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Star Wars: Outer Rim
8.3
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Tabletop Game
Take to the stars and become a living legend in Star Wars: Outer Rim, a game of bounty hunters,...
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Born of Vengeance
9.0
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Book
'A publishing phenomenon... [Sherrilyn Kenyon] is the reigning queen of the wildly successful...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Magnificent Seven (2016) in Movies
Jul 15, 2019
Full disclosure, I have never seen The 1960s Magnificent Seven film, nor do I care that at its core it is a retelling of the Japanese legend of the Seven Samurai. This is not a comparison review. Instead this is a simple review of what I watched on screen. Not beholden to anything other than itself as film and it being a western.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The Magnificent Seven hits all the appropriate marks you would expect from a classic western. The sprawling landscapes, big gunfights against all odds, character musical cues, honor bound good guys and dastardly bad guys. The Magnificent Seven is an entertaining gallop for western fans both old and new alike.
That is not to say that this film is anything more thought provoking then a typical “White hats vs Black Hats” western story. However it is the performance of the actors and their portrayal of somewhat typical characters that is the soul and charm of the film. Led by Denzel Washington who plays Sam Chisolm, the deputized bounty hunter hired to free a simple town from under the tyranny of a rich minor who uses violence and intimidation to take what he wants. Chisolm puts together an unlikely posse of the jokester gun-shooter Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), the civil war veteran sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), his knife welding companion Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), the outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Fulfo), the grizzly frontiersman Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the native warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). Together they take on the dastardly greedy Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) and his army of paid mercenaries. The entire ensemble gives solid and entertaining performances, however it is the chemistry among the cast that creates the feeling that they had a blast making this film together, much to our delight.
When we put these elements together the film works on an entertaining level. While some may find it forgettable once it is over, they will no doubt enjoy the ride along the way. In a year where the summer blockbusters have been mostly disappointing and forgettable, The Magnificent Seven is a bright spot on the film landscape than most big budget films this year.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The Magnificent Seven hits all the appropriate marks you would expect from a classic western. The sprawling landscapes, big gunfights against all odds, character musical cues, honor bound good guys and dastardly bad guys. The Magnificent Seven is an entertaining gallop for western fans both old and new alike.
That is not to say that this film is anything more thought provoking then a typical “White hats vs Black Hats” western story. However it is the performance of the actors and their portrayal of somewhat typical characters that is the soul and charm of the film. Led by Denzel Washington who plays Sam Chisolm, the deputized bounty hunter hired to free a simple town from under the tyranny of a rich minor who uses violence and intimidation to take what he wants. Chisolm puts together an unlikely posse of the jokester gun-shooter Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), the civil war veteran sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), his knife welding companion Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), the outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Fulfo), the grizzly frontiersman Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the native warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). Together they take on the dastardly greedy Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) and his army of paid mercenaries. The entire ensemble gives solid and entertaining performances, however it is the chemistry among the cast that creates the feeling that they had a blast making this film together, much to our delight.
When we put these elements together the film works on an entertaining level. While some may find it forgettable once it is over, they will no doubt enjoy the ride along the way. In a year where the summer blockbusters have been mostly disappointing and forgettable, The Magnificent Seven is a bright spot on the film landscape than most big budget films this year.
Ultimate Fan 101: Tupac Edition
Music and Entertainment
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The BEST 2Pac App made for the fans by the fans. All you need to stay connected and entertained....
Bonnie and Clyde: Radioactive
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
Book
THE REVENGE OF BONNIE AND CLYDE Saving the future by exploding the past It's January 1945, six...
thriller Bonnie & Clyde Bonnie and Clyde adult fiction
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
Book
THE RETURN OF BONNIE AND CLYDE Saving democracy, one bank robbery at a time. In the provocative...
series adult fiction Bonnie & Clyde Bonnie and Clyde
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Unbury Carol in Books
May 15, 2018
Anyone who knows me knows that Bird Box is my favorite book to date. Josh Malerman really pulled off the whole Twilight Zone feel of things. Unfortunately, this review isn’t about that book. Though I looked forward to reading this book and I was excited to get the opportunity to review an advance copy, it does not live up to what I expect from Malerman.
Everything in Unbury Carol is a cliché. From the stereotypical characters, to the very style, it is a letdown. I made it almost 40% into the book before I realized I knew the plot, the villains, and pretty much what was going to happen. Granted I could be wrong, and if I am, PLEASE correct me in the comments, but it’s a pretty straightforward “Prince Charming saves Damsel-in-Distress” scenario. Otherwise, I think it’d be a short story.
Before I begin my rant about plot though, I want to take a moment to focus on the main characters thus far. We have the old lover, Moxie. He’s your usual western outlaw. He’s regretful, he’s made some bad choices, he wants to fix them. Then you have the husband, our evil mastermind. He’s like the dragon in a “save the princess” scenario. And of course, we have Carol Evers, who basically just lays there, listening to the future laid out. It’s a Sleeping Beauty plot.
Now that I’ve mentioned that lovely device… This book absolutely crawls. We all know how short the tale of Sleeping Beauty is, whether it is Disney or Grimm. This book stretches that plot device over nearly 400 pages. The first half of it (okay, 2/5s if we’re being technical and only considering what I could read) is full of nothing and this bothers me. This is where I reiterate the fact I loved Bird Box. For every bit of Bird Box that kept you on the edge of your seat, Unbury Carol puts you to sleep.
I guess what I’m saying here is that the book doesn’t live up to my expectations. I hate, hate, hate putting down a novel that I’ve started reading, but Unbury Carol is one of those that I just cannot finish. I’d like to thank the Del Ray, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an opportunity to review this book free of charge in exchange for honesty.
Everything in Unbury Carol is a cliché. From the stereotypical characters, to the very style, it is a letdown. I made it almost 40% into the book before I realized I knew the plot, the villains, and pretty much what was going to happen. Granted I could be wrong, and if I am, PLEASE correct me in the comments, but it’s a pretty straightforward “Prince Charming saves Damsel-in-Distress” scenario. Otherwise, I think it’d be a short story.
Before I begin my rant about plot though, I want to take a moment to focus on the main characters thus far. We have the old lover, Moxie. He’s your usual western outlaw. He’s regretful, he’s made some bad choices, he wants to fix them. Then you have the husband, our evil mastermind. He’s like the dragon in a “save the princess” scenario. And of course, we have Carol Evers, who basically just lays there, listening to the future laid out. It’s a Sleeping Beauty plot.
Now that I’ve mentioned that lovely device… This book absolutely crawls. We all know how short the tale of Sleeping Beauty is, whether it is Disney or Grimm. This book stretches that plot device over nearly 400 pages. The first half of it (okay, 2/5s if we’re being technical and only considering what I could read) is full of nothing and this bothers me. This is where I reiterate the fact I loved Bird Box. For every bit of Bird Box that kept you on the edge of your seat, Unbury Carol puts you to sleep.
I guess what I’m saying here is that the book doesn’t live up to my expectations. I hate, hate, hate putting down a novel that I’ve started reading, but Unbury Carol is one of those that I just cannot finish. I’d like to thank the Del Ray, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an opportunity to review this book free of charge in exchange for honesty.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Born of Vengeance in Books
Jul 17, 2019
Another fab installment
Contains spoilers, click to show
A fate worse than death . . .
Bastien Cabarro survived the brutal slaughter of his entire family only to have his wife pin their murders on him. Made Ravin by The League, he is now a target for their assassins-in-training to hunt and kill. The average life expectancy for such beings is six weeks. But defying the odds is what this Gyron Force officer does best, and Bastien won’t rest until he lays his betrayers in their graves.
Ten years later, he has one chance to balance the scales of justice, provided he relies on his former wingman— the very sister of the woman who testified against him.
Major Ember Wyldestarrin joined the outlaw Tavali the day Kirovar fell into the hands of a tyrant, and she and her team were left on an outpost to die under a barrage of enemy fire. The last thing she wants is to be involved in politics again. But if she doesn’t bring Bastien in, her sister will pay the ultimate price. Now she has to find some way to betray her former wingman (and fiance) before he catches on and kills her. Even so, treachery doesn’t come easy to a woman who took a loyalty oath to protect her homeworld and comrades-in-arms.
Yet as she tries to do right by her family, she learns that Bastien doesn’t just hold the key to the fate of Kirovar, he is vital to The Sentella-League war, and to the entire Tavali nation. If she hands him over, three nations fall. If she doesn’t, her entire family dies. Their fates are all in her hands, and time for all of them is quickly running out.
This is one of my favourite series. I enjoyed the book from the first word to the last! Finally getting to hear Bastien's story aswell as picking up and linking the other books too. Have to admit my favourite part was catching up with Julliens twins. From the first book to this one the characters all hold a special place for me each book marks a certain part of my life I can relate too. I now have to wait till October for the new book which may start a reread!

Bastien Cabarro survived the brutal slaughter of his entire family only to have his wife pin their murders on him. Made Ravin by The League, he is now a target for their assassins-in-training to hunt and kill. The average life expectancy for such beings is six weeks. But defying the odds is what this Gyron Force officer does best, and Bastien won’t rest until he lays his betrayers in their graves.
Ten years later, he has one chance to balance the scales of justice, provided he relies on his former wingman— the very sister of the woman who testified against him.
Major Ember Wyldestarrin joined the outlaw Tavali the day Kirovar fell into the hands of a tyrant, and she and her team were left on an outpost to die under a barrage of enemy fire. The last thing she wants is to be involved in politics again. But if she doesn’t bring Bastien in, her sister will pay the ultimate price. Now she has to find some way to betray her former wingman (and fiance) before he catches on and kills her. Even so, treachery doesn’t come easy to a woman who took a loyalty oath to protect her homeworld and comrades-in-arms.
Yet as she tries to do right by her family, she learns that Bastien doesn’t just hold the key to the fate of Kirovar, he is vital to The Sentella-League war, and to the entire Tavali nation. If she hands him over, three nations fall. If she doesn’t, her entire family dies. Their fates are all in her hands, and time for all of them is quickly running out.
This is one of my favourite series. I enjoyed the book from the first word to the last! Finally getting to hear Bastien's story aswell as picking up and linking the other books too. Have to admit my favourite part was catching up with Julliens twins. From the first book to this one the characters all hold a special place for me each book marks a certain part of my life I can relate too. I now have to wait till October for the new book which may start a reread!

Greenlights
10.0
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From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories,...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) in Movies
Jan 10, 2019 (Updated Jan 10, 2019)
A winning anthology
I am NOT a Coen Brothers apologist. For every good/great film that they have made (like FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or underrated THE HUDSUCKER PROXY) there are duds/movies that didn't work for me (like O' BROTHER WHER ART THOU, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and the movie I ranked as the worst film of 2016, HAIL, CAESAR). So when I heard that the latest Coen Brothers flick was going straight to Netflix AND (like HAIL, CAESAR), it was a film anthology of 6 short stories, I dragged my feet in checking this out.
But...I am glad I finally got around to it...for THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS is a strong film, taking on a heavy subject (death) in a variety of ways - light-hearted, poignant and deadly (pun intended) serious. The tone of this film - or, more accurately, these 6 short films - worked for me and I felt they wove together very well to tell an overarching story of man's relationship with death - as seen through the eyes of Wild, Wild West characters.
And what characters they are! From Tim Blake Nelson's titular character, Buster Scruggs, to James Franco's hapless (but lucky) Outlaw to Liam Neeson's traveling theatrical show to Tom Waite's grizzled prospector to Zoe Kazan's lonesome Prairie Widow to the group of passengers on the Stagecoach in the last vignette, all are interesting to watch, and listen to.
Credit, of course, needs to go to Joel and Ethan Cohen. These characters are interesting to watch, because these two put wonderful scenes and scenery up on the screen with dialogue (or lack of dialogue) that perfectly reflects what is going on and what the characters are feeling. In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are at their best when they focus on gritty subjects with poignancy (BARTON FINK) but fail when they try to get "wacky" or "over-serious" (BURN AFTER READING, A SERIOUS MAN), this film is full of the former and has very little of the latter.
I'm sure, like all Coen Brothers films, that this anthology of short films is not for everyone - and not every film will work for everyone - but they did for me. I thought each short film was the better than the one before it. I caught the vibe of what the Coen's were after and I fell under their spell.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
But...I am glad I finally got around to it...for THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS is a strong film, taking on a heavy subject (death) in a variety of ways - light-hearted, poignant and deadly (pun intended) serious. The tone of this film - or, more accurately, these 6 short films - worked for me and I felt they wove together very well to tell an overarching story of man's relationship with death - as seen through the eyes of Wild, Wild West characters.
And what characters they are! From Tim Blake Nelson's titular character, Buster Scruggs, to James Franco's hapless (but lucky) Outlaw to Liam Neeson's traveling theatrical show to Tom Waite's grizzled prospector to Zoe Kazan's lonesome Prairie Widow to the group of passengers on the Stagecoach in the last vignette, all are interesting to watch, and listen to.
Credit, of course, needs to go to Joel and Ethan Cohen. These characters are interesting to watch, because these two put wonderful scenes and scenery up on the screen with dialogue (or lack of dialogue) that perfectly reflects what is going on and what the characters are feeling. In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are at their best when they focus on gritty subjects with poignancy (BARTON FINK) but fail when they try to get "wacky" or "over-serious" (BURN AFTER READING, A SERIOUS MAN), this film is full of the former and has very little of the latter.
I'm sure, like all Coen Brothers films, that this anthology of short films is not for everyone - and not every film will work for everyone - but they did for me. I thought each short film was the better than the one before it. I caught the vibe of what the Coen's were after and I fell under their spell.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)