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                Ross (3284 KP) rated The Grim Company in Books
Sep 27, 2017
                    Once I got into the swing of the book (it chops and changes between different characters each chapter) I started to really enjoy it.  I like being thrown into a world without having a long made-up history lesson first and getting straight into the action.
I liked the setting for this book: numerous city states ruled by magelords who are constantly battling each other.
We join the action just as one magelord overcomes another (from a distance), but in the aftermath a third looks to capitalise on the weakened victor's defences.
I like how nobody was really the good guy here, everyone was pretty sure they would be fighting for an evil overlord against someone who would likely be just as evil. Citizens were unwilling to fight for their own magelord because their own lives couldn't possibly get any worse.
As is common in more modern, "grimdark" fantasy, none of the characters are the flawless hero of old, all have their own failings and foibles, whether it be drug abuse, being useless, being a psychopath or just generally nasty. All except Brodar Kayne, who for me was somewhat reminiscent of Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. He is an aging warrior who is no longer welcome in the savage North and is looking for a new life in the baffling, more civilised South.
I found the story and characters somewhat similar to Joe Abercrombie's in other areas, but the writing style was very different, flowing much more smoothly I would say. And this is not to suggest in any way it is a rip-off of the First Law series, only that some of the characters and certain aspects of the plot bore a similarity.
Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable read with a well designed world and great characters.
    
I liked the setting for this book: numerous city states ruled by magelords who are constantly battling each other.
We join the action just as one magelord overcomes another (from a distance), but in the aftermath a third looks to capitalise on the weakened victor's defences.
I like how nobody was really the good guy here, everyone was pretty sure they would be fighting for an evil overlord against someone who would likely be just as evil. Citizens were unwilling to fight for their own magelord because their own lives couldn't possibly get any worse.
As is common in more modern, "grimdark" fantasy, none of the characters are the flawless hero of old, all have their own failings and foibles, whether it be drug abuse, being useless, being a psychopath or just generally nasty. All except Brodar Kayne, who for me was somewhat reminiscent of Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. He is an aging warrior who is no longer welcome in the savage North and is looking for a new life in the baffling, more civilised South.
I found the story and characters somewhat similar to Joe Abercrombie's in other areas, but the writing style was very different, flowing much more smoothly I would say. And this is not to suggest in any way it is a rip-off of the First Law series, only that some of the characters and certain aspects of the plot bore a similarity.
Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable read with a well designed world and great characters.
Jeremy King (346 KP) rated Mad Shelia (2016) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
        You have to watch 1000 bad films to understand what make a film great    
    
                    Where to start. I love watching films that are out of left field. So when I heard about this i had to look for it, i found it on youtube in 2 parts, it was to be to 60min tv movies but it works better as 1 1h film.
What is China known for? Yes that is it knock offs. Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for Best Picture so lets rip it off. So i have seen that in the past but this was so low budget. We are talking looking for change in tbe couch low budget.
Some of the vehicles look like they used cardboard on them as props.
CG effects that were not needed that you can point out and would look better if left out.
In seens with motorcycles they were going so slow that the front tired would wobble to try to stay balanced.
The best acting came from the goofy sidekick.
Shelia was trying to look like a male in the beginning, you would half to be deaf and blind not to figure out she was a female.
They are in a wasteland and everyone is clean.
Acting skills or the lack of.
And many more problems.
If you ever think about watching this movie
DONT DO IT!! I WATCHED IT FOR YOU
You will get more enjoyment out of the trailer. If i had seen this in the theater i would have walked out. My friend and i could say after watching this was. WTF and we will never talk about this again. But after tradhing it i can say it had 1 or 2 good songs on the sound track
    
What is China known for? Yes that is it knock offs. Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for Best Picture so lets rip it off. So i have seen that in the past but this was so low budget. We are talking looking for change in tbe couch low budget.
Some of the vehicles look like they used cardboard on them as props.
CG effects that were not needed that you can point out and would look better if left out.
In seens with motorcycles they were going so slow that the front tired would wobble to try to stay balanced.
The best acting came from the goofy sidekick.
Shelia was trying to look like a male in the beginning, you would half to be deaf and blind not to figure out she was a female.
They are in a wasteland and everyone is clean.
Acting skills or the lack of.
And many more problems.
If you ever think about watching this movie
DONT DO IT!! I WATCHED IT FOR YOU
You will get more enjoyment out of the trailer. If i had seen this in the theater i would have walked out. My friend and i could say after watching this was. WTF and we will never talk about this again. But after tradhing it i can say it had 1 or 2 good songs on the sound track
Butch Vig recommended track Live Forever by Oasis in Stop the Clocks by Oasis in Music (curated)
Gene Simmons recommended Hysteria by Def Leppard in Music (curated)
Bethany Fletcher (17 KP) rated Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1 in Books
Jun 24, 2018 (Updated Jun 25, 2018)
                    While buddy reading this with a friend we realised it was a plain copy of Avatar the Last Airbender. There is the king attacking magicians which is basically the fire nation attacking the air nomads. There is a secret temple that worships the magical gods and the protectors are there to help the chosen one. Basically the fire temple on the crescent island that is there to worship the Avatar and help Aang. 
The characters were cardboard copies of Avatar. Zelie is a mix of Aang and Katara. There is Zelie’s brother, Tzain, who is the only one who doesn’t get magic because screw you Sokka you are not a Bender! They are being chased around by the Prince Inan who wants to impress his daddy but has mixed moral feelings. Hi there Zuko nice to see you again!
The plot was super confusing. There were parts that weren’t explained at all. So Inanas powers are control over someone’s mind right, so he can take someone into his ‘dreamscape’ (basically the Bone Season by Samantha Shannon). Anyway, he takes Zelie into his dreamscape and she hates him as he is a royal and hunting her down BUT she strips off naked and skinny dips? Why? There is no reason and it made zero sense for someone who is terrified of Inan to make themselves that vulnerable.
Zelie gets over her hatred for Inan pretty quick and soon they are lusting after each other. She doesn’t seem to care about the previous hatred and Inan is the only one who struggles morally. Here’s the thing, did they actually have sex? They had sex in Inan’s dreamscape while there physical bodies were actually no where near each other. Zelie was with her brother. So did their minds have sex? Did they share a dream where they both got it on? After Zelie is super awkward about it but it’s like, you didn’t actually do anything, did you? Not explained very well.
I could go on all day but I shan’t. It wasn’t even written well. It just read like the author didn’t know what to write so copied something they knew was succesful. If these things will annoy you as much as they did me then I would suggest skipping this book.
    
The characters were cardboard copies of Avatar. Zelie is a mix of Aang and Katara. There is Zelie’s brother, Tzain, who is the only one who doesn’t get magic because screw you Sokka you are not a Bender! They are being chased around by the Prince Inan who wants to impress his daddy but has mixed moral feelings. Hi there Zuko nice to see you again!
The plot was super confusing. There were parts that weren’t explained at all. So Inanas powers are control over someone’s mind right, so he can take someone into his ‘dreamscape’ (basically the Bone Season by Samantha Shannon). Anyway, he takes Zelie into his dreamscape and she hates him as he is a royal and hunting her down BUT she strips off naked and skinny dips? Why? There is no reason and it made zero sense for someone who is terrified of Inan to make themselves that vulnerable.
Zelie gets over her hatred for Inan pretty quick and soon they are lusting after each other. She doesn’t seem to care about the previous hatred and Inan is the only one who struggles morally. Here’s the thing, did they actually have sex? They had sex in Inan’s dreamscape while there physical bodies were actually no where near each other. Zelie was with her brother. So did their minds have sex? Did they share a dream where they both got it on? After Zelie is super awkward about it but it’s like, you didn’t actually do anything, did you? Not explained very well.
I could go on all day but I shan’t. It wasn’t even written well. It just read like the author didn’t know what to write so copied something they knew was succesful. If these things will annoy you as much as they did me then I would suggest skipping this book.
                    OMG!! This book is the feels of FEELS! I loved it and couldn't put it down! Rainbow Rowell is now one of my favourite authors.
Sypnosis:
Fangirl is about identical twins Cath and Wren, these two do everything together even so as going to the same University.
Wren is the more outgoing of the two who just wants to party, make friends and enjoy everything university has to offer. Cath on the other hand is a shy, geeky fan fiction writer that wants to appear invisible to everyone and just get her head down.
Cath has an obsession with a book series called Simon snow and launched her own fan fiction page that carry the story on in different scenes and she is quite a success at it, but it's literally all she can think about
As the girls have two very different ideas of University they decide not to live together so Cath has to share with Reagan, she has a boyfriend that is always there, encouraging Cath to go out bowling and parties.
Then there is the boy in her fiction writing class that wants to be writing buddies.
Cath soon finds love, but with whom?
<blockquote> I don’t just kiss people. Kisses aren’t... just with me.</blockquote>
My thoughts:
Fangirl is written in a 3rd person POV and started off pretty slow for my liking and I couldn't see what all the hype was about! At 100 pages in things started to get interesting and the pace was set.
The characters in this book are so relatable and realistic, with Cath and her social anxiety, daily worries and awkwardness, her fathers mental health and Wren going off the rails.
Levi is just the most amazing character I have come across always happy and just there! when you need him. He's a listener and patient and OMG!! I think I have a fictional crush!
I HATED!! the Simon Snow fan fiction parts I thought it was just a rip off of Harry potter and was not interested in this part at all that I started to skip all these parts and unfortunately there was so much of it
Rainbow Rowell is a contemporary romance genius! I was even thinking about the book at work, trying to think what was going to happen and what I had already read, that's how hooked I was on this book.
I never wanted it to end it just made me all warm and fuzzy inside, this would have been a five star book if it wasn't for the Simon Snow parts
I have read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and I loved it, but I definitely will not be picking up carry on as it's all about Simon bloody Snow-sorry!
I recommend this to anyone that enjoys contemporary and romance novels.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars
    
Sypnosis:
Fangirl is about identical twins Cath and Wren, these two do everything together even so as going to the same University.
Wren is the more outgoing of the two who just wants to party, make friends and enjoy everything university has to offer. Cath on the other hand is a shy, geeky fan fiction writer that wants to appear invisible to everyone and just get her head down.
Cath has an obsession with a book series called Simon snow and launched her own fan fiction page that carry the story on in different scenes and she is quite a success at it, but it's literally all she can think about
As the girls have two very different ideas of University they decide not to live together so Cath has to share with Reagan, she has a boyfriend that is always there, encouraging Cath to go out bowling and parties.
Then there is the boy in her fiction writing class that wants to be writing buddies.
Cath soon finds love, but with whom?
<blockquote> I don’t just kiss people. Kisses aren’t... just with me.</blockquote>
My thoughts:
Fangirl is written in a 3rd person POV and started off pretty slow for my liking and I couldn't see what all the hype was about! At 100 pages in things started to get interesting and the pace was set.
The characters in this book are so relatable and realistic, with Cath and her social anxiety, daily worries and awkwardness, her fathers mental health and Wren going off the rails.
Levi is just the most amazing character I have come across always happy and just there! when you need him. He's a listener and patient and OMG!! I think I have a fictional crush!
I HATED!! the Simon Snow fan fiction parts I thought it was just a rip off of Harry potter and was not interested in this part at all that I started to skip all these parts and unfortunately there was so much of it
Rainbow Rowell is a contemporary romance genius! I was even thinking about the book at work, trying to think what was going to happen and what I had already read, that's how hooked I was on this book.
I never wanted it to end it just made me all warm and fuzzy inside, this would have been a five star book if it wasn't for the Simon Snow parts
I have read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and I loved it, but I definitely will not be picking up carry on as it's all about Simon bloody Snow-sorry!
I recommend this to anyone that enjoys contemporary and romance novels.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars
Darren (1599 KP) rated Alien: Covenant (2017) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
                    Story: Alien Covenant starts with the colony ship the Covenant heading towards a new planet, a crew of 15 and over 2000 colonist on board with just Walter (Fassbender) the android running the ship. When the ship encounters a freak storm in space leads the crew suffering loses they need to let the new captain Oram (Crudup) guide them through the damage to the systems.
When the repairs find a ghost transmission from a planet which appears perfectly habitable Oram goes against first mate Daniels’ (Waterston) opinion to continue their mission and takes a crew to this planet.
While on the planet the crew learn, this planet isn’t as safe as they had thought as they learn the deadly species waiting to be awoken along with a discovery which will give them answers about one of the mysterious of space.
 
Thoughts on Alien: Covenant
 
Characters/Performance – Walter is the latest model of the androids that joins the mission to do the jobs humans can’t manage he is good natured and understands his mission. Daniels is the second in command after the early tragedy, she doesn’t want to investigate the new planet but soon becomes the one we must rout for once she decides to fight. Oram is your standard captain trying to take the role with his own stamp, also he is meant to be religious. The rest of the crew are what you expect.
Performance wise, well this is where things get interesting, Fassbender is fine but let’s face it he is wasting his talent in movies like these. Waterston struggles to follow in the strong leading action heroine footsteps with Crudup being easily forgettable. This does have known names but nothing that comes off truly memorable in the performances.
Story – The story looks to follow up what happened after the Prometheus in what just feels like a complete rip off, of plenty of films, we have horribly written characters that just do panic instead of being professional in the role that would remain calm through each situation. This is a rinse, repeat film that ends up being one of the most predictable movies you have ever seen.
Horror/Sci-Fi – There is little to no horror in a movie that has ALIENS in which is the whole point. The sci-fi side of the story is all what you have come to expect from the genre without being anything fresh.
Settings – The film looks beautiful and stunning throughout but they also don’t have anything looking original though.
Special Effects – The special effects show us the settings looking almost flawless, it is the aliens which come off weak in places.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor addition to the franchise of aliens, we barely see them and the science versus religion question doesn’t end up getting discussed enough.
 
Overall: Poor franchise addition that is weak in every single aspect.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/05/16/alien-covenant-2017/
    
When the repairs find a ghost transmission from a planet which appears perfectly habitable Oram goes against first mate Daniels’ (Waterston) opinion to continue their mission and takes a crew to this planet.
While on the planet the crew learn, this planet isn’t as safe as they had thought as they learn the deadly species waiting to be awoken along with a discovery which will give them answers about one of the mysterious of space.
Thoughts on Alien: Covenant
Characters/Performance – Walter is the latest model of the androids that joins the mission to do the jobs humans can’t manage he is good natured and understands his mission. Daniels is the second in command after the early tragedy, she doesn’t want to investigate the new planet but soon becomes the one we must rout for once she decides to fight. Oram is your standard captain trying to take the role with his own stamp, also he is meant to be religious. The rest of the crew are what you expect.
Performance wise, well this is where things get interesting, Fassbender is fine but let’s face it he is wasting his talent in movies like these. Waterston struggles to follow in the strong leading action heroine footsteps with Crudup being easily forgettable. This does have known names but nothing that comes off truly memorable in the performances.
Story – The story looks to follow up what happened after the Prometheus in what just feels like a complete rip off, of plenty of films, we have horribly written characters that just do panic instead of being professional in the role that would remain calm through each situation. This is a rinse, repeat film that ends up being one of the most predictable movies you have ever seen.
Horror/Sci-Fi – There is little to no horror in a movie that has ALIENS in which is the whole point. The sci-fi side of the story is all what you have come to expect from the genre without being anything fresh.
Settings – The film looks beautiful and stunning throughout but they also don’t have anything looking original though.
Special Effects – The special effects show us the settings looking almost flawless, it is the aliens which come off weak in places.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor addition to the franchise of aliens, we barely see them and the science versus religion question doesn’t end up getting discussed enough.
Overall: Poor franchise addition that is weak in every single aspect.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/05/16/alien-covenant-2017/
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
                    Characters – Megan Reed is a former cop that has been through rehab after struggling after her own experience in the field, cleaned up, she looks to get back into work on a graveyard shift at the morgue. Megan does start to have strange visits while on duty and becomes convinced strange things are going on, she is left to wonder whether she is having a bad experience from her drugs or is something supernatural going on. Andrew is the ex-boyfriend and fellow cop of Megan, he was left no choice, but to leave her, but will support her through her struggles. Hannah Grace is the young woman that went through the exorcism, she hasn’t remained dead though, searching for more victims in her afterlife. Randy is the friendly paramedic that offers support for Megan because of his own past.
Performances – Shay Mitchell does everything she can with her leading role without being terrible, just not getting much to do from it. Grey Damon doesn’t have much to do, neither does Nick Thune, though he does make the most of his limited time. Kirby Johnson does get extra praise for her ability to try and make her character creepy throughout.
Story – The story here follows a cop fresh out of rehab that takes a graveyard shift in a morgue only to find her night become a nightmare when a corpse comes back to life to haunt them. The story is a true disappointment because we have one side of Megan’s story being that she might be falling off the wagon again, which would make everything going on great, only we get plenty of disposable characters that offer the corpse a chance to kill instead of building the tension of Megan losing her mind. This story does feel like a complete rip off The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes from how the haunting figure is searching for the latest victim, only it never reaches the true level it could do. The mystery is meant to be around why the corpse isn’t remaining dead, only for it to end up feeling like it is the back burner.
Settings – The film is set inside the city morgue, we do have the lights that only come on when you are in their sensors go off, though it does feel too large to get the most out of the environment.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag because the physical movement is great, but the CGI covers up too much in this film and it is weak.
Scene of the Movie – The first discovery.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We just doesn’t seem to get the smart enough decisions in writing here.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor horror that just copies The Autopsy of Jane Doe, only to lose all the atmosphere in the film.
Overall: Disappointing throughout.
    
Performances – Shay Mitchell does everything she can with her leading role without being terrible, just not getting much to do from it. Grey Damon doesn’t have much to do, neither does Nick Thune, though he does make the most of his limited time. Kirby Johnson does get extra praise for her ability to try and make her character creepy throughout.
Story – The story here follows a cop fresh out of rehab that takes a graveyard shift in a morgue only to find her night become a nightmare when a corpse comes back to life to haunt them. The story is a true disappointment because we have one side of Megan’s story being that she might be falling off the wagon again, which would make everything going on great, only we get plenty of disposable characters that offer the corpse a chance to kill instead of building the tension of Megan losing her mind. This story does feel like a complete rip off The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film comes from how the haunting figure is searching for the latest victim, only it never reaches the true level it could do. The mystery is meant to be around why the corpse isn’t remaining dead, only for it to end up feeling like it is the back burner.
Settings – The film is set inside the city morgue, we do have the lights that only come on when you are in their sensors go off, though it does feel too large to get the most out of the environment.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag because the physical movement is great, but the CGI covers up too much in this film and it is weak.
Scene of the Movie – The first discovery.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We just doesn’t seem to get the smart enough decisions in writing here.
Final Thoughts – This is a poor horror that just copies The Autopsy of Jane Doe, only to lose all the atmosphere in the film.
Overall: Disappointing throughout.
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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Cold Pursuit (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
        Cold as ice    
    
                    #coldpursuit tries to hit like an avalanche but ends up being disappointing & forgettable like #snowflakes falling on to wet ground. Cold Pursuit is a remake of the #Norwegian film #inorderofdisappearance which received extremely good reviews across the board begging the question why did it need to be remade? & the straight answer to that is no it didn't. #liamnesson plays #NelsCoxman he's quite an interesting character being the town  s #hero forced to seek revenge for the death of his son, problem is Nesson plays him just has he does any character now days making him not only #boring but unlikable & its hard to sympathise with him at all. Overall the film is a huge rip off of the far superior #WindRiver & also #Fargo trying its very hardest to be a #coenbrothers movie but failing at everything especially the #humour. Tone wise its a mess with #Nesson taking everything far to seriously while the film tries its hardest to be quirky & #funny. Humour that would work well in a Norwegian movie simply fails here & at times stops the movie dead or ruins the flow/serious tension its created. #tombateman is probably the best character here but even he feels like his character is an audition for the next #Joker in a #DC #batman movie. Essentially one big statement on #racism, the fight over territory & how the benefits of having & decent upbringing shapes our future Cold Pursuit has a decent message in there somewhere its just poorly handled. I did however like the score & there are sprinklings of nice production & visuals too which helped to hold my attention. All in all Cold Pursuit is simply just 'FINE' nothing more nothing less but when there are better films out there aka Wind River, Fargo or even the original fine just doesn't really cut it. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic #racist #winter #cold #revenge #weekend #weekendvibes #nordicnoir            
    








