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Becky (2020)
Becky (2020)
2020 | Action, Drama, Horror
8
7.1 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Soooo....yeah
I have been a Kevin James fan since the day that I first saw him. I think he's very funny in both his stand up and in his feature films. I've heard through the years murmurs that he was a hack actor and all the other tropes you hear from people who just want to complain in life. Let me tell you something, Kevin James is NOT a hack actor.

When I saw previews for this movie some time ago I was super intrigued as it looked like a far cry from what I'm used to seeing Kevin James star in. Months later when the movie popped into my newly available section in my digital library I thought it was time to give it a go and see what what really going on.

This movie is as far from a "normal" Kevin James role as you can possibly get. Relatively predictable. But wicked unexpected. Joel McHale (whom I've actually been moderately impressed with lately in smaller, more serious roles) also stars in what I can only describe as a thriller on steroids. It kind of reminds me of the movie Hanna if Hanna hadn't been a trained killer and was just doing things based on sheer anger and hatred.

Be warned, there are parts of this movie that are incredibly graphic. But all in all it's wild ride down the rabbit hole.
  
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Eric (498 KP) rated The Boys in TV

Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Jul 14, 2020)  
The Boys
The Boys
2019 | Action, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Violence violence and more violence! Karl Urban is great (0 more)
Not for everyone, especially if youre squeamish (0 more)
The Boys is adrenaline fueled "shock" TV at its best. It is begging you to watch it, even if it sometimes makes it hard to watch. But what makes The Boys work so well is under all the drugs, sex and violence, it has a lot to say.

The show follows Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) as he recruits a team of people who have bern wronged by Superheroes. In The Boys universe, the superheroes tend to not care so much about callateral damage, and honestly, most of them are douchebags (think Captain Hammer from Dr Horrible's evil singalong blog) .

As we learn more about their word the show not only becomes an obvious satire on superhero culture, but the our society as a hole. The religion episode, is one that really stands out as not being afraid to take shots.

The effects, mostly work pretty well, and nothing was bad enough to take me out of the escapeism. The acting is a bit all over the place, but Karl Urban really commands the screen.

It should be said that this is not for everyone. It is one of the mist graphic (non horror) things I have ever seen, and if you're not used to it you may find yourself checking out early. If you can handle the violence, it's worth it
  
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl
Melissa Keil | 2014 | Young Adult (YA)
6
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Someone recommended this book to me a few months ago but I was a little wary of reading it, since I wasn't a fan of graphic novels back then--though I have discovered a like of manga since--and then I saw it on Netgalley and decided to just go for it.

Unfortunately, I felt like I was chucked straight into the middle of the story. I didn't have a clue who was who or how they fit into the story at the start, which made it hard for me to get into. I persevered over several days and I got used to the amount of friends in Alba's little group but the whole end of the world thing threw me a little. I didn't quite get that part of the story.

But then we get the hint of a little romance for our main character and I cheered up a bit. I was only going to give it 2 stars up until the 90% mark and then Grady melted my heart a little so I pushed my rating a little higher.

Not really my kinda thing. I prefer my girl's to be receptive to the idea of romance and not as into comics as Alba was--especially when she was naming some I'd never heard of.

I may read other books by the author at some point.
  
The War of the Flowers
The War of the Flowers
Tad Williams | 2003 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Descriptions (3 more)
world building
index of people places and things
800+ pages
long winded (2 more)
whiney dense lead
800+pages
A stand alone book. As a fan of Tad Williams I have put this book off from reading (it had been on my TBR list for over a decade) because of a previous stand alone book, I was afraid I won't like this one. Luckily, because of a TBR reading challenge I finally picked it up, and was pleasantly surprised at the intricate worlds that have been built.
The book is set up in five parts and has a couple of POVs most being that of Theo (the main character) who goes from California to the world of Faerie. A very different Faerie then expected. A very unique take on it.
Theo is thrown into a world he doesn't understand and has an extremely difficult time with well... don't want to give any spoilers. Although I will say the author isn't afraid to put Theo through hell, from the get.
While I did figure out quite a lot of the book along the way I was more pleased then annoyed when I was right in my assumptions.
The descriptions are very realistic and graphic in places (the author's note at the beginning is warranted) making this book quite long as are most of his books. A good long read that may not be for everyone.
  
The Thursday Murder Club
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman | 2020 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.2 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, that was a nice surprise! I usually stay clear of celebrity writers as, in my experience, they tend to be over rated and over hyped but I have to say that this book by Richard Osman was pretty good and had me engaged from start to finish.

The plot is multi-faceted with several murders both recent and historic but rather than this causing confusion, it all seems to flow smoothly and logically despite its complexity although you do have to keep your wits about you to keep up at times. The writing style is easy to read and flows well and although the main subject matter is murder, there are snippets of humour and more tender moments too.

The setting of a rather upscale retirement village is unique as are the main characters who are engaging, appealing and, at times, amusing. I really would like to get to know Elizabeth better - she is a very intriguing character and there are teasing morsels of her previous working life which are very interesting and I want to know more.

This book is what I would call a cosy-read that could be enjoyed by anyone and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a classic murder-mystery without the violence and graphic detail.

Thank you to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.