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The Hidden Secrets of Water: Discovering the Powers of the Magical Molecule of Life
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"Human beings are inexorably drawn to water because ...it reveals both the origins and purpose of...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Big Wishes for Little Feat in Books
Feb 24, 2021
I love children’s picture books, but I loved them with substance, <i>Big Wishes for Little Feet </i> gives me that and so much more!
Cheryl Olsten brought to life a vivid story of finding happiness right where you are planted, of never giving up even when things do not go your way, and that there is joy in the midst of sadness. I LOVED Lafitte and his story of perseverance. The narration was done beautifully (emphasized by the fantastic illustrations) and I enjoyed getting to watch him grow up. I also liked Ella’s story and how they intertwined together. I think there are a lot of kids who can relate to Ella and her family situation. I especially liked how Cheryl Olsten explained the phonics to say Ella’s nickname from her father <i>Brilliant étoile</i>. It was a fun interactive part of the story; plus, it reinforces dual language learning.
<b>“Little Feet, thought the horse. That is who I am—a horse of great courage, strength, and skill.”</b>
Paolo D’Altan’s work in this book is phenomenal. He truly conveyed the wonder and curiosity displayed by Ella and Lafitte and told their story in a colorful and eye-catching way. I want some of the pictures to hang in my home! As I look back over the story, I am again amazed by all the detailed work that went into this book and I am looking forward to showing my niece this book over Christmas to see which picture is her favorite. Well done Paolo D’Altan!
A definite 5 out of 5 stars for me! Some great themes combined with a good flowing storyline and some great imaginative art.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Cheryl Olsten brought to life a vivid story of finding happiness right where you are planted, of never giving up even when things do not go your way, and that there is joy in the midst of sadness. I LOVED Lafitte and his story of perseverance. The narration was done beautifully (emphasized by the fantastic illustrations) and I enjoyed getting to watch him grow up. I also liked Ella’s story and how they intertwined together. I think there are a lot of kids who can relate to Ella and her family situation. I especially liked how Cheryl Olsten explained the phonics to say Ella’s nickname from her father <i>Brilliant étoile</i>. It was a fun interactive part of the story; plus, it reinforces dual language learning.
<b>“Little Feet, thought the horse. That is who I am—a horse of great courage, strength, and skill.”</b>
Paolo D’Altan’s work in this book is phenomenal. He truly conveyed the wonder and curiosity displayed by Ella and Lafitte and told their story in a colorful and eye-catching way. I want some of the pictures to hang in my home! As I look back over the story, I am again amazed by all the detailed work that went into this book and I am looking forward to showing my niece this book over Christmas to see which picture is her favorite. Well done Paolo D’Altan!
A definite 5 out of 5 stars for me! Some great themes combined with a good flowing storyline and some great imaginative art.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Travis Knight recommended Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) in Movies (curated)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The New Mutants (2020) in Movies
Sep 10, 2020
Worst X-Men film yet?
The X-Men films have always been a bit of a mixed bag. The good; X2 and Days of Future Past. The bad verging on awful; Last Stand, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. And I'm afraid New Mutants is definitely the latter.
First of all, this film has been released to literally no fanfare or press whatsoever. I havent seen a single trailer or advert at all, it's not a good sign and almost feels like they're trying to brush this one under the carpet. And i can see why.
This film is beyond dull and I lost count of the amount of times I yawned and rolled my eyes watching this. From the shaky cam dodgy opening scene, visually this wasn't great. Some effects were good but some definitely looked shaky around the edges. And then there's the script which is very cheesy and poor, and the plot that isn't much better. Dani is an overall terrible character both in how she's written and acted. The romance in this is so badly done and cliched (and after knowing each other for like a day) that I almost wanted to vomit. There's also the issue with the accents - what on earth waa going on with Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton?
The only saving grace to this film is Anya Taylor-Joy who is a wonderful actress and also luckily has the best character. Don't get me wrong she still suffers from the overly poor script and plot, but her character at least has some substance and whenever she's on screen the film is all the better for it. The rest of the characters you just couldn't care less about.
I havent quite decided yet if this is the worse film in the X-Men universe, but it's definitely in the running.
First of all, this film has been released to literally no fanfare or press whatsoever. I havent seen a single trailer or advert at all, it's not a good sign and almost feels like they're trying to brush this one under the carpet. And i can see why.
This film is beyond dull and I lost count of the amount of times I yawned and rolled my eyes watching this. From the shaky cam dodgy opening scene, visually this wasn't great. Some effects were good but some definitely looked shaky around the edges. And then there's the script which is very cheesy and poor, and the plot that isn't much better. Dani is an overall terrible character both in how she's written and acted. The romance in this is so badly done and cliched (and after knowing each other for like a day) that I almost wanted to vomit. There's also the issue with the accents - what on earth waa going on with Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton?
The only saving grace to this film is Anya Taylor-Joy who is a wonderful actress and also luckily has the best character. Don't get me wrong she still suffers from the overly poor script and plot, but her character at least has some substance and whenever she's on screen the film is all the better for it. The rest of the characters you just couldn't care less about.
I havent quite decided yet if this is the worse film in the X-Men universe, but it's definitely in the running.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Escape Room (2019) in Movies
Sep 15, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
In short, Escape Room is actually a pretty tight thriller with a really disappointingly shitty ending.
It's disappointing because I found myself unexpectedly enjoying the bulk of the movie, even if it doesn't carry a lot of substance.
It's a more recent entry into the currently popular and seemingly unending PG-13 corner of horror. This of course means little in the way of gore or scares, something that I would usually take issue with, but managed to get on board with in this instance.
The set up is resemblant of Saw, but the later films in that franchise are evidence that more gore certainly doesn't make for a better film. With the focus here not being on violence but the actual puzzles the characters have to work through, I found it to be fairly engaging.
The set pieces and room designs are imaginative, and a lot of these moments are suitably tense.
The cast are decent as well - Taylor Russell, Tyler Labine and Nik Dodani are likeable, and I always enjoy Deborah Ann Woll whenever she pops up in things.
My main gripe however is the plot. The premise is really straightforward, not much room for error in that respect, so the inclusion of a faceless Hostel-esque corporation who caters to rich people who profit from this whole thing is just dumb. It's feels lazy, unnecessary, and more than anything, really tacked on and rushed. The ending flies by in an attempt to hastily set up a sequel rather than focusing on ending this film in a satisfying manner. It's a real shame because the majority of the film is relatively entertaining, and the climax just de-rails it completely.
Escape Room is worth watching for the Saw meets Cube premise, but ultimately ends up being a bang average thriller.
It's disappointing because I found myself unexpectedly enjoying the bulk of the movie, even if it doesn't carry a lot of substance.
It's a more recent entry into the currently popular and seemingly unending PG-13 corner of horror. This of course means little in the way of gore or scares, something that I would usually take issue with, but managed to get on board with in this instance.
The set up is resemblant of Saw, but the later films in that franchise are evidence that more gore certainly doesn't make for a better film. With the focus here not being on violence but the actual puzzles the characters have to work through, I found it to be fairly engaging.
The set pieces and room designs are imaginative, and a lot of these moments are suitably tense.
The cast are decent as well - Taylor Russell, Tyler Labine and Nik Dodani are likeable, and I always enjoy Deborah Ann Woll whenever she pops up in things.
My main gripe however is the plot. The premise is really straightforward, not much room for error in that respect, so the inclusion of a faceless Hostel-esque corporation who caters to rich people who profit from this whole thing is just dumb. It's feels lazy, unnecessary, and more than anything, really tacked on and rushed. The ending flies by in an attempt to hastily set up a sequel rather than focusing on ending this film in a satisfying manner. It's a real shame because the majority of the film is relatively entertaining, and the climax just de-rails it completely.
Escape Room is worth watching for the Saw meets Cube premise, but ultimately ends up being a bang average thriller.
Slugterra: Dark Waters
Games and Entertainment
App
This is a 3D shooter ft. top-down view campaigns, third-person multiplayer PVP and arena battles....
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Ma (2019) in Movies
May 14, 2020
Ma is a relatively predictable and a would-be run of the mill horror thriller, if it wasn't for the mostly decent cast, and well realised slow build up.
Ma revolves around a group of teens inadvertently befriending a lonely older woman whilst trying to buy alcohol. The woman's sweet nature leads to her letting the teens and their friends use the basement of her house for police-free partying, and she becomes something a mother figure to them, nicknaming her 'Ma'. Things start to go a little awry when Ma becomes possessive, and a much more sinister plot unravels.
The film doesn't go full blown horror until the final act, meaning that the main chunk of runtime is a fairly slow burning thriller. It's paced pretty well for the most part, drip feeding details and hints that Ma is quite clearly unwell. It's also features flashbacks here and there, going some way to explain why she is the way she is. It's actually quite sad at times, and definitely plays the sympathy card on occasion. This wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it did without Octavia Spencer. She's the obvious highlight of the film and her friendly demeanor makes her character all the more unsettling.
The teenage characters are actually surprisingly likable as well. They're not particular fleshed out too much, and lack substance, but usually they're exclusively hateable in these kind of films.
Add in Juliette Lewis, Missy Pyles, and Luke Evans, and the cast is pretty solid.
I guess the main problem with Ma, is that's it's nothing special. It's painfully predictable at times - there's a lot of typical people-doing-obviously-dumb-shit-in-a-horror-film going on, and it's in your face enough to impact the overall movie.
It's still worth a watch though, even if it's just for Octavia Spencer.
Ma revolves around a group of teens inadvertently befriending a lonely older woman whilst trying to buy alcohol. The woman's sweet nature leads to her letting the teens and their friends use the basement of her house for police-free partying, and she becomes something a mother figure to them, nicknaming her 'Ma'. Things start to go a little awry when Ma becomes possessive, and a much more sinister plot unravels.
The film doesn't go full blown horror until the final act, meaning that the main chunk of runtime is a fairly slow burning thriller. It's paced pretty well for the most part, drip feeding details and hints that Ma is quite clearly unwell. It's also features flashbacks here and there, going some way to explain why she is the way she is. It's actually quite sad at times, and definitely plays the sympathy card on occasion. This wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it did without Octavia Spencer. She's the obvious highlight of the film and her friendly demeanor makes her character all the more unsettling.
The teenage characters are actually surprisingly likable as well. They're not particular fleshed out too much, and lack substance, but usually they're exclusively hateable in these kind of films.
Add in Juliette Lewis, Missy Pyles, and Luke Evans, and the cast is pretty solid.
I guess the main problem with Ma, is that's it's nothing special. It's painfully predictable at times - there's a lot of typical people-doing-obviously-dumb-shit-in-a-horror-film going on, and it's in your face enough to impact the overall movie.
It's still worth a watch though, even if it's just for Octavia Spencer.
Adios, Motherfucker
Book
The riotous and unbridled confessions of a debauched rock and roller and his adventures in excess...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) in Movies
Mar 18, 2023
Middle of the Road Marvel
The good news for long-time, hard core Marvel Cinematic Universe fans is that the next “big bad” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been unleashed and we will now get to see “Kang The Conqueror” (in his permutations) battling our heroes for the foreseeable future.
The bad news is that for casual fans – and folks that are just plain tired of the MCU – things are going to get more complex and convoluted as the MCU heads deeper into the “Comic Bookiness” of their source material.
Such is the case with ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, the 3rd standalone Ant Man film starring Paul Ruud, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas. It is a very “Comic Bookie” film in that it takes the audience to the “Quantum Realm” and all the quirky characters and locations therein.
Director Peyton Reed (who helmed the previous 2 Ant-Man films) leans into this “Comic Bookieness” in that he accents the weird and bizarre and creates comic-book-like panels on the images on the screen. Consequently, this makes the film interesting to look at, but for the most part, there is not much substance under the surface.
For their part, Ruud, Lilly, Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer (returning from the 2nd Ant-Man film) and newcomer Kathryn Newton (taking over the role of Ruud’s daughter, Cassie) are game in what they are asked to work with and react to (mostly to a green screen with CGI filled in later) and they all are winning (enough) presences on screen to spend a very enjoyable time with.
Jonathan Majors is on-board as Kang the Conqueror (a version of him was seen at the end of the first season of the Disney+ series LOKI) and he brings his considerable acting chops, gravitas and weight to the proceedings. He is a force to be reckoned with which was apparent from almost the first time he commanded the screen in this film. It will be interesting to see where he takes things from here.
The problem with this film is that it is (mostly) style with very little substance. Necessarily, the plot drives a more dramatic, darker theme to this Ant-Man film than in previous outings and the film suffers because of it. One of the charms of the Ant-Man films is that Director Reed was able to lean into the inherent goofiness of Paul Ruud and the absurd idea of him being able to shrink. That quirkiness and sense of fun is gone – as are regular characters played in the past 2 films by the likes of Bobby Canavale, Judy Greer, Randall Park (who has a blink or you’ll miss him cameo) and (most egregiously) Michael Pena.
What they are replaced by are some quirky “Quantum Realm” characters – most of whom are CGI and are voiced by some very good voice performers – it just doesn’t hit the same, since the overall theme is darker. Katy M. O’Brian and William Jackson Harper (who is rounding into a very intriguing performer) bring gusto to their roles as a few members of the Quantum realm, which helps pick up the sagginess of this film, but not enough. Not even a Bill Murray appearance can elevate this film to something funner than it is.
All in all a “fine” entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and one that will remind you very much that you are watching a film based on Comic Book characters – but it falls squarely in the middle of the MCU entries...a catalogue of which is becoming very deep (maybe too deep), indeed.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The bad news is that for casual fans – and folks that are just plain tired of the MCU – things are going to get more complex and convoluted as the MCU heads deeper into the “Comic Bookiness” of their source material.
Such is the case with ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, the 3rd standalone Ant Man film starring Paul Ruud, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas. It is a very “Comic Bookie” film in that it takes the audience to the “Quantum Realm” and all the quirky characters and locations therein.
Director Peyton Reed (who helmed the previous 2 Ant-Man films) leans into this “Comic Bookieness” in that he accents the weird and bizarre and creates comic-book-like panels on the images on the screen. Consequently, this makes the film interesting to look at, but for the most part, there is not much substance under the surface.
For their part, Ruud, Lilly, Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer (returning from the 2nd Ant-Man film) and newcomer Kathryn Newton (taking over the role of Ruud’s daughter, Cassie) are game in what they are asked to work with and react to (mostly to a green screen with CGI filled in later) and they all are winning (enough) presences on screen to spend a very enjoyable time with.
Jonathan Majors is on-board as Kang the Conqueror (a version of him was seen at the end of the first season of the Disney+ series LOKI) and he brings his considerable acting chops, gravitas and weight to the proceedings. He is a force to be reckoned with which was apparent from almost the first time he commanded the screen in this film. It will be interesting to see where he takes things from here.
The problem with this film is that it is (mostly) style with very little substance. Necessarily, the plot drives a more dramatic, darker theme to this Ant-Man film than in previous outings and the film suffers because of it. One of the charms of the Ant-Man films is that Director Reed was able to lean into the inherent goofiness of Paul Ruud and the absurd idea of him being able to shrink. That quirkiness and sense of fun is gone – as are regular characters played in the past 2 films by the likes of Bobby Canavale, Judy Greer, Randall Park (who has a blink or you’ll miss him cameo) and (most egregiously) Michael Pena.
What they are replaced by are some quirky “Quantum Realm” characters – most of whom are CGI and are voiced by some very good voice performers – it just doesn’t hit the same, since the overall theme is darker. Katy M. O’Brian and William Jackson Harper (who is rounding into a very intriguing performer) bring gusto to their roles as a few members of the Quantum realm, which helps pick up the sagginess of this film, but not enough. Not even a Bill Murray appearance can elevate this film to something funner than it is.
All in all a “fine” entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and one that will remind you very much that you are watching a film based on Comic Book characters – but it falls squarely in the middle of the MCU entries...a catalogue of which is becoming very deep (maybe too deep), indeed.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Uncle Buck (1989) in Movies
Mar 18, 2018
Hilarious
My Movies 365 journey has taken me deep into 80's territory, with Uncle Buck being my next up to review. Released in 1989, it just squeezes into the decade but is perfect for it. The 80's trend is becoming clearer with every film I watch: It was all about having fun. No strong depth. No taking itself too seriously. If you were going to see a film in the 80's, you were there for the sole purpose of having a good time. Did I have a good time watching Uncle Buck? Absolutely!
The film is simple in its design, yet still manages to have a ton of classic scenes. How many takes do you think it took to film the memorable Q&A scene with John Candy and McCauley Caulkin? I crack up just thinking about it so I can only imagine how hard it was for them. And Uncle Buck's car? Oh my God, the car! Hooptiest of hoopties. I don't know what's funnier, hearing its shotgun exhaust for the first time or watching everyone scatter for their lives.
Uncle Buck is called in to help babysit after his brother and sister-in-law have to go out of town to deal with an emergency. Other than the fact that there's no real substance to the movie, I don't really have anything bad to say about it. John Candy is perfect in his role as Buck. He's lived a life full of mistakes, but he's a great guy at heart. How can you not love a guy that will make you table-sized pancakes and punch out a clown for your birthday? My Favorite Line: "Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"
Recommended by an Uncle Kory, I'm so glad Uncle Buck made it's way onto my movie list. I'm giving it an 85.
The film is simple in its design, yet still manages to have a ton of classic scenes. How many takes do you think it took to film the memorable Q&A scene with John Candy and McCauley Caulkin? I crack up just thinking about it so I can only imagine how hard it was for them. And Uncle Buck's car? Oh my God, the car! Hooptiest of hoopties. I don't know what's funnier, hearing its shotgun exhaust for the first time or watching everyone scatter for their lives.
Uncle Buck is called in to help babysit after his brother and sister-in-law have to go out of town to deal with an emergency. Other than the fact that there's no real substance to the movie, I don't really have anything bad to say about it. John Candy is perfect in his role as Buck. He's lived a life full of mistakes, but he's a great guy at heart. How can you not love a guy that will make you table-sized pancakes and punch out a clown for your birthday? My Favorite Line: "Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"
Recommended by an Uncle Kory, I'm so glad Uncle Buck made it's way onto my movie list. I'm giving it an 85.