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Justice League (2017)
Justice League (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
I find Zack Snyder movies generally border on Michael Bay territory, visually very impressive but empty and soulless. I also didn’t like ‘Man Of Steel’ at all and find Henry Cavill a wooden Superman. This I actually found to be a slight improvement , it’s not as long and thankfully had a bit more humour with the addition of Wonder Woman , Aqua Man and The Flash to the mix. It feels very choppy though perhaps evidence of the extensive reshoots and turbulent journey to the screen the film had. Ultimately it’s watchable but fairly forgettable stuff that pales in comparison to any MCU movie.
  
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Kevin Phillipson (10011 KP) created a post

Jan 2, 2022  
Okay time for my top ten movies of 2021 can't believe a year ago when at the start of the third lockdown there would be cinema again in 2021 but it did and here's my list.
1 No time to die
2 Spider - man no way home
3 Dune
4 Last night in soho
5 Palm springs
6 Freaky
7 Black widow
8 the Suicide squad
9 Malignant
10 Wonder woman 84
And there we are wasn't easy choosing my top ten but managed it and who knows 2022 which movie will take the top spot this year
     
Batman: Nightwalker - DC Icons Book 2
Batman: Nightwalker - DC Icons Book 2
Marie Lu | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I didn't actually realize, back when I reviewed Wonder Woman: Warbringer, that it was the start of a series of origin novels. The second is this one, about Batman, and the next is Catwoman: Soulstealer. (I can't wait for that one, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and Catwoman have been my three favorite superheroes for ages, even if Catwoman isn't exactly a hero!) After Catwoman's book, we get Superman's book, and that's all that's been announced, so I don't know if there will be any more. Though I hope there will be, because these first two have been excellent!

The name Batman is never actually mentioned in this book; he is Bruce Wayne the entire way through. He does get a suit, towards the end, and starts his career as Batman without really realizing he's doing so. We get a few nods to the Batman mythos - he stops to watch a swarm of bats heading out to hunt, and he mentions the broken grandfather clock that he hasn't fixed yet. But this is a Bruce around his high school graduation, just starting to learn about the kinds of tech that Wayne Tech produces. We do meet a few familiar faces beyond Alfred.

I had a few moments where I wanted to shake both Bruce and the adults around him because NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD DO THAT and if it needed to happen for plot's sake make it more believable! But it was overall pretty good.

There's no need to read this in order, from what I can tell - events in Wonder Woman have no effect on Gotham. Though the Catwoman book is also set in Gotham, so it will be interesting to see if they intertwine at all.

If you like DC Comics, these are definitely worth reading - if you don't, skip them.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
Beautiful visuals (3 more)
Gal Gadot is a strong and sexy Diana
A war film with comic book fantasy
The strong messages within the film
Bringing a God to a Gun Fight
So I may be a little biased as I am a huge DC fan, but that doesn't mean every DC film gets the top rating from me, because I know that most of the DC films, somewhat especially as of recent, haven't quite grasped the ability to merge comic book elements with great film elements....this film has nailed it.

Gal Gadot has brought the character of Wonder Woman, a.k.a Diana Prince, to the big screen with such power that is unmatched by any other female comic book character. She's strong, sexy, charming and innocent to the ways of the world outside of Themyscira.


The effects of this film bring to the big screen, stunning visuals, a dull colour overtone to add to the atmosphere of the effects of war on the world that really make you aware of just how important the situation of the world is, and why Diana has truly been sent to help. The team of brilliant minds behind this film have managed to bring the glowing lasso, the powers of Wonder Woman herself, and the deviating effects of war into a perfectly organized combination that makes you feel like you're watching a war film with comic book fantasy elements, not just a comic book film that contains a war.


There's humour that is brought forth via Diana's innocence of the world outside of her home on Paradise Island. She learns the deviation of the many deaths that the war has brought to the world, but through her companion, Steve Trevor, she learns of the joys of how life was before, and how it could be again, when there is no more war.


The film is full of moments that make you want to laugh, cry or watch in awe as Wonder Woman proves to the men in the war that women are not as weak and frightened as they thought at the time. It's hard for her not to in her own film, but she truly steals the show, and you want nothing more than to see her kick ass.


The choreography of the fight sequences are sleek and beautiful in themselves. The fight on Themyscira reminded me somewhat of 300, if the Spartans were all badass Amazonians with bows and arrows, and horses. The beautiful slow motion shots are used to portray the power of these beautiful warriors, and the best slow motion shot takes place in the war, at No Man's Land.


This scene is cinematic beauty! Wonder Woman steps ups the ladder and stands strong as she makes her way across No Man's Land, deflecting bullets and proving that whilst no man can cross, She can, and will! Gal Gadot's beauty shines through amongst the dim and dull overtone of the film and she truly portrays that she is a Goddess amongst the world of men.


Overall I highly recommend this film! You'll laugh, you'll cry (possibly...unless you're​ a robot), and you'll sit in awe of Wonder Woman as she kicks ass and proves that you shouldn't send men to do a woman's job ;)
  
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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) Jun 1, 2017

Also the Wonder Woman theme first brought to us in Batman V Superman, and is possibly the best song on the soundtrack, is perfectly used in this film to add to the action sequences!

Suicide Squad (2016)
Suicide Squad (2016)
2016 | Action
The music (0 more)
Where to begin? Acting, plot, everything else? (0 more)
So bad it's not even worth watching
I wanted to switch this off after 20 minutes it was that bad. For some bizarre reason, the modern DC films apart from the new Wonder Woman, have been exceptionally awful. From the acting, to the absolutely ridiculous plot, the beginning of the film feels like the middle of the story so it makes no sense whatsoever. The characters are mismatched and the dialogue are all equally terrible. Harley Quinn as per usual is super sexualised for no apparent reason. The only good thing was some of the music. Don't bother to watch it.
  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Funny and heartwarming
So went and saw Shazam! last night and you know what I FREAKING LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT! Seriously it was funny, heartwarming and an all around amazing movie! I went in not knowing what to expect since Shazam! is the first superhero movie I've ever seen that I knew nothing about the character ahead of time. Definitely my favorite recent DC movie❤⚡? and that is saying something because I adored Wonder Woman and really enjoyed Aquaman. I'm really glad that DC movies finally seem to be finding their stride because it has been a long time coming.
  
Aquaman (2018)
Aquaman (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
I really enjoyed Aquaman it was pretty cheesy but you know what it worked for me!

I didn't really know what to expect from Aquaman since I hated Justice League with a passion and since he was pretty much useless through out the movie I had no idea what they were going to do with a solo movie for him. But by god I was going to watch this for Momoa alone. And I did enjoy it. The plot was fun and the acting was all good I just didn't like it as much as everyone else seemed to I though Wonder Woman was better.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated An Eternal Lei in Books

Mar 28, 2022 (Updated Mar 28, 2022)  
An Eternal Lei
An Eternal Lei
Naomi Hirahara | 2022 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Woman in the Surf
It’s October 2020, and like most of the island of Kaua’i, Leilani Santiago has been forced to close down her family’s shave ice business. When she and her sisters save a woman from drowning one afternoon, Leilani is very curious since this woman is a stranger. Why was she on the island? With nothing else to do, Leilani starts to investigate. As she does, she begins to wonder if the woman was almost killed or just had an accident. What will she uncover?

I wasn’t sure I was ready to pick up a book set during the pandemic we’ve been dealing with the last couple of years, but I found I enjoyed this one. The pandemic is part of the backdrop, and it avoids many of the controversies we’ve had to deal with. We get several sub-plots, but I found they kept me engaged and didn’t distract from the main mystery. I was engrossed the entire time and couldn’t wait to see how everything was going to be resolved. The characters are strong, and seeing them react to the pandemic as well as the mystery really helped develop them. The characters speak in a form of Pidgin, but after the first few pages, I was used to it, and I had no trouble reading the story. This was a good virtual visit to Hawai’i.
  
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
Leigh Bardugo | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.6 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
Quickly moving plot (2 more)
Minority Representation
Diana stays true to character
A new take on Diana's origin story
WONDER WOMAN YASSSS. I might like Wonder Woman just a little bit. And the novel is written by Leigh Bardugo, the creator of the Grishaverse! (I reviewed her Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, and REALLY need to get my hands on the other trilogy!)

So this is basically a slightly different origin story for Wonder Woman - or at least the reason she leaves Themyscira is a little different for this book's plot. One thing I've always enjoyed about DC, and superheroes in general, is that it's not so much about the specific details of what they've done, so much as who they really are and what they believe in. And in that, Diana is very much true to herself in Warbringer. Given a choice between two outcomes, she opts for a third. Not "do I save these people, or those people" but "how do I save EVERYONE?"

I also really liked that The Warbringer - the girl Diana is trying to save - is no shrinking violet herself. She absorbs the knowledge of what she is in a bit of a shock, but once over that, she displays courage and competence as well, and is a fitting companion for Diana. Her friends were also fun characters, and I especially liked Nim.

Again we have representation, too! The Warbringer and Nim are both women of color. Diana mentions that her skin is brown, as well. Coming from Bardugo, I shouldn't have been surprised that sexuality was also addressed in the book, but not as a plot point, which is lovely to see. It just is a facet of a character. I especially loved the shoutout to Diana's bisexuality.

Bardugo has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She tells great stories, with complex characters, and includes minority characters, both racial and GLBT. Her plots rocket right along, with well-thought-out action scenes that are easy to follow and emotionally impactful.

I'm not sure Warbringer quite makes my Best of 2017 list, but it was really good.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
Wasn't Man of Steel (3 more)
Wasn't Batman v Superman
Didn't get heavy handed with iffy subject matter
Diana beating wholesale @$$
Villain obvious from the start (1 more)
Above villain fight could've been better
Hey look! It's the ONLY reason that the DCCU still has a pulse!
She didn't murder thousands of people. She didn't do billions of dollars in property damage. She didn't try and murder another hero so because.
It's Wonder Woman! As in, it's a wonder that WB took THIS long to make a movie about one of DC's Trinity. And she was portrayed flawlessly. The only reason this didn't get 10/10 was the way the main villain paid off, which isn't great. Gal Gadot needs an Oscar. Also, there was no super feminism or lack of feminism; it was addressed and then back to the story. LIKE IT SHOULD BE WITH ALL COMIC MOVIES. We aren't paying $10+ a ticket to see a movie about political views! We came to see heroes be heroes! Good on you, WB. Now let's not have Aquaman suck...