Search
Search results
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Venus Next in Tabletop Games
May 25, 2019
Great, but fully optional, expansion
There are lots of things about Venus Next which are enjoyable. The addition of a new card resource (floaters) adds an interesting mechanism, which with a bit of luck can really be a huge boost to your game (in some cases, however, they can be a bit of a damp squib).
Venus itself isn't a game changer, and it is absolutely viable to completely ignore Venus - remember, Venus itself it supposed to be the next challenge for Humanity after Terraforming Mars (hence "Venus Next..."!). I have had a couple of games where Venus' terrforming didn't get beyond a couple of percent (but there were plenty of Floater cards!) but equally I've had a couple of games where Venus was developed as far as the Board would allow, before Mars was even half-way completed.
It is a very good expansion, but personal opinion it would be one to get after the other expansions - some of the others offer much more
Venus itself isn't a game changer, and it is absolutely viable to completely ignore Venus - remember, Venus itself it supposed to be the next challenge for Humanity after Terraforming Mars (hence "Venus Next..."!). I have had a couple of games where Venus' terrforming didn't get beyond a couple of percent (but there were plenty of Floater cards!) but equally I've had a couple of games where Venus was developed as far as the Board would allow, before Mars was even half-way completed.
It is a very good expansion, but personal opinion it would be one to get after the other expansions - some of the others offer much more
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Entangled Lives in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In Entangled Lives by Imran Omer we meet orphan Raza, and his pregnant girlfriend who are forced apart when Raza is sent to Afghanistan to join the Taliban. Growing up his life was hard, and it seems it’s not getting any easier with age. As the story unfolds, reporter Rachel Brown gets first hand experience of the horrors of war, and through her point of view were are given her part of the story, and what happens when their paths cross, not just once, but twice.
My heart went out to Raza, as we see the extreme extent of the cause; a poor and vulnerable Pakistani boy fighting not only western society and their prejudices, but a tragic fate that’s controlled by money and power.
I enjoyed reading this, sometimes harrowing, tale that’s realistic and very topical for the current climate. The stark contrast between Raza’s life, and the entitled American reporter, Rachel, is portrayed well, and reveals the depth of this story with compassion and humanity.
My heart went out to Raza, as we see the extreme extent of the cause; a poor and vulnerable Pakistani boy fighting not only western society and their prejudices, but a tragic fate that’s controlled by money and power.
I enjoyed reading this, sometimes harrowing, tale that’s realistic and very topical for the current climate. The stark contrast between Raza’s life, and the entitled American reporter, Rachel, is portrayed well, and reveals the depth of this story with compassion and humanity.
Mikey H. (24 KP) rated The Raid (2011) in Movies
May 26, 2018
Best Fight choreography ever (1 more)
100 minutes of non-stop action, it's beautiful in the way the violence is done. Amazing.
Wow, just wow
Lots of movies get described as "an adrenaline rush, from start to finish" and rarely do they deliver. The Raid does exactly that. The best fight choreography, its more of a violent dance than fighting...stunning in its visceral display. The story is simple, yet goes deeper than just "get the bad guy". It's survival behind enemy lines, at all cost...but manages to preserve the hero's humanity as well. There are mine.t's of little action, but they are filled with nail-biting tension...and with the rate of the body count, there isn't a guarantee even the hero makes it out alive.
Sidenote: while a different movie altogether, yet with the same feel, if you like The Raid then give Dredd (with Karl Urban) a watch. Also a great film, and highly underrated.
Sidenote: while a different movie altogether, yet with the same feel, if you like The Raid then give Dredd (with Karl Urban) a watch. Also a great film, and highly underrated.
Lindsay (1727 KP) rated The Path (Tag #1) in Books
Aug 30, 2018 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)
Simon Bank does not know he is special. He is the one that starts it all by doing something in the system. He needs to fix it to save humanity on Earth.
We learn what we do not know yet. Earth needs to be in balance and if not our world will be gone and we will not know what has happened.
Who and how does Peter and then Apollo and Ra become as they do? Peter Riva has you wondering whether it will happen in our real world after a couple chapters. He does so well that all his characters seem real and that you are a part of the story.
Will earth survive or will it be exterminated? Simeon reveals secrets and meets up with Crammer and Angie and a few others. Will they help or will they not? Can Crammer and Angie protect Simeon? Will they stay on the Path?
We learn what we do not know yet. Earth needs to be in balance and if not our world will be gone and we will not know what has happened.
Who and how does Peter and then Apollo and Ra become as they do? Peter Riva has you wondering whether it will happen in our real world after a couple chapters. He does so well that all his characters seem real and that you are a part of the story.
Will earth survive or will it be exterminated? Simeon reveals secrets and meets up with Crammer and Angie and a few others. Will they help or will they not? Can Crammer and Angie protect Simeon? Will they stay on the Path?
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated District 9 (2009) in Movies
Jul 26, 2019 (Updated Jul 26, 2019)
When Aliens Attack
Contains spoilers, click to show
District 9- was a intresting film.
The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras witch is really intresting.
The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens are found aboard the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson tries to escape with his son and return home, crossing paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe.
It was Neill Blomkamp director debut and he did a great job.
District 9- mixs sci-fi with action, found footage, horror, suspense, thrills, chills, drama all into one film.
A highly reccordmend movie.
The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras witch is really intresting.
The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens are found aboard the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson tries to escape with his son and return home, crossing paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe.
It was Neill Blomkamp director debut and he did a great job.
District 9- mixs sci-fi with action, found footage, horror, suspense, thrills, chills, drama all into one film.
A highly reccordmend movie.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Midwich Cuckoos in Books
Nov 20, 2019
The Midwich Cuckoos does what a lot of Wyndham's fiction does, taking a normal situation of a sleepy rural village then turning it upside down, showing how fragile our comfortable lives could be.
While one of his best known works, I wouldn't personally rank this as highly as say The Day Of The Triffids or The Kraken Wakes. Whereas I would recommend those to anyone, and as stories that mostly still stand up today, The Midwich Cuckoos plays a lot on themes such as Cold War paranoia to achieve much of its effect, and that has obviously diluted over the years.
It's still a good read and full of the usual Wyndham sense of humanity that grounds even the most far fetched of his stories. Perhaps not quite recommended, but worth picking up one day. It just hasn't stuck in my mind like other works, probably not a good sign for something designed to be thought provoking.
While one of his best known works, I wouldn't personally rank this as highly as say The Day Of The Triffids or The Kraken Wakes. Whereas I would recommend those to anyone, and as stories that mostly still stand up today, The Midwich Cuckoos plays a lot on themes such as Cold War paranoia to achieve much of its effect, and that has obviously diluted over the years.
It's still a good read and full of the usual Wyndham sense of humanity that grounds even the most far fetched of his stories. Perhaps not quite recommended, but worth picking up one day. It just hasn't stuck in my mind like other works, probably not a good sign for something designed to be thought provoking.
Sunnysouthpaw (67 KP) rated They Both Die At The End in Books
Feb 4, 2020
Good characters both the main and side.. (1 more)
Good themes that make you think about them long after the end.
'Insta-love' but I'll forgive it in this sense. (1 more)
The title isnt wrong :'(
Death-Cast was a clever idea but I'm glad it's not real
Gosh I'm trying to figure out what to say about this book. It's LGBTQIA+ Friendly which is a big plus for me (I want to find that more in literature.) Adam Silvera has a way of writing that I like, I want to check out more he's written. I am not a big fan of 'insta-love' but it was ok in this instance.
I like books that make you think about them and wonder about your own existence. I liked the themes of how interconnected humanity is. I'm glad death-cast isnt real, but it was a clever idea. I didnt expect that much going into it because I dont read a lot of young adult novels, I was pleasantly surprised.
I like books that make you think about them and wonder about your own existence. I liked the themes of how interconnected humanity is. I'm glad death-cast isnt real, but it was a clever idea. I didnt expect that much going into it because I dont read a lot of young adult novels, I was pleasantly surprised.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Miller's Crossing (1990) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Aug 6, 2020)
In a word: Style. Note, in the picture, how Gabriel Byrne’s posture in the chair reflects that of Micheal Corleone in The Godfather! Knowing Joel and Ethan Coen, that is not a mistake. This is a movie designed to the millimetre. The clothes, the furniture, the guns, the cars, everything is meticulously chosen, creating nothing less than a moving work of art. Even the language is poetry, using a vocabulary, largely invented, to highlight the rhythm of the wiseguy era that is entirely romanticized, but so perfectly consistent we wish it was history. It steals knowingly from the best in the genre at every turn, weaving a tale so nuanced and detailed that it demands several watches to truly mine every multi-layered meaning. In every way, a rich feast, about loyalty, weakness and humanity. The film on this list I am mostly likely to keep watching at the drop of… a hat!
The Ocean Fell into the Drop: A Memoir
Book
During my first visit to the cinema the empathy I felt from Gary Cooper was life-changing, and a...
The Unexpected Homecoming: A Diasporan Journey of Hope Against All Odds
Book
Set in three countries and across two continents, The Unexpected Homecoming narrates how Jean Pierre...