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Bridge Between the Worlds
Book
Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real, for a split second after waking up you believed that...

A Shade of Novak (A Shade of Vampire, #8)
Book
Marking the 2nd Anniversary of the release of A Shade of Vampire, Derek, Sofia and their twins have...

David McK (3562 KP) rated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) in Movies
Jan 6, 2025
Antonio Banderas' Zorro-alike Puss in Boots was arguable the break-out star from Shrek 2.
So much so, that he got his own spin-off in 2011 'Puss in Boots' which, from memory, I felt lacked the spark of his earlier entries.
So much so, that it was just over a decade later that he got his second solo movie, in this.
Which, artistically (and, I felt, to it's detriment) takes its cue from the 'Into the Spider-verse' movies and so, like those, comes across as an over-caffeinated sugar-rush of a headache, which (IMO) overshadows the whole message about found family and living your life to its fullest.
YMMV, of course.
So much so, that he got his own spin-off in 2011 'Puss in Boots' which, from memory, I felt lacked the spark of his earlier entries.
So much so, that it was just over a decade later that he got his second solo movie, in this.
Which, artistically (and, I felt, to it's detriment) takes its cue from the 'Into the Spider-verse' movies and so, like those, comes across as an over-caffeinated sugar-rush of a headache, which (IMO) overshadows the whole message about found family and living your life to its fullest.
YMMV, of course.

Joel Schumacher recommended Blade Runner (1982) in Movies (curated)

Alison Brie recommended The American President (1995) in Movies (curated)

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Jack of Spades in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This book was certainly a page turner and a quick read, although I really just wanted it to be over. Andrew J. Rush is a successful mystery author -- married with a wife and three grown children. He also secretly (not even known to his wife and children) writes under the pseudonym Jack of Spades - and these books are dark, violent thrillers.
The book starts with Rush receiving a court summons that a woman in nearby locale is accusing him of stealing - basically plagiarism. He feels threatened and slowly, the unbidden Jack of Spades within Rush starts coming out.
The book is peppered with Stephen King references and I don't typically read King's more dark novels, so I can't say if there's a comparison here. Overall, I didn't find the book scary, or even that psychologically interesting, but a bit stupid. While a character in a novel like this shouldn't be likeable, per se, you should have some sort of admiration for their cunning. Instead, I just found Rush annoying and stupid.
Oates provides us with a back-story that is supposed to explain Rush's pathology, but it seems thinly constructed. The whole premise just seems off. I can't imagine someone not picking up on this guy and his behavior, his wife not just walking out, his kids not just taking their mother away, etc. It was just not my cup of tea.
(Note: I received an advance ebook copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
The book starts with Rush receiving a court summons that a woman in nearby locale is accusing him of stealing - basically plagiarism. He feels threatened and slowly, the unbidden Jack of Spades within Rush starts coming out.
The book is peppered with Stephen King references and I don't typically read King's more dark novels, so I can't say if there's a comparison here. Overall, I didn't find the book scary, or even that psychologically interesting, but a bit stupid. While a character in a novel like this shouldn't be likeable, per se, you should have some sort of admiration for their cunning. Instead, I just found Rush annoying and stupid.
Oates provides us with a back-story that is supposed to explain Rush's pathology, but it seems thinly constructed. The whole premise just seems off. I can't imagine someone not picking up on this guy and his behavior, his wife not just walking out, his kids not just taking their mother away, etc. It was just not my cup of tea.
(Note: I received an advance ebook copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in Books
Feb 14, 2020
I got this because I saw the film was out on DVD and I like to read the books before I see the film.
So, this centres around 16 year old Simon who's in the closet, scared to come out to his friends and family. He's instead having an email conversation with someone else from his school - someone whose identity he doesn't know - sharing tales of his life while starting to fall for this someone.
I actually really enjoyed this from the first page. I was drawn into the drama as Simon is pretty much blackmailed by a fellow pupil into helping him get a date with one of Simon's friends. Things escalate and don't go great in the end and I really felt for Simon. Kids can be so cruel to each other and over stupid things that shouldn't matter.
I just fell in love with this group of friends. I loved how protective they could all be of each other and then when Simon and his crush/Blue finally got around to meeting each other...I was smiling like a lunatic. It was so cute. I fell in love with them even more. There was just something so believable about this group. Crushes, friendships, parents.
I cannot write a truly fitting review of this book but if you like young adult books with gay characters or just a sweet romance, then you really should give this book a read.
I definitely feel like I need to read more books by Becky Albertalli now, if they're anything like this one
So, this centres around 16 year old Simon who's in the closet, scared to come out to his friends and family. He's instead having an email conversation with someone else from his school - someone whose identity he doesn't know - sharing tales of his life while starting to fall for this someone.
I actually really enjoyed this from the first page. I was drawn into the drama as Simon is pretty much blackmailed by a fellow pupil into helping him get a date with one of Simon's friends. Things escalate and don't go great in the end and I really felt for Simon. Kids can be so cruel to each other and over stupid things that shouldn't matter.
I just fell in love with this group of friends. I loved how protective they could all be of each other and then when Simon and his crush/Blue finally got around to meeting each other...I was smiling like a lunatic. It was so cute. I fell in love with them even more. There was just something so believable about this group. Crushes, friendships, parents.
I cannot write a truly fitting review of this book but if you like young adult books with gay characters or just a sweet romance, then you really should give this book a read.
I definitely feel like I need to read more books by Becky Albertalli now, if they're anything like this one

Marc Riley recommended Berlin by Lou Reed in Music (curated)

Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Book Club (2018) in Movies
Mar 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this movie. I saw it in theaters when it first came out and enjoyed it then and I've found myself watching it every once in a while just to revisit it. I really love the cast, I love the plot, I love the lightheartedness of it all. I don't think it's such a bad thing that it's not a movie that particularly pushes your brain to think too much. I like that it's a comedy and even more that they read Fifty Shades of Grey. I think the jokes are 10 times funnier if you've read those books because they make so much more sense.
It's a fun, lighthearted film that I'm sure will make you laugh - either because you think it's funny or because you think it's bad. Either way, a laugh is a laugh, right?
It's a fun, lighthearted film that I'm sure will make you laugh - either because you think it's funny or because you think it's bad. Either way, a laugh is a laugh, right?

David McK (3562 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in Video Games
Feb 13, 2020
Like, I'm sure, more than a few others, I've entertained fantasies of owning a lightsabre and mowing down a metric ton of Imperial Stormtroopers.
This is probably about as close to fulfilling that fantasy as I'm ever likely to come. Owing quite a bit to the Tomb Raider games - and, apparently, Metroidvania)(never even heard of that) - with a dollop of Dark Souls thrown in, this combines (re)exploration and combat in a story set roughly 5 years after Revenge of the Sith, with protagonist and former Padawan survivor Cal Kestis rediscovering his connection with the Force on a quest for a lost Holocron that identifies Force sensitives throughout the Galaxy. Its just a pity, I felt, that the map was hard to read and that there was no quick-travel option anywhere in the game...
This is probably about as close to fulfilling that fantasy as I'm ever likely to come. Owing quite a bit to the Tomb Raider games - and, apparently, Metroidvania)(never even heard of that) - with a dollop of Dark Souls thrown in, this combines (re)exploration and combat in a story set roughly 5 years after Revenge of the Sith, with protagonist and former Padawan survivor Cal Kestis rediscovering his connection with the Force on a quest for a lost Holocron that identifies Force sensitives throughout the Galaxy. Its just a pity, I felt, that the map was hard to read and that there was no quick-travel option anywhere in the game...