Search
Search results
Taryn K (444 KP) rated Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 2 (manga) in Books
May 15, 2022 (Updated May 15, 2022)
The characters are well written (1 more)
The world is beginning to expand.
Another quiet slice-of-life night at Izakaya Nobu
Much like volume 1, volume 2 of Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu takes us to the pub that sits between modern Japan and the rather medieval city of Aitheria. Again, we have Japanese, German, and English food terms going on, which keeps life interesting, but the explanations are handy, so there is minimal chance of confusion.
The book starts off with one of the soldiers from volume 1, Hans, stopping by the pub after training only to find out it's 'Kisu Day'. Hans is surprised to see Chef Nobu deep frying the tempura-battered fish and putting it on paper, which is a very expensive commodity in Aitheria. The little details really make this series special, I think.
In chapter 2, "Thief", we meet a new helper, a young girl trying to help out her family, named Effa. There is a bit of confusion, but we get to meet the new deacon in town, who has already become a regular.
Chapter 3, "An Uninvited Guest", Chef Nobu learns a 'new' recipe, and we are reminded that Shinobu can cook as well. A pompous little man and his gourmet aristocrat boss stop by in search of the Ankake Yudofu that pleased the bride-to-be in volume 1, as she praised it at her wedding. Each chapter builds ties to other people or builds ties between Shinobu/Chef and the regulars, which Is another thing I love. Ankake Yudofu is out of season, as it is no longer winter, so schnitzel is apparently just the ticket, if Chef just knew what it is.
Chapter 4, "Quarreling Craftsmen", sees two new characters introduced. Holga, a glassmaker who heard about Izakaya Nobu from the tax collector Gehrnot, who enjoyed the 'Spaghetti Napolitan' in volume 1, and Han's father, a woodworker named Laurenz. They spend most of the chapter arguing and trying each other's dishes, but it is a friendly rivalry that gets settled down by a surprising person.
Chapter 5, "The Commander's Weakness", is hilarious due to more puns on squid than I ever thought could be made, but Commander Bertholdt has to conquer his fear of squid before his arranged marriage to the daughter of a fisherman. Such a good chapter. One of my favorites. "He squidn't!"
Chapter 6, "Effa in Wonderland", sees Effa going through the back door of the pub into modern Japan. Not much cooking in this chapter, but we find out a little more about how the pub ended up being in two places at once. Thankfully, she gets back to Aitheria safe and sound.
I'm not completely sure about this being a review as much as a rundown of what happens. It's just a feel-good series, with just a hair of drama, but nothing that can't be resolved in a chapter or perhaps two. The characters are likeable, for the most part, and those who aren't are meant to be unlikeable. The interpersonal relationships are fun to see revealed. Definitely a good pre-bed book. đ
The book starts off with one of the soldiers from volume 1, Hans, stopping by the pub after training only to find out it's 'Kisu Day'. Hans is surprised to see Chef Nobu deep frying the tempura-battered fish and putting it on paper, which is a very expensive commodity in Aitheria. The little details really make this series special, I think.
In chapter 2, "Thief", we meet a new helper, a young girl trying to help out her family, named Effa. There is a bit of confusion, but we get to meet the new deacon in town, who has already become a regular.
Chapter 3, "An Uninvited Guest", Chef Nobu learns a 'new' recipe, and we are reminded that Shinobu can cook as well. A pompous little man and his gourmet aristocrat boss stop by in search of the Ankake Yudofu that pleased the bride-to-be in volume 1, as she praised it at her wedding. Each chapter builds ties to other people or builds ties between Shinobu/Chef and the regulars, which Is another thing I love. Ankake Yudofu is out of season, as it is no longer winter, so schnitzel is apparently just the ticket, if Chef just knew what it is.
Chapter 4, "Quarreling Craftsmen", sees two new characters introduced. Holga, a glassmaker who heard about Izakaya Nobu from the tax collector Gehrnot, who enjoyed the 'Spaghetti Napolitan' in volume 1, and Han's father, a woodworker named Laurenz. They spend most of the chapter arguing and trying each other's dishes, but it is a friendly rivalry that gets settled down by a surprising person.
Chapter 5, "The Commander's Weakness", is hilarious due to more puns on squid than I ever thought could be made, but Commander Bertholdt has to conquer his fear of squid before his arranged marriage to the daughter of a fisherman. Such a good chapter. One of my favorites. "He squidn't!"
Chapter 6, "Effa in Wonderland", sees Effa going through the back door of the pub into modern Japan. Not much cooking in this chapter, but we find out a little more about how the pub ended up being in two places at once. Thankfully, she gets back to Aitheria safe and sound.
I'm not completely sure about this being a review as much as a rundown of what happens. It's just a feel-good series, with just a hair of drama, but nothing that can't be resolved in a chapter or perhaps two. The characters are likeable, for the most part, and those who aren't are meant to be unlikeable. The interpersonal relationships are fun to see revealed. Definitely a good pre-bed book. đ
Hadley (567 KP) rated Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds in Books
Jun 10, 2019
The first novel adapted from the Netflix series hit 'Stranger Things' is an astonishing work of art. Viewers of the show may be familiar with Eleven's mother, Terry Ives, which this book surrounds. Along for the ride are a few important characters that weren't mentioned in the series: Alice, Gloria and Ken - a self proclaimed psychic - all of which meet because they signed up for a human experiment at Hawkins National Laboratory, where each are given doses of LSD every week. This quickly tells readers that the book is not recommended for anyone under the age of 14.
Although the series has more than one book, and no end in sight, Bond was only chosen to do this novel. 'Suspicious Minds' is categorized under Young Adult books, but with the heavy Vietnam content, it's not considered that many young adults today can actually relate with this story or even understand the devastating effects of a looming draft hanging over the heads of young men throughout America in the 1960's. But Bond does a wonderful job in relating the emotional state of this era through our main character, Terry. Another subject that Bond does a fantastic job of explaining in 'Suspicious Minds' is the taboo of being a pregnant, unwed mother in this era, something that seems to be making headlines again in the States nearly 60 years later.
Bond shows us a young Dr. Martin Brenner, with neatly styled brown hair and an almost unlined face, as well as a more lively Terry Ives (which only season 2 has shown a very short flashback sequence of Terry being mobile before her dreaded consequence from being associated with the human experiments). We find out that the reason Terry volunteered for the experiment is due to her father's service in WWII, and wanting to make the world a better place. Bond brings in the other important characters, who also volunteered for the experiments, quickly bonding the four as friends for life.
As far as characters go, these four are written very well. Although Terry is the main character of 'Suspicious Minds,' we get to see from the viewpoints of all people, including Brenner. Bond gives the reader a short background on what LSD is and where it came from when the time comes for the experiments to begin. Brenner doesn't really explain why he gives LSD to the volunteers, but only that it is part of a secret experiment. Even when Terry is placed in a sensory deprivation tank, he doesn't reveal anything to her, and Bond does a great job of keeping the characters enough in the grey area of knowing that it's believable. Even at one point, when Terry begins to suspect something strange from the experiments, she keeps the belief that whatever is going on at Hawkins Laboratory must be important: " 'But you can't see it's important?' Terry leaned in close, and they kept their voices down as other students walked past. 'They just called up the school and told them to give me Thursdays off and I'm getting credit for it? They're tying our grades to doing this. And no one asked any questions. They just agreed. I have to keep going.' " Bond eloquently keeps the mystery going.
This mystery is even interesting to those who know what happens in the end. In 'Stranger Things,' Terry is introduced as a comatose woman in a rocking chair- who happens to be Eleven's mother. We have never met Gloria, Alice or Ken. The three become very close to Terry, and they all somehow escape from Brenner's grasp, but they also end up joining in Terry's pursuit of getting Eleven/Jane back to her mother. Fans of the show might be left asking what happened to these three enjoyable characters? I haven't seen any plans for a part two of this story, so we may be left not knowing what happened or if the three are even still alive today (in the Stranger Things' era). Even more enjoyable is the random use of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings,' where in one scene, Alice and Terry decide to name their small group 'The Fellowship of the Lab.' Any veteran reader will be happy to see a classic brought up in a newer book of today.
And also of interest, fans will recognize a little girl who is frequent throughout the story: Eight a.k.a. Kali. We never get to see through Kali's perspective, but the reader does get to see the multitude of her abilities. For instance, Kali is able to scare personnel in the lab by causing the hallucination of tidal waves inside the building, only to stop when Brenner (or Papa to her) gives her her favorite sweet: Hostess cakes. Other than that, Kali is like any child; she throws tantrums and rebels from her Papa, sometimes to the laughter of the reader.
One point, Terry even meets with Kali in her LSD induced state: " Terry shook her head. 'There can be. He's just a man. He can't know everything.' She paused. 'Does he hurt you? Papa?' Kali frowned, but she didn't answer. 'If he does... I can help you.' Terry had to make her understand. The little girl shook her head. 'I don't think so. I might be able to help you, though.' A field of yellow sunflowers grew up around them. A rainbow arcing over the golden tops." Terry, understandably, begins to scheme about how they can help Kali to escape the lab.
Bond does a great job of transitioning between Terry's point of view to the other characters' viewpoints. We get a young woman named Gloria, who has a secret obsession with comic books (especially X-Men). A hippie-looking man named Ken, who claims he is psychic, but just happens to have a lot of hunches that come true. And last, but not least, another young woman named Alice, who shows up in grease covered overalls and curly black hair, explaining that she works for her uncle's garage and that she loves machines. These three are delightful to read about, and the story would be boring without them.
This book was the perfect novel to answer questions fans may have had about Eleven's mother. Bond writes smoothly and easily enough that you may find yourself wanting to read just one more page before setting the book down for the evening. She drags you into the world of the 1960's and helps young readers to feel the emotional time that it was for women like Terry. But with only a few inconsistencies here and there, 'Suspicious Minds' leaves us wanting more. If you are a fan of 'Stranger Things,' I say that this is a must-read! Highly recommend!
Although the series has more than one book, and no end in sight, Bond was only chosen to do this novel. 'Suspicious Minds' is categorized under Young Adult books, but with the heavy Vietnam content, it's not considered that many young adults today can actually relate with this story or even understand the devastating effects of a looming draft hanging over the heads of young men throughout America in the 1960's. But Bond does a wonderful job in relating the emotional state of this era through our main character, Terry. Another subject that Bond does a fantastic job of explaining in 'Suspicious Minds' is the taboo of being a pregnant, unwed mother in this era, something that seems to be making headlines again in the States nearly 60 years later.
Bond shows us a young Dr. Martin Brenner, with neatly styled brown hair and an almost unlined face, as well as a more lively Terry Ives (which only season 2 has shown a very short flashback sequence of Terry being mobile before her dreaded consequence from being associated with the human experiments). We find out that the reason Terry volunteered for the experiment is due to her father's service in WWII, and wanting to make the world a better place. Bond brings in the other important characters, who also volunteered for the experiments, quickly bonding the four as friends for life.
As far as characters go, these four are written very well. Although Terry is the main character of 'Suspicious Minds,' we get to see from the viewpoints of all people, including Brenner. Bond gives the reader a short background on what LSD is and where it came from when the time comes for the experiments to begin. Brenner doesn't really explain why he gives LSD to the volunteers, but only that it is part of a secret experiment. Even when Terry is placed in a sensory deprivation tank, he doesn't reveal anything to her, and Bond does a great job of keeping the characters enough in the grey area of knowing that it's believable. Even at one point, when Terry begins to suspect something strange from the experiments, she keeps the belief that whatever is going on at Hawkins Laboratory must be important: " 'But you can't see it's important?' Terry leaned in close, and they kept their voices down as other students walked past. 'They just called up the school and told them to give me Thursdays off and I'm getting credit for it? They're tying our grades to doing this. And no one asked any questions. They just agreed. I have to keep going.' " Bond eloquently keeps the mystery going.
This mystery is even interesting to those who know what happens in the end. In 'Stranger Things,' Terry is introduced as a comatose woman in a rocking chair- who happens to be Eleven's mother. We have never met Gloria, Alice or Ken. The three become very close to Terry, and they all somehow escape from Brenner's grasp, but they also end up joining in Terry's pursuit of getting Eleven/Jane back to her mother. Fans of the show might be left asking what happened to these three enjoyable characters? I haven't seen any plans for a part two of this story, so we may be left not knowing what happened or if the three are even still alive today (in the Stranger Things' era). Even more enjoyable is the random use of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings,' where in one scene, Alice and Terry decide to name their small group 'The Fellowship of the Lab.' Any veteran reader will be happy to see a classic brought up in a newer book of today.
And also of interest, fans will recognize a little girl who is frequent throughout the story: Eight a.k.a. Kali. We never get to see through Kali's perspective, but the reader does get to see the multitude of her abilities. For instance, Kali is able to scare personnel in the lab by causing the hallucination of tidal waves inside the building, only to stop when Brenner (or Papa to her) gives her her favorite sweet: Hostess cakes. Other than that, Kali is like any child; she throws tantrums and rebels from her Papa, sometimes to the laughter of the reader.
One point, Terry even meets with Kali in her LSD induced state: " Terry shook her head. 'There can be. He's just a man. He can't know everything.' She paused. 'Does he hurt you? Papa?' Kali frowned, but she didn't answer. 'If he does... I can help you.' Terry had to make her understand. The little girl shook her head. 'I don't think so. I might be able to help you, though.' A field of yellow sunflowers grew up around them. A rainbow arcing over the golden tops." Terry, understandably, begins to scheme about how they can help Kali to escape the lab.
Bond does a great job of transitioning between Terry's point of view to the other characters' viewpoints. We get a young woman named Gloria, who has a secret obsession with comic books (especially X-Men). A hippie-looking man named Ken, who claims he is psychic, but just happens to have a lot of hunches that come true. And last, but not least, another young woman named Alice, who shows up in grease covered overalls and curly black hair, explaining that she works for her uncle's garage and that she loves machines. These three are delightful to read about, and the story would be boring without them.
This book was the perfect novel to answer questions fans may have had about Eleven's mother. Bond writes smoothly and easily enough that you may find yourself wanting to read just one more page before setting the book down for the evening. She drags you into the world of the 1960's and helps young readers to feel the emotional time that it was for women like Terry. But with only a few inconsistencies here and there, 'Suspicious Minds' leaves us wanting more. If you are a fan of 'Stranger Things,' I say that this is a must-read! Highly recommend!
Hadley (567 KP) rated The Institute in Books
Oct 24, 2019
Likable characters (1 more)
Paranormal
Sexualizing children (1 more)
Not a regular King story
At around 95 novels, Stephen King, who is one of the most well-known authors of our time, debuts a possible new novel series about psychic children. 'The Institute' mostly takes place in a hidden facility located in a wooded area of Maine,where readers follow a kidnapped child prodigy named Luke Ellis, and the government experiments that are inflicted on him to heighten his psychic powers.
So why is the government kidnapping children to conduct psychic research on them? At first, it may seem just that: psychic research, because psychic powers seem to be more powerful in young children than adults, but nothing is what it seems. As the boss of this Institute says to the children: " ' There's a war going on, and you have been called upon to serve your country.' " A few sentences later, and she explains it a little more in depth for Ellis: " ' This is not an arms race but a mind race, and if we lose, the consequences would be more than dire; they would be unimaginable. You may only be twelve, but you are a soldier in an undeclared war. The same is true of Kalisha and the others. Do you like it? Of course not. Draftees never do, and draftees sometimes need to be taught that there are consequences for not following orders. I believe you've already had one lesson in that regard. If you're as bright as your records say you are, perhaps you won't need another. If you do, however, you'll get it. This is not your home. This is not your school. You will not simply be given an extra chore or sent to the principal's office or given detention; you will be punished. Clear? ' "
King writes in a third-person point-of-view, which makes it a little disturbing that when any female character he introduces (including girls as young as 11-years-old) are usually introduced by their breast size. It's not uncommon for male writers to introduce female characters this way, but when most of them are children, it can be very off putting for readers. One scene, King makes Ellis notice that Kalisha has 'her hands on her mostly nonexistent hips,' then writes about the character Helen in the same scene: " Another door opened and Helen Simms appeared, clad - - - sort of - - - in what Luke believed were called babydoll pajamas. She had hips, plus other interesting equipment. " Both of these characters are only twelve-years-old.
Aside from the children, King also introduces an important character named Tim Jamieson. This character starts the novel off before readers meet Ellis; we learn that he is a former cop who is traveling to New York while taking odd jobs on his way there, including a night knocker job in DuPray, South Carolina (which becomes very important later on in the story) .
Avery, my personal favorite character in the book, is a ten-year-old who acts like a five-year-old, " The screamer was a little boy in Star Wars pajamas, hammering on doors with small fists that went up and down like pistons. Ten? Avery Dixon looked six, seven at most. The crotch and one leg of his pajama pants were wet and sticking to him. " Dixon and Kalisha are both in the Institute for telepathy. " 'You know so,' Kalisha said, and began to stroke the little boy's [Dixon] hair again. Like had a sense - - - maybe bullshit, maybe not - - - that a lot was going on between them. Inside traffic. " And quickly, the group of children become protective of Dixon, " 'But you need to take care of this one for as long as you can. When I think of Tony or Zeke or that bitch Winona hitting Avery, it makes me want to cry. ' " Kalisha confides in Ellis.
Kalisha, one of the other children that has been kidnapped, is another very likable character that seems to keep all of the other kids' spirits up by either keeping them out of trouble with advice or stopping small fights between them. Another kid named Nicky, the troublemaker of the group, is the stereo-typical bad boy. He gets involved in fistfights with the orderlies that work at the Institute, taking quite a bit of abuse in return. But eventually, the rebelliousness catches up with him, leading him to be moved from Front Half to the dreaded Back Half.
Readers later learn that Back Half is worse than Front Half. Most questions we may have about why the Institute is abusing these children are all answered when readers get to see into Back Half from Kalisha's point-of-view. But what is left unanswered is exactly how many children have been through the Institute? From the amount of children seen just in this story, the numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands!
But, as expected, the children come up with a plan to escape - - - with giving as little detail as possible, an orderlie at the Institute is helped by one of the children with a personal problem, and in return, this orderlie decides to help one of them escape and reveal everything that is the Institute. The instance the escape starts being discussed is when the book really picks up.
King's writing of the abuse our characters sustain is very real (" When Stevie Whipple asked where he'd been and what was wrong, Luke just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about the tank. Not now, not ever. He supposed it was like being in a war. You got drafted, you went, but you didn't want to talk about what you'd seen, or what had happened to you there." ) The scene in which Ellis refuses to speak of is where the orderlie Zeke is trying to make Ellis confess that he is not only telekinesis, but also telepathic: "Zeke hauled him up by the hair. His white tunic was soaked. He looked fixedly at Luke. 'I'm going to put you down again, Luke. Again and again and again. I'll put you down until you drown and then we'll resuscitate you and drown you again and resuscitate you again. Last chance: what number am I thinking of?' "
King brings up a fictional belief that strikes fear in parents everywhere: children being kidnapped for government experiments. Readers witness Ellis' parents being killed, Kalisha being a surrogate mother to kids she barely knows, Nicky being beaten by adults when he refuses to get 'shots for dots,' night terrors, suicide, zap sticks and murder.
This book doesn't read like a regular King book; even with the paranormal aspects occurring in it, it doesn't add up to much. The horror aspect is more in the form of child abuse then paranormal moments. I would only recommend this book to fans of Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and Patterson's 'Maximum Ride.' I don't think I would read this again.
So why is the government kidnapping children to conduct psychic research on them? At first, it may seem just that: psychic research, because psychic powers seem to be more powerful in young children than adults, but nothing is what it seems. As the boss of this Institute says to the children: " ' There's a war going on, and you have been called upon to serve your country.' " A few sentences later, and she explains it a little more in depth for Ellis: " ' This is not an arms race but a mind race, and if we lose, the consequences would be more than dire; they would be unimaginable. You may only be twelve, but you are a soldier in an undeclared war. The same is true of Kalisha and the others. Do you like it? Of course not. Draftees never do, and draftees sometimes need to be taught that there are consequences for not following orders. I believe you've already had one lesson in that regard. If you're as bright as your records say you are, perhaps you won't need another. If you do, however, you'll get it. This is not your home. This is not your school. You will not simply be given an extra chore or sent to the principal's office or given detention; you will be punished. Clear? ' "
King writes in a third-person point-of-view, which makes it a little disturbing that when any female character he introduces (including girls as young as 11-years-old) are usually introduced by their breast size. It's not uncommon for male writers to introduce female characters this way, but when most of them are children, it can be very off putting for readers. One scene, King makes Ellis notice that Kalisha has 'her hands on her mostly nonexistent hips,' then writes about the character Helen in the same scene: " Another door opened and Helen Simms appeared, clad - - - sort of - - - in what Luke believed were called babydoll pajamas. She had hips, plus other interesting equipment. " Both of these characters are only twelve-years-old.
Aside from the children, King also introduces an important character named Tim Jamieson. This character starts the novel off before readers meet Ellis; we learn that he is a former cop who is traveling to New York while taking odd jobs on his way there, including a night knocker job in DuPray, South Carolina (which becomes very important later on in the story) .
Avery, my personal favorite character in the book, is a ten-year-old who acts like a five-year-old, " The screamer was a little boy in Star Wars pajamas, hammering on doors with small fists that went up and down like pistons. Ten? Avery Dixon looked six, seven at most. The crotch and one leg of his pajama pants were wet and sticking to him. " Dixon and Kalisha are both in the Institute for telepathy. " 'You know so,' Kalisha said, and began to stroke the little boy's [Dixon] hair again. Like had a sense - - - maybe bullshit, maybe not - - - that a lot was going on between them. Inside traffic. " And quickly, the group of children become protective of Dixon, " 'But you need to take care of this one for as long as you can. When I think of Tony or Zeke or that bitch Winona hitting Avery, it makes me want to cry. ' " Kalisha confides in Ellis.
Kalisha, one of the other children that has been kidnapped, is another very likable character that seems to keep all of the other kids' spirits up by either keeping them out of trouble with advice or stopping small fights between them. Another kid named Nicky, the troublemaker of the group, is the stereo-typical bad boy. He gets involved in fistfights with the orderlies that work at the Institute, taking quite a bit of abuse in return. But eventually, the rebelliousness catches up with him, leading him to be moved from Front Half to the dreaded Back Half.
Readers later learn that Back Half is worse than Front Half. Most questions we may have about why the Institute is abusing these children are all answered when readers get to see into Back Half from Kalisha's point-of-view. But what is left unanswered is exactly how many children have been through the Institute? From the amount of children seen just in this story, the numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands!
But, as expected, the children come up with a plan to escape - - - with giving as little detail as possible, an orderlie at the Institute is helped by one of the children with a personal problem, and in return, this orderlie decides to help one of them escape and reveal everything that is the Institute. The instance the escape starts being discussed is when the book really picks up.
King's writing of the abuse our characters sustain is very real (" When Stevie Whipple asked where he'd been and what was wrong, Luke just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about the tank. Not now, not ever. He supposed it was like being in a war. You got drafted, you went, but you didn't want to talk about what you'd seen, or what had happened to you there." ) The scene in which Ellis refuses to speak of is where the orderlie Zeke is trying to make Ellis confess that he is not only telekinesis, but also telepathic: "Zeke hauled him up by the hair. His white tunic was soaked. He looked fixedly at Luke. 'I'm going to put you down again, Luke. Again and again and again. I'll put you down until you drown and then we'll resuscitate you and drown you again and resuscitate you again. Last chance: what number am I thinking of?' "
King brings up a fictional belief that strikes fear in parents everywhere: children being kidnapped for government experiments. Readers witness Ellis' parents being killed, Kalisha being a surrogate mother to kids she barely knows, Nicky being beaten by adults when he refuses to get 'shots for dots,' night terrors, suicide, zap sticks and murder.
This book doesn't read like a regular King book; even with the paranormal aspects occurring in it, it doesn't add up to much. The horror aspect is more in the form of child abuse then paranormal moments. I would only recommend this book to fans of Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and Patterson's 'Maximum Ride.' I don't think I would read this again.
The book opens with Gillian Deacon's personal story for why she decided to write this book - when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though she believed that she had been living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle for years, she realized that one can never be too cautious. Deacon employs a few new vocabulary terms that help to introduce the reader to what Deacon hopes to accomplish with this book - by teaching the readers to be cautious about what to use in, on, and around their bodies. The first term is pinkwashing, applying to "big cosmetics corporations that position themselves as leaders in the struggle to eradicate breast cancer... [that] are, in fact, makers and marketers of products that contain many ingredients known or suspected to cause breast cancer." This term is related to the next- greenwashing, in which big corporations do the same thing with environmental awareness. She even gives a list of product lines that fall under this heading on page 10.
Deacon's motto throughout the book is "Be your own advocate," and she uses the book to teach the reader how, with multiple resources that can be found both in books and on the internet. The chapter on label reading introduces the reader to the concept of the chemical body burden, which "refers to the accumulation of chemical ingredients in the human body." This chapter was incredibly illuminating, as I am sure most people do not consider the cumulative effect of all of the manufactured products that we use on a day-to-day basis, or even how different chemicals in these different products can react negatively with one another. Governmental bodies such as Health Canada or the U.S. FDA, are also shown to be of little help in curbing the influx of chemicals into the retail market that have been presented to be linked to illness and disease - and are sometimes even prohibited from use in European countries. She gives a list of the 20 worst chemicals to avoid and why on page 31 - a list which had me examining every product in my bathroom.
Each chapter begins with some basic information about the body parts mentioned to illustrate why and how the chemicals found in products can harm the body. Every chapter is supplied with a list of products that can be found on the internet applicable to that chapter's topic along with the pros and cons of each product. If that is not enough, she also supplies recipes for do-it-yourself homemade body care products, such as face masks, hair treatments, and lipsticks.
The book also teaches that many of the common "spin" words that companies use to promote a product as safe or healthy are, in fact, meaningless, without an industry-standard definition: natural, hypoallergenic, botanicals, pure plant essence, herbal conditioning, purifying, and nourishing, to name a few. Other words can be used to hide chemicals, such as fragrance or perfume, as the companies are not legally required to list the chemicals used to achieve them. Even the regulated word "organic" can not always be trusted as anything with less than 60% organic ingredients can not be truly organic.
In short, this book is a priceless commodity for me, and with it I hope to detox both my home and and family, adding years to all of our lives.
Deacon's motto throughout the book is "Be your own advocate," and she uses the book to teach the reader how, with multiple resources that can be found both in books and on the internet. The chapter on label reading introduces the reader to the concept of the chemical body burden, which "refers to the accumulation of chemical ingredients in the human body." This chapter was incredibly illuminating, as I am sure most people do not consider the cumulative effect of all of the manufactured products that we use on a day-to-day basis, or even how different chemicals in these different products can react negatively with one another. Governmental bodies such as Health Canada or the U.S. FDA, are also shown to be of little help in curbing the influx of chemicals into the retail market that have been presented to be linked to illness and disease - and are sometimes even prohibited from use in European countries. She gives a list of the 20 worst chemicals to avoid and why on page 31 - a list which had me examining every product in my bathroom.
Each chapter begins with some basic information about the body parts mentioned to illustrate why and how the chemicals found in products can harm the body. Every chapter is supplied with a list of products that can be found on the internet applicable to that chapter's topic along with the pros and cons of each product. If that is not enough, she also supplies recipes for do-it-yourself homemade body care products, such as face masks, hair treatments, and lipsticks.
The book also teaches that many of the common "spin" words that companies use to promote a product as safe or healthy are, in fact, meaningless, without an industry-standard definition: natural, hypoallergenic, botanicals, pure plant essence, herbal conditioning, purifying, and nourishing, to name a few. Other words can be used to hide chemicals, such as fragrance or perfume, as the companies are not legally required to list the chemicals used to achieve them. Even the regulated word "organic" can not always be trusted as anything with less than 60% organic ingredients can not be truly organic.
In short, this book is a priceless commodity for me, and with it I hope to detox both my home and and family, adding years to all of our lives.
A Fascinating Tale Of Obsession, Revenge & Lies
Wow, What an absolute joy this book was to read! THE EX by Freida McFadden is a fascinating tale of obsession, revenge and lies.
Told in alternating chapters between the ex and the new girlfriend, and even though the plot is not an original one by any means as it has been tried and tested many times before, I was, nevertheless, absolutely enthralled by this novel from the very first page, which I attribute to Freida McFaddenâs superb writing.
The ex, Francesca Mascolo, is Italian and is expecting to marry her adorable boyfriend, Dr Joel Broder, who works as an Emergency Room physician at the local hospital. They have been together many, many years and have travelled and worked abroad together, until one night he dumps her in a crowded restaurant, saying that their relationship didnât work for him any more. Francesca repeatedly begs him to reconsider - she is very much in love and canât afford to pay the rent for their flat on her own earnings.
Cassie Donovan is the new girl, twenty-six-years-old and runs a small, used book-store called Bookland, that she inherited from her grandparents Grandma Bea & Grandpa Marv, when she was twenty-two. Her best friend, Zoe Malloy is also her business partner and they were room-mates at college. Cassie offered her a share in Bookland for some help with running Bookland. Cassie is the accountant and Zoe, who has a degree in Communication, manages the sales. Bookland is in a bit of financial trouble and the girls havenât yet managed to drag it out of the financial hole it was in when Cassie took over. Zoe is gorgeous with bobbed jet black hair, red lipstick and black nails and glowing personality. Sheâs chatty, everyoneâs friend, and kind to the homeless.
Cassieâs not interested in dating, sheâs too busy trying to keep Bookland afloat. And all of her most recent dating endeavours have been bitterly disappointing.
Joel is in his mid-thirties and is very much a âHot Doctor.â He has vivid blue eyes, a lovely smile, an attractive laugh, and lovely biceps. Joel and Cassie first meet in Bookland and Joel is so sexy that Cassie starts to waver about not dating. He is as attracted to Cassie as she is to him.
I loved that Joel is a bit of a romantic and that there is a connection between the two of them straight-away. One of the best bits of the book is following how their romance develops, however, everyone has a past and some people are keeping secrets and hiding their emotions âŚ
I really liked Freida McFaddenâs character development and her straightforward writing style. She managed to create exactly the right amount of suspense to keep the story interesting so that I felt that I needed to read just one more chapter.
Freida McFadden writes with great flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be extremely enjoyable for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Overall, THE EX is a highly recommended, incredibly entertaining story with a surprising and fulfilling ending.
{Thank you to Hidden Gems and Freida McFadden for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Told in alternating chapters between the ex and the new girlfriend, and even though the plot is not an original one by any means as it has been tried and tested many times before, I was, nevertheless, absolutely enthralled by this novel from the very first page, which I attribute to Freida McFaddenâs superb writing.
The ex, Francesca Mascolo, is Italian and is expecting to marry her adorable boyfriend, Dr Joel Broder, who works as an Emergency Room physician at the local hospital. They have been together many, many years and have travelled and worked abroad together, until one night he dumps her in a crowded restaurant, saying that their relationship didnât work for him any more. Francesca repeatedly begs him to reconsider - she is very much in love and canât afford to pay the rent for their flat on her own earnings.
Cassie Donovan is the new girl, twenty-six-years-old and runs a small, used book-store called Bookland, that she inherited from her grandparents Grandma Bea & Grandpa Marv, when she was twenty-two. Her best friend, Zoe Malloy is also her business partner and they were room-mates at college. Cassie offered her a share in Bookland for some help with running Bookland. Cassie is the accountant and Zoe, who has a degree in Communication, manages the sales. Bookland is in a bit of financial trouble and the girls havenât yet managed to drag it out of the financial hole it was in when Cassie took over. Zoe is gorgeous with bobbed jet black hair, red lipstick and black nails and glowing personality. Sheâs chatty, everyoneâs friend, and kind to the homeless.
Cassieâs not interested in dating, sheâs too busy trying to keep Bookland afloat. And all of her most recent dating endeavours have been bitterly disappointing.
Joel is in his mid-thirties and is very much a âHot Doctor.â He has vivid blue eyes, a lovely smile, an attractive laugh, and lovely biceps. Joel and Cassie first meet in Bookland and Joel is so sexy that Cassie starts to waver about not dating. He is as attracted to Cassie as she is to him.
I loved that Joel is a bit of a romantic and that there is a connection between the two of them straight-away. One of the best bits of the book is following how their romance develops, however, everyone has a past and some people are keeping secrets and hiding their emotions âŚ
I really liked Freida McFaddenâs character development and her straightforward writing style. She managed to create exactly the right amount of suspense to keep the story interesting so that I felt that I needed to read just one more chapter.
Freida McFadden writes with great flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be extremely enjoyable for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Overall, THE EX is a highly recommended, incredibly entertaining story with a surprising and fulfilling ending.
{Thank you to Hidden Gems and Freida McFadden for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated All I Ever Wanted in Books
Mar 20, 2019
Fun, enjoyable book with great characters
Callie Grey is turning thirty, and her life simply isn't going as planned. She's not married--or even dating--and now her boss, Mark, whom she's loved for years, is marrying Muriel, a perfect specimen from California. Even worse, Muriel is honing in on Callie's territory at the advertising agency where she works. Her mother runs the family business: a funeral home, where Callie's thirtieth birthday was held (sharing space with a wake). Her father, meanwhile, is trying to win her mother back, despite the fact that she hates him for cheating on her--when Callie was eight. Hester, her sister, despises all men due to said cheating incident. And no matter how hard she tries, Callie can't get over Mark and the five weeks they "dated." Still, it seems like maybe that could change when she meets Ian, the town's new sulky but handsome veterinarian. But can Callie put the past behind her to find her own happiness? And is Ian ready to move on himself?
So, as part of my reading goals for 2019, I'm going to try to read more books that I own. I've been "practicing" a bit here at the end of 2018, and ALL I EVER WANTED was part of that. I read two of Higgins' recent releases lately and really loved them, so decided to go with this one. While I didn't find it quite as modernly witty and wonderful as those two (a few scenes describing characters' weight and a few other things rubbed me a bit wrong), it was still a really enjoyable read.
Well, I read another romance recently and while it was good, I just couldn't fall fully for the characters. Not the case here. While I worried a bit early on that Callie would be too much of a whiner, she grew on me quickly. Higgins is just so good with the slow build of her characters and storylines. You get the gruff but charming Ian and all these wonderful scenes that make you smile. Her books have just the right balance of sweet and funny (there always seems to be a classic dinner party scene that makes me laugh out loud). There's a great moment where Callie and Ian are on a hike, and a wonderfully humorous time where Callie dates someone who is, yes, a human hair artisan.
The point is, we really get to know the characters--their flaws and foibles plus their good sides--and it just helps make the story. I care about them. I know Callie's family (a great cast of ancillary characters, including her grandfather and nieces), I know her backstory, and we even get to know Ian's tale. The book deals, deftly, with some complicated emotions and heartache along with the fun and fluff. (And well, there's an incident with a wild turkey that's pretty awesome.) And because we get these two fleshed out characters--even if we know they are probably destined to get together--we're invested along the way to find out how and why. That's what I love about Higgins. It's not just some token scenes along the way to an inevitable conclusion. There's real meat and depth, along with humor. And I really enjoyed the ending, too.
Overall, this is just a fun, enjoyable book with some depth to back itself up. The characters are interesting, and parts of it will make you laugh out loud. I recommend it, and I'm glad I picked it up off my bookshelf!
So, as part of my reading goals for 2019, I'm going to try to read more books that I own. I've been "practicing" a bit here at the end of 2018, and ALL I EVER WANTED was part of that. I read two of Higgins' recent releases lately and really loved them, so decided to go with this one. While I didn't find it quite as modernly witty and wonderful as those two (a few scenes describing characters' weight and a few other things rubbed me a bit wrong), it was still a really enjoyable read.
Well, I read another romance recently and while it was good, I just couldn't fall fully for the characters. Not the case here. While I worried a bit early on that Callie would be too much of a whiner, she grew on me quickly. Higgins is just so good with the slow build of her characters and storylines. You get the gruff but charming Ian and all these wonderful scenes that make you smile. Her books have just the right balance of sweet and funny (there always seems to be a classic dinner party scene that makes me laugh out loud). There's a great moment where Callie and Ian are on a hike, and a wonderfully humorous time where Callie dates someone who is, yes, a human hair artisan.
The point is, we really get to know the characters--their flaws and foibles plus their good sides--and it just helps make the story. I care about them. I know Callie's family (a great cast of ancillary characters, including her grandfather and nieces), I know her backstory, and we even get to know Ian's tale. The book deals, deftly, with some complicated emotions and heartache along with the fun and fluff. (And well, there's an incident with a wild turkey that's pretty awesome.) And because we get these two fleshed out characters--even if we know they are probably destined to get together--we're invested along the way to find out how and why. That's what I love about Higgins. It's not just some token scenes along the way to an inevitable conclusion. There's real meat and depth, along with humor. And I really enjoyed the ending, too.
Overall, this is just a fun, enjoyable book with some depth to back itself up. The characters are interesting, and parts of it will make you laugh out loud. I recommend it, and I'm glad I picked it up off my bookshelf!
Ross (3284 KP) rated Split (2016) in Movies
Apr 19, 2019
A half-decent film in its own right. A dreadful desperate attempt to link to Unbreakable at the end
Contains spoilers, click to show
I had watched over half of this film before someone mentioned to me it was part of the Unbreakable "trilogy". I had heard of Glass, and had noticed that McAvoy looked similar in the two films but hadn't realised they were linked (I guess I assumed he got bored of growing his hair back to then have to become Professor X again). I had wondered what the second film in the trilogy was. Unbeknownst to me, I was watching it.
McAvoy plays Kevin, a man whose upbringing lead him to develop a number of (mostly) distinct personalities. These personalities allow his brain to compartmentalise and protect itself from certain aspects of life.
Kevin has decided to kidnap two girls (but for reasons he ends up getting three for the price of two). There is much less threat and horror in their imprisonment than in this type of scenario normally, which is to the film's credit. The girls are confused by the different personalities and how they interact with them and with each other. There are moments of charm, comedy, pantomime and some chilling moments in these scenes.
McAvoy does a good job of portraying these different personalities and they are mostly distinct. He is said to have 23 such personalities but I can only say I recognised 5 distinct ones, two of which were only a camp leg-crossing away from being the same.
Kevin is afraid of, but also excited about (depending on which personality has the spotlight) the possible coming of The Beast, a 24th personality that will be strong and powerful and hard for him to control.
Most of the film centres around either Kevin and his kidnappees or his therapist, which helps to describe his issues and show them at the same time.
The final section, The Beast's emergence and the eventual escape of the victims (I actually can't remember if either of the other 2 girls escaped) was so implausible and hammy. The supposed physical changes that each personality brings to Kevin's body are stretched to breaking point, and I think this just becomes stupid.
We then see where the girls had been kept all this time (a zoo) and again this just shouts out stupid. Suggesting a mentally ill janitor could drive a car with three unconscious schoolgirls into a closed zoo is just stupid.
The final scene made me so angry. Up to this point, there was no link whatsoever to Unbreakable. Fine, I thought. Keep them as separate films in their own right and then Glass can bring them together. But no. We see a news report of the kidnapping and Kevin's escape and disappearance playing out in a diner. One woman remarks that it sounded like that guy a few years ago who went to prison. She turns to Bruce Willis who responds "Mr Glass" (Samuel L Jackson's character from Unbreakable). It sounded absolutely nothing like "that guy". There was no similarity whatsoever in what had been described on TV and the story about a rich disabled man organising terrorist attacks. None whatsoever. This was such a clumsy, unnecessary attempt to sow the seeds of excitement for Glass. This has actually tainted the film for me, it would probably have gotten a 7 or an 8 if not for this lunacy.
McAvoy plays Kevin, a man whose upbringing lead him to develop a number of (mostly) distinct personalities. These personalities allow his brain to compartmentalise and protect itself from certain aspects of life.
Kevin has decided to kidnap two girls (but for reasons he ends up getting three for the price of two). There is much less threat and horror in their imprisonment than in this type of scenario normally, which is to the film's credit. The girls are confused by the different personalities and how they interact with them and with each other. There are moments of charm, comedy, pantomime and some chilling moments in these scenes.
McAvoy does a good job of portraying these different personalities and they are mostly distinct. He is said to have 23 such personalities but I can only say I recognised 5 distinct ones, two of which were only a camp leg-crossing away from being the same.
Kevin is afraid of, but also excited about (depending on which personality has the spotlight) the possible coming of The Beast, a 24th personality that will be strong and powerful and hard for him to control.
Most of the film centres around either Kevin and his kidnappees or his therapist, which helps to describe his issues and show them at the same time.
The final section, The Beast's emergence and the eventual escape of the victims (I actually can't remember if either of the other 2 girls escaped) was so implausible and hammy. The supposed physical changes that each personality brings to Kevin's body are stretched to breaking point, and I think this just becomes stupid.
We then see where the girls had been kept all this time (a zoo) and again this just shouts out stupid. Suggesting a mentally ill janitor could drive a car with three unconscious schoolgirls into a closed zoo is just stupid.
The final scene made me so angry. Up to this point, there was no link whatsoever to Unbreakable. Fine, I thought. Keep them as separate films in their own right and then Glass can bring them together. But no. We see a news report of the kidnapping and Kevin's escape and disappearance playing out in a diner. One woman remarks that it sounded like that guy a few years ago who went to prison. She turns to Bruce Willis who responds "Mr Glass" (Samuel L Jackson's character from Unbreakable). It sounded absolutely nothing like "that guy". There was no similarity whatsoever in what had been described on TV and the story about a rich disabled man organising terrorist attacks. None whatsoever. This was such a clumsy, unnecessary attempt to sow the seeds of excitement for Glass. This has actually tainted the film for me, it would probably have gotten a 7 or an 8 if not for this lunacy.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)
Another case of threequel-itis
âAt least we can agree the third one is always the worstâ barks a young Jean Grey in ÂX-Men: Apocalypse. And whilst the film stays well away from the poor efforts of Spider-Man 3 and The Last Stand, thereâs more truth to that statement here than director Bryan Singer would want you to believe.
X-Men: Apocalypse picks up after the events of its brilliant predecessor, Days of Future Past, as mutants and humans continue to live alongside each other, not necessarily in peace â but not in war either.
The film begins with an introduction to our titular villain, played by Oscar Issac, in Cairo as he aims to recruit four followers â the four horsemen of the apocalypse if you will. Soon after, the audience is whisked away to a more familiar sight, Charles Xavierâs school for gifted youngsters.
After the awakening of Oscar Issacâs villain, and his recruitment of Storm, Magneto, Angel and Psylocke, the X-Men must unite to save humans and mutants alike from being destroyed.
The majority of the âyoungerâ cast return in this instalment with some exciting, and some not so exciting additions. Game of Thronesâ Sophie Turner joins the series as Jean Grey, channelling Famke Janssen reasonably well. Kodi Smit-McPhee is fantastic as Nightcrawler and Tye Sheridan finally does away with James Marsdenâs whiney Cyclops.
Apocalypse belongs to Evan Peters and Quicksilver. As with Days of Future Past, he brings the screen to life and as with its predecessor, stars in the filmâs standout sequence. However, in an effort to improve on what came before it, the writers have tried too hard to make it bigger and better â the finished product lacks finesse with some poorly finished CGI detracting from the overall effect.
Elsewhere, Michael Fassbender is the perfect man to play Magneto but James McAvoy remains miscast as Charles Xavier. Itâs only once he loses his hair that we start to see the character he shouldâve been right from the beginning. Jennifer Lawrence finally gets into her groove as Mystique after failing to make an impact in First Class and Days of Future Past.
The story is a little underdeveloped, especially after the great writing brought to life in Captain America: Civil War. Despite constantly being told about the stakes never being higher, it doesnât really feel like anything awful is going to happen. This is, in part, not helped by Apocalypse being a little bit of a wet lettuce when it comes to superhero villains.
Unfortunately, the abundance of CGI only hampers the film further. There is far too much green screen and certain scenes feel unbelievable as a result. The finale in particular is incredibly underwhelming and becomes an ugly mix of special effects.
Thereâs a problem with the pacing too. After spending nearly an hour introducing the audience to the new mutants; Apocalypse takes a scalpel to the ending with, well the results youâd expect. Itâs choppily edited and hastily stitched back together
Nevertheless, this is not a bad film. For the most part, itâs exciting, well-acted, nicely choreographed and beautifully shot with exotic locations brilliantly juxtaposed with the lush landscape of Xavierâs school.
Overall, X-Men: Apocalypse falls some way short of the standard set by its predecessor. In yet another case of threequel-itis, the film is hampered by an underdeveloped story, poor pacing and a ridiculous amount of CGI. Bigger isnât always better, and unfortunately, this is the case here.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/05/20/another-case-of-threequel-itis-x-men-apocalypse-review/
X-Men: Apocalypse picks up after the events of its brilliant predecessor, Days of Future Past, as mutants and humans continue to live alongside each other, not necessarily in peace â but not in war either.
The film begins with an introduction to our titular villain, played by Oscar Issac, in Cairo as he aims to recruit four followers â the four horsemen of the apocalypse if you will. Soon after, the audience is whisked away to a more familiar sight, Charles Xavierâs school for gifted youngsters.
After the awakening of Oscar Issacâs villain, and his recruitment of Storm, Magneto, Angel and Psylocke, the X-Men must unite to save humans and mutants alike from being destroyed.
The majority of the âyoungerâ cast return in this instalment with some exciting, and some not so exciting additions. Game of Thronesâ Sophie Turner joins the series as Jean Grey, channelling Famke Janssen reasonably well. Kodi Smit-McPhee is fantastic as Nightcrawler and Tye Sheridan finally does away with James Marsdenâs whiney Cyclops.
Apocalypse belongs to Evan Peters and Quicksilver. As with Days of Future Past, he brings the screen to life and as with its predecessor, stars in the filmâs standout sequence. However, in an effort to improve on what came before it, the writers have tried too hard to make it bigger and better â the finished product lacks finesse with some poorly finished CGI detracting from the overall effect.
Elsewhere, Michael Fassbender is the perfect man to play Magneto but James McAvoy remains miscast as Charles Xavier. Itâs only once he loses his hair that we start to see the character he shouldâve been right from the beginning. Jennifer Lawrence finally gets into her groove as Mystique after failing to make an impact in First Class and Days of Future Past.
The story is a little underdeveloped, especially after the great writing brought to life in Captain America: Civil War. Despite constantly being told about the stakes never being higher, it doesnât really feel like anything awful is going to happen. This is, in part, not helped by Apocalypse being a little bit of a wet lettuce when it comes to superhero villains.
Unfortunately, the abundance of CGI only hampers the film further. There is far too much green screen and certain scenes feel unbelievable as a result. The finale in particular is incredibly underwhelming and becomes an ugly mix of special effects.
Thereâs a problem with the pacing too. After spending nearly an hour introducing the audience to the new mutants; Apocalypse takes a scalpel to the ending with, well the results youâd expect. Itâs choppily edited and hastily stitched back together
Nevertheless, this is not a bad film. For the most part, itâs exciting, well-acted, nicely choreographed and beautifully shot with exotic locations brilliantly juxtaposed with the lush landscape of Xavierâs school.
Overall, X-Men: Apocalypse falls some way short of the standard set by its predecessor. In yet another case of threequel-itis, the film is hampered by an underdeveloped story, poor pacing and a ridiculous amount of CGI. Bigger isnât always better, and unfortunately, this is the case here.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/05/20/another-case-of-threequel-itis-x-men-apocalypse-review/
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Thor (2011) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)
Marvel films have become a staple for any movie fanâs diet over the past few years. Weâve had some bloody fantastic ones; Spiderman 2, Iron Man and the second X-Men to name a few; and weâve had some pretty rubbish ones, Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Spiderman 3 are ones that spring to mind.
Here we stand, two years before the release of the much anticipated Avengers movie and the latest offering from Marvel blasts onto our screens: Thor, but is it a success?
Kenneth âThespianâ Brannagh helms this more unknown superhero flick and surprisingly with his track record of Shakespearean cinema, makes one hell of a film.
Chris Hemsworth from Home & Away stars as the Viking god himself and is the perfect choice for the role; I canât think of anyone better suited to playing him. 6 foot 6 with blonde hair and blue eyes, come on; it canât just be a coincidence surely? Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Stellen Skarsgard (Mamma Mia) also star but are unfortunately largely forgettable; Portman certainly wonât be receiving an Oscar for her performance here.
Thor takes place in the fictional realm of Asgard, ruled by an ill looking, but perfect as usual Anthony Hopkins as King Odin. Of course Asgard is created via special effects and these are flawless; from the rainbow bridge that connects that world to Earth, to the sweeping shots of the enemy Frost Giantâs home. It is here, in this beautiful place that Thor really shines, the story is dense and succinct with beautiful performances from all
the actors. The sheer scope of the film is literally immense and this couldâve dwarfed the characters, but thankfully it doesnât.
Unfortunately, Thorâs banishment to Earth for reckless behaviour isnât as exciting and these portions of the film feel a little flat in comparison to the bright lights of Asgard. Thankfully, Hemsworth makes sure that the usual Marvel humour is included which stops these scenes from being a complete failure. Portman and Skarsgard feel lost next to Hemsworthâs fantastic characterisation which is unfortunate as they have both proved themselves to be brilliant actors.
The constant tie-inâs with the upcoming Avengers film are shameless and an obvious marketing probe but they do little to detract from the film itself, the inclusion of S.H.I.E.L.D doesnât feel as laboured as it could have done and thankfully they play a good part in the film â even if it is in the less interesting Earth scenes.
Thor is a film as mighty as the legendary hammer its title character uses; itâs loud, occasionally obnoxious and unashamedly reliant on special effects, more-so than any other Marvel film, but this time, it works.
Kenneth Brannaghâs influence is apparent from the off, with the Shakespearean narrative at the beginning being a real highlight of the film. Thankfully, the highlights donât stop there and apart from a few lapses in judgement, the film steamrolls itself to a decent, if little underwhelming climax.
Overall, Thor is fabulous, a really good attempt at creating a brilliant film from a rather unknown superhero. If Iron Man hadnât been released, it would most definitely be the best of the Marvel films to date, as a result, it comes a really close second. A real treat!
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/05/19/thor-2011/
Here we stand, two years before the release of the much anticipated Avengers movie and the latest offering from Marvel blasts onto our screens: Thor, but is it a success?
Kenneth âThespianâ Brannagh helms this more unknown superhero flick and surprisingly with his track record of Shakespearean cinema, makes one hell of a film.
Chris Hemsworth from Home & Away stars as the Viking god himself and is the perfect choice for the role; I canât think of anyone better suited to playing him. 6 foot 6 with blonde hair and blue eyes, come on; it canât just be a coincidence surely? Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Stellen Skarsgard (Mamma Mia) also star but are unfortunately largely forgettable; Portman certainly wonât be receiving an Oscar for her performance here.
Thor takes place in the fictional realm of Asgard, ruled by an ill looking, but perfect as usual Anthony Hopkins as King Odin. Of course Asgard is created via special effects and these are flawless; from the rainbow bridge that connects that world to Earth, to the sweeping shots of the enemy Frost Giantâs home. It is here, in this beautiful place that Thor really shines, the story is dense and succinct with beautiful performances from all
the actors. The sheer scope of the film is literally immense and this couldâve dwarfed the characters, but thankfully it doesnât.
Unfortunately, Thorâs banishment to Earth for reckless behaviour isnât as exciting and these portions of the film feel a little flat in comparison to the bright lights of Asgard. Thankfully, Hemsworth makes sure that the usual Marvel humour is included which stops these scenes from being a complete failure. Portman and Skarsgard feel lost next to Hemsworthâs fantastic characterisation which is unfortunate as they have both proved themselves to be brilliant actors.
The constant tie-inâs with the upcoming Avengers film are shameless and an obvious marketing probe but they do little to detract from the film itself, the inclusion of S.H.I.E.L.D doesnât feel as laboured as it could have done and thankfully they play a good part in the film â even if it is in the less interesting Earth scenes.
Thor is a film as mighty as the legendary hammer its title character uses; itâs loud, occasionally obnoxious and unashamedly reliant on special effects, more-so than any other Marvel film, but this time, it works.
Kenneth Brannaghâs influence is apparent from the off, with the Shakespearean narrative at the beginning being a real highlight of the film. Thankfully, the highlights donât stop there and apart from a few lapses in judgement, the film steamrolls itself to a decent, if little underwhelming climax.
Overall, Thor is fabulous, a really good attempt at creating a brilliant film from a rather unknown superhero. If Iron Man hadnât been released, it would most definitely be the best of the Marvel films to date, as a result, it comes a really close second. A real treat!
https://moviemetropolis.net/2011/05/19/thor-2011/
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)
The Great Ape-scape
Six years ago, I didnât think Iâd be telling you that a remake of the classic Planet of the Apes and its sequel would go on to be one of the finest double acts since The Two Ronnies, but thatâs exactly what has happened.
Now, the final part of this incredible trilogy, War for the Planet of the Apes is out and ready to conclude an incredible half decade of cinema. But is it as good as its predecessors?
Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his band of loyal apes are forced into a deadly war with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After Caesarâs band of apes suffers unimaginable losses, he wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own quest of revenge. As the journey finally brings the two rivals face-to-face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species.
I have to say, I was a little concerned the finished product would be as tongue twisting as its frankly ridiculous title (a problem that has blighted the entire series), but it ends up being a stunning and heart-warming finale to a franchise filled to the brim with memorable moments.
The motion capture used on Andy Serkis to create Caesar has to be seen to be believed. If you thought predecessor Dawn was good, you havenât seen anything yet. His hair moves with subtle believability and his movements are so fluid, itâs easy to forget youâre watching a film and not a documentary.
But this incredible technology isnât used solely on our main protagonist. Fan favourite orangutan Maurice returns and newcomer âBad Apeâ captured by Steve Zahn provides the flick with a much-needed eccentric, shining a little light in one of the bleakest feature films of the last half decade.
The human characters, naturally donât fare so well. Woody Harrelson is his usual charismatic self but feels a little caricature like. His colonel just doesnât feel particularly believable. Likewise, Amiah Millerâs turn as Nova, whom Maurice adopts as his daughter, seems to be merely used as a plot device, though she does partake in some of the sweeter moments.
As with its predecessors, War is a slow burner with the action interweaved into the plot rather than the other way around. In principle it works well, though the pacing towards the middle of this 140-minute behemoth is a little off.
Nevertheless, the action is filmed beautifully. In fact, the whole film is stunning. Beautiful wooded landscapes and open deserts are juxtaposed with the dark concentration camps used in the latter half. One sequence in particular, behind a gorgeously realised waterfall, is one of the best action scenes of the entire year.
Masquerading as a blockbuster, this is a film with a much deeper message about messing with nature. Brutal and emotionally testing, War for the Planet of the Apes is brave in its choices and all the better for it.
Three films in, it would be easy for director Matt Reeves to rest on his laurels and rely on the positive reaction to its predecessors, but thankfully he has climaxed on a high. Itâs not perfect, and not an easy watch by any means, but for a threequel, you canât really get much better.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/12/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/
Now, the final part of this incredible trilogy, War for the Planet of the Apes is out and ready to conclude an incredible half decade of cinema. But is it as good as its predecessors?
Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his band of loyal apes are forced into a deadly war with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After Caesarâs band of apes suffers unimaginable losses, he wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own quest of revenge. As the journey finally brings the two rivals face-to-face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species.
I have to say, I was a little concerned the finished product would be as tongue twisting as its frankly ridiculous title (a problem that has blighted the entire series), but it ends up being a stunning and heart-warming finale to a franchise filled to the brim with memorable moments.
The motion capture used on Andy Serkis to create Caesar has to be seen to be believed. If you thought predecessor Dawn was good, you havenât seen anything yet. His hair moves with subtle believability and his movements are so fluid, itâs easy to forget youâre watching a film and not a documentary.
But this incredible technology isnât used solely on our main protagonist. Fan favourite orangutan Maurice returns and newcomer âBad Apeâ captured by Steve Zahn provides the flick with a much-needed eccentric, shining a little light in one of the bleakest feature films of the last half decade.
The human characters, naturally donât fare so well. Woody Harrelson is his usual charismatic self but feels a little caricature like. His colonel just doesnât feel particularly believable. Likewise, Amiah Millerâs turn as Nova, whom Maurice adopts as his daughter, seems to be merely used as a plot device, though she does partake in some of the sweeter moments.
As with its predecessors, War is a slow burner with the action interweaved into the plot rather than the other way around. In principle it works well, though the pacing towards the middle of this 140-minute behemoth is a little off.
Nevertheless, the action is filmed beautifully. In fact, the whole film is stunning. Beautiful wooded landscapes and open deserts are juxtaposed with the dark concentration camps used in the latter half. One sequence in particular, behind a gorgeously realised waterfall, is one of the best action scenes of the entire year.
Masquerading as a blockbuster, this is a film with a much deeper message about messing with nature. Brutal and emotionally testing, War for the Planet of the Apes is brave in its choices and all the better for it.
Three films in, it would be easy for director Matt Reeves to rest on his laurels and rely on the positive reaction to its predecessors, but thankfully he has climaxed on a high. Itâs not perfect, and not an easy watch by any means, but for a threequel, you canât really get much better.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/12/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/