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Glow (Pleasure Seekers #3)
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Scott Fitzgerald is looking for love. Both his flatmates have met their forever someones—when will...
Contemporary MM Romance
David McK (3557 KP) rated Atlas (2024) in Movies
Dec 28, 2024 (Updated Dec 28, 2024)
I don't know about you, but when I hear of a J-Lo movie I tend to think of Rom-Coms.
Or her music career.
Not of what is, essentially, a version of the 1980s FASA miniatures game "Battletech" or the "MechWarrior" series if computer game spins offs.
Which is more-or-less what this feels like, with J-Lo's character in the future - who distrusts all technology - trapped inside the cockpit of a mobile armoured fighting robot (Gundam, perhaps, as another touchstone, or even Armoured Core) and needing to interact with the AI of said suit whilst on a mission to another planet to hunt down rogue AI - that she has a personal connection with - that attempted to commit genocide against the human race.
Actually better than I thought it would be, but unlikely to win any awards!
Or her music career.
Not of what is, essentially, a version of the 1980s FASA miniatures game "Battletech" or the "MechWarrior" series if computer game spins offs.
Which is more-or-less what this feels like, with J-Lo's character in the future - who distrusts all technology - trapped inside the cockpit of a mobile armoured fighting robot (Gundam, perhaps, as another touchstone, or even Armoured Core) and needing to interact with the AI of said suit whilst on a mission to another planet to hunt down rogue AI - that she has a personal connection with - that attempted to commit genocide against the human race.
Actually better than I thought it would be, but unlikely to win any awards!
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
Hunt on the edge… again.
2015’s “MI: Rogue Nation” was one of my favourite films of that year, so of all the summer blockbusters this was the one I was most looking forward to. Was I delighted? It’s a slightly qualified “YES!”.
The film neatly follows on from Rogue Nation with arch terrorist-in-need-of-a-razor Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) being extraordinarily renditioned (probably not a valid phrase!) between multiple countries who want to torture/punish him. But his followers – “The Apostles” – are still active and on the trail of plutonium that could devestate key sites, with religious centres being the top of the target list. Since Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) originally caught Lane, IMF Director Hunley (Alec Baldwin) despatches Hunt to intercept the plutonium.
But CIA director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) has no faith in the IMF, or trust that the organisation has not been infiltrated, and she insists that her ‘heavy’ August Walker (Henry Cavill) goes along for the ride. But they are not the only parties in play, for Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is also involved. But who is she working for?
What makes these films a cut above your average action adventure is the stunt work, with the knowledge that Cruise is at the centre of the action. In “Skyscraper” you KNOW Dwayne Johnson is standing on the ‘edge’ in front of a big green screen. Similarly here you KNOW Cruise is standing on the edge of the Tate Modern tower – probably without a safety line – as the camera goes 360 degrees around him. This makes all the difference to the adrenalin count.
There are some outstanding set pieces in the film, with extraordinarily spectacular shots from a ‘halo jump’ and a dramatic helicopter finale. But it is some of the smaller stuff that really impresses: a dramatic edge-of-the-seat car and motorbike chase through central Paris is one of the most impressive and terrifying things I’ve seen on film for many years; and Cruise’s literally bone-crunching run through London is also extremely exciting, with Simon Pegg adding good humour in his regular role of Benji. By the way, series regulars Ving Rhames, as Luther, and Michelle Monaghan, as Hunt’s ex-wife Julia, also make welcome returns but Jeremy Renner is missing this time.
Tom Cruise at 56 (he’s just 15 months younger than I am, damn it!) will eventually meet a Roger Moore-like Bond cliff when his Hunt role is no longer credible. But he’s not there yet! Rebecca Ferguson is again outstanding as Faust and as a newcomer in a similar role Vanessa Kirby (memorable as Princess Margaret in “The Crown”) impresses as the “White Widow” – someone with a familial link to a villain from the past!
Unusually, for a film series which has traditionally been kept fresh by changing directors and composers at each turn, Christopher McQuarrie (“Edge of Tomorrow“, “The Mummy“) returns following “Rogue Nation“, and he also writes the screenplay. The composing baton is handed over this time though to Lorne Balfe (“Churchill“, “Terminator: Genisys“) and for me this was a bit of a step down from the “Rogue Nation” soundtrack by Joe Kraemer which I really enjoyed.
Is it sufficiently fresh though? Let’s be clear here, I was enormously entertained throughout, and this should be near the top of your summer watch list. But it did ultimately feel at times a little like a light retread of “Rogue Nation“. Some of the stunts – notably the Paris and London scenes as above – were a step up for me, but there are some annoyances in McQuarrie’s script (see the spoiler section below the trailer), so for me the rating plateaus at the same as “Rogue Nation“.
The film neatly follows on from Rogue Nation with arch terrorist-in-need-of-a-razor Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) being extraordinarily renditioned (probably not a valid phrase!) between multiple countries who want to torture/punish him. But his followers – “The Apostles” – are still active and on the trail of plutonium that could devestate key sites, with religious centres being the top of the target list. Since Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) originally caught Lane, IMF Director Hunley (Alec Baldwin) despatches Hunt to intercept the plutonium.
But CIA director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) has no faith in the IMF, or trust that the organisation has not been infiltrated, and she insists that her ‘heavy’ August Walker (Henry Cavill) goes along for the ride. But they are not the only parties in play, for Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is also involved. But who is she working for?
What makes these films a cut above your average action adventure is the stunt work, with the knowledge that Cruise is at the centre of the action. In “Skyscraper” you KNOW Dwayne Johnson is standing on the ‘edge’ in front of a big green screen. Similarly here you KNOW Cruise is standing on the edge of the Tate Modern tower – probably without a safety line – as the camera goes 360 degrees around him. This makes all the difference to the adrenalin count.
There are some outstanding set pieces in the film, with extraordinarily spectacular shots from a ‘halo jump’ and a dramatic helicopter finale. But it is some of the smaller stuff that really impresses: a dramatic edge-of-the-seat car and motorbike chase through central Paris is one of the most impressive and terrifying things I’ve seen on film for many years; and Cruise’s literally bone-crunching run through London is also extremely exciting, with Simon Pegg adding good humour in his regular role of Benji. By the way, series regulars Ving Rhames, as Luther, and Michelle Monaghan, as Hunt’s ex-wife Julia, also make welcome returns but Jeremy Renner is missing this time.
Tom Cruise at 56 (he’s just 15 months younger than I am, damn it!) will eventually meet a Roger Moore-like Bond cliff when his Hunt role is no longer credible. But he’s not there yet! Rebecca Ferguson is again outstanding as Faust and as a newcomer in a similar role Vanessa Kirby (memorable as Princess Margaret in “The Crown”) impresses as the “White Widow” – someone with a familial link to a villain from the past!
Unusually, for a film series which has traditionally been kept fresh by changing directors and composers at each turn, Christopher McQuarrie (“Edge of Tomorrow“, “The Mummy“) returns following “Rogue Nation“, and he also writes the screenplay. The composing baton is handed over this time though to Lorne Balfe (“Churchill“, “Terminator: Genisys“) and for me this was a bit of a step down from the “Rogue Nation” soundtrack by Joe Kraemer which I really enjoyed.
Is it sufficiently fresh though? Let’s be clear here, I was enormously entertained throughout, and this should be near the top of your summer watch list. But it did ultimately feel at times a little like a light retread of “Rogue Nation“. Some of the stunts – notably the Paris and London scenes as above – were a step up for me, but there are some annoyances in McQuarrie’s script (see the spoiler section below the trailer), so for me the rating plateaus at the same as “Rogue Nation“.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Well I read this book directly after finishing the first in the series because it was really that good. As it usually goes with series though, this installment wasn't as good as the original. But that's not at all to say that it wasn't a good read.
The same characters are included in this book with the addition of thru Grey Man, aka Mr. Grey...a hit man who had been hired to hunt down & retrieve the Greywarren for his boss. The ley line is losing its juice. Gansey is no closer to discovering Glendower. Blue & Adam are still dancing around each other.
The story took a bit longer to really get going in this book. Once it did however, it grabs the reader just like the first book did. It will be interesting to see what path the third books takes us down...
The same characters are included in this book with the addition of thru Grey Man, aka Mr. Grey...a hit man who had been hired to hunt down & retrieve the Greywarren for his boss. The ley line is losing its juice. Gansey is no closer to discovering Glendower. Blue & Adam are still dancing around each other.
The story took a bit longer to really get going in this book. Once it did however, it grabs the reader just like the first book did. It will be interesting to see what path the third books takes us down...
lou (13 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 in Video Games
Jun 12, 2019
great story line not so great online
Contains spoilers, click to show
i love love love this game break down
story line 10/10
grafix 10/10
missons 10/10
online 2/10
everything on story mode is amazing theres lots to keep you entertained side missions strangers and of corse horses ? once compleated the story theres still lots to do you can hunt find treasure run your own ranch and much more but online isnt so good everything is too expencive and its hard to earn money and gold the feature games arnt too good and ranking up is very hard to unlock the simplest of items im rank 12 and its taken alot to get there it is good in the way you can choose gender and pick what your player looks like but other than that its too much work for not alot of rewards.
story line 10/10
grafix 10/10
missons 10/10
online 2/10
everything on story mode is amazing theres lots to keep you entertained side missions strangers and of corse horses ? once compleated the story theres still lots to do you can hunt find treasure run your own ranch and much more but online isnt so good everything is too expencive and its hard to earn money and gold the feature games arnt too good and ranking up is very hard to unlock the simplest of items im rank 12 and its taken alot to get there it is good in the way you can choose gender and pick what your player looks like but other than that its too much work for not alot of rewards.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Artifact (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
New history professor Jaya Jones is trying to process the death of her ex-boyfriend when she receives a package in the mail from him that contains a bracelet. It looks to be old and possibly valuable. Now, she’s wondering if he really died in an accident like everyone thinks or if it was murder. And what is the story of the bracelet?
While I always enjoy a cozy mystery, I love when an author adds something else, which is the case here. I was hoping for a caper feel to things, and this book delivered on that perfectly. Between the mystery and the treasure hunt, there is always something going on. Along the way, we get to meet a great cast of characters. I’ll definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-artifact-by-gigi-pandian.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I always enjoy a cozy mystery, I love when an author adds something else, which is the case here. I was hoping for a caper feel to things, and this book delivered on that perfectly. Between the mystery and the treasure hunt, there is always something going on. Along the way, we get to meet a great cast of characters. I’ll definitely be back for more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-artifact-by-gigi-pandian.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated The Iron Hunt (Hunter Kiss, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
<i>The Iron Hunt</i> is a beautifully written book with some interesting twists on established fantasy memes. To some extent, I felt that I'd come in to the world on book 2 or 3, but as far as I know (and from what Amazon says) this is the first book of the Hunter Kiss series. There was a bit of Buffy and a little Witchblade, with other elements I'm sure I'm overlooking.
For once, it's good to see a novel in which an established couple has a seemingly-healthy relationship. Maxine and Grant have very different skills, but they work together well. That said, this is <b>not</b> a romance.
Edited to add: I just learned that there is, in fact, a prequel to this book in <i>The Wild Thing</i> anthology, which I hadn't heard of before. I'll certainly be looking for it.
For once, it's good to see a novel in which an established couple has a seemingly-healthy relationship. Maxine and Grant have very different skills, but they work together well. That said, this is <b>not</b> a romance.
Edited to add: I just learned that there is, in fact, a prequel to this book in <i>The Wild Thing</i> anthology, which I hadn't heard of before. I'll certainly be looking for it.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Spaced Out (Moon Base Alpha #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When you are living in a small base on the moon, it’s hard to vanish. And yet, that’s exactly what has happened to Nina Stack, the commander. Dash Gibson finds himself in the middle of the hunt for the missing woman, all the time with one thought in the back of his mind – if they don’t find her soon, time might run out.
This is a delightful combination of mystery and science fiction that will keep fans of either genre turning pages. The characters are sharp and well done. There are plenty of twists and clues. Plus there are some very funny scenes. My only warning is that this book spoils the first in the series, but that’s a very minor issue since both books are delightful reads.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-spaced-out-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a delightful combination of mystery and science fiction that will keep fans of either genre turning pages. The characters are sharp and well done. There are plenty of twists and clues. Plus there are some very funny scenes. My only warning is that this book spoils the first in the series, but that’s a very minor issue since both books are delightful reads.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-spaced-out-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Bomber Rangers 3D Game
Games, Entertainment and Stickers
App
Travel to wonderful galaxy of all 5 stars with a bomb blast in hand. The classic bomber game! You...