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Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated X-23 (2018-) #2 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Gabby: "Why are you party pooper?"
Laura: "It's arguably in my DNA."
That quote comes only a couple pages or so into Issue 3. It is probably the most fun dialogue in a story arc that is anything light in nature. And honestly, that is one of the aspects that really wowed by Ms. Tamaki's opening arc: she can balance the dark and the light, the humor and the not so humorous. I liked Tom Taylor's initial beginnings on ANW, but that so became imbalanced, as he chose to focus more on humor, rather gritty plot elements.
Through this issue, as well as the first one, it is clear that we will truly be "inside" Laura Kinney's head. Tamaki provides us with Laura's thoughts and reflections, further adding to the character's complex inner workings. It aids in defining a character who is often underutilized and written poorly (*cough* Bendis *cough* Hopeless *cough cough*).
As fantastic as the writing is on Laura's new book, I really want to stress how AWESOME Juann Cabal's art is to the series! Prior to witnessing his art, I found David Lopez's art (re: ANW) to be all aces! And while it is still quite good, Cabal just builds off of that and gives us so much more! I truly, truly hope that Marvel is smart enough to pay him well and keep him on board for the run of the series.
Overall, this was another great issue, and if you are a fan of Ms. Kinney, you will not be disappointed!
Laura: "It's arguably in my DNA."
That quote comes only a couple pages or so into Issue 3. It is probably the most fun dialogue in a story arc that is anything light in nature. And honestly, that is one of the aspects that really wowed by Ms. Tamaki's opening arc: she can balance the dark and the light, the humor and the not so humorous. I liked Tom Taylor's initial beginnings on ANW, but that so became imbalanced, as he chose to focus more on humor, rather gritty plot elements.
Through this issue, as well as the first one, it is clear that we will truly be "inside" Laura Kinney's head. Tamaki provides us with Laura's thoughts and reflections, further adding to the character's complex inner workings. It aids in defining a character who is often underutilized and written poorly (*cough* Bendis *cough* Hopeless *cough cough*).
As fantastic as the writing is on Laura's new book, I really want to stress how AWESOME Juann Cabal's art is to the series! Prior to witnessing his art, I found David Lopez's art (re: ANW) to be all aces! And while it is still quite good, Cabal just builds off of that and gives us so much more! I truly, truly hope that Marvel is smart enough to pay him well and keep him on board for the run of the series.
Overall, this was another great issue, and if you are a fan of Ms. Kinney, you will not be disappointed!
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated Excalibur (1981) in Movies
Sep 4, 2019
Lush, beautiful visuals (1 more)
Stellar performances from all involved
Long movie, but feels like it rushes from highlight to highlight without fleshing out the story. (1 more)
More mythic fantasy of "knights in shining armor" as my younger self would have conceived it than anything grounded in reality.
Long on visuals, short on narrative cohesion and characterization
Excalibur is a classic, and deservedly so. The visuals and performances from the entire cast are outstanding, and you get to see early appearances from the likes of a then-unknown Patrick Stewart or Liam Neeson. The film is epic in scope, and that's part of the problem--in trying to tell the entire Arthurian legend, the film only has time (even at nearly two and a half hours) to hit the highlights without adding sufficient connective tissue to make sure that we care about the characters. Then there's the fact that the film caters to more of a child's fantasy version of knights in shining armor than anything else. I don't mind the anachronism of plate armor in the "dark ages," but characters living in their plate day on and day out, in peacetime, in the middle of their fortress? That crap is uncomfortable! Ten year old me would have bought that reality, but this film would have been (and in fact specifically WAS) denied to ten year old me based on the nudity and gore. I'm not asking for gritty realism, but I also wasn't expecting a return to the fantasties of my youth. Worth seeing, to be sure, but not timeless or without it's flaws.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Logan (2017) in Movies
Sep 20, 2019 (Updated Sep 20, 2019)
The crown jewel in Fox's X-Men saga
Logan is easily one of the best comic book movies out there.
This is the third solo outing for Wolverine (following one garbage pile attempt, and one annoyingly average attempt), James Mangold really pulled it out of the bag for this one.
The characters are great - Hugh Jackman at the top of his game for his final performance as Logan. He's a grizzled and pain ridden man, in this bleak, mutantless future.
Patrick Stewart is also at his best here as Charles Xavier. The two of them are the beating heart of this movie.
We're introduced to Dafne Keen (playing a young X-23) who rounds out the small cast nicely.
As Logan fights a shadowy organization to keep her safe, the stakes have never been higher, and no one feels safe at any point - something that has never really been explored in the X-Men franchise.
Logan is a hard film to watch, it's bleak, its gritty, it's not particularly colourful (especially if you opt for the brilliant Noir version), and it's brutally violent in parts.
The set pieces are nasty in places, and sometimes pretty shocking, but it all aids the narrative here - the narrative that Wolverine is an ailing old man, who is struggling against all odds to do one last good deed, and protect the few people that still mean something to him.
It's an emotional and powerful film, that deserves all the praise bestowed upon it - amazing work from everyone involved .
This is the third solo outing for Wolverine (following one garbage pile attempt, and one annoyingly average attempt), James Mangold really pulled it out of the bag for this one.
The characters are great - Hugh Jackman at the top of his game for his final performance as Logan. He's a grizzled and pain ridden man, in this bleak, mutantless future.
Patrick Stewart is also at his best here as Charles Xavier. The two of them are the beating heart of this movie.
We're introduced to Dafne Keen (playing a young X-23) who rounds out the small cast nicely.
As Logan fights a shadowy organization to keep her safe, the stakes have never been higher, and no one feels safe at any point - something that has never really been explored in the X-Men franchise.
Logan is a hard film to watch, it's bleak, its gritty, it's not particularly colourful (especially if you opt for the brilliant Noir version), and it's brutally violent in parts.
The set pieces are nasty in places, and sometimes pretty shocking, but it all aids the narrative here - the narrative that Wolverine is an ailing old man, who is struggling against all odds to do one last good deed, and protect the few people that still mean something to him.
It's an emotional and powerful film, that deserves all the praise bestowed upon it - amazing work from everyone involved .
The Brotherhood of the Wheel
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Raw, unflinching, and authentic, Kate McLaughlin's thoughtful What Unbreakable Looks Like carefully...
Hard Cold Winter
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Former Army Ranger and thief Van Shaw is thrust into danger as lethal and unpredictable as the war...
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Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge—and wariness--of technology to his sophomore novel...
Merissa (13822 KP) rated Huntress (Angelbound Offspring #7) in Books
May 27, 2021 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)
HUNTRESS is the penultimate seventh book in the Angelbound Offspring series and I would absolutely recommend you read it as part of a series. While it is Huntress and Gage's story, parts of Kaps and Mack's are also mentioned.
First of all, I loved how we went back in time to when Huntress was a child. I thought the world-building was brilliant and I loved hearing about the Honeycomb Hall. Doofus - I'm still wondering about though! And what happened to the other novices and familiars? Hmm. As for Gage and his Crew, I love them all. Each with their own distinct personality, they made me smile throughout the story.
As with every Christina Bauer book, the characters are outstanding. The overall story arc is present and intriguing, whilst the nitty-gritty gives you information and details about the characters that you never even knew you needed until you had them. The story is told from both Huntress and Gage's point of view, with the chapters clearly titled so you know which is which before you start reading.
Huntress was a perfect addition to the series and now I'm waiting on tenterhooks for Gage! I really want to hear about things from his perspective. A brilliant story and absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me 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!
May 27, 2021
First of all, I loved how we went back in time to when Huntress was a child. I thought the world-building was brilliant and I loved hearing about the Honeycomb Hall. Doofus - I'm still wondering about though! And what happened to the other novices and familiars? Hmm. As for Gage and his Crew, I love them all. Each with their own distinct personality, they made me smile throughout the story.
As with every Christina Bauer book, the characters are outstanding. The overall story arc is present and intriguing, whilst the nitty-gritty gives you information and details about the characters that you never even knew you needed until you had them. The story is told from both Huntress and Gage's point of view, with the chapters clearly titled so you know which is which before you start reading.
Huntress was a perfect addition to the series and now I'm waiting on tenterhooks for Gage! I really want to hear about things from his perspective. A brilliant story and absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me 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!
May 27, 2021
Merissa (13822 KP) rated Worth the Wait (Worth It #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2025
WORTH THE WAIT is the first book in the Worth It series, set in the seaside town of Worthbridge. Nathan and Freddie were joined at the hip from a young age, but life wasn't easy, and so their friendship came to an end. Nathan joined the army, and Freddie joined the police force. Skip forward fifteen years, and Nathan has returned to Worthbridge with his son.
If you are looking for a gritty contemporary story, then I can always recommend C.F. White! This one is no different. It is full of emotions and English slang. I can almost hear the accents! There is an ongoing story, but this one wraps up nicely. I am hoping we get to see Freddie, Nathan, and Alfie in future books, as this one pretty much ends just as they get together again.
There is also a great cast of supporting characters that I also hope to see and learn more about. Considering the story, this was fairly low angst between our two MCs, and there is steam when they get together, although it's not soft and tender steam, if you know what I mean.
A great read, a brilliant start to a new series, and one I'm really looking forward to continuing. Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 17, 2025
If you are looking for a gritty contemporary story, then I can always recommend C.F. White! This one is no different. It is full of emotions and English slang. I can almost hear the accents! There is an ongoing story, but this one wraps up nicely. I am hoping we get to see Freddie, Nathan, and Alfie in future books, as this one pretty much ends just as they get together again.
There is also a great cast of supporting characters that I also hope to see and learn more about. Considering the story, this was fairly low angst between our two MCs, and there is steam when they get together, although it's not soft and tender steam, if you know what I mean.
A great read, a brilliant start to a new series, and one I'm really looking forward to continuing. Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 17, 2025
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Saving Private Ryan (1998) in Movies
Feb 25, 2019 (Updated Feb 25, 2019)
Groundbreaker mired in slop
Contains spoilers, click to show
Regarded as one of the best war films ever made, it certainly qualifies. The opening twenty minutes are still as breathtaking, shocking and disturbing realistic as they were back in 1998. It is hard to imagine that it has now been over twelve years since Saving Private Ryan broke the mold of World War II film making.
Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Spielberg, Best Cinematography, and Sound, which was astonishing, even by today's standards, it failed to win Best Picture, losing out to Shakespeare In Love. Shakespeare In Love! Don't get me wrong, it's a good film, but easily forgettable compared to Ryan, only proving yet again that if you touch upon the British monarchy you get Oscars.
The film is a fictional account of four brothers, all serving in the U.S. Army, three of which were killed in action on or around the D-Day landings. The fourth, James Ryan played by Matt Damon is somewhere in Europe, and Tom Hanks with his platoon are sent to bring him home, to spare his mother anymore heartache.
Tom Hanks, who was also snubbed at the 1998 Oscars for his perfect performance as Captain Miller, the everyman who was losing himself in the horrors of war, underplayed his role perfectly. He is believable on every level, emotionally, physically and has a sense of subtly with makes him of Hollywood's greats.
The action is visceral, gritty and horrifying. But never played for crass effect. Scenes of soldiers intestines spilling out, limbs flying a sunder and brutal killing left, right and centre are recreated for one purpose. To truly demonstrate the horrors of war, and to change our perceptions of the global conflict which had almost become a joke, a setting for gung- ho action films, where the Yanks reign supreme and single-handedly win the war.
This shows troops crying, hurting and making decisions which should not be made under any moral circumstances, but you understand why, whether you agree or not. There is no doubt that Spielberg is not innocent of making an American film, but it is about as even-handed as you might expect, with the exception of Tora! Tora! Tora! or The Longest Day.
So, the action is first-rate, graphic and perfectly toned to recreate to horror of the last century's greatest and most of destructive conflicts. But that's only half the story.
The other half is the talking, reminiscing and the almost sepia tone is more than a little cloying. The U.S. General's monologues, which seem to consist almost entirely of Lincoln quotations are overly sentimental, erring on the side of sloppy patriotism rather than Jingoism, which is hardly a bad thing but it isn't good either.
The civilian scenes, such as Mrs Ryan, washing a plate as she sees the car drive down to road to inform her of her sons deaths are so sentimental that they jar against the realism of the war scenes. It's not so much contrast as it is as extreme as black and white.
The action is obviously interspersed, as all war films are, with rest stops and moments of talking, pondering etc., but the scenes drag on too long and disrupt the tone of the film. On the other hand, the direction is brilliant when explaining the situations during and around the action, but Spielberg seemed to think that we needed these sloppy and often boring moments, such as The Church, and the outside the cafe in Ramelle, to express the emotional torment of the characters, but I think that these scenes are so boring and pointless that I' can hardly remember them, as my attention drifts off during them! But I do have an understanding of the soldiers, and this was achieved, quite adorably without these scenes.
Overall, this is a film of two halves if ever there was one. The battle scenes and the journey through war-torn France are brilliant, gritty and educational, but the scenes of American sentimentality are in danger of derailing the whole film. Many feel that is the best war film of all time. I do not agree, favouring Black Hawk Down over this, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Blank Hawk Down owes a debt to Saving Private Ryan, by opening the door to the gritty war dramas of the naughties and to the style itself.
This film is on of the most important contributions to cinema ever, and has done so much to finally show to true nature of WWII and war in general. But even though I would rate this 10/10 if it was just for the war scenes, the slop just gets in the way and devalues what should have been perfection.
Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Spielberg, Best Cinematography, and Sound, which was astonishing, even by today's standards, it failed to win Best Picture, losing out to Shakespeare In Love. Shakespeare In Love! Don't get me wrong, it's a good film, but easily forgettable compared to Ryan, only proving yet again that if you touch upon the British monarchy you get Oscars.
The film is a fictional account of four brothers, all serving in the U.S. Army, three of which were killed in action on or around the D-Day landings. The fourth, James Ryan played by Matt Damon is somewhere in Europe, and Tom Hanks with his platoon are sent to bring him home, to spare his mother anymore heartache.
Tom Hanks, who was also snubbed at the 1998 Oscars for his perfect performance as Captain Miller, the everyman who was losing himself in the horrors of war, underplayed his role perfectly. He is believable on every level, emotionally, physically and has a sense of subtly with makes him of Hollywood's greats.
The action is visceral, gritty and horrifying. But never played for crass effect. Scenes of soldiers intestines spilling out, limbs flying a sunder and brutal killing left, right and centre are recreated for one purpose. To truly demonstrate the horrors of war, and to change our perceptions of the global conflict which had almost become a joke, a setting for gung- ho action films, where the Yanks reign supreme and single-handedly win the war.
This shows troops crying, hurting and making decisions which should not be made under any moral circumstances, but you understand why, whether you agree or not. There is no doubt that Spielberg is not innocent of making an American film, but it is about as even-handed as you might expect, with the exception of Tora! Tora! Tora! or The Longest Day.
So, the action is first-rate, graphic and perfectly toned to recreate to horror of the last century's greatest and most of destructive conflicts. But that's only half the story.
The other half is the talking, reminiscing and the almost sepia tone is more than a little cloying. The U.S. General's monologues, which seem to consist almost entirely of Lincoln quotations are overly sentimental, erring on the side of sloppy patriotism rather than Jingoism, which is hardly a bad thing but it isn't good either.
The civilian scenes, such as Mrs Ryan, washing a plate as she sees the car drive down to road to inform her of her sons deaths are so sentimental that they jar against the realism of the war scenes. It's not so much contrast as it is as extreme as black and white.
The action is obviously interspersed, as all war films are, with rest stops and moments of talking, pondering etc., but the scenes drag on too long and disrupt the tone of the film. On the other hand, the direction is brilliant when explaining the situations during and around the action, but Spielberg seemed to think that we needed these sloppy and often boring moments, such as The Church, and the outside the cafe in Ramelle, to express the emotional torment of the characters, but I think that these scenes are so boring and pointless that I' can hardly remember them, as my attention drifts off during them! But I do have an understanding of the soldiers, and this was achieved, quite adorably without these scenes.
Overall, this is a film of two halves if ever there was one. The battle scenes and the journey through war-torn France are brilliant, gritty and educational, but the scenes of American sentimentality are in danger of derailing the whole film. Many feel that is the best war film of all time. I do not agree, favouring Black Hawk Down over this, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Blank Hawk Down owes a debt to Saving Private Ryan, by opening the door to the gritty war dramas of the naughties and to the style itself.
This film is on of the most important contributions to cinema ever, and has done so much to finally show to true nature of WWII and war in general. But even though I would rate this 10/10 if it was just for the war scenes, the slop just gets in the way and devalues what should have been perfection.