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Into the Forge
7.0
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Epic tales abound in Dennis L. McKiernan's wondrous world of Mithgar, but none are as renowned as...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated First Love (2019) in Movies
Sep 3, 2021
By Miike's own admission this was an attempt at a more mainstream film than a freakish, madcap craftsman like himself is used to - and it definitely shows given that the first two thirds play like a customary šš¢š£šŗ šš³šŖš·š¦š³ clone, albeit a sturdy and attractive one at that. But then that last third hits and it's A-fucking-class Miike antics. I think what's more impressive than this still being awesome even in spite of a been-there-done-that "plan goes wrong and continues to go more and more wrong" plot (which on their own tend to struggle to support their momentum with any sort of narrative pull) is that this is something like his 96th film as director and there's still such a clear vision even with elements as familiar as these, such firm attention on each performance/shot/idea. At this point the dude could be forgiven for sleepwalking on this one for the paycheck then continuing on business as usual, but he refuses to succumb to anything less than sickly memorable full commitment. Plus if you're going to go commercial, there are a lot worse routes to travel than Yakuza slapstick.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Trace of Doubt in Books
Oct 18, 2021
Holy fluff balls!!
This is awesome!! I thought the book was going to end at the halfway point, it would have been easy to do.......I'm so glad that it didn't. The depth and details that were included really made the story. The layers giving an insight into a narcissistic mind of a selfish killer were spot on, they really helped to cement the dislike of that particular character.
My theories were good with some bits but I was still caught if guard with some details.
Shelby is sweet, strong, a little sassy and an ex-con who found Jesus in the darkest of times. Her faith doesn't falter regardless of the difficulties that she faces.
Faith is prevalent throughout, it's not preachy but it is a strong theme and it suits the storyline perfectly.
Everything is pulled together nicely, I had a few moments where tears were shed and my heart ached for Shelby.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone picks up on this and makes it a film as It would be amazing!
Trace of Doubt is a thrilling adult read worthy of a good dose of me time, a glass of wine and chocolate.
This is awesome!! I thought the book was going to end at the halfway point, it would have been easy to do.......I'm so glad that it didn't. The depth and details that were included really made the story. The layers giving an insight into a narcissistic mind of a selfish killer were spot on, they really helped to cement the dislike of that particular character.
My theories were good with some bits but I was still caught if guard with some details.
Shelby is sweet, strong, a little sassy and an ex-con who found Jesus in the darkest of times. Her faith doesn't falter regardless of the difficulties that she faces.
Faith is prevalent throughout, it's not preachy but it is a strong theme and it suits the storyline perfectly.
Everything is pulled together nicely, I had a few moments where tears were shed and my heart ached for Shelby.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone picks up on this and makes it a film as It would be amazing!
Trace of Doubt is a thrilling adult read worthy of a good dose of me time, a glass of wine and chocolate.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Dec 17, 2021
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jun 17, 2022
Her Good Side
10.0
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Love this cover and I am so happy to have won a copy from bookish first to review. I used to play...
Dancing the Loom
Book
Carol Craig invites you into this richly crafted tale of sisterhood, magic and romance. A...
fantasy
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
Many games are standalone, meaning that the base game has all of the components necessary for play. Many games also later add expansion content. Some games fall into the ācollectibleā category ā you start with a base set, and slowly add new game components over time. Dice Masters is one of these collectible games, specifically known as a collectible dice game (CDG). You can find many versions of Dice Masters, spanning from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Dungeons and Dragons. No matter the theme, however, the game always works the same way! My experience is with Marvel Dice Masters (from different sets), so that will be my focus.
You and your team of superhero comrades come across a group of rival supers. Maybe youāre all having a disagreement (a la āCivil Warā), or maybe one of them ate your lunch out of the fridge at work. No matter the reason, your teams have agreed to fight each other. Each hero brings unique powers to the fight, and the last team standing wins!
Dice Masters is a competitive two-player game. Each superhero team consists of up to 8 heroes and 20 custom dice. On your turn, roll your dice to generate energy, recruit heroes, or attack your opponent! Some of your heroes might have special powers that can positively affect your dice rolls, or could even negatively affect your opponentās available dice. Strategy is everything ā the first player reduced to zero health loses!
A game of battling superheroes ā awesome, right? Maybe not AWESOME, but I think itās mostly awesome. The most frustrating part of Dice Masters for me is the ācollectibleā aspect. A basic starter set provides you with a decent amount of cards and dice, but in order to build a complete, fully-functioning team, you need to buy more components. The first couple of times I played, I was using only the starter set and I didnāt yet realize that this is a CDG. I only had heroes with basic powers and dice, and I failed miserably in those games against a seasoned Dice Masters player (Travis). Thankfully, my opponent gave me a bit of advice ā do some research, find heroes with powers that complement each other, and build a strong team that way. He helped me build a team, and I bought those new components. I used that team in my next game, aaaand I still lostā¦but it was a closer game! I have since crafted a couple of more teams and acquired the necessary components, but this game definitely takes a lot of forethought and research for success. Itās not one you can just necessarily pick up and play right away.
I think that Dice Masters has more of a learning curve than the average two-player game. It is a pretty strategy-driven game, and that strategy is based on your chosen team of heroes. If you arenāt completely familiar with their powers or the special symbols on their dice, you could be missing out on some serious advantages in your fight. Each turn also has many elements to keep track of (roll dice, re-roll dice, spend energy, recruit/field heroes, use abilities, attack/defend, etc.), and it can be easy to forget a step. Once you get the hang of it, though, the game flows better. It definitely took me quite a few plays to get everything mostly down. So if youāre looking for a more complex dice game to play, I would say give Dice Masters a shot!
I like the theme, mechanics, and strategic implications of Dice Masters, but I donāt really like the collectible aspect of the game. I donāt get to play it too often, but I do enjoy getting the opportunity to play. All in all, Purple Phoenix Games gives Dice Masters a 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/dice-masters-review/
You and your team of superhero comrades come across a group of rival supers. Maybe youāre all having a disagreement (a la āCivil Warā), or maybe one of them ate your lunch out of the fridge at work. No matter the reason, your teams have agreed to fight each other. Each hero brings unique powers to the fight, and the last team standing wins!
Dice Masters is a competitive two-player game. Each superhero team consists of up to 8 heroes and 20 custom dice. On your turn, roll your dice to generate energy, recruit heroes, or attack your opponent! Some of your heroes might have special powers that can positively affect your dice rolls, or could even negatively affect your opponentās available dice. Strategy is everything ā the first player reduced to zero health loses!
A game of battling superheroes ā awesome, right? Maybe not AWESOME, but I think itās mostly awesome. The most frustrating part of Dice Masters for me is the ācollectibleā aspect. A basic starter set provides you with a decent amount of cards and dice, but in order to build a complete, fully-functioning team, you need to buy more components. The first couple of times I played, I was using only the starter set and I didnāt yet realize that this is a CDG. I only had heroes with basic powers and dice, and I failed miserably in those games against a seasoned Dice Masters player (Travis). Thankfully, my opponent gave me a bit of advice ā do some research, find heroes with powers that complement each other, and build a strong team that way. He helped me build a team, and I bought those new components. I used that team in my next game, aaaand I still lostā¦but it was a closer game! I have since crafted a couple of more teams and acquired the necessary components, but this game definitely takes a lot of forethought and research for success. Itās not one you can just necessarily pick up and play right away.
I think that Dice Masters has more of a learning curve than the average two-player game. It is a pretty strategy-driven game, and that strategy is based on your chosen team of heroes. If you arenāt completely familiar with their powers or the special symbols on their dice, you could be missing out on some serious advantages in your fight. Each turn also has many elements to keep track of (roll dice, re-roll dice, spend energy, recruit/field heroes, use abilities, attack/defend, etc.), and it can be easy to forget a step. Once you get the hang of it, though, the game flows better. It definitely took me quite a few plays to get everything mostly down. So if youāre looking for a more complex dice game to play, I would say give Dice Masters a shot!
I like the theme, mechanics, and strategic implications of Dice Masters, but I donāt really like the collectible aspect of the game. I donāt get to play it too often, but I do enjoy getting the opportunity to play. All in all, Purple Phoenix Games gives Dice Masters a 18 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/dice-masters-review/
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Black Dynamite (2009) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
After his brother is killed, Black Dynamite decides to take matters into his own hands. Just who is Black Dynamite? He's an action legend, a one-man army, and anyone who gets on his bad side is going to wind up dead. Other than struggling with trying to figure out who's responsible for his brother's death, Black Dynamite also has other matters to attend to. There's that new smack being distributed on the street that's even somehow reaching the orphans at the local orphanage and there's something screwy about that Anaconda malt liquor that just doesn't sit well with him. Black Dynamite will do whatever it takes to find out who killed his brother and clean up the streets even if it means going all the way to the Honky House.
Black Dynamite has quite a reputation as just about every article or review that mentioned the film gave it high praise. Is it possible for a film to be incredible while paying homage to the films that inspired it? Sure it is. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez make a living doing just that. With Black Dynamite, however, you may not know what to expect. Expect it to parody the blaxploitation films from the 70s, pay homage to classic kung fu films, have ridiculous dialogue, a storyline that hilariously doesn't make sense, and have a funky soundtrack with lyrics that are just as awesome as the rest of the film.
Michael Jai White is really the selling point of the film since he is Black Dynamite and you're with him the entire film. I hadn't seen much of White's work before this, but I'm definitely wanting to see more now. His fight scenes are top notch and from what I could tell, it looked like he did the majority of his own stunts. The word I've been hearing is that he's a fairly impressive actor overall, but has just never really picked the right roles and never really broke into the mainstream. Maybe after playing Gambol in The Dark Knight helped him out a bit because he definitely has a bright future as not only an action star, but an actor as well. Other than his superb martial arts work, White's comedic timing is also really important in a film like this and it really pays off. There's a scene where a boom mic is noticeably in the shot while Black Dynamite is giving a big speech. He draws attention to it by repeatedly glaring at the mic throughout the scene, but doesn't miss a beat of the dialogue. Ridiculous scenes like that were crucial in the overall enjoyment factor of the film.
The dialogue is laugh out loud funny at times. There's a scene where the CIA show up at Black Dynamite's house and Agent O'Leary says to Black Dynamite, "We heard about your brother's death and we don't want you running around turning the streets into rivers of blood." Black Dynamite responds with, "Then tell me who did it and I'll just leave a puddle." The storyline is just as absurd, as well. Other than the film missing scenes that were shown in the trailer and things not fully being resolved with Vincent "The Don" Rafelli, the scene where Black Dynamite and his crew figure out what Anaconda malt liquor's true purpose is is both hilariously long-winded and confusing.
Black Dynamite may not be for everyone, but it will be hilariously awesome for most who actually get to see it. The film somehow manages to blend comedy as absurd and ridiculous as films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy or Zoolander and have hard hitting action scenes that are noticeably a tribute to classic Bruce Lee films. This blaxploitation parody comes highly recommended, can you dig it?
Black Dynamite has quite a reputation as just about every article or review that mentioned the film gave it high praise. Is it possible for a film to be incredible while paying homage to the films that inspired it? Sure it is. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez make a living doing just that. With Black Dynamite, however, you may not know what to expect. Expect it to parody the blaxploitation films from the 70s, pay homage to classic kung fu films, have ridiculous dialogue, a storyline that hilariously doesn't make sense, and have a funky soundtrack with lyrics that are just as awesome as the rest of the film.
Michael Jai White is really the selling point of the film since he is Black Dynamite and you're with him the entire film. I hadn't seen much of White's work before this, but I'm definitely wanting to see more now. His fight scenes are top notch and from what I could tell, it looked like he did the majority of his own stunts. The word I've been hearing is that he's a fairly impressive actor overall, but has just never really picked the right roles and never really broke into the mainstream. Maybe after playing Gambol in The Dark Knight helped him out a bit because he definitely has a bright future as not only an action star, but an actor as well. Other than his superb martial arts work, White's comedic timing is also really important in a film like this and it really pays off. There's a scene where a boom mic is noticeably in the shot while Black Dynamite is giving a big speech. He draws attention to it by repeatedly glaring at the mic throughout the scene, but doesn't miss a beat of the dialogue. Ridiculous scenes like that were crucial in the overall enjoyment factor of the film.
The dialogue is laugh out loud funny at times. There's a scene where the CIA show up at Black Dynamite's house and Agent O'Leary says to Black Dynamite, "We heard about your brother's death and we don't want you running around turning the streets into rivers of blood." Black Dynamite responds with, "Then tell me who did it and I'll just leave a puddle." The storyline is just as absurd, as well. Other than the film missing scenes that were shown in the trailer and things not fully being resolved with Vincent "The Don" Rafelli, the scene where Black Dynamite and his crew figure out what Anaconda malt liquor's true purpose is is both hilariously long-winded and confusing.
Black Dynamite may not be for everyone, but it will be hilariously awesome for most who actually get to see it. The film somehow manages to blend comedy as absurd and ridiculous as films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy or Zoolander and have hard hitting action scenes that are noticeably a tribute to classic Bruce Lee films. This blaxploitation parody comes highly recommended, can you dig it?
Halloween Costume Party - Spooky Salon, Spa Makeover & Dress Up
Games and Entertainment
6.0
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~~> Be ready for Halloween when you get your full costume and makeover done! ~~> Use the spooky...