Search

Search only in certain items:

Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
A Fun Musical About What Matters Most In Life
When the lights go out all over the world struggling singer-songwriter, Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), is blindsided by a double decker bus. The bus knocks him off his bike and sends him flying across the pavement where he lands unconscious. When he wakes up he is missing his beard and a couple of front teeth. He thinks it just been the worst end of the worst day of his life. But he couldn’t be more wrong. Earlier he had decided to give up his quest for fame and go back to being a teacher. Despite his best friend, manager, fan since grade school Ellie (Lily James) trying hard to convince him to not give up on his dreams. But days after the crash Jack is still ready to hang it up. Elle as a present for Jack leaving the hospital gives him a brand new guitar. Jack decides to play a song but a great guitar needs a great song so he plays Yesterday by The Beattles. When he is finished Elle is almost in tears, his friends Nick and Carol (Harry Michell and Sophia Di Marino) are in sock.

 They want to know where he came up with this amazing song. Jack tells them the greatest pop band in history…The Beattles. But they have no idea who that is and neither does the rest of the world. Now Jack is the only person in the world who knows the songs of one of the top selling iconic bands in history. It’s not long before the world comes to know of Jack Malik the single greatest song writer of all time. But will he be found out as a fraud, will fame and money change him and most importantly will he leave behind the people he cares for most.
This Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) director comedy is original and well written, by Jack Barth (story) and RAbbey Mordue

ichard Curtis (screenplay). The story is part romantic comedy and part fantasy film. It’s original and fun but there are times that the story is clunky and oddly put together. There are times that feel like major events are skipped over. The soundtrack is definitely filled with The Beattles with some modern music sprinkled in, including Ed Sheerran who plays himself in the film. If you are a fan of The Beattles you will definitely enjoy the film and how they wind the music into the story. The cast is fun and fit well together. Patel is both awkward and troubled and he does a well in the lead. He also does a great job singing. Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live) is great as a money hungry music executive.
I admittedly am a huge fan of The Beattles and was very excited but premise of this film. At the very least I would be able to listen to good music for two hours. But I really enjoyed the originality and visuals that were put together. The story while clunky at times was overall fun to watch. When you thought it was predictable and knew where the film was taking you the story would divert slightly and surprise you. It is a fun date movie that worth the price of a movie ticket.

4 out of 5

http://sknr.net/2019/06/27/yesterday/
  
    Sago Mini World

    Sago Mini World

    Education and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Get unlimited access to our complete collection of 20+ award-winning games! Travel with Harvey,...

Before I Let Go
Before I Let Go
Marieke Nijkamp | 2018 | Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
8
6.7 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Corey and her best friend Kyra have lived their whole lives in Lost Creek, Alaska. They have been inseparable from the start. But when Corey's mom gets a new job hundreds of miles away, Corey and Kyra will be separated. Will they both be able to survive? Even though Kyra writes to Corey, Corey is unable to write back. She can't bring herself to tell Kyra how happy she is now that she has left Lost. When Corey learns of a tragic accident that lives Kyra dead, she returns home to a place she doesn't recognize. It's no longer the place she called home. Determine to find out why Kyra didn't get the help she desperately needed. Corey has 6 days to find out what has happened to this town and her best friend in the few months she's been gone.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks-Fire for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The first book I read by Marieke Nijkamp was This Is Where It Ends about a school shooting. I really enjoyed the book and Ms. Nijkamps writing and I enjoyed this book as well. I gave the book 4 stars because there was a part of it that was a little strange to me, where the town of Lost Creek seemed like a cult.

I don't know what I would do if I moved away and a few month later found out my best friend was dead and no one who was around her could explain what happened and why. No one would allow her to live her life. Kyra was bi-polar and when she and Corey were together they talked about Kyra getting help with her manic episodes. She hated the way she felt. Corey felt bad about not keeping in touch with Kyra the way she should have. Kyra said she would wait for Corey, but what happened to her that she felt death was a better option. This book had me in tears toward the end and several times it left my heart racing.
  
Eight Hundred Grapes
Eight Hundred Grapes
Laura Dave | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I feel torn about the rating for this book, which probably truly clocks in at 3.5 stars. For a decent part of this novel, I felt slightly annoyed with its protagonist, Georgia. Georgia returns to her parents' home in disgrace a few days before her wedding, after finding out her fiance has been keeping a crazy secret from her.

Her parents' home is a vineyard in California, where Georgia grew up with her older twin brothers, Finn and Bobby. She expects to find the comfort she always experienced as a kid (but also ran away from - she's very clear that she left the vineyard for a life as a more glamorous lawyer). But upon arriving home, she finds that no one is really happy -- not her parents, not Bobby and his wife, and not Finn.Yet, she finds herself longing for life at the vineyard more and more, even as everything is falling apart around her. Hmm.

There are several plotlines in this novel that, when combined, all seem a little ludicrous. Georgia's fiance Ben's secret involves a movie star. The crazy issues between the brothers. The problems and arrangement between her parents. What happens with the vineyard. Even the ending. One or two of the storylines, perhaps, I would have found more believable. All together, it is a bit much. Add in Georgia's constant vacillating (I'm getting married! I'm not! I am!), and it gets to be a bit old.

However, I have to cut Georgia some slack, as I realize, despite the lawyerly job and upcoming wedding, she's young, and she has had quite a shock. She eventually grew on me a bit as the storyline progressed and she herself grew up a bit. And, as silly and as "neat" (as in, neatly tied up) the ending was, it warmed my heart a bit and made me end the book on a good note.

Still, I think I may pick up a Michael Jordan biography next. I'm a little tired of flighty thirty-somethings! Time for a clever, genius, and sometimes angry athlete for a change of pace.
  
40x40

Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Rumour in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
The Rumour
The Rumour
Lesley Kara | 2018 | Crime, Thriller
8
7.5 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
A great debut
What a great debut and yet another author to keep my eyes on and a British one too ?

As the blurb says, Joanna hears a rumour and ends up passing it on even though she knows it's probably not the best decision she has ever made however, she feels the need to fit in and make friends since moving to a small seaside town from London ... what harm can it do? Well as most of us know, rumours can be extremely damaging and this book is a pretty good example of that.

Well written with great characters and setting, a gripping and relevant story line written at a good pace and with excellent twists, this book is definitely one for lovers of books that draw you in, spin you around and spit you out leaving you feeling like you're on a rollercoaster but not wanting it to end and when it does, you want to go back and have another go.

I wish to express my thanks to Random House UK/Transworld Publishers for my copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review and for, once again, introducing me to another new author to follow.

Having just clicked on the publisher website, it appears Lesley Kara has a new book coming out called "Who Did You Tell?"; the blurb sounds great and I am so looking forward to reading it especially if it's as well written as "The Rumour".

Blurb taken from the publisher website:

"It’s been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around.

Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery She's going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she's wronged.

But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from. And they won't stop until she learns that some mistakes can't be corrected.

Some mistakes, you have to pay for..."

BUT it's not out until December 2019!! Guess I'll just have to wait then ?
  
40x40

Charley (64 KP) Jan 30, 2019

I saw this in Asda today for £5 and had to get it after seeing your review. Now in my pile of books to read. ?

    Simple Feast

    Simple Feast

    Food & Drink and Health & Fitness

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Cook with recipes from the world’s greatest chefs and nutritionists, and tailor them to your own...

40x40

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Ion Fury in Video Games

Aug 16, 2019  
Ion Fury
Ion Fury
2018 | Shooter
Back in the 90s before the days of High-Speed Internet, 3D Graphics Cards, and other gaming technologies that we take for granted was Duke Nukem 3D. The game was developed by Voidpoint, in association with 3D Realms and 1C Publishing on the Build Engine and became a big hit in large part to the action, character, and interactive features of the game which were fairly new at the time.

Other games such as Shadow Warrior and Blood followed which were powered by this technology but it soon became a thing of the past as games such as Quake set the new standards for graphics and online play and with the advent of 3D acceleration; pixelated graphics became a thing of the past.

What was once old is now new again as 3D Realms have returned with a new game called Ion Fury. While Duke and Shadow Warrior have spawned sequels and remakes using modern gaming features and graphics Ion Fury takes a step back by giving gamers the look, sound, and feel of a game from the 90s.

Playing as Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison; players must take on the evil Dr. Jadus Heskel and his army of Cyber-Cultists.

While the look of the game may be retro there are many features that were not possible back in the day such as auto saves, improved physics, headshots, and more; the game is a fast-paced and action-packed shooter that more than holds its own with any of the recent entries into the genre.

While I had played the preview mission about a year ago, the full game did take a bit of adjustment as some things simply do not play like a modern game would. There can be some clipping issues, and enemy A.I. can be erratic. But the awesome array of weapons from your Loverboy pistol to Shotguns, Machine Guns, Chain Guns, and Grenade Launchers are more than enough to cut enemies down to size. You will need this and more such as your Seeking Grenades and Mines as the game throws lots of enemies at you and as you progress they become more abundant, varied, and dangerous.

Ion Fury is filled with numerous secret areas and Pop Culture references from the lines your character says to all sorts of locales and situations that arise. There are also some clever call backs to earlier games as I noticed the Bloody Handprint from BLOOD, the Ying/Yang Symbol from Shadow Warrior, and Duke’s Atomic symbol at various times.
The game mixes indoor and outdoor locales well including an Academy, Subway, Mansion, and of course the secret lab filled with all sorts of evil experiments.

The game is also filled with several puzzles as well as a few very annoying times jumps that had me cursing at their difficulty on more than one occasion. There were also plenty of long levels where you had to find alternate ways into rooms to obtain Key Cards to unlock other areas and keep the action moving. There was a decent supply of health and Body Armor along the way and it never was unappreciated as enemies would either swarm or attack from hiding frequently.

As I played the game I moved past the nostalgia and became really focused on the story and the action. I was able to look past the older graphics and gameplay and remember just how fun this type of game was and how we would spend hours online playing games like this.
Sadly this is not an option in Ion Fury at the time as the game is missing a Multiplay segment. We had done an interview for the game over a year ago; and we were of the understanding that this would be a part of the final release but sadly it is not. I had hoped to relive some of classic Deathmatch games of old.

The game is affordable as it is set to sell at $19.99 and considering I have over 14 hours of gameplay to complete the game; it more than delivers and I did not even find all of the secret areas each level offers.

In the end if you are in the mood for some retro action; then Ion Fury is one that you will not want to miss.

4 stars out of 5

http://sknr.net/2019/08/14/ion-fury/
  
40x40

Sharpie0499 (114 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies

Jul 9, 2018 (Updated Jul 9, 2018)  
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Best Marvel film yet (2 more)
Thanos and Black Order were the most terrifying villains yet
Ended on cliffhanger so am excited for Part 2
Felt a bit slow in some parts (0 more)
Best Marvel Film Yet!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Overall, Infinity War was the most powerful Marvel film to date; not just because of the powerful superheroes, but because it was able to fill you with adrenaline during fight scenes, fill you with hope when seeing lovers reunited, and wrench at your heartstrings during those difficult to watch, depressing scenes all in one movie. The casting was brilliantly done: Ebony Maw had me internally reeling just at the sight of him, and don't even get me started on Thanos. When seeing Thanos in previous Marvel films, it was obvious he was a threat to humanity but I never really felt afraid of him. But in the first scene when Hulk is beating up Thanos, you think, 'Yes, Hulk! Smash!' But then Thanos decides to turn it around, causing Hulk to be so afraid of Thanos throughout the entire film that he won't let Bruce turn into him. This is because Hulk knows Thanos can beat him, possibly even kill him. When I was sitting in the cinema, watching Scarlet Witch see Thanos for the first time at the end of the film and seeing her genuine terror just at the sight of him (though she could probably sense his powers with her magic) it got me thinking of what I would do in their situation. And I know humanity would have no chance against him, even without the infinity stones, and that he would just destroy us. Anyway, on a happier note, I was thrilled to see Scarlet Witch and Vision together when they were in Scotland. But then Marvel had to go and crush our hearts by having Thanos kill Vision. What really broke my heart was how Vision told Scarlet Witch, 'I love you,' just before he died and then Scarlet Witch's face when she turned into dust or sand or whatever the hell that was. It looked like she was almost relieved to become nothing after Vision's death (I'm probably just reading into that). What also nearly killed me was Rocket's reaction to Groot turning into dust/sand; and the scene on Titan when Spiderman turns into dust/sand. Anyway, this Marvel film beats all others out of the park with the more intense fight choreography, the terrifying villains, and the superheroes banding together and joining forces to beat a common enemy. I'm excited to see a certain new superhero join the team (Captain Marvel) and am counting down the days till May 2019 so I can see the conclusion to Infinity War!