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Terminator Salvation (2009)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
2009 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The Visuals Keep Getting Better
In the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, human savior John Connor leads the resistance against the threat of the machines who are trying to enslave and obliterate the earth.

Acting: 10
You can do worse than throwing Christian Bale and Sam Worthington into a movie. Both pack strong performances that are enough to carry this sci-fi movie through the duration. They bring an extra passion to the role, raw emotion you don’t otherwise see in the machines they are fighting against.

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10
Action is consistent and rips through the screen with a number of gunfights and man-to-robot combat scenes. I will admit, I was confused at times at what was actually going on and who I should be rooting against/for, but it somehow didn’t deter the high-impact sci-fi goodness that unfolded throughout. These scenes kept the otherwise sinking movie afloat.

Entertainment Value: 8
Sure the action is good, I just wished they had focused that same energy on shoring up the storyline. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films you have no shot at understanding this. Even if you have, it took me awhile to truly figure out what was what. Definitely took a bit away from the entertainment factor for me.

Memorability: 7
There are quite a few cool moments that stick out in my head, but nothing that made the movie over-the-top amazing. If nothing else, I admire the movie’s effort to stand out, but when you look at other films in the genre like Edge of Tomorrow, you think, “They have a lot of work to do.” Good? Sure. Classic? Nope!

Pace: 10

Plot: 6

Resolution: 1

Overall: 82
Terminator Salvation sees a lot of things happen…that seemingly mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie. Things are pretty confusing early which makes it hard to fully buy into the movie. But the score is the score because it’s going to satisfy most of the sci-fi action junkies out there that live for these kind of movies. it won’t make history, but it’s one of those movies where you leave saying, “This’ll do.”
  
She Drives Me Crazy
She Drives Me Crazy
Kelly Quindlen | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A stand-out queer romance
Scottie Zajac is reeling from her breakup with her toxic ex-girlfriend, Tally, whom she can't get over, no matter how bad she was for her. After losing to Tally's basketball team, she gets into a fender bender in the school parking lot with her nemesis, cheerleader Irene Abraham. Scottie is still smarting from when Irene had her car towed at a party. Unfortunately, Scottie and Irene's parents' decide that Scottie needs to drive Irene to school once the accident puts her car out of commission. Forced together, Scottie and Irene's tenuous relationship only gets more strained. But when Scottie sees a chance to get back at Tally, she bribes Irene to take part in a fake dating scheme. One that threatens to unravel when both Scottie and Irene realize they may have some very not fake feelings for each other.

Ok, I don't always love fake dating romances, but this book was practically perfect. I love a good (queer) YA rom com and basketball, so I thought this might be good. It was amazing: just so funny and sweet.

Quindlen captures Irene and Scottie perfectly--their vulnerability and their sarcasm. The book is often hilarious, but it also portrays the heartbreaking loss Scottie feels after breaking up with Tally and how she feels less worthy and less of a person after. We can understand that even though Tally is clearly wrong for her--and all her friends and family know it--it's so difficult for Scottie to grasp this and move on.

The story here is so genuine for a fake dating book. The cast of characters is wonderful, including Irene's best friend and Scottie's sister. I'm such a sucker for basketball, and I adored how Scottie's love of basketball was woven into the plot. This is a beautiful story about finding yourself as well as a funny book that made me grin goofily throughout. The ending definitely had me shedding some (happy) tears.

Easily one of my favorite queer books and one of the best books I've read this year.
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Deity in Books

Jul 1, 2021  
Deity
Deity
Matt Wesolowski | 2021 | Crime
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The host of this book is Scott King, an online journalist that loves raking up old graves. 😀 He chooses a case and interviews six people, that tell the reader different perspectives of the same case. This time he investigates a very controversial celebrity, that died in the fire and was accused of many things, such as abuse against young girls. I love Scott King’s style, he does not judge, he shares the stories, allowing the reader to decide what they want to believe in. All the characters are pretty unexpected and very intriguing, I just love to see the story unravelling.

The narrative of this book is extremely addictive. Every perspective brings something different and new to the overall view of the case, that is why I simply could not put down this book. There are plenty of twists and turns and the whole story is shrouded in mystery and ghosts. For me, the story had some similarities to real celebrities and some of the allegations I have read in the past. The whole story sounds so realistic, that I actually wanted to google Zach Crystal in case he was real. 😀 The topics discussed in this book are child abuse, mental illness, wish to control, mystical creatures, fanaticism, religion, the life of rich and famous, family relations, and many more.

I loved the atmosphere of this novel, it is creepy and very intriguing. The writing style is impeccable as always. The chapters are pretty long, but they are so absorbing, that the pages just fly by. The ending of this novel was phenomenal, but I still have unanswered questions about the whole story… Even though this book is fifth in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I can not wait for the next book, because this case was a really sensitive one, and I am very excited to see what Scott King will investigate next.

So, to conclude, this book has brilliant characters and a plot that always kept me guessing. I think this book was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone. I hope you will like it as well. 🙂
  
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Horror, Musical
Honestly struggled to get on board with this one.
I generally don't like musicals (with a couple of exceptions) and Anna and the Apocalypse certainly doesn't change my mind in that respect, but everything surrounding fell a bit flat for me as well.

For one, none of the characters are remotely likable, apart from Anna herself. By the time people start getting chowed on, it's hard to care. It takes its time building up, treating us all to four full forgettable songs before anything properly kicks off, and when it does it's all a bit meh.
In terms of zombie action, it's not the worst I've ever seen, but it's one of those films that likes to cut away instead of showing off any decent effects.

The music itself is just quite bland. It's certainly going for a Glee type feel with what it's doing, so for me personally it's just a huge miss. I'm sure there are plenty out there who enjoy Glee, and therefore will probably get something out of the music on show here which is fine, just not for me.
There's one scene to be fair, where Anna leaves her house with her headphones in, completely unaware of the carnage unfolding around her whilst singing. This bit was actually pretty entertaining and amusing, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the scene that set off the whole idea process.
The film can't quite decide what genre it's going for however. Is it a musical, is it a zombie horror, is it a Christmas movie? I'm sure the advertising campaign would have you think it's all three, but it just doesn't do any of them justice. Most of the jokes fall flat - I will admit that I audibly laughed once during the whole thing...

Ultimately, Anna and the Apocalypse ultimately draws comparisons with its more superior peers, such as Shaun of the Dead, but the truth it's no where as witty or groundbreaking. Since SOTD, the zombie comedy sub genre has been done to death, and these days, it takes something special to really stand out. This film takes a punt, and genuinely tries something new, but it's not executed well enough to rise above the pack.
  
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