Search
Search results
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Over countless decades the legend of King Arthur has been depicted across a range of mediums. The timeless tale of love, betrayals, action, and adventure has remained a popular and enduring tale ever since it was first introduced.
Director Guy Ritchie has crafted a very different take on the tale as he even contributed to the screenplay for the film. As such “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”, is brimming with many of his signature elements ranging from a caper story and characters who are filled with quirks and issues.
Charlie Hunnam plays Arthur who is orphaned at an early age when his family is betrayed by his Uncle Vortigern (Jude Law). Arthur is raised in a London brothel with no knowledge of his true lineage.
Arthur learns combat and life on the streets and quickly learns how to make money through various dealings, some of which are not exactly on the level. This is where Ritchie shows his trademark style as there is a caper element to the early part of the story and a scene of Arthur and his pals walking through the aftermath of an event is complete with his signature, start, stop, and rewind moments that made up his recent “Sherlock Holmes” films.
Naturally events put Arthur and Vortigern against each other when Arthur is able to pull the legendary Excalibur from a stone as part of a test imposed on all young men of a certain age.
With his true identity in place, Arthur is marked by his Uncle as he is the only threat to his power and this forces Arthur into the protection of the resistance where he must embrace his past and find his destiny.
The film does take some liberties with the Arthurian Legend and does go a bit heavy on the FX especially with the inclusion of giant creatures which made me think at times I was watching something from the “Lord of the Rings”. The film does drag in parts but does rebound with a finale that seemed very video game esque, but sets up future films well. The cast is strong and there is plenty to like about the film as long as you are willing to be patient with the pacing of the film.
http://sknr.net/2017/05/10/king-arthur-legend-sword/
Director Guy Ritchie has crafted a very different take on the tale as he even contributed to the screenplay for the film. As such “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”, is brimming with many of his signature elements ranging from a caper story and characters who are filled with quirks and issues.
Charlie Hunnam plays Arthur who is orphaned at an early age when his family is betrayed by his Uncle Vortigern (Jude Law). Arthur is raised in a London brothel with no knowledge of his true lineage.
Arthur learns combat and life on the streets and quickly learns how to make money through various dealings, some of which are not exactly on the level. This is where Ritchie shows his trademark style as there is a caper element to the early part of the story and a scene of Arthur and his pals walking through the aftermath of an event is complete with his signature, start, stop, and rewind moments that made up his recent “Sherlock Holmes” films.
Naturally events put Arthur and Vortigern against each other when Arthur is able to pull the legendary Excalibur from a stone as part of a test imposed on all young men of a certain age.
With his true identity in place, Arthur is marked by his Uncle as he is the only threat to his power and this forces Arthur into the protection of the resistance where he must embrace his past and find his destiny.
The film does take some liberties with the Arthurian Legend and does go a bit heavy on the FX especially with the inclusion of giant creatures which made me think at times I was watching something from the “Lord of the Rings”. The film does drag in parts but does rebound with a finale that seemed very video game esque, but sets up future films well. The cast is strong and there is plenty to like about the film as long as you are willing to be patient with the pacing of the film.
http://sknr.net/2017/05/10/king-arthur-legend-sword/
ClareR (5831 KP) rated The Paris Library in Books
Mar 2, 2021
The Paris Library tells the story of the occupation of Paris from a different point of view - that of the librarians. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, books are my favourite things, so it was a pretty safe bet that I’d enjoy this book!
In 1930’s - 1940’s Paris, we follow Odile, a young woman who wants to be a librarian in the American Library. She gets her dream job - much to her parents dismay. She meets and falls in love with a young police officer, but life begins to get much more difficult when the Germans invade France, occupying Paris. Odile’s twin brother is imprisoned in a camp after he is captured on the front, and her Jewish subscribers at the library are forbidden from going there. Odile’s wartime experiences are fascinating to read about, and I really enjoyed these flashbacks.
We also meet Lily in the 1980’s - Odile’s neighbour in the small Montana town that they both live in. They become good friends when Lily decides that she wants to write a school report about France during the Occupation. Odile teaches Lily to speak French, and they share a love of books. Odile becomes a grandmotherly figure in Lily’s life, and I loved the relationship between the two of them.
I found this book so interesting: when I was reading about Lily, I was desperate to know what would happen in the next Paris flashback, and when I was reading about Odile’s Paris, I wanted to know what would happen to Lily in her next section. I would say that this is the sign of a good book!
The Parisian sections weren’t gratuitously violent - in fact the Nazi heading the library department of the invading forces seemed to be a reasonable man. It’s made clear that the characters don’t like the Germans, and we’re told that Jews go missing, but the German’s themselves are very low key. This is about Odile’s experience, and Lily’s life in the 80’s. And the power of books.
The bravery of the Parisian librarians was admirable, especially as they could have been imprisoned or killed if their acts of resistance had ever been revealed.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book - it was a pleasure to read.
In 1930’s - 1940’s Paris, we follow Odile, a young woman who wants to be a librarian in the American Library. She gets her dream job - much to her parents dismay. She meets and falls in love with a young police officer, but life begins to get much more difficult when the Germans invade France, occupying Paris. Odile’s twin brother is imprisoned in a camp after he is captured on the front, and her Jewish subscribers at the library are forbidden from going there. Odile’s wartime experiences are fascinating to read about, and I really enjoyed these flashbacks.
We also meet Lily in the 1980’s - Odile’s neighbour in the small Montana town that they both live in. They become good friends when Lily decides that she wants to write a school report about France during the Occupation. Odile teaches Lily to speak French, and they share a love of books. Odile becomes a grandmotherly figure in Lily’s life, and I loved the relationship between the two of them.
I found this book so interesting: when I was reading about Lily, I was desperate to know what would happen in the next Paris flashback, and when I was reading about Odile’s Paris, I wanted to know what would happen to Lily in her next section. I would say that this is the sign of a good book!
The Parisian sections weren’t gratuitously violent - in fact the Nazi heading the library department of the invading forces seemed to be a reasonable man. It’s made clear that the characters don’t like the Germans, and we’re told that Jews go missing, but the German’s themselves are very low key. This is about Odile’s experience, and Lily’s life in the 80’s. And the power of books.
The bravery of the Parisian librarians was admirable, especially as they could have been imprisoned or killed if their acts of resistance had ever been revealed.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book - it was a pleasure to read.
The Meadows
10.0
Rate It
Book
"A story of pain, injustice, love, resistance, and hope, this glorious book will lodge inside you...
YA Dystopian LGBTQ+ Science Fiction
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Sin Undone (Demonica #5) in Books
Nov 18, 2019
This one is Sin's - Sinead! - story, Lore(n)'s sister and the only female Seminus demon in existence.
We get to know her a lot more in this one and I feel sorry for a lot of the crap she went through. She tries to be this strong woman who can deal with everything but she doesn't want to be. So thank God for Con - who we met in Lore's book, Ecstasy Unveiled - and who Sin had sex with.
As a dhampire, a vampire/werewolf hybrid, Con is immune to the werewolf shifter virus which Sin unwittingly started in the last book and a great candidate to help start a vaccine against it by using his blood. The only downside to it is that as a dhampire, Con is susceptible to blood addiction if he drinks from the same donor too often yet he needs to keep drinking Sin's blood to fuel his resistance.
Feelings start to emerge beyond their physical attraction as the two are forced to spend so much time together and get to know each other. How he demands that she feel things instead of letting her body do it's physical pain release by bleeding. They'd both been through so much in their long lives and they deserved happiness.
They had a few ups and downs in this. Con had responsibilities within the shifter and dhampire communities and Sin was donating blood and trying to help those infected by the virus before they died and also to her assassin den.
And then let's not forget that last chapter! How cute was that with Lore? I've really fallen for this extended family. They all deserve happiness and I'm really glad they've all found it.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
We get to know her a lot more in this one and I feel sorry for a lot of the crap she went through. She tries to be this strong woman who can deal with everything but she doesn't want to be. So thank God for Con - who we met in Lore's book, Ecstasy Unveiled - and who Sin had sex with.
As a dhampire, a vampire/werewolf hybrid, Con is immune to the werewolf shifter virus which Sin unwittingly started in the last book and a great candidate to help start a vaccine against it by using his blood. The only downside to it is that as a dhampire, Con is susceptible to blood addiction if he drinks from the same donor too often yet he needs to keep drinking Sin's blood to fuel his resistance.
Feelings start to emerge beyond their physical attraction as the two are forced to spend so much time together and get to know each other. How he demands that she feel things instead of letting her body do it's physical pain release by bleeding. They'd both been through so much in their long lives and they deserved happiness.
They had a few ups and downs in this. Con had responsibilities within the shifter and dhampire communities and Sin was donating blood and trying to help those infected by the virus before they died and also to her assassin den.
And then let's not forget that last chapter! How cute was that with Lore? I've really fallen for this extended family. They all deserve happiness and I'm really glad they've all found it.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Men's Luxury Watch Buying Guide
Catalogs and Reference
App
☆ 50% Off Promotional Sales! ☆ No.1 in 24 countries ☆ Top 5 in 40 countries ☆ Featured in...
The Trading Playbook: Two Rule-Based Plans for Day Trading and Swing Trading
Book
Traders have a tendency to over-complicate. Many search for the latest new indicator that will give...
Tacx Cycling app
Health & Fitness and Sports
App
Train on the Tacx with an iPad The Tacx Cycling app makes it possible to train with a tablet...
The Book of Longings
Book
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and...
LS
Long Strange Journey: On Modern Zen, Zen Art, and Other Predicaments
Book
Long Strange Journey presents the first critical analysis of visual objects and discourses that...
AT
A Theology of Incarnation from Within Dis-Abled Minds: Our Wounds are Not for Healing
Book
Too frequently, theology has addressed issues of mental health from a largely pastoral and detached...