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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The First Purge (2018) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)
Definitely killed a few brain cells
The concept behind The Purge films is kind of good I guess? (If you don't think about it too hard), but none of them have really delivered much to the horror genre, and this prequel somehow delivers less to the point where it actually takes away from the horror genre!
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies
Jan 30, 2018
Good performances (1 more)
Well shot
Muddled story (1 more)
Messy narrative
Despite a promising and fun fist couple of minutes, it quickly becomes clear that Suburbicon is both a missed opportunity and a jumbled attempt at constructing a story.
On the one hand, we have a black family moving into the area and being subjected to abuse and extreme prejudice, and on the other, a family hiding a dirty secret about a home invasion that led to the death of the mother. The problem is, neither of these plots is given the right amount of attention. The racial story is by far the most interesting here, yet it's relegated to a side plot and, with the exception of the young boy, none of the family get a chance to develop into actual characters. Then you have the murder story which takes up the bulk of the running time, but it's neither fresh nor original- it's actually rather dull.
Despite being beautifully shot and occasionally amusing (Matt Damon on a kid's bike), Suburbicon ends up being a bit of a slog. It's a mish mash of ideas and tones that don't come close to forming a coherent story. There's decent performances to be found, but beyond that- don't expect much.
On the one hand, we have a black family moving into the area and being subjected to abuse and extreme prejudice, and on the other, a family hiding a dirty secret about a home invasion that led to the death of the mother. The problem is, neither of these plots is given the right amount of attention. The racial story is by far the most interesting here, yet it's relegated to a side plot and, with the exception of the young boy, none of the family get a chance to develop into actual characters. Then you have the murder story which takes up the bulk of the running time, but it's neither fresh nor original- it's actually rather dull.
Despite being beautifully shot and occasionally amusing (Matt Damon on a kid's bike), Suburbicon ends up being a bit of a slog. It's a mish mash of ideas and tones that don't come close to forming a coherent story. There's decent performances to be found, but beyond that- don't expect much.
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I have to be honest. When I initially heard about Opening Up by Tristan Taormino, it was in association with someone I can't stand, and I childishly let that association color my impression of the book. I didn't really consider reading it. I finally got around to reading (okay, listening to) it this past week, and I'm sorry I didn't do so sooner. It's so good that I'm considering purchasing a print copy to have on hand in my lending library, and maybe even an ebook copy so that I might easily reference passages from time to time.
None of the information is new to me, exactly, but it is put together very well. The sections on issues to consider/issues that might arise in each style of responsible non-monogamy were especially appreciated. I was disappointed that there isn't a section in her web site for readers, but perhaps the print copy has reproducible checklists.
The chapter on STIs was very good, although I think that a list of specific STIs for which non-monogamous people should request testing would have been helpful.
In any case, I do recommend this book. It's replacing Love Without Limits as my go-to recommendation for new polyfolk to read.
None of the information is new to me, exactly, but it is put together very well. The sections on issues to consider/issues that might arise in each style of responsible non-monogamy were especially appreciated. I was disappointed that there isn't a section in her web site for readers, but perhaps the print copy has reproducible checklists.
The chapter on STIs was very good, although I think that a list of specific STIs for which non-monogamous people should request testing would have been helpful.
In any case, I do recommend this book. It's replacing Love Without Limits as my go-to recommendation for new polyfolk to read.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated First Blood (1982) in Movies
Jun 23, 2018 (Updated Jun 23, 2018)
They drew First Blood, not me!
Sylvester Stallone will probably always be best remembered for his portrayal of boxer Rocky Balboa, but a close second is his role and character of troubled Vietnam War veteran John Rambo.
All he wanted to do was stop and settle in a small, rural town, but the local sheriff would have none of that. Rambo, the drifter, was arrested and booked for just wanting to have a hot meal somewhere. Thus, this is when the ordeal began. Rambo quickly escaped his captors as well as the police station and set forth a sequence of events, like a game of cat and mouse, whereas the authorities try to bring him back into custody.
After their initial attempt are unsuccessful they even try bringing in his former commanding officer, Colonel Trautman, to try and talk him in.
Stallone's portrayal of Rambo in First Blood shows real depth and emotion. Subsequent Rambo sequels show him as more of a huklish, strongman, badass, one man army, but First Blood shows his emotional scars come to the surface several times. You feel empathy for him and realize his actions were defensive and only used because of his intense training.
It's one of the great chase movies ever made.
All he wanted to do was stop and settle in a small, rural town, but the local sheriff would have none of that. Rambo, the drifter, was arrested and booked for just wanting to have a hot meal somewhere. Thus, this is when the ordeal began. Rambo quickly escaped his captors as well as the police station and set forth a sequence of events, like a game of cat and mouse, whereas the authorities try to bring him back into custody.
After their initial attempt are unsuccessful they even try bringing in his former commanding officer, Colonel Trautman, to try and talk him in.
Stallone's portrayal of Rambo in First Blood shows real depth and emotion. Subsequent Rambo sequels show him as more of a huklish, strongman, badass, one man army, but First Blood shows his emotional scars come to the surface several times. You feel empathy for him and realize his actions were defensive and only used because of his intense training.
It's one of the great chase movies ever made.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Prom Night (2008) in Movies
Aug 10, 2018
Boring plot (2 more)
Characters were not well developed
Tried to rely on bad jump scares
All the clichés, none of the fun
So this was a pretty bad movie and I quite like this genre mostly.
The plot was way too boring and predictable. It's something you have seen hundreds of movies like this. It's a typical slasher movie. You knew everything that was gonna happen pretty much.
Too bad they try to move things along way too quickly so no characters were fleshed out. They just ended up boring but given enough time they could have gone into backstory about why this is happening and it would have made the characters a lot more interesting. Don't get me wrong I did like the cast, they had good actors. It was just the writing that was not good.
It was not at all scary and tried to rely on jump scares alone which were not actually scary. The deaths could have been entertaining but were just boring and the ending was expected.
I cannot recommend this. It's not a good movie. Not sure what else I can say but if you read the plot, it's basically what it says it is. You can guess the rest.
The plot was way too boring and predictable. It's something you have seen hundreds of movies like this. It's a typical slasher movie. You knew everything that was gonna happen pretty much.
Too bad they try to move things along way too quickly so no characters were fleshed out. They just ended up boring but given enough time they could have gone into backstory about why this is happening and it would have made the characters a lot more interesting. Don't get me wrong I did like the cast, they had good actors. It was just the writing that was not good.
It was not at all scary and tried to rely on jump scares alone which were not actually scary. The deaths could have been entertaining but were just boring and the ending was expected.
I cannot recommend this. It's not a good movie. Not sure what else I can say but if you read the plot, it's basically what it says it is. You can guess the rest.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Zombie Dice in Tabletop Games
Aug 15, 2018
Quick to Play (2 more)
Easy instructions to learn
Expansions available
Quick, Easy and Fun!
Zombie Dice! A quick game so heres a quick review!
Easy to play with simple rules and always a party favourite from my experience. The rules are as follow (base game only):
- shake up the cup of dice and blindly pick three dice
- roll the three dice chosen and try to collect brains
- If your not feeling lucky, bank any brains you have and end your go
- 3 shots and your go is over, losing any brains you havent banked
- Any runners must be used for the next roll if you decide not to end your go, so if you have one runner, you use that one runner and blindly pick two more dice from the bucket to roll your next go.
- the first to 13 brains collected wins the game (or round if you play it multiple times in a row)
Its so simple to learn, so much fun to play and can easily be adapted into a drinking game (just saying). I highly recommend Zombie Dice for a quick and easy game and a cheaper option compared big board games that take hours to play.
Easy to play with simple rules and always a party favourite from my experience. The rules are as follow (base game only):
- shake up the cup of dice and blindly pick three dice
- roll the three dice chosen and try to collect brains
- If your not feeling lucky, bank any brains you have and end your go
- 3 shots and your go is over, losing any brains you havent banked
- Any runners must be used for the next roll if you decide not to end your go, so if you have one runner, you use that one runner and blindly pick two more dice from the bucket to roll your next go.
- the first to 13 brains collected wins the game (or round if you play it multiple times in a row)
Its so simple to learn, so much fun to play and can easily be adapted into a drinking game (just saying). I highly recommend Zombie Dice for a quick and easy game and a cheaper option compared big board games that take hours to play.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Celine in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I read this book for the monthly mystery book club I attend. Usually, I thoroughly enjoy the books selected for us to read. The other times I really do not like the choice. This, unfortunately, is one of those times. I just could not get into this book. I read nearly 100 pages before I started just skimming the rest of the book. I tried to listen to the audiobook, read the ebook, and read a printed copy of it and none of them could hold my attention.
There is a lot of extraneous detail about the characters, their background, the scenery, etc. The story jumps all over the place and discusses different story lines and different timelines. This did not help me make a connection with any of the characters. The story mentions how bad last year was for the main character. The reason for this was not stated in the first 100 pages or, if it was, I did not care enough to retain the information.
The author, Peter Heller, has written other books. One, "The Dog Stars" is on my "want to read" list. However, after reading this book, it has moved down further on my list.
There is a lot of extraneous detail about the characters, their background, the scenery, etc. The story jumps all over the place and discusses different story lines and different timelines. This did not help me make a connection with any of the characters. The story mentions how bad last year was for the main character. The reason for this was not stated in the first 100 pages or, if it was, I did not care enough to retain the information.
The author, Peter Heller, has written other books. One, "The Dog Stars" is on my "want to read" list. However, after reading this book, it has moved down further on my list.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated The Handoff (Big Play, #3) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
In the third instalment of the Big Play series, we meet Finn in more detail. He is the cool, collected, one that has been there for Colt and Mack throughout. When Mack goes to New Zealand, he asks Finn to keep an eye on his sister as he feels that she is not quite herself. Finn wants to say no but doesn't. Instead, he ends up helping Layla in more ways than he could ever have imagined, and as a result, sees her as a completely different person. Due to Finn's support, Layla changes herself and finds courage when she thought she had none.
With hints being given with the overall story arc, as well as snippets pertaining to Layla directly, this is a wonderful addition. Well written, full of emotion and gripping situations and characters, this is guaranteed to draw you in to their story. You will be with Layla and Finn every step of the way, encouraging them to carry on when it seems too hard.
This is one of those series that I absolutely can't wait for the next book, but that is also bittersweet as I know it's the last one. Highly recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
With hints being given with the overall story arc, as well as snippets pertaining to Layla directly, this is a wonderful addition. Well written, full of emotion and gripping situations and characters, this is guaranteed to draw you in to their story. You will be with Layla and Finn every step of the way, encouraging them to carry on when it seems too hard.
This is one of those series that I absolutely can't wait for the next book, but that is also bittersweet as I know it's the last one. Highly recommended.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
David McK (3623 KP) rated Casino Royale Vintage 007 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The very first James Bond (now a cultural phenomenon) book, and I'm sorry, but - much like the most recent Bond film of the same name - it's very hard to make high stakes gambling interesting or exciting (without being personally involved).
And that's the crux of this book: British (not-so) secret Agent James Bond is chosen to go undercover to bankrupt Le Chiffre in gambling at the Casino Royale of the title.
THis Bond is also quite 'hard', more akin to the Bond of the Dalton or Craig era of the films than to that of (say) the Moore era or - my favourite - the Brosnan era. As the first novel in the series, this also highlights to Bond just how cold the spy game an be, with the inclusion of Vesper Lynd: one of only two female's in his (literary) life who have such an impact on him.
While the prose does flow well enough, and the novel is short enough not to out-stay it's welcome, it none-the-less failed to ignite any desire in me to hunt down any other of Ian Fleming's Bond novels: I'm not going to avoid them (or say no if I come across them), but neither I am going to actively hunt them out.
And that's the crux of this book: British (not-so) secret Agent James Bond is chosen to go undercover to bankrupt Le Chiffre in gambling at the Casino Royale of the title.
THis Bond is also quite 'hard', more akin to the Bond of the Dalton or Craig era of the films than to that of (say) the Moore era or - my favourite - the Brosnan era. As the first novel in the series, this also highlights to Bond just how cold the spy game an be, with the inclusion of Vesper Lynd: one of only two female's in his (literary) life who have such an impact on him.
While the prose does flow well enough, and the novel is short enough not to out-stay it's welcome, it none-the-less failed to ignite any desire in me to hunt down any other of Ian Fleming's Bond novels: I'm not going to avoid them (or say no if I come across them), but neither I am going to actively hunt them out.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Fast and furious presents: Tango & cash
Ok so I was one of those people excited for this movie as I'm a big Statham/Johnson fan and wanted to see these characters work together after previously seeing their onscreen chemistry, although remained at ease as I've been duped by Hollywood before.
The movie starts by showing how different and alike the 2 characters are before throwing in some very welcome surprises.
During the movie, Statham shows how very comical he can be which is great to see but Johnson's attempt at being comical came across a little dry but was still entertaining.
This movie needs to stay far away from F&F as both are way too over the top and can only drag each Other down.
Aside from being what seems to be an odd attempt at combining F&F with the MCU, this was a great action movie none the less.
The back and forth Alpha male macho- testosterone filled competition between the two, with is worth the coin even if the story isn't you thing.
Quick note: this movie is very similar to the classic frenemy cop movie Tango and cash.
The movie starts by showing how different and alike the 2 characters are before throwing in some very welcome surprises.
During the movie, Statham shows how very comical he can be which is great to see but Johnson's attempt at being comical came across a little dry but was still entertaining.
This movie needs to stay far away from F&F as both are way too over the top and can only drag each Other down.
Aside from being what seems to be an odd attempt at combining F&F with the MCU, this was a great action movie none the less.
The back and forth Alpha male macho- testosterone filled competition between the two, with is worth the coin even if the story isn't you thing.
Quick note: this movie is very similar to the classic frenemy cop movie Tango and cash.
Dean (6927 KP) Jun 11, 2019
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) Jun 11, 2019