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Anna Marie Green (7 KP) rated Mass Effect: Andromeda in Video Games
Jul 3, 2018
Incredible Scenery (2 more)
Excellent Gameplay
Good Story Concept
Horrible Dialogue Interactions (4 more)
Rushed Production Led to Disastrous Bugs
The Faces
Online Mode
Romance Options Feel Hollow
The Tragedy of Mass Effect
The game I love to hate.
ME:A is worth at least a single playthrough, at least to understand where the complainsts were coming from. This game enrages us so much for a variety of reasons:
1. It Isn't Really Mass Effect
For a the bells and whistles of the Mass Effect title, Andromeda feels more like an Alternative Universe Fanfiction. There are hints of the original hidden in the world– messages from Liara T'Soni, a mention of Shephard, and the logs with the Reapers– but the story is so jarringly different at times that they could have replaced any of the alien species with new ones and been none the wiser. Ryder's relationship with SAM is at complete odds with the entirery of the Mass Effect story. This was probably BioWare's narrative goal, but it was so poorly executed that it just read as lazinezs.
2. The Dialogue
I'm not entirely sure who was in charge of the game's dialogue, but I am certain they helped ghostwrite 50 Shades of Grey.
"He's dead. Ha. Probably because I shot him in the face."
"You, and your god damned father. Sorry. My face is tired."
It's just... Horrible. Like a really crummy porno imitation of a good film. The voice actors have awkward pauses and scenes where they just look at you for a few moments.
3. The Ruined Potential
The worst thing about this game is the fact that underneath all the mistakes, the palimpsest of poorly written dialogue, and the rushed money-grubbing of a rabid EA, Mass Effect Andromeda was actually... Fun? The story was genuinely interesting. The characters had good stories. The worlds were beautiful and creative.
The Angara were interesting and creative. The revelation towards the end? I wouldn't say I was completely surprised, but it did leave me wanting to know about the galaxy beyond the Heleus Cluster.
It's just a shame they ruined their own creation before it was even completed.
Andromeda was flawed and greedy, but at the same time, it was a testament to game design and world development.
ME:A is worth at least a single playthrough, at least to understand where the complainsts were coming from. This game enrages us so much for a variety of reasons:
1. It Isn't Really Mass Effect
For a the bells and whistles of the Mass Effect title, Andromeda feels more like an Alternative Universe Fanfiction. There are hints of the original hidden in the world– messages from Liara T'Soni, a mention of Shephard, and the logs with the Reapers– but the story is so jarringly different at times that they could have replaced any of the alien species with new ones and been none the wiser. Ryder's relationship with SAM is at complete odds with the entirery of the Mass Effect story. This was probably BioWare's narrative goal, but it was so poorly executed that it just read as lazinezs.
2. The Dialogue
I'm not entirely sure who was in charge of the game's dialogue, but I am certain they helped ghostwrite 50 Shades of Grey.
"He's dead. Ha. Probably because I shot him in the face."
"You, and your god damned father. Sorry. My face is tired."
It's just... Horrible. Like a really crummy porno imitation of a good film. The voice actors have awkward pauses and scenes where they just look at you for a few moments.
3. The Ruined Potential
The worst thing about this game is the fact that underneath all the mistakes, the palimpsest of poorly written dialogue, and the rushed money-grubbing of a rabid EA, Mass Effect Andromeda was actually... Fun? The story was genuinely interesting. The characters had good stories. The worlds were beautiful and creative.
The Angara were interesting and creative. The revelation towards the end? I wouldn't say I was completely surprised, but it did leave me wanting to know about the galaxy beyond the Heleus Cluster.
It's just a shame they ruined their own creation before it was even completed.
Andromeda was flawed and greedy, but at the same time, it was a testament to game design and world development.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Hope: A Tragedy in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This book tells the story of a couple who buys an old farmhouse in upstate New York to esacape the craziness of life in NYC. The husband has major issues...the basis of which begin with his father leaving & the fact that his mother is a Jew who was born & raised in America. Yet she still manages to convince herself that she suffered through concentration camps in Nzi occupied Germany. The story gets interesting when Sol discovers an old, stooped over woman living in their attic. Big deal? Well, yeah. She claims to be Anne Frank.
Sounds like a great idea for a story, but to me it fell flat. At times I was interested & couldn't wait to see what would happen. Then it would just sort of ramble on for page upon page of nothing really happening. To me, the author was working way too hard at an attempt to be deep & philosophical. That ruined the promise of an intriguing plot line. It was okay, but I wouldn't read it again.
Sounds like a great idea for a story, but to me it fell flat. At times I was interested & couldn't wait to see what would happen. Then it would just sort of ramble on for page upon page of nothing really happening. To me, the author was working way too hard at an attempt to be deep & philosophical. That ruined the promise of an intriguing plot line. It was okay, but I wouldn't read it again.
Ande Thomas (69 KP) rated Ma (2019) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
There are a lot of instances where someone will complain about the whole movie being shown in the trailer and I just roll my eyes and move on. In general, I feel like it's more about how we get to the end of a story than it is about specific plot points or any twists there may be. In the case of Ma, however, I totally agree. It's not that there were any twists ruined or secrets revealed in the trailers, it's that the parts that weren't revealed were just filler. Literally nothing happened to expand on the presumptions we made about Ma. Every shocking part that would make us cringe as viewers was revealed before we even set foot in the theater. There's a good idea in here somewhere, it was just never allowed to bloom. Octavia Spencer is excellent, and I genuinely hope she takes more sinister roles from here on out. Truthfully, I can't fault any of the actors for their part. There just didn't turn out to be a whole lot to work with.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Ghost in the Shell (2017) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Forgettable
I’ve never seen the original anime, so I went into this with a fairly open mind but sadly the film just didn’t deliver.
The trailer made it look like a very slick futuristic thriller almost, and although the sfx are fantastic and really well done, the rest of the film is a letdown. The initial idea of her being a human brain inside a cyborg is a good one, but it’s sadly ruined by the unoriginal and predictable discovering her origins story. And I’m sorry, but I really don’t rate Scarlett Johansson. She isn’t bad, but she isn’t particularly great either and lately she always seems to be playing a similar sort of character. Pilou Asbæk is the only one who really excels in this and he’s the only truly likeable character. However I did spend the entire film trying to figure out where I knew him and his name from, and it’s only now I’ve realised he’s Euron Greyjoy, gah. To be honest I was pretty bored watching this and great sfx can’t make up for a very dull plot.
The trailer made it look like a very slick futuristic thriller almost, and although the sfx are fantastic and really well done, the rest of the film is a letdown. The initial idea of her being a human brain inside a cyborg is a good one, but it’s sadly ruined by the unoriginal and predictable discovering her origins story. And I’m sorry, but I really don’t rate Scarlett Johansson. She isn’t bad, but she isn’t particularly great either and lately she always seems to be playing a similar sort of character. Pilou Asbæk is the only one who really excels in this and he’s the only truly likeable character. However I did spend the entire film trying to figure out where I knew him and his name from, and it’s only now I’ve realised he’s Euron Greyjoy, gah. To be honest I was pretty bored watching this and great sfx can’t make up for a very dull plot.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Corpse with the Silver Tongue (Cait Morgan #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Cait Morgan has traveled to Nice to present a paper for a sick colleague when she runs into her former boss, Alistair Townsend. Unable to say no, she finds herself at a birthday party for Alistair’s wife that night. Dinner is ruined when Alistair drops dead at the table and the other guests start feeling sick. With the police looking at Cait, she needs to figure out what is really happening.
Cait is an interesting character because she has an excellent memory but a habit of judging others quickly. I did find myself annoyed by her at times, but that never lasted for long. The suspects make a strong cast as they have layers to them that Cait has to peal back before she can solve the crime. And the plot heads into some areas I wasn’t expecting that I found interesting. I had a couple of niggles with the climax, but they were minor.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-corpse-with-silver-tongue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Cait is an interesting character because she has an excellent memory but a habit of judging others quickly. I did find myself annoyed by her at times, but that never lasted for long. The suspects make a strong cast as they have layers to them that Cait has to peal back before she can solve the crime. And the plot heads into some areas I wasn’t expecting that I found interesting. I had a couple of niggles with the climax, but they were minor.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-corpse-with-silver-tongue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Peter Rabbit (2018) in Movies
Mar 28, 2018
Childhood memories, ruined
I'll be frankly honest, I knew I was going to hate this film. For one, I didn't want to watch it and got dragged against my will for a friends birthday. And I also really don't like James Corden, so this was destined to fail in my eyes.
And it really did fail. James Corden just isn't right as Peter and I really couldn't listen to him and the rest of the voice actors seemed to not quite fit either. Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor but he really hams it up to the point it gets cringeworthy. The CGI was horrific and painful to watch at times too. What happened to good old fashioned animation (which the film does use briefly)? And the script and jokes are cheesy and really miss the mark - I'll admit to having a discerning sense of humour but I didn't laugh once.
This is great puerile fun for the little ones, but all it did for me is ruin all the fond memories I have of Beatrix Potter stories from my childhood.
And it really did fail. James Corden just isn't right as Peter and I really couldn't listen to him and the rest of the voice actors seemed to not quite fit either. Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor but he really hams it up to the point it gets cringeworthy. The CGI was horrific and painful to watch at times too. What happened to good old fashioned animation (which the film does use briefly)? And the script and jokes are cheesy and really miss the mark - I'll admit to having a discerning sense of humour but I didn't laugh once.
This is great puerile fun for the little ones, but all it did for me is ruin all the fond memories I have of Beatrix Potter stories from my childhood.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated The Hate U Give (2018) in Movies
Oct 23, 2018
Amandla Steinberg as starr (3 more)
TJ wright
Antony Mackie
K J Apa Chris stepping in last minute
First film to make me cry
Without a doubt Hate U Give was my favourite read last year. As soon as I heard it was going to be a film, I was excited and worried that once again my fav book could get ruined. I please to say this didn't happen.
This film is heart breaking breathe taking and will destroy your emotions. Amandla performance was on point I don't think I've ever seen such a great castings choice. Interestingly K J Apa came into the film late in results after the first Chris got sacked. I'm not usually a huge fan of K J yet I found Chris in the film entering which is suprising because in the book I found him rather annoying.
It also intresting to see Antony Mackie as a villain of the film after being so used to seeing him as a hero in the marvel fanschises.
Without a doubt my favourite film of this year
This film is heart breaking breathe taking and will destroy your emotions. Amandla performance was on point I don't think I've ever seen such a great castings choice. Interestingly K J Apa came into the film late in results after the first Chris got sacked. I'm not usually a huge fan of K J yet I found Chris in the film entering which is suprising because in the book I found him rather annoying.
It also intresting to see Antony Mackie as a villain of the film after being so used to seeing him as a hero in the marvel fanschises.
Without a doubt my favourite film of this year
The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from Islamic State
10.0
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