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David McK (3496 KP) rated Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Following the now-infamous Disney acquisition of Star Wars (which saw the abolition of the old Expanded Universe), I'm actually no-longer sure where this sits in the hierarchy of canon: is this 'Legends' (i.e pre acquisition) material, or is it stil canon?
This is set between the events of 'Attack of the Clones' and 'Revenge of the Sith' - actually leading directly into that movie, with Anakin and Obi-Wan jetting off back to Coruscant - and, in many ways, seeks to bolster the reputation of one of the missed opportunities from that movie: that of General Grievious (not his face on the cover ...).
I'm also not sure where it sits alongside the Genndy Tartakovsy animation which also seeked to do exactly that, though the latter portion of the novel does seem to describesome of the actions shown in that animation (the surprise attack on Coruscant, and the capturing of Senator Palpatine) in prose form.
This is also the first of the so-called 'Dark Lord' trilogy (comprising of this, [b:Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith|35458|Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith|Matthew Woodring Stover|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388228249s/35458.jpg|476816] and [b:The Rise of Darth Vader|359848|The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars The Dark Lord Trilogy, #3)|James Luceno|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388209667s/359848.jpg|574260]); while I have previously read - and enjoyed - the middle of those three, I now feel like reading the series in its entirity, from start to finish.
This is set between the events of 'Attack of the Clones' and 'Revenge of the Sith' - actually leading directly into that movie, with Anakin and Obi-Wan jetting off back to Coruscant - and, in many ways, seeks to bolster the reputation of one of the missed opportunities from that movie: that of General Grievious (not his face on the cover ...).
I'm also not sure where it sits alongside the Genndy Tartakovsy animation which also seeked to do exactly that, though the latter portion of the novel does seem to describesome of the actions shown in that animation (the surprise attack on Coruscant, and the capturing of Senator Palpatine) in prose form.
This is also the first of the so-called 'Dark Lord' trilogy (comprising of this, [b:Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith|35458|Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith|Matthew Woodring Stover|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388228249s/35458.jpg|476816] and [b:The Rise of Darth Vader|359848|The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars The Dark Lord Trilogy, #3)|James Luceno|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388209667s/359848.jpg|574260]); while I have previously read - and enjoyed - the middle of those three, I now feel like reading the series in its entirity, from start to finish.
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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Jul 19, 2019
I'm going to piss people off with this one! (Nothing personal)
I will agree with some who have said either this film is weird, not for everyone or horror is a tough genre to get correct. I felt kind of like I was watching Drag Me To Hell or even Suspiria toward the end of this creepy thriller/horror film, but I was along for the ride.
I will say now more than ever in the world of no opening credits anymore Marvel/Disney CGI Conjuring/Insidious universe modern horror movie crap, this film is a standout above most of those for sure. I am not sure why people can't let a story unfold and be in the mood for a gradual buildup of tension rather than stupid jump scare movies or some random computer-generated pukefest.
If you don't like slow build movies (which they don't make much anymore because of modern moviegoer attention spans) then make sure you don't watch Jaws, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, E.T. or even The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby because you will be thoroughly bored.
I'm certainly not saying Hereditary is the best of its genre, but it is certainly unconventional and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. Toni Collette is really good playing a nutty mother whose family is continually torn apart and I feel the screenplay has enough interesting elements to make this a thoroughly entertaining film.
So there! I still love you all. :)
I will say now more than ever in the world of no opening credits anymore Marvel/Disney CGI Conjuring/Insidious universe modern horror movie crap, this film is a standout above most of those for sure. I am not sure why people can't let a story unfold and be in the mood for a gradual buildup of tension rather than stupid jump scare movies or some random computer-generated pukefest.
If you don't like slow build movies (which they don't make much anymore because of modern moviegoer attention spans) then make sure you don't watch Jaws, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, E.T. or even The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby because you will be thoroughly bored.
I'm certainly not saying Hereditary is the best of its genre, but it is certainly unconventional and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. Toni Collette is really good playing a nutty mother whose family is continually torn apart and I feel the screenplay has enough interesting elements to make this a thoroughly entertaining film.
So there! I still love you all. :)
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Pinocchio (1940) in Movies
Dec 5, 2019
An Actor's Life For Me
Pinocchio- was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the first animated success Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
The Plot- When the woodworker Geppetto (Christian Rub) sees a falling star, he wishes that the puppet he just finished, Pinocchio (Dickie Jones), could become a real boy. In the night, the Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) grants Geppetto's wish and asks Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) to serve as the wooden boy's conscience. But the naive and trusting Pinocchio falls into the clutches of the wicked Honest John (Walter Catlett), who leads him astray to the sinful Pleasure Island.
Critical analysis of Pinocchio identifies it as a simple morality tale that teaches children of the benefits of hard work and conventional values. Although it became the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award – winning two for Best Music, Original Score and for Best Music, Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star" – it was initially a box office disaster, due to World War II. It eventually made a profit in its 1945 reissue, and is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, with a 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes.
All the songs are great and fanstastic, classics and you remember till this day. When You Wish Upon a Star, Little Wooden Head, Give A Little Whistle, Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee and I've Got No Strings. All classics and all excellent.
A must watch film.
The Plot- When the woodworker Geppetto (Christian Rub) sees a falling star, he wishes that the puppet he just finished, Pinocchio (Dickie Jones), could become a real boy. In the night, the Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) grants Geppetto's wish and asks Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) to serve as the wooden boy's conscience. But the naive and trusting Pinocchio falls into the clutches of the wicked Honest John (Walter Catlett), who leads him astray to the sinful Pleasure Island.
Critical analysis of Pinocchio identifies it as a simple morality tale that teaches children of the benefits of hard work and conventional values. Although it became the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award – winning two for Best Music, Original Score and for Best Music, Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star" – it was initially a box office disaster, due to World War II. It eventually made a profit in its 1945 reissue, and is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, with a 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes.
All the songs are great and fanstastic, classics and you remember till this day. When You Wish Upon a Star, Little Wooden Head, Give A Little Whistle, Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee and I've Got No Strings. All classics and all excellent.
A must watch film.
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Inverting the Paradox of Excellence: How Companies Use Variations for Business Excellence and How Enterprise Variations are Enabled by SAP
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Over time, overemphasis and adherence to the same proven routines that helped your organization...
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Lost Files: The Hidden Enemy
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I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Hidden Enemy is a collection of three action-packed novellas by...
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Gaz Coombes recommended track Cristo Redentor by Donald Byrd in A New Perspective by Donald Byrd in Music (curated)
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Neil Hannon recommended The Rite Of Spring by Igor Stravinsky in Music (curated)
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Alice in Wonderland (2010) in Movies
Dec 3, 2020 (Updated Dec 3, 2020)
A greasy, molten CGI fever dream that bounces from random bullshit to random bullshit with the appeal of rabies mouth foam - I actually sort of dig it? Ten and a half years ago this was read as possibly one of the worst offenses to the Disney brand at the time; but now in lieu of the ever-growing gallery of visually sterile, grossly overbloated, laborious live action remakes we have now from the company the fact that this has any idiosyncrasy at all - insane as it is - makes this automatically better by comparison and you can't convince me otherwise. For better and for worse there's a reason people remember "Tim Burton's 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥" and not "Guy Ritchie's 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯", for instance. Not to say this is that good, it still sucks a shit ton where it counts - has most of the usual collection of issues these have including but not limited to trying to turn this purposefully senseless source material into another bland "find your destiny" snore and maybe the most nothing lead character to ever exist (doesn't help that Wasikowska dons one expression the entire movie). But it's also 100% cockamamie self-assured auteur work that occasionally finds home to some striking imagery like tiny Alice crossing the water over bloated decapitated heads or the gorgeous final battle on a chess board-esque field. As you've heard, angry bobblehead Helena Bonham Carter steals the show. I like this a lot more than its detractors but hate it a lot more than its supporters.
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Hades Miller (2 KP) rated Mulan (2020) in Movies
Dec 13, 2020
Acting (1 more)
Fight scenes
Plot (1 more)
Liu Yifei
More like...Meh-lan
I have to admit, I am one of those people who doesn't really get why they are remaking animated Disney movies and not just...animating them again. Live action is fine, but animation, especially American animation, is just much more expressive. Mulan falls victim to this problem. If they didn't try to follow the original somewhat, it wouldn't be true to the source material & if they didn't try something new, it would just be a rehash. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed quite a bit of this movie, but the finished product didn't really feel like it had a purpose.
My biggest issue is that every new idea they added never felt like it went anywhere. "Here's another woman who is a powerful fighter like Mulan...oh wait she let's gone." "Mulan has a sister! She adds nothing to the plot." Nothing new is ever followed through in an interesting way and just seems half-heartedly thrown in. This basically just leaves the rehashed parts of Mulan which, outside of more serious fight scenes...isn't all that interesting
Is it worth watching once? Sure. Is it something worth watching over and over again like the original Mulan, or heck, even the straight to DVD sequel? Well, that's obviously up to you, but I likely won't be watching this again anytime soon.
Also, replacing hard-work, dedication, and a good old fashioned dose of pig-headedness with chi is a lazy way to try and separate a remake from it's source.
My biggest issue is that every new idea they added never felt like it went anywhere. "Here's another woman who is a powerful fighter like Mulan...oh wait she let's gone." "Mulan has a sister! She adds nothing to the plot." Nothing new is ever followed through in an interesting way and just seems half-heartedly thrown in. This basically just leaves the rehashed parts of Mulan which, outside of more serious fight scenes...isn't all that interesting
Is it worth watching once? Sure. Is it something worth watching over and over again like the original Mulan, or heck, even the straight to DVD sequel? Well, that's obviously up to you, but I likely won't be watching this again anytime soon.
Also, replacing hard-work, dedication, and a good old fashioned dose of pig-headedness with chi is a lazy way to try and separate a remake from it's source.
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Mouse
Book
Despite its minuscule size, the mouse has a large presence in earth's animal kingdom and the human...