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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Sleeper in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
Sleeper
Sleeper
J.D. Fennell | 2017 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is Will, he is a sixteen-year-old spy, and the whole book is set in 1941, during the Second World War. I loved that this book is telling an action-filled story but during WWII! I loved how the author described everything, from guns, cars to buildings and streets.

This story was told from single, Will’s, perspective but it was fully sufficient for me, as this story was trying to keep the secrets and give out all the findings slowly. I really liked how J. D. Fennell chose the characters for this novel. The character’s personalities fitted them really well, and all the characters were very interesting to read about. I really liked Will, I think he is very suitable to be a protagonist, he has these super cool qualities, but at the same time, he is very human-like, where he gets injured and suffers from tiredness.

I read this book after a slow one, so all the pace and action was very needed for me. The story keeps moving in every chapter, Will is always on the run, so the setting is constantly changing, but I absolutely loved how the author described wartime London. J.D Fennell transferred the view and the spirit of that time perfectly to me. I felt like I was next to Will during his adventures. 😀 I liked that this story carries a lot of feelings, friendships, loss, and it is very interesting to see how Will is dealing with all of this.

I found the writing style easy and pleasant to read, the chapters are pretty short and it made the whole reading experience quite fast. The ending was very well deserved and left me fully satisfied. So, to conclude, if you like stories like Bourne or Maze Runner, I think you will enjoy this one as well. The characters are very well developed, and the plot is constantly moving. I think this book would be an amazing action/adventure film, and I hope it will come to screens someday. I strongly recommend this book, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did…
  
Assassin's Creed: Forsaken
Assassin's Creed: Forsaken
Oliver Bowden | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The story of a Templar rather than the Assassin (3 more)
Set out like a journal, makes it intriguing
Good descriptive action
An insight to the history of the character
Some chapters are slow (1 more)
The journal format limits the experience to the view of only one character
Insight to a character we barely see
- MINOR SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED ASSASSINS CREED 3 -

The 5th book in the Oliver Bowden collection of Assassin's Creed novels, follows the life of Haytham Kenway, son of Pirate / Assassin, Edward Kenway and father of the Native American Assassin Connor Kenway, who you play as in the video game Assassin's Creed 3.

Haytham is a British Templar who is sent to America during the French and Indian and American Revolutionary Wars, to learn more about, and find an ancient cave that would help the Templar Order discover more about the first civilization, also known as 'Those who came before'. After centuries of the two factions, Assassins and Templar, fighting a never ending war in secret, over advanced technology known as the Pieces of Eden, created by the first civilization.

Though it is interesting to learn more about Haytham, since we only get to play a small part of his story in the video game, my only issue, though minor it may be, with the book is that the journal format limits our experience of the story to the view point of one man, and there are so many interesting characters within the plot that are sure to have their own interesting stories to be told, but sadly we are limited to one man's thoughts and opinions, and learn very little about other characters, besides their outspoken interactions with Haytham.

However this book is exciting and really does open up a whole new story within the franchise that we do not get to see. The descriptive writing ensures that the world that is described to us, is enough to clearly imagine, as the writer imagines it, in our minds, but enough for us to also have our own image of the areas, the surroundings and the sights, sounds and smells of such a place that our protagonist visits.

If you're a fan of the franchise then I highly recommend any of these novels to you, because they open up so much more to the characters and the stories that we do not get within the games. This is what makes the books such an exciting read, because we get to delve deep inside the minds of the characters, from start to finish.
  
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
A Solid Taster Before the Main Event
Set in the 1990’s, Captain Marvel follows the story of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a powerful woman caught in the middle of an intergalactic war.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 5
The beginning doesn’t necessarily hook you right away as it focuses more on immersing you in the world. You come to learn that all of this intro info was an important setup, but it really is just “meh” when you’re watching it. Thor: Ragnarok beginning, this is not.

Characters: 10
Danvers/Captain Marvel is a strong embodiment of a kick-ass superhero. This is not your typical you’re-pretty-good-for-a-girl type of hero. She tears enemies and whole scenes apart and does it in such a cool stylish way. I love how she comes into her own throughout the film.

Marvel is flanked by some other stars that keep the movie interesting (Sam Jackson’s Fury is always a treat), but I must take a moment to recognize the true hero of the film: Goose the cat. I’m not even a cat guy, but this little guy truly won my heart. With a personality all his own, he makes you love every scene he’s in. Goose is life.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10

Genre: 8

Memorability: 10

Pace: 10
The story moves in a non-linear fashion forcing you to pay attention for fear of missing something. Because it’s constantly jumping back and forth between past and present, you’re constantly unraveling new things in the mystery of Carol’s life. The action doesn’t let up for long enough for boredom to onset. Plus, how can you be bored with Goose on the loose?

Plot: 10
While you can kind of see the outcome from a mile away, at least they got to the final destination in unique fashion. Carol’s story is told with a special flare that seems to fit her perfectly. Origin stories can be hard to pull off, especially when they have been done and re-done and, sometimes (Spider-Man, I’m looking at you) done again. This one not just sets up a powerful hero but also leaves a powerful impact.

Resolution: 10

Overall: 93
Captain Marvel is easily one of my favorite MCU films and that’s high praise considering how many solid movies they have put out. It’s not just a blockbuster film, but one with heart and a solid message. Want to know something else: I actually like the movie more than Wonder Woman. There. I said it.
  
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
2014 | Action, Sci-Fi
8
7.4 (28 Ratings)
Movie Rating
It’s been thirteen years since Director Peter Jackson first took us to middle earth and showed movie

audiences that large scale fantasy could be done right on film with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And

now the final trek through middle earth is here with the third and final film in the Hobbit series.

Picking up at the climatic conclusion of 2013’s The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies is

less about the journey and more about the war between the various armies of middles earth over the

massive riches in the mountain home they journeyed to reclaim. After the exciting beginning that serves

to tie up the previous film and sets to table for this one, we begin to see the brotherhood between the

dwarfs, a wizard, a few elves and a Hobbit that focuses on the bonds of friendship and loyalty. This

builds on itself as it leads to the climactic battle of the five armies. The battle is on the grand scale you

would come to expect from these middle earth films, only at times this battle seems to rely on a bit too

much CGI and thus almost plays out cartoonish. Granted, this is a fantasy world were Dwarfs, Elves and

Men are fighting Orcs so it is really not that hard to suspend disbelief in the first place. Thus the film is

entertaining in its own right as it wraps up one trilogy and bridges to another.

This bridge is what surprised me most. We received a bit more insight to some of the higher beings and

their understanding that villain in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is slowly returning to power. These

sequences are entertaining and great for fan service, but they seem to be handled a bit to simply as it

makes us wonder, if they knew this dark figure was alive, why did they wait so long (The Lord of the

Rings Trilogy) to do something about it. Still, it is nice to see the story wrapped up into one complete

adventure that viewer could connect all the way through.

In the end, those fans of the books and previous films will be pleased with the action, pace and way this

film wraps everything up. Other than the sequence of Bilbo’s interaction with Smaug in the last film, The

Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the best film in the Hobbit Series.
  
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
1953 | Classics, Drama, Mystery
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I remember being baffled by the first Sam Fuller film I saw when I was in my late teens or early twenties, a revival at the old St. Mark’s theater on Second Avenue in New York. The audience was guffawing and cheering and I thought it was really stupid: some kind of condescending intellectual slumming, about a movie that looked to me like plain harmless, and pretty much sincere, if inept, cheap melodramatic exposé. It was Shock Corridor. The movie was bad, but the audience was worse. I can’t remember which film turned me around. The Naked Kiss? That’s a great one, as is Shock Corridor. Eventually I also learned how highly Fuller is rated by the most intellectual film analysts. I think what makes Fuller so popular with them is Fuller’s unpretentiousness, not because it’s naive, but because it makes him a purer example of filmmaking talent: since there’s no subtlety, no subtext, no self-consciousness, it means that to enjoy it you’ve got to enjoy it for the pure, abstract methods of film as film. Famously, his roots are in two realms, tabloid journalism and World War II (where he saw a lot of action with the infantry). In a scene at a party in Godard’s Pierrot le fou, when he’s asked what cinema is, he says, “Film is like a battleground: love, hate, action, violence, death. In one word: emotion.” And that’s the way his films feel: like they’re emotion, the way music is. They’re not about ideas except on the most basic level, like a tabloid. They’re “hard-boiled,” and there’s tabloid/sensationalist fury and irony. His fight scenes are thrilling and like no one else’s; you can recognize them in a second. His style altogether is distinctive. Everything is in your face. Lots of close-ups, lots of tracking in for close-ups, long takes with plenty of camera movement. It is like pulp journalism, like a fluid Weegee. Emotion. As corny and cartoony as she is, Thelma Ritter’s last scene in this is really moving. She actually got an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress for the role. The close-up smooching of Richard Widmark and Jean Peters can leave you breathless too, even though the sessions usually end with him mocking or slapping her. In 1974, when I was first singing my song “Love Comes in Spurts” at CBGB, I sometimes used to introduce it with the line that comes when Widmark’s kissed an eager Peters and she’s told him she really likes him and he sneers, “Everybody likes everybody when they’re kissing.”

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    Agemonia

    Agemonia

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    Tabletop Game

    Agemonia, an enchanted world brimming with magic, is experiencing its greatest upheaval. Earth...