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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Dead Cold Brew (Coffeehouse Mystery, #16) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I always look forward to another adventure with Clare, Matt, Mike, and all of the gang at the Village Blend. A lot of series seem to lose steam after a while, but Cleo Coyle manages to keep the Coffeehouse mysteries feeling fresh, even at #16.
Her boyfriend Mike finally proposes, but a sniper is targeting members of the NYPD, leaving Clare in fear for her fiancés life. When her ex Matts godfather is poisoned, Clare sees a connection between the two cases that sets her and Matt on the trail of a blackmailer and jewel thief, and quite possibly a killer.
Dead Cold Brew was a fast-paced story and once I got started, I couldnt put it down. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, and even new readers should be able to pick this one up without feeling lost.
Her boyfriend Mike finally proposes, but a sniper is targeting members of the NYPD, leaving Clare in fear for her fiancés life. When her ex Matts godfather is poisoned, Clare sees a connection between the two cases that sets her and Matt on the trail of a blackmailer and jewel thief, and quite possibly a killer.
Dead Cold Brew was a fast-paced story and once I got started, I couldnt put it down. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, and even new readers should be able to pick this one up without feeling lost.
MissCagey (2652 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
May 2, 2018
I really don't understand all the great reviews this film is getting. I am not a comic book hero fan in general but this was one I was so excited to watch as I LOVED the Wonder Woman tv show when I was younger. I wanted to be Wonder Woman, I dressed as her for a fancy dress....I thought she was AMAZING! When she spun around into her costume, the primary colours, the excitement....just brilliant. And then we have this shambles of a film to honour her, oh dear.
Her costume is drab, the cinematography is drab (other than Themyscira), the story is boring, Gal Gadot can't pick an accent she wants to use the whole way through, the villain is crap, her morals flip flop- she hates war and cries about it and then brings down a church (which contained one sniper) not caring if there are any civilians around, blah blah blah. So disappointing.
Her costume is drab, the cinematography is drab (other than Themyscira), the story is boring, Gal Gadot can't pick an accent she wants to use the whole way through, the villain is crap, her morals flip flop- she hates war and cries about it and then brings down a church (which contained one sniper) not caring if there are any civilians around, blah blah blah. So disappointing.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Sniper Elite 4 in Video Games
Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 10, 2017)
Satisfying gameplay. (2 more)
X-Ray camera.
Neat settings.
Generic characters and plot. (1 more)
Sub par graphics.
Hits It's Target
The fourth game in the third person WW2 shooter series, this game expands on the groundwork laid by it's predecessors. If you are coming off of a story driven game and are just looking for something satisfying and fun, then this is perfect for you. The story and characters are paper thin and the voice acting is all over the place in terms of quality, but that's not why you come to Sniper Elite, you come to watch a Nazi's brains explode from the sheer impact of your well placed bullet.
This is definitely the best game in the series in terms of it's gameplay systems. The control given to the player is clear and specific and if you miss a shot, you have no one to blame but yourself. The infamous X-ray cam makes a glorious return and it is even more detailed and brutal than in previous entries. No matter how many times you make a pair of Nazi testicles go pop from across a beautiful Italian town, it never gets old.
The other great thing about this game is it's various settings. There is an array of different maps that you work your way through during the game's campaign and each is unique and well thought out enough to give you a challenge, but also make you feel like a total bad-ass when you land a near impossible shot, in equal measure.
Although the landscapes are nice to run around in and function well in terms of matching with the game's gameplay style, the quality of the graphics itself isn't going to astonish anyone. We are around halfway through the PS4's life-cycle and this looks at best, like a late generation PS3 game. Again though, it doesn't really matter here, no one is buying Sniper Elite 4 for it's graphical quality.
Overall, there is a ton of fun to be had here. Don't think too much about the story and just enjoy systematically working your way through each various map, popping Nazi skulls as you go.
This is definitely the best game in the series in terms of it's gameplay systems. The control given to the player is clear and specific and if you miss a shot, you have no one to blame but yourself. The infamous X-ray cam makes a glorious return and it is even more detailed and brutal than in previous entries. No matter how many times you make a pair of Nazi testicles go pop from across a beautiful Italian town, it never gets old.
The other great thing about this game is it's various settings. There is an array of different maps that you work your way through during the game's campaign and each is unique and well thought out enough to give you a challenge, but also make you feel like a total bad-ass when you land a near impossible shot, in equal measure.
Although the landscapes are nice to run around in and function well in terms of matching with the game's gameplay style, the quality of the graphics itself isn't going to astonish anyone. We are around halfway through the PS4's life-cycle and this looks at best, like a late generation PS3 game. Again though, it doesn't really matter here, no one is buying Sniper Elite 4 for it's graphical quality.
Overall, there is a ton of fun to be had here. Don't think too much about the story and just enjoy systematically working your way through each various map, popping Nazi skulls as you go.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Hit (Will Robie #2) in Books
May 10, 2018
David Baldacci has done it again. Another heart pounding thriller with Will Robie.
Reading these books, always makes me wonder if there really are people defending our country like Will Robie. I read the book on America's best sniper, but he didn't do anything like this. Does art really imitate life?
In the installment of the Will Robie series, Robie is hired to take out someone he knows. But something doesn't seem right about this hit. Why didn't she follow out her mission as previously instructed? What would make her do something like that. Jessica Reel is as good if not better at this job than Will Robie. So something in his gut is telling him that the story he was given is not the whole truth. There has been a lot of that going on as of late.
So what happens if these two work together to get to the bottom of what is really going on? Will they be able to work together, or will one be out of the agency, the only way to go out?
Reading these books, always makes me wonder if there really are people defending our country like Will Robie. I read the book on America's best sniper, but he didn't do anything like this. Does art really imitate life?
In the installment of the Will Robie series, Robie is hired to take out someone he knows. But something doesn't seem right about this hit. Why didn't she follow out her mission as previously instructed? What would make her do something like that. Jessica Reel is as good if not better at this job than Will Robie. So something in his gut is telling him that the story he was given is not the whole truth. There has been a lot of that going on as of late.
So what happens if these two work together to get to the bottom of what is really going on? Will they be able to work together, or will one be out of the agency, the only way to go out?
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Star Wars: Imperial Assault in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Star Wars: Imperial Assault: The Kotaku Review
Imperial Assault is a board game that was released in late 2014. I only got around to playing it over the weekend, and I already count those months between as wasted.
Having made a ton of money off their excellent X-Wing game before moving onto capital ship battles, Imperial Assault is Fantasy Flight’s shot at moving Star Wars into more traditional tabletop territory.
If you’ve ever played HeroQuest, Space Crusade or even XCOM, you’ll be familiar with the basics here: players take control of a character and take turns to move about a grid-based battlefield, using terrain as cover as they battle enemies and complete objectives.
It’s designed for 2-5 players, but shines brighter the closer you get to the latter. A single player—basically the dungeon master—takes control of all Imperial forces, while everyone else selects a single Rebel character, choosing from a stable of RPG class stalwarts (support, sniper, etc).
Reviewer: Luke Plunkett
Read the full review here: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-imperial-assault-the-kotaku-review-1734772222
Having made a ton of money off their excellent X-Wing game before moving onto capital ship battles, Imperial Assault is Fantasy Flight’s shot at moving Star Wars into more traditional tabletop territory.
If you’ve ever played HeroQuest, Space Crusade or even XCOM, you’ll be familiar with the basics here: players take control of a character and take turns to move about a grid-based battlefield, using terrain as cover as they battle enemies and complete objectives.
It’s designed for 2-5 players, but shines brighter the closer you get to the latter. A single player—basically the dungeon master—takes control of all Imperial forces, while everyone else selects a single Rebel character, choosing from a stable of RPG class stalwarts (support, sniper, etc).
Reviewer: Luke Plunkett
Read the full review here: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-imperial-assault-the-kotaku-review-1734772222
Susie Bright recommended Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) in Movies (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated The Wall (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
US Ranger Sniper, Staff Sargent Shane Matthews (John Cena), and his spotter, Sargent Allen “Eyes” Isaac, are investigating a distress call in the hot Iraqi desert above an oil pipeline construction area. From their camouflaged position they can see several dead bodies. They have waited close to 18 hours while sitting and observing the bodies and landscape, trying to determine what happened. Matthews decides the dead men below them must have been killed by a raid and after the hours of waiting he leaves the covered position to investigate up close. While Isaac believes that there is a chance this could be the work of a skilled sniper, he reluctantly agrees to let Matthews go.
As Isaac watches from cover Mathews surveys the carnage from up close and quickly realizes that Isaac must have been right. All of the men below were killed with skilled shots to the head. Before he can find cover or find where the shooter was positioned Mathews is shot in the stomach and falls to the ground. Isaac rushes to his aide but as soon as he gets close to his comrade he is shot in the knee. As shots rain down on him Isaac dives for cover behind a dilapidated wall. Now he is stuck behind fragile cover bleeding with his partner unable to move due to his wounds. Isaac scrabbles to radio for help but he only finds his radio antenna has been shot off. He has no idea where the shots came from only that he may be in the only safe place. Isaac is now suck behind a wall with no way to get to his severely wounded friend or call in reinforcements. Then over his short range two-way radio a voice can be heard and it’s not Matthews or help…it’s the enemy sniper.
The Wall is a suspense film directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Fair Game and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Overall the small cast gave good performances. I thought that John Cena did a good job in a limited role in this film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson did an adequate job, but since he was on screen by himself for the majority of the film I thought his performance was at times week. He was also really compelling at times which is why I think overall it was adequate. I think it was a good story but the build up to the end lacked the true suspense that could have made it a great story. I just didn’t have the ending that really made me sit on the edge of my seat. It felt like what was happening was inevitable. I commend the originality of the overall story. But when I am going to watch a suspenseful film I want just a little bit more. To me it lacked an edge and really captivating moment at the end. One of the things the film got right was how realistic it felt. The cinematography was gritty and fit the story really well.
Overall I came out of this film feeling good but thought that it was missing a little something. Worth a second viewing sometime in the future but probably save it for video or on demand.
As Isaac watches from cover Mathews surveys the carnage from up close and quickly realizes that Isaac must have been right. All of the men below were killed with skilled shots to the head. Before he can find cover or find where the shooter was positioned Mathews is shot in the stomach and falls to the ground. Isaac rushes to his aide but as soon as he gets close to his comrade he is shot in the knee. As shots rain down on him Isaac dives for cover behind a dilapidated wall. Now he is stuck behind fragile cover bleeding with his partner unable to move due to his wounds. Isaac scrabbles to radio for help but he only finds his radio antenna has been shot off. He has no idea where the shots came from only that he may be in the only safe place. Isaac is now suck behind a wall with no way to get to his severely wounded friend or call in reinforcements. Then over his short range two-way radio a voice can be heard and it’s not Matthews or help…it’s the enemy sniper.
The Wall is a suspense film directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Fair Game and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Overall the small cast gave good performances. I thought that John Cena did a good job in a limited role in this film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson did an adequate job, but since he was on screen by himself for the majority of the film I thought his performance was at times week. He was also really compelling at times which is why I think overall it was adequate. I think it was a good story but the build up to the end lacked the true suspense that could have made it a great story. I just didn’t have the ending that really made me sit on the edge of my seat. It felt like what was happening was inevitable. I commend the originality of the overall story. But when I am going to watch a suspenseful film I want just a little bit more. To me it lacked an edge and really captivating moment at the end. One of the things the film got right was how realistic it felt. The cinematography was gritty and fit the story really well.
Overall I came out of this film feeling good but thought that it was missing a little something. Worth a second viewing sometime in the future but probably save it for video or on demand.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 13, 2021
Andy K (10821 KP) rated The 15:17 To Paris (2018) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018
Major disappointment
Going in I must tell you I am one of the biggest Eastwood fans out there, so if anyone should have loved this movie it would have been me.
Other than the expected climax there is really not much to like here. I think we all take it for granted when we see professional skiers, or tennis players that thy make their jobs look so easy. The same is the case with actors. Eastwood's decision to cast the real-life heroes to play themselves rather than professional actors might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it did not serve this film well AT ALL. Maybe if the screenplay would have been better or even the flow of the story would have been more cohesive it would not have stood out as much.
The climax of the film is certainly riveting and emotional; however, the 95 minutes it took to get there was just not that exciting.
I certainly don't take away anything from the heroism these men displayed or the courage they have in life. We should all step up to the challenge when presented with these events.
Looks like I'll have to go back and watch American Sniper.
Other than the expected climax there is really not much to like here. I think we all take it for granted when we see professional skiers, or tennis players that thy make their jobs look so easy. The same is the case with actors. Eastwood's decision to cast the real-life heroes to play themselves rather than professional actors might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it did not serve this film well AT ALL. Maybe if the screenplay would have been better or even the flow of the story would have been more cohesive it would not have stood out as much.
The climax of the film is certainly riveting and emotional; however, the 95 minutes it took to get there was just not that exciting.
I certainly don't take away anything from the heroism these men displayed or the courage they have in life. We should all step up to the challenge when presented with these events.
Looks like I'll have to go back and watch American Sniper.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Jack Reacher (2012) in Movies
Apr 16, 2020
Rage Inside: A Mysterious Man
Jack Reacher- is a good movie, it has a intresting plot, good action, good suspense and good thrills. It seems like their just wasted the support cast like Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog and Robert Duvall. Jai Country was a great villian and he didnt ruining this movie.
Other critics aka Screen Junkies, Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann say that Jai Country ruined this film, A Good Day To Die Hard, Terminator Gensyis and Suicide Squad. Those movie were already ruined since the start. With Die Hard, we didnt need anything one, with Terminator, it was the second trailer that gave everything away and Suicide Squad it was Jared Leto, so screw them. Their were wrong. Anyways...
The plot: One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The man's interrogation yields one statement: Get Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney (Rosamund Pike). However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears.
I liked Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher he was really intresting as the charcter.
This movie was good, but does have its downfalls.
Other critics aka Screen Junkies, Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann say that Jai Country ruined this film, A Good Day To Die Hard, Terminator Gensyis and Suicide Squad. Those movie were already ruined since the start. With Die Hard, we didnt need anything one, with Terminator, it was the second trailer that gave everything away and Suicide Squad it was Jared Leto, so screw them. Their were wrong. Anyways...
The plot: One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The man's interrogation yields one statement: Get Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney (Rosamund Pike). However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears.
I liked Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher he was really intresting as the charcter.
This movie was good, but does have its downfalls.