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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Gwendy's Button Box in Books
Jan 31, 2018
An interesting plot bunny, but a bland book.
So, one of the things that makes a lot of horror book lovers give me the stink-eye is the fact that I freely admit to the fact that I don't really like to read Stephen King's books. I'm a huge fan of his plots, but I have an attention span the length of a gnat, so when he goes off on his 'wanders', I go glaze-eyed and generally move on to something else.
But, I saw everyone talking about Gwendy's Button Box, and took note of the fact that it had been 'co-written' by Richard Chizmar. Given the fact that it was a novella, I decided to give it a try. (I got the audio version from the library.) And.. it was... okay? Yeah, okay is the right word.
The narrator did a fantastic job as Gwendy, and the concept of the Button Box was a great one. The character development of Gwendy is excellent. However, the actual story itself just left me scratching my head and wondering if I missed something. It was a good thought experiment, but coming from two horror writers, I was a little taken aback at the lack of actual, you know, horror.
But, I saw everyone talking about Gwendy's Button Box, and took note of the fact that it had been 'co-written' by Richard Chizmar. Given the fact that it was a novella, I decided to give it a try. (I got the audio version from the library.) And.. it was... okay? Yeah, okay is the right word.
The narrator did a fantastic job as Gwendy, and the concept of the Button Box was a great one. The character development of Gwendy is excellent. However, the actual story itself just left me scratching my head and wondering if I missed something. It was a good thought experiment, but coming from two horror writers, I was a little taken aback at the lack of actual, you know, horror.

Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Rock of Ages (2012) in Movies
Jan 26, 2018
From Broadway to big screen
Rock of ages takes us on the story of a small town girl who is living in a lonely world, who comes to the bright light big city of Los Angeles only to get robbed and have to work at one of the most famous bars on the strip. This movie follows her story about life in the big city and living amonungst rock and roll during the 80's. She is up, she is down, and rises to top again but not in the way you think.
On Broadway Dee Snyder from Twisted sister played the lead character of Stacy Jaxx the famed rock and roller, who is drunk but is so popular who cares right. Our switch to Tom Cruise to film was not the right person to sing. He can act but, if we remember top gun lets be real.
Other major actors and singers who grace the silver screen in this movie are
Alec, Baldwin, Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julianne Hough and Mar J Blige.
The music and sound track were worth seeing the movie especially if you saw it on Broadway but this was yet another way to let america get to see a show that was only in NY.
On Broadway Dee Snyder from Twisted sister played the lead character of Stacy Jaxx the famed rock and roller, who is drunk but is so popular who cares right. Our switch to Tom Cruise to film was not the right person to sing. He can act but, if we remember top gun lets be real.
Other major actors and singers who grace the silver screen in this movie are
Alec, Baldwin, Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julianne Hough and Mar J Blige.
The music and sound track were worth seeing the movie especially if you saw it on Broadway but this was yet another way to let america get to see a show that was only in NY.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Unfortunately I didn't read it in time so I finally just went out and got the book instead.
I am a huge fan of Tim Burton & The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all time favorite movies. When I saw this up for review on Netgalley, I just knew I had to read it. The best thing about Mangas are the fact that you read it backwards. It's pretty fun to go the opposite way and experience something different.
When reading this book, I realized just how much I love the movie and I'm now thinking that I haven't spent nearly enough time watching or listening to this movie. The artwork that Jun Asuka did was spectacular. It was extremely well done and did honor to the movie. The only thing that drove me a little crazy was that the entire songs were missing. I know, I shouldn't need to read them all but it just felt like something was missing every time a song would come up and then be glossed over.
Ultimately, this was a lot of fun, the artwork was beautiful and it was a fun way to go back to one of my favorite movies.
I am a huge fan of Tim Burton & The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all time favorite movies. When I saw this up for review on Netgalley, I just knew I had to read it. The best thing about Mangas are the fact that you read it backwards. It's pretty fun to go the opposite way and experience something different.
When reading this book, I realized just how much I love the movie and I'm now thinking that I haven't spent nearly enough time watching or listening to this movie. The artwork that Jun Asuka did was spectacular. It was extremely well done and did honor to the movie. The only thing that drove me a little crazy was that the entire songs were missing. I know, I shouldn't need to read them all but it just felt like something was missing every time a song would come up and then be glossed over.
Ultimately, this was a lot of fun, the artwork was beautiful and it was a fun way to go back to one of my favorite movies.

Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
So many references to games and movies (2 more)
Great story
Visually beautiful
Perfect movie for gamers and movie buffs!
I want to start off by saying I've never read the book so I can't make comparisons like so many have. For the movie it's self it's incredible.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.

ashezbookz (32 KP) rated I Like You Like This in Books
Jul 5, 2018
I quite enjoyed this book - there were a bit of issues with transitioning into different mindsets - I prefer when each person is either labelled or there is a space to show there is another person talking, so I had a bit of a problem following along in a few parts, but since most of the book is Hannah it was not a huge issue.
I read an arc of this book, I saw the description and it immediately spoke to me - being a self conscious acne riddled (adult mind you) I was like, hey first hook line and sinker. Hannah's family life is pretty awful for her, she tries to escape I think using Deacon, their time together was actually quite amazing to read. You get those fluffy romances most YA books have and this was different. I thought it was great.
Onto the ending - if I don't get a book 2, or a novella, or SOMETHING I'm going to be very upset, you can't do that to me! You just cant! I'd totally read this book again, and I would recommend it (to certain members of my family/friends, as I know some people wouldn't be interested in the content there's a lot of drug talk, etc.)
I read an arc of this book, I saw the description and it immediately spoke to me - being a self conscious acne riddled (adult mind you) I was like, hey first hook line and sinker. Hannah's family life is pretty awful for her, she tries to escape I think using Deacon, their time together was actually quite amazing to read. You get those fluffy romances most YA books have and this was different. I thought it was great.
Onto the ending - if I don't get a book 2, or a novella, or SOMETHING I'm going to be very upset, you can't do that to me! You just cant! I'd totally read this book again, and I would recommend it (to certain members of my family/friends, as I know some people wouldn't be interested in the content there's a lot of drug talk, etc.)

Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Cheap Thrills (2014) in Movies
Jul 29, 2018
Great cast (2 more)
Some extreme moments
Unpredictable
How far would you go when your desperate?
This was a fun movie, it reminded me a lot of that movie called Nerve. You do more and more dangerous dates for more money. It does beg the question "How far would you go when your desperate for money?"
This resulted in some extreme moments which I never saw coming. It was written well with an excellent cast. I can never take David Koechner seriously in anyovie he does but he does have a certain creep factor about him.
I like how contained it was. It was mainly set inside 1 house. It didn't go too crazy or extreme with too much money on the line. It went far enough with a believable amount of $250,000 overall. I feel the less money being offered, the more it felt desperate and extreme. It does make me think there may be some rich people out there who get off on this kind of thing.
There are definitely some "look away" moments which is good for this kind of movie and there was a decent amount of gore.
Definitely worth a watch and this was 1 of those movies that I only paid £1 for the blu ray. Can't argue with that.
This resulted in some extreme moments which I never saw coming. It was written well with an excellent cast. I can never take David Koechner seriously in anyovie he does but he does have a certain creep factor about him.
I like how contained it was. It was mainly set inside 1 house. It didn't go too crazy or extreme with too much money on the line. It went far enough with a believable amount of $250,000 overall. I feel the less money being offered, the more it felt desperate and extreme. It does make me think there may be some rich people out there who get off on this kind of thing.
There are definitely some "look away" moments which is good for this kind of movie and there was a decent amount of gore.
Definitely worth a watch and this was 1 of those movies that I only paid £1 for the blu ray. Can't argue with that.
The plot wasn’t memorable (2 more)
The characters weren’t great
A forced love triangle between people with no chemistry
Not a Big Fan
I was not a big fan of this book. It’s not so much that it was a horrible book, it was simply completely forgettable. I read it about two years ago, and then in the last year I started to here a lot about it. I watched reviews for it and read blog posts discussing it. The problem is, that as I watched the reviews, I had no idea that I had already read the book. The plot was so generic that what they were describing made no impact on my memory. It wasn’t until I watched a detailed spoiler review that I realized I had been researching a book I had already read. Mare, the protagonist, has little personality and her desires are not really clear. There is an incredibly forced love triangle. I saw no reason for the love triangle as there was no chemistry between any of the characters. The plus side that I liked was the twist at the end. The writing was also fairly good. The plot was just not there for me.

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Blue on Blue - Single by Just Loud in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Just Loud is a New York-based singer-songwriter from Virginia. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his “Blue on Blue” single.
The Ben Guzman-directed audiovisual is all about getting to know who Just Loud is and his constantly changing character. The music video reflects him as an entertainer, artist, and his real self.
‘Blue on Blue’ tells an interesting tale which echoes the aftermath of a toxic relationship and downward spiral of a young guy who self-medicates.
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline, Prince-style falsetto vocals, and neo-funk instrumentation scented with an alternative-pop fragrance.
Written by Just Loud with Dave Katz “Sluggo” (Neon Trees, Good Charlotte) and Patrick Nissley (Thirty Seconds to Mars, Yungblud.
Just Loud was raised around a small county church, but his rebellious and inquisitive nature saw him cast away at the age of 15. Shortly afterward, he found himself homeless in New York on a pursuit to pursue music.
Not too long ago, he released his debut EP, entitled, “Episode 1”. The pleasant project features the Top 25 US Alternative Radio hit, “Electrified”, which has amassed millions of streams online.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/just-loud-blue-on-blue/
The Ben Guzman-directed audiovisual is all about getting to know who Just Loud is and his constantly changing character. The music video reflects him as an entertainer, artist, and his real self.
‘Blue on Blue’ tells an interesting tale which echoes the aftermath of a toxic relationship and downward spiral of a young guy who self-medicates.
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline, Prince-style falsetto vocals, and neo-funk instrumentation scented with an alternative-pop fragrance.
Written by Just Loud with Dave Katz “Sluggo” (Neon Trees, Good Charlotte) and Patrick Nissley (Thirty Seconds to Mars, Yungblud.
Just Loud was raised around a small county church, but his rebellious and inquisitive nature saw him cast away at the age of 15. Shortly afterward, he found himself homeless in New York on a pursuit to pursue music.
Not too long ago, he released his debut EP, entitled, “Episode 1”. The pleasant project features the Top 25 US Alternative Radio hit, “Electrified”, which has amassed millions of streams online.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/just-loud-blue-on-blue/

Awix (3310 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
Jan 2, 2019
It seems only appropriate to close out the year which saw the passing of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko with a film celebrating their most successful creation; the result is a movie which appears to be under-performing at the box office simply because it's animated (a regrettable prejudice which I sometimes suffer from myself). On one level this is yet another Spider-Man origin story, the novelty value comes from the fact that the Spider-Man in question is the Ultimate version (Miles Morales) and the plot involves a hole being blown in the universe and numerous other Spider-People from parallel worlds being sucked through. Some of these are very weird.
Rock-solid storytelling, huge visual imagination and some very good jokes come together to make a film which works really well on virtually every level; there's perhaps not enough of the Nicolas Cage Spider-Man but you can't have everything. Not sure where they're going to go with the sequel (the novelty value of this film makes it a tough act to follow) but it does at least suggest possibilities for a meta-franchise based just on Spider-Man. A worthy and touching tribute to Stan and Steve.
Rock-solid storytelling, huge visual imagination and some very good jokes come together to make a film which works really well on virtually every level; there's perhaps not enough of the Nicolas Cage Spider-Man but you can't have everything. Not sure where they're going to go with the sequel (the novelty value of this film makes it a tough act to follow) but it does at least suggest possibilities for a meta-franchise based just on Spider-Man. A worthy and touching tribute to Stan and Steve.

David McK (3562 KP) rated Ratcatcher (Matthew Hawkwood, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I picked this book up for something like 99p in a Clearance sale in my local WH Smiths, and I have to say: it actually proved to be a better read than many other books that I've paid full price for.
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...