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Dean (6927 KP) rated Top Gun: Maverick (2022) in Movies
Jun 1, 2022
Amazing Fighter jet scenes (1 more)
Very nostalgic
You can be my wing man anytime
So after being put back a while we finally get to see the Top Gun sequel. I saw it in 4dx which really adds to the fighter jet scenes.
Plot wise it treads a very similar path to the original film, opening is almost identical. Maverick is back to train some past Top Gun graduates for a very dangerous mission. One of the team is Rooster, the son of Goose from the original.
There is plenty of nostalgic moments that are reminiscent of scenes and things from the original film. Good to see Iceman have a role as well. The biggest draw though is the fighter jet scenes. The original stood out and wasn't bettered for the air combat action. This probably improves on fighter jet scenes with a better variety of shots and view points. Top Gun is the perfect film for the big screen.
Plot wise it treads a very similar path to the original film, opening is almost identical. Maverick is back to train some past Top Gun graduates for a very dangerous mission. One of the team is Rooster, the son of Goose from the original.
There is plenty of nostalgic moments that are reminiscent of scenes and things from the original film. Good to see Iceman have a role as well. The biggest draw though is the fighter jet scenes. The original stood out and wasn't bettered for the air combat action. This probably improves on fighter jet scenes with a better variety of shots and view points. Top Gun is the perfect film for the big screen.

Otway93 (580 KP) rated The Phantom Tollbooth (1970) in Movies
Apr 13, 2022
Animation (2 more)
Voice Acting
Story
A Psychedelic Delight for All!
This gem of a movie, brought to life by legendary director and animator Chuck Jones (Road Runner, Tom and Jerry etc.), is something magical and downright strange.
It has been 52 years since it's release, and before tonight probably 20 years since I saw it last. I see now that this classic piece of children's cinema is a timeless classic, that I think for the most part sadly remains forgotten.
The story itself feels very similar to "Alice in Wonderland" , with hints of "The Wizard of Oz" added to make something honestly quite unique.
Another thing that is essential to mention in this review, is that I believe it is enjoyable to those literally any age.
Overall, whether you want warring kingdoms, princesses, lovable characters, strange monsters or just a great story with an excellent moral, this is the film for you!
Enjoy, folks!
It has been 52 years since it's release, and before tonight probably 20 years since I saw it last. I see now that this classic piece of children's cinema is a timeless classic, that I think for the most part sadly remains forgotten.
The story itself feels very similar to "Alice in Wonderland" , with hints of "The Wizard of Oz" added to make something honestly quite unique.
Another thing that is essential to mention in this review, is that I believe it is enjoyable to those literally any age.
Overall, whether you want warring kingdoms, princesses, lovable characters, strange monsters or just a great story with an excellent moral, this is the film for you!
Enjoy, folks!

David McK (3587 KP) rated She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in TV
Oct 16, 2022
I'm sorry to say this, but - to me, at least - it feels like Marvel has been on something of a decline ever since 'Avengers: Endgame', with none of the Disney+ TV series (all of which have been unique in their format, at least), really 'sticking the landing'.
I could probably best describe this by the 6 words I heard my mum (who doesn't really watch any of the Marvel stuff) say when she saw a bit of an episode of this:
"What on earth is this rubbish?"
While, personally, that was maybe a bit strong for me - I wouldn't go quite as far as calling it rubbish - it does more-or-less reflect my feelings on the show: for a (supposed) sit-com, there's very little funny in it, with what comedy there is being painful to watch rather than amusing.
Does bring Charlie Cox's Daredevil back into the fold, though (eventually), and really REALLY leans heavily into trolling its own fans ...
I could probably best describe this by the 6 words I heard my mum (who doesn't really watch any of the Marvel stuff) say when she saw a bit of an episode of this:
"What on earth is this rubbish?"
While, personally, that was maybe a bit strong for me - I wouldn't go quite as far as calling it rubbish - it does more-or-less reflect my feelings on the show: for a (supposed) sit-com, there's very little funny in it, with what comedy there is being painful to watch rather than amusing.
Does bring Charlie Cox's Daredevil back into the fold, though (eventually), and really REALLY leans heavily into trolling its own fans ...

Shifter Woods: Growl (Esposito County Shifters #3)
Book
I knew he was trouble from the first moment I saw him. But I couldn't resist trouble… Life in...
Paranormal Romance

David McK (3587 KP) rated The Sixth Sense (1999) in Movies
Feb 12, 2023
"I see dead people ..."
So, this film is now nearly 25 years old.
I'd never seen it.
That was mainly because I'd had the twist spoilt for me when it first came out: I was at university, doing a course on film and fiction circa 2000, and the lecturer came out with "and so, as we all now know ..." (I didn't) ".. the twist in the film is that ..."
So, yeah, I saw little point in watching it after that.
I *had* seen a few of M Night Shyamalan other films that were released later ("Signs", "Unbreakable" or "The Happening", for instance), but never really thought they were anything above average.
None the less, I decided - when I came across this on Disney+ - that it was time to go right back to 1999, right back to before Shyamalan became known for his twists, just to see if the movie held up.
It did.
Mostly.
I'd never seen it.
That was mainly because I'd had the twist spoilt for me when it first came out: I was at university, doing a course on film and fiction circa 2000, and the lecturer came out with "and so, as we all now know ..." (I didn't) ".. the twist in the film is that ..."
So, yeah, I saw little point in watching it after that.
I *had* seen a few of M Night Shyamalan other films that were released later ("Signs", "Unbreakable" or "The Happening", for instance), but never really thought they were anything above average.
None the less, I decided - when I came across this on Disney+ - that it was time to go right back to 1999, right back to before Shyamalan became known for his twists, just to see if the movie held up.
It did.
Mostly.

Peace (The Four Horsemen, #5)
Book
When falling in love means risking everything, an angel must decide if losing his heart is worth it....
MM Paranormal Romance

David McK (3587 KP) rated Project Hail Mary in Books
Apr 13, 2025
I remember reading "The Martian" in 2014, 2015, thereabouts.
Watched the movie no long afterwards.
Enjoyed both, but not enough to make me hunt out any others by the same author, so never (yet) read "Artemis" by the same author.
Then saw this on sale on Kindle, for something like 99pence, so thought I might as well give it a chance, after checking it was not part of a series i.e. could be read as a standalone (which it can).
Like The Martian, I found this enjoyable enough, maybe a bit slow during the middle section, but I'm also left with a burning question at the very end - just what happened back home on Earth? The novel completely bypasses that, perhaps as it's pretty much all told in first-person perspective from the astronaut/science teacher Ryland Grace, the last survivor on board the spaceship Hail Mary on a last-ditch effort to save Earth.
Watched the movie no long afterwards.
Enjoyed both, but not enough to make me hunt out any others by the same author, so never (yet) read "Artemis" by the same author.
Then saw this on sale on Kindle, for something like 99pence, so thought I might as well give it a chance, after checking it was not part of a series i.e. could be read as a standalone (which it can).
Like The Martian, I found this enjoyable enough, maybe a bit slow during the middle section, but I'm also left with a burning question at the very end - just what happened back home on Earth? The novel completely bypasses that, perhaps as it's pretty much all told in first-person perspective from the astronaut/science teacher Ryland Grace, the last survivor on board the spaceship Hail Mary on a last-ditch effort to save Earth.

Graham Bonnet: The Story Behind the Shades
Book
Graham Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947 and had his first hit single with The Marbles in 1968,...

Robert Englund recommended East of Eden (1955) in Movies (curated)

Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Matchmaker in Books
May 10, 2018
Dabney Kimball Beach is the head of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce. She is also known as the island's resident Matchmaker. As summer begins in Nantucket, she receives an email from her ex-boyfriend some 27 years before, Clendenan Hughes, that he will be back on the island the very next day. Dabney wasn't sure what to make of this news or what she was going to do when she saw Clen again. He has been the love of her life, the father of her child and the man she was supposed to be with. But now, she is married to John "Box" Miller Beach and they have a wonderful life together on Nantucket, with their daughter Agnes who is now and adult and living her own life in New York City. But this summer is going to be one that none of them will ever forget.
I am really starting to enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's books. They are perfect for the summer and they make me want to visit Nantucket. I haven't really visited to many northern beaches always preferring to go south.
This was a cute story about a woman who had matched over 40 couples in her life. Whenever she saw people that should be together, there was a rosy aura around them that only she could see. When they weren't a match, the aura was green and murky. I'm not sure what kind of special powers she had, but it was an interesting concept. Most of Nantucket loved Dabney she was always there whenever she was needed and kind to everyone. But this summer is different. Dabney isn't herself. She thinks, it's because she is love sick with Clen being back in the picture and she is married to Box. She sneaks away from work to see Clen to see if what they had in the past can be rekindled.
My reviews are always shorter with the books that I listen to, since I don't feel as immersed in it as if I had read it myself. But I did enjoy this book and I think I'm going to read more from Ms. Hilderbrand this summer.
I am really starting to enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's books. They are perfect for the summer and they make me want to visit Nantucket. I haven't really visited to many northern beaches always preferring to go south.
This was a cute story about a woman who had matched over 40 couples in her life. Whenever she saw people that should be together, there was a rosy aura around them that only she could see. When they weren't a match, the aura was green and murky. I'm not sure what kind of special powers she had, but it was an interesting concept. Most of Nantucket loved Dabney she was always there whenever she was needed and kind to everyone. But this summer is different. Dabney isn't herself. She thinks, it's because she is love sick with Clen being back in the picture and she is married to Box. She sneaks away from work to see Clen to see if what they had in the past can be rekindled.
My reviews are always shorter with the books that I listen to, since I don't feel as immersed in it as if I had read it myself. But I did enjoy this book and I think I'm going to read more from Ms. Hilderbrand this summer.