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okletmereviewit (4 KP) rated Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) in Movies
May 11, 2018
A great film for any family night
Contains spoilers, click to show
Kubo and the two strings is a heart warming, coming of age movie, for the whole family. Adults, you will appericate the story line and the plight that Kubo undergoes. Kids will love the animation and the characters. From the moment that the movie started, I fought back the tears. You see a mother and baby in the middle of the ocean one moment and the next, you see them ship wrecked on a beach. You skip forward a few years to when Kubo is about the age of ten. He is now a caregiver for his mother who you come to understand as mentally ill, with something like alzheimer's or dementia. Daily young Kubo goes into the neighboring village and tells fantastic stories of a Samurai Knight, and how he battles the evil Moon King and his army, all while playing his Sangen (a Japanese Guitar) and creating Origami creatures for the story. But as the bells ring for night to come forth, Kubo runs home.
It seems that his mother only "comes to life" when its night time. And then shortly there after returns to a catatonic state. One day while in the village an old beggar woman who befriended him tells him a story of how she speaks with her dead husband at night during a certain ritual. Kubo, who is confused and longing to know anything about his father who was said to be the greatest Samurai, goes to the ancestral resting place and tries to summon his father.
Time gets away from him and night befalls rather quickly. Soon two masked spectral spirits appear, and tell him that they are his aunts. Kubo is then told the reason he is missing an eye is due to his grandfather who only wanted to have his other eye so that he could join them in the heavens. Kubo begins running back to the village. The two spirits attack and destroy the village. When they are almost upon him, his mother shows up and uses the last of her magics to activate a totem and to create wings to whisk him away to safety, far away from his blood thirsty aunts. Kubo then wakes up in a vast frozen waste land with a monkey looking after him. The monkey begins to address Kubo, telling him that they need to go on this quest to find a magical suite of armor that his father once wore. So Kubo and Monkey set off on a quest. Kubo is awaken by the monkey, saying that the origami papers that he carried in his pack, were flying around and that in his sleep he created an origami Samurai. The same Samurai from his stories. This little paper guardian, shows them the way to the armor's pieces, which consist of a sword, a breast plate, and a helmet. Along the way they come across a Beetle who was once a Samurai who was cursed to live the rest of his life as a beetle. After that the unlikely foursome come across a cave that has the sword in it. But much like Kubos life, it was not an easy task to retrieve it as it awakened a tall skeleton warrior, which they had to defeat. They then come to a large body of water, which Kubo uses his magic and his Samgen to create a boat made out of leaves. Monkey exclaims to him how his power is growing. As they set sail, the little paper Samurai point out that the breast plate is at the bottom of the water. Kubo remembering a story that his mother told him, of eyes that show you what you want to see most, lived at the bottom of the water. Beetle offers to dive in and look for the breast plate as "beetles can hold their breaths for a really long time under water, and are great swimmers." After quite some time passes Kubo dives in after Beetle and the breast plate. Monkey is then attacked by one of the evil aunts. While Kubo is under the water he finds the breast plate, and the eyes. They show him that the Monkey is actually his mother in the form of a spirit totem (MIND BLOWN)...Becoming dazzled by the eyes, he begins to drowned. Beetle swoops in and begins shooting the eyes and rescues Kubo. During this time Monkey is battling one of the aunts and defeats her. Kubo and the gang then continue their quest to find the helmet, which is back at his fathers fort. Once back at the fort one of the aunts reveals to Kubo and to Monkey that Beetle is actually Kubos father. So Kubo now armed with this new knowledge is able to defeat his aunt, but not after losing both his parents again. Kubo then uses his magic, to fly back to his village to adorn the helmet to complete his suite of armor. He then has to battle his grandfather The Moon King. At which point The Moon King transforms into a giant centipede like demon. Kubo uses his wits, and magic, to defeat his grandfather and makes him mortal. In his mortal state he loses his memories, and the village people tell him how he was a just and honest man, and how he was kind. The story ends on an upswing.
Over all the movie was really good. I love how engaging it was, and all the attention to detail they provided in it since it was a stop motion claymation. I highly recommend this for any family night.
It seems that his mother only "comes to life" when its night time. And then shortly there after returns to a catatonic state. One day while in the village an old beggar woman who befriended him tells him a story of how she speaks with her dead husband at night during a certain ritual. Kubo, who is confused and longing to know anything about his father who was said to be the greatest Samurai, goes to the ancestral resting place and tries to summon his father.
Time gets away from him and night befalls rather quickly. Soon two masked spectral spirits appear, and tell him that they are his aunts. Kubo is then told the reason he is missing an eye is due to his grandfather who only wanted to have his other eye so that he could join them in the heavens. Kubo begins running back to the village. The two spirits attack and destroy the village. When they are almost upon him, his mother shows up and uses the last of her magics to activate a totem and to create wings to whisk him away to safety, far away from his blood thirsty aunts. Kubo then wakes up in a vast frozen waste land with a monkey looking after him. The monkey begins to address Kubo, telling him that they need to go on this quest to find a magical suite of armor that his father once wore. So Kubo and Monkey set off on a quest. Kubo is awaken by the monkey, saying that the origami papers that he carried in his pack, were flying around and that in his sleep he created an origami Samurai. The same Samurai from his stories. This little paper guardian, shows them the way to the armor's pieces, which consist of a sword, a breast plate, and a helmet. Along the way they come across a Beetle who was once a Samurai who was cursed to live the rest of his life as a beetle. After that the unlikely foursome come across a cave that has the sword in it. But much like Kubos life, it was not an easy task to retrieve it as it awakened a tall skeleton warrior, which they had to defeat. They then come to a large body of water, which Kubo uses his magic and his Samgen to create a boat made out of leaves. Monkey exclaims to him how his power is growing. As they set sail, the little paper Samurai point out that the breast plate is at the bottom of the water. Kubo remembering a story that his mother told him, of eyes that show you what you want to see most, lived at the bottom of the water. Beetle offers to dive in and look for the breast plate as "beetles can hold their breaths for a really long time under water, and are great swimmers." After quite some time passes Kubo dives in after Beetle and the breast plate. Monkey is then attacked by one of the evil aunts. While Kubo is under the water he finds the breast plate, and the eyes. They show him that the Monkey is actually his mother in the form of a spirit totem (MIND BLOWN)...Becoming dazzled by the eyes, he begins to drowned. Beetle swoops in and begins shooting the eyes and rescues Kubo. During this time Monkey is battling one of the aunts and defeats her. Kubo and the gang then continue their quest to find the helmet, which is back at his fathers fort. Once back at the fort one of the aunts reveals to Kubo and to Monkey that Beetle is actually Kubos father. So Kubo now armed with this new knowledge is able to defeat his aunt, but not after losing both his parents again. Kubo then uses his magic, to fly back to his village to adorn the helmet to complete his suite of armor. He then has to battle his grandfather The Moon King. At which point The Moon King transforms into a giant centipede like demon. Kubo uses his wits, and magic, to defeat his grandfather and makes him mortal. In his mortal state he loses his memories, and the village people tell him how he was a just and honest man, and how he was kind. The story ends on an upswing.
Over all the movie was really good. I love how engaging it was, and all the attention to detail they provided in it since it was a stop motion claymation. I highly recommend this for any family night.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated DiTiC in Tabletop Games
Oct 2, 2019
Purple Phoenix Games Preview
Abstract strategy games hold a special place in my heart. I’m not really a fan of Chess, but I am a fan of games that are light on rules and components but heavier in strategy needed to best your opponents. Yes, I like games that have zombies and gore or adventure and treasures as well, but abstracts are a great escape from those Ameritrashy games we all love.
So my original thought was to try to open this preview with a dastardly abstract statement to truly emphasize how theming is irrelevant with some activities. Not quite having done that, DiTiC is an abstract strategy game of “tile placement and dice-pawn” movement. How does it play? Read on.
In DiTiC the winner is the first player to upgrade one of their dice from a smaller-valued die into a value of six. Bring out smaller value dice and move them around the “board” to combine with other dice and win the game!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a review copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know if the final components will be similar or different, or if the Kickstarter campaign will alter or add anything through stretch goals. -T
To setup a game of DiTiC, each player chooses a color of dice and takes all dice into their hand. The tile with “DiTiC START” on it is the, well, starting tile and is placed in the middle of the table. Roll off to see who goes first and you are ready to play!
On a turn a player may draw and place a tile or move one of their dice. Players start with zero dice on the board, so the first few turns will be drawing a tile from the bag and placing it on the board either side face-up. As you can see from the photos the tiles will have different colored (and shaped) corners. It’s when these corners complete an intersection of four tile corners that dice may enter the board. Depending on the color of the intersection’s majority control a die of said majority color comes into play on the value of the number of icons present. That’s a mouthful. So there are four corners to the intersection. If said intersection contains two red, a blue, and a black icon then red will place a die with value of two pips showing on that intersection. These dice may now be moved and combined with like-valued dice (with an exception). If a player has at least one die on the board when initiating this action, they may roll the action die after placement and complete any other actions the die result allows.
When a player decides instead to move, combine, or overtake a die, they simply move the die along the edge of a tile to the next closest intersection. Exception to movement: players can move all dice with a value of one BEFORE any other dice movement, and dice with value of one or two may move in any direction – even diagonally.
To combine/upgrade dice players will need to move one die into the same intersection as an equal-valued die in order to combine into a die of value +1. Example: a four die and a four die combine to make a five die. Exception to combinations: a value one die may combine with a value three die (remember the exception from the previous paragraph?) to create a value four die.
To overtake an opponent’s die, a player simply moves a superior die onto an occupied intersection. Typically, a die of larger value can overtake any die of smaller value. Exceptions: nothing may overtake a four or five, and only a five can overtake a three. Three-value dice seem to be the superheros of DiTiC.
So after many back-and-forth turns of placing tiles and rolling dice or moving/combining/overtaking dice the winner is crowned once they have upgraded any die into a value six die.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game, so I will comment on what I can. I think the game looks very nice, even in this stage of production. The icons on the tiles are clear – and THANK YOU for considering the colorblind gamer community by making each icon different by both color and art style. The dice are your typical d6 (and I do not know if there will be any changes made to these as a result of a successful campaign). The icons on the action die make sense and I really dig the laser-etched wooden design, and I kinda hope that detail makes it into the final product. But I prefer wooden dice to plastic every time. The game also came with a burlap bag to house and conceal the tiles, and coupled with the wooden dice makes a nice little natural organic combo. My only request for the final version of the game? Go crazy with the color scheme. Black, red, white, and blue are great colors, but fling out the purple and the gold and the orange and the aqua. But I’m no designer. It looks great as it is.
So like I said up top, I love abstracts. Surprisingly so. The more I play them the more I love them. And this game definitely adds to my love of the genre. The rules are kinda wacky, and the dice of different values each can do their own thing, and I think that’s really interesting. It’s not simply a game of moving big dice around eating all the little dice. I mean, you CAN do that, but you will not advance your own strategies. But there is an amount of take that in this game, from the action dice to the tile placement to the overtaking of dice, that will really appeal to lots of people. It’s not a big game, but it looks great on the table, and plays really well once you have immersed yourself in the rules. I really believe that the more I play it the more I will fall in love with it. In fact, as I type this I want to go home and play it right now. And that’s a mark of a good, if not great, game, isn’t it?
If you like abstract strategy games and have a little room for this small game in your collection (or better, MAKE some room for it) then you should definitely consider backing it on Kickstarter, or (depending on when you read this) picking it up at your FLGS.
So my original thought was to try to open this preview with a dastardly abstract statement to truly emphasize how theming is irrelevant with some activities. Not quite having done that, DiTiC is an abstract strategy game of “tile placement and dice-pawn” movement. How does it play? Read on.
In DiTiC the winner is the first player to upgrade one of their dice from a smaller-valued die into a value of six. Bring out smaller value dice and move them around the “board” to combine with other dice and win the game!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a review copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know if the final components will be similar or different, or if the Kickstarter campaign will alter or add anything through stretch goals. -T
To setup a game of DiTiC, each player chooses a color of dice and takes all dice into their hand. The tile with “DiTiC START” on it is the, well, starting tile and is placed in the middle of the table. Roll off to see who goes first and you are ready to play!
On a turn a player may draw and place a tile or move one of their dice. Players start with zero dice on the board, so the first few turns will be drawing a tile from the bag and placing it on the board either side face-up. As you can see from the photos the tiles will have different colored (and shaped) corners. It’s when these corners complete an intersection of four tile corners that dice may enter the board. Depending on the color of the intersection’s majority control a die of said majority color comes into play on the value of the number of icons present. That’s a mouthful. So there are four corners to the intersection. If said intersection contains two red, a blue, and a black icon then red will place a die with value of two pips showing on that intersection. These dice may now be moved and combined with like-valued dice (with an exception). If a player has at least one die on the board when initiating this action, they may roll the action die after placement and complete any other actions the die result allows.
When a player decides instead to move, combine, or overtake a die, they simply move the die along the edge of a tile to the next closest intersection. Exception to movement: players can move all dice with a value of one BEFORE any other dice movement, and dice with value of one or two may move in any direction – even diagonally.
To combine/upgrade dice players will need to move one die into the same intersection as an equal-valued die in order to combine into a die of value +1. Example: a four die and a four die combine to make a five die. Exception to combinations: a value one die may combine with a value three die (remember the exception from the previous paragraph?) to create a value four die.
To overtake an opponent’s die, a player simply moves a superior die onto an occupied intersection. Typically, a die of larger value can overtake any die of smaller value. Exceptions: nothing may overtake a four or five, and only a five can overtake a three. Three-value dice seem to be the superheros of DiTiC.
So after many back-and-forth turns of placing tiles and rolling dice or moving/combining/overtaking dice the winner is crowned once they have upgraded any die into a value six die.
Components. Again, this is a prototype version of the game, so I will comment on what I can. I think the game looks very nice, even in this stage of production. The icons on the tiles are clear – and THANK YOU for considering the colorblind gamer community by making each icon different by both color and art style. The dice are your typical d6 (and I do not know if there will be any changes made to these as a result of a successful campaign). The icons on the action die make sense and I really dig the laser-etched wooden design, and I kinda hope that detail makes it into the final product. But I prefer wooden dice to plastic every time. The game also came with a burlap bag to house and conceal the tiles, and coupled with the wooden dice makes a nice little natural organic combo. My only request for the final version of the game? Go crazy with the color scheme. Black, red, white, and blue are great colors, but fling out the purple and the gold and the orange and the aqua. But I’m no designer. It looks great as it is.
So like I said up top, I love abstracts. Surprisingly so. The more I play them the more I love them. And this game definitely adds to my love of the genre. The rules are kinda wacky, and the dice of different values each can do their own thing, and I think that’s really interesting. It’s not simply a game of moving big dice around eating all the little dice. I mean, you CAN do that, but you will not advance your own strategies. But there is an amount of take that in this game, from the action dice to the tile placement to the overtaking of dice, that will really appeal to lots of people. It’s not a big game, but it looks great on the table, and plays really well once you have immersed yourself in the rules. I really believe that the more I play it the more I will fall in love with it. In fact, as I type this I want to go home and play it right now. And that’s a mark of a good, if not great, game, isn’t it?
If you like abstract strategy games and have a little room for this small game in your collection (or better, MAKE some room for it) then you should definitely consider backing it on Kickstarter, or (depending on when you read this) picking it up at your FLGS.
jmercado (1 KP) rated The Accidental Slave: Aya's Story (The Slave Series #1) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
How do i rate this book.
This was frustrating and as much as i hate to do it this did not meet the par for me.
The main character just flopped for me throughout most of the book.
With most of my updates all i could write was how...frustrating this character was.
Which upset me cause i loved her character before the kidnapping.
To me Aya seemed strong and independent but then as the story progressed that just went away.
And Kato just seemed like a lost puppy to me the whole time, which to some extent was impressive because you typically read about the "Bad-Boy" turn good. but her was always good, too good for someone who was a warrior for a year.
Another down fall for me was the Insta-Love. Typically its not a big deal for me but seriously, 7 days?? and your running away together. Get real.
The begging execution of this story tugged me in but that middle was hard to get through. The ending though was much better and i was happy i stuck through it in the end. but i will not be continuing the series.
This was frustrating and as much as i hate to do it this did not meet the par for me.
The main character just flopped for me throughout most of the book.
With most of my updates all i could write was how...frustrating this character was.
Which upset me cause i loved her character before the kidnapping.
To me Aya seemed strong and independent but then as the story progressed that just went away.
And Kato just seemed like a lost puppy to me the whole time, which to some extent was impressive because you typically read about the "Bad-Boy" turn good. but her was always good, too good for someone who was a warrior for a year.
Another down fall for me was the Insta-Love. Typically its not a big deal for me but seriously, 7 days?? and your running away together. Get real.
The begging execution of this story tugged me in but that middle was hard to get through. The ending though was much better and i was happy i stuck through it in the end. but i will not be continuing the series.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Fighting for Control (Against the Cage, #3) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
A delicious dirty erotic romance about two people discovering themselves again and healing.
I am going to be honest, by the time I made it to this book on my NetGalley list, I was about 1000% done with people who had something happen in their past that broke them and they put themselves back together as best they could. However, I have a thing for MMA fighters (maybe because my fiancé was one?) so I still requested this novel.
I am glad I did because Fighting for Control is a helluva intense novel with a heroine I could definitely get behind. I actually admired her a lot. She was such a strong and passionate woman, it was hard not to like her. And, despite his issues, I genuinely enjoyed Nikko too. I definitely could see why she fell for him.
While the whole woman trying to heal PTSD Alpha male is not even close to be a new or fresh trope, Price told it in a way that it was still enjoyable. If this type of story is your thing, then you will love this novel.
I am going to be honest, by the time I made it to this book on my NetGalley list, I was about 1000% done with people who had something happen in their past that broke them and they put themselves back together as best they could. However, I have a thing for MMA fighters (maybe because my fiancé was one?) so I still requested this novel.
I am glad I did because Fighting for Control is a helluva intense novel with a heroine I could definitely get behind. I actually admired her a lot. She was such a strong and passionate woman, it was hard not to like her. And, despite his issues, I genuinely enjoyed Nikko too. I definitely could see why she fell for him.
While the whole woman trying to heal PTSD Alpha male is not even close to be a new or fresh trope, Price told it in a way that it was still enjoyable. If this type of story is your thing, then you will love this novel.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Norton Anthology of Modern & Contemporary Poetry, Vol 1: Modern Poetry in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This is a great comprehensive book of Modernist poetry. There are many authors with a great selection of both the poetry and many technical essays.
I loved reading the biographies of the poets before diving into the actual poetry.
I had to get this book for one of my English classes in college, and it helped a lot with the understanding of the poetry. It was great because it included all of the footnotes that worked in tandem with the enjoyment of the poems.
I loved reading Langston Hughes the most. I had been introduced to a few of his poems, but this was the first time I had gotten to read so many. I love his style of writing in comparison to a lot of the other poets we read.
I can honestly say that TS Eliot is not my favorite Modernist poet, especially since it seems like each professor has us read at least one of his poems a quarter.
Overall, this is a super cool book to pick up, even if you aren't a huge fan of poetry, but want to be introduced to a lot of different styles.
I loved reading the biographies of the poets before diving into the actual poetry.
I had to get this book for one of my English classes in college, and it helped a lot with the understanding of the poetry. It was great because it included all of the footnotes that worked in tandem with the enjoyment of the poems.
I loved reading Langston Hughes the most. I had been introduced to a few of his poems, but this was the first time I had gotten to read so many. I love his style of writing in comparison to a lot of the other poets we read.
I can honestly say that TS Eliot is not my favorite Modernist poet, especially since it seems like each professor has us read at least one of his poems a quarter.
Overall, this is a super cool book to pick up, even if you aren't a huge fan of poetry, but want to be introduced to a lot of different styles.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Lie in Books
Feb 21, 2018
"Wow" - my first thought when I finally put the book down. I didn't re-read the description before starting this book and had forgotten what it was about, so I didn't really know what to expect. I think that was a perfect way to read this story - just to go along and let it drag you across the world and back again, into the past and then back to the present, never knowing when the next turn would be. This was truly a hard to put down thriller. I didn't know what was going on or who to trust, and became so caught up in Jane's story that I totally lost track of time while reading it.
This is not an unreliable narrator book, but if you're a fan of thrillers like Gone Girl or the Girl on the Train, I think you'll love this one.
<u>Warning</u> - I know some readers prefer not to read or be surprised by some topics. This novel contains scenes depicting rape and violence against women.
<I>Note: I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. </i>
This is not an unreliable narrator book, but if you're a fan of thrillers like Gone Girl or the Girl on the Train, I think you'll love this one.
<u>Warning</u> - I know some readers prefer not to read or be surprised by some topics. This novel contains scenes depicting rape and violence against women.
<I>Note: I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. </i>
Kristin (149 KP) rated The Brown House (The Visitor's Series #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely love scary stories, ones that keep you on your toes, trying to figure out what's going on, and this one definitely has the creepy factor. Christy has said the house used to be her husband's home growing up, and some of the experiences described in the book happened to him and his family. Whoa!!!
I couldn't help but get engrossed in the story, especially the developing relationship between Ephraim and Brylee, as well as her friendship with Lynley. Then there would be parts that made me just want to scream at the book, throw it across the room, something, because that's how drawn into it I was. Oh, and I read it in one day, because I just couldn't put it down, THAT'S how great it is. Although, because of the ending, I'm on pins and needles waiting for more. I'm so glad my book club read this one this month, so awesome!! I'd highly recommend to anyone who likes supernatural stories, ghost stories, haunted houses, and the like. Fantastic!!
5 stars =)
I absolutely love scary stories, ones that keep you on your toes, trying to figure out what's going on, and this one definitely has the creepy factor. Christy has said the house used to be her husband's home growing up, and some of the experiences described in the book happened to him and his family. Whoa!!!
I couldn't help but get engrossed in the story, especially the developing relationship between Ephraim and Brylee, as well as her friendship with Lynley. Then there would be parts that made me just want to scream at the book, throw it across the room, something, because that's how drawn into it I was. Oh, and I read it in one day, because I just couldn't put it down, THAT'S how great it is. Although, because of the ending, I'm on pins and needles waiting for more. I'm so glad my book club read this one this month, so awesome!! I'd highly recommend to anyone who likes supernatural stories, ghost stories, haunted houses, and the like. Fantastic!!
5 stars =)
Salads: Over 60 Satisfying Salads for Lunch and Dinner
Book
Salads shares 60 quick, easy, and delicious recipes perfect for light, fresh lunches as well as...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Leisure Seeker (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker.
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland in a movie together... I wanted to love this one. I'm sad to say that I really didn't.
Having not seen a trailer I was completely blindsided by the actual subject matter. From the things I've seen, and the IMDb description above along with "Adventure, Comedy, Drama" under it's entry I was expecting something entirely different. Something funny, and more like a teen road movie, but with older people. But the tale of last chance before ill health wins, is bleak to say the least.
It's a strong and important message about life with, and after, illness. The two are essentially on the run from their ill health, Ella is terminal and John is nearly completely lost to his memories. You get the fleeting highs and lows that the couple do throughout, but they don't make up for the slow and "every day" nature of the movie.
This one was another on the "I'd have left but then I wouldn't have been able to bitch about it" list.
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland in a movie together... I wanted to love this one. I'm sad to say that I really didn't.
Having not seen a trailer I was completely blindsided by the actual subject matter. From the things I've seen, and the IMDb description above along with "Adventure, Comedy, Drama" under it's entry I was expecting something entirely different. Something funny, and more like a teen road movie, but with older people. But the tale of last chance before ill health wins, is bleak to say the least.
It's a strong and important message about life with, and after, illness. The two are essentially on the run from their ill health, Ella is terminal and John is nearly completely lost to his memories. You get the fleeting highs and lows that the couple do throughout, but they don't make up for the slow and "every day" nature of the movie.
This one was another on the "I'd have left but then I wouldn't have been able to bitch about it" list.