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jameswelsh (3 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Jul 16, 2017
great script (3 more)
very good main villain
fits so well into the mcu
back on form for spidey
spidey back on form
spiderman homecoming, a return to form for the webslinger after a series of disapointing movies. Not since spiderman 2 has there been such a good version of the character. Is it as good as those films know but in terms of the 3rd rami film and the mark webb films this movies is head and shoulder above them. Tom holland is perfectly cast as the hero. He balances the awkwardness and geeky charm of peter parker mixed with the wisecracking and heroism of spidey perfectly. Michael Keaton plays a rare beast a good mcu villian. He plays it so well you hate what he is doing but you can feel for the guy because of what he has been through. all other characters fit there purpose even a small role from iron man brings more connection with the wider mcu and helps further the story. I like the fact they went with the more john hughs feel with this movie. Its good there keeping the character in high school because in my opinion they skipped over that two fast in previous films.
my only criticism is that i found the spiderman suit too gimmicky. he is spiderman not iron spiderman.
in all this is a great film. with a fantastic cast and a great entry into the mcu. I look forward to more spidey in the future.
my only criticism is that i found the spiderman suit too gimmicky. he is spiderman not iron spiderman.
in all this is a great film. with a fantastic cast and a great entry into the mcu. I look forward to more spidey in the future.
A Short Life of Kierkegaard: With Lowrie's Essay How Kierkegaard Got into English and a New Introduction by Alastair Hannay
Walter Lowrie and Alastair Hannay
Book
A small, insignificant-looking intellectual with absurdly long legs, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)...
The Boiling River
Book
Part of the TED series: The Boiling River This fantastical tale - which sent scores of Spanish...
Dead Souls: A Poem
Nikolai Gogol and Christopher English
Book
'Rus! Russ!...Everything within you is open, desolate, and flat; your squat towns barely protrude...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated The 20th Victim in Books
Jun 17, 2020
Rehearsal for Assassination?
Getting fast food turns out to be fatal for one man who is taken out by a sniper as he is leaving the drive through on morning. His wife in the seat next to him is left physically unharmed. It’s a perfect sniper shot. While Lindsay gets the case as part of her job as a San Francisco homicide detective, reporter Cindy gets a key clue. Someone wrote “Rehearsal” in the dust of the car’s back window. The question is, rehearsal for what? Meanwhile, Claire has some scary news of her own to deal with, and Yuki has to prosecute the case of a teenage getaway driver who won’t flip on the real criminals. Even Lindsay’s husband, Joe, has a case of his own when his college roommate thinks his father was murdered.
The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
The Patient
7.0
Rate It
Book
The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated A Streetcar Named Murder in Books
Dec 15, 2022
Promising First Draft, but Needed Lots of Work
Valerie Cooper is facing changes in her life. A young widow, her twin sons are now off at college, and she struggling to fill her days. An unexpected letter reveals she’s inherited the estate of one of her late husband’s great uncles, a man that Valerie didn’t know existed. The inheritance includes an antique shop. Meanwhile, Valerie attends a Halloween costume ball, but the night ends when she finds a woman she knows stabbed to death outside the dance. What is going on?
I sat down to read this hoping to find a new series I’d enjoy. Sadly, it was very disappointing. The author tried for something different when it came to the plot, which I appreciate, but the result wasn’t plotted well at all but did pick up in the second half. It wasn’t helped by Valerie’s constant reflections on her life before her husband died and questioning why she’d never heard of this great uncle. While this is important for Valerie’s character growth, it got to be a bit much. Unfortunately, the ARC I read was also riddled with errors that should have been caught in editing, some of which made me question if what I saw from the suspects was the suspects hiding something or the sloppy editing. Meanwhile, the author goes too far in making the victim unlikeable, turning her one dimensional. I did like Valerie and her family and friends. But there is not enough good here to recommend the book.
I sat down to read this hoping to find a new series I’d enjoy. Sadly, it was very disappointing. The author tried for something different when it came to the plot, which I appreciate, but the result wasn’t plotted well at all but did pick up in the second half. It wasn’t helped by Valerie’s constant reflections on her life before her husband died and questioning why she’d never heard of this great uncle. While this is important for Valerie’s character growth, it got to be a bit much. Unfortunately, the ARC I read was also riddled with errors that should have been caught in editing, some of which made me question if what I saw from the suspects was the suspects hiding something or the sloppy editing. Meanwhile, the author goes too far in making the victim unlikeable, turning her one dimensional. I did like Valerie and her family and friends. But there is not enough good here to recommend the book.
Merissa (13866 KP) rated Sink or Swim: Part One (Aria & the Seven Seas, #1) in Books
Nov 15, 2022
Aria's back... and she's TROUBLE!
SINK OR SWIM is Aria's story. Well, the first part of it at least. We first met her in the Wildeward Academy series but you don't need to have read those - although I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do!
Aria is happy with her life Topside, performing with her band and getting sustenance that way. When she is summoned back to the Deep, she has no idea what's going to happen.
Oh, man. What a start! Aria is a blast, always has been, always will be. I couldn't figure out just how she would settle down, but Ms Blythe hasn't let me down! Instead of one mate, Aria is going to have multiple. They'll need each other too, to keep her appetite fed.
It's not all fun and games though, oh no. We have assassination attempts, political intrigue, slimy want-to-punch-them-in-the-face characters, as well as our wannabe Royal Pod. We've met two for sure, probably three of the heirs, and I'm hoping we meet the others soon.
A brilliant start to the trilogy with a favourite character of mine from Wildeward. I really need to read them again! I think I'll finish Aria's story first though. Do I recommend this book? You betcha! Absolutely loved it and can't wait for more.
** 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!
Aria is happy with her life Topside, performing with her band and getting sustenance that way. When she is summoned back to the Deep, she has no idea what's going to happen.
Oh, man. What a start! Aria is a blast, always has been, always will be. I couldn't figure out just how she would settle down, but Ms Blythe hasn't let me down! Instead of one mate, Aria is going to have multiple. They'll need each other too, to keep her appetite fed.
It's not all fun and games though, oh no. We have assassination attempts, political intrigue, slimy want-to-punch-them-in-the-face characters, as well as our wannabe Royal Pod. We've met two for sure, probably three of the heirs, and I'm hoping we meet the others soon.
A brilliant start to the trilogy with a favourite character of mine from Wildeward. I really need to read them again! I think I'll finish Aria's story first though. Do I recommend this book? You betcha! Absolutely loved it and can't wait for more.
** 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!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Keep Your Family Close in Books
Dec 9, 2023
Two Cases for Matthias Honeywell to Solve
Detective Matthias Honeywell is called to the scene of a man shot in an alley near a bar. Sounds like a mugging on the surface, especially since his wallet is missing. Is it that simple? Or is there more to it than that? If it is a mugging, will they ever figure out who did it? Meanwhile, he’s also working on the case of a waitress who vanished while walking home from work one night. Will he get a break in that case?
Plus, Honeywell’s friend, Emma Anderson, gets a new lead on where her missing sister might be. The lead is a week old; will it lead Emma to her sister?
With so many storylines, it isn’t a surprise that I found this book to be a page turning. There was always something happening to keep me engaged. The characters were strong, and that drew me in as well. There was one part of the solution that bothered me, but all my questions were answered. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed the first book will be happy to hear the sparks between Honeywell and Emma are as strong as ever. Plus, we get to see some interesting growth in them and meet some great new characters. Since this is a police procedural, it’s a little darker than my typical cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. This is a great second book in a series that will keep you turning pages.
Plus, Honeywell’s friend, Emma Anderson, gets a new lead on where her missing sister might be. The lead is a week old; will it lead Emma to her sister?
With so many storylines, it isn’t a surprise that I found this book to be a page turning. There was always something happening to keep me engaged. The characters were strong, and that drew me in as well. There was one part of the solution that bothered me, but all my questions were answered. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed the first book will be happy to hear the sparks between Honeywell and Emma are as strong as ever. Plus, we get to see some interesting growth in them and meet some great new characters. Since this is a police procedural, it’s a little darker than my typical cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. This is a great second book in a series that will keep you turning pages.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books
Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)
Here’s to a Deadly Easter
Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Ross’s Julia Snowden’s Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, he’s gone.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
