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Frecklesxoxo (6 KP) rated Fang (Maximum Ride, #6) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Well, this was such an easy read, I read it in a day.
I just love the easy flow that James Patterson writes with. I also love the view of the world through a teenagers view, in the throes of young teenage love and angst.
However the writing is slighty young for my tastes now...obviously as this is for teenagers, but I still enjoyed the read and I cant wait to read Angel....I hope Max does save the world.
I just love the easy flow that James Patterson writes with. I also love the view of the world through a teenagers view, in the throes of young teenage love and angst.
However the writing is slighty young for my tastes now...obviously as this is for teenagers, but I still enjoyed the read and I cant wait to read Angel....I hope Max does save the world.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Quantum of Solace (2008) in Movies
Dec 31, 2019 (Updated Aug 20, 2023)
The second of Daniel Craig's outings as 007, in which James Bond tracks down the organisation that led to the death of his lover Vesper Lynd in the previous movie (Casino Royale): this is thus, I believe, one of the very few (if not the only) direct sequels in the James Bond franchise.
And, I have to say, I still can't warm to Craig's portrayal of Bond: to me, these are now no longer Bond movies so much as they are just very average by-the-number Spy films that owe a heavy debt to the Jason Bourne films.
Definitely could have done with more time in the oven, so to speak: a result of the writers strike of the time means that this is a somewhat muddled mess.
And, I have to say, I still can't warm to Craig's portrayal of Bond: to me, these are now no longer Bond movies so much as they are just very average by-the-number Spy films that owe a heavy debt to the Jason Bourne films.
Definitely could have done with more time in the oven, so to speak: a result of the writers strike of the time means that this is a somewhat muddled mess.
Andrew Furlong (14 KP) rated Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) in Movies
Sep 27, 2017
Airtight plotting and brilliant direction by Nicholas Meyer (5 more)
Excellent character moments and growth
Ricardo Montalban as the film franchise's best villain
A climax which can still bring me to tears
James Horner's score
Thematiacally compelling
Considered the best for a reason
Dumps the cerebral 2001 tone of the previous film and is instead a smaller, more character focused film. Not only one of the best Trek films but one of the Sci-Fi greats imo
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated I Am Not Your Negro (2017) in Movies
Jul 26, 2017
Lyrical look at America's racialised society
James Baldwin was truly an inspirational artist and author in American history. He puts forward very bluntly the issues that the country faces in terms of it's attitude towards black bodies as the body is political. It's rather depressing that after 50 years the US still has not addressed these issues. It's a haunting and poetic documentary. His line about how black people are 'castrated' throughout the country just in different ways is deeply honest and deeply disturbing.
Nancy Whang recommended Masekela by Hugh Masekela in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Bubble (2022) in Movies
Apr 6, 2022
Man, The Bubble is a weird one. I didn't feel particularly entertained at any point, but still managed to sit through it with minimal effort. It's just kind of there. It's sort of funny, and not at the same time. I've forgotten most of it to be honest, and I watched it about 5 hours ago. It already feels dated in its subject matter. I'm really excited for the day that TikTok dies. I thoroughly enjoyed the James McAvoy cameo. I definitely feel empty inside.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated X-Men: First Class (2011) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
After Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn left X-Men: The Last Stand because of its rushed production schedule, Fox decided to bring him back to direct this reboot of the series. Things worked well overall, though the introduction of James McAvoy as Professor X did draw some criticism. Michael Fassbender’s role as young Magneto went down very well but fans still missed the original actors. The film was nicely paced but without a compelling villain, the overall script suffered.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/01/the-entire-x-men-franchise-ranked/
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/01/the-entire-x-men-franchise-ranked/
David McK (3185 KP) rated Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019 (Updated Nov 20, 2020)
Third outing for Rowan Atkinson's Johnny English, still just as incompetent as before in another James Bond style spoof outing.
This time, he is pulled out of retirement after a cyber attack reveals the identities of all of England's active spies, with Johnny (and his sidekick Bough, again played by Ben Miller) thus a 'low tech' solution to a high tech problem.
Rowan Atkinson does his usual rubber-faced buffoonery throughout, with a bit of glamour provided by Olga Kurylenka in a film that, while inoffensive enough, never really seems to 'catch fire'.
This time, he is pulled out of retirement after a cyber attack reveals the identities of all of England's active spies, with Johnny (and his sidekick Bough, again played by Ben Miller) thus a 'low tech' solution to a high tech problem.
Rowan Atkinson does his usual rubber-faced buffoonery throughout, with a bit of glamour provided by Olga Kurylenka in a film that, while inoffensive enough, never really seems to 'catch fire'.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Blood's Revolution in Books
Feb 8, 2020
Second entry in Angus Donald's Holcroft Blood series (that started with Blood's Game) and, in many respects, you could be forgiven for thinking that this had a different central character.
Since the events covered in that novel, the young Holcroft Blood has grown up, and is no longer quite as naïve, perhaps, as he was before. The 'Merry Monarch' (Charles II) has also passed on, with his crown passing to his Catholic brother James II, as his Holcroft's father Colonel Thomas Blood (who attempted to steal the Crown Jewels in the previous novel).
The majority of this novel thus concerns itself with Holcroft being caught up in the events surrounding James II increasing alienation of Britain's Protestant political elite, while being hunted by a brutal French spy for his time doing the similar for Charles II in France.
I'm interested in seeing where this goes, and how Holcroft gets caught up in the later events, especially since The Battle of the Boyne (in which William, the Prince of Orange, defeats King James II) is still remembered every July 12th here in my homeland of Northern Ireland!
Since the events covered in that novel, the young Holcroft Blood has grown up, and is no longer quite as naïve, perhaps, as he was before. The 'Merry Monarch' (Charles II) has also passed on, with his crown passing to his Catholic brother James II, as his Holcroft's father Colonel Thomas Blood (who attempted to steal the Crown Jewels in the previous novel).
The majority of this novel thus concerns itself with Holcroft being caught up in the events surrounding James II increasing alienation of Britain's Protestant political elite, while being hunted by a brutal French spy for his time doing the similar for Charles II in France.
I'm interested in seeing where this goes, and how Holcroft gets caught up in the later events, especially since The Battle of the Boyne (in which William, the Prince of Orange, defeats King James II) is still remembered every July 12th here in my homeland of Northern Ireland!
David McK (3185 KP) rated Die Another Day (2002) in Movies
Sep 4, 2022
Brosnan's last Bond
Pierce Brosnan's last outing as James Bond, commonly viewed as one of the worst in the oeuvre (especially with the introduction of the Aston Martin Vanish car)
it's not all that bad, however - I have to say, I still prefer this style of Bond film - guns, gadgets, insane plans, etc - over the overly-dour and oh-so-serious films that were to follow in Daniel Craig's tenure.
Anyway, this is the film that starts with Bond captured by the North Koreans before being released as part of a prisoner exchange, that has Rosamunde Pike in an early breakout role (and *that* Madonna cameo), and that also stars Halle Berry as Jinx.
Yes, the plot is ridiculous and feels like something out of a video game (of which this was turned into, in the PS2 era), but still and all ...
it's not all that bad, however - I have to say, I still prefer this style of Bond film - guns, gadgets, insane plans, etc - over the overly-dour and oh-so-serious films that were to follow in Daniel Craig's tenure.
Anyway, this is the film that starts with Bond captured by the North Koreans before being released as part of a prisoner exchange, that has Rosamunde Pike in an early breakout role (and *that* Madonna cameo), and that also stars Halle Berry as Jinx.
Yes, the plot is ridiculous and feels like something out of a video game (of which this was turned into, in the PS2 era), but still and all ...