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Debbiereadsbook (1444 KP) rated Haka Ever After (The Sin Bin #7) in Books
Aug 18, 2018
a really fitting end!
There comes along, once in a rare while, a book that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzie inside. A book that is far too stinking cute for its own good. A book that wraps up an ENTIRE series in so few pages. A book that is simply, brilliant.
This is book 7 in the Sin Bin series, and if you are just coming across this book, you should at the very LEAST read book two, The Caretaker, which is where Freddie and Taine meet. You should read them all, though!
Taine plucks up the courage to ask Freddie to marry him, but first he asks for Freddie's fathers permission. Since their first meeting wasn't exactly a tea party, Taine has reservations they won't chop him up and hide the pieces! But the fathers surprise him, and then Taine has to actually propose.
The proposal delivers, for me, the best line of the book!
Freddie asks, "why marriage?" Taine replies, "When they write our story after we're gone, it should read that I loved you more than anything else in the world. More than rugby. More than you love cheese. I want our names connected - intertwined. Legally. So no knobdobbers can claim I wasn't dedicated to you. So, will you marry me?"
The wedding plans are amusing, with all the previous characters taking part. So you can imagine what they all get up to! There is, of course, some messing about with food, cos ya'll know Ms Donovan's boys like to play with their food!
Bit that made me cry?? When all of Taine's rugby team mates perform the Haka at the wedding. That bit made me cry more that what happened on the honeymoon!
It's always sad to see a series end, but what a way to go!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 7 in the Sin Bin series, and if you are just coming across this book, you should at the very LEAST read book two, The Caretaker, which is where Freddie and Taine meet. You should read them all, though!
Taine plucks up the courage to ask Freddie to marry him, but first he asks for Freddie's fathers permission. Since their first meeting wasn't exactly a tea party, Taine has reservations they won't chop him up and hide the pieces! But the fathers surprise him, and then Taine has to actually propose.
The proposal delivers, for me, the best line of the book!
Freddie asks, "why marriage?" Taine replies, "When they write our story after we're gone, it should read that I loved you more than anything else in the world. More than rugby. More than you love cheese. I want our names connected - intertwined. Legally. So no knobdobbers can claim I wasn't dedicated to you. So, will you marry me?"
The wedding plans are amusing, with all the previous characters taking part. So you can imagine what they all get up to! There is, of course, some messing about with food, cos ya'll know Ms Donovan's boys like to play with their food!
Bit that made me cry?? When all of Taine's rugby team mates perform the Haka at the wedding. That bit made me cry more that what happened on the honeymoon!
It's always sad to see a series end, but what a way to go!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated The Big Boss (Tang shan da xiong) (1972) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019
The 70s cheese that's present in every Bruce Lee film seems overexposed in the film that would eventually lead to him becoming a martial arts action star. The Big Boss is very reminiscent of Riki-Oh - The Story of Ricky. That should be the other way around, but I managed to see Riki-Oh first and The Big Boss later. The two films are similar to each other for their over the top violence. This is Lee's bloodiest film and it's edited from when it was originally shown in theaters in '71.
Other than being bloody, the film is very unrealistic. It seems like anyone can jump ten feet into the air at will at any given point in time, a man leaves his outline in the wall after getting kicked through it by Bruce Lee, and Lee kills the main villain of the film by sticking his fingertips (all of them) into the villain's abdomen. That's just scratching the surface of the film's ridiculousness. Characters are very cliche, as well. The Chow Mei character is a typical damsel in distress kind of female character that is generally weak, has a crush on the main character of the film, and cries...AT EVERYTHING.
The Big Boss is definitely more cartoonish than any other Bruce Lee film. With all that being said, there's something still enjoyable about it. Maybe it's the fact that it jumpstarted Bruce Lee's career as a movie star or that films that contain over the top violence that don't take themselves too seriously are generally pretty awesome. It's a film worth seeing for the history behind it and it's worth owning for the Bruce Lee fans who know what it paved the way for.
Other than being bloody, the film is very unrealistic. It seems like anyone can jump ten feet into the air at will at any given point in time, a man leaves his outline in the wall after getting kicked through it by Bruce Lee, and Lee kills the main villain of the film by sticking his fingertips (all of them) into the villain's abdomen. That's just scratching the surface of the film's ridiculousness. Characters are very cliche, as well. The Chow Mei character is a typical damsel in distress kind of female character that is generally weak, has a crush on the main character of the film, and cries...AT EVERYTHING.
The Big Boss is definitely more cartoonish than any other Bruce Lee film. With all that being said, there's something still enjoyable about it. Maybe it's the fact that it jumpstarted Bruce Lee's career as a movie star or that films that contain over the top violence that don't take themselves too seriously are generally pretty awesome. It's a film worth seeing for the history behind it and it's worth owning for the Bruce Lee fans who know what it paved the way for.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Back-up Plan (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Ah, the story of Mr. Right appearing just in the nick of time, well almost. Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has spent her life looking for the perfect guy but he has never shown up. Now she wants a baby and decides to become pregnant on her own through artificial insemination. It would just figure that right after deciding to use her backup plan a new man enters the picture forcing her life to adjust once again.
The film stars and generally centers around Lopez as the wacky yet likeable Zoe, a character who is not unlike those we have seen in J.Lo’s past. Her co-star, Alex O’Loughlin plays the male lead of Stan, a handsome cheese-maker. Other notable cast members include Micheala Watkins, as the jaded New York mother, Mona, and Melissa McCarthy as Carol the leader of a group of proud single mothers.
The most amusing scenes in “The Back-Up Plan” occurs during moments of the true-to-life internal dialogue by the problem riddled Zoe. Unfortunately the remaining seventy percent of the film is spent bouncing awkwardly between the less than steamy romance and the failed attempts at comedy.
There are a couple of good scenes but are they reason enough to endure the rest of the film? Not unless you have a deep desire to see farmers’ markets in New York and a poorly acted cameo by the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. Still, fans of Lopez’s quirky romantic comedy style will enjoy her, just not as much as her previous roles because of the gnawingly awkward plot that defines this movie.
Too goofy to be romantic and too sappy to be funny, “The Back-Up Plan” continually fails to reach either goal accurately. It almost goes without saying that this film is, excuse the pun, simply too much of a stretch.
The film stars and generally centers around Lopez as the wacky yet likeable Zoe, a character who is not unlike those we have seen in J.Lo’s past. Her co-star, Alex O’Loughlin plays the male lead of Stan, a handsome cheese-maker. Other notable cast members include Micheala Watkins, as the jaded New York mother, Mona, and Melissa McCarthy as Carol the leader of a group of proud single mothers.
The most amusing scenes in “The Back-Up Plan” occurs during moments of the true-to-life internal dialogue by the problem riddled Zoe. Unfortunately the remaining seventy percent of the film is spent bouncing awkwardly between the less than steamy romance and the failed attempts at comedy.
There are a couple of good scenes but are they reason enough to endure the rest of the film? Not unless you have a deep desire to see farmers’ markets in New York and a poorly acted cameo by the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. Still, fans of Lopez’s quirky romantic comedy style will enjoy her, just not as much as her previous roles because of the gnawingly awkward plot that defines this movie.
Too goofy to be romantic and too sappy to be funny, “The Back-Up Plan” continually fails to reach either goal accurately. It almost goes without saying that this film is, excuse the pun, simply too much of a stretch.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Dragged Across Concrete (2019) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
This is a film that I have been interested in seeing for the past few months solely due to the fact that it stars Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn, but its run time of over 2 and a half hours has deterred me time and again.
Unfortunately, the film is terrible and takes too much time to even get to its point and then dragged things along (across concrete???) to torture us even more.
The story is overly long and has too many plot holes that it looks like a sieve.
It moves along painfully at a really slow pace and is a real chore to get through.
Both Vaughn and Gibson gives less than spectacular performances here which is a shame since they both have it in them to give us great performances.
The story is filled with lots of holes that make it all seem very chaotic and unorganized because it moves from extreme to extreme without real continuity along the way.
The dialogue is atrocious and makes the viewer laugh because it makes so little sense and is quite often extremely silly.
Bottom Line – Terrible film that drags on for much too long and actually makes the viewer feel as if they are truly being dragged across concrete the entire time. Vaughn and Gibson both give very lackluster performances here and this feels more like a grab for a quick salary than a way to tell an engaging and interesting story. The story is filled with far too many plot holes that make this thing feel like it is riddled with holes just like Swiss cheese. The dialogue is quite humorous because it comes across as being too silly the whole time and makes so little sense along the way.
Unfortunately, the film is terrible and takes too much time to even get to its point and then dragged things along (across concrete???) to torture us even more.
The story is overly long and has too many plot holes that it looks like a sieve.
It moves along painfully at a really slow pace and is a real chore to get through.
Both Vaughn and Gibson gives less than spectacular performances here which is a shame since they both have it in them to give us great performances.
The story is filled with lots of holes that make it all seem very chaotic and unorganized because it moves from extreme to extreme without real continuity along the way.
The dialogue is atrocious and makes the viewer laugh because it makes so little sense and is quite often extremely silly.
Bottom Line – Terrible film that drags on for much too long and actually makes the viewer feel as if they are truly being dragged across concrete the entire time. Vaughn and Gibson both give very lackluster performances here and this feels more like a grab for a quick salary than a way to tell an engaging and interesting story. The story is filled with far too many plot holes that make this thing feel like it is riddled with holes just like Swiss cheese. The dialogue is quite humorous because it comes across as being too silly the whole time and makes so little sense along the way.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated A Dog's Way Home (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
There's a Dog...She's Finding Her Way Home
Just like the title indicates, a dog tries to find her way home after being separated 400 miles apart.
Acting: 4
Beginning: 8
I wasn’t completely sold after watching the beginning of A Dog’s Way Home, but it was at least a solid enough ten minutes to keep me interested. You quickly learn what’s happening, who to hate, and who to root for. It also tries to set expectations for just how cheesy and kiddy it’s going to be.
Characters: 3
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 7
The pup star of the show Bella does go on quite a bit of an adventure that produces some interesting bouts of conflict. Bella is on her own and has to do what she needs to do to survive, including finding food and staying warm. Even when she does manage to get to a safe place, there’s always the question of how she’s going to get back to her owner. Some of the occurrences are a little on the farfetched side, but I’ve seen worse.
Entertainment Value: 5
Memorability: 4
Pace: 10
Plot: 5
Resolution: 9
Even if you don’t like the movie as a whole, you can’t help but appreciate the ending. It’s full of cheese and sap, but I can be a sucker for those things even when I see them coming a mile away. I mean, come on, you really think a movie that’s titled A Dog’s Way Home won’t see the dog actually make it home? Sorry, SPOILER ALERT!
Overall: 65
My biggest issue with this movie is the gimmicky voiceover for Bella. It’s been done so many times before and it’s totally distracting and unnecessary. You take out the voiceover and the movie at least becomes bearable. As it stands, I can’t recommend it.
Acting: 4
Beginning: 8
I wasn’t completely sold after watching the beginning of A Dog’s Way Home, but it was at least a solid enough ten minutes to keep me interested. You quickly learn what’s happening, who to hate, and who to root for. It also tries to set expectations for just how cheesy and kiddy it’s going to be.
Characters: 3
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 7
The pup star of the show Bella does go on quite a bit of an adventure that produces some interesting bouts of conflict. Bella is on her own and has to do what she needs to do to survive, including finding food and staying warm. Even when she does manage to get to a safe place, there’s always the question of how she’s going to get back to her owner. Some of the occurrences are a little on the farfetched side, but I’ve seen worse.
Entertainment Value: 5
Memorability: 4
Pace: 10
Plot: 5
Resolution: 9
Even if you don’t like the movie as a whole, you can’t help but appreciate the ending. It’s full of cheese and sap, but I can be a sucker for those things even when I see them coming a mile away. I mean, come on, you really think a movie that’s titled A Dog’s Way Home won’t see the dog actually make it home? Sorry, SPOILER ALERT!
Overall: 65
My biggest issue with this movie is the gimmicky voiceover for Bella. It’s been done so many times before and it’s totally distracting and unnecessary. You take out the voiceover and the movie at least becomes bearable. As it stands, I can’t recommend it.
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