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Night of Camp David
Night of Camp David
Fletcher Knebel | 1965 | History & Politics, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel was originally published in 1965. Some of the words were outdated but the story itself stood the test of time.

In Night of Camp David a junior senator, James F. MacVeigh, had a private meeting with President Mark Hollenbach at Camp David. Hollenbach begins to bring MacVeigh into his confidence. At first, MacVeigh is honored but he notices odd behavior of the president and wonders if Hollenbach is unstable.

I have never done this but I am going to copy Howard's Goodreads review which he posted 3/15/15. He wrote "I didn't write a review of this book, because in this instance the publisher's blurb is a perfect review that does not spoil the plot. That is rare." https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1228015367

Because of the current political climate I do not discuss politics. That being said, this is intriguing story and am glad I read it. Just remember it was published in 1965 so some of the attitudes toward women will annoy some people.

I added Fletcher Knebel's 1962 novel, "Seven Days In May" and the corresponding movie starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas to my want to read/see lists.

Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/27/19.
  
Chernobyl
Chernobyl
2019 | Action, Drama, History
Everything (0 more)
Nothing (0 more)
Wow!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Chernobyl is a great watch, especially as it's a true story about a nuclear power plant in Ukraine in the 80s.
Its gripping from the minute you watch start watching it, you can just tell something is going to go wrong and when it does, it's many people pay the price with their lives all because of a very stubborn man and his decisions to carry out test that came be done properly.
Chernobyl the city has to be abandoned straight away and still remains radioactive to this day.
It's not just about the explosion but how so many was affected and the trail when finding out who was to blame.
  
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
2011 | Action, Sci-Fi
5
5.6 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Conan.

The name either evokes pictures of half naked body builders, and topless wenches, or a very tall man with red, quaffed hair. Well, hopefully the former is what you are all thinking about, because that is what you are going to get. Nobody goes to a Conan movie for the tall, red haired guy. Right?

Jason Momoa, who is not awful to look at for a couple of hours, plays Conan. Physically, he is much truer to the character in the original source material, than the former governor of California. He also has this interesting gravity that makes you sit up and pay attention. Or maybe that was because he was shirtless for most of the movie.

Conan’s story begins as a baby, who is “battle born” and whose first taste, a familiar narrator states, “is not his mother’s milk, but her blood.” He is better then many of his village’s best warrior candidates and joins in a test that ends up being a battle against savages. While the other candidates run back to camp; Conan stay and fights. Not only does he return to the camp having passed the test, but he carries three of the savage’s heads with him. His father (Ron Pearlman) decides it is time to forge a sword and begin to train, with the father imparting sage words like, “You cannot yield the sword until you understand it.”

Conan’s training is interrupted by the arrival of Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang), a ruthless warlord who brings death and destruction to Conan’s village. Zym’s on a a quest to to claim the final piece of a mask that will give him control of the magic of Asheron. Conan is left the sole survivor of his Cimmarian people, growing up to become a fierce warrior intent on avenging his father’s death. All the while, Zym and his daughter Marique continue on Zym’s quest to become a powerful god, in search of a “pureblood” – the one person whose blood will make the mask work. Inevitably, Zym and Conan’s paths cross again and swordfights ensue.

The best thing about this movie, for me, were the female leads. Rose McGowan as Marique and Rachel Nichols as Tamara (the pureblood) are both warriors. It was also excellent to have Conan acknowledge this in Tamara; even saying, “Cimmarian women are warriors, give her the leather and armor.” We would have never heard 1982’s Conan say anything like this.

Listening to people while leaving the movie I heard grumblings about how the Conan character never really had an origin story. This movie provides that, and because of this it also provides something that the original movies lacked: plot. Not that the plot is very rich, but again, nobody goes to a Conan movie for the story or the plot. Right?