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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Instant Family (2019) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
Instant Family (2019)
Instant Family (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Drama
Going in to Instant Family I had some reservations. I'm a big fan of Rose Byrne, her performance in last year's Juliet, Naked was a delight to watch, but on the flipside Mark Wahlberg and comedy don't come high on my must see list. Thankfully those thoughts were quickly dismissed as the times I laughed out loud soared into the double digits.

This is a genuinely good film with just a couple of things that made me pause a little, I'll mention those later. The moments where I laughed it was out loud, like almost everyone else at the screening, and when I wasn't laughing I was probably crying, sometimes ugly crying.

Byrne and Wahlberg worked so well together and with Isabela Moner in the mix too we were treated to some great on screen chemistry. I'm hoping we'll see a lot more of Moner on our screens as she was able to pull her weight really well with all the fantastic actors in this.

A lot is obviously focused around Ellie, Pete and the kids, but outside of that dynamic I've got to give some love to Karen and Sharon. Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro are such a fun double act, although for me Spencer will always steal the show. Their dynamic running the fostering program brought a smile to my face and while the reactionary humour may be predictable it lands so well that I couldn't care less that I knew it was coming.

My negatives about the films are so minute that they hardly seem worth mentioning. Pete (Wahlberg) has a tendency to be blunt and externalise what most of us would keep as inner dialogue. His script gives you those moments where you take a sharp breath and say "you shouldn't say that!" Ellie counteracts this by being the slight voice of reason so while you're taken aback by Pete's honesty you quickly come back to the normal flow of the film.

Out of my two quibbles this one caused me the most issues. Joan Cusack. She's great, I enjoy her work, but I really don't understand her inclusion in this. She pops up as a sort of cameo role near the end and it feels a little invasive on the dramatic moment we're witnessing, it just seems awkward and forced. It does at least lead to an amusing moment for Spencer so I think that probably gets it the pass.

Instant Family is definitely chock full of laughs and feels, despite my grumbles I still feel it deserves these five stars.

What you should do

It's a very entertaining film and perhaps surprisingly based on a true story, it's well worth a watch. I really think that everyone will get some entertainment out of this.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

If you could send Pete and Ellie round with their renovation skills it would be much appreciated.
  
Conference Cupid
Conference Cupid
Eden Elgabri | 2012 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Genre: Contemporary

Word Count: 19,780

Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Get Conference Cupid free on Smashwords.

I’m still trying to catch my breath from reading Conference Cupid by Eden Elgabri. The sex and the romance is a huge whirlwind that left me wanting even more. But I’m still not sure why I liked it so much.

Devin Barnett can’t believe it when he sees his old high school crush walk into his hotel for the romance writers conference. She’s just as beautiful as he remembers, but he doubts she will recognize him. After all, he was just a skinny nerd in high school. He certainly never would have entered her radar. But maybe he can finally have her.


Keary hasn’t been with anyone since her divorce a year ago and she is used to being alone. But she can’t resist the sexy hotel worker who only has eyes for her. Little does she know that he’s known her for a long time and isn’t really a hotel worker, but the owner of the hotel.

Oh man. There is so much to love about this story. Despite his money, success, and looks, Devin immediately becomes an insecure shy guy whenever he is with Keary. All he really wants to do is worship her, and he knows he’ll daydream about her after the conference.

It became critical that he learn where she did her writing. He needed to be able to imagine her in that room. His heart hitched. He needed to be able to imagine her there after she left the conference, when she went home to her real life.

I also like that Keary doesn’t know she’s that great. She’s insecure after her divorce and is a little shy and unsure around Devin in the beginning. Together they have amazing chemistry and really hot sex scenes. Devin continues to worship her and Keary loves having someone who cares so much about her after an empty marriage.

But there were some things about both of them that I didn’t like. Devin does lie to her, after all. When the conference is coming to an end and he knows he’ll never see her again, he tries to impregnate her and trap her that way. What the hell, Devin? You were pretty great until then. Then he practically pressured her into unprotected sex, didn’t pull out like he said he would, and hoped she would get pregnant so she would stay with him. Seriously, WTF?

I’m annoyed at Keary but her criminal act is being rude to the staff at the hotel. When the receptionist tells her her hotel room has been upgraded to a regency suite and that all of her things have been moved for her, Keary glares at her and says she doesn’t like people touching her stuff. As if the poor girl had personally gone into Keary’s room and tried on her underwear. She stalks off without so much as a thank you, planning on complaining to the management. For a complimentary room upgrade. Just because she didn’t like the idea of some bored hotel staff, who couldn’t care less about going through her personal items, moving her bags from one room to another. Of course all her complaints disappear when she sees all the luxury perks that come with the upgrade.

If Keary and Devin had the ability to behave like responsible adults, their falling out would not have happened. But despite all of the unsettling character flaws in Devin and Keary, I still liked this book and I wish there was more. And that takes a lot of talented writing.
  
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Mortal Kombat (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The action, the blood, guts, and gore, special effects and CGI were awesome (2 more)
Some characters were done really well, like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, even Sonya Blade and Jax
Kano
The Story or plot (3 more)
The many changes to the Mortal Kombat lore and universe
The way they underutilized certain characters or didn't do them justice
Hollywood/director or whoever choosing to make-up a new character to be the main character for this movie who isn't even in the games or original movie.
https://youtu.be/8K-0TD-BO2s
I thought this movie was good. I kind of had high expectations going into it and I can say that in some ways it lived up to the hype and in other ways it didn't. This movie certainly isn't your "daddy's" Mortal Kombat and delivered the goods when it came to blood and gore but I have to say that it was a little more than disappointing when it came to the plot of the movie and how they re-arranged or changed up the storyline. I for one love the opening of the movie that you can see the first 7 minutes of right now everywhere on the internet. How it opens up with the history of the characters Sub-Zero and Scorpion was just awesome. I have to admit that I'm a big Mortal Kombat fan and especially of Scorpion, he's probably my favorite character. So to see the back story to his character done right was just great. I'm still mixed on how I feel about the new kid to the group Cole Young. I mean Lewis Tan did a pretty good job on playing the character in the movie and his action scenes were pretty great too, I guess I'm just not that big a fan of the director throwing in a character into the story that wasn't in any of the games. I also didn't like how they took "poetic license" so to speak with the whole storyline of the franchise and make some rather big changes to the whole Mortal Kombat universe. Like the origin of their powers or even the significance of the whole dragon markings that they have. I will go over in detail all the things that I liked and didn't like in the spoiler section. Although I have my qualms to pick with this film, it was quite enjoyable and I really liked watching it in theaters. That being said though, I think it's worth waiting to see this movie or watch it at home on HBOMax instead of paying more to see it in theaters. I'm at odds on whether to give it my "Must See Seal of Approval" and therefore I don't think that I can but if you are a fan of the old movies or video games then you definitely have to see this movie. I give Mortal Kombat 2021 a 6/10.
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I had a lot more to say about this movie I. The spoiler section review but it was way too long for Smashbomb so please check out my YouTube video review or check out my full review on my website at
https://cobracharliecr.wixsite.com/charliecobrareviews/post/mortal-kombat-review
  
    Crazy Makeover

    Crazy Makeover

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Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
1992 | Drama
Solid Gold Movie
Chaos ensues when a bunch or salesman at a real estate agency are forced into a high-stakes game where they either become top closers or get fired.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 10
You think the beginning is going to be weak…until Blake (Alec Baldwin) walks in. He is filled with such passion and rage, but the one thing he is lacking is fucks. Blake has zero fucks to give about anyone’s feelings or their jobs. “Fuck you, that’s my name!” he screams at someone thinking they will get the upperhand on him. Classic.

Characters: 10
Aside from Blake, the rest of the characters add depth to the movie. With their different personalities, each character has a distinctly different approach to the way that they sell and go about winning. Their choices and reactions hold sway over which direction the movie turns and what the audience thinks is going to happen next. As things unfold and they end up being questioned by the Detective (Jude Ciccolella), it’s interesting to watch them have different responses to the pressure.

Cinematography/Visuals: 9
I love the cinematic work here. The entire film has a dreary feel, almost like there’s a fog being cast over the characters and their dilemma. The light comes in small glimpses and you mostly see rain throughout. It has a suffocating feel, adding even more certainty that the characters are resigned to their own fate.

Conflict: 10
Look, I’m in sales and few things institute conflict like sales situations. Tell a bunch of guys that they either hit their numbers or they’re fired and there’s bound to be problems. As the film drags on, the desperation becomes even heavier. You feel for these guys, but not so much so that you don’t get the enjoyment of watching them crumble in high pressure situations. As douchey as it sounds, it’s actually kind of fun.

Genre: 7

Memorability: 7

Pace: 10
Once Blake enters the scene, the movie maintains its pace from start to finish. Fueled by conflict and desperation, the characters ultimately create a mystery that you want to get to the bottom of before the movie reaches its end. It’s refreshing when you watch a movie that doesn’t have any dead spots and director James Foley succeeded in making that a reality.

Plot: 10
What happens when you put a bunch of different personalities in a room and tell them they have a certain amount of time to complete a goal or else? The story is ultimately moved by how people respond to pressure situations. I can imagine when this was written, the direction may have changed directions a couple of times due to the personalities of the characters. Memorable characters can alter the direction of a plot for the sake of staying true to the characters.

Resolution: 4

Overall: 87
I hadn’t even heard of this movie until a couple of years ago. It’s funny, this movie was recommended to me by a Sales Manager who thought, “This is how the sales team should go after it!” After watching it, I thought, “This isn’t how selling should be at all!” Glengarry Glen Ross succeeds because it appeals to people for different reasons. Some see it as a cautionary tale while others view it as inspiration. I am in the camp of the former. I’m also in the popular majority that think the movie is awesome.
  
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Andy K (10827 KP) Feb 23, 2019

One of my fave all time flicks!

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Merissa (14184 KP) rated Liam For Hire in Books

Oct 18, 2018  
Liam For Hire
Liam For Hire
A. Zukowski | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Liam for Hire by A. Zukowski
Liam For Hire can be read as a standalone, but it does feature a couple of characters from the first book - The Boy Who Fell To Earth. That was an amazing read, so I wholeheartedly recommend you do start with that one first, just so you get the full picture.

Liam is one of those characters, and we meet up with him a few months after Sasha. He has mainly got his act together, and is now an escort. He knows what he is, and what he does. He would like more, but he just can't see it. As the story progresses you see many reasons for why he would feel like this, and trust me, it will break your heart. As for Ali, there is little I can say about him apart from I LOVE HIM!! His attitude was perfect for Liam, and helped him in more ways than even Liam realised.

This is a dark read yet again, showing Liam's addiction, and recovery, and addiction. Too many good bits to mention, I was thoroughly engrossed in this book, and read it in one sitting. It was so nice to read a story from Liam's perspective. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I have no hesitation in recommeding this story, or this author. Absolutely fantastic, and I can't wait for Chris' story.

* 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!
  
    HappyFresh

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Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Kami Garcia | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Romance
8
7.4 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
Like most books I read, Beautiful Creatures was just randomly picked up and looked interesting, so I read it. Plus, I needed some books to occupy me and it was somehow on my to-read list already. I just didn't get the chance to read it over the summer. Call that lucky to be in the library at the time.

I will probably admit, that although I read the entire series, I didn't really like the first 2 books in the series. Except for the ending and the summaries. Which was why I continued reading the series. :) Or maybe there was just something special about Ethan, Lena, Riley, Link, etc that I just can't place a tab on? Or was there a little cliffhanger (which I totally love) that just urged me to read on and give the series another try?

I will also admit that I liked Beautiful Chaos overall. The character haven't changed... although they have. In a way. Ethan is still plain Wayward, just like from Day One. Besides getting "chased around" by his other self, of course. Lena is back to herself again, although she is now a light and dark caster due to the Seventeenth Moon. I didn't really enjoy Lena's distance and major meltdown from Beautiful Darkness, so it's nice to know that we get her back again.

Link has changed majorly in a way, at least in physical and how do you say this? erm, he's developed "Vampire-like" senses after being bit by John Breed from Beautiful Darkness, so he's now one-quarters Incubus. He's still on and off with Once Upon A Siren, Riley, but she's still same old, same old Riley. In Mortal form, yet continues about life Siren Style with no powers.

Overall, Beautiful Chaos is my favorite book out of the series so far. It's more action-packed than the books before it, even if it has quite the sad ending. I will most likely read the fourth and final book in the series, Beautiful Redemption (released already) because I just have to know what happens next to Ethan, Lena and the other characters.

Speaking of which, and I know I'm a bit off-topic, but who's excited for the Beautiful Creatures movie? I know am! The trailer looked awesome...

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-beautiful-chaos-by-kami-garcia-and-margaret-stohl/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>