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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Eric & the Black Axes (The Sanctum Series #4) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
This is the fourth installment of the Sanctum series of books, squarely aimed at a pre-teen and young adult audience but a good read for adults too.
For anyone unfamiliar with the series, the Sanctum is a special school created by and run by rich philanthropist Avando. He rescues children from a life on the streets and gives them a second chance at the school where they have the opportunity to have a first class education. But Avando also picks the best of the pupils to help in a covert war against terrorism, using surrogate robot bodies to investigate suspect sites, including rival school Ernest College.
Despite his capture at the end of the previous book, Professor Eric Showden is again the villain of the piece. A former teacher at The Sanctum and pupil at Ernest College, he is aided by a company called The Black Axes to escape. This time both schools are in direct danger of attack and must cooperate to survive. But just how far can they trust each other?
This series is rapidly turning into a must-read cyber thriller. Both schools are now in direct conflict with the terrorists, having to defend against direct attack as well as try to stop their plans, all the time keeping one eye on the other and try to give as little information away as possible. There are some excellent set pieces and the way these are set up - essentially robots battling with martial arts - they are very different from the usual gun-toting fare.
Again the characters come to the fore - Jayden and his friends are once again the core for the Sanctum. Liam takes a very central role at Ernest college and his uncertainty as events unfold make a reassuring counterpoint to the main story line.
Once again I cannot recommend these books enough. I'm very much looking forward to the fifth book in the series and have no doubt it will be another excellent read.
For anyone unfamiliar with the series, the Sanctum is a special school created by and run by rich philanthropist Avando. He rescues children from a life on the streets and gives them a second chance at the school where they have the opportunity to have a first class education. But Avando also picks the best of the pupils to help in a covert war against terrorism, using surrogate robot bodies to investigate suspect sites, including rival school Ernest College.
Despite his capture at the end of the previous book, Professor Eric Showden is again the villain of the piece. A former teacher at The Sanctum and pupil at Ernest College, he is aided by a company called The Black Axes to escape. This time both schools are in direct danger of attack and must cooperate to survive. But just how far can they trust each other?
This series is rapidly turning into a must-read cyber thriller. Both schools are now in direct conflict with the terrorists, having to defend against direct attack as well as try to stop their plans, all the time keeping one eye on the other and try to give as little information away as possible. There are some excellent set pieces and the way these are set up - essentially robots battling with martial arts - they are very different from the usual gun-toting fare.
Again the characters come to the fore - Jayden and his friends are once again the core for the Sanctum. Liam takes a very central role at Ernest college and his uncertainty as events unfold make a reassuring counterpoint to the main story line.
Once again I cannot recommend these books enough. I'm very much looking forward to the fifth book in the series and have no doubt it will be another excellent read.
My Fight / Your Fight: The Official Ronda Rousey Autobiography
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The Inner Runner: Running to a More Successful, Creative, and Confident You
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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Under Siege (1992) in Movies
Jan 25, 2021
Cheesy But Leaves An Impact
A short order cook on a navy ship has to fight off terrorists that have taken control.
Acting: 6
When I think acting chops, please believe I’m not referring to Steven Seagal. It’s rough watching him spit out lines. The majority of the other actors aren’t really any better save for an underrated performance by Tommy Lee Jones. If you’re looking for quality thespians, look elsewhere.
Beginning: 6
Characters: 7
Cinematography/Visuals: 6
There are some quality shots here, although things are a bit jumbled at times. I do have to give credit to Andrew Davis as I’m sure it was a challenge doing a movie solely below deck of a ship. I definitely wouldn’t want that challenge. Not much to be desired, I appreciated he did the best he could with the little he was given.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 7
Cheesy, but definitely leaves enough of an impact where I would watch it again. It’s a great movie to check out while folding clothes or doing any other mindless task. Steven Seagal definitely leaves behind some fun action moments that make the movie worthwhile.
Pace: 7
Plot: 7
Cheesy? Sure. Original? Absolutely. It sounds ridiculous but I have to give the story credit for trying to branch out and try something new, especially during the early 90’s when martial arts movies were all the rage. It’s not winning any Oscars, but I’ve seen worse stories from movies that have tried harder.
Resolution: 10
Great ending that brings the movie to a nice close. I like that it fits perfectly in line with the rest of the cheesiness of the movie. Great way to wrap things up.
Overall: 73
For what it’s worth, Under Siege doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but it doesn’t do anything terribly bad either. It’s a fun movie if you have time to kill. Definitely one of my favorite Tommy Lee Jones roles.
Acting: 6
When I think acting chops, please believe I’m not referring to Steven Seagal. It’s rough watching him spit out lines. The majority of the other actors aren’t really any better save for an underrated performance by Tommy Lee Jones. If you’re looking for quality thespians, look elsewhere.
Beginning: 6
Characters: 7
Cinematography/Visuals: 6
There are some quality shots here, although things are a bit jumbled at times. I do have to give credit to Andrew Davis as I’m sure it was a challenge doing a movie solely below deck of a ship. I definitely wouldn’t want that challenge. Not much to be desired, I appreciated he did the best he could with the little he was given.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 7
Cheesy, but definitely leaves enough of an impact where I would watch it again. It’s a great movie to check out while folding clothes or doing any other mindless task. Steven Seagal definitely leaves behind some fun action moments that make the movie worthwhile.
Pace: 7
Plot: 7
Cheesy? Sure. Original? Absolutely. It sounds ridiculous but I have to give the story credit for trying to branch out and try something new, especially during the early 90’s when martial arts movies were all the rage. It’s not winning any Oscars, but I’ve seen worse stories from movies that have tried harder.
Resolution: 10
Great ending that brings the movie to a nice close. I like that it fits perfectly in line with the rest of the cheesiness of the movie. Great way to wrap things up.
Overall: 73
For what it’s worth, Under Siege doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but it doesn’t do anything terribly bad either. It’s a fun movie if you have time to kill. Definitely one of my favorite Tommy Lee Jones roles.
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) in Movies
May 11, 2022
Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of those rare films where I can't think of the appropriate words to describe it. It's a thrilling and emotional spectacle brimming with unique visuals and is a true cinematic rollercoaster.
The narrative is part family drama, and part mind bending sci-fi. The family drama is well crafted and effortless to become invested in. It's gives the characters room to breathe whilst simultaneously wasting little time before shit goes off the rails. When I say mind bending, that's exactly what it sounds like. The sci-fi element is just bonkers. The alternative universes that are shown off are memorable and colourful, and the action set pieces are joyous to behold. There's some solid martial arts on display, and multiple scenarios where you can safely say "well I've never seen that in a film before".
Towering above all of the batshit insane fun however, is the very human centre that EEAAO carries with it. The last 40 minutes or so get unashamedly existential, and accurately convey the feeling of how easy it is to feel like a failure, or to feel alone and unheard in a bustling universe. It's hard hitting but is wholesome as hell (never thought a silent and subtitled conversation between two rocks would hit me in the feels but here we are)
Michelle Yeoh is wonderful and delivers a career best performance. Stephanie Hsu is also great and it's bloody lovely to see Ke Huy Quan back with a vengeance. Jamie Lee Curtis remains easy to love, even as a pain in the arse, pro wrestling tax auditer.
The Daniels have delivered and then some in their follow up effort to the equally weird Swiss Army Man and truly deserve all the praise coming their way.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a phenomenal experience. I can't imagine anything will beat it for my personal best film of 2022. It's a bonafide, head fucking masterpiece.
The narrative is part family drama, and part mind bending sci-fi. The family drama is well crafted and effortless to become invested in. It's gives the characters room to breathe whilst simultaneously wasting little time before shit goes off the rails. When I say mind bending, that's exactly what it sounds like. The sci-fi element is just bonkers. The alternative universes that are shown off are memorable and colourful, and the action set pieces are joyous to behold. There's some solid martial arts on display, and multiple scenarios where you can safely say "well I've never seen that in a film before".
Towering above all of the batshit insane fun however, is the very human centre that EEAAO carries with it. The last 40 minutes or so get unashamedly existential, and accurately convey the feeling of how easy it is to feel like a failure, or to feel alone and unheard in a bustling universe. It's hard hitting but is wholesome as hell (never thought a silent and subtitled conversation between two rocks would hit me in the feels but here we are)
Michelle Yeoh is wonderful and delivers a career best performance. Stephanie Hsu is also great and it's bloody lovely to see Ke Huy Quan back with a vengeance. Jamie Lee Curtis remains easy to love, even as a pain in the arse, pro wrestling tax auditer.
The Daniels have delivered and then some in their follow up effort to the equally weird Swiss Army Man and truly deserve all the praise coming their way.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a phenomenal experience. I can't imagine anything will beat it for my personal best film of 2022. It's a bonafide, head fucking masterpiece.
Fred (860 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Jul 10, 2018
The acting is top notch (2 more)
Lots of action
Very loyal to the game series
The Story of Lara Croft is an interesting one
Watched this last night. As usual, I try not to see any reviews until I see it, so I'm not swayed by other's opinions. And so, not knowing if the movie was liked or disliked, I was able to watch it & make my own opinion.
I am a fan of the game series & love the new entries. I'm very glad they decided to follow the new games for this film & I found Lara's "origin" to be real interesting. I was not a fan of the Angelina Jolie movies. I found her too snooty & arrogant to like the character. But Alicia Vikander plays the characters perfectly. She plays a young Lara, who's tough, but has some vulnerability to her. She's an underdog we can root for, but she can hold her own too. A perfect balance.
Daniel Wu & Dominic West play their parts well. Although I would have liked to have seen Wu pull off some martial arts moves, like his character on "Into the Badlands", but I'm also glad they didn't fall for the stereotypical Asian.
But. a movie is only as good as it's main villain. And this movie has a great one. Played by Walton Goggins, who doesn't get the credit he deserves. This guy is great. He can make you love him & he can make you hate him too. I've never seen him in a bad role.
There's really not much to say about the story, as it's practically a live-action remake of the last 2 video games stories mashed together. You know what to expect, lots of action, lots of raiding of tombs. I kind of wish there would have been more puzzle solving in it. Some of the puzzles were solved without even showing them. Lara just solves them. I kind of wish I could have figured them out. But I guess I'm just used to playing the game & doing everything myself.
Anyway, the bottom line, it's a fun film, well worth watching.
I am a fan of the game series & love the new entries. I'm very glad they decided to follow the new games for this film & I found Lara's "origin" to be real interesting. I was not a fan of the Angelina Jolie movies. I found her too snooty & arrogant to like the character. But Alicia Vikander plays the characters perfectly. She plays a young Lara, who's tough, but has some vulnerability to her. She's an underdog we can root for, but she can hold her own too. A perfect balance.
Daniel Wu & Dominic West play their parts well. Although I would have liked to have seen Wu pull off some martial arts moves, like his character on "Into the Badlands", but I'm also glad they didn't fall for the stereotypical Asian.
But. a movie is only as good as it's main villain. And this movie has a great one. Played by Walton Goggins, who doesn't get the credit he deserves. This guy is great. He can make you love him & he can make you hate him too. I've never seen him in a bad role.
There's really not much to say about the story, as it's practically a live-action remake of the last 2 video games stories mashed together. You know what to expect, lots of action, lots of raiding of tombs. I kind of wish there would have been more puzzle solving in it. Some of the puzzles were solved without even showing them. Lara just solves them. I kind of wish I could have figured them out. But I guess I'm just used to playing the game & doing everything myself.
Anyway, the bottom line, it's a fun film, well worth watching.