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David McK (3562 KP) rated The Loki Sword (Fireborn #3) in Books
Sep 18, 2022
I'm not sure why, but for some reason I haven't really connected with Angus Donald's 'Fire Born' novels, finding them to be the weakest of his three series that I have read (The Outlaw Chronicles and the Holcroft Blood series).
I don't know why that is; it's just one of those things.
However, I'll still read these novels, just not be in as much of a rush to do so as with the others.
This is the third in his FireBorn series (after both The Last Berserker: An action-packed Viking adventure and The Saxon Wolf: A Viking epic of berserkers and battle) and is also, for my money, the best of those three novels. That may be because of the nature of this - a band of travellers setting out on a quest, leading to a battle and a return home, with the author himself admitting the influence of the works of JRR Tolkien on this particular entry.
I don't know why that is; it's just one of those things.
However, I'll still read these novels, just not be in as much of a rush to do so as with the others.
This is the third in his FireBorn series (after both The Last Berserker: An action-packed Viking adventure and The Saxon Wolf: A Viking epic of berserkers and battle) and is also, for my money, the best of those three novels. That may be because of the nature of this - a band of travellers setting out on a quest, leading to a battle and a return home, with the author himself admitting the influence of the works of JRR Tolkien on this particular entry.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Robin Hood and the Caliph's Gold in Books
Mar 26, 2020
The 9th entry in Angus Donald's Robin Hood Outlaw series of books, although chronologically I think this is the third (set after Holy Warrior).
As such, this starts with Robin and his men trying to make their way back to England from the Holy Land, with the entire story told (as are all the others) in first person narrative, and from the point of view of Alan a Dale, the true protagonist of these stories (let's face it, Robin isn't always a very nice man...)
Shipwrecked on the way home, this sets off a series of circumstances and encounters that sees Robin and his men hatching a plan to steal the Caliph's Gold (it's all there in the title!), with many a ferocious battle and deeds of derring do throughout.
Having recently just having read one of Angus Donald's other historical works (the Blood series: last one I read was Bloods Campaign), I have to say: I think I prefer the medieval setting of these novels better, with Alan a Dale coming across as a more relatable character than Holcroft Blood.
As such, this starts with Robin and his men trying to make their way back to England from the Holy Land, with the entire story told (as are all the others) in first person narrative, and from the point of view of Alan a Dale, the true protagonist of these stories (let's face it, Robin isn't always a very nice man...)
Shipwrecked on the way home, this sets off a series of circumstances and encounters that sees Robin and his men hatching a plan to steal the Caliph's Gold (it's all there in the title!), with many a ferocious battle and deeds of derring do throughout.
Having recently just having read one of Angus Donald's other historical works (the Blood series: last one I read was Bloods Campaign), I have to say: I think I prefer the medieval setting of these novels better, with Alan a Dale coming across as a more relatable character than Holcroft Blood.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Unforgiven (1992) in Movies
Dec 5, 2018
Eastwood's best is still Eastwood's best!
On the eve of Eastwood's latest and maybe final film "The Mule" hitting theatres in a few weeks, I decided to rewatch his 1992 Best Picture winning effort to see if it still packs a punch as a subtle masterpiece.
Retired outlaw and present farmer William Munny decides to perform one final execution with his friend Ned and the Schofield Kid after they hear the tale of a prostitute being disfigured by a disgruntled customer. In the process, they have a run in with the local badass sheriff who has his own kind of law he dispenses at will.
It's cliche to say all westerns look beautiful since their nature is to capture the Old West in all its majesty and landscape; however, the cinematography here is the true star. The look of the film is stunning (especially on my new 75" TV) and moves you into this world immediately.
Eastwood, Hackman and Morgan Freeman form one of the greatest movie trifecta performances ever and the acting prowess on display is hard to match.
A true masterpiece.
Retired outlaw and present farmer William Munny decides to perform one final execution with his friend Ned and the Schofield Kid after they hear the tale of a prostitute being disfigured by a disgruntled customer. In the process, they have a run in with the local badass sheriff who has his own kind of law he dispenses at will.
It's cliche to say all westerns look beautiful since their nature is to capture the Old West in all its majesty and landscape; however, the cinematography here is the true star. The look of the film is stunning (especially on my new 75" TV) and moves you into this world immediately.
Eastwood, Hackman and Morgan Freeman form one of the greatest movie trifecta performances ever and the acting prowess on display is hard to match.
A true masterpiece.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Blood's Campaign in Books
Mar 5, 2020
Third entry in Angus Donald's Holcroft Blood series (after Blood's Game and Blood's Revolution), with this one set in Ireland.
Which is where I live (well, in Northern Ireland).
Living, as I do, not that far from Carrickfergus in Belfast I was aware of the siege of Carrickfergus, and (of course) of the Battle of the Boyne - it's impossible not to be, living here! With William's victory celebrated by a section of the community every 12th of July - although the subjects were never really taught at all in my school days; seemingly more concerned with the Norman conquest or with the English Civil War or World War 2 than with 'local' history. In retrospect, I think that might be because local history is (still) a touchy subject: what is one man's hero, for example, is another man's villain in this country!
Anyway, I've gone off topic: Blood's Campaign.
An interesting read, with Holcroft Blood still an unusual protagonist (hinted as being on the autistic spectrum?), with - even for someone born and raised in Northern Ireland - some fascinating history thrown in, although (I have to say), that this one didn't quite grip me as much as Angus Donald's 'Outlaw' (Robin Hood) series.
Which is where I live (well, in Northern Ireland).
Living, as I do, not that far from Carrickfergus in Belfast I was aware of the siege of Carrickfergus, and (of course) of the Battle of the Boyne - it's impossible not to be, living here! With William's victory celebrated by a section of the community every 12th of July - although the subjects were never really taught at all in my school days; seemingly more concerned with the Norman conquest or with the English Civil War or World War 2 than with 'local' history. In retrospect, I think that might be because local history is (still) a touchy subject: what is one man's hero, for example, is another man's villain in this country!
Anyway, I've gone off topic: Blood's Campaign.
An interesting read, with Holcroft Blood still an unusual protagonist (hinted as being on the autistic spectrum?), with - even for someone born and raised in Northern Ireland - some fascinating history thrown in, although (I have to say), that this one didn't quite grip me as much as Angus Donald's 'Outlaw' (Robin Hood) series.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Sep 17, 2020 (Updated Sep 17, 2020)
The Peanut Butter Falcon is truly wonderful in every sense of the word, and quite possibly the most heart warming movie ever made!?
This story of Zak, a man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler is shot beautifully - this film looks stunning from start to finish.
The cinematography and music cues give the movie a Cohens-esque vibe at times.
Zak finds an unlikely companion in Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and outlaw who is on the run from some people that he owes to. The two of them journey together towards Florida in a simple story that at its core is a commentary on what it is to be human.
Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are fantastic as the films leads. The companionship between the two of them feels truly special at all times, is frequently hilarious, and is the source of pretty much all the charm that radiates from TPBF.
Dakota Johnson, Thomas Jaden Church, and Bruce Dern are also great as well.
I wasn't expecting to love The Peanut Butter Falcon as much as I did, but honestly, it's a damn good film that will get to the coldest person.
This story of Zak, a man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler is shot beautifully - this film looks stunning from start to finish.
The cinematography and music cues give the movie a Cohens-esque vibe at times.
Zak finds an unlikely companion in Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and outlaw who is on the run from some people that he owes to. The two of them journey together towards Florida in a simple story that at its core is a commentary on what it is to be human.
Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are fantastic as the films leads. The companionship between the two of them feels truly special at all times, is frequently hilarious, and is the source of pretty much all the charm that radiates from TPBF.
Dakota Johnson, Thomas Jaden Church, and Bruce Dern are also great as well.
I wasn't expecting to love The Peanut Butter Falcon as much as I did, but honestly, it's a damn good film that will get to the coldest person.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Phantom Outlaw at Wolf Creek in Books
Mar 9, 2021
Danger on a Montana Ranch
Ricky Kidd is on a month long vacation with his friends Mike and Ralphy at Mike’s uncle and aunt’s ranch in Montana. When he arrives, he hears the legend of a bank robbery that happened decades ago and the phantom of the outlaw that still haunts the nearby canyon. Or is it a legend? Mike and his visiting cousin, Sarah, insist on investigating, and Ricky sees evidence with his own eyes that the legend might be true. Can Ricky uncover the truth of what is going on?
This is another wonderful book in a favorite middle grade mystery series. The characters are sharp and provide some wonderful laughs. Sometimes their antics slow down the mystery in the first half of the book, but parts of the plot are being worked in to the fun, and the second half pays off the questions wonderfully. The suspense at the end is great, and the way Ricky works everything out is perfect. These books were written for the Christian market, and they work Ricky’s faith in organically without ever once preaching. The books are a bit dated now since they were originally released in the 1990’s, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. It might take a bit to track down this mystery, but it is worth it.
This is another wonderful book in a favorite middle grade mystery series. The characters are sharp and provide some wonderful laughs. Sometimes their antics slow down the mystery in the first half of the book, but parts of the plot are being worked in to the fun, and the second half pays off the questions wonderfully. The suspense at the end is great, and the way Ricky works everything out is perfect. These books were written for the Christian market, and they work Ricky’s faith in organically without ever once preaching. The books are a bit dated now since they were originally released in the 1990’s, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. It might take a bit to track down this mystery, but it is worth it.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Warlord (The Outlaw Chronicles, #4) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The fourth book in Angus Donald's <i>Outlaw</i> series, this one is primarily set in and around the last years of Richard I (The Lionheart) reign, leading up to his death on 06/04/1199 after being struck in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt fired from a castle he was besieging in Southern France.
Like the previous three books in the series, this is presented as an elderly Alan Dale recounting the adventures of his youth, with each section (and the epilogue) of the novel as him committing the tale to paper, and his thoughts in so doing.
While the cover of the novel also has "A Robin Hood tale" above the title, I actually found that character to be sidelined more in favour of Alan in this novel than in the previous, where he very much was central to the story but seemingly not so much here. That's not to mean that he's not present, and that he doesn't have a role to play: just that this novel is more about Richard than it is Robin.
The novel also includes elements form that other great Medieval tale/obsession of the Holy Grail, which is worked into the reason why Richard is besieging the castle (at Robin's urgings) at which he receives his fatal wound. That plot strand, however, is also left wide-open for the sequel, already announced as titled <i>Grail Knight</i>, and which I'm already looking forward to!
Like the previous three books in the series, this is presented as an elderly Alan Dale recounting the adventures of his youth, with each section (and the epilogue) of the novel as him committing the tale to paper, and his thoughts in so doing.
While the cover of the novel also has "A Robin Hood tale" above the title, I actually found that character to be sidelined more in favour of Alan in this novel than in the previous, where he very much was central to the story but seemingly not so much here. That's not to mean that he's not present, and that he doesn't have a role to play: just that this novel is more about Richard than it is Robin.
The novel also includes elements form that other great Medieval tale/obsession of the Holy Grail, which is worked into the reason why Richard is besieging the castle (at Robin's urgings) at which he receives his fatal wound. That plot strand, however, is also left wide-open for the sequel, already announced as titled <i>Grail Knight</i>, and which I'm already looking forward to!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The Secret of Shadow Ranch in Books
Jul 15, 2019
Is the Ranch Haunted?
It’s summer, and Nancy has been invited to spend it with her best friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne on the ranch their uncle Ed and aunt Bet have just bought in Arizona. However, she has barely landed when she learns that things aren’t going well on the ranch. Someone is trying to drive the new owners off the land with acts of sabotage, most of which are foreshadowed by a phantom horse. There is a legend that an old outlaw cursed the ranch, but Nancy thinks the culprits are more modern and very real. Can she figure out what is going on and why?
This may be the fifth book in the series, but this is the first time we are seeing Bess and George, Nancy’s usual sleuthing companions. They jump right in here for another action-packed story. The general plot outline is fairly obvious early on, including a massive coincidence in the story, but that didn’t keep me from turning pages as quickly as I could. As an adult I find the characters thinner than I remember, but we still like them enough to care about the outcome. Since the book was last updated in the 1950’s, some of the language is a little dated (it even stopped me a little), but I doubt it will slow down today’s kids as they race to see how Nancy will piece together this fun mystery.
This may be the fifth book in the series, but this is the first time we are seeing Bess and George, Nancy’s usual sleuthing companions. They jump right in here for another action-packed story. The general plot outline is fairly obvious early on, including a massive coincidence in the story, but that didn’t keep me from turning pages as quickly as I could. As an adult I find the characters thinner than I remember, but we still like them enough to care about the outcome. Since the book was last updated in the 1950’s, some of the language is a little dated (it even stopped me a little), but I doubt it will slow down today’s kids as they race to see how Nancy will piece together this fun mystery.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Aug 4, 2022
Darren (1599 KP) rated Live By Night (2017) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Live by Night starts as we meet Joe Coughlin (Affleck) a former soldier in World War I, who returned to Boston to live the life of crime as an outlaw. When Joe gets blackmailed into killing his boss or risk having his boss learn about his secret affair with his girlfriend Emma (Miller) he finds himself in the middle of a battle he didn’t want a part of.
After the secret is revelled Joe is left for dead blamed for killing cops, after 3 years in jail he gets sent to Florida to track down Albert White, to stop his business and kill him for the new gangster running things in Boston.
With his being a success Joe ends up clashing with the Klux Klan while trying to continue to watch the money roll in to his bosses and even himself.
Thoughts on Live by Night
Characters – Joe Coughlin is our narrator our gangster, well reluctant gangster, forced into the world after his life as an outlaw gets him mixed up with the wrong people. We learn he is fantastic at handling himself in the meeting striking a deal and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. The other characters seem to just be in chapters of his life, Emma is in Boston being a love interest, while Graciela business partner and lover in Florida. Chief Figgis is the man that will let Joe conduct business and to be honest we don’t get to learn enough about them to care about.
Performances – Ben Affleck is the only lead performer in this movie, he is fine through the film, he doesn’t reach the levels we know he can. When you dive into the supporting cast we get a host of known names and even unknowns who get the same amount of time that are solid without anyone standing out.
Story – The story follows Joe Coughlin as he starts out as a thief and becomes a gangster, this should work and I would have been fine with this, the problems build up as we see how many different situations Joe must solve to get the next chapter of the story through, because we don’t get enough time to see the problems he must overcome and everything just becomes glimpses into the gangster life without doing anything new.
Action/Crime – We have plenty of shooting going on, though the final one does feel like a level of Grand Theft Auto. This does from us into a gangster heavy crime world where the prohibition is ongoing through America.
Settings – The settings place us in the prohibition era America, be it Boston or Florida nothing does seem out of place with these locations.
Scene of the Movie – Final shoot-out.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not giving us the time to know the supporting characters.
Final Thoughts – This is a messy gangster film, it has the moments of potential but in the end just jumps too fast to grab us to care about certain moments which do seem to have a bigger impact on the story.
Overall: Disappointing, ending Affleck’s streak behind the camera.
After the secret is revelled Joe is left for dead blamed for killing cops, after 3 years in jail he gets sent to Florida to track down Albert White, to stop his business and kill him for the new gangster running things in Boston.
With his being a success Joe ends up clashing with the Klux Klan while trying to continue to watch the money roll in to his bosses and even himself.
Thoughts on Live by Night
Characters – Joe Coughlin is our narrator our gangster, well reluctant gangster, forced into the world after his life as an outlaw gets him mixed up with the wrong people. We learn he is fantastic at handling himself in the meeting striking a deal and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. The other characters seem to just be in chapters of his life, Emma is in Boston being a love interest, while Graciela business partner and lover in Florida. Chief Figgis is the man that will let Joe conduct business and to be honest we don’t get to learn enough about them to care about.
Performances – Ben Affleck is the only lead performer in this movie, he is fine through the film, he doesn’t reach the levels we know he can. When you dive into the supporting cast we get a host of known names and even unknowns who get the same amount of time that are solid without anyone standing out.
Story – The story follows Joe Coughlin as he starts out as a thief and becomes a gangster, this should work and I would have been fine with this, the problems build up as we see how many different situations Joe must solve to get the next chapter of the story through, because we don’t get enough time to see the problems he must overcome and everything just becomes glimpses into the gangster life without doing anything new.
Action/Crime – We have plenty of shooting going on, though the final one does feel like a level of Grand Theft Auto. This does from us into a gangster heavy crime world where the prohibition is ongoing through America.
Settings – The settings place us in the prohibition era America, be it Boston or Florida nothing does seem out of place with these locations.
Scene of the Movie – Final shoot-out.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not giving us the time to know the supporting characters.
Final Thoughts – This is a messy gangster film, it has the moments of potential but in the end just jumps too fast to grab us to care about certain moments which do seem to have a bigger impact on the story.
Overall: Disappointing, ending Affleck’s streak behind the camera.