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    Lorrie Moore

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    Shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award In these eight masterful...

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Good cast (1 more)
Some funny scenes
A quite stylish Action thriller that tries a bit too hard to be an over the top comic book violent film. Plenty of ideas taken from other films to create a world for assassin's. Not a lot of depth to the story before the next set piece scene. Definitely not one trying to be taken seriously and entertaining for a watch at least once.
  
TS
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If you're looking for a light, fluffy, nerdy contemporary romance then this is the book for you. It's the perfect book if you have a book hangover or just to get your mind off of things.

After being embarrassed in the 6th grade, our main character decides to hide the fact that she likes comic books. Instead, she puts her effort into becoming popular and a cheerleader. Although she still reads comics, she buys them digitally and only reads them in the secrecy of her room so that no one will catch her. That all changes one day when the final issue of one of her favourite comics is printed... only in paper and her issue is back-ordered for weeks. Maddie must go to the local comic store to buy the issue in person and risk being seen by someone she knows.

This book follows Maddie on her journey of acceptance, being true to who she is, and learning how to treat others. I personally related to Logan, the boy who works in the comic book shop, a lot more than I did to Maddie. As a proud nerd, I don't have a problem telling people that I like video games, comic books, roleplays, cons, sci-fi, etc. If your friends don't accept you for who you truly are, then they aren't your true friends. At times, the way that Maddie treated the people in her life was pretty bad and she tended to be incredibly selfish so I couldn't connect to her as much, but I could completely see how others might if they've faced the same fear of being open about a certain aspect of themselves.

Overall, this cute, fluffy book was the perfect read between my two series binges. I consider contemporaries to be great palate cleansers that help you easily transition between a world-building heavy high-fantasy and your next read, get over a book hangover, or just refresh your reading if you're in a book slump.
  
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love
8
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love is a fandom-lovers dream, minus the unrequited love. The story takes place predominantly at New York Comic Con, the second largest convention of pop culture fanatics (myself included) in the United States. You can tell that the author is either very familiar with the area from personal experience, or questioned a con-goer to get every detail. She mentions things like the cell service being spotty in the Artist’s Alley (it is) and the atmosphere you experience on the way to the Con. It’s so fascinating to be walking the streets for a while when suddenly you notice a Spider-Man strolling out of a bakery, not too long after a group of wizards turn the corner and before you know it you’re surrounded by a horde of enthusiastic, frequently costumed, nerds, geeks and fans of all ages outside the Javitt’s Center, where NYCC is held.

The atmosphere was authentic and made me feel like I was attending the Con as well, although that may be in part because I’ve attended NYCC before I do believe that any reader will feel just as immersed. The world was the most enjoyable part of the book, as the characters were not as developed as they could have been. There were moments of clarity where you saw more into their motivations, but overall they weren’t memorable characters. That’s not to say there was anything wrong with them, they just didn’t affect me as a reader.

It was an easy, enjoyable contemporary read that I think is perfect for young adult/teen readers who are fans of something and enjoy books that they can relate to on that level. You don’t have to be a comic book or superhero fan to enjoy Comic Con, it is a refuge and a consolidation of all fandoms. If you love something, you will find something you can relate to at Comic Con and in this book.
  
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2011 | Action, Adventure
Captain America: The First Avenger is a return to form for the Marvel comic-book film universe, and a solid final lead-up to the multi-hero film The Avengers, coming next year.

Chris Evans does a fantastic job of introducing us to the wiry little guy with guts who eventually becomes Captain America. Such unashamed, honest virtue is different from the typical superhero movie we’ve come to see over the last few years, and for good reason: internal conflicts often make for dramatic films. However, I don’t think such unwavering idealism would have worked with any other comic-book character than Captain America. Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones add heart to the movie, but the soul of this movie really is the Captain. Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull plays a satisfying villain here, but his motives aren’t clarified enough to warrant his fervor for evil. Hayley Atwell, playing love interest and British agent Peggy Carter does a more convincing job in her role than Hugo Weaving does in his.

The plot of the film was pretty standard fare. Hero battles villain. The ending was more climactic and earnest than I had expected walking into the theater, and it gracefully sets up the Avengers movie. Like many of the other Marvel movies of recent note, there is a decent amount of self-deprecating comic book humor that helps break up the slower parts between action scenes.

The effects of the film were solid. They were pulpy enough to feel like a Marvel universe, rather than our own, but they still carried the action to an exciting level. The art department and cinematographer did a good job recreating the 40’s asthetic throughout the film, though there was enough exotic comic book elements to bring you back into a world where superheroes really do exist.

Despite its own flaws, this is one of the better Marvel films to come out since Iron Man, and count me in to watch The Avengers next year.
  
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Logan Eccles (135 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies

Oct 1, 2020 (Updated Oct 2, 2020)  
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
For TRUE Hellboy fans
Ok, I know I didn't give this a super high rating but I did rate it higher than IMDBs' 5.2. Now being a fan of "Stranger Things" I was super excited when David Harbour(Hopper) was cast as Hellboy. And boy did he nail it! All the cast and crew nailed it. You could tell what they were going for as soon as the movie started.

Before I go on with my Review fans of the Ron Pearlman Hellboy who are expecting this one to be the same especially after the first official trailer came out and it did just look like the same movie. It is not. I repeat IT IS NOT. Director Neil Marshall and screenplay writer Andrew Cosby made a movie more based on Mike Mignolas' comic. I know, I know, some of you are reading this going "so did Guillermo idiot!" And yes you are right but this film is Centered around the work from start to finish. I felt like I was watching a comic. As soon as it starts black and Wight with only red popping out it gives that Hellboy comic tone. Even the makeup and structure of Hellboy in this film look more like the comic.

Though the story is somewhat similar to the original movie it is just enough different to set it apart. The ensemble of characters does a good job of that. The set up of the new characters is great and they feel like they belong as opposed to just being replacements like I thought theywould be. Sasha Lanes' Alice and Daniel Dae Kims' Major Ben Daimio are great and different. When they finally come together as a full-fledged team, in the end, I was ready for more. As unlikely as that is I hope they do get a sequel because it showed potential for one and it was really fun. However, I am sorta glad I didn't see it in theaters I feel like its a better-enjoyed movie for home.
  
Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero
Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero
Grant Morrison | 2012 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great history of the comic book superhero (1 more)
Interesting insights and analysis
Magical self autobiographical history of the superhero.
If you're a fan of Grant Morrison'writing or just interested in the history of superheroes then this is a fascinating read. Be warned it gets into some pretty weird territory in terms of the autobiographical side of things, delving into the world of psychedelic chaos magic - take it with a pinch of salt if you will, or dismiss it as the writings of a deranged mad man, but you can't dismiss Morrison's influence on the comic book scene (he's definitely one of the triumvirate of superstars, along side Alan Moore and Neil Gaimen, whose work deserves much more credit than he gets in the mainstream imo) - it's really interesting to know the headspace he was in when coming up with a lot of his ground breaking ideas. Interesting for anyone interested in the creative process.