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Cover Me - Single by Camille Miller
Cover Me - Single by Camille Miller
2019
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Camille Miller is a German-born singer-songwriter who was raised on military bases all over Canada. Not too long ago, she released a cool indie-alternative tune, entitled, “Cover Me”.

“Stand before me, let me your soul. Let me feel the warmth of your touch. Hearts unguarded, bodies perfect in their flaws. I can’t do this on my own. Modern life through the telephone staring in and fading out. We’re all covered in lonely, we’re all covered in doubt.” – lyrics

‘Cover Me’ contains a relatable narrative, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with indie-pop and alternative elements. Also, the track possesses a tasty guitar solo.

“Thinking about how technology and social media sometimes make us doubt ourselves. How something that can brilliantly bring us together, can also keep us separated in ways we have never experienced before. How the need and want of human interaction is so important and deeply needed.” – Camille Miller

Camille Miller was brought up on a hearty diet of Motown, Carly Simon, The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and the Rolling Stones.

With the sound of these greats of yesteryear oozing through her veins, she continues her global trend of turning listeners into lifelong fans.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/camille-miller-cover-me/
  
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
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.
  
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David McK (3632 KP) rated Ender's Game in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
Ender's Game
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card | 1985 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.4 (37 Ratings)
Book Rating
Originally starting life as a short story that was later expanded into a full-length novel, this was one of those 'classic' sci-fi stories that I was marginally aware of, but never really had any inclination to read.

When I started seeing the trailers for the movie adaptation to be released this week (on 25/10/13), I decided I actually would read it before going to see the movie (which is sometimes a good idea, other times not).

Having done so, it's interesting to see how Card predicted many of today's technology (remember, this was written mid-80s), in particular the kids portable tables (today's tablet computers), and the proliferation of blogging (although it was never actually called such) on the internet (again, never called such).

The plot? Very briefly (and roughly): Earth is at war with an alien insectoid race, so the best and brightest kids are taken to a 'battle school' in space at a young age in order to be trained in how to become leaders. Andrew 'Ender' (so called because he is the youngest child of 3) Wiggins is one such kid, who proves to be the brightest and best of the bunch ...

How will the movie compare? I'll just have to wait and see!
  
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Josh Burns (166 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of The Brookhaven Experiment in Video Games

Jun 21, 2019  
The Brookhaven Experiment
The Brookhaven Experiment
2016 | Horror, Shooter
Creepy, yet fun (0 more)
Lovecraftian horror VR waveshooter
This another wave shooter (for more on the psvr wave shooter overload/competition see my Wraith review) and uses either the Move controllers or Aim controller. Move controllers are for small guns and knives, Aim is for bigger guns. The world has gone to hell and is overrun by creepy mutants that have a Lovecraft vibe sometimes. You're out trying to find a solution. The sound design works great to track where enemies are coming from. There are a ton of different enemies, some are huge! The campaign is fun, atmospheric and gets very challenging. You buy upgrades and ammo between levels and there are hidden power ups that you can shoot to collect. There is also a survival mode that has an added map that is based on the mansion in Resident Evil. You can even see a red herb and a green herb flanking the stairs, but you can't use them. Theres a wide variety of environments from sewers, to labs, to city streets and more. It's a lot of fun, but difficult and combining that difficulty with creepiness can make it hard to want to revisit if your stuck on a level because they compliment each other.
  
The Wolf Wants In
The Wolf Wants In
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sometimes I foolishly put off reading a book because I think it sounds “too smart” or something for me. I made that mistake with The Wolf Wants In, and I was such an idiot! This was such a wonderful, well-written psychological thriller. I don’t know what I was thinking!

Wolf is told from the perspectives of Sadie and Henley, who both live in the same small Kansas town. Sadie has recently lost her brother, Shane, and she’s looking for answers about how he died—even if no one else seems too concerned. Meanwhile eighteen-year-old Henley comes from a long line of known troublemakers: many of whom are drug dealers and users. She’s determined to leave town and her family behind. But events transpire that make that harder than she envisioned. Overshadowing everything is the town’s opioid crisis and the discovery of a child’s skull in the woods.

The characters in Wolf are vivid and nuanced. They have such depth and feeling. McHugh captures small town life so well—as well as how easily addiction can ravage families. What I loved was how she layered a mystery against all of this: the result was a completely compelling read. I was totally captivated by this one: definitely recommend! 4+ stars.
  
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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Lil Pump by Lil Pump in Music

Oct 19, 2019 (Updated Nov 9, 2019)  
Lil Pump by Lil Pump
Lil Pump by Lil Pump
2017 | Hip-hop, Rap, Rhythm And Blues
1
1.0 (3 Ratings)
Album Rating
The 25875337th time he says Ouu is great (0 more)
The second it begins (0 more)
Gross
This is bad, not in usual Hip Hop terms as in "I just spat a bad ass rhyme", no, this is bad as in wack.

Lil Pump has rose to meteoritic fame and wealth and the reason why? His stuff speaks to kids of that age where swearing and talking about drugs upsets mummy and daddy.

This is mumble rap. I'm not hating on mumble rap, Some artists are artists. Pump however shouts a line, then says Ouu and then repeats the formula the entire album Ouu.

So we've established he can't rap, lyrically it's just offensive. Now I have a lot of horribly misogynistic hip hop but somehow this feels worse because there is no artistic element. Lil Pump shouts things like "I f##ked your daughter" Ouu, yeah, that is the base level, women are nothing but botches to abide and drugs are new and clever according to Pump. It really is playground level.

What about the beats? Ok anyone knows my output knows I sometimes play with distortion but Pump takes it up so it distorts and the base blows and I bet he giggles like a toddler and goes "that's great Ouu".

Utterly terrible
  
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Sam (228 KP) rated Green Valley in Books

Oct 19, 2019  
Green Valley
Green Valley
Louis Greenberg | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (3 more)
Descriptive Scenery
Thrilling Plot
Captivating Storyline
Sometimes has confusing dialogue (1 more)
Weird Chapter Setup
A Chilling Spectacle
This novel is truly something to behold, tackling the hard subject of technology, this novel takes place in a future where only a select group of people have agreed to live within a 24/7 virtual reality while the rest of the world has expunged all invasive technology, right down to the motion sensors that open doors at the supermarket.
It is within this universe that the novels chooses to display both the pros and cons of technological advancement as well as warns against advancing too far to the point where humanity becomes lost.
Although the chapters are set up weird, split from chapters into sections that seem unnecessarily placed, this seems to be a technical problem rather than a problem with the actual story. The story itself is both well organized and well written, building beautiful images of this world as well as developing characters as the story advances. Personally, I feel the ending seemed a bit rushed however qhether this was due to the actual writing or the fact that I couldn't put the book down is yet to be decided.
  
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Vegas (725 KP) rated Locked Up (2017) in Movies

Jul 16, 2019 (Updated Jul 16, 2019)  
Locked Up (2017)
Locked Up (2017)
2017 | Action, Drama
Why was she even sent to this place for a minor "crime" (1 more)
Plot holes
Not one to watch with your granny
An American teen in Asia gets bullied and retaliates, causing her to be sent to a correctional facility which was more like a Hellhole prison.

She is forced into situations that are awkward and uncomfortable to watch at times and doesn't make for easy viewing, so isn't a lets relax with a family friendly Sunday afternoon type film

That being said, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either, it is a, watch to pass the time film, but then forget about afterwards.

There are a lot of plot holes especially as to why on earth she ended up in this place, randomly after barely a mention of a "trial" (a 30 second to a minute scene) and how this place, looking like a high tech facility can be a front for the goings on behind the facade with nobody checking on the running of the place, even if corruption is rife i cant see how it got like this... I know we are supposed not to think of things like that but sometimes questions need to be asked of films.
  
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Mothergamer (1601 KP) rated NOS4A2 in TV

Jul 22, 2019  
NOS4A2
NOS4A2
2019 | Drama, Horror
Good cast, makeup is really good, story does have some exciting moments (0 more)
story is very clunky in some places, not as scary as it could be, uncomfortable scenes for certain plot points (0 more)
I have read the book and the book itself is pretty good and has some great moments in it. I was curious about the TV show so I checked it out. It's not bad, but it's not as strong as it could be. Zachary Quinto does an excellent job as the villain of the story Charlie Manx and Ashleigh Cummings does a great job as Vic Mcqueen. The rest of the cast is good as well. However, the TV show concept is very clunky in places and in some spots is kind of boring. There were opportunities for it to be scary because Charlie is supposed to be scary, but it falls flat and sometimes feels tedious and causes the story to drag out. The age makeup they did for Zachary Quinto is fantastic and the makeup for the children is well done as well. Honestly, the writing for the show is pretty weak which is unfortunate for a story that is about a macabre and surreal story. This is a case where the book is definitely better.
  
LU
Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker
Emma Hox | 2010
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker is a P&P variation - it starts at the same point as the original novel but then diverges from the original plot for a number of reasons. Overall I did enjoy it; it's a frothy feel-good sort of book that kept me smiling. Poetic justic was handed out in spades to the villains of the piece - although I'm not quite sure that her brother, even as a belted Earl, would have been able to manage what actually happens to Lady Catherine, but it's a nice thought!

I suppose on the downside you could say that all potential sources of conflict are resolved rather too quickly and easily. I'm still not entirely convinced about Lizzy sitting and singing in trees either!

It also could have done with some better editing. The typesetting was odd as there were sometimes unecessarily large gaps between words. The bookseller at Meryton was named one thing one minute and something else a few pages on which threw me for a minute. There were also errors and inconsistancies in title usage: Sir William Lucas was referred to both as Sir William (correctly) and Sir Lucas (no-no).

I would have thought higher of Darcy's intelligence though - surely he should have figured out who Mr Bennet was?!