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Necole (36 KP) rated All We Ever Wanted in Books
Aug 25, 2018
Family Drama at it's best
Family Drama at it's best!!!
A powerful story relatable to today's society about family, morals, values, the treatment of others, standing up for what is right and all else a mother's love and a father's love. All We Ever Wanted will tug at your heart strings, make you think, and maybe open your eyes a little on how to treat people better. It also holds a message of how materialism can lead people astray and change people not for the better but you can always find your self again especially when you have people who love you have your back. Loyalty, compassion, standing up for what is right and love is what you will take away from this book!!!
All We Ever Wanted is about the complications modern life can bring in a society with cell phones mixed will the old school story of privileged high society and the pay check to paycheck society and how even the wealthy struggle with morals, values, and what love for a child means. It is told is told from the perspectives of Nina (Finch's mother, who is the boy accused of taking a picture of Lyla at a party where she is passed out, in a provocative pose, and a racially charged blurb written on it that got sent to kids at the prestigious Windsor high school), Tom (the single carpenter dad of Lyla, who is the girl in the photo) and Lyla. It was so well written and fascinating to read from each of their perspectives.
So what happens to these characters and others in the book when this photo gets leaked? Will there be justice for Lyla? How do the parents handle their kids? Is there a love story in the mix?
Read the book to find out!!!! You will not be disappointed!!! The books summary does a perfect job of explaining without giving away the many twists and turns and events that occur in this book!
A powerful story relatable to today's society about family, morals, values, the treatment of others, standing up for what is right and all else a mother's love and a father's love. All We Ever Wanted will tug at your heart strings, make you think, and maybe open your eyes a little on how to treat people better. It also holds a message of how materialism can lead people astray and change people not for the better but you can always find your self again especially when you have people who love you have your back. Loyalty, compassion, standing up for what is right and love is what you will take away from this book!!!
All We Ever Wanted is about the complications modern life can bring in a society with cell phones mixed will the old school story of privileged high society and the pay check to paycheck society and how even the wealthy struggle with morals, values, and what love for a child means. It is told is told from the perspectives of Nina (Finch's mother, who is the boy accused of taking a picture of Lyla at a party where she is passed out, in a provocative pose, and a racially charged blurb written on it that got sent to kids at the prestigious Windsor high school), Tom (the single carpenter dad of Lyla, who is the girl in the photo) and Lyla. It was so well written and fascinating to read from each of their perspectives.
So what happens to these characters and others in the book when this photo gets leaked? Will there be justice for Lyla? How do the parents handle their kids? Is there a love story in the mix?
Read the book to find out!!!! You will not be disappointed!!! The books summary does a perfect job of explaining without giving away the many twists and turns and events that occur in this book!
Lenard (726 KP) rated The Call Of The Wild (2020) in Movies
Feb 24, 2020
It Wears Its Heart in the Right Place
I love Jack London's writing. It is so nice to read a story with language that is so straightforward. Caught between the romantic period, when writers used flowery prose and were paid per word, and the stream-of-consciousness movement, where narrators spoke in a manner of events as they were happening right at that moment, London's naturalism was a change of pace for readers.
Buck is the housebroken dog of a San Francisco judge who was indulged as any child of wealth would be in the 1890s. Alaska was harsh environment for man and beast. When money was offered for dogs who could work in Alaska as sled dogs for supplies to mining outposts, Buck is kidnapped. Along the way, Buck begins to learn the lineage of his forebears, the wolves, as he adapts to his new life in the frozen tundra.
The movie itself as adapted in 2020 avoids a lot of the hardships that Buck faces in his new life, but he is given a kindly old sage who looks out for him throughout the movie. It also includes a Snidely Whiplash-like literal gold-digger who comes to Alaska with little knowledge of Alaska or gold prospecting. This character is two-dimensional and portrayed as "evil." Also, the character of Spitz, an Alaskan malamute who leads the sled team and serves as an antagonist for Buck, is given very little screentime.
Last observation, during the film, as Harrison Ford lay on the ground in one of the final scenes, I looked into his eyes and saw not the 77-year-old Harrison Ford who has become a mentor to the film community, but the 30-year-old carpenter who just wanted to drag race a teenager in American Graffiti. He still has within his eyes, the look of hunger that acting feeds. And, he didn't need de-aging SPX to look younger than he is.
Buck is the housebroken dog of a San Francisco judge who was indulged as any child of wealth would be in the 1890s. Alaska was harsh environment for man and beast. When money was offered for dogs who could work in Alaska as sled dogs for supplies to mining outposts, Buck is kidnapped. Along the way, Buck begins to learn the lineage of his forebears, the wolves, as he adapts to his new life in the frozen tundra.
The movie itself as adapted in 2020 avoids a lot of the hardships that Buck faces in his new life, but he is given a kindly old sage who looks out for him throughout the movie. It also includes a Snidely Whiplash-like literal gold-digger who comes to Alaska with little knowledge of Alaska or gold prospecting. This character is two-dimensional and portrayed as "evil." Also, the character of Spitz, an Alaskan malamute who leads the sled team and serves as an antagonist for Buck, is given very little screentime.
Last observation, during the film, as Harrison Ford lay on the ground in one of the final scenes, I looked into his eyes and saw not the 77-year-old Harrison Ford who has become a mentor to the film community, but the 30-year-old carpenter who just wanted to drag race a teenager in American Graffiti. He still has within his eyes, the look of hunger that acting feeds. And, he didn't need de-aging SPX to look younger than he is.
Bombing Hitler: The Story of the Man Who Almost Assassinated the Fuhrer
Hellmut G. Haasis and William Odom
Book
Georg Elser was just a working-class citizen living in Munich, Germany. He was employed as a...
Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zatopek
Book
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year In the summer of 1952 Emil Zatopek became...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020) in Movies
Sep 1, 2020
Scorpion's Revenge is an animated re-tread of a story that has been told countless times by now. The attempt to fit a narrative around a standard fighting game, especially one that exclusively deals with straight up murder, had never really worked with me until recently. I'm one of the few who doesn't really like the 1995 movie, even ironically, and have always found the stories in the Mortal Kombat franchise kind of forced.
Recently however, the backstory has been fleshed out pretty well, especially with last year's Mortal Kombat 11. This movie deals with the events of the first tournament once again, but it benefits from the aforementioned good story-telling. Characters like the titular Scorpion, and Sub-Zero are no longer simple colour pallette swaps, they have proper, well realised back stories, and Scorpion's Revenge relishes in it.
What happens to Scorpion in the opening of the film is just horrible, and the whole runtime I really wanted him to DESTROY the people who wronged him.
Lots of fan favourites appear here - Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Raiden, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Reptile, Kano, Kitana, Jax, Goro - and all are represented just as much as they need to me, none of them feel like dead weight, it's well balanced. It has a decent voice cast as well, including Jennifer Carpenter and Joel McHale.
The animation is ok. I found myself disliking it at times, and then loving it at other times. It just didn't seem too consistent to me, but it's not a massive negative. There's plenty of action, and a truly staggering amount of gore, which is really all you could want from a Mortal Kombat film.
Truth be told, I would much rather watch this than the live action stuff any day of the week. It's pretty entertaining and a must for any fans of the game series.
Recently however, the backstory has been fleshed out pretty well, especially with last year's Mortal Kombat 11. This movie deals with the events of the first tournament once again, but it benefits from the aforementioned good story-telling. Characters like the titular Scorpion, and Sub-Zero are no longer simple colour pallette swaps, they have proper, well realised back stories, and Scorpion's Revenge relishes in it.
What happens to Scorpion in the opening of the film is just horrible, and the whole runtime I really wanted him to DESTROY the people who wronged him.
Lots of fan favourites appear here - Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Raiden, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Reptile, Kano, Kitana, Jax, Goro - and all are represented just as much as they need to me, none of them feel like dead weight, it's well balanced. It has a decent voice cast as well, including Jennifer Carpenter and Joel McHale.
The animation is ok. I found myself disliking it at times, and then loving it at other times. It just didn't seem too consistent to me, but it's not a massive negative. There's plenty of action, and a truly staggering amount of gore, which is really all you could want from a Mortal Kombat film.
Truth be told, I would much rather watch this than the live action stuff any day of the week. It's pretty entertaining and a must for any fans of the game series.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
A True successor to the original
Halloween 1978 and little-known director John Carpenter terrifies thousands of impressionable horror fans with the introduction of ‘The Shape’. Jamie Lee Curtis becomes the new ‘scream queen’ and all is well in the world of the slasher genre.
Fast-forward to 2009 and Rob Zombie directs the sequel to his reasonably successful remake of Halloween, but it was poorly received by critics and audiences alike. Why? Well Zombie’s grungy, rock-anthem vibe didn’t really sit too well with Michael Myers and the result was a distasteful and messy outing that set the franchise back nearly 10 years.
Of course, in between 1978 and 2009, the series was ripped apart, put back together again until it was a shadow of its former self. Anyone remember Busta Rhymes doing a vague impression of a karate master in Halloween: Resurrection? Best forget about that.
Nevertheless, director David Gordon Green, a lifetime fan of Carpenter’s iconic original is in the chair to helm a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. That’s right, it forgoes every single film apart from the first. But is it a worthy sequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time?
It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield. But this time, she’s ready for him.
Having Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back for this instalment is already a coup for Gordon Green. Clearly, they thought enough of the material that he and co-writer Danny McBride had produced to give one more shot at crafting a properly deserved sequel. And it works very well, so well in fact that we have, barring the original, the best Halloween movie to date.
Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fabulous as a world-weary Laurie Strode. Traumatised by the events of 40 years ago, she holds herself up in a cabin on the outskirts of Haddonfield, flanked by floodlights and CCTV cameras. The script does a very good job at showing how massive events can destroy an individual’s life and Curtis’ understated performance is a highlight here.
Judy Greer gets a nicely fleshed out role as Karen, Laurie’s daughter. She’s an incredibly talented actress and it’s a world away from the one-dimensional characters she’s been given to play in blockbusters like Jurassic World. The great thing about this film is that each of the main characters feels real. There’s no cheap sex scenes, the kills are well-placed and the dialogue is superbly written – you actually believe these are real people, rather than characters in a movie.
While the body count is high, Halloween doesn’t rely on the murders to progress the story forward. This is very much Laurie’s film as opposed to Michael’s and it works very well. There’s some nice juxtaposition as shots that would have involved Michael in the original, choose to put Laurie front and centre here. Halloween features some tasteful references to the original as well as its less-well received sequels. They’re not immediately obvious for those not too familiar with the series, but die-hards will enjoy seeing those homages pop up every now and then.
Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it
The film starts relatively slowly with a not quite successful side-plot involving two investigative journalists, but once Michael Myers gets his mask back, the film rarely lets up until the end. Populated by enough kills and scares to keep the audience happy, this is a Halloween movie that doesn’t rely too much on jump scares. There’s a few, but they’re nicely filmed which helps lift them above the mundane.
To look at, this is a film that is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre. Gordon Green uses incredibly fluid camera techniques that almost mimic those of the original. In one extended sequence, Myers moves in and out of shot as the camera follows him from house to house, selecting his next victim. With no cuts in between, it’s a stunning scene to watch and very effective.
Thankfully, the writing duo has decided to pass on giving Michael anything resembling a back story. The embodiment of ‘pure evil’ as Samuel Loomis once put it, Myers needn’t have any motives – and that’s what makes him so terrifying. In fact, his first kill here reaffirms his evil characteristics and it’s clear that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were aiming for this take on the character.
Then there’s the score. John Carpenter has returned to craft new music for this instalment and it is by far the best score in the series, possibly even better than the original. That haunting Halloween theme tune is back, but upgraded with guitar riffs and electronic percussion. It’s a fabulous update that works perfectly with the modern characters and an older Michael.
While it’s true that the film isn’t out-and-out scary, the finale is exquisite as Laurie and Michael come face-to-face once again. Only the abrupt ending and forgetting of some key characters lets it down. After all, what’s the point in caring about a character and never learning of their fate?
Overall, Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it. While this is sure to make bucket loads at the box-office, it feels like it was crafted with care by a writing team and director that absolutely adores the series. It’s a must watch.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/10/20/halloween-2018-review-a-true-successor-to-the-original/
Fast-forward to 2009 and Rob Zombie directs the sequel to his reasonably successful remake of Halloween, but it was poorly received by critics and audiences alike. Why? Well Zombie’s grungy, rock-anthem vibe didn’t really sit too well with Michael Myers and the result was a distasteful and messy outing that set the franchise back nearly 10 years.
Of course, in between 1978 and 2009, the series was ripped apart, put back together again until it was a shadow of its former self. Anyone remember Busta Rhymes doing a vague impression of a karate master in Halloween: Resurrection? Best forget about that.
Nevertheless, director David Gordon Green, a lifetime fan of Carpenter’s iconic original is in the chair to helm a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. That’s right, it forgoes every single film apart from the first. But is it a worthy sequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time?
It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield. But this time, she’s ready for him.
Having Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back for this instalment is already a coup for Gordon Green. Clearly, they thought enough of the material that he and co-writer Danny McBride had produced to give one more shot at crafting a properly deserved sequel. And it works very well, so well in fact that we have, barring the original, the best Halloween movie to date.
Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fabulous as a world-weary Laurie Strode. Traumatised by the events of 40 years ago, she holds herself up in a cabin on the outskirts of Haddonfield, flanked by floodlights and CCTV cameras. The script does a very good job at showing how massive events can destroy an individual’s life and Curtis’ understated performance is a highlight here.
Judy Greer gets a nicely fleshed out role as Karen, Laurie’s daughter. She’s an incredibly talented actress and it’s a world away from the one-dimensional characters she’s been given to play in blockbusters like Jurassic World. The great thing about this film is that each of the main characters feels real. There’s no cheap sex scenes, the kills are well-placed and the dialogue is superbly written – you actually believe these are real people, rather than characters in a movie.
While the body count is high, Halloween doesn’t rely on the murders to progress the story forward. This is very much Laurie’s film as opposed to Michael’s and it works very well. There’s some nice juxtaposition as shots that would have involved Michael in the original, choose to put Laurie front and centre here. Halloween features some tasteful references to the original as well as its less-well received sequels. They’re not immediately obvious for those not too familiar with the series, but die-hards will enjoy seeing those homages pop up every now and then.
Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it
The film starts relatively slowly with a not quite successful side-plot involving two investigative journalists, but once Michael Myers gets his mask back, the film rarely lets up until the end. Populated by enough kills and scares to keep the audience happy, this is a Halloween movie that doesn’t rely too much on jump scares. There’s a few, but they’re nicely filmed which helps lift them above the mundane.
To look at, this is a film that is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre. Gordon Green uses incredibly fluid camera techniques that almost mimic those of the original. In one extended sequence, Myers moves in and out of shot as the camera follows him from house to house, selecting his next victim. With no cuts in between, it’s a stunning scene to watch and very effective.
Thankfully, the writing duo has decided to pass on giving Michael anything resembling a back story. The embodiment of ‘pure evil’ as Samuel Loomis once put it, Myers needn’t have any motives – and that’s what makes him so terrifying. In fact, his first kill here reaffirms his evil characteristics and it’s clear that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were aiming for this take on the character.
Then there’s the score. John Carpenter has returned to craft new music for this instalment and it is by far the best score in the series, possibly even better than the original. That haunting Halloween theme tune is back, but upgraded with guitar riffs and electronic percussion. It’s a fabulous update that works perfectly with the modern characters and an older Michael.
While it’s true that the film isn’t out-and-out scary, the finale is exquisite as Laurie and Michael come face-to-face once again. Only the abrupt ending and forgetting of some key characters lets it down. After all, what’s the point in caring about a character and never learning of their fate?
Overall, Halloween is a resounding success. It takes what audiences loved about the original and updates them in a sequel that, while not being wholly original, respects what came before it. While this is sure to make bucket loads at the box-office, it feels like it was crafted with care by a writing team and director that absolutely adores the series. It’s a must watch.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/10/20/halloween-2018-review-a-true-successor-to-the-original/
How To Build A House
Productivity and Education
App
Learn about all aspects of housebuilding with this collection of 95 Tuitional Videos. Lessons...
House Building Master Class
Productivity and Education
App
Take a House Building Master Class with this selection of 375 educational video lessons. Many...
<i>Mean Streets</i> is one of the best anthologies I've read in a while. It only has four different pieces in it, but they're all novellas, and all by strong, experienced writers. I don't think any of them are here riding on someone else's name on the book cover.
Jim Butcher's "Warrior," the first piece, is very good. It follows Harry and the Carpenter family after they experienced some major changes in the last Dresden novel. I could have stood a little more Molly, but Harry and Michael were the focus characters and they worked out some things that really needed to be dealt with. I'm glad I read this before the next Dresden novel, because I feel there's important character development. I seriously recommend this book to all Dresden fans.
I haven't read any of Simon R. Green's novels, though I've heard of the Nightside series and thought about picking one up. If "The Difference a Day Makes" is typical, though, I may not bother. He is a good writer, so I'm not sure what it is that bothered me so much. I know that something framed as one of the nastiest things people could choose to do in this piece isn't even in my top 10, but I feel there's something else that I just can't quite articulate yet.
I've read all three of Kat Richardson's Greywalker novels and enjoyed them enough that I plan to keep reading. "The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog" is my favorite piece of her work, hands down. There's more light, somehow, and that's important to me.
"Noah's Orphans" is my first exposure to Thomas E. Sniegoski, as far as I can recall. It was an interesting piece. I found myself wondering about Remy Chandler's past, about how the character has developed. If there are novels featuring that character, I may give them a read. In any case, it brought up some interesting questions about faith and obedience. I think it would have been more personally relevant to me about 20 years ago, though.
Jim Butcher's "Warrior," the first piece, is very good. It follows Harry and the Carpenter family after they experienced some major changes in the last Dresden novel. I could have stood a little more Molly, but Harry and Michael were the focus characters and they worked out some things that really needed to be dealt with. I'm glad I read this before the next Dresden novel, because I feel there's important character development. I seriously recommend this book to all Dresden fans.
I haven't read any of Simon R. Green's novels, though I've heard of the Nightside series and thought about picking one up. If "The Difference a Day Makes" is typical, though, I may not bother. He is a good writer, so I'm not sure what it is that bothered me so much. I know that something framed as one of the nastiest things people could choose to do in this piece isn't even in my top 10, but I feel there's something else that I just can't quite articulate yet.
I've read all three of Kat Richardson's Greywalker novels and enjoyed them enough that I plan to keep reading. "The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog" is my favorite piece of her work, hands down. There's more light, somehow, and that's important to me.
"Noah's Orphans" is my first exposure to Thomas E. Sniegoski, as far as I can recall. It was an interesting piece. I found myself wondering about Remy Chandler's past, about how the character has developed. If there are novels featuring that character, I may give them a read. In any case, it brought up some interesting questions about faith and obedience. I think it would have been more personally relevant to me about 20 years ago, though.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of The Evil Within in Video Games
Oct 30, 2019
Psychological Within
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Evil Within- is a fantasic horrorfying, thrilling, psychological terrorfying, scary game. That was published by Bethesa. Yes that Bethesa who did Skyrim and Fallout. So lets talk about it...
The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a third-person perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including bosses, using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using stealth, and finding collectables.
Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas.
Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding mirrors. The safe house is a mental hospital and has several accessible areas such as a save point, an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house.
Lets talk about the plot/story:
While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City police detective Sebastian Castellanos (Anson Mount), his partner Joseph Oda (Yuri Lowenthal), and Junior Detective Juli Kidman (Jennifer Carpenter) find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise.
Their are two DLC and their are called The Assigment and The Consequence. Which I havent played yet.
The player unlocks several bonuses for completing the game. Extra weapons, character models and bios, 'AKUMU' difficulty (the game's hardest difficulty level), and New Game+ are some of the unlocks.
It is a must play game, it will twist and turn your mind until the end credits.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clue to this review correct.
The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a third-person perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including bosses, using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using stealth, and finding collectables.
Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas.
Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding mirrors. The safe house is a mental hospital and has several accessible areas such as a save point, an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house.
Lets talk about the plot/story:
While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City police detective Sebastian Castellanos (Anson Mount), his partner Joseph Oda (Yuri Lowenthal), and Junior Detective Juli Kidman (Jennifer Carpenter) find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise.
Their are two DLC and their are called The Assigment and The Consequence. Which I havent played yet.
The player unlocks several bonuses for completing the game. Extra weapons, character models and bios, 'AKUMU' difficulty (the game's hardest difficulty level), and New Game+ are some of the unlocks.
It is a must play game, it will twist and turn your mind until the end credits.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clue to this review correct.