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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Oct 24, 2020
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Jewel of the Nile (1985) in Movies
Apr 10, 2021
Eat Rock!
The Jewel of the Nile- is a good film, the cast is back, the action, the romance, the adventure, the drama and the stone. Its now a jewel.
The plot: Novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is living with adventurer boyfriend Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) on his yacht. But she leaves when Omar (Spiros Focas), the head of a North African nation, asks her to visit his country and write about him. Jack intends to go on a pleasure cruise to Greece, but when he learns that Joan is a pawn in Omar's quest to polish his image and gain greater power, he partners with continent-hopping criminal Ralph (Danny DeVito) in a quest to free her.
The first one is better, but this one is good.
The plot: Novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is living with adventurer boyfriend Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) on his yacht. But she leaves when Omar (Spiros Focas), the head of a North African nation, asks her to visit his country and write about him. Jack intends to go on a pleasure cruise to Greece, but when he learns that Joan is a pawn in Omar's quest to polish his image and gain greater power, he partners with continent-hopping criminal Ralph (Danny DeVito) in a quest to free her.
The first one is better, but this one is good.
The CyberHippy (15 KP) rated Rise of the Guardians (2012) in Movies
Jul 17, 2017
Storyline (1 more)
The character of The Easter Bunny is hilarious!
What if the Easter Bunny was real?
Santa Claus (known as North), The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Sandman are The Guardians, they keep the children of the world safe. When Pitch Black threatens to return, bringing noting but misery, fear and nightmares with him, the team are sent a new recruit, the mischievous Jack Frost (who has a long running feud with The Easter Bunny). Can the others trust him and will the five of them be able to work together to banish Pitch Black back to the shadows?
9/10
9/10
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2082 KP) rated The Murder List in Books
Aug 18, 2020
Rachel North is a non-traditional law student at 36, but she plans to join her husband, Jack Kirkland, in his practice as of one Boston’s premier defense lawyers once she graduates. But first she has to survive a summer internship with ADA Martha Gardiner. To say that Jack and Martha hate each other is putting it mildly, but Rachel thinks it will a good opportunity for opposition research. When Martha takes a personal interest in Rachel, Rachel is flattered. But can she navigate the two lawyers now in her life? Or is she being played?
This book not only switches between the present and when Rachel first met Jack and Martha six years ago, but it also incorporates all three character’s viewpoints. Don’t worry, it all flows smoothly, and you can always tell who and when you are currently learning about. I will admit I had a bit of a different idea what a book called The Murder List might be about, but I quickly got hooked on the story being told here. This is a suspense novel, with plenty of twists and surprises along the way. My biggest struggle was the characters. This really is Rachel, Jack, and Martha’s story, and all three are deeply flawed. I found it hard to root for them at various points in the story; I usually like to have at least one character I can root for. Overall, I did enjoy this book and I’m glad I read it.
This book not only switches between the present and when Rachel first met Jack and Martha six years ago, but it also incorporates all three character’s viewpoints. Don’t worry, it all flows smoothly, and you can always tell who and when you are currently learning about. I will admit I had a bit of a different idea what a book called The Murder List might be about, but I quickly got hooked on the story being told here. This is a suspense novel, with plenty of twists and surprises along the way. My biggest struggle was the characters. This really is Rachel, Jack, and Martha’s story, and all three are deeply flawed. I found it hard to root for them at various points in the story; I usually like to have at least one character I can root for. Overall, I did enjoy this book and I’m glad I read it.
Merissa (11726 KP) rated Fagin's Boy (Oliver & Jack #1) by Jackie North in Books
Apr 21, 2022 (Updated Jun 24, 2023)
FAGIN'S BOY is the first book in the Oliver and Jack series, and as you may have gathered, it follows on from Oliver Twist. Oliver is now seventeen and the story starts with him attending the funeral of the man who took him in and looked after him, Mr Brownlow. Not knowing what will happen to him next, Oliver takes on an apprenticeship at a haberdashery, hoping it will give him experience for when he opens his own, long-dreamed-about, bookstore.
Jack has just returned to London after being hextricated to Australia. I had to suspend belief a little here as I've never heard of that happening before. He is still the cheeky chappie you may recognise but is altogether more fragile and hard. A paradox, for sure. He reminded me of a piece of flint.
Anyway, the story follows Oliver and Jack for a few months as circumstances change for Oliver. I thought the descriptions of the living conditions, plus how the children are treated in the workhouse, to be definitely in keeping with the original book by Dickens, as well as what was hinted at in the musical film.
Whilst Jack revelled in his circumstances, he was also desperate for stories about those he remembers. This leads him to a friendship with Noah, who Oliver doesn't like or trust. Oliver, on the other hand, wants more than he has right now. He wants his bookshop. He doesn't want to steal. He would like Jack to be with him but is prepared to make a break if Jack doesn't want to come.
There is a HFN ending to this first book and I am sure there will be plenty more adventures for our twosome. Although I have read and enjoyed other historical books by Ms North, I can't honestly say I enjoyed this one as much and I'm not sure why. All of the ingredients were there but, for me, they just didn't mix as well as I had expected. I am glad I have read this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Oliver Twist and the hard, grimy Victorian times.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 14, 2022
Jack has just returned to London after being hextricated to Australia. I had to suspend belief a little here as I've never heard of that happening before. He is still the cheeky chappie you may recognise but is altogether more fragile and hard. A paradox, for sure. He reminded me of a piece of flint.
Anyway, the story follows Oliver and Jack for a few months as circumstances change for Oliver. I thought the descriptions of the living conditions, plus how the children are treated in the workhouse, to be definitely in keeping with the original book by Dickens, as well as what was hinted at in the musical film.
Whilst Jack revelled in his circumstances, he was also desperate for stories about those he remembers. This leads him to a friendship with Noah, who Oliver doesn't like or trust. Oliver, on the other hand, wants more than he has right now. He wants his bookshop. He doesn't want to steal. He would like Jack to be with him but is prepared to make a break if Jack doesn't want to come.
There is a HFN ending to this first book and I am sure there will be plenty more adventures for our twosome. Although I have read and enjoyed other historical books by Ms North, I can't honestly say I enjoyed this one as much and I'm not sure why. All of the ingredients were there but, for me, they just didn't mix as well as I had expected. I am glad I have read this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Oliver Twist and the hard, grimy Victorian times.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 14, 2022
Darren (1599 KP) rated Rise of the Guardians (2012) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Characters – Jack Frost is the spiritual figure that nobody believes in, he keeps children happy everyday, but no one will remember him for his work, now he gets given a chance to become a guardian giving him the chance to be the hero the world needs. North is the leader of the guardians the first selected to help to replace Pitch giving the children of the world hope, even if he does feel like colossus from Deadpool. Pitch was once the one that struck fear into children, he wants his crown back and will look to take the belief out of any children in the world. Tooth, Bunny and Sandy make up the rest of the guardians that have mixed feelings towards Jack being chosen as their newest member. Using the iconic fantasy characters does make us understand what they thieve for, but is often used for a pun throughout the film.
Story – The story here follows a reckless potential new guardian that must prove his place in the guardians with the much more experienced and famous icons of fantasy. While this does follow a generic idea, it is fun throughout and does play into the idea of childhood innocence keeping legends alive. The idea of Jack Frost needing to find his place in the battle is the strongest part of the film and is easily the one part of the film you want to see most of.
Adventure/Fantasy – The adventure that Jack Frost must go on brings him to the next moment of his stage of immortality, being on a level with a Santa or Tooth Fairy, this is him finding himself in this world that is full of fantasy icons that children will always be believing in.
Settings – The film takes us to different lands which would be the ones you would imagine finding the fantasy icons, the north pole being the most iconic.
Animation – The animation standard is top notch just like we are expecting from a major study involvement in a film.
Scene of the Movie – The final battle.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – A lot of the jokes are aimed at how people would imagine talking to each of the guardians.
Final Thoughts – This is a fantasy family animation that can be enjoyed by all, it doesn’t over test the audience and comes off fun throughout.
Overall: Fun family animation that will give you a smile.
Story – The story here follows a reckless potential new guardian that must prove his place in the guardians with the much more experienced and famous icons of fantasy. While this does follow a generic idea, it is fun throughout and does play into the idea of childhood innocence keeping legends alive. The idea of Jack Frost needing to find his place in the battle is the strongest part of the film and is easily the one part of the film you want to see most of.
Adventure/Fantasy – The adventure that Jack Frost must go on brings him to the next moment of his stage of immortality, being on a level with a Santa or Tooth Fairy, this is him finding himself in this world that is full of fantasy icons that children will always be believing in.
Settings – The film takes us to different lands which would be the ones you would imagine finding the fantasy icons, the north pole being the most iconic.
Animation – The animation standard is top notch just like we are expecting from a major study involvement in a film.
Scene of the Movie – The final battle.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – A lot of the jokes are aimed at how people would imagine talking to each of the guardians.
Final Thoughts – This is a fantasy family animation that can be enjoyed by all, it doesn’t over test the audience and comes off fun throughout.
Overall: Fun family animation that will give you a smile.
Merissa (11726 KP) rated Daughter of the Sea in Books
Dec 21, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)
DAUGHTER OF THE SEA is a sweet romance with a mythological twist, set in North Yorkshire. Effie is widowed young and, on the same night as her husband dies, she finds a baby washed ashore. Her own son, Jack, is five-months-old, so Effie has milk available for both. She cares for -- and loves -- the little baby whilst continuing with her own life. All that changes when the dad shows up!
There is a hint of a love triangle in here, with both Lachlan and Walter vying for Effie's affection. Of course, you are pretty sure which way it will go, but the author keeps you guessing until the end.
The pacing is smooth and there are lots of details about how women lived, the whole way of life at that time, plus how Effie doesn't fit in or, really, know what she wants. The story is a slow-burn one in that it moves along quite slowly. However, that gives the reader time to fully immerse themselves in the past.
This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 21, 2021
There is a hint of a love triangle in here, with both Lachlan and Walter vying for Effie's affection. Of course, you are pretty sure which way it will go, but the author keeps you guessing until the end.
The pacing is smooth and there are lots of details about how women lived, the whole way of life at that time, plus how Effie doesn't fit in or, really, know what she wants. The story is a slow-burn one in that it moves along quite slowly. However, that gives the reader time to fully immerse themselves in the past.
This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 21, 2021
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated American Vampire, Vol. 6 in Books
Jul 21, 2019 (Updated Jul 21, 2019)
Not all the art works (for me) (1 more)
Adult content.... but if you made it this far in the series, that's not a surprise
Filler Anthology, but still fun...
Note: this review is transposted from my personal review blog, and so was originally written several years ago.
So, it has come to this. The sixth and latest collection of American Vampire comics. Now it’s not just my library’s slow acquisition policies holding me back, but the fact that there haven’t been any more published yet! Apparently the creators put the book on hiatus for a while, but they’ve at least started publishing again. I just have to wait for it to hit the collections….This particular collection is a couple of one-shots they put out in the meantime to keep our appetites whetted–one from the main American Vampire team, one with them letting a whole bunch of other comics creators play in their sandbox. Obviously, this review could spoil events from the previous collections.
First off, we have THE LONG ROAD TO HELL. Snyder and Albuquerque set out the story for this one together, with Albuquerque taking over to script and draw the story. Billy Bob and Jo are the Bonnie and Clyde of petty thieves, picking pockets by night to add to their stash. They’re hoping to have enough soon to cover the cost of renting a chapel, but one fateful encounter with a vampire coven recruitment team and everything changes…not for the better, I’m afraid. Jasper Miller is a young orphan, favorite target of a group of bullies. It seems that young Jasper is a very insightful young man, and some of what he knows makes these bullies very nervous, and he decides that the open road would be safer for him than the old orphanage. Vampire hunter Travis Kidd we’ve already met back in Vol. IV, and it’s good to see that he survived the ambush he willingly dove into at the end of that book. Seems to have picked up a katana somewhere in the interim too, which is always cool. Fate has these four on a collision course, and blood will be spilled by the time they reach the end of the road….
Moving on to the American Vampire Anthology, we open with the frame story by Snyder and Albuquerque. THE MAN COMES AROUND is set in 1967 as Skinner Sweet hides out in the middle of nowhere, hoping to avoid the major events he can sense just over the horizon. Seems there’s always someone trying to kill him, though…. Jason Aaron and Declan Shalvey then enlighten us as to what really happened on Roanoke Island in THE LOST COLONY. Here’s a hint, vampires were involved. We then move on to BLEEDING KANSAS, where Albuquerque puts down his pencil and takes a shot at writing the story, leaving the art to Ivo Milazzo. Set against that tumultuous time and place, Albuquerque and Milazzo set down for us a tale of what I can only assume are Henry Jones’ grandparents. Next up, Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes serve up a tale of terror in the frozen north with CANADIAN VAMPIRE as ex-Mountie-turned-bounty-hunter Jack Warhammer is hired to find out what happened to a German fur trading expedition missing in the wild. Becky Cloonan handles both the writing and art for GREED, starring Skinner Sweet and featuring his first encounter with those crazy folks who hail from a place called “Hollywood….” Francesco Francavilla then pulls the same trick for THE PRODUCERS, detailing the birth of a star as he makes a shady deal in exchange for fame and fortune. Gail Simone and Tula Lotay treat us to Hattie Hargrove’s origin story in ESSENCE OF LIFE, showing us just what happened to her that made her willing to screw over her best friend in the world. Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon share both the writing and artist credits for LAST NIGHT, as a lounge singer describes to a reporter the events leading up to the previous evening’s massacre at the club. Finally, Greg Rucka and JP Leon tell the tale of a dying drunk and the lowlifes who try and shanghai him in PORTLAND, 1940.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this as per the usual for this series. The writing was stellar, and the anthology format really served well for the world being depicted. As with any comics anthology, there’s a wide variety of artistic styles represented, and some of those styles I’m not really a fan of, but that’s largely a matter of taste. I could sit here and tell you that I really wasn’t a fan of Ivo Milazzo’s art on BLEEDING KANSAS (which is true), but the next guy might have loved it. I could laud Tula Lotay’s work on ESSENCE OF LIFE (also true), but the next guy may not have been a fan. That’s kind of how it works–peoples’ tastes are pretty subjective. I did enjoy getting into Hattie’s head a bit more than we were able to back when she was introduced, and Skinner Sweet’s adventures are always fun–I’ve mentioned before my weakness for antiheroes. As a historian, Roanoke’s lost colony is always a fascinating topic, and a number of the plot twists contained here were very satisfying if not always surprising. I really can’t wait for the next volume to come out so I can see the payoff to some of the plot threads being set up both here and in the teaser from the end of volume V….
CONTENT: R-rated language. Brutal, bloody vampire violence–these aren’t sparkly, angst-ridden pretty boys, these are monsters through and through. Some explicit and implicit sexual content, including what more or less constitutes a rape. No real occult content, as there isn’t a spiritual element to this version of vampirism.
Original review link: https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/review-american-vampire-volume-vi-by-scott-snyder-rafael-albuquerque/
So, it has come to this. The sixth and latest collection of American Vampire comics. Now it’s not just my library’s slow acquisition policies holding me back, but the fact that there haven’t been any more published yet! Apparently the creators put the book on hiatus for a while, but they’ve at least started publishing again. I just have to wait for it to hit the collections….This particular collection is a couple of one-shots they put out in the meantime to keep our appetites whetted–one from the main American Vampire team, one with them letting a whole bunch of other comics creators play in their sandbox. Obviously, this review could spoil events from the previous collections.
First off, we have THE LONG ROAD TO HELL. Snyder and Albuquerque set out the story for this one together, with Albuquerque taking over to script and draw the story. Billy Bob and Jo are the Bonnie and Clyde of petty thieves, picking pockets by night to add to their stash. They’re hoping to have enough soon to cover the cost of renting a chapel, but one fateful encounter with a vampire coven recruitment team and everything changes…not for the better, I’m afraid. Jasper Miller is a young orphan, favorite target of a group of bullies. It seems that young Jasper is a very insightful young man, and some of what he knows makes these bullies very nervous, and he decides that the open road would be safer for him than the old orphanage. Vampire hunter Travis Kidd we’ve already met back in Vol. IV, and it’s good to see that he survived the ambush he willingly dove into at the end of that book. Seems to have picked up a katana somewhere in the interim too, which is always cool. Fate has these four on a collision course, and blood will be spilled by the time they reach the end of the road….
Moving on to the American Vampire Anthology, we open with the frame story by Snyder and Albuquerque. THE MAN COMES AROUND is set in 1967 as Skinner Sweet hides out in the middle of nowhere, hoping to avoid the major events he can sense just over the horizon. Seems there’s always someone trying to kill him, though…. Jason Aaron and Declan Shalvey then enlighten us as to what really happened on Roanoke Island in THE LOST COLONY. Here’s a hint, vampires were involved. We then move on to BLEEDING KANSAS, where Albuquerque puts down his pencil and takes a shot at writing the story, leaving the art to Ivo Milazzo. Set against that tumultuous time and place, Albuquerque and Milazzo set down for us a tale of what I can only assume are Henry Jones’ grandparents. Next up, Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes serve up a tale of terror in the frozen north with CANADIAN VAMPIRE as ex-Mountie-turned-bounty-hunter Jack Warhammer is hired to find out what happened to a German fur trading expedition missing in the wild. Becky Cloonan handles both the writing and art for GREED, starring Skinner Sweet and featuring his first encounter with those crazy folks who hail from a place called “Hollywood….” Francesco Francavilla then pulls the same trick for THE PRODUCERS, detailing the birth of a star as he makes a shady deal in exchange for fame and fortune. Gail Simone and Tula Lotay treat us to Hattie Hargrove’s origin story in ESSENCE OF LIFE, showing us just what happened to her that made her willing to screw over her best friend in the world. Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon share both the writing and artist credits for LAST NIGHT, as a lounge singer describes to a reporter the events leading up to the previous evening’s massacre at the club. Finally, Greg Rucka and JP Leon tell the tale of a dying drunk and the lowlifes who try and shanghai him in PORTLAND, 1940.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this as per the usual for this series. The writing was stellar, and the anthology format really served well for the world being depicted. As with any comics anthology, there’s a wide variety of artistic styles represented, and some of those styles I’m not really a fan of, but that’s largely a matter of taste. I could sit here and tell you that I really wasn’t a fan of Ivo Milazzo’s art on BLEEDING KANSAS (which is true), but the next guy might have loved it. I could laud Tula Lotay’s work on ESSENCE OF LIFE (also true), but the next guy may not have been a fan. That’s kind of how it works–peoples’ tastes are pretty subjective. I did enjoy getting into Hattie’s head a bit more than we were able to back when she was introduced, and Skinner Sweet’s adventures are always fun–I’ve mentioned before my weakness for antiheroes. As a historian, Roanoke’s lost colony is always a fascinating topic, and a number of the plot twists contained here were very satisfying if not always surprising. I really can’t wait for the next volume to come out so I can see the payoff to some of the plot threads being set up both here and in the teaser from the end of volume V….
CONTENT: R-rated language. Brutal, bloody vampire violence–these aren’t sparkly, angst-ridden pretty boys, these are monsters through and through. Some explicit and implicit sexual content, including what more or less constitutes a rape. No real occult content, as there isn’t a spiritual element to this version of vampirism.
Original review link: https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/review-american-vampire-volume-vi-by-scott-snyder-rafael-albuquerque/