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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Catwoman: Soulstealer - DC Icons Book 3 in Books

Oct 25, 2018

So I needed a "book about a heist" for the PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge, and naturally, Catwoman fits the bill. It wouldn't be a Catwoman novel/cartoon/graphic novel without a heist! Several, in fact, in this instance. And she teams up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn to pull them off, even though she doesn't seem to actually need the girls in this book. I love that Maas chose to include them, because Ivy/Harley/Catwoman is one of my all-time favorite team-ups. The book also delves into the relationship between Ivy and Harley, and Harley's dysfunctional dependence on the Joker (who's in Arkham for this book). I loved seeing that.

Interestingly, Batman doesn't show, other than a few phone calls with Luke Fox, Lucius Fox's son. Luke takes the traditional role of Batman-as-Catwoman's-love-interest, but as Batwing, a sort-of Robin. (Maybe I read too many comics? Nah.) The switch was surprising; it's always Catwoman and Batman, Selina and Bruce. Except when it's Talia and Bruce, I suppose.

I do wonder if they're going to do an ensemble cast novel after these first four books. (Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Batman: Nightwalker, and Superman: Dawnbreaker being the other three.) Superman doesn't come out until January, but the first three have been very disconnected from one another. Wonder Woman wasn't even mentioned in Batman or Catwoman. It seems odd to have them as a series, but never mention one another in each book? That, or the Superman book is going to tie the other three together, which seems like a disservice to Superman.

Anyway. I really liked Luke Fox as Batwing - the book touched, just a little bit, on racial issues, and how even as an obscenely rich black man he's not entirely exempt from those. In one scene he worries about the color of his skin being seen through damage to his batsuit, and cops realizing he's black. It's a sober reminder that even in a city beset by evil clowns, it's still set in the United States and we still have those racist systems in place.

The banter between Luke and Selina, and Selina and Harley and Ivy, is fantastic. I haven't actually read any of Sarah J. Maas' books - I know, I know - but if they're like Catwoman, I should probably give in and do so. So far, Wonder Woman is still my favorite of the DC Icons series (which is no surprise, as I love Leigh Bardugo) but Catwoman is really good.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com

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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated The Lion King (2019) in Movies

Jan 3, 2020

The Lion King (2019)

2019 | Adventure, Animation, Family

7.1

(82 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

A live action adaptation for a modern day audience. (0 more)

Felt empty to fans of the original Disney classic (imo) (0 more)

Disney+ (Ha, get it)

Although this contains spoilers, its doesn't differ much from the original plot (like at all).

In a tradition that we have now become accustomed to when it comes to disney, this live action adaptation seemingly fails to hit home like the original animated classic.

Parts of the songs were missing, beyonce as nala felt empty in some parts.

This movie sticks to the original story & some great voice overs in most cases.

Although it's something I'd happily watch again, I'd rather wait 20 mins for my vhs tape to rewind and sit through the trailers (and that's after I've gone through the trouble of setting up my vcr) and watch the animated version.

I know that a live action adaptation is suppose to go for the realistic look, but would it really be that bad to have made the characters look exactly like their animated counterparts?? Make the bird blue, give scar a black mane etc.

Absolutely loved the timon and pumba scenes. (Definitely wanna see a live action lion king 3: Hakuna Mutata and maybe Robin hood (fox version lol) )

Overall a 7/10 (ish)

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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Wolverine (2013) in Movies

Jul 30, 2019

An ok film that could have been so much more.

Here we have the 6th entry into the X-Men franchise, and the second solo outing for Wolverine.

I, like many comic fans, was thrilled when it was announced that this film would be diving into Logan's time in Japan. It's arguably one of the strongest solo Wolverine storylines from the comic!
The finished film however misses the mark. Not completely - remnants of the comic are left intact, buts it's clear that the studio meddled once again. When The Wolverine is concentrating on the dialogue heavy scenes, it's good. When it throws Logan against ninjas, it's (mostly) good.

However, FOX obviously didn't have enough faith in this as a whole, and opted to push James Mangold in the direction of dodgy CGI orgies.
The climatic battle against a massive CGI robot ninja (referred to as Silver Samurai - the bloody cheek), is so out of place, that it nearly ruins the whole film.

I feel that James Mangold is not to blame. He clearly has respect for the source material, and isn't about big CGI blowouts - he would go on to direct the stellar Logan a few years later.

A wasted opportunity then, and a storyline I really hope Marvel Studios revisits again in the future