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Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Crime
Characters (4 more)
Margot Robbie
The Plot
The Action
The Visual Effects
A Thick, Juicy Good Time
Contains spoilers, click to show
It's an action packed funny trip. When Roman cuts off the Asian guys face was crazy and when he ripped off Erica's dress was shocking
  
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
Sam Wasson | 2020 | Film & TV
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Wasson bellydives into one of the deepest pools in Hollywood history. Along the way, he tells revealing stories about Jack Nicholson, Roman Polanski, and legendary producer Robert Evans—as well as dark secrets behind the making of Academy Award winner Chinatown."

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Drake (Twilight Falls #5)
Drake (Twilight Falls #5)
A.M. Salinger | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
bloody loved this one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 5 in the Twilight Falls series, but can be read as a standalone. I would, however, personally recommend you DO read them. It will give you a better feel for this group of men, and they ain’t too shabby either! I’ve not read book 4, Wyatt, though.
Drake meets Roman at Carter (book2) and Elijah’s wedding. There is instant and powerful chemistry. Roman is only in town for the night though. When Drake finds out that Roman bought the house he has been after for years, and then hires Drake to do the renovations, they embark on a mutual arrangement to satisfy their needs. But deep down, Drake knows he can’t be really happy, not ever. And Roman isn’t the happy ever after kind, right?
Oh
My
Days!
I loved this instalment from Twilight Falls, I really did! Drake and Roman have powerful and incendiary chemistry, and it burns right through the book. But very quickly, that changes, gets deeper between them, but neither is willing to say the words they feel.
Roman’s past comes back to haunt him, and I think at THIS point, Drake realises that he’s in too deep. But it takes Roman leaving, for Drake to admit to himself, that just because his PAST was bad, doesn’t mean that HE will carry that forward. He needs Roman and he gets what he wants.
I loved that all the guys from the previous books pop up here, and I loved the band mates of Roman’s and how well everyone gets along, eventually. The manager isn’t too happy with Drake in the beginning, but he sees, he really SEES that Drake is good for Roman.
I have just one comment, and it IS just a comment, rather than anything else!
Does Miles get talked about before, the seventh member of this little group of childhood friends? Indeed, was the name of the group mentioned? I don’t recall, so maybe I missed it, but I’ve been to sleep since I read book 3, so maybe it’s just me not recalling correctly.
Given what occurs here, with Tristan and James, or more what’s IMPLIED here with those two, I assume their book is next. And then? Miles? Since he will be the only one left, and I look forward to reading his book the most now!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Somewhere Close to Happy
Somewhere Close to Happy
Lia Louis | 2019 | Film & TV
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is Lizzie, a young woman who is dealing with mental health issues every single day. Her life changes, after she receives a letter from her childhood friend/sweetheart Roman. He was her best friend/boyfriend during her teenage years, who helped her to go through many difficult situations. But one day, he just disappeared. Now Lizzie, with the help of her best friend, trying to find Roman to find out, why he left her when she needed him the most.

This novel has very complex characters, and I really liked the way the author developed them throughout the pages. I liked Lizzie a lot, she is very strong, even though she doesn’t realise it sometimes. She is willing to go out of her comfort zones on multiple occasions, in order to find Roman. I really enjoyed the multiple timelines in this novel as well, we not only follow the search but also have an amazing insight into Lizzie’s past.

The author played with the narrative very smartly and creatively. The narrative is always changing, and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. That made this book a true page-turner. All I wanted was for Lizzie to find Roman, and all the “near misses” were driving me insane!
  
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2018)
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2018)
2018 | Crime, Drama
Come for Denzel, stay for...well...there isn't much else to stay for
Denzel Washington is one of the finest actors of his generation. A charismatic screen presence, he commands the viewer's attention whether he is performing a comedy, drama or action film. He has won 2 Oscars as a performer and has been nominated for his acting 6 other times - including (rightfully so) for his performance as the titular character in ROMAN J ISRAEL, ESQ.

And thank goodness he is in this film for I found precious little else to recommend in this movie.

ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. tells the story of...ahem...Roman J. Israel, Esq, a "savant" legal attorney (some would call him autistic) who has spent the past many, many years as the behind the scenes lawyer in a rundown 2 person law firm that specializes in defending "the little guy". When his partner unexpectedly dies, Roman is thrust into the world of big time, big business and big MONEY law and when Roman is sucked into this world he suffers a crisis of conscience and must decide between the luxuries that this new, rich life affords and the idealism that has driven him for all these many years.

In lesser hands, this character could have been maudlin or cloying - but in Washington's seasoned hands, this character jumps off the page as a quirky and different sort of person - a genius to be sure - but a troubled genius. One that is more comfortable alone, in his library with his books and legal briefs than with people. Washington threads the needle very well in his portrayal making Roman J. Israel seem like a real person and not just a character.

Also strong is Colin Farrell as the head of the Big Business Law Firm that Roman ends up working for. Farrell has grown as an actor in my eyes - and his portrayal of George Pierce shows a another real person behind the suit and not just a 2 dimensional caricature. Also along for the ride is Carmen Ejogo in an underwritten part as a young idealistic lawyer - and potential love interest for Roman - who reminds Roman of his younger self.

But, despite these performances, the film falls flat because - besides Roman's crisis of conscience - nothing else really happens.

The blame for this has to lie at the hands of screenwriter and director Dan Gilroy (the wonderful, underrated - and underseen - NIGHTCRAWLER). He is fascinated by the intricacies of Roman's world but fails to flesh it out. It's almost as if he was so interested in creating the trees, he never created a forest interesting enough for these trees to live in - or for us to visit.

So come for Denzel, but be warned, if you stay there's not much else to stay for.

Letter Grade B- (because of Denzel's performance)

6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Merissa (11928 KP) created a post

Apr 30, 2021  
"Drake and Roman have powerful and incendiary chemistry, and it burns right through the book."

Drake (Twilight Falls #5) by A.M. Salinger - @Archaeolibrary, @debbiereadsbook, @xpressoreads, #Contemporary, #MM, #Romance, 5 out of 5 (exceptional)

https://archaeolibrarian.wixsite.com/website/post/drake-twilight-falls-5-by-a-m-salinger
     
Entry number 4 (of 5) in Simon Scarrow & Tj Andrews's 'Warrior' series of novellas, in which the Catuvellaunian tribe go to war against the Atrabates, with Caratacus here first experimenting with the guerilla tactics he would later use against the Roman invaders.

As with the previous three entries, this is presented as the elderly Caratacus, whilst in exile in Rome, recounting his experiences to a Roman historian, with the sub-plot that this may be bringing that historian unwelcome attention from Nero's officials.

As also before - and as required by the fact that this is a novella - it's also a rather short read, complete with it's own 'intro' and 'outro'
  
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Yara Shahidi recommended The Odyssey in Books (curated)

 
The Odyssey
The Odyssey
Homer, E.V. Rieu, Peter Jones, Dominic Rieu | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
7.3 (17 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"The Odyssey” was first book I read with my Grampie at four-years-old and was my introduction to the mesmerizing tales of Roman and Greek Mythology. Not only is this book a classic, with plenty of recognizable tales, but truly a whimsical experience of triumph, love, and hardship."

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SR
10
9.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Aww...well she got her happy ever after but not before another emotional rollercoaster.

I loved the immortal gang; Peter, Cody and Hugh. Roman was cool in this one. Jerome was an arse and Carter was awesome--I think i fell in love with him by the end.
  
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Benny Sadfie recommended Macbeth (2015) in Movies (curated)

 
Macbeth (2015)
Macbeth (2015)
2015 | International, Drama
4.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"We saw it in Venice for its world re-premiere, and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The cast of unknowns and the truth to the covalent bond of violence and romance make this a special film. What more could you ask for than Shakespeare presented by Roman Polanski and Playboy?"

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