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Just Let Go (Harbor Pointe #2)
Just Let Go (Harbor Pointe #2)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.



My Thoughts: What do an Olympian skier, a flower shop and a small town have in common? a storyline for a wonderful novel "Just Let Go". When Olympian skier Grady Benson comes to town no one knows the trials he has been going through, but like most people, they assume he lives and acts a certain way. With the help of a judge, a teenage boy and Quin, all help him realze what he's been missing in life. Sometimes God does put people in our lives to either help us or four us to help them. This s a story about not judging a book by its cover. Learning to take time to get to know someone. We all have a life, a past; burdens we carry with us and sometimes we have to learn to let it all go and move on with the future. That is the theme of this novel. Well written, and hard to put down. The reader can easily identify with the characters. The characters in the novel all work well and interweave in the storyline that compliments the narrative.


I truly enjoyed this story and Courtney Walsh's writing.
  
Legacy of Dragonholt
Legacy of Dragonholt
2017 | Adventure, Exploration
Its an rpg without a dm (1 more)
The biggest book based choose your adventure youve probably ever played
As with any choose your adventure choices can seem limiting (2 more)
The game is the only one of its kind and feels like it should be a series, but unfortunately discontinued
Its a one time playthrough
Largest choose your adventure ever
This game takes on roleplaying games for a single player rpg experience using "choose your adventure" style mechanics. At the beginning of the game a player makes a character, chooses a class and chooses skills. These character design choices do very much affect gameplay, providing different adventure paths/ options for characters of different races or having given skills in a situation. The box includes multiple adventures, each with a rough playtime of 30-60 minutes, though it can become longer with more players. Each booklet is designed to be played as a single gaming session, providing a convenient place to stop for the night or for a breather. The game also has a story tracking mechanic where bubbles are filled in based on choices made. These can affect interaction with npcs or track overarching campaign events that have shaped the world.

 I played through this game once and it took me about 6 hours and feel tgere are not enough alternate choices to merit another playthrough. Even though the game says it can be played with 1 to 6 players I recommend one player because only a single choice can be made with each entry and multiple players may not agree on a single course of action. For this game you fo need some tablespace as there are lots of tracking sheets and books and possibly a map you will have out.

*Minor Spoiler Ahead
My overall view of this game is that I wish it was different in one of two ways.
1. It would be nice if there were expansions to this where a character could carry over to another campaign or an expansion that weaves in more npc drama. At the end there are only 4 possible endings and then the game just ends, I wanted more, but knew it would never be.
2. This game with all of its tracking was more akin to muds and I feel it would have been better suited (at least for single player) as an interactive book for a computer where the tracking is done behind the scenes. This would of provided more mystery and made the game feel more in the moment rather than breaking out of the story to reference tracking sheets to see if a choice was allowed.
  
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Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Iron Man 3 (2013) in Movies

May 10, 2019 (Updated May 10, 2019)  
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
2013 | Action, Sci-Fi
RDJ as Tony Stark/Iron man Don Cheadle as Rhodey Tony's ptsd storyline The final battle Tony and Rhodey's bromance Harley keener (0 more)
Humour and drama is off balance Mandarin twist isn't well executed Female characters are underused (0 more)
"i am iron man 2.0"
Marking the commencement of the second phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe after the first one culminated with The Avengers, Iron Man 3 presents a definite improvement over its insufferably insipid predecessor but it still falls short of the magical experience that was the first Iron Man film. However, it does carry a new energy & has a refreshing vibe to it, thanks to the new director at helm.

Iron Man 3 continues the story of Tony Stark who's recovering from post-traumatic stress caused by the events of The Avengers. Unable to sleep & genuinely afraid of losing what he loves, Stark's life is turned upside down after he issues a threat to a radical terrorist who retaliates by destroying his personal world, leaving him far more vulnerable than ever before & forcing him to rebuild from the scratch.

Co-written & directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 really benefits from a fresh perspective & is an enjoyable ride for the most part but is also marred by its attempt to try out way too many things at once, out of which only a few work out in a convincing manner. Technical aspects are finely executed for its Cinematography favours a slightly darker tone, Editing steadily paces its narrative while Brian Tyler's score adds more vibrancy to its plot.

Coming to the performances, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley & Rebecca Hall join the reprising cast & ably fill up their given roles while Robert Downey Jr. once again manages to impress the most. The best thing about this sequel is the position it puts Tony Stark in & Downey Jr. does a terrific job in bringing that vulnerability on the screen. Also, while I was a bit furious at what they did with Iron Man's arch-nemesis, I did later warm up to what their intent was here.

On an overall scale, Iron Man 3 is a solid follow up to Iron Man & you don't even have to go through the crap that was Iron Man 2 to get to this one. The film's intent to cover the darker issues at hand while keeping itself light-hearted & plenty of fun is a combination that doesn't gel so well, is at friction on many occasions & is bound to divide its viewers, but its improvement over everything that was so wrong with its predecessor nevertheless makes it a welcome chapter, if not a worthy one.
  
    GameBuddy for League

    GameBuddy for League

    Social Networking and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

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    GameBuddy helps you find perfect teammates for League of Legends! Say goodbye to flaming League of...

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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies

Aug 12, 2020 (Updated Aug 12, 2020)  
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Animation
Packs a Surprising Impact
Based on the bestselling video game, super cool Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has to outsmart the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) who wants him captured. Sonic the Hedgehog was pulled originally to revamp the look of the character. That fact alone had me worried about the viability of the movie. After watching, I have to be honest: I didn’t hate it. Dare I say, I actually kinda liked it.

Acting: 10
Sure Ben Schwartz was pretty solid as Sonic, but this movie would be nothing without the hilarious performance of Jim Carrey. Carrey has always been hit or miss for me, but he hits a homerun in Sonic. His timing is perfect as he is constantly doing things to keep you laughing. The “Left Yourself Open” scene is a constant rewinder in my household. He gives the movie a much needed shine.

Beginning: 6

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Despite the exorbitant amount of time spent on fixing Sonic’s character there is still a bit to be desired in the visuals department. Some of the slow-mo scenes feel stolen from the Quicksilver scenes in the X-Men Franchise. Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few cool moments, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen some of it before.

Conflict: 10

Entertainment Value: 5
What Pixar manages to do extremely well in moments is make you feel like you’re not watching a movie for kids. For me, that was the primary reason I couldn’t allow myself to fully get into Sonic the Hedgehog. It oozes with cheesiness in spots which takes away from some of the overall appeal. It would be one thing if it embraced the ridiculousness of these moments, but the movie actually expects you take some of these moments seriously.

Memorability: 7
On a positive note, there are quite a few hilarious moments and some of the action scenes are really cool to watch unfold. it definitely leaves an impact even if it’s not a lasting one. I’ve seen worse kids movies and I’ve for sure seen worse video game adaptations.

Pace: 7

Plot: 4

Resolution: 10

Overall: 76
Sonic the Hedgehog is a solid movie to watch when you’re with your kids and you’ve expended your options. It’s not going to win any awards, but it packs heart. Sometimes that’s enough to carry a movie. In the case of Sonic, at the very least it makes it a fun ride.
  
    Polarsteps

    Polarsteps

    Travel and Lifestyle

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    Polarsteps automatically tracks your route and places you've visited while you are traveling. Just...

Fast X (2023)
Fast X (2023)
2023 | Action, Adventure
7
6.8 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is enjoying the good life as a husband and a
father and has found himself happy with his life but admits that he
worries about losing the ones he loves. In “FastX” which is the latest
film in the long-running series; the sins of the past are about to return
to wreak revenge upon Dominic and his crew.

Linking the events of the sixth film in the series, the crew find
themselves setup and framed after an extended and intense action sequence
in Rome and are on the run from the very agency they have been working
for.

The enigmatic and flamboyant Dante (Jason Mom); always seems to be
one step ahead of the team which finds themselves scattered at various
locations around the world which gives them plenty of time to fight,
drive, tech, and plan their next step in what is increasingly becoming a
deadly game from which there seems to be no way to survive.

The film has a very large cast and it is great to see the faces old and new
pop in and out of the film while they focus on the core characters. The
film does have some slow segments between the action but this is done to
establish new characters and develop the family relationships between
others as a family is a large theme of the series.

This is both a good and bad thing as it is nice to see so many characters
but some have little more than a brief cameo and others get more time than
is necessary. With so many moving parts and locations; the film does
deliver what fans will expect as the creators know the formula that has
made the series such a success and make sure that the over-the-top,
absurd, bombastic, adrenaline ride of the series remains even though it
requires the audience to throw logic and reason out the window and just go
along with the intense stunts and action sequences.

The film sets up the planned next film well and there are some interesting
side stories that I am curious to see how they will be developed in the
next film which had been reported to be the finale of the series before
spin-offs would carry the franchise forward.

It has been reported that Universal has asked for a twelfth film to make
the finale a trilogy and based on the latest outing, there is still enough
gas in the tank to give fans a flawed yet enjoyable summer Popcorn movie.
3.5 stars out of 5
  
Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
2019 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Not The Best In The Series But Entertains
One of the most intriguing yet often exaggerated lines in movie history is “based on actual events”. I’ve always had a fascination with supernatural thrillers that came with this tag line, whether it’s a movie like Amityville Horror or The Exorcism of Emily Rose. None of these are more popular than The Conjuring series, based on two real life demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Whether you believe in ghosts and haunted houses or not, these films always played on the notion that the events “could” possibly happen…even if they were exaggerated for Hollywood audiences. Annabelle Comes Home breaks the trend of previous Conjuring movies by not bothering to pretend that it’s based on any of the “actual” events from the previous films. So how does it stack up to its predecessors?

The movie begins with Ed and Lorraine Warren retrieving Annabelle and taking the scary doll home to lock her away in the now infamous artifact room. The dolls presence is so evil, that it takes not only blessings by a priest but being locked away in a case made up of glass from an old church to keep it’s evil at bay. Not only is the display case locked, but a sign is placed upon it, warning any who may enter not to release the doll within. Several pad locks later the Warrens feel comfortable that the evil within is contained.

A year passes and both Ed and Lorraine are called away on business, entrusting the care of their young daughter Judy (McKenna Grace) to her responsible babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Mary Ellen’s friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) blackmails Mary Ellen into allowing her to come over and stay with her and Judy in the Warren’s household. Using an opportunity when both Judy and Mary Ellen are out of the house, Daniela finds the artifact room (and the keys necessary to open it), and what at first appears to be idle curiosity, quickly turns into an attempt to utilize the artifacts in the room to reach out to her recently deceased father. It is in this attempt that Daniela unknowingly releases the evil in the room when she opens the case that Annabelle is in (it’s not like there was a BIG sign warning her not to do so).

Annabelle in her search for a soul, releases the full power and evil of all the artifacts in the room. Everything from an empty suit of Samurai armor to a wedding dress the drives the wearer insane is on display. Even a werewolf is released upon the world hunting an unwary suitor of Mary Ellen’s who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s up to this band of babysitters and children to restore order to the house and find a way to contain the evil that has been brought upon the world.

Annabelle Comes Home starts out fairly slow and takes awhile to build the tension. The first hour of the movie is mainly the interaction between the family and friends, and introductions to the various artifacts that are in the room. It’s not until the second half of the film when things really begin to take off. When the movie finally hits its creepy stride, it has plenty of genuine scares and intense moments, but focuses on several of the iconic artifacts and their affect on the individuals in the house.

While each of the artifacts has its own unique and interesting characteristics, we are hit with a barrage of items that are each going after one of the guests in the house. Whether it’s the television that can predict the future, or the locket that allows communication with the dead, it’s a lot to keep track of and tends to lose focus on the main plot. The movie attempts to cram every noticeable item from its previous films and give it some main purpose in the plot. In fact, the creepiest of all the artifacts Annabelle, takes on the role of evil puppet master controlling the artifacts which means less screen time and scares for her. Personally, Annabelle is scary enough to carry her own film (she has in previous installments), but in this film she is relegated to a side character, where the haunted artifacts take center stage.
The area I feel the movie loses the most is in the “believability” state. Remember that the Conjuring universe is based on real people, and on their actual encounters. Unfortunately, at no point in this film does one believe that any of these supernatural events could be mistaken for reality. It’s what I feel is the difference between a supernatural thriller and simply a monster movie. Much like other supernatural films, it’s about what you don’t see, rather than what you do, and Annabelle Comes Home unfortunately relies too much on its visuals leaving little to the viewers imagination. Imagining what a demon could look like is scarier than what Hollywood can dream up and show on the screen.

Ultimately Annabelle Comes home is a good movie which should have been great. It forgoes much of what made the series popular and replaces it with some goofy scenes and special effects. The artifacts are interesting, which makes the movie enjoyable, but not scary. I went in with hopes that I’d leave at least a little unnerved, looking under my covers, or turning the numerous dolls around that adorn my wife’s doll room. Unfortunately, I left feeling as though I’d simply been given a tour of the artifact room, with one night of scares that would disappear the next morning, as if from a bad dream. If you are looking to be scared, this movie likely won’t do that. If you are looking for an interesting movie with deeper background into the artifacts that have adorned the Warrens room for the past films, then this is the film for you.

3 out of 5 stars

http://sknr.net/2019/06/20/annabelle-comes-home/