Search
Search results
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy #1) in Books
Dec 10, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
“The Gateway is open...”
These cryptic words wake college student Jess Ballard from a terrifying dream into an even more terrifying reality. Jess' life has never been what anyone would call easy; doing damage control in the wake of your nomadic, alcoholic mother doesn't exactly make for a storybook childhood. But now her world has fallen apart just when it should be coming together: her mother gone—dead under mysterious circumstances; her life uprooted to stay with estranged relatives she’s never met; and there’s something odd about some of the people she’s been meeting at school:
They’re dead.
Aided by Tia, her neurotic roommate, and Dr. David Pierce, a ghost-hunting professor, Jess must unravel the mystery behind her hauntings. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger shadows her every move. An ancient secret, long-buried, is about to claw its way to the surface, and nothing can prepare Jess for one terrifying truth...
...her encounters with the world of the dead are only just beginning.
Spirit Legacy is the first of three thrilling novels in The Gateway Trilogy by E.E. Holmes.
I really enjoyed this book! It popped up on Facebook recommend by a friend. I'm glad I went with it. A touch of ghost whispering mixed with college like. Jess not only loses her mum the has to live with an aunt she doesn't know while starting a new college but she also gets landed with spirits and a twin sister she knew nothing about! This could easily have turned into one of those whiney teen books but it was far from it and Jess being a character you can get along with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
These cryptic words wake college student Jess Ballard from a terrifying dream into an even more terrifying reality. Jess' life has never been what anyone would call easy; doing damage control in the wake of your nomadic, alcoholic mother doesn't exactly make for a storybook childhood. But now her world has fallen apart just when it should be coming together: her mother gone—dead under mysterious circumstances; her life uprooted to stay with estranged relatives she’s never met; and there’s something odd about some of the people she’s been meeting at school:
They’re dead.
Aided by Tia, her neurotic roommate, and Dr. David Pierce, a ghost-hunting professor, Jess must unravel the mystery behind her hauntings. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger shadows her every move. An ancient secret, long-buried, is about to claw its way to the surface, and nothing can prepare Jess for one terrifying truth...
...her encounters with the world of the dead are only just beginning.
Spirit Legacy is the first of three thrilling novels in The Gateway Trilogy by E.E. Holmes.
I really enjoyed this book! It popped up on Facebook recommend by a friend. I'm glad I went with it. A touch of ghost whispering mixed with college like. Jess not only loses her mum the has to live with an aunt she doesn't know while starting a new college but she also gets landed with spirits and a twin sister she knew nothing about! This could easily have turned into one of those whiney teen books but it was far from it and Jess being a character you can get along with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
JT (287 KP) rated I Am Number Four (2011) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Bland and flat for the first half then bells and whistles for the final act, it’s not awe inspiring stuff really, a Twilight for the Sci-fi genre. When their home planet is destroyed by Mogadorians, nine infant aliens with extraordinary powers and their guardians are scattered around the Earth hiding from certain death.
With the first three dead the leather trench coat wearing villains, complete with odd looking tattoos and piranha like teeth come after Number 4, John Smith (Pettyfer).
Hiding out in a small town Smith tries to fit in, experiencing everything that a normal everyday teenager would do, while trying to suppress hidden powers that he slowly grasps the responsibility of.
He falls for the shy blonde, Sarah (Agron) who hides behind the lens of her camera, and befriends the local nerd who believes that Aliens have abducted his dad, well help is at hand there.
It really is a film of two halves, with the romantic adolescents looking to find each other and rebelling the elements that threaten to tear them apart.
Caruso then suddenly ramps the action and visual set pieces up as the battle across town heats up with the Mogadorians hot on their heels. There is also the introduction of Number 6 (Teresa Palmer), leather clad and sexy she rides in on a shiny red Ducati to help save the day complete with her own set of unique powers.
There is no denying that the finale certainly lifts the film but by this time the only thing it will achieve will be waking the audience up from what was a boring opening.
A sequel is no doubt a sure thing, but do we really need another franchise of teen lust and super powers? We’ve already had Potter and Cullen!
With the first three dead the leather trench coat wearing villains, complete with odd looking tattoos and piranha like teeth come after Number 4, John Smith (Pettyfer).
Hiding out in a small town Smith tries to fit in, experiencing everything that a normal everyday teenager would do, while trying to suppress hidden powers that he slowly grasps the responsibility of.
He falls for the shy blonde, Sarah (Agron) who hides behind the lens of her camera, and befriends the local nerd who believes that Aliens have abducted his dad, well help is at hand there.
It really is a film of two halves, with the romantic adolescents looking to find each other and rebelling the elements that threaten to tear them apart.
Caruso then suddenly ramps the action and visual set pieces up as the battle across town heats up with the Mogadorians hot on their heels. There is also the introduction of Number 6 (Teresa Palmer), leather clad and sexy she rides in on a shiny red Ducati to help save the day complete with her own set of unique powers.
There is no denying that the finale certainly lifts the film but by this time the only thing it will achieve will be waking the audience up from what was a boring opening.
A sequel is no doubt a sure thing, but do we really need another franchise of teen lust and super powers? We’ve already had Potter and Cullen!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Homefront (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The new movie Homefront stars Jason Statham (Phil Broker), James Franco (Gator Bodine), Winona Ryder (Sheryl Gott), Kate Bosworth (Cassie Bodine), Chuck Zito (Danny T), Omar Benson Miller (Tito), Izabela Vidovic (Maddy Broker).
Written by Sylvestor Stallone. The film opens with a major drug bust going down, and inside undercover DEA agent Phil Broker (Statham) gives chase to the head of the drug ring and his son. While trying to arrest the father and son team, the son is shot to death, and his father promises to kill Broker and his children.
The rest of the movie takes place a few years later in a small town in Louisiana, where a now widowed Broker and his pre-teen daughter have moved to rebuild their life. An entire series of events is set off by Broker’s daughter standing up for herself against the school bully. The bully’s mother Cassie, demands an apology and doesn’t get one enough to her liking. She escalates the situation by going to her brother, Gator, who is the town’s resident “drug kingpin”.
After Gator discovers that Broker is actually an ex-undercover DEA agent, he tries to use that information as leverage to gain business ground for his drug running enterprise, and that’s where the rest of the movie plays out.
There are a lot of action and shooting scenes, which is what one would expect from a Statham movie, but it is still pretty predictable. Once Gator brings in the “big dogs” from the city, things quickly escalate and spin out of his control. The remainder of the movie is one gun fight after another, interspersed with chase scenes, swearing, explosions and hand to hand fighting. If you’re a fan of Statham, then there are really no surprises here. If you know to expect the movie’s complete predictability and his somewhat stiff acting, you’ll enjoy it.
Written by Sylvestor Stallone. The film opens with a major drug bust going down, and inside undercover DEA agent Phil Broker (Statham) gives chase to the head of the drug ring and his son. While trying to arrest the father and son team, the son is shot to death, and his father promises to kill Broker and his children.
The rest of the movie takes place a few years later in a small town in Louisiana, where a now widowed Broker and his pre-teen daughter have moved to rebuild their life. An entire series of events is set off by Broker’s daughter standing up for herself against the school bully. The bully’s mother Cassie, demands an apology and doesn’t get one enough to her liking. She escalates the situation by going to her brother, Gator, who is the town’s resident “drug kingpin”.
After Gator discovers that Broker is actually an ex-undercover DEA agent, he tries to use that information as leverage to gain business ground for his drug running enterprise, and that’s where the rest of the movie plays out.
There are a lot of action and shooting scenes, which is what one would expect from a Statham movie, but it is still pretty predictable. Once Gator brings in the “big dogs” from the city, things quickly escalate and spin out of his control. The remainder of the movie is one gun fight after another, interspersed with chase scenes, swearing, explosions and hand to hand fighting. If you’re a fan of Statham, then there are really no surprises here. If you know to expect the movie’s complete predictability and his somewhat stiff acting, you’ll enjoy it.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Secrets They Left Behind in Books
Apr 23, 2020
At first I was disappointed this was not one of Redmond's excellent Cold Case novels featuring detective Lauren Riley, whom I love, but that disappointment was short lived. I quickly took to Shea O'Connor, a young but feisty and enjoyable officer who will stop at nothing to solve her case. We realize that Shea clearly had a close call with a serial killer the last time she was undercover and she's still recovering from those wounds. Our girl is hurting, but she's also focused--Shea will do anything to find those girls.
Shea is in a tough spot. She's a young, female officer in a male-dominated profession, and she's often mistaken for a teen. However, her youthful appearance pays off undercover. But is the FBI using her? There's more than a simple mystery to solve here, as we must unravel if Shea can trust those around her.
The central mystery itself, of the girls' disappearance, is engaging and fascinating. I had a fairly good inkling early on who might be involved, but it didn't stop my interest, and I flew through the book. There are, of course, plenty of dirty secrets in Kelly's Falls--as in most small towns--and Shea digs up plenty of them. There's also an interesting angle where she becomes close with one of the missing girl's brother. Shea excels at immersing herself in her undercover role, and it was fun to see her play the young, naive college student (with a knife hidden in her back pocket).
The writing is a little simplistic at times, but overall this is a compelling thriller with an engaging protagonist. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 here. I'd love to see another book featuring Shea.
Shea is in a tough spot. She's a young, female officer in a male-dominated profession, and she's often mistaken for a teen. However, her youthful appearance pays off undercover. But is the FBI using her? There's more than a simple mystery to solve here, as we must unravel if Shea can trust those around her.
The central mystery itself, of the girls' disappearance, is engaging and fascinating. I had a fairly good inkling early on who might be involved, but it didn't stop my interest, and I flew through the book. There are, of course, plenty of dirty secrets in Kelly's Falls--as in most small towns--and Shea digs up plenty of them. There's also an interesting angle where she becomes close with one of the missing girl's brother. Shea excels at immersing herself in her undercover role, and it was fun to see her play the young, naive college student (with a knife hidden in her back pocket).
The writing is a little simplistic at times, but overall this is a compelling thriller with an engaging protagonist. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 here. I'd love to see another book featuring Shea.
The Continent: The Continent Book 1
Book
"Have we really come so far, when a tour of the Continent is so desirable a thing? We've traded our...
science fiction fantasy young adult
Radically Loved with Rosie Acosta
Podcast
Rosie Acosta is a E-RYT Yoga Teacher, Yoga Teacher Trainer + Wellness Consultant, a Holistic Health...
John Waters: Interviews
Book
The films of John Waters (b. 1946) are some of the most powerful send-ups of conventional film forms...
Niki de Saint Phalle
Camille Morineau, Bloum Cardenas, Catherine Francblin and Niki de Saint Phalle
Book
This gorgeous volume offers the most complete overview in print of the oeuvre of Niki de Saint...
This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship Between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture
Book
Internet trolls live to upset as many people as possible, using all the technical and psychological...