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Crystal Blade (Paladins of Crystal #2)
10.0
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“You are the heir to the Garin royal family. And you should be the next Empress of Sideros.” ...
Fantasy Romance Reverse Harem
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Nomadland (2020) in Movies
Mar 2, 2021
Pseudo-Documentary
Frances McDormand is an interesting character actress to watch, one that uses her character actress looks to disguise the fact that she is, in fact, a strong leading actress that draws our attention to her in whatever project she is in. This facet of her on-screen personae is going full throttle in her new film NOMADLAND.
And, thank goodness it is, for without McDormand on the screen, this “slice-of-life” pseudo-documentary disguised as a feature film would be almost unwatchable as McDormand’s character floats through “slice of life” after “slice of life” in what is referred to as the “Nomad Lifestyle”.
Earnestly Directed by Chloe Zao, NOMADLAND tells the tale of Fern (McDormand) who loses her life, her job and her husband during the recession of the late 2000’s and starts to float through life - and experiences - as a “Nomad”, a person with no permanent address who goes from place to place, catching on to the random odd job and living her life in her van.
Zao and McDormand spent years filming in actual Nomad communities with the others in this film often times not realizing that McDormand was an actress playing a part. For McDormand, it had to be the ultimate acting challenge - living in the real world as a character - and she brings a watchable, lost Fern to the screen and she genuinely and earnestly interacts with the real-life characters she encounters. She is very watchable and is a pleasant character to spend the time with.
Most of these real life people she encounters open up about their lifestyle and the movie took on the feel of documentary with Fern as the interviewer/narrator of the story. This made for an intriguing glimpse into a heretofore unknown world (at least to me), but not a compelling film does it make.
Zao does try to drive a narrative as the only other notable actor in this film - David Straitharn - shows up as a fellow Nomad that develops a crush on Fern and is interested in leaving the Nomad life and invites Fern to join him.
This is the only real conflict in this story as we spend an hour-forty-five watching Fern flit from place to place and person to person not really trying to find herself, but letting the wind blow her to wherever the trail takes her next.
An intriguing (enough) slice of life, with a watchable central performance by McDormand, but not substantial enough to engage me as a feature film.
Letter Grade: B (I applaud the attempt)
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
And, thank goodness it is, for without McDormand on the screen, this “slice-of-life” pseudo-documentary disguised as a feature film would be almost unwatchable as McDormand’s character floats through “slice of life” after “slice of life” in what is referred to as the “Nomad Lifestyle”.
Earnestly Directed by Chloe Zao, NOMADLAND tells the tale of Fern (McDormand) who loses her life, her job and her husband during the recession of the late 2000’s and starts to float through life - and experiences - as a “Nomad”, a person with no permanent address who goes from place to place, catching on to the random odd job and living her life in her van.
Zao and McDormand spent years filming in actual Nomad communities with the others in this film often times not realizing that McDormand was an actress playing a part. For McDormand, it had to be the ultimate acting challenge - living in the real world as a character - and she brings a watchable, lost Fern to the screen and she genuinely and earnestly interacts with the real-life characters she encounters. She is very watchable and is a pleasant character to spend the time with.
Most of these real life people she encounters open up about their lifestyle and the movie took on the feel of documentary with Fern as the interviewer/narrator of the story. This made for an intriguing glimpse into a heretofore unknown world (at least to me), but not a compelling film does it make.
Zao does try to drive a narrative as the only other notable actor in this film - David Straitharn - shows up as a fellow Nomad that develops a crush on Fern and is interested in leaving the Nomad life and invites Fern to join him.
This is the only real conflict in this story as we spend an hour-forty-five watching Fern flit from place to place and person to person not really trying to find herself, but letting the wind blow her to wherever the trail takes her next.
An intriguing (enough) slice of life, with a watchable central performance by McDormand, but not substantial enough to engage me as a feature film.
Letter Grade: B (I applaud the attempt)
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
LEGO® DUPLO® Town
Games and Entertainment
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BUILD – EXPLORE – PLAY! Let your young child build creative, virtual play houses with fun,...
Zynga Poker - Texas Holdem
Games and Entertainment
7.0
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"The LARGEST POKER SITE in the World…” - ESPN.COM Join the world’s most popular Poker game...
Zynga Poker HD: Vegas Casino Card Game
Games and Entertainment
8.0
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"The LARGEST POKER SITE in the World…” - ESPN.COM Join the world’s most popular Poker game...
Chris Byers (4 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Mar 14, 2018
Great action (3 more)
Cool references
Engaging
Solid detail and character development
Some anti-Christian sentiment (1 more)
What happens after the ending- would love follow up info
A Christian Review Of Ready Player One
I just finished another entertaining romp into the fictional realm with Ernest Cline's, Ready Player One. This was particularly engaging for a former/current video gamer like myself. It also provided a setting that I feel is a potentially realistic outcome of our current technology boom and humanist outlook in society.
The plot centers around Wade and the online game OASIS. The OASIS has expanded such that nearly everyone in society is constantly jacked into the system, neglecting real-life in favor of virtual fantasy and role playing. The OASIS gives users the ability to level up a character (Similar to an MMO like World of Warcraft), and interact virtually with other "Avatars."
The sad reality is that the real world has become a shell of its former self after multiple wars, and no one really seems to mind as they are constantly jacked into the fantasy world of the OASIS.
The OASIS creator dies and leaves his money (multi-billion) to whomever can solve a set of obscure puzzles built into the OASIS, all linked to 1980s trivia.
While it sounds odd on the surface, the first-person narration style gives the feel that you are actually a part of this new reality. The descriptions of the game and Avatar functions are well done.
Spiritually, just like the Hunger Games Trilogy, it is lacking. In what I am calling post-apocalypic humanism, the world is obviously very anti-religion/Christianity in this setting.
My theory would be that the humanistic views that are permeating our society currently eventually led to the decline in civilization as man was not accountable to anyone but himself, and the world suffered for it.
It is clear from the beginning that the protagonist, Wade, has never believed in God (though his friendly neighbor is described as a Christian who spends time logged into the OASIS at a virtual church, worshipping). The way that this is expressed comes across much like the way humanists and atheists of our day express it. With much distaste and an inferior view of God. God is compared to the Easter Bunny and other childhood fantasies, and the characters in the book do not seek any higher power. Still Wade is not an entirely unlikable character, even in light of his lack of faith, and this mindset is not prominently mentioned enough to detract from the book as a whole. Christians will likely feel pity for the characters whose mere existence has no meaning.
For Christians, we know that through our relationship with Christ, this life has meaning, and we have a purpose. There is no randomness, but rather a carefully orchestrated plan for each of us by a God who loves us and longs for us to be with him eternally.
A post-apocalypic world viewed through Christian eyes would be much less dystopian, so I imagine that is why authors in this category of fiction stray from God when possible. It adds to the bleak outlook of characters whose only purpose is living day to day, and trying to get along with one another.
I think Christians who read this type of literature should be aware that it is far from the truth that we know in Christ Jesus. When we see the world through only human eyes, and every man does what is right in his own eyes, we can only expect such a derelict society to be the result.
Ready Player One is an entertaining, albeit bleak story with solid detail and character development. Most Christians can skip this one, but for any gamers or fans of the 1980s out there it could provide a good fiction read.
Discussion Questions for Christians:
Does our society seem to be heading down a path that would lead to this type of world?
How would the worldview in the book be different if the main characters had a focus on Christ?
Can a protagonist that is not Christian, but a "decent guy" be a good role model for us?
Would living in a virtual world the majority of the time give us a distorted view of reality?
The plot centers around Wade and the online game OASIS. The OASIS has expanded such that nearly everyone in society is constantly jacked into the system, neglecting real-life in favor of virtual fantasy and role playing. The OASIS gives users the ability to level up a character (Similar to an MMO like World of Warcraft), and interact virtually with other "Avatars."
The sad reality is that the real world has become a shell of its former self after multiple wars, and no one really seems to mind as they are constantly jacked into the fantasy world of the OASIS.
The OASIS creator dies and leaves his money (multi-billion) to whomever can solve a set of obscure puzzles built into the OASIS, all linked to 1980s trivia.
While it sounds odd on the surface, the first-person narration style gives the feel that you are actually a part of this new reality. The descriptions of the game and Avatar functions are well done.
Spiritually, just like the Hunger Games Trilogy, it is lacking. In what I am calling post-apocalypic humanism, the world is obviously very anti-religion/Christianity in this setting.
My theory would be that the humanistic views that are permeating our society currently eventually led to the decline in civilization as man was not accountable to anyone but himself, and the world suffered for it.
It is clear from the beginning that the protagonist, Wade, has never believed in God (though his friendly neighbor is described as a Christian who spends time logged into the OASIS at a virtual church, worshipping). The way that this is expressed comes across much like the way humanists and atheists of our day express it. With much distaste and an inferior view of God. God is compared to the Easter Bunny and other childhood fantasies, and the characters in the book do not seek any higher power. Still Wade is not an entirely unlikable character, even in light of his lack of faith, and this mindset is not prominently mentioned enough to detract from the book as a whole. Christians will likely feel pity for the characters whose mere existence has no meaning.
For Christians, we know that through our relationship with Christ, this life has meaning, and we have a purpose. There is no randomness, but rather a carefully orchestrated plan for each of us by a God who loves us and longs for us to be with him eternally.
A post-apocalypic world viewed through Christian eyes would be much less dystopian, so I imagine that is why authors in this category of fiction stray from God when possible. It adds to the bleak outlook of characters whose only purpose is living day to day, and trying to get along with one another.
I think Christians who read this type of literature should be aware that it is far from the truth that we know in Christ Jesus. When we see the world through only human eyes, and every man does what is right in his own eyes, we can only expect such a derelict society to be the result.
Ready Player One is an entertaining, albeit bleak story with solid detail and character development. Most Christians can skip this one, but for any gamers or fans of the 1980s out there it could provide a good fiction read.
Discussion Questions for Christians:
Does our society seem to be heading down a path that would lead to this type of world?
How would the worldview in the book be different if the main characters had a focus on Christ?
Can a protagonist that is not Christian, but a "decent guy" be a good role model for us?
Would living in a virtual world the majority of the time give us a distorted view of reality?
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Good, the Bad and the Smug in Books
Apr 27, 2018
I love Tom Holt’s sense of humor and writing style. He is sarcastic, quirky, fun to read, entertaining, light-hearted, and hilarious. I fell in love with his world and his style when I read (listened to) Doughnut way back in 2013. Apparently TGTB&TS is book 4 in the series and I missed all the ones in between. But not once did I feel lost or confused. Actually I didn’t even know it was part of the series until I recognized the sound of “The Very Very Large Hadron Collider.”
That being said, I’d recommend reading book 1 before you read this, otherwise you will be so confused it would distract you from how funny the book is.
Tom Holt has managed to take something so absolutely ridiculous and impossible and make it totally real. The characters are well built and real (even if they are goblins and elves and stock brokers pretending to be rumplestiltskin). The plot had my heart racing (trying to figure out why The Dark Lord is crying over patterned curtains is a serious matter) and the conclusion, though open to interpretation and somewhat confusing, was still fulfilling. I’m very happy with this book and look forward to going back (and forwards) to enjoy the others in the series!
Content/Recommendation: some language, some mention of eating body parts. no sex. Ages 18+
That being said, I’d recommend reading book 1 before you read this, otherwise you will be so confused it would distract you from how funny the book is.
Tom Holt has managed to take something so absolutely ridiculous and impossible and make it totally real. The characters are well built and real (even if they are goblins and elves and stock brokers pretending to be rumplestiltskin). The plot had my heart racing (trying to figure out why The Dark Lord is crying over patterned curtains is a serious matter) and the conclusion, though open to interpretation and somewhat confusing, was still fulfilling. I’m very happy with this book and look forward to going back (and forwards) to enjoy the others in the series!
Content/Recommendation: some language, some mention of eating body parts. no sex. Ages 18+
The Durrells of Corfu
8.0
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The Durrell family are immortalised in Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals and its ITV...
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Leadership as Emotional Labour: Management and the 'Managed Heart'
Book
Even if we don't realise it, most of us are now familiar with the idea of 'emotional labour'; that...
Facility Integrity Management: Effective Principles and Practices for the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industries
Book
Facility Integrity Management: Effective Principles and Practices for the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical...