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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Batman: Death in the Family (2020) in Movies
Oct 29, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
This new release from Warner Bros. is a little different from the previous releases as it part of the DC Showcase Animated Shorts and the Blu-ray release in the first interactive release in the series.
Many of you will have seen interactive films, there have been a few on Netflix such as Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch. Batman Death in the Family is based on the iconic comic and includes much of 2010s Batman Under the Red Hood.
But with this interactive release you make the decisions to guide the outcome of the film, after a great looking credits sequence we are taken into the world of Batman and Robin with scenes from Under the Red Hood which takes us up to the iconic scene of Robin being almost beaten to a pulp by the Joker, shortly after we are given three options, Robin Cheats Death, Batman Save Robin and Robin Dies, depending on your choice which you pick via your Blu-ray players remote we are taken of different storylines that the characters take.
Many of you will have seen interactive films, there have been a few on Netflix such as Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch. Batman Death in the Family is based on the iconic comic and includes much of 2010s Batman Under the Red Hood.
But with this interactive release you make the decisions to guide the outcome of the film, after a great looking credits sequence we are taken into the world of Batman and Robin with scenes from Under the Red Hood which takes us up to the iconic scene of Robin being almost beaten to a pulp by the Joker, shortly after we are given three options, Robin Cheats Death, Batman Save Robin and Robin Dies, depending on your choice which you pick via your Blu-ray players remote we are taken of different storylines that the characters take.
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Cabbages & Kings in Books
Feb 3, 2022
wonderful retelling of a local legend
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
As a Nottingham girl, I grew with tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. So, finding this tale having tipped those tales on their heads was a delight!
The story tells of Alana Dale, and her new husband, Will Scathlock and how they came to suffer at the hands of Robin and Guy, and just how, after all that, THEY came to be the bad guys!
This is a delightful tale, set in places in and around Nottinghamshire, so I know these places, and I love reading books about places I really know.
It's wonderfully written, with detailed descriptions of the things needed to get by, with Alana having ideas wise beyond her years, especially when it comes to health matters.
Alana is a strong-minded young lady (only 16 here!) and she will stand up for herself in a time when it wasn't the done thing. I loved Alana, and her teasing of Will, but to be fair, he gave as good as he got. Alana's deepest fears come to life here, and how she manages to hold it together to keep Will safe BEFORE she loses it, I have no idea.
There is some violence, Alana and Will's village is destroyed in the beginning of the book and the attack's aftermath is described in some detail. Because of this, I would class it as upper young adult, maybe 14+.
Tipping the Robin Hood legend on its head, Ms Sheppard made new heroes, and new bad guys. She tells of everyday life in Medieval England, and just how the common folk survived.
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
As a Nottingham girl, I grew with tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. So, finding this tale having tipped those tales on their heads was a delight!
The story tells of Alana Dale, and her new husband, Will Scathlock and how they came to suffer at the hands of Robin and Guy, and just how, after all that, THEY came to be the bad guys!
This is a delightful tale, set in places in and around Nottinghamshire, so I know these places, and I love reading books about places I really know.
It's wonderfully written, with detailed descriptions of the things needed to get by, with Alana having ideas wise beyond her years, especially when it comes to health matters.
Alana is a strong-minded young lady (only 16 here!) and she will stand up for herself in a time when it wasn't the done thing. I loved Alana, and her teasing of Will, but to be fair, he gave as good as he got. Alana's deepest fears come to life here, and how she manages to hold it together to keep Will safe BEFORE she loses it, I have no idea.
There is some violence, Alana and Will's village is destroyed in the beginning of the book and the attack's aftermath is described in some detail. Because of this, I would class it as upper young adult, maybe 14+.
Tipping the Robin Hood legend on its head, Ms Sheppard made new heroes, and new bad guys. She tells of everyday life in Medieval England, and just how the common folk survived.
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post
Jan 19, 2022
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Slayed on the Slopes (Pacific Northwest Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meg is hoping that a feature on the winter training of the new Ridge Rangers will impress her editor at Northwest Extreme. However, when she arrives high up on Mount Hood, she finds tension in the group. As she is wondering if she will even have a story, and a murder occurs. Suddenly, she wonders if she will even survive the weekend.
The problem with the book is it takes too long for the weekend to even start. The beginning was slow, and the ending dragged on too long as well. Some of the series regulars felt shoehorned into the book, but I was happy to see them since I like them, and I appreciated the advancement on the series storylines. Honestly, I do love the characters, and once the mystery got going it was pretty good. I just hope that the pacing issues are ironed out as the series progresses.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-slayed-on-slopes-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>
The problem with the book is it takes too long for the weekend to even start. The beginning was slow, and the ending dragged on too long as well. Some of the series regulars felt shoehorned into the book, but I was happy to see them since I like them, and I appreciated the advancement on the series storylines. Honestly, I do love the characters, and once the mystery got going it was pretty good. I just hope that the pacing issues are ironed out as the series progresses.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-slayed-on-slopes-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated Cabbages & Kings in Books
Feb 11, 2022
What a fantastically heart-warming story!
Alana and Will have just married after their life is turned upside down and they are forced to grow up rather quickly. Will finds himself a job in Blidworth working as the forester for Lady Cecily. They are met with challenges as well as friends that become family a fantastically written book with lots of character.
I found this book enthralling from start to finish. A different side to Robin Hood and his crew but a fun story in the process. There were battles but nothing too harsh. I found as I read everything just flowed there was no getting confused as to who was doing what with whom and where. I could not put it down from start to finish I was interested in what the characters were doing on their journeys in life.
A lovely read highly recommended 5/5
Alana and Will have just married after their life is turned upside down and they are forced to grow up rather quickly. Will finds himself a job in Blidworth working as the forester for Lady Cecily. They are met with challenges as well as friends that become family a fantastically written book with lots of character.
I found this book enthralling from start to finish. A different side to Robin Hood and his crew but a fun story in the process. There were battles but nothing too harsh. I found as I read everything just flowed there was no getting confused as to who was doing what with whom and where. I could not put it down from start to finish I was interested in what the characters were doing on their journeys in life.
A lovely read highly recommended 5/5
Awix (3310 KP) rated Robin Hood (2018) in Movies
Nov 26, 2018 (Updated Nov 28, 2018)
Bog-standard looks-like-a-computer-game action movie populated by a mixture of blandly good-looking non-actors and people who should probably know better; would have been forgettable tosh but for the fact that the Robin Hood name has inexplicably been plastered onto something bearing virtually zero resemblance to the legend.
Corrupt establishment has embarked upon a series of foreign wars for its own shady purposes, ordinary people are being screwed to pay for it all, plus their young men are being sent off to die. Good-hearted young chap gets his draft letter in the post and is sent off to Afghanistan, or so it seems, he gets sent home on the grounds of excess heroism only to find that someone has moved Nottingham sixty miles and it is now on the coast and has its own harbour. Needless to say he resolves to become a superhero with a secret identity and sort everything out.
The thing that will kill this movie for anyone who actually cares about the Robin Hood legend is that it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that Things Were Different In The Past, and is fairly up front about it: 'we're not going to bore you with history,' the script announces in so many words right at the start. Well, if you really think history is boring, possibly you shouldn't have tried to make a film with a historical setting, then, but thank-you for making your low opinion of your audience's intelligence obvious from the start.
All the things the legend is actually about, and most of the things you would automatically associate with it (sword-fights, the band of Merry Men, Sherwood Forest, King Richard's ransom) are chucked out in favour of a glib and opportunistic one-size-fits-all form of anti-capitalist and anti-establishment agitprop. You may argue that we've seen the classic version of the story so many times before, and this is about doing something new, but if you get rid of the Robin Hood element of the Robin Hood story, you're left with something pointless and stupid, which is really what we have here. The Disney version with the talking fox is much more entertaining, not to mention historically accurate.
Corrupt establishment has embarked upon a series of foreign wars for its own shady purposes, ordinary people are being screwed to pay for it all, plus their young men are being sent off to die. Good-hearted young chap gets his draft letter in the post and is sent off to Afghanistan, or so it seems, he gets sent home on the grounds of excess heroism only to find that someone has moved Nottingham sixty miles and it is now on the coast and has its own harbour. Needless to say he resolves to become a superhero with a secret identity and sort everything out.
The thing that will kill this movie for anyone who actually cares about the Robin Hood legend is that it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that Things Were Different In The Past, and is fairly up front about it: 'we're not going to bore you with history,' the script announces in so many words right at the start. Well, if you really think history is boring, possibly you shouldn't have tried to make a film with a historical setting, then, but thank-you for making your low opinion of your audience's intelligence obvious from the start.
All the things the legend is actually about, and most of the things you would automatically associate with it (sword-fights, the band of Merry Men, Sherwood Forest, King Richard's ransom) are chucked out in favour of a glib and opportunistic one-size-fits-all form of anti-capitalist and anti-establishment agitprop. You may argue that we've seen the classic version of the story so many times before, and this is about doing something new, but if you get rid of the Robin Hood element of the Robin Hood story, you're left with something pointless and stupid, which is really what we have here. The Disney version with the talking fox is much more entertaining, not to mention historically accurate.
Gareth von Kallenbach (974 KP) rated Red Riding Hood (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
In a small village a wolf has been killing villagers who wander out alone. Yet for rule-breaking Valerie the desire to venture out and spend time with her true love overpowers all logic. However, drama sets in when Valerie finds she has been betrothed to a wealthy villager around the same time that that the big bad wolf returns.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Valerie in Red Riding Hood a reworking of the classic fairytale of the same name. The film also stars Shiloh Fernandez as Peter, Valerie’s childhood best friend turned love interest, and Max Irons as Henry, the wealthy suitor who has been selected to wed Valerie. The supporting cast includes some additional familiar faces such as Michael Hogan (The Reeve) best known for his work as Colonel Tigh in the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica and Michael Shanks, known for his work on the hit television series Stargate SG-1 , who plays Adrien Lazer.
The concept of building more depth into the Red Riding Hood story is a good idea however the execution in this bland who-done-it comes a crossed as scattered. The film lacks cohesion and fails to build interest in the storyline focusing instead on sweeping landscapes and overly intense one-on-one character interactions.
The wardrobe is impressive with clothing that aptly represents both village life and fairytale ideals. However, much like the rest of the film, the wardrobe seems to be taking cues directly from other movies. Among the numerous familiar scenes is an ending that could have been plucked from The Lord of the Rings.
The film is not missing any major components but the lack of originality is a fatal flaw that impacts the entire tale. The scary moments are not scary. The intrigue lacks potency. And the romantic triangle fails to generate the intended drama.
Moviegoers will see far worse films this spring but Red Riding Hood does not deliver on what could have been a brilliant adaptation.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Valerie in Red Riding Hood a reworking of the classic fairytale of the same name. The film also stars Shiloh Fernandez as Peter, Valerie’s childhood best friend turned love interest, and Max Irons as Henry, the wealthy suitor who has been selected to wed Valerie. The supporting cast includes some additional familiar faces such as Michael Hogan (The Reeve) best known for his work as Colonel Tigh in the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica and Michael Shanks, known for his work on the hit television series Stargate SG-1 , who plays Adrien Lazer.
The concept of building more depth into the Red Riding Hood story is a good idea however the execution in this bland who-done-it comes a crossed as scattered. The film lacks cohesion and fails to build interest in the storyline focusing instead on sweeping landscapes and overly intense one-on-one character interactions.
The wardrobe is impressive with clothing that aptly represents both village life and fairytale ideals. However, much like the rest of the film, the wardrobe seems to be taking cues directly from other movies. Among the numerous familiar scenes is an ending that could have been plucked from The Lord of the Rings.
The film is not missing any major components but the lack of originality is a fatal flaw that impacts the entire tale. The scary moments are not scary. The intrigue lacks potency. And the romantic triangle fails to generate the intended drama.
Moviegoers will see far worse films this spring but Red Riding Hood does not deliver on what could have been a brilliant adaptation.
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated Heart of Ice in Books
Feb 4, 2022
red riding hood has nothing on jessica
Jessica has her best friend in the woods called wolfie who promises to protect her under all circumstances until she get whisked away by her mother. Wolfe pines for her as she pines for him. She will not give up until she finds him again!
This novella is quite raunchy I would also say it has a slight trigger warning as there is a mention of sexual child abuse. It is a very intense story with non stop action! A lot of sex is involved and sexual content and feelings, however it is an amazing story of a very deep connection between a soul mate for want of a better word.
I would recommend this book for people to read just make sure there are no children around!
This novella is quite raunchy I would also say it has a slight trigger warning as there is a mention of sexual child abuse. It is a very intense story with non stop action! A lot of sex is involved and sexual content and feelings, however it is an amazing story of a very deep connection between a soul mate for want of a better word.
I would recommend this book for people to read just make sure there are no children around!
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Court Jester (1956) in Movies
Apr 20, 2020
Lavish musical-comedy spoof. Humble carnival entertainer Hubert Hawkins (Kaye) infiltrates the court of evil king Roderick as his new jester, in an attempt to get the rightful heir back on the throne, little suspecting that the man he's impersonating is the deadliest assassin in Europe.
Feels very dated now, and it's spoofing a genre of films which is even more old-fashioned (e.g. the 1938 Errol Flynn Robin Hood). How you feel about Danny Kaye's clowning, cross-talk routines and patter songs will also affect your response to this movie. Still, you have to admire Kaye's sheer dexterity as a performer, and there is still a touch of genius about routines like the chalice from the palace and the flagon with the dragon. He's well-supported too. Technicolour vaudeville in the end, but still very funny in places.
Feels very dated now, and it's spoofing a genre of films which is even more old-fashioned (e.g. the 1938 Errol Flynn Robin Hood). How you feel about Danny Kaye's clowning, cross-talk routines and patter songs will also affect your response to this movie. Still, you have to admire Kaye's sheer dexterity as a performer, and there is still a touch of genius about routines like the chalice from the palace and the flagon with the dragon. He's well-supported too. Technicolour vaudeville in the end, but still very funny in places.
Merissa (11935 KP) rated The Night Blade (Indulgence #2) by Erin Kellison in Books
May 26, 2022 (Updated Jun 13, 2023)
THE NIGHT BLADE is the second book in the Indulgence series. We return to Terah and Adom as they begin their rescue mission of Maxan, Terah's nephew who is being held captive in Phemera. The people, Hood, and goddess are all on the search for Terah, who insulted Phemera by accident in book one. The goddess of Light and Truth is not prepared to accept the apology but will wait, as she knows Terah is on her way to her.
This book is one adventure after another!!! I loved every word, completely caught up in the story. If Terah is the one who grew and changed in the last book, then it is Adom's turn in this one. He is unable to hide from the Truth and faces some uncomfortable facts about himself as he slowly becomes more Adom than Adomanei.
Told from multiple perspectives, you catch up with all the main players from book one, with more to meet too. It is intricate and twisting from one port of call to another. Just as you get an answer to one question, you will then have three more queries.
This does end on a cliffhanger and it about killed me. The build-up to the climax is breathtaking and I read faster and faster to keep up with the pace on the pages. This will be a series that, once it is complete, I will re-read - just so I can go from start to finish without having to wait! Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended by me.
Now, I just have to wait for book three!
** 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!
May 24, 2022
This book is one adventure after another!!! I loved every word, completely caught up in the story. If Terah is the one who grew and changed in the last book, then it is Adom's turn in this one. He is unable to hide from the Truth and faces some uncomfortable facts about himself as he slowly becomes more Adom than Adomanei.
Told from multiple perspectives, you catch up with all the main players from book one, with more to meet too. It is intricate and twisting from one port of call to another. Just as you get an answer to one question, you will then have three more queries.
This does end on a cliffhanger and it about killed me. The build-up to the climax is breathtaking and I read faster and faster to keep up with the pace on the pages. This will be a series that, once it is complete, I will re-read - just so I can go from start to finish without having to wait! Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended by me.
Now, I just have to wait for book three!
** 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!
May 24, 2022