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Sandstorm (Sigma Force, #1)
Sandstorm (Sigma Force, #1)
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first in [author:James Rollins|38809] 'Sigma Force' series (effectively, scientists with guns) in which, I felt, the author was trying to get his feet somewhat - for my money, this was just not as smooth, as entertaining or as gripping as some of the later entries.

I don't know whether or not that is because this one is burdened with the world-building; with introducing Sigma Force and the Guild and, effectively, laying the groundwork for the later entries.

Starting with a (literal) bang - an explosion in the British Museum - this is soon off to Arabia to investigate the mystery of a vanished ancient city that once belonged to the Queen of Sheba, as a gigantic megastorm brews up over the desert.

Think Indiana Jones, throw in a touch of 'Sahara' and add a soupcon of James Bond/Jason Bourne and, I think, you're more-or-less there.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Cats (2019) in Movies

Jan 15, 2020  
Cats (2019)
Cats (2019)
2019 | Musical
Stuff of nightmares
From the moment I saw the trailer, I knew I wasn't going to like this film. Having never seen the stage show, I went into this completely blind and to be honest, after 100 minutes of this nonsense I wish I was blind.

Usually I'll try to find something good to say about a film, but I'm really struggling with this. I feel like giving it a 2 is rather generous. Other than appreciating the amount of effort on the CGI and the song Memory, I really cannot identify any other good points whatsoever.

Now where do I start on the bad? The cats themselves are beyond disturbing. People dressed as cats in the stage show I can understand. Human features on cat bodies is just crazy and looks ridiculous. The fact that they alternate between 2 and 4 legged with human features, it beggars belief. I hoped I might get used to it, but i really didnt especially when they start hissing, preening and acting like real cats - it's terrifying and laughable all at once. The scaling of the cats against the scenery also looks a little misjudged, especially when they stand up.

The story and rest of the film doesn't fare much better. The songs (except for Memory) are surprisingly poor for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, and no others are particularly memorable. The plot itself is also very thin and has barely any substance, the fact that they've managed to drag this out to 100 minutes is impressive. I also couldn't stand the words "Jellicle" and "Heaviside" - they sound like something from a kids cartoon and they began to grate on me very quickly. And the cast: James Corden, Rebel Wilson and Ray Winstone - just no. They are all so cringingly bad I could barely watch. And even acting royalty like Ian McKellen and Judi Dench don't survive this car crash intact. The final song and scenes with the direct address to camera is possibly the most embarrassingly cringeworthy thing I've seen in a long time.

It may only be January, but I doubt anything else I see in 2020 will be worse than this. I would have happily walked out of this 15 minutes in and never thought twice. The fact that I've sat through the entire thing made me want to claw my eyes out. I cannot unsee this.

If you want to watch a film musical about cats, watch The Aristocats. Do not waste your time on this!
  
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) Jan 15, 2020

"After 100 minutes I wish I was blind" 😂 Brilliant quote

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
1994 | Drama
The story is amazing showing how prison life is for some of the inmates from Shawshank and Andy dealing with it. (3 more)
The characters like Andy, Red, Samuel, and Byron are memorable. Andy is a character we want to see succeed as well as Red with his charm. While Samuel the warden and Byron the guard are ruthless.
The acting from Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown, and James Whitmore do an amazing job with their acting and making the characters memorable
The production design from the Shawshank Prison is rally great and the music is amazing.
Nothing I can think of. (0 more)
Shawshank Redemption
The film has a great story, memorable characters, incredible acting, and impressive production design as well as amazing music. This is one of the best films I have ever seen and I watch it whenever it comes on and I also have the DVD. If you’re a fan of Stephen King this movie will make you satisfied as well as non Stephen King fans who never read his books like me.
  
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 RollinsÂ’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.
  
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Gail (4 KP) rated Brant (Secrets #2) in Books

Jun 4, 2018  
B(
Brant (Secrets #2)
D.B. James | 2018
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Brant by D.B James

Four Stars

Yes!!! This book was sooo good. I need my own personal Brant. Tessa was just perfect her personality was similar to a lot of my friends and even myself. She had it bad at the beginning of her adult life but she came out of it stronger but still afraid. Once we lose our fear that’s when we stop sensing the trouble. I hate the thought of women and sometimes men too going through abuse. Feeling like its your fault. Never really trusting another person again. Brant was just fabulous he treated Tessa like we all want to be treated. He sent thoughtful gifts and put his heart on the line without expecting her to do the same. The danger throughout the story wasn’t really big so it didn’t really effect how I viewed the story. The plot twist was funny even though it was meant to be serious. I am excited to se what else this author has to offer. The writing style was smooth and the chapters flowed together perfectly.
  
This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
2010 | Dance, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite Watch

"We've played with them quite a few times over the last couple of years, getting to know James Murphy and hearing that music in unexpected places. I love them now. I think I loved them too late, now they're broke up or whatever, but I love them. It's hypnotic, [like] we're going to grind away and discover the nuances. It's not about a big giant arrangement that takes you up and down, it's about being on the edge and going, and going, and going. They did that well, he had a great band. And their sounds are important, it isn't just guitars and keyboards. We'd see them play and they'd take a lot of effort to get these little sounds that all work together. We got to know that record by it being around all the time, which is great, because you're not just putting it on and going 'What is this shit?'. You're just hearing it and going 'What is that, that's cool?'. 'Dude, it's LCD Soundsystem.'"

Source
  
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Joe Dante recommended The Innocents (1961) in Movies (curated)

 
The Innocents (1961)
The Innocents (1961)
1961 | Horror
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"From my own personal tastes, my favorite horror film, I think, is a movie called The Innocents, which is based on this Henry James novel Turn of the Screw. The British picture from 1961 with Deborah Kerr as the repressed governess who goes to the faraway estate to take care of these kids who are seemingly possessed by the ghosts of the people who used to haunt the place. It’s a beautifully made movie and it’s not a rock-em’ sock-em’ movie, but its got really great psychological chills in it. And of course, there’s the eternal question as to whether the governess is imagining these things, or are they really happening? And it’s left kind of ambiguous, and it’s a really artful movie. I don’t think it was ever a particularly popular movie. I think a movie like The Haunting, which is somewhat similar, was a little bit more accessible to people than The Innocents, but, for my money, it’s, I think, the best horror film I’ve ever seen."

Source
  
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You
Celeste Ng | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.7 (14 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was, as I've read in many reviews, very beautiful and poetic. It made me hurt, made me angry, made me smile and gave me hope. But the third person narrative was confusing, because one sentence would be focused on James while the next focused on Marilyn and the transition was not always clear enough to not be confusing at first. The chapters were so long and, honestly, the first 1/3 of the book was so boring I almost put it down for good. However, the story in itself was very emotional - I didn't cry, but it definitely had me feeling some type of way. It was also scary, the notion that happiness can be taken away so quickly and easily, even when there are so many signs pointing to a change; and not just for one person, but for many people at once. While I didn't love this book, it's given me something deep and profound to think about while I lay awake at nights.