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The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
1940 | Classics, Comedy, Romance
10
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I absolutely love this movie; the opening scene sold it for me. It holds up to current times, and is completely humorous. Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart were all great in this film. Hepburn's character is a socialite that is about to re-marry after a divorce from CK Dexter Haven (Grant), and Macaulay Conner (Stewart), is a tabloid reporter there for the scoop.
  
T6
The 6th Extinction (Sigma Force, #10)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed the story and the exotic locations – the story takes place across the globe from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, to the remote tepuis of Brazil, and all the way to Antarctica. It was a very fast-paced thriller, with less investigation and more “diving-right-in-and-doing” than some of the other books in this series. The returning characters from previous novels were a nice surprise, but I won’t names in case you are a fan of the series and haven’t read this one yet. Jenna, Nikko, and Drake were nice additions to the team, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them pop up again in future volumes. I do wish that Seichan had a bigger part in this one though.

As always with James Rollins’s books, be sure to read / listen to the Notes to the Reader at the end of the novel. He always explains what out of the book is science, and what is fiction. In this novel particularly, that is the scariest part of all.
  
The Ghost of Mavis
The Ghost of Mavis
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Ghost of Mavis had me intuited by wanting to know what it was about. Was it a mother that died with a young girl. There a mystery to it that you are pondering from the minute you start reading.

Mavis shows up at the Pearly gates in a wedding dress. Why and what reason. Mary Lynn Plaisance write the story well. This is her first book, that I have read. She leaves you guessing and pondering about a little girl. Who is this little girl and what is she waiting for? All we know at the beginning Mavis as died and is at the age of 88. What her angels tell her is, that she miss her lick and was to marry again.

Mavis is confused but are we as well? She also wonders why she wears a wedding dress. She wants to go back to earth to be born into a rich family. When she goes to ask, her angels she's going back to earth on a mission. To do that she will go back as a ghost and her angel Anna will help her until she finds this James Windsor.

You start to wonder what life is after death. Where do we go? Is it a belief that we reincarnate back to our family or do we stay in haven. That you will have to decide. Mary does a splendid job with this and talking about the afterlife. I would suggest if you enjoy paranormal fan or even a little mystery fan this is a good book to read. I recommend it to read.

The book is well written and few mistakes. I believe a may have caught one mistake in the entire book. It was probably one that got the word misplaced not even spell wrong when editing, it wonderful. I hope to read more by Mary Lynn Plaisance.
  
Allegiant (2016)
Allegiant (2016)
2016 | Action, Romance, Sci-Fi
A+ for effort
I think it’s probably fair to say that the Young Adult genre has become oversaturated due to the phenomenal success of The Hunger Games. Since coming to a slightly underwhelming conclusion last year, many new franchises have its crown firmly in their sights.

The Maze Runner was a muddled first outing with the second, Scorch Trials faring much better and the same can be said for the Divergent series. The first film was at times, an incomprehensible mess, while its follow-up, Insurgent was a thrilling if CGI-heavy and overlong affair.

Allegiant marks the first of two films ending the moderately successful series, with Ascendant being released in June next year. But does this split conclusion harm it as much as it did for Mockingjay?

Allegiant picks up immediately after the end of its predecessor with Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), her lover Four (Theo James) and a group of friends leaving their once safe-haven of a post-apocalyptic Chicago in order to find a world beyond the wall, populated by others once thought forgotten. What ensues will change their lives forever.

The cast is on form in this instalment with Woodley growing into the role perfectly. It’s true that she’s no Jennifer Lawrence, and many would see her as a budget Katniss Everdeen, but she plays the character with a confidence only matched by her rival in the genre. Theo James gets a much larger role here too, and this is welcome, given his pivotal part in the novels.

Elsewhere, Naomi Watts does her best Julianne Moore impression and clearly watched the latter’s performance in Mockingjay to prepare for an incredibly similar role. Jeff Daniels is a nice addition as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare’s leader, David, though again, his acting prowess feels a little wasted.

Robert Schwentke directs the film with a unique colour palate and visual flair. Scenes “beyond the wall” are stunning and glisten with a red lick of paint, a welcome change from the staid, grey and blue many directors continue to use in blockbusters. It’s very Total Recall-esque in these sequences and better for it.

Unfortunately, once the plucky group of teens leave the Martian-like “Fringe” behind, the CGI kicks up a gear. This is where things start to unravel somewhat and Schwentke throws effect upon effect at the screen until there is hardly any realism left. On the whole, they’re pretty decent, but there are a few lapses that stop the film dead in its tracks, especially towards the cliff-hanger conclusion.

It’s also far too long. Much like Mockingjay, splitting the final book was an exercise in cash-grabbing rather than giving fans of the novels what they want. At over two hours in length, Allegiant drags in places and means the final film, as a whole, will be around four hours.

Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy here. The story for newcomers is incomprehensible and some of the dialogue is downright laughable, but for those of us continuing the saga, it’s an epic adventure with some cracking visuals, good acting and an intriguing plot – despite a few convoluted moments.

Overall, Allegiant is a film hampered by its timing. The similarities to The Hunger Games are obvious throughout, from exactly the same dialogue in certain scenes, to similar sets and similar casting decisions. But, if you can forget all that, it’s a fun, if overlong ride

https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/03/13/a-for-effort-divergent-allegiant-review/