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What Makes Sammy Run?
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Everyone of us knows someone who runs. He is one of the symptoms of our times - from the little man...
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Fantastic Four (2015) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
An absolute snooze
Here comes yet another superhero film. Ending Marvel’s year that has included the charming Big Hero 6, the overstuffed Avengers: Age of Ultron and the surprisingly excellent Ant-Man, the Fox produced Fantastic Four reboot has a tough job trying to get audiences to forget the horror that came before it.
It’s been a tough ride for the quartet of heroes, but does director Josh Trank’s modern day reimagining of Marvel’s first team do enough to change perceptions?
Not by a long shot. Despite some excellent special effects, this yawnfest of a film that was plagued by rumours of constant behind-the-scenes tension and last-minute editing doesn’t have an ounce of originality in its short 100 minute running time.
Miles Teller (Insurgent), Kate Mara (Transcendence), Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) take on the roles of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm respectively and are fine, if lacking in any real chemistry.
Fantastic Four is above all, an origins story as the four young adults try to crack interdimensional travel. Naturally, things don’t go quite to plan and they, alongside fellow colleague Victor Von Doom end up with an unusual set of powers – with Doom becoming the main antagonist.
Unfortunately, the plot, devised by no less than three writers is a complete bore. There is hardly anything of interest throughout the entire film as Trank pushes his cast from one underwhelming set piece to another.
When things do get tense, it’s only for a five minute scene involving Doom breaking out of a research facility. This is when we get to see what Fantastic Four could’ve been, a dark and brooding film with a disturbing villain at its core.
However, it seems this has been pushed back to make way for an unusually flat sense of humour and an uninteresting origins story. Marvel films live and die on their comedic elements and unfortunately Fantastic Four is as poor as they come.
Nevertheless, the film’s special effects are on the whole, very good. The other dimension looks fantastic and The Thing in particular is rendered using excellent motion capture animation.
An underwhelming climax wraps up a bitterly disappointing outing for the four heroes. Most superhero films end with a spectacular showdown of good versus evil but Fantastic Four has none of this. The ending is clichéd, short and has no real payoff.
Overall, expectations were already low for this reboot and despite director Josh Trank’s obvious talent for direction, this talent is nowhere to be found in Fantastic Four.
A cast that doesn’t gel together, a poor soundtrack and a lack of tonal balance ensures it will rest alongside X-Men Origins: Wolverine as proof that Marvel Studios needs the rights to all of its heroes returning to it.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/08/09/an-absolute-snooze-fantastic-four-review/
It’s been a tough ride for the quartet of heroes, but does director Josh Trank’s modern day reimagining of Marvel’s first team do enough to change perceptions?
Not by a long shot. Despite some excellent special effects, this yawnfest of a film that was plagued by rumours of constant behind-the-scenes tension and last-minute editing doesn’t have an ounce of originality in its short 100 minute running time.
Miles Teller (Insurgent), Kate Mara (Transcendence), Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) take on the roles of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm respectively and are fine, if lacking in any real chemistry.
Fantastic Four is above all, an origins story as the four young adults try to crack interdimensional travel. Naturally, things don’t go quite to plan and they, alongside fellow colleague Victor Von Doom end up with an unusual set of powers – with Doom becoming the main antagonist.
Unfortunately, the plot, devised by no less than three writers is a complete bore. There is hardly anything of interest throughout the entire film as Trank pushes his cast from one underwhelming set piece to another.
When things do get tense, it’s only for a five minute scene involving Doom breaking out of a research facility. This is when we get to see what Fantastic Four could’ve been, a dark and brooding film with a disturbing villain at its core.
However, it seems this has been pushed back to make way for an unusually flat sense of humour and an uninteresting origins story. Marvel films live and die on their comedic elements and unfortunately Fantastic Four is as poor as they come.
Nevertheless, the film’s special effects are on the whole, very good. The other dimension looks fantastic and The Thing in particular is rendered using excellent motion capture animation.
An underwhelming climax wraps up a bitterly disappointing outing for the four heroes. Most superhero films end with a spectacular showdown of good versus evil but Fantastic Four has none of this. The ending is clichéd, short and has no real payoff.
Overall, expectations were already low for this reboot and despite director Josh Trank’s obvious talent for direction, this talent is nowhere to be found in Fantastic Four.
A cast that doesn’t gel together, a poor soundtrack and a lack of tonal balance ensures it will rest alongside X-Men Origins: Wolverine as proof that Marvel Studios needs the rights to all of its heroes returning to it.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/08/09/an-absolute-snooze-fantastic-four-review/
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Demoni Vankil (Hobin Luckyfeller's Fieldguides, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
Review also found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>.
I loved this book! I loved the intrigue and mystery...and it had a gnome!!!! I love gnomes!!!
Hobin Luckyfeller is a fishis (want to know what that is, then look it up in the book, lol). He comes across fourteen letters sent from a husband to his wife that talk about a major project that has to do with runes and how to trap the Dark Lord. Hobin must try to read in between the lines to figure out what everything means.
The title definitely suits the book! I won't say too much because of spoilers, but once you read the book, you'll definitely know why. It's a perfect title!!
The cover is very ominous looking! I like the way it looks like it's made of leather. I think the cover suits the book because of the three runes on it which, the whole book mentions the runes throughout. I don't really get the yellow face on the cover though. That takes away from it a bit, but I kind of like the yellow face for some odd reason.
The pacing of this book was perfect! As I said, it's only a short story, and sometimes it's difficult to get the pacing right in short stories, however Mr. Buckley gets the pacing spot on! I found myself wanting to know more before I had even finished the chapter I was on!
The dialogue was easy to understand especially since there's a glossary type thing in the back of the book which helps with the pronunciation of words and what they mean as well as who people and places are in the book. I found this to be most useful because with some of the words, I had a difficult time pronouncing them!
I loved the character of Hobin Luckyfeller. I'm not just saying that because he's a gnome! I loved his thirst for knowledge and how he wanted to figure everything out. He wouldn't stop for anything. As for Eamon, the author of the letters, I felt so bad for him. I felt his pain at not being able to see his wife and children.
My favourite part of the book was after the end. No, not because the book was over, but because there was information on the authors. Yes, I said authors! It lists Hobin Luckyfeller as one of the authors along with Jaime Buckley. I found this to be quite humouress!
Jaime Buckley definitely has a way with words. I thought this story was very well written. It's definitely piqued my interest in the Wanted: Hero series that Jaime Buckley has written.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 15+ especially those who love fantasy, mystery, dwarves, goblins, etc.
I loved this book! I loved the intrigue and mystery...and it had a gnome!!!! I love gnomes!!!
Hobin Luckyfeller is a fishis (want to know what that is, then look it up in the book, lol). He comes across fourteen letters sent from a husband to his wife that talk about a major project that has to do with runes and how to trap the Dark Lord. Hobin must try to read in between the lines to figure out what everything means.
The title definitely suits the book! I won't say too much because of spoilers, but once you read the book, you'll definitely know why. It's a perfect title!!
The cover is very ominous looking! I like the way it looks like it's made of leather. I think the cover suits the book because of the three runes on it which, the whole book mentions the runes throughout. I don't really get the yellow face on the cover though. That takes away from it a bit, but I kind of like the yellow face for some odd reason.
The pacing of this book was perfect! As I said, it's only a short story, and sometimes it's difficult to get the pacing right in short stories, however Mr. Buckley gets the pacing spot on! I found myself wanting to know more before I had even finished the chapter I was on!
The dialogue was easy to understand especially since there's a glossary type thing in the back of the book which helps with the pronunciation of words and what they mean as well as who people and places are in the book. I found this to be most useful because with some of the words, I had a difficult time pronouncing them!
I loved the character of Hobin Luckyfeller. I'm not just saying that because he's a gnome! I loved his thirst for knowledge and how he wanted to figure everything out. He wouldn't stop for anything. As for Eamon, the author of the letters, I felt so bad for him. I felt his pain at not being able to see his wife and children.
My favourite part of the book was after the end. No, not because the book was over, but because there was information on the authors. Yes, I said authors! It lists Hobin Luckyfeller as one of the authors along with Jaime Buckley. I found this to be quite humouress!
Jaime Buckley definitely has a way with words. I thought this story was very well written. It's definitely piqued my interest in the Wanted: Hero series that Jaime Buckley has written.
I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 15+ especially those who love fantasy, mystery, dwarves, goblins, etc.
Southern Today (21 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Nov 13, 2017
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well, we all knew this had to happen. And I am a full week late in getting to watch this movie.
Alright, if you know Norse mythology: IGNORE EVERYTHING YOU KNOW. Seriously. Fenrir made it. Yup. Okay, let’s… let’s just not discuss that. I would need to go and refresh myself and, I just don’t want to be that dissapointed.
Outside of that, it was a good movie. A LOT happened, and just understand that we are basically jumping two years from when Age of Ultron took place. Also, Thor has become a true American and lost his god talk. I wish they hadn’t done this. I wish they would have updated him without losing that, because, even though it was annoying at times it also kept to the myth side a bit more. I did love the short hair.
LOKI! Yes! Though, in many ways, I wish we had a lot more of him. It seems as if the film makers are angry over how popular Loki has become – he could have been a lot more.
And the pacing. The pacing was odd. Skipping a lot of information. What happened to Thor the last two years? How, exactly, did Hulk get there? Why does the Valkyrie have such a poorly described and explained back story?
That being said, I did enjoy this. So much sass, so much action, and the characters did move forward.
Alright, if you know Norse mythology: IGNORE EVERYTHING YOU KNOW. Seriously. Fenrir made it. Yup. Okay, let’s… let’s just not discuss that. I would need to go and refresh myself and, I just don’t want to be that dissapointed.
Outside of that, it was a good movie. A LOT happened, and just understand that we are basically jumping two years from when Age of Ultron took place. Also, Thor has become a true American and lost his god talk. I wish they hadn’t done this. I wish they would have updated him without losing that, because, even though it was annoying at times it also kept to the myth side a bit more. I did love the short hair.
LOKI! Yes! Though, in many ways, I wish we had a lot more of him. It seems as if the film makers are angry over how popular Loki has become – he could have been a lot more.
And the pacing. The pacing was odd. Skipping a lot of information. What happened to Thor the last two years? How, exactly, did Hulk get there? Why does the Valkyrie have such a poorly described and explained back story?
That being said, I did enjoy this. So much sass, so much action, and the characters did move forward.
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated I Hate Fairyland, Vol 2: Fluff My Life in Books
Aug 2, 2017
Picking up directly where the first volume leaves off, this volume of I Hate Fairyland, with Gert now Queen of Fairyland, and that goes about as well as you'd expect. She is eventually ousted from the throne and continues her search for a way home, dragging the unfortunate Larry along the way.
While Scottie Young's writing is still funny and his art is as madcap as ever (and Jean-Francois Beaulieu's eye-popping colors are eye-popping!), this volume was far more episodic than the previous story arc, with each issue more or less playing out the same scenario each time: Gert finds a "new" way home each issue, which of course turns out not to be a way home and then she fights her way out of the situation in the usual bloodbath, end of issue. The final issue of the collection does offer an interesting post-apocalyptic view of Fairyland, but it's actually not made clear whether the series is continuing after this volume (which there will be after a short break until the monthly series picks back up again in March), so the casual reader may be confused about whether this is actually the close of the series.
I'll be picking up the next collection of the series for sure, regardless of the slight disappointment that came with this issue, because I Hate Fairyland is still one of the most original comics that I've read in a long time.
While Scottie Young's writing is still funny and his art is as madcap as ever (and Jean-Francois Beaulieu's eye-popping colors are eye-popping!), this volume was far more episodic than the previous story arc, with each issue more or less playing out the same scenario each time: Gert finds a "new" way home each issue, which of course turns out not to be a way home and then she fights her way out of the situation in the usual bloodbath, end of issue. The final issue of the collection does offer an interesting post-apocalyptic view of Fairyland, but it's actually not made clear whether the series is continuing after this volume (which there will be after a short break until the monthly series picks back up again in March), so the casual reader may be confused about whether this is actually the close of the series.
I'll be picking up the next collection of the series for sure, regardless of the slight disappointment that came with this issue, because I Hate Fairyland is still one of the most original comics that I've read in a long time.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Eyes on You in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Robin has just started a new job and is about to release her first book. RIght now, is seems as if life couldn't get any better for her. When a series of strange events begins to happen, Robin has to figure out exactly who is trying to sabotage her career. There are a few people it could be and right now Robin isn't sure who she can trust.
This book held my attention from start to finish. It was hard to put down. The book had a little bit of everything in it. A little thriller, a little romance, some conspiracy and murder. All throughout the book, you think you know who is going to be the one doing all of the dirty work. There seems to be so many suspects. Is it the handsome co-host? The ambitious intern who is desperately trying her best? The veteran at the station who will stop at nothing to stay on top and relevant? The associate producer whose story ideas always seem to fall a little short.
I could not put this book down. I had to know what was going to happen. I stayed on the edge of my seat. There was even one part where I shouted, "Holy Shit!" out loud. Luckily, I wasn't any place public when that happened.
This was a great book. One of the best that I have read this year. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This book held my attention from start to finish. It was hard to put down. The book had a little bit of everything in it. A little thriller, a little romance, some conspiracy and murder. All throughout the book, you think you know who is going to be the one doing all of the dirty work. There seems to be so many suspects. Is it the handsome co-host? The ambitious intern who is desperately trying her best? The veteran at the station who will stop at nothing to stay on top and relevant? The associate producer whose story ideas always seem to fall a little short.
I could not put this book down. I had to know what was going to happen. I stayed on the edge of my seat. There was even one part where I shouted, "Holy Shit!" out loud. Luckily, I wasn't any place public when that happened.
This was a great book. One of the best that I have read this year. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated But I Didn't Kill You!: Danny Played Football in Books
May 22, 2019
The events of a typical Autumn Friday night rock a typical small town American family to the core as tragedy strikes them from out of nowhere. Will their lives survive this ordeal as they change from a functional to dysfunctional family? This event has changed and altered their direction, but will this be permanent? The ways the family deals with the loss of a loved one can either make them stronger or crush them in their hope for their small town future. The bonds of love and friendship are stretched to see how far they can go. Will the development of the surviving sibling's progress with growth or be stifled as the family dynamic is pushed to the edge? One's concept of justice is put to the test and their faith in God may never be the same. Actions, reactions and their consequences are exposed for you to see but don't judge too harshly. You may agree or disagree with their actions but ask yourself, if you were in their situation, would you do the same?
This is a very sad story. Good but also difficult to read as it is true to life for some.
It is good for a YA to read as maybe it would get the message across to them of how precious and short life can be.
The writing is simple and direct, making for easy reading.
I read a PDF of tis book I received from the author.
This is a very sad story. Good but also difficult to read as it is true to life for some.
It is good for a YA to read as maybe it would get the message across to them of how precious and short life can be.
The writing is simple and direct, making for easy reading.
I read a PDF of tis book I received from the author.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Early Man (2018) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)
One Million Years F.C.
Another movie from the people who made Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, and if you're familiar with either of those you will know that expectations will be high: Aardman are the British answer to Pixar or Studio Ghibli. Keeping such sky-high standards must be difficult, so we must try to be understanding when they fall a little short - as they do here.
A tribe of comedy cavemen with English accents are driven from their lovely valley by a nasty Bronze Age civilisation who variously sound French, Italian, and German. Brightest of the cavemen hits upon a scheme to win the valley back by playing the invaders at their sacred game, i.e. football (or soccer). Cue lots of sports movie cliches/parodies.
Well, obviously, you can't fault the craft that goes into these films, but on this occasion you can't help noticing the slightness of the story and the fact that it's neither as funny nor, crucially, as clever as many of their previous productions. (The fact that the film has a weird Brexit-friendly political subtext may be an issue for some viewers as well.) I love silly accents, absurd jokes and bad puns as much as the next person (probably more, in truth), but the fact that this film doesn't have the same kind of heart or warmth as (for example) your typical Pixar film is very noticeable. Still, not *actually* that bad.
A tribe of comedy cavemen with English accents are driven from their lovely valley by a nasty Bronze Age civilisation who variously sound French, Italian, and German. Brightest of the cavemen hits upon a scheme to win the valley back by playing the invaders at their sacred game, i.e. football (or soccer). Cue lots of sports movie cliches/parodies.
Well, obviously, you can't fault the craft that goes into these films, but on this occasion you can't help noticing the slightness of the story and the fact that it's neither as funny nor, crucially, as clever as many of their previous productions. (The fact that the film has a weird Brexit-friendly political subtext may be an issue for some viewers as well.) I love silly accents, absurd jokes and bad puns as much as the next person (probably more, in truth), but the fact that this film doesn't have the same kind of heart or warmth as (for example) your typical Pixar film is very noticeable. Still, not *actually* that bad.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Single, Carefree, Mellow in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This collection of short stories started off strongly, and I found myself drawn into the web Heiny creates for her characters. The majority of her stories feature women and after the first couple ended, I found myself disappointed that we wouldn't get to know more about the characters. (There is one group of characters that she re-visits throughout a couple of stories in the collection, which does help sate your curiosity a bit.)
Because I devoured this book so quickly - over less than two days - I was a bit fatigued by the end. Most of the stories feature adultery in some form or another, and frankly, that got a bit old in the end. That would really be my only issue with the story set. By the end, you're thinking "really? again!" and wondering if these women have anything else to do to occupy their time.
Otherwise, this collection of stories is vibrant and poignant and at times, made me laugh out loud. I found myself tagging pages where lines were just so hilarious, I wanted to jot them down for safe-keeping: it's rare when that happens. And again, even though the stories were brilliant little nuggets, so many of the characters were so intriguing, I found myself wishing I could read more about them. I just wish they had a little more to do than cheat on each other all the time.
Because I devoured this book so quickly - over less than two days - I was a bit fatigued by the end. Most of the stories feature adultery in some form or another, and frankly, that got a bit old in the end. That would really be my only issue with the story set. By the end, you're thinking "really? again!" and wondering if these women have anything else to do to occupy their time.
Otherwise, this collection of stories is vibrant and poignant and at times, made me laugh out loud. I found myself tagging pages where lines were just so hilarious, I wanted to jot them down for safe-keeping: it's rare when that happens. And again, even though the stories were brilliant little nuggets, so many of the characters were so intriguing, I found myself wishing I could read more about them. I just wish they had a little more to do than cheat on each other all the time.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Grownup in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b><i>I would rather be a librarian, but I worry about the job security. Books may be temporary; dicks are forever.</b></i>
This is no Gone Girl, nothing even remotely as good as Gone Girl, but, because it's so short, it was better at keeping my attention, so I wasn't so fussed about the kinda crappy ending.
This was a funny novel. Flynn is really good at inputting humour into moments of a book that could be taken more seriously, and that's what I loved so much about this book, the humour. The story was good... well the beginning and middle were, and then the end lacked any oomf, but it was our funny narrator who made this book something worth reading.
The plot for this was cliche as cliche can be, but I think that was intentional, because our narrator made fun of how cliche everything sounded. It was there to add some comedy value. The ending, as I said, was disappointing, only because it goes exactly as you would expect it to. I was hoping Flynn was going to pull another "oh-my-god" twist out after the initial twist, but alas.
Worth a read if you can get it cheap, but don't expect anything too amazing... that sounds weird to say after rating it 4 stars, but I did actually like this and it did hold my attention... it's just... I don't know, I can't explain it.
This is no Gone Girl, nothing even remotely as good as Gone Girl, but, because it's so short, it was better at keeping my attention, so I wasn't so fussed about the kinda crappy ending.
This was a funny novel. Flynn is really good at inputting humour into moments of a book that could be taken more seriously, and that's what I loved so much about this book, the humour. The story was good... well the beginning and middle were, and then the end lacked any oomf, but it was our funny narrator who made this book something worth reading.
The plot for this was cliche as cliche can be, but I think that was intentional, because our narrator made fun of how cliche everything sounded. It was there to add some comedy value. The ending, as I said, was disappointing, only because it goes exactly as you would expect it to. I was hoping Flynn was going to pull another "oh-my-god" twist out after the initial twist, but alas.
Worth a read if you can get it cheap, but don't expect anything too amazing... that sounds weird to say after rating it 4 stars, but I did actually like this and it did hold my attention... it's just... I don't know, I can't explain it.