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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Amistad (1997) in Movies
Aug 13, 2020
Give Us Us Free
Slaves are put on trial when they start a mutiny on the ship bringing them over to America. Although a little long in the tooth, Amistad is a memorable movie that gives you something to root for.
Acting: 10
This was the first time I got to see a performance from Djimon Hounsou. I was blown away by his tenacity. You felt his passion in every single line he utters. This movie wouldn’t have been the same without him. I would argue the same for Anthony Hopkins playing the role of John Quincy Adams. Hopkins is no secret to blockbuster performances so it’s no surprise that he knocks this one out of the park.
Beginning: 10
This is how you start a movie! For me, it has one of the top ten beginning of all time for any movie. It’s riveting and terrifying at the same time. The way Spielberg shot it was genius.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
No surprise here with one of the most iconic directors of all time at the helm. He always has a way of choosing the best angle for the greatest impact. I could spend a whole entry talking about the subtle things he does to leave large impacts. It’s a cinematic treat.
Conflict: 7
The struggle here is the movie mostly revolves around two major cases. The courtroom can be boring in spots on the big screen if not done right. Even in the case of Amistad where things are done right, it can still be a bit much to consume. You feel like nothing is happening when actually there is a whole lot happening at once.
Entertainment Value: 8
I was intrigued to see how this story would unfold from beginning to end. I loved the character development and the understanding of what got both sides to their respective points. Again, despite its length, you will be engaged throughout.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 1
Plot: 10
Resolution: 9
Overall: 81
Improve the pacing here and you have a masterpiece point blank. Despite its length, Amistad is definitely worth the time spent. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Acting: 10
This was the first time I got to see a performance from Djimon Hounsou. I was blown away by his tenacity. You felt his passion in every single line he utters. This movie wouldn’t have been the same without him. I would argue the same for Anthony Hopkins playing the role of John Quincy Adams. Hopkins is no secret to blockbuster performances so it’s no surprise that he knocks this one out of the park.
Beginning: 10
This is how you start a movie! For me, it has one of the top ten beginning of all time for any movie. It’s riveting and terrifying at the same time. The way Spielberg shot it was genius.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
No surprise here with one of the most iconic directors of all time at the helm. He always has a way of choosing the best angle for the greatest impact. I could spend a whole entry talking about the subtle things he does to leave large impacts. It’s a cinematic treat.
Conflict: 7
The struggle here is the movie mostly revolves around two major cases. The courtroom can be boring in spots on the big screen if not done right. Even in the case of Amistad where things are done right, it can still be a bit much to consume. You feel like nothing is happening when actually there is a whole lot happening at once.
Entertainment Value: 8
I was intrigued to see how this story would unfold from beginning to end. I loved the character development and the understanding of what got both sides to their respective points. Again, despite its length, you will be engaged throughout.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 1
Plot: 10
Resolution: 9
Overall: 81
Improve the pacing here and you have a masterpiece point blank. Despite its length, Amistad is definitely worth the time spent. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The ‘86 Fix in Books
Aug 22, 2020
Couldn’t put it down
Don’t you love it when you pick up a book that sounds good but you have little expectations of, and get completely blown away. This is what The ‘86 Fix did for me.
To start, this is not a massively sci-fi centric novel despite featuring time travel. The time travel element is almost secondary to the drama and humour that form the main plot of Craig Pelling’s life. In a book where the main plot device (the time travel) doesn’t feature until half way through, you’d be forgiven for expecting to be bored senseless by then but this really isn’t the case. This is mainly because Craig and his life is fascinating. Craig isn’t your usual protagonist - he’s flawed, living a dead end existence and feels just like your average Joe and you can’t help but root for him. It’s intriguing to read about him, his life and his relationships and by the time the time travel element happens, you’re very much invested in Craig and are cheering for him to make amends to his life via his past experiences. It’s all rather heartwarming and quite funny at times too, and it’s so well written.
And then the ending happens. I can’t lie, I was torn between crying and screaming in frustration by the time I reached the end of the book. Not because it was bad, but because I just didn’t see the ending coming and without spoilers, it’s not quite the ending you’d expect or want for a character you’ve been rooting for over the entire book. Despite my frustrations though, it was a surprising ending and enjoyable - I’m so glad the sequel is readily available as I can’t not jump right into it now as I really need to find out what happens to Craig.
This book reminds me a lot of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August as that’s another of my favourites too and has a similar drama/sci-if vibe, and I’d definitely recommend The ‘86 Fix if you’ve ever read Harry August (or even if you haven’t).
To start, this is not a massively sci-fi centric novel despite featuring time travel. The time travel element is almost secondary to the drama and humour that form the main plot of Craig Pelling’s life. In a book where the main plot device (the time travel) doesn’t feature until half way through, you’d be forgiven for expecting to be bored senseless by then but this really isn’t the case. This is mainly because Craig and his life is fascinating. Craig isn’t your usual protagonist - he’s flawed, living a dead end existence and feels just like your average Joe and you can’t help but root for him. It’s intriguing to read about him, his life and his relationships and by the time the time travel element happens, you’re very much invested in Craig and are cheering for him to make amends to his life via his past experiences. It’s all rather heartwarming and quite funny at times too, and it’s so well written.
And then the ending happens. I can’t lie, I was torn between crying and screaming in frustration by the time I reached the end of the book. Not because it was bad, but because I just didn’t see the ending coming and without spoilers, it’s not quite the ending you’d expect or want for a character you’ve been rooting for over the entire book. Despite my frustrations though, it was a surprising ending and enjoyable - I’m so glad the sequel is readily available as I can’t not jump right into it now as I really need to find out what happens to Craig.
This book reminds me a lot of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August as that’s another of my favourites too and has a similar drama/sci-if vibe, and I’d definitely recommend The ‘86 Fix if you’ve ever read Harry August (or even if you haven’t).
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Iron Giant (1999) in Movies
Jun 14, 2020
A Warm Tale of Friendship
In the 1990's, it was rare for a studio besides Disney to release an animated film. So when Warner Brothers (home of Bugs Bunny) decided to release an animated film, everyone expected it to be some sort of "Looney Tunes" and were sorely disappointed when it was not.
And that is too bad...for the film that was released - THE IRON GIANT - is a wonderfully warm and heartwarming tale of friendship, acceptance and, yes, intolerance of those different from you, set against the backdrop of the Cold War of the 1950's.
Marking the full length feature animation Directing debut by Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES), THE IRON GIANT tells the tale of young Hogarth, who finds a...well...Iron Giant... who has fallen to Earth from Outer Space. Hogarth befriends The Iron Giant and helps to hide him from Military-types who see this as a threat to the safety, security and superiority of the United States.
Featuring the vocal talents of Jennifer Aniston, John Mahoney, Harry Connick, Jr., Christopher McDonald and Eli Marienthal (as Hogarth), this film is warm and inviting, showing "good characters" that you want to root for and spend time with spar with "bad guys" that you want to see defeated. All of this over a character that is naive to what is going on around him. Special notice should be made of Vin Diesel's vocal work as The Iron Giant. He says very few things, but the words that he does say, convey strong emotions.
You can see the seeds of THE INCREDIBLES in this work of Director Bird. The action sequences are fun and effective and are off-set by slower, more personal, scenes of the characters getting to know - and interact with - each other. He shows a deft touch in balancing these items, finding the right amount of pathos and pace throughout.
The main themes in this film - fearing that which you do not know/do not care to understand resonates to this day and is a reminder that kindness can go much further than fear/ignorance/intolerance.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And that is too bad...for the film that was released - THE IRON GIANT - is a wonderfully warm and heartwarming tale of friendship, acceptance and, yes, intolerance of those different from you, set against the backdrop of the Cold War of the 1950's.
Marking the full length feature animation Directing debut by Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES), THE IRON GIANT tells the tale of young Hogarth, who finds a...well...Iron Giant... who has fallen to Earth from Outer Space. Hogarth befriends The Iron Giant and helps to hide him from Military-types who see this as a threat to the safety, security and superiority of the United States.
Featuring the vocal talents of Jennifer Aniston, John Mahoney, Harry Connick, Jr., Christopher McDonald and Eli Marienthal (as Hogarth), this film is warm and inviting, showing "good characters" that you want to root for and spend time with spar with "bad guys" that you want to see defeated. All of this over a character that is naive to what is going on around him. Special notice should be made of Vin Diesel's vocal work as The Iron Giant. He says very few things, but the words that he does say, convey strong emotions.
You can see the seeds of THE INCREDIBLES in this work of Director Bird. The action sequences are fun and effective and are off-set by slower, more personal, scenes of the characters getting to know - and interact with - each other. He shows a deft touch in balancing these items, finding the right amount of pathos and pace throughout.
The main themes in this film - fearing that which you do not know/do not care to understand resonates to this day and is a reminder that kindness can go much further than fear/ignorance/intolerance.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Four Days of You and Me in Books
May 7, 2020
I hate writing less-than-positive reviews, especially for authors I typically enjoy, but this book was not a favorite of mine. It's told across Lulu and Alex's four class trips (one per year) with flashbacks to other times. I simply could not warm up to Lulu or Alex. Honestly, of the two, I probably liked him better, but we don't hear his side. It took nearly half the book for the story to engage me even a little bit, and I thought about giving up, but for some reason, I have a tough time just stopping a book.
Now, I read YA a ton, so it's not that I don't enjoy YA novels. I read one right after this and *loved* it. But I found this story way too simplistic, and I feel like teens would too. There is so much better YA out there--for all of us. The book just felt simplistic in its writing and the "will they / won't they" storyline was boring. I did not care if they did or not. Honestly, there was a side plot about Lulu's gay best friend Max that was much more interesting--I would have rather read about him!
Supposedly Lulu is an artist/writer and that's her thing, but that felt forced. Mostly, the book felt about a girl (and her friends) all trying to find boys to like (and like them back). That's what they cared about and talked about. I felt no huge connection between Alex and Lulu and hence no reason to root for them to choose each other. They didn't feel destined for one other, as most couples do in a good romance. The story does pick up a bit near the end, but by then, I just felt burned out.
So maybe this story would resonate a bit more with a teen set (and it should be an older teen set, due to language and themes), but there are a lot of other better books out there. Now, others seem to enjoy this more than me, so maybe I just got caught in a bad mood. 2.5 stars for me, though.
Now, I read YA a ton, so it's not that I don't enjoy YA novels. I read one right after this and *loved* it. But I found this story way too simplistic, and I feel like teens would too. There is so much better YA out there--for all of us. The book just felt simplistic in its writing and the "will they / won't they" storyline was boring. I did not care if they did or not. Honestly, there was a side plot about Lulu's gay best friend Max that was much more interesting--I would have rather read about him!
Supposedly Lulu is an artist/writer and that's her thing, but that felt forced. Mostly, the book felt about a girl (and her friends) all trying to find boys to like (and like them back). That's what they cared about and talked about. I felt no huge connection between Alex and Lulu and hence no reason to root for them to choose each other. They didn't feel destined for one other, as most couples do in a good romance. The story does pick up a bit near the end, but by then, I just felt burned out.
So maybe this story would resonate a bit more with a teen set (and it should be an older teen set, due to language and themes), but there are a lot of other better books out there. Now, others seem to enjoy this more than me, so maybe I just got caught in a bad mood. 2.5 stars for me, though.
Beneath the Mountain: A Novel
Book
In Luca D’Andrea’s atmospheric and brilliant thriller, set in a small mountain community in the...
suspense thriller
DaveySmithy (107 KP) rated Twisters (2024) in Movies
Dec 4, 2024
A Solid Sequel That Doesn’t Fully Capture the Storm
As a long-time fan of the original Twister (1996), I went into Twisters (2024) with a mix of excitement and trepidation. How could this sequel live up to the raw, chaotic energy of its predecessor, a film that turned storm chasing into an adrenaline-fueled spectacle? The answer, for better or worse, is that it doesn’t quite match it, but it does enough to stand on its own.
Let’s start with what works. The visual effects are undeniably stunning. The tornadoes in this film are some of the most terrifyingly realistic I’ve ever seen on screen. They’re bigger, meaner, and more chaotic than ever, and the sequences where characters are caught in their destructive path are genuinely breathtaking. If you go into Twisters just wanting jaw-dropping destruction, you won’t be disappointed.
The cast also delivers solid performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones brings a grounded vulnerability to her role as a young meteorologist trying to prove herself, while Glen Powell’s charismatic storm chaser injects some much-needed levity into the film. Their chemistry isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s believable enough to keep the human drama engaging.
However, where Twisters falters is in its attempt to replicate the heart of the original. The 1996 film had a quirky charm and a ragtag group of storm chasers you couldn’t help but root for. In contrast, the characters here feel a bit more polished and conventional, and the film takes itself too seriously at times. It’s missing some of the playful chaos and oddball humor that made the original so endearing.
The plot, while serviceable, is also a bit formulaic. The stakes are high, but the story doesn’t take many risks, and it occasionally leans too heavily on nostalgia. I couldn’t help but feel that some moments—especially the callbacks to the original—were more about fan service than moving the story forward.
That said, Twisters does succeed as a modern disaster movie. It’s thrilling, visually spectacular, and worth seeing on a big screen. While it doesn’t quite recapture the magic of its predecessor, it’s an enjoyable
Let’s start with what works. The visual effects are undeniably stunning. The tornadoes in this film are some of the most terrifyingly realistic I’ve ever seen on screen. They’re bigger, meaner, and more chaotic than ever, and the sequences where characters are caught in their destructive path are genuinely breathtaking. If you go into Twisters just wanting jaw-dropping destruction, you won’t be disappointed.
The cast also delivers solid performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones brings a grounded vulnerability to her role as a young meteorologist trying to prove herself, while Glen Powell’s charismatic storm chaser injects some much-needed levity into the film. Their chemistry isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s believable enough to keep the human drama engaging.
However, where Twisters falters is in its attempt to replicate the heart of the original. The 1996 film had a quirky charm and a ragtag group of storm chasers you couldn’t help but root for. In contrast, the characters here feel a bit more polished and conventional, and the film takes itself too seriously at times. It’s missing some of the playful chaos and oddball humor that made the original so endearing.
The plot, while serviceable, is also a bit formulaic. The stakes are high, but the story doesn’t take many risks, and it occasionally leans too heavily on nostalgia. I couldn’t help but feel that some moments—especially the callbacks to the original—were more about fan service than moving the story forward.
That said, Twisters does succeed as a modern disaster movie. It’s thrilling, visually spectacular, and worth seeing on a big screen. While it doesn’t quite recapture the magic of its predecessor, it’s an enjoyable
Merissa (13585 KP) rated Ghost of a Chance (Bucket List Buddies #2) in Books
Dec 4, 2025
GHOST OF A CHANCE is the second book in the Bucket List Buddies series, and I am seriously shipping Sven and Remy!!! Not to get ahead of myself, though, first let me tell you about Lionel and Brad.
Lionel is an alpha lion shifter with a (reasonable!) fear of the dark and things that slither and crawl, scamper and root. So going on a ghost hunting tour isn't really his thing, but he goes anyway, because he doesn't want to let down his friends. Brad is an omega teacup poodle shifter who has fought his way in a construction world. When he smells something, or rather, someone delicious, but with an undertone of fear, he wants to help. He is too late, but that doesn't stop him from trying. He will do what he can to help the one he thinks might be his mate.
Man, this was so good! I loved how Brad was all tongue-tied when they first met, even shifting when his poodle took over. I loved how Lionel was a-okay with having a mate who wasn't a lioness. I loved how Brad's family and friends, and Lionel's friends, all rallied round to celebrate their mating. And the thing I loved most of all? Was that Lionel and Brad tossed the standard alpha/omega dynamic on its head and OWNED it! They did what worked for them and stuff everyone else.
There is some angst in here from Lionel's old pack, but he was standing up to them when his mum arrived like an avenging angel! I'll be honest, I had my doubts about her when I was reading, but she more than made up for it at the end. Now, I'm hoping we get her story and she finally finds her own fated mate.
A brilliant combination of steamy, funny, and emotional, this was a fantastic read that I highly recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 4, 2025
Lionel is an alpha lion shifter with a (reasonable!) fear of the dark and things that slither and crawl, scamper and root. So going on a ghost hunting tour isn't really his thing, but he goes anyway, because he doesn't want to let down his friends. Brad is an omega teacup poodle shifter who has fought his way in a construction world. When he smells something, or rather, someone delicious, but with an undertone of fear, he wants to help. He is too late, but that doesn't stop him from trying. He will do what he can to help the one he thinks might be his mate.
Man, this was so good! I loved how Brad was all tongue-tied when they first met, even shifting when his poodle took over. I loved how Lionel was a-okay with having a mate who wasn't a lioness. I loved how Brad's family and friends, and Lionel's friends, all rallied round to celebrate their mating. And the thing I loved most of all? Was that Lionel and Brad tossed the standard alpha/omega dynamic on its head and OWNED it! They did what worked for them and stuff everyone else.
There is some angst in here from Lionel's old pack, but he was standing up to them when his mum arrived like an avenging angel! I'll be honest, I had my doubts about her when I was reading, but she more than made up for it at the end. Now, I'm hoping we get her story and she finally finds her own fated mate.
A brilliant combination of steamy, funny, and emotional, this was a fantastic read that I highly recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 4, 2025