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Christine A. (965 KP) rated Restricted Fantasies in Books
Dec 9, 2018
A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
As I read the description, "A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection about the perils of our virtual reality future - and whether we're already living in it.", I was intrigued. For those that don't know "Black Mirror" is a British TV show that is available on Netflix. "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" and is described by Netflix as a "sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide."
Describing "Restricted Fantasies" by Kevin Kneupper as being written in Black Mirror-style is an actuate description. Each stand-alone story in both features its own cast of unique characters. As with "Black Mirror", this is not a collection to sit and read straight through. The stories make you think and mess with your mind. They need to be digested, thought through, and processed.
I do not want to discuss any of the individual stories as I do not want to mention any spoilers. With many of the stories I needed a few hours, if not days, to process. I highly recommend "Restricted Fantasies" to anyone who can read it and process it. I would not recommend reading it in one sitting.
As I read the description, "A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection about the perils of our virtual reality future - and whether we're already living in it.", I was intrigued. For those that don't know "Black Mirror" is a British TV show that is available on Netflix. "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" and is described by Netflix as a "sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide."
Describing "Restricted Fantasies" by Kevin Kneupper as being written in Black Mirror-style is an actuate description. Each stand-alone story in both features its own cast of unique characters. As with "Black Mirror", this is not a collection to sit and read straight through. The stories make you think and mess with your mind. They need to be digested, thought through, and processed.
I do not want to discuss any of the individual stories as I do not want to mention any spoilers. With many of the stories I needed a few hours, if not days, to process. I highly recommend "Restricted Fantasies" to anyone who can read it and process it. I would not recommend reading it in one sitting.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Walking Dead - A TellTale Games Series: Season 1 in Video Games
Jul 13, 2018
Amazing character development (3 more)
Great story
Emotional and incredible acting
It's fun
Some frame rate issues (3 more)
No difficulty options
Illusion of choice
Can't skip boring scenes after multiple playthroughs
I love you Clem!!
First off I want to say it's an incredible game and that's a thanks to some great story, incredible acting and amazing character development. I think we all thinking about lee and Clem! Lol
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
Alice (12 KP) rated Untamed (Uninhibited, #1) in Books
Jul 3, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
<i>Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. </i>
I was a little dubious reading this little serial as I've not read anything by the author before and I generally don't read 5 star reviews because of personal choices.
Going into <i>Untamed </i> I was pleasantly surprised by the way it was written. I had expected it to be a quick serial number with little going on and a quick steamy sex scene but there was plenty happening in this serial.
Dr Cari Dunn is a celebrity architect with a stalker. A pretty crazy stalker as stalkers are want to be. The network she does a TV show for hires a bodyguard to protect her - queue Jasper. A sinfully hot male with an alpha streak - just how I like my males!
As it's a pretty short price of writing everything meshes together nicely with a wickedly good sex scene and a great cliffhanger that leaves the series open for the next instalment which is released a week after this one.
I think the one big thing that put me off a bit was the mention of Christian Grey. Those are two words that will put me off any book but thankfully he was only mentioned once in passing.
We'll see where the next part takes us in this ride.
<i>Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. </i>
I was a little dubious reading this little serial as I've not read anything by the author before and I generally don't read 5 star reviews because of personal choices.
Going into <i>Untamed </i> I was pleasantly surprised by the way it was written. I had expected it to be a quick serial number with little going on and a quick steamy sex scene but there was plenty happening in this serial.
Dr Cari Dunn is a celebrity architect with a stalker. A pretty crazy stalker as stalkers are want to be. The network she does a TV show for hires a bodyguard to protect her - queue Jasper. A sinfully hot male with an alpha streak - just how I like my males!
As it's a pretty short price of writing everything meshes together nicely with a wickedly good sex scene and a great cliffhanger that leaves the series open for the next instalment which is released a week after this one.
I think the one big thing that put me off a bit was the mention of Christian Grey. Those are two words that will put me off any book but thankfully he was only mentioned once in passing.
We'll see where the next part takes us in this ride.
Best British drama in a long time
I don't really do British tv dramas, mainly because most of them are all very similar or just not my cup of tea, however after the hype surrounding this, I decided to give it a chance.
This is by far the best British drama I've seen in a long time (albeit I may not have seen many recently). Richard Madden is superb as David Budd and I really hope he goes far with his career. There's Bond rumours flying about (although to be fair those same rumours are fixed to every British actor within a certain age range) and i honestly think he would make a great Bond as long as he doesn't go with his native Scottish. The story itself is interesting and there are some fantastic twists and turns. Some of it may be a tad predictable, over the top and cliched - I almost stopped watching after episode 2 when the bodyguard slept with his ward - and you have to suspend your disbelief in parts. If only real police work in the UK was this dramatic! However I was particularly impressed with the final episode. Never before have I felt so tense and terrified watching a British drama, the tension and suspense in this episode alone was marvellous. The final scene itself was a tad disappointing as I'd expected a little more action, but the rest of the episode and series more than made up for it.
This is by far the best British drama I've seen in a long time (albeit I may not have seen many recently). Richard Madden is superb as David Budd and I really hope he goes far with his career. There's Bond rumours flying about (although to be fair those same rumours are fixed to every British actor within a certain age range) and i honestly think he would make a great Bond as long as he doesn't go with his native Scottish. The story itself is interesting and there are some fantastic twists and turns. Some of it may be a tad predictable, over the top and cliched - I almost stopped watching after episode 2 when the bodyguard slept with his ward - and you have to suspend your disbelief in parts. If only real police work in the UK was this dramatic! However I was particularly impressed with the final episode. Never before have I felt so tense and terrified watching a British drama, the tension and suspense in this episode alone was marvellous. The final scene itself was a tad disappointing as I'd expected a little more action, but the rest of the episode and series more than made up for it.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The A-Team (2010) in Movies
Feb 16, 2020
Leaden remake of the popular-in-the-80s-but-only-possible-to-enjoy-ironically-now TV action show. Unhinged special-forces unit the A-Team are framed for a crime they didn't commit, bust out of prison, try to clear their names by going to Germany. Where, you may be wondering, is the mom 'n' pop store being threatened by cheap gangsters the team are called in to protect? Where is Hannibal putting on a stupid disguise? Where is the bit where the bad guys lock them in a shed with a load of welding gear, allowing them to build an armoured car out of bits of old washing machine? Where is the scene where they spray 35,000 rounds of .223 ammunition at the bad guys, destroying everything in sight but leaving their targets miraculously unscathed? Friends, none of these things are here.
Instead it's almost as if the A-Team have wandered into a rather downbeat Mission: Impossible movie, or possibly one of the Bournes. You don't expect to have to wrestle with the plot of The A-Team but there's a confusing tangle of double-crosses and betrayals between military intelligence, the CIA and private security firms at the heart of this. Seems to fundamentally misunderstand the essential cheesy disposability of The A-Team by trying to make it feel like a serious drama. I wouldn't have thought it was possible: this manages to be both inauthentic to the original series and also bad.
Instead it's almost as if the A-Team have wandered into a rather downbeat Mission: Impossible movie, or possibly one of the Bournes. You don't expect to have to wrestle with the plot of The A-Team but there's a confusing tangle of double-crosses and betrayals between military intelligence, the CIA and private security firms at the heart of this. Seems to fundamentally misunderstand the essential cheesy disposability of The A-Team by trying to make it feel like a serious drama. I wouldn't have thought it was possible: this manages to be both inauthentic to the original series and also bad.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Killing in a Koi Pond in Books
Jun 13, 2021
Jessica Gets Back on the Road to Murder
Jessica Fletcher is traveling down to South Carolina to visit a college friend. Delores has just married Willis, and she is over the moon. She is also blind to the way that Willis treats the majority of those around them, but Jessica observes the way others are reacting to his almost abusive behavior at dinner. When Jessica sets out for a run the next morning, she finds Willis dead in the Koi Pond. While Delores doesn’t want to believe that anyone could have killed Willis, the police being to treat Delores as a suspect. Can Jessica figure out what is really happening?
Although I’ve been a fan of the TV show for years, I just started reading the books a couple of years ago. While I enjoyed those books, they felt a little off for the franchise. This book captures the feel of the show much better, especially Jessica on a trip episode (which were the majority). Jessica is her charming best here, and I enjoyed several other characters as well as appreciating the growth in Delores. I did feel that Delores’s step-granddaughter was a bit young for the age she was supposed to be and the suspects were thin. The plot was good, although the pacing was off. Still, it did provide some enjoyable red herrings before we reached a classic Murder, She Wrote climax. Fans of the series will feel right at home here.
Although I’ve been a fan of the TV show for years, I just started reading the books a couple of years ago. While I enjoyed those books, they felt a little off for the franchise. This book captures the feel of the show much better, especially Jessica on a trip episode (which were the majority). Jessica is her charming best here, and I enjoyed several other characters as well as appreciating the growth in Delores. I did feel that Delores’s step-granddaughter was a bit young for the age she was supposed to be and the suspects were thin. The plot was good, although the pacing was off. Still, it did provide some enjoyable red herrings before we reached a classic Murder, She Wrote climax. Fans of the series will feel right at home here.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated The Zodiac Paradox (Fringe, #1) in Books
Nov 30, 2020
My wife and I were late bloomers, getting into the show as it entered its 5th, and final season. We "binge watched" on Netflix, getting caught up, and then left with a craving for more after series ended. Enter 'Fringe: The Zodiac Paradox', the 1st in Christa Faust's trilogy that serves as prequels for the the three main characters: Walter and Peter Bishop, as well as Olivia Dunham.
Reviewing a number of reviews on here, as well as via Amazon.com, I found complaints that Walter's characterization was more in-line with his character in the show, not the 1968 "scientist" version. And, yes, that is true enough, the story and dialogue were good enough that I could overlook that issue, in head, reworking his persona, as I read it.
I am probably biased, as I am fan of 'Fringe', as well as having an interest of sorts in stories involving the Zodiac Killer, but I liked the book. Is it perfect? No, but, as I am finding these days - in books, newspapers/magazines, and even scrolling text on TV, spelling, grammar, and/or syntax have gone the way of the dinosaur! The errors were minimal, at worse, and the only character that appeared "off" was Walter. None of that, though, affected my appreciation of the story.
If you are looking for a good fix to fill your 'Fringe' void, you could do a heckuva lot worse. Try it, I think you may surprise yourself..
Reviewing a number of reviews on here, as well as via Amazon.com, I found complaints that Walter's characterization was more in-line with his character in the show, not the 1968 "scientist" version. And, yes, that is true enough, the story and dialogue were good enough that I could overlook that issue, in head, reworking his persona, as I read it.
I am probably biased, as I am fan of 'Fringe', as well as having an interest of sorts in stories involving the Zodiac Killer, but I liked the book. Is it perfect? No, but, as I am finding these days - in books, newspapers/magazines, and even scrolling text on TV, spelling, grammar, and/or syntax have gone the way of the dinosaur! The errors were minimal, at worse, and the only character that appeared "off" was Walter. None of that, though, affected my appreciation of the story.
If you are looking for a good fix to fill your 'Fringe' void, you could do a heckuva lot worse. Try it, I think you may surprise yourself..
Zoe Nock (13 KP) rated Codename Villanelle (Killing Eve #1) in Books
Jun 26, 2019
Whilst binge-watching the BBC’s excellent Killing Eve I kept promising myself that I would hunt down a copy of the source material to learn more about the fascinating female protagonists.
It was certainly intriguing to hear the inner workings of Eve’s & Villanelle’s minds and to discover more about their backstory. I particularly enjoyed learning how Villanelle was moulded into the cold-bloodedly efficient assassin that fans of the show have come to love and fear.
“Black, white and red. Darkness, snow and blood. Perhaps it takes as Russian to understand the world in those terms.”
The novel is well written and clips along nicely. There are some well-executed (pun intended) set pieces in exotic or glamourous locations, it easy to see why it was targeted for adaptation. I’m glad that they resisted the temptation to give it the big screen treatment, turning it into what would probably been a beautifully shot but ultimately forgettable ‘sexy spy’ film.
It was an inspired decision to inject humour into the TV show; Phoebe Waller-Bridge brought this book to life in a darkly, deliciously, delightful way. Because of that I was a little disappointed with the book itself. Eve’s kookiness and Villanelle’s bat-s**t craziness are absent and sorely missed by anyone who has seen the series. It is still a good read but Waller-Bridge has shown us what the characters are truly capable of.
It was certainly intriguing to hear the inner workings of Eve’s & Villanelle’s minds and to discover more about their backstory. I particularly enjoyed learning how Villanelle was moulded into the cold-bloodedly efficient assassin that fans of the show have come to love and fear.
“Black, white and red. Darkness, snow and blood. Perhaps it takes as Russian to understand the world in those terms.”
The novel is well written and clips along nicely. There are some well-executed (pun intended) set pieces in exotic or glamourous locations, it easy to see why it was targeted for adaptation. I’m glad that they resisted the temptation to give it the big screen treatment, turning it into what would probably been a beautifully shot but ultimately forgettable ‘sexy spy’ film.
It was an inspired decision to inject humour into the TV show; Phoebe Waller-Bridge brought this book to life in a darkly, deliciously, delightful way. Because of that I was a little disappointed with the book itself. Eve’s kookiness and Villanelle’s bat-s**t craziness are absent and sorely missed by anyone who has seen the series. It is still a good read but Waller-Bridge has shown us what the characters are truly capable of.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (AVP 2) (2007) in Movies
Jun 28, 2019
A shameless money grab
After the thoroughly underwhelming AVP, we are presented with Requiem, a film that's entices you with it's R rating (after the first films odd PG-13 rating), and it's clear to see why a lot of the advertising was centred around the R rating - because Requiem has little else to offer.
Both of these franchises are beloved, but unfortunately, the bad films have really started to outweigh the good - and Requiem is a film made purely to make money. There's no diving into the lore behind any of the past films, and instead the story is set in a small Colorado town, full of actors that I kind of recognise from various TV shows - which is fitting, because the film plays out like an episode of Dawson's Creek, just with lots of Aliens running around.
The staple violence of both series is present once again, however, it feels like the constant Gore is being thrown at you to distract you from the threadbare plot.
The (singular) Predator looks pretty good, however the Aliens are mostly shrouded in shadow, I don't recall seeing a full body shot of a Xenomorph at any point, and the Predator-Alien hybrid, again, is never really shown properly, and what we do see looks silly.
It's a pretty shoddy movie all in all, and this particular mash up is probably best left to books and graphic novels.
Both of these franchises are beloved, but unfortunately, the bad films have really started to outweigh the good - and Requiem is a film made purely to make money. There's no diving into the lore behind any of the past films, and instead the story is set in a small Colorado town, full of actors that I kind of recognise from various TV shows - which is fitting, because the film plays out like an episode of Dawson's Creek, just with lots of Aliens running around.
The staple violence of both series is present once again, however, it feels like the constant Gore is being thrown at you to distract you from the threadbare plot.
The (singular) Predator looks pretty good, however the Aliens are mostly shrouded in shadow, I don't recall seeing a full body shot of a Xenomorph at any point, and the Predator-Alien hybrid, again, is never really shown properly, and what we do see looks silly.
It's a pretty shoddy movie all in all, and this particular mash up is probably best left to books and graphic novels.
Merissa (12934 KP) rated Tic-Tac-Mistletoe (Hartbridge Christmas #1) in Books
Nov 24, 2021
TIC-TAC-MISTLETOE is the first book in the Hartbridge Christmas series and, honestly, this belongs on the Hallmark Channel. The book itself says so too!
Hamish is travelling from Australia to his sister's for Christmas - and the next two years. However, nothing has gone right for him, and he ends up going headfirst into a snowbank. Luckily for him, he is rescued by the local hardware shop owner, Ren. They click instantly but spend time trying to understand just what is going on, and how it will work when Ren is going to Mossley to be with his sister.
This is a low-angst full-of-Christmas-spirit book that will definitely give you the warm fuzzies! I loved Ren and Hamish together, together with Chutney the dog. I loved the TV references and how Ren and Hamish made it 'their thing'. We hear the back story of both of them, without it being an info dump.
Honestly? I have nothing bad to say. I would LOVE for Hallmark to grab this up and make a dream come true! A warm, fuzzy, cookies in the kitchen, sweet Christmas story that I adored. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Hamish is travelling from Australia to his sister's for Christmas - and the next two years. However, nothing has gone right for him, and he ends up going headfirst into a snowbank. Luckily for him, he is rescued by the local hardware shop owner, Ren. They click instantly but spend time trying to understand just what is going on, and how it will work when Ren is going to Mossley to be with his sister.
This is a low-angst full-of-Christmas-spirit book that will definitely give you the warm fuzzies! I loved Ren and Hamish together, together with Chutney the dog. I loved the TV references and how Ren and Hamish made it 'their thing'. We hear the back story of both of them, without it being an info dump.
Honestly? I have nothing bad to say. I would LOVE for Hallmark to grab this up and make a dream come true! A warm, fuzzy, cookies in the kitchen, sweet Christmas story that I adored. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!