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Doctor Who: Son of the Dragon
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Once I got over my surprise that this was not a story set in Asia and featured no dragons, I quite enjoyed myself. It feels like a long while since I heard a 5th Doctor pure historical, (not true, this being the era of Peri and Erimem, but still) and like Peri, I kept waiting for that supernatural element to appear. We are talking about Dracula, after all. But nope. Just a wonderful straightforward historical with some great performances. I tire a bit of the "let's throw Erimem to the lusty bad guy trope" but other than that, high marks. For more on this, visit www.travelingthevortex.com
  
Matching Points (Driftwood Cove, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b>MATCHING POINTS – A GREAT STORY OF FORGIVENESS, SECOND CHANCES, AND LEARNING TO OVERCOME YOUR PAST.</b>
This is my first time reading a book by Nancy J. Farrier but after reading this one I can tell you it will not be my last by her. I was drawn to read this book by the cover and description both were intriguing and made me want to read more.

<i>“She wanted to run, but she couldn’t. She had no place to go. Nowhere to call home. No one. You have Me.”</i>

This story about Asia and Ian was interesting and pushed all the right buttons for me. It was a story about Asia finding a place to call home and a way to overcome her tragic past; and about Ian learning that he is not defined by his earthly father, but by his heavenly one. I enjoyed Nancy J. Farrier’s take on the theme of forgiveness. Her interwoven plots, the family aspects, and the secondary characters really helped me feel like I was immersed in this story from the first page. I very much enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to what happens next to the other characters introduced in the story.

I highly recommend checking this book out if you like second chances, a hint of mystery, and a sense of family. 5 out of 5 stars.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
Drunken Master (Jui kuen) (1978)
Drunken Master (Jui kuen) (1978)
1978 | Action, International, Comedy
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Final Fight This was my second film as director and it was made in same style as my first film, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. I got to work with my father, who first got me into filmmaking. Since I was still just starting out, the budget and schedule were very tight. And at that point, people were still figuring out the kung fu genre, so we were really left to figure things out on our own. All the hard work paid off and the film was a huge success in Asia. It made drunken boxing popular again to the point where wushu started practicing it again. It made Jackie Chan a star and it got me work for years to come."

Source
  
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Thriller
John Wick Chapter 3 picks up immediately after Chapter 2, which I liked, so it got going right away. The fighting is so well choreographed, and my favorite section of fighting was with the book in the New York Public Library. You apparently can kill someone with a very weighty book.
This chapter provided much more information on the Continental/High Table mythos, which I thought was cool. Asia Kate Dillon was stone cold as the Adjudicator, and I can't wait to see more of Dillon in Chapter 4.
I could have done without Halle Berry being in the film. She really didn't add anything, and both my father and I were annoyed that it cut away from Keanu fighting to show her, when frankly, the only person I really want to see kicking ass is Keanu.
  
Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)
2003 | Action, Sci-Fi
The Hidden Temple
I forgot that this movie excist and happened. Does anyone remeber this film, cause i dont. I saw it once years ago and than forgot about it.

The plot: Fearless explorer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) tries to locate Pandora's box before criminals Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds) and Chen Lo (Simon Yam) use it for evil. According to myth, the box holds deadly organisms that could kill millions of people. With her old partner, Terry (Gerard Butler), Croft goes on a hunt that takes her from Europe to Asia to Africa, where pal Kosa (Djimon Hounsou) helps her. Along the way, Croft rappels down cliffs, scuba dives and decimates many male opponents.

Wow it has a good supporting cast.

I would highly reccordmend watching this movie, if you watch the first one and forgotten that this movie excist/happened.
  
In the Mood for Love (2000)
In the Mood for Love (2000)
2000 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Wong Kar-Wai is one of my favorite directors from Asia. I’m a natural romantic. I feel like his movies — slow motion, the momentum of people, even a clock running — are non-traditional filmmaking. Normal movies [have scenes set up] like, I talk to you; you talk to me. Those kinds of movies are boring to me, but his films are advanced. He’s also extremely private and personal. His stories are all about innocent love, sort of like teenage love. How people need; how you love. They’re very, very romantic. When I talk about it, I feel this slow motion romance, high heels, the mystery of women, sexy, walking by. I recognize things in my soul that are unspoken; a lot of those longings, and unfulfilled romances, and dreams within [Wong Kar-Wai’s] films — they make me feel that."

Source
  

"Half the Sky depicts, in eye-opening detail, the various cultures and customs that suppress women and gives a voice to those individuals who need to be heard the most. Traversing through Africa and Asia, Kristof and WuDunn introduce us to some incredibly strong women and describe their stories of suffering and survival. Most importantly, the book spotlights how these women were able to stand up and transform their lives and, through their inspiring examples, we learn that the key to enabling change and economic growth is in unleashing women’s potential (the title of the book, after all, comes from the ancient Chinese proverb, ‘Women hold up half the sky’). Kristof and WuDunn dare us, as readers, to join the cause and Half the Sky shows us how, by doing even a very small amount, we each have the power to change other women’s lives."

Source
  
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride (1987)
1987 | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
'Hello. My name is Inigo Montaya. You killed my father. Prepare to die'

'Inconceivable!'
'Why do you keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means'

'You fell prey to one of the great mistakes. There are two: one is never get involved in a land war in Asia ...' (I'm paraphrasing the intro there)

'Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist' (cue getting attacked by just that ...)

One of those perfectly cast movies, framed as been told by an elderly grandfather to his sick grandson, this is a 1980s classic and - quite obviously, in retrospect - almost perfectly provided the template for Antonio Bandera's Zorro (or Puss in Boots) in the character of Inigo Montaya, as portrayed here by Mandy Patinkin (who also, trivia fans, has the film's sole swear word: 'I want my father back, you son of a ...')
  
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
I don't know why, but for some reason Asia (and Japan in particular) seems to have a thing for Giant Monsters (think Godzilla) and for Giant Robots (think BattleTech).

Or, as they're called in this series (and elsewhere? I don't know) Kaiju and Jaegers respectively.

This is a sequel to the best non-Godzilla Godzilla movie (in all but name), this time starring Star Wars own John Boyega as its reluctant hero, as the son of the "we're cancelling the apocalypse" hero from the first move, and who gets drawn back into the whole military training around the Jaegers 10 years after the events of that last movie.

Just in time, then, for him to be in place as the undersea breaches reopen and more of those Kaiju to come through ...

Dumb fun, but seemingly lacking something (although you can actually see what's happening in the battles this time around!) compared to the original, or to the various 'official' Godzilla/King Kong/etc movies.
  
40x40

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Aug 6, 2021  
Sneak a peek at the poetry book THE FORGOTTEN WORLD by Nick Courtright on my blog. This looks like an interesting read for sure!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-blitz-forgotten-world-by-nick.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
In his third collection, poet Nick Courtright explores the world at large in an effort to reconcile selfhood as an American in the international community, while also seeking anchors for remembering a wider world often lost to view in our shared though increasingly isolated experience of reality.

Beginning in Africa with investigations of religion and love, The Forgotten World then moves to Latin America to tackle colonialism and whiteness. From there it travels to Asia to discuss economic stratification and Europe to explore art and mental health, culminating in a stirring homecoming to troubled America, where family, the future, and what matters most rise to the forefront of consideration.

Through all of it, Courtright displays a deft hand, at once pained, at once bright, to discover that although the wider world seems farther away than before, the lessons it offers are more needed than ever.