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Debbiereadsbook (1084 KP) rated Destiny Collides Past and Present (The Manx Cat Guardians #2) in Books
Jun 17, 2018
much MUCH better read than book one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy if this book.
This is book two in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and I would recommend that you read book one, Seeing Beyond the Scars, first. Brad and Martin play a huge part here, there is some overlap of the two stories and you need to know what Brad suffered.
I enjoyed this far FAR more than book one. The major issue I had with that book was it had not been edited properly and it had a massive impact on my reading experience. I saw no sign of that problem here, and it made for a much more pleasurable read.
Stuart is a work colleague of Martin (although I'm still not entirely sure what ANY of the guys do for work!) and he moves to the island to help Martin while Brad is in hospital. Cat sitting wasn't his best decision. Joe is hiding from his abusive ex, and lodging at Stuart's seemed like a good idea. Falling in love wasn't something either of them had in mind.
I'm still not sure about the cat, Princess! I said in my review for book one that I wanted more of the history of her "people" and I STILL want that, I NEED it, I think, to get the full picture. That Max turns up with Aadan, gives a little bit, but no where near enough for me! I'm just greedy, I know!
I do think again, that Joe would have been a bit more skittish, jumping into something so soon after he managed to get away, but he does push Stuart away when Stuart says something that Joe hated.
I loved Aadan, and the fact that he pushed Joe and Stuart into something they maybe hadn't thought about, but ran with it anyway.
I see book three laid out for me, and I REALLY ant to read that now! Max has upset Aadan, when he saves Princess and Aadan has some paranormal power that isn't fully explained here, it's just hinted at. Something has happened between Aadan and Greg, Stuart's secretary, and I really NEED to know what!
Since this was a much MUCH better read, and I saw no editing errors that plagued book one....
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book two in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and I would recommend that you read book one, Seeing Beyond the Scars, first. Brad and Martin play a huge part here, there is some overlap of the two stories and you need to know what Brad suffered.
I enjoyed this far FAR more than book one. The major issue I had with that book was it had not been edited properly and it had a massive impact on my reading experience. I saw no sign of that problem here, and it made for a much more pleasurable read.
Stuart is a work colleague of Martin (although I'm still not entirely sure what ANY of the guys do for work!) and he moves to the island to help Martin while Brad is in hospital. Cat sitting wasn't his best decision. Joe is hiding from his abusive ex, and lodging at Stuart's seemed like a good idea. Falling in love wasn't something either of them had in mind.
I'm still not sure about the cat, Princess! I said in my review for book one that I wanted more of the history of her "people" and I STILL want that, I NEED it, I think, to get the full picture. That Max turns up with Aadan, gives a little bit, but no where near enough for me! I'm just greedy, I know!
I do think again, that Joe would have been a bit more skittish, jumping into something so soon after he managed to get away, but he does push Stuart away when Stuart says something that Joe hated.
I loved Aadan, and the fact that he pushed Joe and Stuart into something they maybe hadn't thought about, but ran with it anyway.
I see book three laid out for me, and I REALLY ant to read that now! Max has upset Aadan, when he saves Princess and Aadan has some paranormal power that isn't fully explained here, it's just hinted at. Something has happened between Aadan and Greg, Stuart's secretary, and I really NEED to know what!
Since this was a much MUCH better read, and I saw no editing errors that plagued book one....
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Army of Thieves (2021) in Movies
Nov 4, 2021
“Did He Just Say Gulp?”
I have Covid-19, and am confined to quarters. So time to catch up on some streaming films. New on Netflix is “Army of Thieves”, a quirky prequel, of sorts, to Zac Snyder’s “Army of the Dead“.
Plot Summary:
Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert (Matthias Schweighöfer) is a geek obsessed with the work of legendary safe-manufacturer Hans Wagner whose magnum opus was a series of four intricate safes named after the four parts of his namesake’s Ring cycle: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.
Seeking more the glory of cracking the legendary safes (rather than the riches within), high-class jewel-thief Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) teams with Sebastian to crack the three known safes (in Paris, Prague and St Moritz) before they are officially ‘retired’. Together with Korina (Ruby O. Fee), muscle-man Brad (Stuart Martin) and getaway driver Rolph (Guz Khan) the gang try to stay one step ahead of obsessed Interpol agent Delacroix (Jonathan Cohen).
Certification:
US: TV-MA. UK: 15.
Talent:
Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen.
Directed by: Matthias Schweighöfer.
Written by: Shay Hatten (from a story by Shay Hatten and Zack Snyder).
“Army of Thieves” Review: Positives:
I really wasn’t expecting much from this offering. For me, the character of Dieter in “Army of the Dead” was an annoyingly quirky comedy character in a zombie-actioner that you just wanted to punch in the face…. repeatedly. But in contrast, this Dieter-centric film is deliberately quirky throughout and it just all worked for me. Under his own direction, Schweighöfer’s Sebastian/Dieter becomes a genuinely quirky, lovelorn and loveable loser that you want to root for.
The look and feel of the film is utterly glorious. The wonderful cinematography by Bernhard Jasper makes the introduction to the European locations feel Bond-like and the combination of Production Design and Special Effects make the safe-cracking scenes tense, dynamic and beautiful to watch. It’s all nicely rounded off by a quirky Steve Mazzaro / Hans Zimmer score.
Shay Hatten’s script delivers a nice balance of action and exposition. It actually – shock horror – takes time to flesh out some character behind the generic heist-movie stereotypes. Setting the movie in the same timeline as the emerging Nevada zombie-apocalypse as “Army of the Dead” is neat: (although those expecting extensive zombie-action will feel short-changed). And having the Las Vegas safe as the mythical Götterdämmerung is a nice touch. Above all – “SURPRISE!!!” – the script surpassed the essential six-laughs test.
The acting is above par, with Schweighöfer putting in a fabulous turn and the stunningly beautiful Nathalie Emmanuel (best known for being Ramsey in the Fast and Furious series) gets to be a lot more than mere window-dressing here. Stuart Martin is notable here for looking astonishingly like Hugh Jackman…. I mean, really, they could be twins.
Negatives:
I mean, honestly, there are more holes in this story than a St Moritz swiss-cheese. Why would all of the safes, owned by different private institutions, be being “decommissioned” due to a Zombie outbreak on the other side of the world? Can the Interpol team really be that incompetent? And however clever he is, I don’t buy that you can open safes like that!
Although I liked the balance of the script overall, the story is pretty simplistic and linear.
Summary Thoughts on “Army of Thieves”
Sometimes a little movie appears that surprises and delights you, and this was one of those for me. It’s not big and it’s not clever. But it is very nicely made, thoroughly entertained me and was – for me – way better than its source movie. A recommended watch on Netflix.
Plot Summary:
Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert (Matthias Schweighöfer) is a geek obsessed with the work of legendary safe-manufacturer Hans Wagner whose magnum opus was a series of four intricate safes named after the four parts of his namesake’s Ring cycle: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.
Seeking more the glory of cracking the legendary safes (rather than the riches within), high-class jewel-thief Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) teams with Sebastian to crack the three known safes (in Paris, Prague and St Moritz) before they are officially ‘retired’. Together with Korina (Ruby O. Fee), muscle-man Brad (Stuart Martin) and getaway driver Rolph (Guz Khan) the gang try to stay one step ahead of obsessed Interpol agent Delacroix (Jonathan Cohen).
Certification:
US: TV-MA. UK: 15.
Talent:
Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen.
Directed by: Matthias Schweighöfer.
Written by: Shay Hatten (from a story by Shay Hatten and Zack Snyder).
“Army of Thieves” Review: Positives:
I really wasn’t expecting much from this offering. For me, the character of Dieter in “Army of the Dead” was an annoyingly quirky comedy character in a zombie-actioner that you just wanted to punch in the face…. repeatedly. But in contrast, this Dieter-centric film is deliberately quirky throughout and it just all worked for me. Under his own direction, Schweighöfer’s Sebastian/Dieter becomes a genuinely quirky, lovelorn and loveable loser that you want to root for.
The look and feel of the film is utterly glorious. The wonderful cinematography by Bernhard Jasper makes the introduction to the European locations feel Bond-like and the combination of Production Design and Special Effects make the safe-cracking scenes tense, dynamic and beautiful to watch. It’s all nicely rounded off by a quirky Steve Mazzaro / Hans Zimmer score.
Shay Hatten’s script delivers a nice balance of action and exposition. It actually – shock horror – takes time to flesh out some character behind the generic heist-movie stereotypes. Setting the movie in the same timeline as the emerging Nevada zombie-apocalypse as “Army of the Dead” is neat: (although those expecting extensive zombie-action will feel short-changed). And having the Las Vegas safe as the mythical Götterdämmerung is a nice touch. Above all – “SURPRISE!!!” – the script surpassed the essential six-laughs test.
The acting is above par, with Schweighöfer putting in a fabulous turn and the stunningly beautiful Nathalie Emmanuel (best known for being Ramsey in the Fast and Furious series) gets to be a lot more than mere window-dressing here. Stuart Martin is notable here for looking astonishingly like Hugh Jackman…. I mean, really, they could be twins.
Negatives:
I mean, honestly, there are more holes in this story than a St Moritz swiss-cheese. Why would all of the safes, owned by different private institutions, be being “decommissioned” due to a Zombie outbreak on the other side of the world? Can the Interpol team really be that incompetent? And however clever he is, I don’t buy that you can open safes like that!
Although I liked the balance of the script overall, the story is pretty simplistic and linear.
Summary Thoughts on “Army of Thieves”
Sometimes a little movie appears that surprises and delights you, and this was one of those for me. It’s not big and it’s not clever. But it is very nicely made, thoroughly entertained me and was – for me – way better than its source movie. A recommended watch on Netflix.
Debbiereadsbook (1084 KP) rated Searching For A Soul To Love (Manx Cat Guardians #4) in Books
Sep 26, 2018
love love LOVED this one!
I was gifted my copy of this book from the author, that I write a review was not required.
This is book 4 in the Manx Cat Guardian series, and you really SHOULD, at the very least, read book three, Where It All Began before this one. It has a direct impact on this one. Book two, When Past and Present Collide, would be helpful to know what happens to Stuart, but not as necessary as book 3.
Aadan goes to the Isle of Man to help Joe deal with his ex. His cat, Max, comes with. The minute Max lands on the island where it all began, the island that was once his home, things start happening: to Max, to Aadan, and to Greg, who works with Martin (book one) and Stuart (book 2) Can Max finally bring peace to his charges: to Olafr and Magnus, the two souls he has carried for a millennia and to Aadan and Greg?
After reading book two, I was waiting for this one, Aadan and Greg have a poweful reaction in that book and it flows over into this one. It bubbles and simmers along for a huge chunk of the book, and it's not til over 90% do they FINALLY come together! Aadan was fighting the attraction, the pull of Greg a scary thing, but once he decides to go with it?? Interruption after interruption keep them from being together! While incredibly frustrating, for them and us, I think it was right and proper it took them so long.
Greg now carries the soul of Magnus, and he feels everything that Magnus did on the fateful night in the nightmares that plague him. I said in my review for Where It All Began, that it would have been too much to hear from Magnus in THAT book. But here, Magnus has his voice, and while I stand by what I said, because it's truly painful reading, when Magnus calls to his beloved to finally end his torment, it is NECESSARY that he has his voice here. And you do need to hear what he has to say.
Max in utterly smitten (it's the best word I can find!) with Princess, and at the end of this book, he's left with an impossible choice! I could not call which way he will go, and hopefully I won't have to wait too long to find out.
Aadan's younger brother, Nick plays a part here, and his story is laid out. That could be quite explosive, given how Nick reacts to Brody, Aadan's friend!
I loved the final chapter, with both Magnus and Olafr having a say and them finally, after such a long time apart, coming together forever. OH!! Loved the little twist about when the souls were both in Max.
The author's skill continues to grow, and it shows in each and every book.
Aside from having to wait so bloody long for the main event, and for the choice Max in left with, I loved this book, so...
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 4 in the Manx Cat Guardian series, and you really SHOULD, at the very least, read book three, Where It All Began before this one. It has a direct impact on this one. Book two, When Past and Present Collide, would be helpful to know what happens to Stuart, but not as necessary as book 3.
Aadan goes to the Isle of Man to help Joe deal with his ex. His cat, Max, comes with. The minute Max lands on the island where it all began, the island that was once his home, things start happening: to Max, to Aadan, and to Greg, who works with Martin (book one) and Stuart (book 2) Can Max finally bring peace to his charges: to Olafr and Magnus, the two souls he has carried for a millennia and to Aadan and Greg?
After reading book two, I was waiting for this one, Aadan and Greg have a poweful reaction in that book and it flows over into this one. It bubbles and simmers along for a huge chunk of the book, and it's not til over 90% do they FINALLY come together! Aadan was fighting the attraction, the pull of Greg a scary thing, but once he decides to go with it?? Interruption after interruption keep them from being together! While incredibly frustrating, for them and us, I think it was right and proper it took them so long.
Greg now carries the soul of Magnus, and he feels everything that Magnus did on the fateful night in the nightmares that plague him. I said in my review for Where It All Began, that it would have been too much to hear from Magnus in THAT book. But here, Magnus has his voice, and while I stand by what I said, because it's truly painful reading, when Magnus calls to his beloved to finally end his torment, it is NECESSARY that he has his voice here. And you do need to hear what he has to say.
Max in utterly smitten (it's the best word I can find!) with Princess, and at the end of this book, he's left with an impossible choice! I could not call which way he will go, and hopefully I won't have to wait too long to find out.
Aadan's younger brother, Nick plays a part here, and his story is laid out. That could be quite explosive, given how Nick reacts to Brody, Aadan's friend!
I loved the final chapter, with both Magnus and Olafr having a say and them finally, after such a long time apart, coming together forever. OH!! Loved the little twist about when the souls were both in Max.
The author's skill continues to grow, and it shows in each and every book.
Aside from having to wait so bloody long for the main event, and for the choice Max in left with, I loved this book, so...
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Debbiereadsbook (1084 KP) rated The Twelve Disasters of Christmas in Books
Jan 7, 2019
really enjoyed this!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book five in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and you probably SHOULD read he other books first. Some things are mentioned here, that happened in those books and not all is fully recapped.
Brad is sex-bribed into giving a Christmas party for Martin and his work colleagues. Brad never had a proper Christmas before and he wants it to be perfect. Things take a turn, and it's one thing after another going wrong. And just what is going on with his cat, Princess??
I really enjoyed this latest book in this series! It's funny and witty; emotional and painful; and sexy and steamy! So bloody sexy and steamy! The guys have a *thing* Brad and Martin, Joe and Stuart, and Greg and Aaden. So freaking hawt but they are spoil sports too! "Look, but not touching!"
But it's Brad and this party that take centre stage. Well, mostly, more on what I mean shortly! The party of the century has to be perfect and things keep going wrong for poor Brad! Greg has a hiccup too! I'm not going into any details, cos of spoilers, but you feel for them, as one thing after another goes wrong!
Poor Max (Aaden's cat) has been given an impossible choice. When it becomes clear just WHY the witchy-woo (I had to laugh at that name given to her!) is doing what she is doing, Max' decision is easy, but the witchy-woo ain't happy. Neither is Princess when she finds out what Max did to save her life so I'm hoping she comes round!
Brad, Greg, Joe and Nick (Aaden's little brother) all have a say, the other guys don't. But when Nick had HIS say, it made me want to hear from Brody (Aaden's best friend) Because of what Nick has to say, because there is something going on with Brody we don't yet know about, because of what happens after Brody picks Nick up after they all get drunk, I NEEDED Brody, and we don't get him.
And this is what I meant earlier. While the party is the main plot line of the book, Nick and Brody's story is being laid out too, and to ME, that is a far more important part of this story, than a party. Nick has a LOT to say about what he feels about Brody, even if he is Aaden's best friend, and I have a feeling Brody isn't as indifferent to the squirt as he makes out.
I don't get Brody here, and I NEEDED him, and that's the ONLY reason I gave it
4 stars
But that's just me, spitting my dummy out and having a hissy fit with these books, AGAIN!! Ms Sayle keeps doing that to me! I very much look forward to seeing what Ms Sayle does to illicit such reactions from me!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book five in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and you probably SHOULD read he other books first. Some things are mentioned here, that happened in those books and not all is fully recapped.
Brad is sex-bribed into giving a Christmas party for Martin and his work colleagues. Brad never had a proper Christmas before and he wants it to be perfect. Things take a turn, and it's one thing after another going wrong. And just what is going on with his cat, Princess??
I really enjoyed this latest book in this series! It's funny and witty; emotional and painful; and sexy and steamy! So bloody sexy and steamy! The guys have a *thing* Brad and Martin, Joe and Stuart, and Greg and Aaden. So freaking hawt but they are spoil sports too! "Look, but not touching!"
But it's Brad and this party that take centre stage. Well, mostly, more on what I mean shortly! The party of the century has to be perfect and things keep going wrong for poor Brad! Greg has a hiccup too! I'm not going into any details, cos of spoilers, but you feel for them, as one thing after another goes wrong!
Poor Max (Aaden's cat) has been given an impossible choice. When it becomes clear just WHY the witchy-woo (I had to laugh at that name given to her!) is doing what she is doing, Max' decision is easy, but the witchy-woo ain't happy. Neither is Princess when she finds out what Max did to save her life so I'm hoping she comes round!
Brad, Greg, Joe and Nick (Aaden's little brother) all have a say, the other guys don't. But when Nick had HIS say, it made me want to hear from Brody (Aaden's best friend) Because of what Nick has to say, because there is something going on with Brody we don't yet know about, because of what happens after Brody picks Nick up after they all get drunk, I NEEDED Brody, and we don't get him.
And this is what I meant earlier. While the party is the main plot line of the book, Nick and Brody's story is being laid out too, and to ME, that is a far more important part of this story, than a party. Nick has a LOT to say about what he feels about Brody, even if he is Aaden's best friend, and I have a feeling Brody isn't as indifferent to the squirt as he makes out.
I don't get Brody here, and I NEEDED him, and that's the ONLY reason I gave it
4 stars
But that's just me, spitting my dummy out and having a hissy fit with these books, AGAIN!! Ms Sayle keeps doing that to me! I very much look forward to seeing what Ms Sayle does to illicit such reactions from me!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) in Movies
Jul 10, 2020 (Updated Jul 10, 2020)
The Perfect Trio : Mel, Danny and Joe
Lethal Weapon 3- i love the chemistry between Mel, Danny and Joe. Its the perfect trio, their bounce off of each other. The comedy is excellent. The one liners are good. The action is good, the plot is good.
The plot: Veteran police detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is only days away from retiring when he and his tough partner, Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), are roped into an important internal affairs case. Working with the beautiful, no-nonsense Sergeant Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) and aided by the shifty informant Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), Murtaugh and Riggs begin to close in on a black-market weapons operation involving corrupt cop and arms dealer Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson).
Director Richard Donner is an animal-rights and pro-choice activist, and placed many posters and stickers for these causes in the film. Of note are the T-shirt worn by one of Murtaugh's daughters (the actress's idea), an 18-wheeler with an anti-fur slogan on the side, and a sticker on a locker in the police station.
Director Richard Donner demanded some big changes on the script which included changing the original character of Lorna (who had a different name in earlier drafts) into a woman and turning her into Riggs's girlfriend. He also re-worked the script to be less story-oriented and not focus on the main villains but instead on the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. He also toned down action scenes from the script and brought back Leo Getz into the story. All of his scenes were written in afterwards. In the original script Leo had left L.A. for New York. Boam had some disagreements with changes that Donner made but he was not against them. Boam was fired after he wrote his first two drafts of the script. One of the reasons for this was because Donner wasn't interested in the script and he disagreed with some parts of Boam's original draft.
Carrie Fisher was an uncredited script doctor on the film.
Several versions of a Lethal Weapon video game were released in conjunction with this sequel's release, appearing on the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64 platforms. Also released was a Lethal Weapon 3 pinball game.
Its a funny entertaining movie, on to the last one in the franchise. I've loved the franchise so far and hopefully the 4th one is good.
The plot: Veteran police detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is only days away from retiring when he and his tough partner, Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), are roped into an important internal affairs case. Working with the beautiful, no-nonsense Sergeant Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) and aided by the shifty informant Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), Murtaugh and Riggs begin to close in on a black-market weapons operation involving corrupt cop and arms dealer Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson).
Director Richard Donner is an animal-rights and pro-choice activist, and placed many posters and stickers for these causes in the film. Of note are the T-shirt worn by one of Murtaugh's daughters (the actress's idea), an 18-wheeler with an anti-fur slogan on the side, and a sticker on a locker in the police station.
Director Richard Donner demanded some big changes on the script which included changing the original character of Lorna (who had a different name in earlier drafts) into a woman and turning her into Riggs's girlfriend. He also re-worked the script to be less story-oriented and not focus on the main villains but instead on the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. He also toned down action scenes from the script and brought back Leo Getz into the story. All of his scenes were written in afterwards. In the original script Leo had left L.A. for New York. Boam had some disagreements with changes that Donner made but he was not against them. Boam was fired after he wrote his first two drafts of the script. One of the reasons for this was because Donner wasn't interested in the script and he disagreed with some parts of Boam's original draft.
Carrie Fisher was an uncredited script doctor on the film.
Several versions of a Lethal Weapon video game were released in conjunction with this sequel's release, appearing on the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64 platforms. Also released was a Lethal Weapon 3 pinball game.
Its a funny entertaining movie, on to the last one in the franchise. I've loved the franchise so far and hopefully the 4th one is good.