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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Krampus in Books
Dec 17, 2018
A dark fairytale with occasional illustrations
Let's head into Christmas with something out of the ordinary, shall we? This was one heck of a dark fairytale, set in West Virginia, in a town where everyone knows everyone and the head of police is in cahoots with the local crime lord.
The story opens on Christmas Eve with Jesse Walker, failed husband and father, depressed, alone, and contemplating suicide, until he sees Santa Claus attacked and fleeing into the sky, leaving behind his magic sack. What he doesn't know is that Santa's attackers are mostly after the magic sack, and what he thinks is his salvation turns out to be what traps him into everything that follows.
And what follows is a thrillride! Jesse is roped into being one of Krampus' servants, along with his belsnickels, people Krampus has lent a portion of his magic to. The magic twists them into fur-covered monsters, but also grants them healing and near-immortality.
Between trying to rekindle the lost traditions of Yule and hunting down Santa Claus to end him for good, Jesse also struggles to save his wife and daughter from the possibly-murderous cop they're living with.
By the end of the book I wasn't sure who to cheer for, other than Jesse and one of the belsnickels, Isabel. But Krampus? He might be right, but is he good? I'm not sure. Similarly, except for his millennia-past misdeeds, Santa is good NOW. But I'm not sure he's right. In an ideal world, the two of them could come to some compromise and apologize to each other, but this is a dark fairytale, so of course that's not the case!
I enjoyed this book, even if there wasn't a lot of happiness in it. It definitely embodies the Appalachia Gothic idea.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The story opens on Christmas Eve with Jesse Walker, failed husband and father, depressed, alone, and contemplating suicide, until he sees Santa Claus attacked and fleeing into the sky, leaving behind his magic sack. What he doesn't know is that Santa's attackers are mostly after the magic sack, and what he thinks is his salvation turns out to be what traps him into everything that follows.
And what follows is a thrillride! Jesse is roped into being one of Krampus' servants, along with his belsnickels, people Krampus has lent a portion of his magic to. The magic twists them into fur-covered monsters, but also grants them healing and near-immortality.
Between trying to rekindle the lost traditions of Yule and hunting down Santa Claus to end him for good, Jesse also struggles to save his wife and daughter from the possibly-murderous cop they're living with.
By the end of the book I wasn't sure who to cheer for, other than Jesse and one of the belsnickels, Isabel. But Krampus? He might be right, but is he good? I'm not sure. Similarly, except for his millennia-past misdeeds, Santa is good NOW. But I'm not sure he's right. In an ideal world, the two of them could come to some compromise and apologize to each other, but this is a dark fairytale, so of course that's not the case!
I enjoyed this book, even if there wasn't a lot of happiness in it. It definitely embodies the Appalachia Gothic idea.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Of Fire and Stars (Of Fire and Stars #1) in Books
Dec 25, 2018
Having read the prequel to this book already, I can see why a lot of people complained about the lack of worldbuilding. Even though the prequel is based in a neighboring country, there's a lot in this book that I understood based on events in Inkmistress. I definitely recommend reading that one first.
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
Aug 16, 2019
Robocop meets All of Me?
I found this film in a bargain bin at my local video shop for only $1 to purchase and after reading many good reviews I thought I couldn't go wrong and I was right.
Maybe a sci-fi/horror version of "The Six Million Dollar Man" is more appropriate.
In the future, a man and his wife have a car accident. Afterwards the woman is murdered and the man is shot leaving him paralyzed. Rather than living life with a severe handicap, the man decides to undergo an experimental medical procedure which would give him augmented abilities through the implantation of a mysterious computer chip which would control his ability to walk and use his arms.
Once he is back to "normal" he feels compelled to investigate the circumstances of his wife's death and hunt down those responsible. His ability start to manifest themselves once he is interacting with his new friend STEM.
His quest for vengeance and justice leads him through some interesting twists and turns before its unexpected conclusion.
This films pulls no punches (literally) and some of the fight scenes are not only well choreographed, but downright vicious and gory. The inaction between the main character and his mind are cool and unexpected. Even though you feel like you have seen this before in other movies, this one takes a fresh spin and keeps you guessing the majority of the time.
It appears writer/director Leigh Whannell (who also wrote the original Saw) is headed for great things probably because of this film as IMDb lists remakes of The Invisible Man and Escape From New York as his next projects.
Maybe a sci-fi/horror version of "The Six Million Dollar Man" is more appropriate.
In the future, a man and his wife have a car accident. Afterwards the woman is murdered and the man is shot leaving him paralyzed. Rather than living life with a severe handicap, the man decides to undergo an experimental medical procedure which would give him augmented abilities through the implantation of a mysterious computer chip which would control his ability to walk and use his arms.
Once he is back to "normal" he feels compelled to investigate the circumstances of his wife's death and hunt down those responsible. His ability start to manifest themselves once he is interacting with his new friend STEM.
His quest for vengeance and justice leads him through some interesting twists and turns before its unexpected conclusion.
This films pulls no punches (literally) and some of the fight scenes are not only well choreographed, but downright vicious and gory. The inaction between the main character and his mind are cool and unexpected. Even though you feel like you have seen this before in other movies, this one takes a fresh spin and keeps you guessing the majority of the time.
It appears writer/director Leigh Whannell (who also wrote the original Saw) is headed for great things probably because of this film as IMDb lists remakes of The Invisible Man and Escape From New York as his next projects.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Game Of Thrones - Season 8 in TV
Aug 11, 2019
The battle of winterfell was good (1 more)
Arya.
Rushed (2 more)
The battle of winterfell was dark as anything. Clearly
a production problem not our TVS!!!
Spoilers ruined this season finale, making it predictable and not worth watching tbh.
Such a disappointment
I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews as it ruins it for people who haven't seen it. Although the following is quite negative I would urge people to watch this series and make their own minds up about it. It has some awesome moments that had the essence of the good thrones series. G.O.T. fan when this season started I counted down minutes until I could watch it (yes I'm that sad). All I found after 2 years of waiting was a rushed finale that could have used atleast 2 more episodes or even another series. Despite the fantastic actors they have in thrones, the writer's clearly just wanted to get this over and done with. It is rumoured that George R.R. Martin wanted 2 more series after S.8 (he had written up to series 5 i believe). Series 6 and 7 weren't awful but definitely not as good as the first 5, this was the final nail in what was a perfect coffin.
I would have preferred to wait longer to get what the person that created the world wanted than writers just winging it. It's been months since the finale and I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it anymore if I'm honest.
Again, I know how sad it sounds but I am actually heartbroken as it was a finale so many had waited for and it just didn't live up to true thrones standards.
Granted some bits were brilliant, but unfortunately the pros of this series do not outway the cons.
I would have preferred to wait longer to get what the person that created the world wanted than writers just winging it. It's been months since the finale and I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it anymore if I'm honest.
Again, I know how sad it sounds but I am actually heartbroken as it was a finale so many had waited for and it just didn't live up to true thrones standards.
Granted some bits were brilliant, but unfortunately the pros of this series do not outway the cons.
Merissa (11646 KP) rated The Briton and the Dane: Concordia in Books
Dec 17, 2018
This is one of those books that, going from the synopsis, I thought I would love. It sounded intriguing, interesting and full of action. However, what I got is definitely not for me. I read a lot of historical genre and love the medieval period - that is what gives this book the two stars. The descriptions given deliver a world of bygone times to you, everything described is richly detailed from the clothing to the fighting.
What I didn't like at all about this book was the main female character. We get from the synopsis that she is willful, vain, ambitious and cunning. What I wasn't expecting was just how much of a spoilt brat she was. Now perhaps this is exactly the reaction the author wanted but for me personally, Concordia spoilt the rest of the book that much that I had to force myself to finish it. And the ending? I was happy about it! What I wasn't happy about was how much influence she still had over these people once she had gone. But anyhow...
I didn't read anything about feminine cunning or her defending her honour. I read how she was 'forced' but then enjoyed it so carried on some more until she got passed onto the next brother, who also forced her but 'that didn't matter'.
I'm sorry, I know this book has some rave reviews and I'm fully expecting this to get downvoted on Amazon but with a main character like this, it just did absolutely nothing for me. The historical side of it - beautiful, rich in detail and description, a joy to read. The character - forget it, not for me. My apologies to the author for the two stars but that is the most generous I can be. I definitely won't be reading any more of this series.
What I didn't like at all about this book was the main female character. We get from the synopsis that she is willful, vain, ambitious and cunning. What I wasn't expecting was just how much of a spoilt brat she was. Now perhaps this is exactly the reaction the author wanted but for me personally, Concordia spoilt the rest of the book that much that I had to force myself to finish it. And the ending? I was happy about it! What I wasn't happy about was how much influence she still had over these people once she had gone. But anyhow...
I didn't read anything about feminine cunning or her defending her honour. I read how she was 'forced' but then enjoyed it so carried on some more until she got passed onto the next brother, who also forced her but 'that didn't matter'.
I'm sorry, I know this book has some rave reviews and I'm fully expecting this to get downvoted on Amazon but with a main character like this, it just did absolutely nothing for me. The historical side of it - beautiful, rich in detail and description, a joy to read. The character - forget it, not for me. My apologies to the author for the two stars but that is the most generous I can be. I definitely won't be reading any more of this series.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Lighthouse (2019) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Just when you thought it wasn't possible for Willem Dafoe's expressions to haunt you in your dreams they go and cast him as a crazed lighthouse keeper in a moody black and white film.
This won't be like any of my other reviews because honestly I'm mainly done with this film.
There's no denying that the look of the film was amazing and it captured an "authentic" oldie feel. The film was shot in 1.19:1 ratio which left you with an almost square frame. I have no problem with that as an idea but it's not like the rest of the screen disappears, if it was shown on that sized screen then fine but it's not, it's shown on modern wise screen and it's distracting.
Dafoe gave nothing less than you'd expect, though I don't know if I was sad or relieved to learn that they added his farts in post. Pattinson, despite that accent, gave a good performance and I honestly never thought I'd say that out loud.
Despite these great performnces I couldn't have cared less about the story and anything that happened. I'd say it felt pretentious but I really feel like this was a short that somehow got away with itself.
Two final things:
A24 have not managed to change my love/hate relationship with their movies.
Pattingson as Winslow does something that I think everyone in Bristol has thought about doing at least once with a seagull.
What you should do
I imagine you're all going to watch it regardless of what I say.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
You can take anything you want about this film, I don't want it.
This won't be like any of my other reviews because honestly I'm mainly done with this film.
There's no denying that the look of the film was amazing and it captured an "authentic" oldie feel. The film was shot in 1.19:1 ratio which left you with an almost square frame. I have no problem with that as an idea but it's not like the rest of the screen disappears, if it was shown on that sized screen then fine but it's not, it's shown on modern wise screen and it's distracting.
Dafoe gave nothing less than you'd expect, though I don't know if I was sad or relieved to learn that they added his farts in post. Pattinson, despite that accent, gave a good performance and I honestly never thought I'd say that out loud.
Despite these great performnces I couldn't have cared less about the story and anything that happened. I'd say it felt pretentious but I really feel like this was a short that somehow got away with itself.
Two final things:
A24 have not managed to change my love/hate relationship with their movies.
Pattingson as Winslow does something that I think everyone in Bristol has thought about doing at least once with a seagull.
What you should do
I imagine you're all going to watch it regardless of what I say.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
You can take anything you want about this film, I don't want it.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Overlord (2018) in Movies
Dec 1, 2019
Saving Private Ryan meets Resident Evil!
Had heard mixed reviews on this, but saw it for 4 bucks for Black Friday so I figured I couldn't lose!
Basically, to prevent the Allied forces being massacred on D-Day, US troops are ordered to detonate a Nazi communication tower. A small band of brothers actually makes it to the ground and finds a small French town equipped with a cute French girl and her brother. When a Nazi commander comes calling for more than an interrogation, the surviving troops must decide whether t reveal themselves to save her.
I actually really got into this movie and thought the action mixed with horror was pretty cool. Some of the fight/shootout sequences were cleverly done along with some of the secrets and experiments the Nazis are hiding deep within their stronghold. There are tough decisions and ultimate sacrifices to be made and the film threads the needle between genres successfully. I could see how if you were thinking this was going to be a full out horror film you would be disappointed; however, I had kind of heard a little about it ahead of time so my expectations were redirected.
The SFX held well throughout and didn't stick out as being bad or taking you out of the action. When some of the more extreme elements are revealed, I went along with it like I was watching my son play one of his weird FPS games. A lot of the film did feel like I was watching Call of Duty or something like that. Boy do I wish I could have those yeas of my life watching my son play that crap back!
Colossally entertaining!
Basically, to prevent the Allied forces being massacred on D-Day, US troops are ordered to detonate a Nazi communication tower. A small band of brothers actually makes it to the ground and finds a small French town equipped with a cute French girl and her brother. When a Nazi commander comes calling for more than an interrogation, the surviving troops must decide whether t reveal themselves to save her.
I actually really got into this movie and thought the action mixed with horror was pretty cool. Some of the fight/shootout sequences were cleverly done along with some of the secrets and experiments the Nazis are hiding deep within their stronghold. There are tough decisions and ultimate sacrifices to be made and the film threads the needle between genres successfully. I could see how if you were thinking this was going to be a full out horror film you would be disappointed; however, I had kind of heard a little about it ahead of time so my expectations were redirected.
The SFX held well throughout and didn't stick out as being bad or taking you out of the action. When some of the more extreme elements are revealed, I went along with it like I was watching my son play one of his weird FPS games. A lot of the film did feel like I was watching Call of Duty or something like that. Boy do I wish I could have those yeas of my life watching my son play that crap back!
Colossally entertaining!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Mummy (2017) in Movies
Apr 25, 2020 (Updated Apr 25, 2020)
Epic Fail
People forget that universal started this whole shared universe concept. So the MCU, the DCU, The Conjuring franchise and DC Shared TV shows all copied unverisal. Now universal is trying to copy them, but failed, failed epic.
The plot: Nick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.
The Dark Universe was a failure, the Dark Universe came and went so fast, it was a blink of a eye and proof it disappeared. Never to be seen or heard from again.
If the dark universe did happpen, their were going to have Javier Bardem as the Frankenstein's Monster, and Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man. And Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, aka the Nick Fury of this franchise.
This movie tryed to setup five different films with one film, while having like six different plot lines, seven differney genres. This movie didnt know what is was. And thats why it failed.
@Awix, @Erika , @Ross and @LeftSideCut. Said it perfectly in their reviews.
Dont watch this movie, it will put you to sleep and you will forgot about it, when the credits hit. Watch The Mummy trilogy instead or the oringal one, or the hammer studio one.
The plot: Nick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.
The Dark Universe was a failure, the Dark Universe came and went so fast, it was a blink of a eye and proof it disappeared. Never to be seen or heard from again.
If the dark universe did happpen, their were going to have Javier Bardem as the Frankenstein's Monster, and Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man. And Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, aka the Nick Fury of this franchise.
This movie tryed to setup five different films with one film, while having like six different plot lines, seven differney genres. This movie didnt know what is was. And thats why it failed.
@Awix, @Erika , @Ross and @LeftSideCut. Said it perfectly in their reviews.
Dont watch this movie, it will put you to sleep and you will forgot about it, when the credits hit. Watch The Mummy trilogy instead or the oringal one, or the hammer studio one.
Russell Evans (179 KP) rated Gaslands Refuelled in Tabletop Games
Feb 23, 2020
Super cheap miniatures game (3 more)
Easy to get into
Fun rules
Unlimited modelling options
No official pre-made pre-painted miniatures (1 more)
Print off your own templates or buy from 3rd parties
A brilliantly written and illustrated book for a tabletop game of post-apocalyptic racing – fast cars with big guns – Mad Max in miniature.
It’s tons of fun and easy to play the basics straight away. After that, there is more depth to the rules to explore and building teams to keep things interesting and have long term playability. To get started, you can use templates copied and printed from the book and normal dice, or like I have done, you can get plenty of third-party companies selling templates, scenery and ‘skid’ dice.
One of the main reasons I picked this game up, apart from the raving reviews I’d seen online, was the DIY modelling aspect of the game. As a long time mini-gamer of things like Warhammer and Star Wars FFG, I’m used to my miniatures burning a big hole in my pocket. Re-modelling and repainting HotWheels cars (Super cheap – a couple of quid vs about £30 for a Star Wars ship) is the best part of this game for me, you can use standard cars if you want to, but there are no official pre-made pre-painted ‘cars’ which may be a negative, if you’re not into modelling.
Fun is the main priority and my favourite rule is that if a rule is unclear, you choose whichever option results in the most carnage for all concerned … This is ‘The Rule of Carnage’.
Highly recommended – if you want a different mini game that’s fun and won’t break the bank, check this out!
It’s tons of fun and easy to play the basics straight away. After that, there is more depth to the rules to explore and building teams to keep things interesting and have long term playability. To get started, you can use templates copied and printed from the book and normal dice, or like I have done, you can get plenty of third-party companies selling templates, scenery and ‘skid’ dice.
One of the main reasons I picked this game up, apart from the raving reviews I’d seen online, was the DIY modelling aspect of the game. As a long time mini-gamer of things like Warhammer and Star Wars FFG, I’m used to my miniatures burning a big hole in my pocket. Re-modelling and repainting HotWheels cars (Super cheap – a couple of quid vs about £30 for a Star Wars ship) is the best part of this game for me, you can use standard cars if you want to, but there are no official pre-made pre-painted ‘cars’ which may be a negative, if you’re not into modelling.
Fun is the main priority and my favourite rule is that if a rule is unclear, you choose whichever option results in the most carnage for all concerned … This is ‘The Rule of Carnage’.
Highly recommended – if you want a different mini game that’s fun and won’t break the bank, check this out!
Moto X Mayhem for iPad!
Games and Entertainment
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Race, jump, and crash your way through a variety of treacherous terrain in the best mobile bike...