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David McK (3557 KP) rated Robin Hood and the Caliph's Gold in Books
Mar 26, 2020
The 9th entry in Angus Donald's Robin Hood Outlaw series of books, although chronologically I think this is the third (set after Holy Warrior).
As such, this starts with Robin and his men trying to make their way back to England from the Holy Land, with the entire story told (as are all the others) in first person narrative, and from the point of view of Alan a Dale, the true protagonist of these stories (let's face it, Robin isn't always a very nice man...)
Shipwrecked on the way home, this sets off a series of circumstances and encounters that sees Robin and his men hatching a plan to steal the Caliph's Gold (it's all there in the title!), with many a ferocious battle and deeds of derring do throughout.
Having recently just having read one of Angus Donald's other historical works (the Blood series: last one I read was Bloods Campaign), I have to say: I think I prefer the medieval setting of these novels better, with Alan a Dale coming across as a more relatable character than Holcroft Blood.
As such, this starts with Robin and his men trying to make their way back to England from the Holy Land, with the entire story told (as are all the others) in first person narrative, and from the point of view of Alan a Dale, the true protagonist of these stories (let's face it, Robin isn't always a very nice man...)
Shipwrecked on the way home, this sets off a series of circumstances and encounters that sees Robin and his men hatching a plan to steal the Caliph's Gold (it's all there in the title!), with many a ferocious battle and deeds of derring do throughout.
Having recently just having read one of Angus Donald's other historical works (the Blood series: last one I read was Bloods Campaign), I have to say: I think I prefer the medieval setting of these novels better, with Alan a Dale coming across as a more relatable character than Holcroft Blood.
David McK (3557 KP) rated The Avengers (2012) in Movies
Mar 26, 2020
Known in the UK as 'Avenger's Assemble' (to avoid confusion with the other Avengers film!), this was the first of the MCUs big-screen cross-overs, bringing Captain America, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Bruce Banner/The Hulk (here played by Mark Ruffalo instead of Ed Norton), Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye (and not forgetting Agent Coulson, pre TVs Agents of SHIELD!) all together for the very first time to face off against Thor's brother Loki, returned from the (supposed) dead and at the head of an army of Chitauri - with the post-credit sting revealing, for the very first time, just how is the 'big bad' behind the entire thing!
That 'Battle of New York' at the end of the film would have further ramifications down the line in both the movie and TV side of things for Marvel, with the (not shown here) clean up activities afterwards even providing the impetus for one of the newer (at the time of writing) releases, in Phase III's Spiderman: Homecoming
That 'Battle of New York' at the end of the film would have further ramifications down the line in both the movie and TV side of things for Marvel, with the (not shown here) clean up activities afterwards even providing the impetus for one of the newer (at the time of writing) releases, in Phase III's Spiderman: Homecoming
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Current War (2017) in Movies
Jul 30, 2019 (Updated Jul 30, 2019)
Striking historical drama; unfortunate enough to get caught on the fringes of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which is why it has sat on the shelf for a couple of years since it was finished. Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse engage in a battle of wills to bring electric light to America, but will victory go to the more principled man, or the more ruthless? And who is who?
Lots of good material here for a really interesting film about, essentially, the birth of the modern world; perhaps too much. The film's problem is really that it tries to cover everything - not just the rivalry between the two men, but also incidents from Edison's private life, the development of the electric chair, and the career of the much-mythologised but enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla. As a result everything gets covered in a somewhat cursory manner and it often feels somewhat rushed. Still, it's a handsome looking film, the performances are excellent, and the direction is sometimes as inventive as the characters. Not entirely successful by any means, but a very distinguished failure.
Lots of good material here for a really interesting film about, essentially, the birth of the modern world; perhaps too much. The film's problem is really that it tries to cover everything - not just the rivalry between the two men, but also incidents from Edison's private life, the development of the electric chair, and the career of the much-mythologised but enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla. As a result everything gets covered in a somewhat cursory manner and it often feels somewhat rushed. Still, it's a handsome looking film, the performances are excellent, and the direction is sometimes as inventive as the characters. Not entirely successful by any means, but a very distinguished failure.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Hot Fuzz (2007) in Movies
Aug 3, 2019
An instant classic
Hot Fuzz is a glorious film, plain and simple.
It's funny, it's crude, it's gory, it's just plain ridiculous at times, and it's very British...
Anyone who lives here in England can confirm - this country is full of little villages and towns where something just seems a bit...off. just like the films village, Sandford.
As Sgt. Angel starts to uncover a sinister conspiracy underneath the idyllic town, Hot Fuzz effortlessly weaves quick humour, with a creeping sense of dread, just like it's predecessor, Shaun of the Dead.
The fantastic trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright hit all the right comedic notes once again, and the film is riddled with famous faces from the British comedy scene.
It evens features once-James-Bond Timothy Dalton, just being generally awesome and villainous.
The climatic battle, (that likes fun at the silliness of the action genre) is good fun, but it doesn't quite hit the mark that Shaun of the Dead does.
It's still a great film though, I'd implore anyone to give it a go.
It's funny, it's crude, it's gory, it's just plain ridiculous at times, and it's very British...
Anyone who lives here in England can confirm - this country is full of little villages and towns where something just seems a bit...off. just like the films village, Sandford.
As Sgt. Angel starts to uncover a sinister conspiracy underneath the idyllic town, Hot Fuzz effortlessly weaves quick humour, with a creeping sense of dread, just like it's predecessor, Shaun of the Dead.
The fantastic trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright hit all the right comedic notes once again, and the film is riddled with famous faces from the British comedy scene.
It evens features once-James-Bond Timothy Dalton, just being generally awesome and villainous.
The climatic battle, (that likes fun at the silliness of the action genre) is good fun, but it doesn't quite hit the mark that Shaun of the Dead does.
It's still a great film though, I'd implore anyone to give it a go.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) in Movies
Feb 12, 2020
Ants!!!!!
Ant-Man and The Wasp- was a really great movie. It had action, comedy, ants, ants and more ants. I heard that some people thought that this movie was pointless and just a lead up to endgame, that this movie should of came out before infinity war. But thats not true, this movie was a excellent setup to endgame and that it would make sense that this movie would come out after infinty war. This movie is not pointless, it has a purpose.
The plot: Scott Lang is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym, Lang must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp. The urgent mission soon leads to secret revelations from the past as the dynamic duo finds itself in an epic battle against a powerful new enemy.
If you have watched and liked the first one, than you will like this one as well.
The plot: Scott Lang is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym, Lang must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp. The urgent mission soon leads to secret revelations from the past as the dynamic duo finds itself in an epic battle against a powerful new enemy.
If you have watched and liked the first one, than you will like this one as well.
Chheam Pi Damnor
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