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Darren (1599 KP) rated Sexy Beast (2000) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Sexy Beast starts as we meet retired safecracker Gal (Winstone) living the life of luxury in a Spanish villa which he enjoys relaxing by the pool enjoying his retirement. His retirement is put to the test when brutal gangster Don Logan (Kingsley) arrives in Spain to try and force him into doing one more job for him, he won’t take no for an answer.
Reluctantly taking the job, Gal returns to London and as most heist style movies, things don’t go to plan.
Thoughts on Sexy Beast
Characters – Gal was once the go to safecracker, now he is in retirement in Spain loving his life in the sun with his pool and friends, he has zero interest in returning to the game even after Don Logan pushes him. He stays relaxed through each scene because he knows his answer will always be no. he does reluctantly return for this last job mostly to get rid of Don. Don Logan is the brutal gangster, he knows who he wants for the jobs and this time it is Gal, he will not take ‘No’ as an answer, he will get violent and his outbursts will be the things you remember the most. Teddy is the man that the job is for, a fellow gangster that wants the best men for the job. DeeDee is the wife of Gal, she will stand by Gal in every decision even after the endless insults thrown their way.
Performances – Ray Winstone is great in this leading role, he is the perfect choice for a cockney criminal who knows there is a better life out there away from London. Ben Kingsley clearly steals every single scene in this movie with his performance that is filed with so much anger and aggression, you won’t be able to take your eyes off him. Ian McShane is great too where he brings us a calmer gangster who is also filled with anger. These three take most of the spotlight away from any other performers in the film.
Story – The story follows a retired criminal that gets forced to return to the game for one final job by an aggressive gangster, where this film does stand out from the other films in this genre, is that our hero Gal is 100% not interested in returning as most film give us the idea of ‘ok, I will do it’ on an easier formula. The story does have a nice twist on how things go and gives us the characters we could believe are from this world. if you are looking for a heist storyline, you will be disappointed though as this film focuses on the idea of getting the man to do the job.
Crime/Thriller – The crime world we enter giving us gangsters which will not take no for an answer, we don’t learn enough of their previous lives in the world though, only going on reputations.
Settings – The film uses Spain for the setting which gives us the retirement feel for a Brit to take, the sun increases the idea of the heat in the scenes.
Scene of the Movie – The heated argument.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of heist action.
Final Thoughts – This is a true British crime film, it has great characters and a stunning performance from Ben Kingsley.
Overall: British Crime 101
Reluctantly taking the job, Gal returns to London and as most heist style movies, things don’t go to plan.
Thoughts on Sexy Beast
Characters – Gal was once the go to safecracker, now he is in retirement in Spain loving his life in the sun with his pool and friends, he has zero interest in returning to the game even after Don Logan pushes him. He stays relaxed through each scene because he knows his answer will always be no. he does reluctantly return for this last job mostly to get rid of Don. Don Logan is the brutal gangster, he knows who he wants for the jobs and this time it is Gal, he will not take ‘No’ as an answer, he will get violent and his outbursts will be the things you remember the most. Teddy is the man that the job is for, a fellow gangster that wants the best men for the job. DeeDee is the wife of Gal, she will stand by Gal in every decision even after the endless insults thrown their way.
Performances – Ray Winstone is great in this leading role, he is the perfect choice for a cockney criminal who knows there is a better life out there away from London. Ben Kingsley clearly steals every single scene in this movie with his performance that is filed with so much anger and aggression, you won’t be able to take your eyes off him. Ian McShane is great too where he brings us a calmer gangster who is also filled with anger. These three take most of the spotlight away from any other performers in the film.
Story – The story follows a retired criminal that gets forced to return to the game for one final job by an aggressive gangster, where this film does stand out from the other films in this genre, is that our hero Gal is 100% not interested in returning as most film give us the idea of ‘ok, I will do it’ on an easier formula. The story does have a nice twist on how things go and gives us the characters we could believe are from this world. if you are looking for a heist storyline, you will be disappointed though as this film focuses on the idea of getting the man to do the job.
Crime/Thriller – The crime world we enter giving us gangsters which will not take no for an answer, we don’t learn enough of their previous lives in the world though, only going on reputations.
Settings – The film uses Spain for the setting which gives us the retirement feel for a Brit to take, the sun increases the idea of the heat in the scenes.
Scene of the Movie – The heated argument.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of heist action.
Final Thoughts – This is a true British crime film, it has great characters and a stunning performance from Ben Kingsley.
Overall: British Crime 101
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Last Magician in Books
Jan 31, 2018
This was a brilliantly woven time-traveling, magical heist book and I didn't even know how much I wanted it in my life. The book is written from multiple perspectives, which took a couple of chapters to get used to (as I was listening to the audiobook and there weren't multiple narrators) but soon I recognized each character's unique voice and fell into the story. In general, the plot was not fast paced but Maxwell vibrantly painted the world our main character finds herself in.
Esta is an orphan and a thief who is tasked with going back in time to alter the events of a heist that occurred in 1904 New York City. New York City is a world of mages, people will unique affinities, like Esta's ability to manipulate the fabric of time. Esta herself is a likable main character and the lens through which we learn about the other characters. As she is also from our time period, she must occasionally readjust her worldview, actions or outward opinions to match those of the time. Despite the fact that she is a thief, we get to see her smart and sarcastic side as well as her stubborn determination.
Despite the large cast of characters, I felt that they were generally well-developed and had the time to grow. I really enjoyed getting to know Dolph as the multi-faceted head of a gang and Harte the magician that Esta has been warned against. The crew reminded me of the Dregs from Six of Crows at times, although they didn't have quite the same chemistry. It was still enjoyable to watch them, although I hope that the others in the gang are developed further because I would like to see more of their personalities or backstories.
There wasn't as much focus on the magic dynamics as I expected there to be, but I was so enamored by the characters and world-building that it wasn't noticeable. Maxwell did a fabulous job reconstructing New York City at the start of the twentieth century and I fell in love. Overall, I felt the book satisfyingly wrapped up most of the threads from the book and introduced a few more that can be explored in book two. I really enjoyed the read and cannot wait to see how it ends in the second book.
Esta is an orphan and a thief who is tasked with going back in time to alter the events of a heist that occurred in 1904 New York City. New York City is a world of mages, people will unique affinities, like Esta's ability to manipulate the fabric of time. Esta herself is a likable main character and the lens through which we learn about the other characters. As she is also from our time period, she must occasionally readjust her worldview, actions or outward opinions to match those of the time. Despite the fact that she is a thief, we get to see her smart and sarcastic side as well as her stubborn determination.
Despite the large cast of characters, I felt that they were generally well-developed and had the time to grow. I really enjoyed getting to know Dolph as the multi-faceted head of a gang and Harte the magician that Esta has been warned against. The crew reminded me of the Dregs from Six of Crows at times, although they didn't have quite the same chemistry. It was still enjoyable to watch them, although I hope that the others in the gang are developed further because I would like to see more of their personalities or backstories.
There wasn't as much focus on the magic dynamics as I expected there to be, but I was so enamored by the characters and world-building that it wasn't noticeable. Maxwell did a fabulous job reconstructing New York City at the start of the twentieth century and I fell in love. Overall, I felt the book satisfyingly wrapped up most of the threads from the book and introduced a few more that can be explored in book two. I really enjoyed the read and cannot wait to see how it ends in the second book.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Bandits (2001) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
This is a film that I saw not long after it came out and didn’t recall much about it besides the fact that it starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett.
It’s actually quite a mediocre heist film since it tries much too hard to make this feel as if it’s story is one that could be “ripped from the headlines” and also feel pertinent to Reality TV, which was in its infancy at the time.
The chemistry between the characters is quite weak and the fact that Willis and Thornton don’t feel as if they are on level ground also hurts things since the characters are meant to be equal.
Blanchett’s character is quite annoying the whole way through and it’s pretty difficult to believe that she is able to have a romance with one of these men, and they want us to believe that she has one with both of them.
This love triangle just doesn’t work on any level.
The story itself is quite repetitive and they rehash things much too often instead of trying to break new ground along the way.
This film should have been much shorter and that might have been better if edited together.
The movie fails to decide whether it wants to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end it feels as if it is neither especially when there are too many scenes that play off as being overly melodramatic for their own good.
Bottom Line – Very mediocre heist film that tries too hard to feel as if it is “ripped from the headlines” during the beginning of the days of Reality TV. Willis and Thornton don’t work very well together because they never seem to feel as if their characters are on equal levels. Blanchett’s character is quite annoying throughout and its very hard to believe the love triangle that comes about. The story itself feels too repetitive and things could have been shortened a lot because they try to reestablish things that they previously established. The plot gets a bit too melodramatic for its own good and fails to make the decision of whether they want this to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end, it seems like neither.
It’s actually quite a mediocre heist film since it tries much too hard to make this feel as if it’s story is one that could be “ripped from the headlines” and also feel pertinent to Reality TV, which was in its infancy at the time.
The chemistry between the characters is quite weak and the fact that Willis and Thornton don’t feel as if they are on level ground also hurts things since the characters are meant to be equal.
Blanchett’s character is quite annoying the whole way through and it’s pretty difficult to believe that she is able to have a romance with one of these men, and they want us to believe that she has one with both of them.
This love triangle just doesn’t work on any level.
The story itself is quite repetitive and they rehash things much too often instead of trying to break new ground along the way.
This film should have been much shorter and that might have been better if edited together.
The movie fails to decide whether it wants to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end it feels as if it is neither especially when there are too many scenes that play off as being overly melodramatic for their own good.
Bottom Line – Very mediocre heist film that tries too hard to feel as if it is “ripped from the headlines” during the beginning of the days of Reality TV. Willis and Thornton don’t work very well together because they never seem to feel as if their characters are on equal levels. Blanchett’s character is quite annoying throughout and its very hard to believe the love triangle that comes about. The story itself feels too repetitive and things could have been shortened a lot because they try to reestablish things that they previously established. The plot gets a bit too melodramatic for its own good and fails to make the decision of whether they want this to be seen as a comedy or as a crime thriller and in the end, it seems like neither.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Hurricane Heist (2018) in Movies
Apr 9, 2018
Well at least it lived up expectations
You know it's not a good sign when a film is released on Sky Cinema the same day it apparently comes out in actual cinemas (despite the fact it isn't showing anywhere local to me).
Yes this film is bad, but it just about verges on so bad it's vaguely entertaining for an hour or so. It reminds me a little of Sharknado (although Hurricane Heist is nowhere near as ridiculous), with the pretty poor CGI, terrible script and bad acting. Some of the Southern accents are hilarious, even you Toby Kebbell, and Maggie Grace is really not a good actress. And casting Ralph Ineson? He's a good actor but he's got bad guy stamped all over him which makes the first part of this story a tad predictable. I'd have been more surprised if he'd have turned out to be a good guy. The plot is silly although doesn't come across quite as farfetched as the trailer made out.
But despite all of this, it is partly entertaining brainless fodder, just don't go expecting too much.
Yes this film is bad, but it just about verges on so bad it's vaguely entertaining for an hour or so. It reminds me a little of Sharknado (although Hurricane Heist is nowhere near as ridiculous), with the pretty poor CGI, terrible script and bad acting. Some of the Southern accents are hilarious, even you Toby Kebbell, and Maggie Grace is really not a good actress. And casting Ralph Ineson? He's a good actor but he's got bad guy stamped all over him which makes the first part of this story a tad predictable. I'd have been more surprised if he'd have turned out to be a good guy. The plot is silly although doesn't come across quite as farfetched as the trailer made out.
But despite all of this, it is partly entertaining brainless fodder, just don't go expecting too much.
rebeccareadsyt (8 KP) rated Fire and Heist in Books
Jan 17, 2019 (Updated Jan 17, 2019)
Quick read
I received this in December 2018 Fairyloot box.
In this novel, we meet Sky. Sky and her family are wyverns, who mix with humans but also have their own schools etc. In order to impress and go anywhere int he world or BE anyone of status, you need to be able to steal gold. At the beginning of the novel, Sky's mother has gone.nissing following a failed heist, presumed dead by everyone but Sky, get father and brothers. The family have been shunned from the community as a result, and Sky's now ex-boyfriend publicly humiliated her by dumping her and making everyone aware of his thoughts.
But Sky doesn't care about that. Well she does, but she just wants her mother back.
I was pleasantly surprised by this, as the first 50 or so pages felt very "meh" nd I was debating DNF'ing it. In a way, I'm pleased I didn't, as there was such a quick change of events and pacing in the book around chapter 16 (not sure of page number) that kept me hooked until the bitter end.
Definitely something to read if you like dragons, gold and quick reads.
In this novel, we meet Sky. Sky and her family are wyverns, who mix with humans but also have their own schools etc. In order to impress and go anywhere int he world or BE anyone of status, you need to be able to steal gold. At the beginning of the novel, Sky's mother has gone.nissing following a failed heist, presumed dead by everyone but Sky, get father and brothers. The family have been shunned from the community as a result, and Sky's now ex-boyfriend publicly humiliated her by dumping her and making everyone aware of his thoughts.
But Sky doesn't care about that. Well she does, but she just wants her mother back.
I was pleasantly surprised by this, as the first 50 or so pages felt very "meh" nd I was debating DNF'ing it. In a way, I'm pleased I didn't, as there was such a quick change of events and pacing in the book around chapter 16 (not sure of page number) that kept me hooked until the bitter end.
Definitely something to read if you like dragons, gold and quick reads.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ocean’s 8 (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Can 8 women do the work of 11, 12 or even 13 men?
The female empowerment #SheToo implications of the title are clearly writ large for this movie! The answer of course…. is a major spoiler, so we won’t go there.
Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock, “Gravity“), the previously unreferenced sister of arch-scoundrel Danny Ocean (George Clooney) from the reboot trilogy, is released from prison after a 5 year stretch. This has given her plenty of time to plan her next job – a jewellry heist from the New York Met – in intricate detail. She recruits biker-chick Lou (Cate Blanchett , “Carol“) as her partner and they then proceed to recruit a team of expert crimimals: well… some are not criminals, but soon will be! Will they succeed, or will Debbie have an even longer time to plan her next heist?
Stiff as planks…. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
The movie unfortunately is rather like watching paint dry. It’s very glossy and expensive paint, I grant you, but compared to certainly Ocean’s 11 and even Ocean’s 13 it’s not in the premier league. There’s virtually nothing about the plot that leaves you surprised. Even the twists are merely “oh”s rather than “OH!’s”.
Stylistically the film attempts to model the Soderbergh split-screen visuals of his films, doing it quite well, and is accompanied by a similar jazz-style soundtrack which works effectively. Arguably, the well-chosen music by Daniel Pemberton (“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword“) is the best thing in the film.
When they said they were stealing from the Met…. perhaps I misunderstood?
Otherwise though, that’s where most of the similarities end, with there being limited character development to make you really care all that much whether the team win or lose. The script, by director Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games”) and Olivia Milch had a few clever lines that made me smile: but it’s not laugh-out-loud territory. So the story had better be good. Unfortunately, here Gary Ross’s story has so many implausible coincidences and incredulous leaps of intuition – “yeah, I’m from the hood innit but I have a grasp of magnetic resonance couplings learnt the hard way, from the street up!” – that belief is less suspended and more hung, drawn and quartered. This is not saying that the Ocean’s trilogy was without a few similar issues – reaching its nadir with Julia Roberts pretending to be Julia Roberts in “Ocean’s 12” – but this film is more consistently bonkers.
Hang on… I only count seven here?
I have to admit that the build up to the heist through the first half of the film left me sufficiently entertained, but that momentum suddenly fizzles out and the final reel becomes quite tedious. I also expected something to happen at the end, cameo-wise, that never did!
Acting wise, the best turn comes from Anne Hathaway (“Colossal“, “Les Miserables”) as a vainglorious actress but Helena Bonham Carter (“Suffragette“, “Harry Potter”) is also good value as the quirky fashion expert, coming across like some sort of ditzy Fatima Blush.
Good value – Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.
I also liked Rihanna’s ‘Nine Ball’ character. Less successful for me was Bullock, who I felt came across as very wooden, and Blanchett, slightly less so. There are also some ‘B-list’ celebrities attending the Met-gala that are fun to watch out for, as well as two members of the earlier films’ cast.
After Diamonds but with nowhere to store an Umbrella: Rihanna knocks them dead on the red carpet.
So, it’s a disappointing effort from Gary Ross. All glitz and glamour but with little substance.
Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock, “Gravity“), the previously unreferenced sister of arch-scoundrel Danny Ocean (George Clooney) from the reboot trilogy, is released from prison after a 5 year stretch. This has given her plenty of time to plan her next job – a jewellry heist from the New York Met – in intricate detail. She recruits biker-chick Lou (Cate Blanchett , “Carol“) as her partner and they then proceed to recruit a team of expert crimimals: well… some are not criminals, but soon will be! Will they succeed, or will Debbie have an even longer time to plan her next heist?
Stiff as planks…. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
The movie unfortunately is rather like watching paint dry. It’s very glossy and expensive paint, I grant you, but compared to certainly Ocean’s 11 and even Ocean’s 13 it’s not in the premier league. There’s virtually nothing about the plot that leaves you surprised. Even the twists are merely “oh”s rather than “OH!’s”.
Stylistically the film attempts to model the Soderbergh split-screen visuals of his films, doing it quite well, and is accompanied by a similar jazz-style soundtrack which works effectively. Arguably, the well-chosen music by Daniel Pemberton (“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword“) is the best thing in the film.
When they said they were stealing from the Met…. perhaps I misunderstood?
Otherwise though, that’s where most of the similarities end, with there being limited character development to make you really care all that much whether the team win or lose. The script, by director Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games”) and Olivia Milch had a few clever lines that made me smile: but it’s not laugh-out-loud territory. So the story had better be good. Unfortunately, here Gary Ross’s story has so many implausible coincidences and incredulous leaps of intuition – “yeah, I’m from the hood innit but I have a grasp of magnetic resonance couplings learnt the hard way, from the street up!” – that belief is less suspended and more hung, drawn and quartered. This is not saying that the Ocean’s trilogy was without a few similar issues – reaching its nadir with Julia Roberts pretending to be Julia Roberts in “Ocean’s 12” – but this film is more consistently bonkers.
Hang on… I only count seven here?
I have to admit that the build up to the heist through the first half of the film left me sufficiently entertained, but that momentum suddenly fizzles out and the final reel becomes quite tedious. I also expected something to happen at the end, cameo-wise, that never did!
Acting wise, the best turn comes from Anne Hathaway (“Colossal“, “Les Miserables”) as a vainglorious actress but Helena Bonham Carter (“Suffragette“, “Harry Potter”) is also good value as the quirky fashion expert, coming across like some sort of ditzy Fatima Blush.
Good value – Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.
I also liked Rihanna’s ‘Nine Ball’ character. Less successful for me was Bullock, who I felt came across as very wooden, and Blanchett, slightly less so. There are also some ‘B-list’ celebrities attending the Met-gala that are fun to watch out for, as well as two members of the earlier films’ cast.
After Diamonds but with nowhere to store an Umbrella: Rihanna knocks them dead on the red carpet.
So, it’s a disappointing effort from Gary Ross. All glitz and glamour but with little substance.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Catwoman: Soulstealer - DC Icons Book 3 in Books
Oct 25, 2018
So I needed a "book about a heist" for the PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge, and naturally, Catwoman fits the bill. It wouldn't be a Catwoman novel/cartoon/graphic novel without a heist! Several, in fact, in this instance. And she teams up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn to pull them off, even though she doesn't seem to actually need the girls in this book. I love that Maas chose to include them, because Ivy/Harley/Catwoman is one of my all-time favorite team-ups. The book also delves into the relationship between Ivy and Harley, and Harley's dysfunctional dependence on the Joker (who's in Arkham for this book). I loved seeing that.
Interestingly, Batman doesn't show, other than a few phone calls with Luke Fox, Lucius Fox's son. Luke takes the traditional role of Batman-as-Catwoman's-love-interest, but as Batwing, a sort-of Robin. (Maybe I read too many comics? Nah.) The switch was surprising; it's always Catwoman and Batman, Selina and Bruce. Except when it's Talia and Bruce, I suppose.
I do wonder if they're going to do an ensemble cast novel after these first four books. (Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Batman: Nightwalker, and Superman: Dawnbreaker being the other three.) Superman doesn't come out until January, but the first three have been very disconnected from one another. Wonder Woman wasn't even mentioned in Batman or Catwoman. It seems odd to have them as a series, but never mention one another in each book? That, or the Superman book is going to tie the other three together, which seems like a disservice to Superman.
Anyway. I really liked Luke Fox as Batwing - the book touched, just a little bit, on racial issues, and how even as an obscenely rich black man he's not entirely exempt from those. In one scene he worries about the color of his skin being seen through damage to his batsuit, and cops realizing he's black. It's a sober reminder that even in a city beset by evil clowns, it's still set in the United States and we still have those racist systems in place.
The banter between Luke and Selina, and Selina and Harley and Ivy, is fantastic. I haven't actually read any of Sarah J. Maas' books - I know, I know - but if they're like Catwoman, I should probably give in and do so. So far, Wonder Woman is still my favorite of the DC Icons series (which is no surprise, as I love Leigh Bardugo) but Catwoman is really good.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Interestingly, Batman doesn't show, other than a few phone calls with Luke Fox, Lucius Fox's son. Luke takes the traditional role of Batman-as-Catwoman's-love-interest, but as Batwing, a sort-of Robin. (Maybe I read too many comics? Nah.) The switch was surprising; it's always Catwoman and Batman, Selina and Bruce. Except when it's Talia and Bruce, I suppose.
I do wonder if they're going to do an ensemble cast novel after these first four books. (Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Batman: Nightwalker, and Superman: Dawnbreaker being the other three.) Superman doesn't come out until January, but the first three have been very disconnected from one another. Wonder Woman wasn't even mentioned in Batman or Catwoman. It seems odd to have them as a series, but never mention one another in each book? That, or the Superman book is going to tie the other three together, which seems like a disservice to Superman.
Anyway. I really liked Luke Fox as Batwing - the book touched, just a little bit, on racial issues, and how even as an obscenely rich black man he's not entirely exempt from those. In one scene he worries about the color of his skin being seen through damage to his batsuit, and cops realizing he's black. It's a sober reminder that even in a city beset by evil clowns, it's still set in the United States and we still have those racist systems in place.
The banter between Luke and Selina, and Selina and Harley and Ivy, is fantastic. I haven't actually read any of Sarah J. Maas' books - I know, I know - but if they're like Catwoman, I should probably give in and do so. So far, Wonder Woman is still my favorite of the DC Icons series (which is no surprise, as I love Leigh Bardugo) but Catwoman is really good.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Nick Friesen (96 KP) rated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) in Movies
Jul 23, 2017
New Characters are Excellent (3 more)
God Bless Alan Tudyk
Perhaps the Best Space Battle in Star Wars Yet
The Rebels "Storming the Beach"
A Crazy Caper Set in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Rogue One is a fantastic film. It feels so fresh, despite being "a Star Wars Story," mostly because it is so different than any of the movies in the main saga. Better yet, it functions as an awesome prequel to the original trilogy. Even if you're of mind to forget Star Wars 1-3, I'm betting you'll be more than willing to add this movie to the start of your Original Trilogy marathons. Rogue One is a delightful mash of a couple genres, most notably spy, heist, and war films, and it works so well. It's a ground level look at the Rebellion and their efforts to steal plans to the Death Star, shown through the point-of-view of regular soldiers with no apparent Force powers to speak of. It's a thrilling ride, and one that also gets you invested in its well-written characters in a fairly short amount of time. Oh, and Disney, is there any way Alan Tudyk can come back to the series?
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Vanished: True Tales of Mysterious Disappearances in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
Vanished: True Tales of Mysterious Disappearances by Elizabeth MacLeod is a non-fiction book for middle grade readers. The book discusses six stories about mysterious disappearances in chronological order. It starts with the 17th-century in North Carolina with the settlement of Roanoke Island, and ends with a 1990 art heist from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Art Museum.
The author could have taken on a negative tone with the subject but instead MacLeod is enthusiastic. The upbeat tone draws the reader into each mystery. Each story is filled with interesting facts and information.With each story there are pictures within the design.
The design of the book is uncluttered, featuring sidebars and appropriate images. The design also includes historical photographs, maps, and posters. These visuals add to the overall effectiveness of the book.
Each story begins with a factionalize vignette, which provides some background information about the disappearance. The ending of each section could have ended with a more smooth conclusion instead of abruptly. The combination of MacLeod’s storytelling and the resources included at the back of the book are sure to engage.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vanished: True Tales of Mysterious Disappearances by Elizabeth MacLeod is a non-fiction book for middle grade readers. The book discusses six stories about mysterious disappearances in chronological order. It starts with the 17th-century in North Carolina with the settlement of Roanoke Island, and ends with a 1990 art heist from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Art Museum.
The author could have taken on a negative tone with the subject but instead MacLeod is enthusiastic. The upbeat tone draws the reader into each mystery. Each story is filled with interesting facts and information.With each story there are pictures within the design.
The design of the book is uncluttered, featuring sidebars and appropriate images. The design also includes historical photographs, maps, and posters. These visuals add to the overall effectiveness of the book.
Each story begins with a factionalize vignette, which provides some background information about the disappearance. The ending of each section could have ended with a more smooth conclusion instead of abruptly. The combination of MacLeod’s storytelling and the resources included at the back of the book are sure to engage.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Sushi Girl (2013) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
Old Movie Revisited: Sushi Girl. Did you ever want to see Luke Skywalker torture Atreyu from Neverending Story? Me either, but if you did, you can see it here. Not only do we have Luke and Atreyu, we get Candyman, Frank from Donnie Darko, and some extremely brief cameos from Kyle Reese, Machete, Frank Lapidus from Lost, the original Streetfighter himself, and White Power Bill. Of course you have to spend a preternatural amount of time in front of the TV to know some of these people, but hey, youre loss... So this is a Quentin Tarantinoesque type gangster flick that revolves around a botched diamond heist and the torture of Atreyu, after he gets out of a six year stint in the joint. And of course a Sushi Girl who is covered with? Anyone? Anyone? Thats right sushi... Yes, Stephanie Golden, she is naked and has a pretty decent rack :) Mark Hamill, er, Luke, does a pretty awesome job doing a 30's type gangster drawl, and seems to enjoy torturing Atreyu (where the hell has that guy been?) So that being said, and you like Tarantinoesques films, and don't mind a little bloody torture fun, check it out, its a pretty decent ride, like your momma! Filmbufftim on FB