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Bottlenecks: Aligning UX Design with User Psychology
Book
"Bottlenecks' is a tight and eminently actionable read for business leaders in startups and...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Our Kind of Traitor (2016) in Movies
Sep 16, 2019
Characters – Perry is a university professor, he is trying to make amends with his wife on a romantic holiday, he reluctantly gets involved in the information trade with his good nature being used by both sides. Gail is the lawyer wife of Perry, she has become distant from him while still loving him and does question his decision to help Dima. Dima is the Russian mafia handling the accounts, but he wants out to help his own children become safe, he uses his connection with Perry to get MI6 involved in the truth. Hector is the MI6 agent that is willing to work with Dima for the information in exchange for the family, he does have his own grudge with the man they are trying to take down too.
Performances – The performances through the film show us just what Le Carre does with his characters, he gives them good moments, without making them stand out. McGregor is good, but you feel a younger up and comer would have been perfect here, Harris is good and doesn’t put a foot wrong, while Skarsgard enjoys his role, shady but loyal. Damian Lewis brings back his true English role which at times does feel weird knowing how often he has been an American character recently.
Story – The story comes from a John Le Carre novel, so instantly we know we are going to get a thriller that keeps us guessing on what everyone’s motivation will be. The idea that a normal couple get mixed up in the middle of an international information exchange is different and does work for the film because it helps us stay on edge thinking and wondering if they do have a bigger involvement. The story does feel like that one moment to make it great is missing, as everything does end up feeling just normal and good only.
Crime – The crime side of the film follows a criminal looking for a safe way out of the life for his family in exchange for bringing down the mafia’s dealings in London.
Settings – The film splits the settings between London, for the deals, Morocco for the exchanges and the final location for the next chapter of the lives, they work because they show how this world would operate.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It lacks the edge of your seat style of Le Carre novels have given us.
Final Thoughts – This is a solid thriller even if it lacks that final factor to make it one of the best ones, it does the by the book material well, but never develops the characters enough to understand the situation they put themselves in.
Overall: Simple thriller.
Performances – The performances through the film show us just what Le Carre does with his characters, he gives them good moments, without making them stand out. McGregor is good, but you feel a younger up and comer would have been perfect here, Harris is good and doesn’t put a foot wrong, while Skarsgard enjoys his role, shady but loyal. Damian Lewis brings back his true English role which at times does feel weird knowing how often he has been an American character recently.
Story – The story comes from a John Le Carre novel, so instantly we know we are going to get a thriller that keeps us guessing on what everyone’s motivation will be. The idea that a normal couple get mixed up in the middle of an international information exchange is different and does work for the film because it helps us stay on edge thinking and wondering if they do have a bigger involvement. The story does feel like that one moment to make it great is missing, as everything does end up feeling just normal and good only.
Crime – The crime side of the film follows a criminal looking for a safe way out of the life for his family in exchange for bringing down the mafia’s dealings in London.
Settings – The film splits the settings between London, for the deals, Morocco for the exchanges and the final location for the next chapter of the lives, they work because they show how this world would operate.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It lacks the edge of your seat style of Le Carre novels have given us.
Final Thoughts – This is a solid thriller even if it lacks that final factor to make it one of the best ones, it does the by the book material well, but never develops the characters enough to understand the situation they put themselves in.
Overall: Simple thriller.
Brainwave Studio
Health & Fitness and Productivity
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Stressed out? Trouble sleeping? Distracting sounds at work or school? Need a relaxing break from a...
How to Improve Study Habits
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For students 13 through college graduation, Christine Reidhead's guide to building study skills is...
Young Adult Non Fiction
Tennis Coach Plus
Sports and Education
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VIDEO ANALYSIS - ANYONE ANYWHERE ANYTIME RECORD | COMPARE | IMPROVE your Tennis technique Tennis...
Abs Workout - Daily Fitness Routines for a Quick Six Pack Muscle
Health & Fitness and Sports
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Train where you want and when you want! Whether you’re at the gym or at home, Abs Workout will...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Death on the Nile (2022) in Movies
Feb 7, 2022
Originally set to release in December of 2019; the long-delayed cinematic retelling of Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile” has finally arrived in cinemas. The last cinematic version of the classic book arrived in 1978 and this time; Director and star Kenneth Branagh beings his version of Master Detective Hercule Poirot to Egypt after a chance encounter with his friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) while on vacation; Poirot attends the wedding of wealthy socialite Linette Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and notices that she has married a man named Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer).
The wedding is a bit of a shock to many as just six weeks prior Doyle was engaged to Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), and Poirot observed the two of them in a London club and how Ridgeway was introduced to Simon by her friend Jacqueline.
The wedding reception is disrupted by the arrival of Jacqueline and Linette and Simon confides in Poirot that she has been following them around the world and asks the Detective to encourage her to leave them alone so they can get on with their life.
Jacqueline is highly disturbed and pleads her love for Simon and shows a gun which leads Poirot to encourage the newlyweds to abandon their overseas plans and go home. Simon and Linette press on and decide to take their wedding party on a cruise of the Nile in an attempt to get away from Jacqueline.
The plan seems to be working well until Jacqueline shows up as a ticketed passenger at a stop along the way. When a near-fatal accident occurs followed by a murder; Poirot must investigate the guests to find the killer. Naturally, there is plenty of motivation to go around, and as the deaths mount; Poirot must use his genius to find the killer.
The movie takes its time getting started but the CGI-enhanced scenery and the strong cast are very compelling and set the pieces in place very well. While I was able to solve the mystery about halfway into the film, some of the details around it were cleverly concealed and there were plenty of twists that had me consider other possible suspects.
Some may find the film a bit slow but that is the nature of a good mystery as time is given to developing the characters and their motives which adds to the suspense of the film.
In the end, the film is an engaging mystery that recalls the classic movie mysteries of old and it will be very interesting to see if audiences will embrace the film in the same way as they did with “Murder on the Orient Express” and audiences will get more Poirot adventures from Branagh in the near future.
4 stars out of 5.
The wedding is a bit of a shock to many as just six weeks prior Doyle was engaged to Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), and Poirot observed the two of them in a London club and how Ridgeway was introduced to Simon by her friend Jacqueline.
The wedding reception is disrupted by the arrival of Jacqueline and Linette and Simon confides in Poirot that she has been following them around the world and asks the Detective to encourage her to leave them alone so they can get on with their life.
Jacqueline is highly disturbed and pleads her love for Simon and shows a gun which leads Poirot to encourage the newlyweds to abandon their overseas plans and go home. Simon and Linette press on and decide to take their wedding party on a cruise of the Nile in an attempt to get away from Jacqueline.
The plan seems to be working well until Jacqueline shows up as a ticketed passenger at a stop along the way. When a near-fatal accident occurs followed by a murder; Poirot must investigate the guests to find the killer. Naturally, there is plenty of motivation to go around, and as the deaths mount; Poirot must use his genius to find the killer.
The movie takes its time getting started but the CGI-enhanced scenery and the strong cast are very compelling and set the pieces in place very well. While I was able to solve the mystery about halfway into the film, some of the details around it were cleverly concealed and there were plenty of twists that had me consider other possible suspects.
Some may find the film a bit slow but that is the nature of a good mystery as time is given to developing the characters and their motives which adds to the suspense of the film.
In the end, the film is an engaging mystery that recalls the classic movie mysteries of old and it will be very interesting to see if audiences will embrace the film in the same way as they did with “Murder on the Orient Express” and audiences will get more Poirot adventures from Branagh in the near future.
4 stars out of 5.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Morbius (2022) in Movies
Apr 5, 2022
The latest Marvel offering is Morbius. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) grew up in Greece under the care of Dr.Emil Nikols (Jared Harris). In this universe, Emil is Michael’s Mentor. This story takes
bits from the comic book but it clearly isn’t canon. It is an adequate anti-hero origin story for Phase 4 which gives us the backstory of Morbius’ creation.
Morbius has a rare blood disease. As a child, he made his best friend Milo/Lucien (Matt Smith), a promise to find the cure for their shared illness. Michael, in his quest for the cure, became the youngest scientist to win the Nobel Prize from his development of artificial blood.
He works with fellow scientist Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) who becomes his love interest.
Morbius has been working on vampire bats and the abilities within their blood. Once the formula has stabilized, he begins human trials on himself. In doing so, the serum that he has developed transforms him into a vampire that needs human blood to sustain his existence.
The film seems to have dropped the trail to lead the audience to logical conclusions. There are questions that need to be answered which would help flesh out the actions of the characters.
Why the serum, if the reason is to create a cure, why did the bat and human combination mutate instead of the blood changing?
There are points throughout the film that feel like critical explanatory lines were edited out.
Some scenes had witty banter between Michael and Milo. It would have been good to see Morbius enjoy his transformation from his weak, ill state to the Vampire.
The film was good. It definitely could have been better with more information. I wanted to understand motivation by the actors indicating motive or have red herrings thrown through the film.
The best parts for me were the moments where he stumbled upon his new abilities. He observes them like the scientist he is and takes it as data, in order to understand the changes.
The CGI was muddy, in trying to show movement as quick. What it looked like was trying to
convey speed, but in doing so, ended up having what showed up as squiggly lines instead.
I liked it, but didn’t love it mainly for what it seemed to lack, continuity. I think for an origin film, the character needs to be brought out as clean as possible in order to develop solid character traits.
If you go see the movie, there are two end credit scenes. There are a couple situations that you go see the movie, there are two end credit scenes. There are a couple situations that lead into the Multiverse of Magic. I am definitely looking forward to that film.
3 stars out of 5
bits from the comic book but it clearly isn’t canon. It is an adequate anti-hero origin story for Phase 4 which gives us the backstory of Morbius’ creation.
Morbius has a rare blood disease. As a child, he made his best friend Milo/Lucien (Matt Smith), a promise to find the cure for their shared illness. Michael, in his quest for the cure, became the youngest scientist to win the Nobel Prize from his development of artificial blood.
He works with fellow scientist Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) who becomes his love interest.
Morbius has been working on vampire bats and the abilities within their blood. Once the formula has stabilized, he begins human trials on himself. In doing so, the serum that he has developed transforms him into a vampire that needs human blood to sustain his existence.
The film seems to have dropped the trail to lead the audience to logical conclusions. There are questions that need to be answered which would help flesh out the actions of the characters.
Why the serum, if the reason is to create a cure, why did the bat and human combination mutate instead of the blood changing?
There are points throughout the film that feel like critical explanatory lines were edited out.
Some scenes had witty banter between Michael and Milo. It would have been good to see Morbius enjoy his transformation from his weak, ill state to the Vampire.
The film was good. It definitely could have been better with more information. I wanted to understand motivation by the actors indicating motive or have red herrings thrown through the film.
The best parts for me were the moments where he stumbled upon his new abilities. He observes them like the scientist he is and takes it as data, in order to understand the changes.
The CGI was muddy, in trying to show movement as quick. What it looked like was trying to
convey speed, but in doing so, ended up having what showed up as squiggly lines instead.
I liked it, but didn’t love it mainly for what it seemed to lack, continuity. I think for an origin film, the character needs to be brought out as clean as possible in order to develop solid character traits.
If you go see the movie, there are two end credit scenes. There are a couple situations that you go see the movie, there are two end credit scenes. There are a couple situations that lead into the Multiverse of Magic. I am definitely looking forward to that film.
3 stars out of 5
The Leader's Guide to Presenting
Book
Presentations are an inevitable part of a leader's day to day. They are fundamental to delivering...
Carma (21 KP) rated The Army Ranger's Surprise (The Men of At Ease Ranch #5) in Books
Jun 17, 2019
The Army Rangers Surprise is part of the At-Ease Ranch series by Donna Michaels, but according to the blurb it can be read as a standalone. I have not read any other titles in this series and I can agree that this read pretty well as a standalone. There is some reference as well as interaction with previous characters and I only felt a little lacking in knowing Leos past actions getting him to the point he was currently.
Leo Reed is a restless former soldier dealing with PTSD. With the help of his friends he was finally able to get therapy to deal with his tragic past. He still has trouble feeling worthy enough to fit in and make his friends proud, he has trouble accepting that they dont need to carry him through life. When he agrees to keep an eye on his grandmother while his Mom is out of town helping his sister, he quickly realizes he has an even better motivation to visit Grams, in the form of neighbor Kaydee Wagner. He is attracted to Kaydee but getting involved means talking about the past and he knows if she ever finds out about his past she would leave him faster than anything.
Kaydee Wagner gave up her home to move with her grandfather into a duplex in the small town of his choosing. She promised her parents she would take good care of him until they could get back home in 2 years, after her fathers time was up in the army. Restless is Kaydees middle name, rarely staying in one place very long, but she knows she needs to do this for her family. And having Leo Reed visit his grandmother every week just adds to the appeal. He helped them move into the house and she was enamored from the word Hi. But getting involved means getting out of her comfort zone, could she actually be able to be someones girlfriend. She was horrible at it, but for Leo she would give it a good shot. But she can tell he is holding back, can she get him to let go?
Leo and Kaydee both suffer from a restless energy inside them and it will take a lot for them to let go of that feeling and be free to stay together. When they find themselves in an unexpected situation they both realize they need to let that edge go so they both can move forward in life. I enjoyed Grandma Ava and Grandpa Nate as secondary characters. As well as Fiona and all the At-Ease boys and the girls that love them. Even Lula Belle the cow has a good storyline haha. Im glad I ended up receiving an advance copy of this novel, I will definitely be looking up the other titles to add those to my bookshelf. Any opinions expressed are my own; no expectation for review was ever expressed or required.
Leo Reed is a restless former soldier dealing with PTSD. With the help of his friends he was finally able to get therapy to deal with his tragic past. He still has trouble feeling worthy enough to fit in and make his friends proud, he has trouble accepting that they dont need to carry him through life. When he agrees to keep an eye on his grandmother while his Mom is out of town helping his sister, he quickly realizes he has an even better motivation to visit Grams, in the form of neighbor Kaydee Wagner. He is attracted to Kaydee but getting involved means talking about the past and he knows if she ever finds out about his past she would leave him faster than anything.
Kaydee Wagner gave up her home to move with her grandfather into a duplex in the small town of his choosing. She promised her parents she would take good care of him until they could get back home in 2 years, after her fathers time was up in the army. Restless is Kaydees middle name, rarely staying in one place very long, but she knows she needs to do this for her family. And having Leo Reed visit his grandmother every week just adds to the appeal. He helped them move into the house and she was enamored from the word Hi. But getting involved means getting out of her comfort zone, could she actually be able to be someones girlfriend. She was horrible at it, but for Leo she would give it a good shot. But she can tell he is holding back, can she get him to let go?
Leo and Kaydee both suffer from a restless energy inside them and it will take a lot for them to let go of that feeling and be free to stay together. When they find themselves in an unexpected situation they both realize they need to let that edge go so they both can move forward in life. I enjoyed Grandma Ava and Grandpa Nate as secondary characters. As well as Fiona and all the At-Ease boys and the girls that love them. Even Lula Belle the cow has a good storyline haha. Im glad I ended up receiving an advance copy of this novel, I will definitely be looking up the other titles to add those to my bookshelf. Any opinions expressed are my own; no expectation for review was ever expressed or required.