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Micro
Micro
10
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The book Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Prestom was great. I may be a little biased because Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors but at the same time I hold his work to a specific standard that he must meet or else I'm disappointed. Like most of his work Micro touches on some topics that as a society we should be aware of. It warns us of some disasters that new technology, being worked on or possibly already created, can cause. It id also an eye opener to the dangers of that our inventions pose.

In Micro a group of young graduate students at a college or approached by the head of a company called Nanigen. The graduate students are invited out to the Nanigen lab in Hawaii to see for themselves the work being done there and to see if they want to work for the company. Out of curiosity all the approached graduate students agree to go but their trip to Hawaii becomes more than what they bargain for.

Nanigen is studying the micro world mainly looking for chemicals that micro animals are making that could be useful to humans in some way. Also like many scientific companies in the private sector Nanigen is doing top secret work for the government. Greed gets in the way for some of the scientist already working for the company and the trip becomes extremely dangerous and even deadly for the graduate students. Having to deal with micro-bots and new technology never heard of before the students must fight to survive a world very different from our own.

What I like most about the book was one of the same features that keeps me reading Michael Crichton's work. The author does his research very thoroughly. The book may be a work of science fiction but there is a bibliography in the back for the curious reader to be able to learn more about the fascinating topics brought up in the book. For being a work of fiction the animals, plants, chemicals, technology,and scientific concepts are not. What I liked least about the book was how similar to another one of his books it was and how predictable some parts felt to me. Again though, I am very familiar with Michael Crichton's work and that would probably explain why it felt so predictable. I cannot hold that against the book.

Overall I would rate this book a 4 out of 4 and would highly recommend it. It has a very strong story and is believable which is an important factor for science fiction. The target readers for this book would start around high school age if not older. I feel like high school students will get the basic concept of what book was talking about but they might be lost on some of the finer detail. It all just depends on if the book is being read for the story or if the reader is interested in science specifically microbiology and nanotechnology.

I feel like I need to note on here that Richard Preston finishing the book did not harm it in any way.
  
Adrift (2018)
Adrift (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sweet romance between thou are immediately thrown into the action (0 more)
Confusing (1 more)
Grim
Contains spoilers, click to show
You are immediately thrown into the action of Tami coming to after being tossed about below deck from the hurricane. Had I not been reading a play-by-play on IMDB, I might have been more confused than I was but I was intrigued by what I read so I wanted to see how it all played out onscreen. I would have preferred to see the hurricane shown because I'm a fan of disaster films, but instead, we are shown the aftermath and flashbacks of the couple's first meeting and the romance that followed. I would also have liked to see more of the actual rescue and her telling her story to the Japanese sailors and/or people in Hawaii when she was taken to the island instead of brief and vague glimpses of it.

The doldrums of trying to survive aboard a broken vessel and all the boredom of hours upon hours of being adrift is shown.

The acting is decent enough.

There is very little excitement to hold one's interest. I was disappointed that in the movie but it wasn't my story to tell. This is based on the true story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft, who is listed as one of the writers and is shown briefly at the end of the movie.

It's not great. Reading about the actual story online is more satisfying. I am curious about Ashcraft's book but it's probably as boring as the movie.
  
Micro
Micro
10
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
What I like most about the book was one of the same features that keeps me reading Michael Crichton's work. The author does his research very thoroughly. The book may be a work of science fiction but (0 more)
What I liked least about the book was how similar to another one of his books it was and how predictable some parts felt to me. (0 more)
Review Just becasue
The book Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Prestom was great. I may be a little biased because Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors but at the same time I hold his work to a specific standard that he must meet or else I'm disappointed. Like most of his work Micro touches on some topics that as a society we should be aware of. It warns us of some disasters that new technology, being worked on or possibly already created, can cause. It id also an eye opener to the dangers of that our inventions pose.

In Micro a group of young graduate students at a college or approached by the head of a company called Nanigen. The graduate students are invited out to the Nanigen lab in Hawaii to see for themselves the work being done there and to see if they want to work for the company. Out of curiosity all the approached graduate students agree to go but their trip to Hawaii becomes more than what they bargain for.

Nanigen is studying the micro world mainly looking for chemicals that micro animals are making that could be useful to humans in some way. Also like many scientific companies in the private sector Nanigen is doing top secret work for the government. Greed gets in the way for some of the scientist already working for the company and the trip becomes extremely dangerous and even deadly for the graduate students. Having to deal with micro-bots and new technology never heard of before the students must fight to survive a world very different from our own.

What I like most about the book was one of the same features that keeps me reading Michael Crichton's work. The author does his research very thoroughly. The book may be a work of science fiction but there is a bibliography in the back for the curious reader to be able to learn more about the fascinating topics brought up in the book. For being a work of fiction the animals, plants, chemicals, technology,and scientific concepts are not. What I liked least about the book was how similar to another one of his books it was and how predictable some parts felt to me. Again though, I am very familiar with Michael Crichton's work and that would probably explain why it felt so predictable. I cannot hold that against the book.

Overall I would rate this book a 4 out of 4 and would highly recommend it. It has a very strong story and is believable which is an important factor for science fiction. The target readers for this book would start around high school age if not older. I feel like high school students will get the basic concept of what book was talking about but they might be lost on some of the finer detail. It all just depends on if the book is being read for the story or if the reader is interested in science specifically microbiology and nanotechnology.

I feel like I need to note on here that Richard Preston finishing the book did not harm it in any way.

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    My Talking Hank

    My Talking Hank

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    With over 5 BILLION downloads and worldwide hits like My Talking Tom and My Talking Angela, Talking...

Surf's Up (2007)
Surf's Up (2007)
2007 | Action, Animation, Family
9
6.6 (14 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Surprisingly Great
I feel like I'm fairly "In the Know" when it comes to films. I make it my business to know all the upcoming films, but this one definitely snuck under my radar even all these years later. A solid film for the entire family, I only wish I had caught this one sooner. It's the story of penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf)and his journey to win top surfer at the World Surfing Championship in Hawaii.

Acting: 10
Great cast of voice actors led by LaBeouf. The voices breathe life into each character giving them their own flair. Jeff Bridges seems to always find a way to be the shining moment in almost every film he's in.

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Some of the best animation I have seen in film, hands down. The colors are bright and vivid, teeming with life. Where the visuals really shine are during the surfing scenes. There appears to be so much care that went into the water and wave animation and it pays off on screen. I can't wait to watch this film on a 4K television.

Conflict: 10

Genre: 8

Memorability: 6

Pace: 8

Plot: 10
If a penguin surfing isn't original enough for you, the story as a whole is enough to keep you entertained. Has there ever been an animated film about surfing period, let alone surfing animals? Not sure, but this film captured its essence well while respecting the sport.

Resolution: 10

Overall: 92
With a hilarious opener, classic characters, and Joe the Chicken (trust me, you'll love him), this film is a home run. Great movie for a family night.