Kevin Murphy recommended Miami Connection (2012) in Movies (curated)
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been travelling the universe in search of… stuff… (I neither remember nor care)… but returns to his home planet of Asgard with a dire warning of impending ‘Raganrok’: this being the ‘End of Days’ for Asgard. But he finds the court engaged in serious leisure time!
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“Shave and a hair cut… two stripes”
Things go from bad to worse when Hela (Cate Blanchett, “Carol“) – someone with more than a passing relationship to Thor – arrives with a mission to assume the throne. Teamed uncomfortably with half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, “High Rise”), the brothers get cast millions of light years away to a planet lorded over by a ‘grand master’ (a lovely performance, that I will leave anonymous here) who pits new gladiators in an arena against his latest champion. You’ll never guess who his champion is? Well, OK (cos the trailer gives it away)… he’s big and green!
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The grand master’s champion. Opponents are green with envy.
The film’s script is hilarious. It generates an enormous volume of entertainment with laugh-out loud moments throughout; the unforseen involvement of other Marvel characters; some startling cameos all mixed with the usual brand of spectacular fights and action. Some of the action is surprising: a real eye-opener you might say.
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Tessa Thompson as the Valkyrie in full flight.
The lead cast (Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Blanchett and Ruffalo) all perform admirably and are joined by heavyweight cameos from Anthony Hopkins (“Westworld”) and Idris Elba (“Bastille Day“) reprising their roles from “Thor: The Dark World”. Particularly impressive is Tessa Thompson (“Creed“) as Thor’s Valkyrie warrior side-kick and Karl Urban (“Star Trek: Into Darkness“) as the turn-coat Asgardian Skurge.
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The real McCoy. Karl Urban as the Skurge of Asgard.
Directed by young New Zealander Taika Waititi (behind last year’s successful indie hit “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) it’s a breath of fresh air for the Thor franchise, more similar to the style of “Guardians of the Galaxy” rather than the previous films in the series. Waititi also saves all the best comedy lines for himself as the ‘rock warrior’ character Korg: his New Zealand twang delivering just side-splitting dialogue.
Hela (Cate Blanchett)
Hela may be a super-villain, but she still hasn’t learned to hold a hammer by the right end.
As with most Marvel films, its a little bit flabby in places, running to 130 minutes: some of the dialogue, particularly scenes between Hemsworth and Ruffalo, feel like they needed tightening up in the editing suite. This time of course includes the scrolling of endless teams of visual effect artists in the closing titles which – naturally – 90% of the audience stay for to see if there are any “monkeys“. In fact,there are two: one fairly early on; the other right at the end. (To be honest, I thought neither of them was particularly worth waiting for).
However overall the movie is highly recommended for a fun night out at the cinema.
Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago
Book
Some 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history. Around...
Book Divas (227 KP) rated Minutes Before Sunset (Timely Death, #1) in Books
Dec 12, 2017
When I read the synopsis I knew I just had to read it. This book contains magic, romance and drama and it is about light versus dark {good versus evil} and though at times I found myself enjoying it, I found myself to be somewhat disappointed as well. Jessica is trying to locate/discover more information about her biological parents but by the end of the book we still don't really know anything. Now this could be what the author intended so I do plan on reading the next book. My other issue was that I found the characters to be good, the world building seemed somewhat lacking. I am giving this book three stars and I'm hoping that there will be more explanations in the second book.
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1)
8.8
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It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street...
The House on Seaview Road
Book
The House on Seaview Road is a story about first love, growing up and about the enduring bonds of...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Siren's Surrender (Dark Tides #2) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
Kindle
Siren’s Surrender ( Dark Tides book 2)
By Devyn Quinn
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Never embracing her mermaid heritage, Gwen Lonike lives in the human world as the owner of a Maine B&B. But when the gateway to a lost mermaid kingdom is opened, freeing its dangerous queen, Gwen can no longer hide, nor keep her secret from covert agent Blake Whittaker, who's assigned to trail a strange thread of paranormal activity.
How long can Gwen and her sisters remain safe from a destructive queen, and from Blake's superiors, whose ultimate mission could prove the greatest threat of all?
This is the second in the series and I did enjoy it but not as much as the first! The end felt a bit rushed and the stay in federal custody seemed to go on about things we really didn’t care about! But we got to see Gwen find her love! An enjoyable series!
Local Gone Missing
8.0
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Everyone watches their neighbours. Elise King moves into the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing....
A Tale of Three Cities: The Life and Times of Lord Daer, 1763-1794
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Basil William Douglas, Lord Daer, was a remarkable man who left an indelible impression on those who...
The Virtues of Freedom: Selected Essays on Kant
Book
The essays collected in this volume by Paul Guyer, one of the world's foremost Kant scholars,...