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Frecklesxoxo (6 KP) rated Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018) in Movies
Feb 27, 2019
Awesome sequel
I love wreck it Ralph and I was pleasantly surprised with the sequel. It was great for all ages and so funny. The underlying theme for me was how it's ok to want different things that your friends and family don't want, it's ok to make new friends and to not get jealous or scared if they are going in a different direction. It's a really great message for the younger generation.
It has some sad and meaningful content especially with this digital age ant the emphasis not to get to upset over comments on social media ect.
Great film
It has some sad and meaningful content especially with this digital age ant the emphasis not to get to upset over comments on social media ect.
Great film
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Out of the Silence in Books
Nov 21, 2019
This book tackles a difficult subject without compromise but still manages to be a gripping and powerful read. In rural Pakistan a woman is found badly injured after a horrific attack. Sure she is about to die she tells the nurse tending her the story of her life.
She is called Afra and was courted by a boy called Jameel in her village. But her family only see profit in Afra and sell her to a rich businessman from a distant city to be his wife. Jameel leaves the village in shame. Their lives take very different paths from there.
Ralph Buchanan used to be the toast of the journalistic world, exposing corruption and scandal, his work earning him awards and fame. However too many corners cut and too many regrets have left him washed up in Lahore, a has-been drinking his life away. He is told the story of Afra and realises he could make a difference, but before that he needs to drag himself up from rock bottom.
The first part of the book, telling the story of Afra and Jameel is relatively slow paced. It is also a pretty grim read as Mullen describes the reality of life for many women who are still treated as property in Pakistan. There is much that is hard to read, but sometimes the truth can be very ugly. This is nothing like anything Mullen has written before. But he is a writer of considerable talent and weaves the tale expertly. Naturally there is a murder mystery woven into the story, so it is not a complete departure from his normal subject matter.
Once Buchanen enters, the pace picks up and something of the style of his other books returns, with Ralph being very much in the mould of a 'noir journalist'. The story from this point forward is not only his ongoing investigation into Afra's story and the murderer, but also his own personal journey. Mullen has a fabulously light touch with both characters and language that mean the reader is drawn into the events, even more so for having read the shocking story that kicks this book into life.
Owen Mullen has tried something different here, and has sought to expose a deep injustice in the world. He has succeeded on both counts. An author that deserves a wider audience
She is called Afra and was courted by a boy called Jameel in her village. But her family only see profit in Afra and sell her to a rich businessman from a distant city to be his wife. Jameel leaves the village in shame. Their lives take very different paths from there.
Ralph Buchanan used to be the toast of the journalistic world, exposing corruption and scandal, his work earning him awards and fame. However too many corners cut and too many regrets have left him washed up in Lahore, a has-been drinking his life away. He is told the story of Afra and realises he could make a difference, but before that he needs to drag himself up from rock bottom.
The first part of the book, telling the story of Afra and Jameel is relatively slow paced. It is also a pretty grim read as Mullen describes the reality of life for many women who are still treated as property in Pakistan. There is much that is hard to read, but sometimes the truth can be very ugly. This is nothing like anything Mullen has written before. But he is a writer of considerable talent and weaves the tale expertly. Naturally there is a murder mystery woven into the story, so it is not a complete departure from his normal subject matter.
Once Buchanen enters, the pace picks up and something of the style of his other books returns, with Ralph being very much in the mould of a 'noir journalist'. The story from this point forward is not only his ongoing investigation into Afra's story and the murderer, but also his own personal journey. Mullen has a fabulously light touch with both characters and language that mean the reader is drawn into the events, even more so for having read the shocking story that kicks this book into life.
Owen Mullen has tried something different here, and has sought to expose a deep injustice in the world. He has succeeded on both counts. An author that deserves a wider audience
This is one of my favourite Stephen King books. I think because I like the weird ones (The Green Mile is also a favourite) over the more horror-themed ones.
The thing I see from a lot of other reviews is the length of the book. Personally I didn't notice it, but I quite enjoy longer books that really get into the details of the story and the characters. Sure, there's probably a lot of 'filler' that could be cut off this was ever made into a film, but I quite liked the little mundane details, it made the characters more real.
One of the few books that I have read again and again over the years.
The thing I see from a lot of other reviews is the length of the book. Personally I didn't notice it, but I quite enjoy longer books that really get into the details of the story and the characters. Sure, there's probably a lot of 'filler' that could be cut off this was ever made into a film, but I quite liked the little mundane details, it made the characters more real.
One of the few books that I have read again and again over the years.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Life in the Sloth Lane: Slow Down and Smell the Hibiscus in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Long story short (and really, it's sloths, fer Pete's sake! They are as chill as the Dude! No need for long, drawn-out reviews!): Ms. Cooke knows sloths! Seriously!! In addition to all her work she has done at the Sloth Sanctuary, working with rescued sloths, she has found time to share some ridiculously cute sloth photos, along with some inspirational words of wisdom from the likes of folks like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Harper Lee.
It was very difficult for me to not finish this in one sitting. However, like an exquisite meal, each "morsel" I read was to be savored! Do yourself a favor and get this book! Your heart, and your Soul, will be most grateful indeed!
It was very difficult for me to not finish this in one sitting. However, like an exquisite meal, each "morsel" I read was to be savored! Do yourself a favor and get this book! Your heart, and your Soul, will be most grateful indeed!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Official Secrets (2019) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
Superior based-on-fact thriller with Keira Knightley leading a strong cast. Huge demonstrations fill the streets of London but are totally ignored by the government, the British Prime Minister is a smirking liar, and the US administration is hugely embarrassed by a whistleblower. How very different things were 15 years ago. Said whistleblower (Knightley) reveals an attempt by the US and UK to blackmail members of the UN security council into authorising an otherwise-illegal invasion of Iraq, bringing the whole power of the establishment down on her head.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Wreck-It-Ralph (2012) in Movies
Nov 12, 2018
Deserves greater credit than it currently is getting
Not being a big video game guy, I was late to the party to the original WRECK-IT RALPH in 2012 and when I saw it, I thought "it's fine" and didn't really think more about it. Now that it's sequel is coming out, I thought it would be good time to revisit this film (and to also remind me of the characters of the first one). And I'm glad I did, for I enjoyed myself much more this go around with this film than I did in my initial experience.
Taking a page out of PIXAR, this WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS picture tells the "inside story" of what happens to Video Game characters when the lights go off. Following a "villain" in a game, WRECK-IT RALPH tells the story of Ralph's attempt to become a hero by winning a medal in another video game, only to become something more when he encounters a "glitch" in another game.
This is a well made, smart animation film that has enough action, suspense and silliness to appeal to children, but enough "adult content" (read: smart humor that goes over the heads of the kids) to appeal to the adults that have taken the kids to the movies. It pays great homage to video games - many of which went over my head, but (I am assured) were well played (at least according to the video gamers that I am acquainted).
Like all animated movies, a good percentage of the joy of this film is in the voice work - and this picture has very good ones from Sarah Silverman's Vanellope to Jack McBrayer's Fix-It Felix and Jane Lynch's kick-butt Calhoun, the voices strongly portray the character - and character types - quickly and easily. Special mention should be made of Allan Tudyk's King Candy (an homage to the the great Vaudeville and early film comedian Ed Wynn) and, especially, John C. Reilly in the title role. He is perfectly cast as Ralph, showing the weight of the size of the character in his voice with a sweetness and vulnerability that shows the size of the character's heart.
This is a wonderful and winning film, one that deserves greater praise than it is currently given, and I, for one, am looking forward to the sequel coming out.
Letter Grade: A-
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Taking a page out of PIXAR, this WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS picture tells the "inside story" of what happens to Video Game characters when the lights go off. Following a "villain" in a game, WRECK-IT RALPH tells the story of Ralph's attempt to become a hero by winning a medal in another video game, only to become something more when he encounters a "glitch" in another game.
This is a well made, smart animation film that has enough action, suspense and silliness to appeal to children, but enough "adult content" (read: smart humor that goes over the heads of the kids) to appeal to the adults that have taken the kids to the movies. It pays great homage to video games - many of which went over my head, but (I am assured) were well played (at least according to the video gamers that I am acquainted).
Like all animated movies, a good percentage of the joy of this film is in the voice work - and this picture has very good ones from Sarah Silverman's Vanellope to Jack McBrayer's Fix-It Felix and Jane Lynch's kick-butt Calhoun, the voices strongly portray the character - and character types - quickly and easily. Special mention should be made of Allan Tudyk's King Candy (an homage to the the great Vaudeville and early film comedian Ed Wynn) and, especially, John C. Reilly in the title role. He is perfectly cast as Ralph, showing the weight of the size of the character in his voice with a sweetness and vulnerability that shows the size of the character's heart.
This is a wonderful and winning film, one that deserves greater praise than it is currently given, and I, for one, am looking forward to the sequel coming out.
Letter Grade: A-
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Merissa (11643 KP) rated Until Forever Comes (Mates #2) in Books
Dec 7, 2017
Until Forever Comes (Mates #2) by Cardeno C.
This book is about Ethan and Miguel, who we have already met or heard mention of in the other two books. Ethan is only young but Miguel is already over four hundred years old. Ethan is used to being the runt of the pack, weak and ineffective. Miguel is a cold-blooded, cold-hearted killer who has no qualms about hurting those in his 'care'.
This book is about how opposites attract and how, if it's your true mate, then anything is possible. Of course, you get your idiots (Ralph) and those who don't believe, but in the course of any book of Cardeno C, you know that true love will win!
Very well written with a smooth story and pace, I actually wish that I'd read this one first as I thought it gave a good history to the different packs and attitudes. From this book, I can see how Zev had his work cut out for him in Wake Me Up Inside. Another excellent story that I can definitely recommend.
I received this book from WLK Book Promotions in return for a fair and honest review.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This book is about how opposites attract and how, if it's your true mate, then anything is possible. Of course, you get your idiots (Ralph) and those who don't believe, but in the course of any book of Cardeno C, you know that true love will win!
Very well written with a smooth story and pace, I actually wish that I'd read this one first as I thought it gave a good history to the different packs and attitudes. From this book, I can see how Zev had his work cut out for him in Wake Me Up Inside. Another excellent story that I can definitely recommend.
I received this book from WLK Book Promotions in return for a fair and honest review.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated The Outsiders (1983) in Movies
May 30, 2018
A very hard hitting and moving story
Contains spoilers, click to show
A very hard hitting and moving story about rival gangs and the effect it has on the lives of the people in and around the gangs. The story follows two of the younger greasers after one of them accidentally kills a rival gang member in self defence. They leave town and believe they will have to remain on the run forever.
With a cast to die for, The Outsiders is an incredible, hard hitting film. Portrayed in a believable and moving way, the cast includes Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. But Ralph Macchio stands out in this film as Johnny Cade.
The direction of Francis Ford Coppola along with stunning performances from the cast bring this film to life. You feel for the characters as they take you on an emotional roller-coaster. You laugh along with them and share in the anguish and feel the pain they all go through just to survive. It is hard not to watch the film now without comparing other films the cast have made since this film. But for many of the cast, it is up there with the finest performances of their career.
The film is an adaption of a classic novel by S.E. Hinton who was just 16 when the novel was first published in 1967. It was also her first novel. The book has become part of school English curriculum
With a cast to die for, The Outsiders is an incredible, hard hitting film. Portrayed in a believable and moving way, the cast includes Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. But Ralph Macchio stands out in this film as Johnny Cade.
The direction of Francis Ford Coppola along with stunning performances from the cast bring this film to life. You feel for the characters as they take you on an emotional roller-coaster. You laugh along with them and share in the anguish and feel the pain they all go through just to survive. It is hard not to watch the film now without comparing other films the cast have made since this film. But for many of the cast, it is up there with the finest performances of their career.
The film is an adaption of a classic novel by S.E. Hinton who was just 16 when the novel was first published in 1967. It was also her first novel. The book has become part of school English curriculum
Stacy (11 KP) rated Cobra Kai - Season One in TV
Jan 3, 2021
Cobra Kai Never Dies!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I left watching this series until i was closer to the third series release date and i watched this over two nights and loved it. It was great to see Ralph Macchio and William Zabka back playing the iconic characters we all either loved and hated. I found myself immediately feeling sorry for Johnny and found Daniel a bit full of himself in the first episode but as the series progressed you could tell Daniel needed to find his way back to Mr Miyagi's teachings. But the back story of Johnny Lawrence was heart breaking at times and made me feel compassion for his character and like a character that was the villian over thirty years ago. I found the end scene between Robbie and Miguel a bit predictable but it made sense as it introduced the characters and the history of the show to people who had maybe never seen the original movies. Plus the tribute episode to Pat Morita who played Mr Miyagi was beautiful but was cleverly tied into the story arc of Daniel trying to find his way back to the right path. Overall this was a great first season which set up season two perfectly.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Lust for a Vampire (1971) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018 (Updated Feb 17, 2018)
I Was A Teenage Lesbian Vampire in a Girl's Boarding School
Largely risible Hammer vampire movie. After the censors objected to all the not-very-subtly-implied lesbianism in The Vampire Lovers, the studio replaced that with a story about a schoolteacher becoming infatuated with one of his pupils and starting a torrid romance with her, which apparently was seen as less problematic (it was the 70s, I suppose).
Initially conceived as another vehicle for Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing, to be directed by Terence Fisher; in the end Pitt did Countess Dracula instead, Cushing passed due to family problems, and Fisher was replaced by Jimmy Sangster. The result is a prurient melodrama largely untroubled by subtlety, style, or acting talent (Ralph Bates is not too bad in the role earmarked for Cushing). The sex and nudity which is essentially the film's sine qua non feels very tame by modern standards; the pop song on the soundtrack will make discriminating viewers want to rip their own ears off.
Initially conceived as another vehicle for Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing, to be directed by Terence Fisher; in the end Pitt did Countess Dracula instead, Cushing passed due to family problems, and Fisher was replaced by Jimmy Sangster. The result is a prurient melodrama largely untroubled by subtlety, style, or acting talent (Ralph Bates is not too bad in the role earmarked for Cushing). The sex and nudity which is essentially the film's sine qua non feels very tame by modern standards; the pop song on the soundtrack will make discriminating viewers want to rip their own ears off.