. (Watch)
Best Part: The Courtroom
Worst Part: The Deal
Believability: Based on a real case a young woman suffered through. (9/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Jodie Foster won Best Actress.
Box Office: $32 Million
Budget: $6 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes
Tagline: On April 18th 1987, Sarah Tobias stops for a drink at a bar called The Mill.
Trivia: Upon seeing a pre-screening of the film, Jodie Foster thought her performance as Sarah Tobias was so awful that she immediately began preparing for and taking the GRE’s for graduate school. She was prepared to leave her film career behind and focus on academia…until she won the Academy Award for her performance.
Overall: Would you fight for the truth
https://moviesreview101.com/2015/01/28/the-accused-1988/
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Fire and Bone (Otherborn, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<strong>I can't tell if I'm <em>actually</em> disappointed with <em>Fire and Bone</em> or if I <em>feel</em> disappointed with the book.</strong>
I started Rachel A. Marks's new book right after I finished <a href="http://theartsstl.com/rin-chupeco-the-heart-forger-sourcebooks-fire/"><em>The Heart Forger</em></a>, and I was very much ruined for other books at the moment in time because Rin Chupeco's book was <em>that</em> good.
<strong><em>Fire and Bone</em> is the first novel in Marks's <em>Otherborn</em> series, which is based on Celtic mythology and set in modern-day Los Angeles.</strong> The story follows Sage, who struggles to live on her own in the streets and has the urge to burn things until she finds out she is the daughter of a Celtic goddess.
Sage is very independent - we've got the kid goes through a rough childhood and gets shifted around from foster home to foster home until they say, "Screw it!" and go off on their own (because who has time for rough homes?) trope. The one friend in her life is Ziggy, at least until she is plucked into the Otherworld where she eventually has to pledge her allegiance to one of the five main deities, known as houses.
I'm a huge fan of books that focus on character, plot and action, so <em>Fire and Bone</em>, being the first in a series, won't be a novel that I will enjoy as much compared to my reactions when (and if because so many books) I read the sequels. <strong>This novel is more of a setup - there is a lot of information about the world</strong> (though certainly not an information overload) that is revealed as Sage navigates the Otherworld and is getting attention from her bodyguard and a prince. She also tries to uncover the past that is revealed to her through dreams.
There's no surprise that <strong>there seems to be a love triangle of sorts that will most likely reveal itself</strong> in future novels. The interactions between Kieran, Faelan and Sage are telltale signs that there is probably going to be one, though I could be wrong. Assuming this <em>will</em> be a love triangle though, I'm not shipping any of them and feel it is out of place to the overall plot of the story.
<strong>I love the side characters Marks introduces to us</strong> in <em>Fire and Bone</em>. It was hard to like the characters early on, but as I continued reading the book, some of the characters had hilarious lines. I'm curious how the characters will develop in book two, so <strong>character development will be one of the things I'll be looking forward to.</strong>
Along with character development, I'm looking forward to how the plot will unfold. While a major plot point was predictable, I did <em>not</em> guess the ending of the story, and <strong>I want to KNOW what happens next</strong>. If anything, <em>Otherborn #2</em> will tear my heart to pieces and ruin me for whatever book is read next like <em>The Heart Forger</em> did.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/fire-and-bone-by-rachel-a-marks-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<strong>I can't tell if I'm <em>actually</em> disappointed with <em>Fire and Bone</em> or if I <em>feel</em> disappointed with the book.</strong>
I started Rachel A. Marks's new book right after I finished <a href="http://theartsstl.com/rin-chupeco-the-heart-forger-sourcebooks-fire/"><em>The Heart Forger</em></a>, and I was very much ruined for other books at the moment in time because Rin Chupeco's book was <em>that</em> good.
<strong><em>Fire and Bone</em> is the first novel in Marks's <em>Otherborn</em> series, which is based on Celtic mythology and set in modern-day Los Angeles.</strong> The story follows Sage, who struggles to live on her own in the streets and has the urge to burn things until she finds out she is the daughter of a Celtic goddess.
Sage is very independent - we've got the kid goes through a rough childhood and gets shifted around from foster home to foster home until they say, "Screw it!" and go off on their own (because who has time for rough homes?) trope. The one friend in her life is Ziggy, at least until she is plucked into the Otherworld where she eventually has to pledge her allegiance to one of the five main deities, known as houses.
I'm a huge fan of books that focus on character, plot and action, so <em>Fire and Bone</em>, being the first in a series, won't be a novel that I will enjoy as much compared to my reactions when (and if because so many books) I read the sequels. <strong>This novel is more of a setup - there is a lot of information about the world</strong> (though certainly not an information overload) that is revealed as Sage navigates the Otherworld and is getting attention from her bodyguard and a prince. She also tries to uncover the past that is revealed to her through dreams.
There's no surprise that <strong>there seems to be a love triangle of sorts that will most likely reveal itself</strong> in future novels. The interactions between Kieran, Faelan and Sage are telltale signs that there is probably going to be one, though I could be wrong. Assuming this <em>will</em> be a love triangle though, I'm not shipping any of them and feel it is out of place to the overall plot of the story.
<strong>I love the side characters Marks introduces to us</strong> in <em>Fire and Bone</em>. It was hard to like the characters early on, but as I continued reading the book, some of the characters had hilarious lines. I'm curious how the characters will develop in book two, so <strong>character development will be one of the things I'll be looking forward to.</strong>
Along with character development, I'm looking forward to how the plot will unfold. While a major plot point was predictable, I did <em>not</em> guess the ending of the story, and <strong>I want to KNOW what happens next</strong>. If anything, <em>Otherborn #2</em> will tear my heart to pieces and ruin me for whatever book is read next like <em>The Heart Forger</em> did.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/fire-and-bone-by-rachel-a-marks-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>