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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Michael Inside (1997) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019
Dark realistic Irish prison drama
Michael inside has won a lot of awards but is it as good as the hype? Well yes and no. If you don't like those slow bleak indie films you won't like this, if you do then this will be a classic. Dafhyd Flynn who plays Michael does it in a convincing understated way. This is prison life with the glamour removed. A cracking film.
While [a:Michael Crichton|5194|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359042651p2/5194.jpg] may be more famous for books-that-became movies blockbuster like [b:Jurassic Park|6424171|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344371661s/6424171.jpg|3376836], tha's not the only of his works that have been turned into movies:a longside that, we have the likes of [b:Congo|7672|Congo|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388889401s/7672.jpg|688299], [b:Timeline|7669|Timeline|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405420745s/7669.jpg|1525987], and this.
Largely, however, I've found hose to be pretty forgettable: I know I saw 'Sphere' (the movie) before I first read the book, but (truth be told) I didn't really remember all that much about either.
With that in mind, and with Goodreads at-long-last implementation of the re-read feature (yay!), I decided to re-read the novel recently.
And, unfortunately, I still found it pretty forgettable.
Don't get me wrong: it's a pretty adequate sci-fi thriller (in this case about a mysterious Sphere found at the bottom of the Pacific inside a spacecraft that has lain there for hundreds of years), but it lacked - for me - the connection with the characters (none of whom I found to be all that likeable, or even interesting), the thrill-factor (if you will), or even the implied awe and majesty of the Dinosaurs in [b:Jurassic Park|6424171|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344371661s/6424171.jpg|3376836].
In short: it's OK, but not Crichton's best.
Largely, however, I've found hose to be pretty forgettable: I know I saw 'Sphere' (the movie) before I first read the book, but (truth be told) I didn't really remember all that much about either.
With that in mind, and with Goodreads at-long-last implementation of the re-read feature (yay!), I decided to re-read the novel recently.
And, unfortunately, I still found it pretty forgettable.
Don't get me wrong: it's a pretty adequate sci-fi thriller (in this case about a mysterious Sphere found at the bottom of the Pacific inside a spacecraft that has lain there for hundreds of years), but it lacked - for me - the connection with the characters (none of whom I found to be all that likeable, or even interesting), the thrill-factor (if you will), or even the implied awe and majesty of the Dinosaurs in [b:Jurassic Park|6424171|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344371661s/6424171.jpg|3376836].
In short: it's OK, but not Crichton's best.
Kaz4ray (17 KP) rated Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House in Books
Jan 28, 2018
This book is incredibly difficult to read if like me you are from the UK and don’t know much about the finer points of US Politics. However, if you persevere it gives us an inside look at Trump and the team behind him who are apparently the brains behind the clueless man himself. It really is a rather frightening read as it’s real life and if it is to be believed then an imbecile is in charge of the most powerful country in the world. I’m not sure what to make of it - I really don’t want to believe it as it is nightmare inducing but a lot of it rings true. Michael Wolff paints a very concerning picture of what is happening within the White House.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans (2009) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
285. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. The Cage unleashed!! It starts with two cops, The Cage, and The Iceman inside a flooding prison staring down into a cell with a prisoner inside begging to be let out before he drowns, the cops are taking bets on what time the cell will totally flood and the dude drowns, but The Cage decides to go ahead and save him anyway, screws up his back in the process, becomes a hero, and is promoted to Bad Lieutenant!! Ok, its just lieutenant, but you get the point. Now Lt Cage, is hooked on pain pills, and just about anything else the evidence room may hold, and with Michael Shannon guarding the door, Lt Cage gets what he needs... Now don't get me wrong, Lt Cage has a job to do, and after the brutal murder of an African family, Lt Cage is on the case, and oh yes he will solve the case, even if that involves cutting of the airways of a wheelchair bound senior citizen for info, actually joining in the gang of suspects pulling off jobs, working both sides, and parking in a handicap spot!! An instant Nic Cage classic!! The ending is so, beautiful. A must see for the Cagist. Some greatly genuine Cage moments and Eva Mendes playing the hottest drug addicted prostitute in recent years. And the rest of the cast, wow, they dug deep!! Watch now!! 😍 Filmbufftim on FB
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dawn of Chaos (The Caitlin Chronicles #1) in Books
Mar 11, 2021
34 of 250
Kindle
Dawn of Chaos ( Caitlin Chronicles book 1)
By Michael Anderle and Daniel Wilcocks
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The Governor she trusted to protect her wants her dead. The target she was sent to capture wants to help her live.
When Caitlin finally gets the chance to join her brother on a mission outside of the walls of the town she has been trapped inside all of her life, her entire reality is shaken.
Enemies appear in the strangest of places. The zombie-like ‘Mad’ roam the forests. Vampires and Werewolves from the fairy tales of her childhood become reality as Caitlin is forced to discover the truth of the Age of Madness and begin the fight for justice.
So I wasn’t sure what to Expect but it was actually quite good! I got a very walking dead theme but with vampires and weres thrown in! The characters were likeable and of course detestable, loving the female leads which I find sometimes when written by men are just slightly patronising but not here! Looking forward to seeing more.
Kindle
Dawn of Chaos ( Caitlin Chronicles book 1)
By Michael Anderle and Daniel Wilcocks
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
The Governor she trusted to protect her wants her dead. The target she was sent to capture wants to help her live.
When Caitlin finally gets the chance to join her brother on a mission outside of the walls of the town she has been trapped inside all of her life, her entire reality is shaken.
Enemies appear in the strangest of places. The zombie-like ‘Mad’ roam the forests. Vampires and Werewolves from the fairy tales of her childhood become reality as Caitlin is forced to discover the truth of the Age of Madness and begin the fight for justice.
So I wasn’t sure what to Expect but it was actually quite good! I got a very walking dead theme but with vampires and weres thrown in! The characters were likeable and of course detestable, loving the female leads which I find sometimes when written by men are just slightly patronising but not here! Looking forward to seeing more.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Assassin's Creed: Gold in Books
Mar 15, 2020
Assassin's Creed.
Primarily a series of Ubisoft-owned video games (of which I've played the majority - not all!), the franchise has also had a rather perplexing, Michael Fassbender starring, movie spin-off and a series of novels (which I just couldn't get into).
To that, we can now also add an Audible original (I think) audio drama.
And, I have to say, it's actually pretty good!
With some big star names adding their talents - I'm looking mainly at you, Antony Head (aka Giles from TVs 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer') - and pretty decent background incidentals, this drama also hews closer to the original Assassin's Creed games than the latter, in that it takes place pretty much equally in both the 'real' world (of the drama, anyway!) and inside the Animus!
The setting for the Animus, by the way, is in 1696 when Isaac Newton - Antony Head - has been tasked with running the Royal Mint, and with stamping out counterfeiting. As this is an audio book, it's also able to do something that I don't think would translate at all well into any other medium: the main Assassin character of Omar Khaled is blind! No idea how that would translate into a game ...
Primarily a series of Ubisoft-owned video games (of which I've played the majority - not all!), the franchise has also had a rather perplexing, Michael Fassbender starring, movie spin-off and a series of novels (which I just couldn't get into).
To that, we can now also add an Audible original (I think) audio drama.
And, I have to say, it's actually pretty good!
With some big star names adding their talents - I'm looking mainly at you, Antony Head (aka Giles from TVs 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer') - and pretty decent background incidentals, this drama also hews closer to the original Assassin's Creed games than the latter, in that it takes place pretty much equally in both the 'real' world (of the drama, anyway!) and inside the Animus!
The setting for the Animus, by the way, is in 1696 when Isaac Newton - Antony Head - has been tasked with running the Royal Mint, and with stamping out counterfeiting. As this is an audio book, it's also able to do something that I don't think would translate at all well into any other medium: the main Assassin character of Omar Khaled is blind! No idea how that would translate into a game ...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Sin City (2005) in Movies
Jan 7, 2021 (Updated Jan 11, 2021)
I absolutely adored Sin City when it first released way back in 2005, and I still do to a point, albeit a little less than I used to.
The main positives are of course the cast, and the style.
The cast is stacked - Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Michael Madsen, Clive Owen, Micky Rourke, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Powers Boothe, Devon Aoki, Rutger Hauer, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carla Gugino, Jaime King... that's a fair ensemble if you ask me.
The style is of course a huge part of Sin City. It's neo noir black and white with splashes of colour translate perfectly from page to screen. 15 years later, the effects still look pretty decent and the overall look of the film is practically watching the graphic novels come to life, a strength that is bolstered by the cast involved.
It has a cheesy yet engaging screenplay - the runtime clocks in at over two hours, but never gets boring (just about), and the constant growly voiceovers and on the nose script beats could have potentially been laughable in anyone else's hands, but Robert Rodriguez somehow gets away with it.
The comics ultraviolence is well realised - the movie doesn't shy away from the grimness of proceedings. Some of the content however feels a little problematic in this day and age. The whole thing is plagued by a steady stream of misogyny, which would have probably been toned down if released today, but in my opinion, it's never glamorised. 95% of the male characters are grim shitbags, and the audience know it well.
I understand why a fair few people have an issue with Sin City and it's content, but personally, I find it to be a unique film with plenty of positives, a project that respects it's source material, and just about manages to avoid falling inside of its own arse.
The main positives are of course the cast, and the style.
The cast is stacked - Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Michael Madsen, Clive Owen, Micky Rourke, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Powers Boothe, Devon Aoki, Rutger Hauer, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carla Gugino, Jaime King... that's a fair ensemble if you ask me.
The style is of course a huge part of Sin City. It's neo noir black and white with splashes of colour translate perfectly from page to screen. 15 years later, the effects still look pretty decent and the overall look of the film is practically watching the graphic novels come to life, a strength that is bolstered by the cast involved.
It has a cheesy yet engaging screenplay - the runtime clocks in at over two hours, but never gets boring (just about), and the constant growly voiceovers and on the nose script beats could have potentially been laughable in anyone else's hands, but Robert Rodriguez somehow gets away with it.
The comics ultraviolence is well realised - the movie doesn't shy away from the grimness of proceedings. Some of the content however feels a little problematic in this day and age. The whole thing is plagued by a steady stream of misogyny, which would have probably been toned down if released today, but in my opinion, it's never glamorised. 95% of the male characters are grim shitbags, and the audience know it well.
I understand why a fair few people have an issue with Sin City and it's content, but personally, I find it to be a unique film with plenty of positives, a project that respects it's source material, and just about manages to avoid falling inside of its own arse.
Genuine sympathy for Katy Tur
Katy Tur gives you an inside look at the strangest political campaign, maybe in history. Following Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, Tur had the unfortunate task of interviewing Trump or dealing with his chief aids throughout this period.
Tur tells us what it was like reporting on an exhaustive daily basis and of how she felt on a professional basis and personal level. As a female journalist, she became a target for his bullying and outright 'weird' behaviour at times. She shares with us how she felt being singled out at rallies for ridicule and hateful remarks by the then presidential candidate, and of how vulnerable she and her colleagues felt at one particular venue when the behaviour of a baying mob of loyal supporters had been supported and even encouraged by Trump.
Packed amidst the vengeful, rhetoric of Trump's speeches or condemnation of pretty much anyone distasteful to his sensibilities Tur manages to inject a fair amount of humour in the form of her inner dialogue which lightens what could have been an overbearing political tirade.
Intelligently written, fast paced, and intensely compelling, I was engrossed, fascinated and repulsed in equal measure by the book. While it doesn't shed any new light on Trump's character, it vindicates much of what is said in Michael Woolf's controversial book Fire and Fury.
Tur tells us what it was like reporting on an exhaustive daily basis and of how she felt on a professional basis and personal level. As a female journalist, she became a target for his bullying and outright 'weird' behaviour at times. She shares with us how she felt being singled out at rallies for ridicule and hateful remarks by the then presidential candidate, and of how vulnerable she and her colleagues felt at one particular venue when the behaviour of a baying mob of loyal supporters had been supported and even encouraged by Trump.
Packed amidst the vengeful, rhetoric of Trump's speeches or condemnation of pretty much anyone distasteful to his sensibilities Tur manages to inject a fair amount of humour in the form of her inner dialogue which lightens what could have been an overbearing political tirade.
Intelligently written, fast paced, and intensely compelling, I was engrossed, fascinated and repulsed in equal measure by the book. While it doesn't shed any new light on Trump's character, it vindicates much of what is said in Michael Woolf's controversial book Fire and Fury.
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Brightburn (2019) in Movies
Jul 6, 2019
Dark Justice anyone??
First thing to clear up - This is a comic book film. The premise - what if Superman wasnt all about truth, justice and the American way? Familiar story - couple discover crashed spaceship with baby inside and raise him as their own. As child gets older it starts to realise it has powers but rather than use them for good he uses them for his own gain. All the performances are excellent but the one thing the really surprised me is the gore. There are 3 scenes in particular that are possibly the best gore I've scene in years - an eye, a jaw and the first time we've ever seen heat vision to the face properly in live action...now this part involves some SPOILERS - this was written by James Gunn's brothers and produced by Gunn himself. This is an audition for Gunn to direct a Dark Justice League film. This is further teased at the end during Michael Rookers news program where he talks about other threats and shows rough drawings and describes wonder woman, batman and Martian manhunter - obviously not by name as it's not a DC film. Yet! This needs to be made - give the Gunn's the keys and let's start a new Dark DC universe! I'm in!!
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Hollywood Wants To Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies in Books
Oct 14, 2019
After the success of Science(ish):The Peculiar Science Behind the Movies, Dr Michael Brooks and Rick Edwards return with Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in The Movies. Admittedly at first I was a little reluctant, it sounded a bit too geeky for its own good, so I thought I would read a sample and I couldn't stop. This book is absolutely brilliant. Hollywood wanting to kill you is used in loose terms simply as an excuse to discuss extraordinary and utterly fascinating science to you, from plants that learn, to uploading your brain mapping, to the threat of asteroids. There is not one dull moment in this book and you will find yourself discussing awe inducing facts to anyone that will listen.
Not only is it fascinating, but it is also funny and is written and explained in ways that make it accessible no matter complicated the theories inside. I could easily sit and read this book again just so I can absorb even more of the amazing world contained in these pages but I promised to pass it on to my fourteen year old son who is also going to love this book.
A mind blowing adventure of a book delivered in a fun way. I can't rate or recommend this book any higher.
Not only is it fascinating, but it is also funny and is written and explained in ways that make it accessible no matter complicated the theories inside. I could easily sit and read this book again just so I can absorb even more of the amazing world contained in these pages but I promised to pass it on to my fourteen year old son who is also going to love this book.
A mind blowing adventure of a book delivered in a fun way. I can't rate or recommend this book any higher.