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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Flatliners (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
The undiscovered country… which they shouldn’t have returned to.
The movies have depicted the hereafter in varied ways over the years. From the bleached white warehouses of Powell and Pressburger’s “A Matter of Life and Death” in 1946 and Warren Beatty’s “Heaven Can Wait” in 1978 to – for me – the peak of the game: Vincent Ward’s mawkish but gorgeously rendered oil-paint version of heaven in 1998’s “What Dreams May Come”. Joel Schmacher’s 1990’s “Flatliners” saw a set of “brat pack” movie names of the day (including Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin and Kiefer Sutherland) as experimenting trainee doctors, cheating death to experience the afterlife and getting more than they bargained for. The depictions of the afterlife were unmemorable: in that I don’t remember them much! (I think there was some sort of spooky tree involved, but that’s about it!)
But the concept was sufficiently enticing – who isn’t a little bit intrigued by the question of “what’s beyond”? – that Cross Creek Pictures thought it worthy of dusting off and giving it another outing in pursuit of dirty lucre. But unfortunately this offering adds little to the property’s reputation.
In this version, the lead role is headed up by Ellen Page (“Inception”) who is a great actress… too good for this stuff. Also in that category is Diego Luna, who really made an impact in “Rogue One” but here has little to work with in terms of backstory. The remaining three doctors – Nina Dobrev as “the sexy one”; James Norton (“War and Peace”) as “the posh boy” and Kiersey Clemons as the “cute but repressed one”, all have even less backstory and struggle to make a great impact.
Still struggling to get the high score on Angry Birds: from left to right Ray (Diego Luna), Sophia (Kiersey Clemons), Marlo (Nina Dobrev), Courtney (Ellen Page) and Jamie (James Norton).
Also putting in an appearance, as the one link from the original film, is Kiefer Sutherland as a senior member of the teaching staff. But he’s not playing the same character (that WOULD have been a bloody miracle!) and although Sutherland adds gravitas he really is given criminally little to do. What was director Niels Arden Oplev (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) thinking?
In terms of the story, it’s pretty much a re-hash of Peter Filardi’s original, with Ben Ripley (“Source Code”) adding a few minor tweaks to the screenplay to update it for the current generation. But I will levy the same criticism of this film as I levied at the recent Stephen King adaptation of “It”: for horror to work well it need to obey some decent ‘rules of physics’ and although most of the scenes work (since a lot of the “action” is sensibly based inside the character’s heads) there are the occasional linkages to the ‘real world’ that generate a “WTF???” response. A seemingly indestructible Mini car (which is also clearly untraceable by the police!) and a knife incident at the dockside are two cases in point.
Is there anything good to say about this film? Well, there are certainly a few tense moments that make the hairs on your neck at least start to stand to attention. But these are few and far between, amongst a sea of movie ‘meh’. It’s certainly not going to be the worst film I see this year, since at least I wasn’t completely bored for the two hours. But I won’t remember this one in a few weeks. As a summary in the form of a “Black Adder” quote, it’s all a bit like a broken pencil….. pointless.
But the concept was sufficiently enticing – who isn’t a little bit intrigued by the question of “what’s beyond”? – that Cross Creek Pictures thought it worthy of dusting off and giving it another outing in pursuit of dirty lucre. But unfortunately this offering adds little to the property’s reputation.
In this version, the lead role is headed up by Ellen Page (“Inception”) who is a great actress… too good for this stuff. Also in that category is Diego Luna, who really made an impact in “Rogue One” but here has little to work with in terms of backstory. The remaining three doctors – Nina Dobrev as “the sexy one”; James Norton (“War and Peace”) as “the posh boy” and Kiersey Clemons as the “cute but repressed one”, all have even less backstory and struggle to make a great impact.
Still struggling to get the high score on Angry Birds: from left to right Ray (Diego Luna), Sophia (Kiersey Clemons), Marlo (Nina Dobrev), Courtney (Ellen Page) and Jamie (James Norton).
Also putting in an appearance, as the one link from the original film, is Kiefer Sutherland as a senior member of the teaching staff. But he’s not playing the same character (that WOULD have been a bloody miracle!) and although Sutherland adds gravitas he really is given criminally little to do. What was director Niels Arden Oplev (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) thinking?
In terms of the story, it’s pretty much a re-hash of Peter Filardi’s original, with Ben Ripley (“Source Code”) adding a few minor tweaks to the screenplay to update it for the current generation. But I will levy the same criticism of this film as I levied at the recent Stephen King adaptation of “It”: for horror to work well it need to obey some decent ‘rules of physics’ and although most of the scenes work (since a lot of the “action” is sensibly based inside the character’s heads) there are the occasional linkages to the ‘real world’ that generate a “WTF???” response. A seemingly indestructible Mini car (which is also clearly untraceable by the police!) and a knife incident at the dockside are two cases in point.
Is there anything good to say about this film? Well, there are certainly a few tense moments that make the hairs on your neck at least start to stand to attention. But these are few and far between, amongst a sea of movie ‘meh’. It’s certainly not going to be the worst film I see this year, since at least I wasn’t completely bored for the two hours. But I won’t remember this one in a few weeks. As a summary in the form of a “Black Adder” quote, it’s all a bit like a broken pencil….. pointless.
Merissa (12069 KP) rated Let Me In (The Boys Club #1) in Books
Apr 6, 2019
Let Me In (The Boys Club #1) by Luna David
Let Me In is the first book in The Boys Club, and we meet Liam, who at only twenty is already dealing with a tough hand in life. He is working three jobs to try and put food on the table, as well as saving for his sister's education, AND to get them out of the town they currently live in. When an offer is made to him, it seems too good to be true, but eventually, he goes with his heart. Cash is sad to see his current boy, Tommy, leave, but he knows it's for the best. What he doesn't expect is for Tommy to find him a new boy!
Things start of badly with Cash being under pressure, and not knowing anything about what's going on. However, that didn't stop him from acting like a jerk after that, much to Liam's hurt. I loved how Liam proved himself to be stronger than he thought, as well as putting his self-care first. He found new friends, got himself out of the situation, and tried to move on. Of course, it's after it happens that Cash realises just what a golden nugget he had in Liam.
This book was very easy to read, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noted. It is a very sweet book, whilst also being steamy in scenes. It is actually Cash who has to do the most growing in this book, and it was great to see him finally let Liam in. Although this book is complete, in and of itself, I would love to continue with this series, and I also hope Carter has his book. I really want to know his story.
If you like Daddy kink, then I can definitely recommend this book!
* 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!
Things start of badly with Cash being under pressure, and not knowing anything about what's going on. However, that didn't stop him from acting like a jerk after that, much to Liam's hurt. I loved how Liam proved himself to be stronger than he thought, as well as putting his self-care first. He found new friends, got himself out of the situation, and tried to move on. Of course, it's after it happens that Cash realises just what a golden nugget he had in Liam.
This book was very easy to read, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noted. It is a very sweet book, whilst also being steamy in scenes. It is actually Cash who has to do the most growing in this book, and it was great to see him finally let Liam in. Although this book is complete, in and of itself, I would love to continue with this series, and I also hope Carter has his book. I really want to know his story.
If you like Daddy kink, then I can definitely recommend this book!
* 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!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Best Thing in Books
Jan 9, 2020
This review and more can be found at my blog https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
I feel like I have to start by singing Mariana Zapata's praises. She is the Queen of slow-burn romances. I do believe that I have read everything she's ever written so far and this is her latest. I'm not the biggest fan of long books but I've found that with this author, I don't care how long they are because I'm so drawn in I just keep reading until I finish.
This one is no different. We meet Elena - Lenny - who runs a gym with her grandfather that helps fighters get ready for their next fights - MMA, boxing, etc - when her ex turns up who she hasn't seen for the last 17 months wanting to see her. I'm not going to go into much detail as that would ruin in but Lenny has an amazing personality and I love her thoughts in regards to him coming back - it includes various imaginative swear words and scenarios.
I love Lenny. As mentioned above she has a great personality and a great outlook on life. Pretty much every sentence she spoke (or thought) had me grinning like an idiot. In my eyes, she's such a great character. I also really liked Jonah. He was this mix of shy and sweet and just plain amazing. There are also some other characters that I loved liked Grandpa Gus. Some of the interaction between him and Lenny was hilarious. Then there was Peter and Mo, too.
I also like how she includes previous characters in her current ones. Lenny is Luna's - the main character of her last book, Luna and the Lie - best friend and appears quite a lot in this one offering her support.
It's really hard to write a fitting review of this book without spoilers, I'll just say that I thought it was pretty awesome.
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
I feel like I have to start by singing Mariana Zapata's praises. She is the Queen of slow-burn romances. I do believe that I have read everything she's ever written so far and this is her latest. I'm not the biggest fan of long books but I've found that with this author, I don't care how long they are because I'm so drawn in I just keep reading until I finish.
This one is no different. We meet Elena - Lenny - who runs a gym with her grandfather that helps fighters get ready for their next fights - MMA, boxing, etc - when her ex turns up who she hasn't seen for the last 17 months wanting to see her. I'm not going to go into much detail as that would ruin in but Lenny has an amazing personality and I love her thoughts in regards to him coming back - it includes various imaginative swear words and scenarios.
I love Lenny. As mentioned above she has a great personality and a great outlook on life. Pretty much every sentence she spoke (or thought) had me grinning like an idiot. In my eyes, she's such a great character. I also really liked Jonah. He was this mix of shy and sweet and just plain amazing. There are also some other characters that I loved liked Grandpa Gus. Some of the interaction between him and Lenny was hilarious. Then there was Peter and Mo, too.
I also like how she includes previous characters in her current ones. Lenny is Luna's - the main character of her last book, Luna and the Lie - best friend and appears quite a lot in this one offering her support.
It's really hard to write a fitting review of this book without spoilers, I'll just say that I thought it was pretty awesome.
Kurt Vile recommended Karma by Pharoah Sanders in Music (curated)
Sugar Smash: Book of Life
Games and Entertainment
7.0
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Match sugar candies and rainbow drops to master this fun and challenging match-3 puzzle adventure...
ReservaTurno
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ReservaTurno te permite reservar turnos de belleza desde tu iPhone en las mejores peluquerías,...
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Winter in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Full review to come.I have really enjoyed this series. Exploring a future version of Earth where the moon in populated, there are only a handful of actual "countries", cyborgs, androids, and emperors work together to bring peace and safety to both Lunars and Earthens. However, I found Winter to be mercilessly long. That being said, this was an epic finale to The Lunar Chronicles. I am SO glad that I FINALLY read this series.
I have become quite attached to all of the characters in these books. I think Cress and Scarlet are my personal favorites...along with Thorne and Wolf. Of course, the majority of the series revolves around Cinder and she truly turns out to be a remarkable girl. Winter has MANY different perspectives, making it easy to get a little muddled, but doesn't take long to get in the flow. I think by having so many point of views of the surroundings and activities it helps fill a lot of would be gaps. This is also a contributing factor to why the book is so long. Hardcover is 827 pages in length and took me about a week to complete. To keep this review spoiler free for anyone who hasn't read the first three books, I will simply state that Winter wraps the whole story up quite nicely. And despite its length, this is a journey that I am glad I was a part of.
The Lunar Chronicles is not a Christian series and is marketed as "Young Adult". I feel that it is appropriate for this age group (and adults can enjoy it too of course!). The romance is clean and sweet. There is no foul language that I can think of. There is some violence as the wolf hybrid soldiers reign terror on Luna and Earth. Also there is a pretty epic battle to wrap everything up.
If you enjoy sci-fi and young adult fiction, I think you would enjoy this series! Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
I borrowed Winter from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I have become quite attached to all of the characters in these books. I think Cress and Scarlet are my personal favorites...along with Thorne and Wolf. Of course, the majority of the series revolves around Cinder and she truly turns out to be a remarkable girl. Winter has MANY different perspectives, making it easy to get a little muddled, but doesn't take long to get in the flow. I think by having so many point of views of the surroundings and activities it helps fill a lot of would be gaps. This is also a contributing factor to why the book is so long. Hardcover is 827 pages in length and took me about a week to complete. To keep this review spoiler free for anyone who hasn't read the first three books, I will simply state that Winter wraps the whole story up quite nicely. And despite its length, this is a journey that I am glad I was a part of.
The Lunar Chronicles is not a Christian series and is marketed as "Young Adult". I feel that it is appropriate for this age group (and adults can enjoy it too of course!). The romance is clean and sweet. There is no foul language that I can think of. There is some violence as the wolf hybrid soldiers reign terror on Luna and Earth. Also there is a pretty epic battle to wrap everything up.
If you enjoy sci-fi and young adult fiction, I think you would enjoy this series! Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
I borrowed Winter from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Decimation: Son of M in Books
Nov 30, 2020
In the voice of a goth-wannabe, darkly-attired conductor's voice: <i>"All aboard, the Angst Express is now departing..!</i>
I was quite pleased with David Hine's "Rebirth" storyline on Top Cow's THE DARKNESS. During my extended read of most of what made of HOUSE OF M, and the subsequent M-DAY stuff, I learned that Hine helmed DECIMATION: SON OF M, a 2006 mini-series that dealt with Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and how he comes to terms with being de-powered. I was anticipating a great read, one that would make sense, as well as leaving me satisfied as I said goodbye to HOUSE OF M and all that followed it. Sadly, that was not the case at all!
The story itself seemed to be written well enough. However, I felt Pietro's almost nihilistic mood was too much to bear! Yes, losing your super-quickness was something that would take time to fully settle into, it was not the end of the world! Nor was it worth kidnapping your daughter Luna from her mother, the Inhuman Crystal, or stealing terrigen crystals from Attilan!
While the mini-series title, SON OF M, made sense, the story should have been titled THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL! Seriously, this was probably one of the most depressing mini-series (next to Morrison's WE3, which I loved, but, sadly, will not re-read as my depression is staring to rear its unwelcome head in my life again!) I have ever read! it probably should have a warning or something, especially if you are someone who is trying to keep their depression in check!
I am giving this mini 2 Stars out of 5, simply because a I think Hine is talented, even I did not like this story, and b) Roy Allen Martinez turned in some super-tight art! Mind you, I was not really pleased with Medusa's visual reworking, nor the "porn star-esque" figures given to Medusa and Crystal! However, that aside, I quite liked Martinez's art!
In conclusion, all I can say is don't read this if you are having a bad day/week, SON OF M will only make the bad day worse! 'Nuff said!
I was quite pleased with David Hine's "Rebirth" storyline on Top Cow's THE DARKNESS. During my extended read of most of what made of HOUSE OF M, and the subsequent M-DAY stuff, I learned that Hine helmed DECIMATION: SON OF M, a 2006 mini-series that dealt with Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and how he comes to terms with being de-powered. I was anticipating a great read, one that would make sense, as well as leaving me satisfied as I said goodbye to HOUSE OF M and all that followed it. Sadly, that was not the case at all!
The story itself seemed to be written well enough. However, I felt Pietro's almost nihilistic mood was too much to bear! Yes, losing your super-quickness was something that would take time to fully settle into, it was not the end of the world! Nor was it worth kidnapping your daughter Luna from her mother, the Inhuman Crystal, or stealing terrigen crystals from Attilan!
While the mini-series title, SON OF M, made sense, the story should have been titled THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL! Seriously, this was probably one of the most depressing mini-series (next to Morrison's WE3, which I loved, but, sadly, will not re-read as my depression is staring to rear its unwelcome head in my life again!) I have ever read! it probably should have a warning or something, especially if you are someone who is trying to keep their depression in check!
I am giving this mini 2 Stars out of 5, simply because a I think Hine is talented, even I did not like this story, and b) Roy Allen Martinez turned in some super-tight art! Mind you, I was not really pleased with Medusa's visual reworking, nor the "porn star-esque" figures given to Medusa and Crystal! However, that aside, I quite liked Martinez's art!
In conclusion, all I can say is don't read this if you are having a bad day/week, SON OF M will only make the bad day worse! 'Nuff said!
Kiss Me Deadly
6.0
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You never see the claws until you feel them… 5 spine chilling stories where revenge is the only...
Horror Paranormal Romance Short Stories
Merissa (12069 KP) rated Altair (Fueled By Lust #11) in Books
Nov 21, 2023
Altair is the eleventh book in the Fueled by Lust series, and we meet up with Altair (plus two) as they seek to end a drug lord who has threatened their own. They are not the only ones after him though, and paths collide in a cellar. Makenna has her own reasons for wanting the drug lord dead, and she isn't happy with someone else showing up and possibly interfering with her mission. However, once she gets a glimpse of Altair, all bets are off. Not only do you get Altair and Makenna's story, but Elianna shows up too, AND we have Lucian and Maxim on hand as well.
Altair is a shorter book than I am used to in the FBL series, and I have to say, I miss the longer story. I understand why, but still, that's my opinion. There is one heck of a lot that goes on in this book, so hang on tight. Celeste Prater's writing is as smooth as ever, with plenty of steam to see you through, whilst losing nothing of the intricate storyline that holds the series together. Once again, Altair proves that the Insedi fall fast and hard, and it lasts. My man Cato makes a small appearance here, and I am pleased to say that he is still head over heels for Luna. #HappyReader!
This series is like a fine wine, it just gets better the longer it goes on. Okay, so that analogy may have fallen flat at the end, but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying! This IS a series though, so I would wholeheartedly recommend starting from the very beginning. Not only will you then understand the complete story, but you will also get the chance to meet the rest of the Insedi and fall in love with all of them. Hands off Cato though - he's mine 😉
Absolutely recommended, and bring on the next one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 13, 2018
Altair is a shorter book than I am used to in the FBL series, and I have to say, I miss the longer story. I understand why, but still, that's my opinion. There is one heck of a lot that goes on in this book, so hang on tight. Celeste Prater's writing is as smooth as ever, with plenty of steam to see you through, whilst losing nothing of the intricate storyline that holds the series together. Once again, Altair proves that the Insedi fall fast and hard, and it lasts. My man Cato makes a small appearance here, and I am pleased to say that he is still head over heels for Luna. #HappyReader!
This series is like a fine wine, it just gets better the longer it goes on. Okay, so that analogy may have fallen flat at the end, but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying! This IS a series though, so I would wholeheartedly recommend starting from the very beginning. Not only will you then understand the complete story, but you will also get the chance to meet the rest of the Insedi and fall in love with all of them. Hands off Cato though - he's mine 😉
Absolutely recommended, and bring on the next one!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 13, 2018