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Creed 3 (2023)
Creed 3 (2023)
2023 | Drama, Sport
10
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The story the message of self worth the action (0 more)
Too much cussing and violence for young kids (0 more)
Wonderful but please leave youngest of kids
Okay first off I know this movie is about boxing a violent sport and I expected it and was okay with it as a 33 year old man buuuutttttttt my problem is people taking their 5 6 ect year old to this but it's a wonderful film that I highly recommend
  
Meg’s latest assignment in the annual windsurfing competition on the Hood River. She hopes this is a sport she can actually learn, but strong winds blow her away from the rest of the other reporters early one morning, and she discovers the dead body of Justin, the star of the windsurfing world. Justin was also a jerk, but who actually wanted him dead?

I really found this particular sport to be a fun hook into the mystery. The pacing was a little off, but there are still plenty of clues, viable suspects, and red herrings to keep us entertained. The ongoing story about Meg’s father is advancing very slowly. I hope we get some answers on that soon. The characters are good, series regulars and new ones, although I do find Meg’s grandmother way out there with her New Age beliefs and wish that were toned down some. Still, overall, I enjoyed this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-silenced-in-surf-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Gran Turismo (2023)
Gran Turismo (2023)
2023 | Action, Drama, Sport
7
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Great racing scenes (1 more)
David Harbour
A good Sport action film based on the game
A Film based on a true story of a game player who got a chance to race for real.
The racing scenes are very impressive and even some good SFX going from Simulation to real world. The off track story feels a bit cliché but David Harbour stands out from a mixed cast which includes Geri Halliwell. In terms of race action up there with Rush and Ford Vs Ferrari.
  
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Emma Watson recommended The Power in Books (curated)

 
The Power
The Power
Naomi Alderman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
7.9 (13 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Alderman challenges the cliché that women are more noble than men, and that a world run by women would be more gentle, with benevolent leaders and no war. In fact, women become power hungry and begin to repress men. They commit war atrocities, perform male genital mutilation, rape and maim for sport and kill to occupy land. With power dynamics reversed, the women don’t choose a righteous path – they act no better than men who have abused power throughout history. I think Alderman’s point is that people who abuse, do so because they can."

Source
  
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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Last Dance in TV

Aug 6, 2020 (Updated Aug 6, 2020)  
The Last Dance
The Last Dance
2020 | Documentary, Sport
Some people’s worst nightmare isn’t just being forced to watch sport, but being forced to listen to commentary or analysis on sport. My passion for a competitive event, and appreciation for an acheivement at the highest level in any sport, is still there, but is a little cooler than it was when I was a younger man with the energy to get carried away, whooping and cheering on an underdog or applauding the very best in a discipline.

Basketball for me has never really been a thing. To be honest, I barely understand the rules beyond the basics. It just wasn’t something that was on British TV that often as I grew up, the Olympics being an exception. The skill level (and height above Sea level) needed to be good enough for NBA glory does not escape me though, and neither has the exceptional career of Michael Jordon, who is a clear contender for greatest sportsman of all time, in any sport.

What I do enjoy though is the drama of over-coming hurdles and records against all the odds. The underdog story really appeals to me, as does the story of an older athlete doing it one last time, when no one thinks it’s possible. The Last Dance is exactly that. But not told by actors in a Hollywood way, like the wonderfully under-rated Miracle starring Kurt Russell. This is a documentary, in ten parts, with the real guys, and some of the most comprehensive archive material you’d ever want!

In theory, the tale is about the whole team, and their final fling at winning a title before knowing the aging gang would be disbanded, with the key figures forced into retirement. But, it is about Jordan, of course it is. And as a document of a rise to fame, and how the man responded to that fame and increased pressure, it is simply the best sports documentary yet to be made.

Told in parallel timelines of the final year juxtaposed with the backstory of the previous 20 years, it shows in exquisite detail how a franchise was built, maintained and taken to the heights of being the greatest ever to play the game. There are tantrums, fall outs, walk outs, no shows, injuries, and some mind-bending successes riding on single moments of genius.

The main voices of Jordan himself, as he sits in retirement with a cigar and a single malt, Scottie Pippin, and bad boy Dennis Rodman, are in parts fascinating, eloquent and revealing. Even after many years have passed, the emotion of big moments and issues is still fresh. We see the joy, the pride and the exhilaration, but also the regret, the grudges and the pain. It shows every angle of what being an athlete at the very top means, and exposes what kind of mentality you have to have to be that person. To be a champion.

As with me, it really helps with the cliffhanger drama of it if you don’t remember, or never knew at all, the result of that “last dance” season in ’98. It also helps if watching sport raises the pulse, but I wouldn’t say it is essential, as it all plays like an ten part series full of drama, betrayals and gasp out loud moments. Ten hour long episodes is a lot. But this incredible production never out stays its welcome. Some acheivement, and testament to what a charismatic figure Jordan was and is on the context of sport history.

Of course, not every hero is a hero every minute of his life. And that is my final reason to recommend it. See for yourself what kind of personality virtual gods like these invent for themselves. Utterly compelling TV.
  
Us Against You (Beartown #2)
Us Against You (Beartown #2)
Fredrik Backman | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Sport & Leisure
10
10.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
An outstanding sequel.
If I could give this more than 5 stars, I really would. I feel as though someone has sucker-punched me. I’m not usually someone who cries over a book: I get emotional, yes, but actual crying is something I seldom do. This book, though. I couldn’t tell you how many times it brought me to tears. The characters are so vulnerable - even those who you wouldn’t expect to be.
There’s a lot of ice hockey: not a sport we see much of here in the U.K., but it’s done in a particular way that I didn’t feel it was a story about sport.
“Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie; the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating one another is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.”
This is a story about human nature: all the good, bad and messy bits. And I loved it. Five stars for me means I would read it again, and I probably will.
Many, many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful book.
  
RO
Rise of the Reaper
Lorna Reid | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Awesome book. Well written with a great plot and characters. The world building is phenomenal! Lorna Reid is also creative making up a new sport called Aquattrox. We follow 4 teenagers who learn that their parents are warriors that can wield magic. Which in turn thrusts these 4 teens into coping with this info plus starting to dabble in magic themselves. I like what the book is hinting at where it may go, and I can't wait to read the next book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.
  
A cute look-back at not only graduating year, but the first three seasons the Scooby Gang (known as Slayerettes early in the series) spent at Sunnydale High (R.I.P.). There are different categories dedicated to student life (activities, clubs, sport, etc.), the faculty, an actual (smallish) yearbook picture section, a memorial for both students and staff who've lost their lives, and more, plus two eight-page sections featuring full-color pictures of the stars and letters from both the mayor and, even better, ol' Ratface himself, Principal Snyder. A fun little memento for anyone who loves BtVS.
  
Head On (Lock In #2)
Head On (Lock In #2)
John Scalzi | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is the 2nd in the 'Lock In' series, though you could have read it without reading the first and not get too lost. This novel picks up a year after the last novel. Chris is at a Hilketa game, which is a sport where Threeps get their heads ripped off, and witnesses a player's death. Chris and his partner, Vann, get involved immediately and work the case on his death. Like the first, it's a police procedural with the smattering of sci-fi. I really enjoyed this one, and hope there's a next book.
  
The Star (Charleston Condors #1)
The Star (Charleston Condors #1)
Beth Bolden | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
*fans self*

Holy fluff balls! This is hot, fun.....did I say hot?

I definitely have a soft spot for these well written, relatable characters. Having the NFL background is a definite selling point because who doesn't like a fit bloke playing a contact sport?

The Star is a yummy read that's perfect for the hot summer days, lazing in the sun and having a nice, tall drink to hand....... quench your thirst and cool you down from this cheeky story!

I recommend this as an adult read, for obvious reasons (read the blurb beforehand and you'll understand!)