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It Watches (2016)
It Watches (2016)
2016 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Well Holy Shit… I just got done watching this Independent Thriller/Horror movie It Watches which is headed your way on VOD shortly, and I have got to say it has been a while since a movie completely pulled the rug out from under me. I mean damn, I am a Cinema Goer/Movie Watcher that likes to think he is always one step ahead of the movie and for the most part I am but I have to say this one outsmarted me. This makes me very very happy.

To Director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) I tip my cap. First of all because I am getting tired of all this camcorder crap. It feels like every Horror movie these days has got to have that found footage/CCTV feel to it. However this it-watches-19movie actually felt fresh in its approach and didn’t over play what it was doing, the jump scares were minimal and the camcorder style only served to ratchet up the tension. So lets just get into this…

After having suffered an accident Andre (Ivan Djurovic – Zoombies) is given the chance to spend some time relaxing away from it all the while also helping out his good friend Robert (Rick Irwin – 30 Minutes or Less) by House-sitting a fantastic place in the Hollywood hills. Andre proceeds to make a home video on his camcorder and gives us a tour of this awesome but pretty eerie home. This portion of the movie is all setting up the tone of what we have to come and you find yourself scanning every section of the screen for something to happen (Sometimes it does, sometimes not). As we approach night-fall Andre is joined by a lady friend Rachael (Sanny van Heteren – Hellraiser : Revelations) and it is from here things start to take a bit of a turn for the worse as we realize Andre and Rachael may not be the only people in the house. Add a creepy unknown element in Guy (James Duval – Donnie Darko) and we have all the makings of something special. In a completely unexpected, Surprising and a you will not see it coming movie.

I cant say much more about this flick because anymore than what I just told you and we are in major spoiler territory. What I will say though is that Director Dave Parker and Actor/Writer Ivan Djurovic have really come up with something special here and im so glad I gave it my time. Ivan absolutely shines here in what is essentially a movie powerhouse performance, making what at first seemed like strange choices in his acting but when you get to the end you can see exactly what the character is about (Mission Accomplished). The script is clever as hell and while I honestly thought they were telling me everything I needed to know from the get go, they still managed to make me feel like a bit of an idiot.

Add to all of this James Duval turns up so my Donnie Darko Geek Boner was severely super charged by this point.

So yeah I am on a huge Indie kick right now and movies like this are exactly why I love watching them, what these guys out there are doing with limited budget and unimaginable passion for there craft is amazing which is why we should all give them the time they deserve. Give this movie a go and let me know what you thought.
  
Illuminae: The Illuminae Files: Book 1
Illuminae: The Illuminae Files: Book 1
Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman | 2015 | Children
8
9.2 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
First after reading this I gave it 5 stars - I still truly enjoyed this book and reading it in paper format this time was a definite plus - but for some reason it didn't hit the 5* for me, perhaps it was reading it so close together, but I wanted to complete gemina and obsidio this month so I decided to re-read ... ah well, live and learn right? I still highly love this book

I loved it I loved it I loved it - this is a must read book. However, my only complaint was that I read this in ebook format and I felt like it lost a lot of its luster. Reading it on my ipad I got half of the effect of reading it on the webpage version of the ebook. How is that possible? the blacked out words were not blacked out, the blacked pages were not black, a lot of it was messed up with formatting there, but webpage seemed a lot better. If anything, I say pick up a hard copy of the book, which I will be doing very soon!

How can you feel for an AI like this - for some reason I was on a rollercoaster of emotions with this book, I both wanted to hug it and punch it at the same time - or throw it across the room - but I'd break my precious ipad.

This book was laugh out loud funny - for real, there were parts where I could not stop laughing - and there were parts where you just wanted to cry.

Such a well written book, such a great book - I cannot wait to read book 2!!!!!!! In book format this time........get the full effect.
  
Thunder Force (2021)
Thunder Force (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
2
5.5 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Terrible and unfunny script (1 more)
Wasted talent.
Getting the crabs is never a laugh.
Positives:
- I laughed three times:
  o Jason Bateman's "Crab-man" talking about his ironic star-sign;
  o Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy's love-making scene: the most
    innovative use of butter since "Last Tango in Paris"!
o The duo struggling to get in and out of their Lamborghini supercar: purely
    because it looks just like me these days trying to get in and out of my wife's
    Mazda MX5!

Negatives:
- It singularly fails my "six laughs" test for a comedy. The script by Ben Falcone - McCarthy's husband - is just eye-rollingly unfunny. The pair must have laughed themselves silly over their own jokes. It's just a shame that their sense of humour diverges so wildly from mine (or indeed anyones?)
- Melissa McCarthy must be an acquired taste - one I've never acquired. "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" proves what a class act she can be.... but this does her reputation no good at all.
- It's criminal to have actors of the quality of Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman and Melissa Leo and use them in such a poor way. Bateman is actually the funniest turn in the piece, but that's not saying much.

Summary Thoughts on "Thunderforce":
There are some movies that you just wish had been drowned at birth. This is one. I normally don't regret spending two hours watching a movie, but this one felt like wasted time. With "Twist" I thought I might have found my worst film of the year. But no, there's a new contender in town.

(For the full graphical review, please check out the One Mann's Movies review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/05/09/thunderforce-getting-the-crabs-is-never-a-laugh/ . Thanks).
  
    SMARTIFY: Scan & Discover art

    SMARTIFY: Scan & Discover art

    Art & Design, Education and Reference

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    – Scan the art, uncover the story BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz: "Smartify is the most elegant,...

    Fancy Nancy Dress Up

    Fancy Nancy Dress Up

    Book and Games

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    Make Nancy look extra fancy in this first-ever official Fancy Nancy game app! Nancy’s going to a...

Nell and Lady
Nell and Lady
Ashley Farley | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well written characters (1 more)
A very believable plot
A Book to Fall in Love With
There was something about the synopsis for Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley that drew me in from the beginning. As soon as I found out this book, I knew I had to read. I was ecstatic when I found out it was free in Kindle Unlimited! I'm really glad I read this book. It was really good.

I found the pacing for Nell and Lady to be perfect. It wasn't super fast where I was left wondering what happened, and it wasn't so slow that it felt like a chore reading this book. I would describe the pacing as being a relaxed pace.

I enjoyed the plot for Nell and Lady. The book synopsis does a great job of describing what the story is about, so I won't rehash the plot. There were no plot twists, but this isn't a book that requires a plot twist to be good. It was nice to read a book that was just straight forward when it came to the plot. It was interesting to read about what happened to Nell on the night of Lady's sixteenth birthday party (although I was expecting something a lot worse than what actually happened to her). It was also interesting to see how the family would overcome what happened to Nell and the falling out between them. It was also nice to read about things from Booker's and Regan's (Nell's son and Lady's daughter) point of view about what was going on with their mothers. It was a nice touch making Booker and Regan best friends in the book too. All of my questions were answered in Nell and Lady, and any loose ends were tied up by the ending of the book.

I loved the world building in Nell and Lady. Ashley Farley did a great job making everything feel believable whether it took place in present day or back when Nell and Lady were children/teenagers. I felt like I was in whatever era the book was taking place in. In fact, I felt like I was a silent witness to everything that was going on.

Every character in Nell and Lady was written very well. My favorite characters were Booker, Regan, and Willa. It was great to read about the friendly competition between Booker and Regan and how great of friends they were. Booker and Regan both had a great head on their shoulders. I loved how much Willa cared so much for her family and how she'd do anything for them. I did like Nell, but I didn't like the way she became racist after one incident when she was 16. However, readers will see her finally snap out of her views. Lady was written well, but I found her to be very spoiled and just plain rude. I could understand that she was hurt by how Nell had walked out of hers and Willa's life when she was a teen, but I felt like there was no excuse with how she acted when Nell wanted to visit Willa once she found out she was dying. I found myself annoyed with Lady most of the time, but not because she was poorly written. Lady was written very well, and I realize there are real life Ladys in the world.

Trigger warnings for Nell and Lady include sexual assault, mild racism, underage drinking and prescription pill abuse, mild violence, and one minor swear word.

Overall, Nell and Lady is an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story. It's got a great plot and a great cast of characters. I would definitely recommend Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley to everyone aged 16+. You will fall in love with this book.
  
    Star Chef: Cooking Game

    Star Chef: Cooking Game

    Games and Food & Drink

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    Are you a foodie? Are you a cook? Do you like to create recipes or simply put together a good...