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Awix (3310 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies

Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)  
Bright (2017)
Bright (2017)
2017 | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
6
7.2 (140 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Orcz in da Hood
Fantasy-cop movie mash-up which probably sounded cool at the pitch meeting but doesn't really work as a full movie. Will Smith plays a careworn LA street cop saddled with an Orc (Joel Edgerton) as his partner, as this is a world where humans and fantasy creatures co-exist. The two of them end up contending with the anti-Orc racism of the LAPD and a cult of evil Elves seeking to use a magic wand to bring about the end of the world (Noomi Rapace and her cheekbones are well-cast as the baddie).

David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.

Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
  
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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power in Books

Feb 23, 2021  
The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power
The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power
Roger Duncan | 2020
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Do you LOVE learning about the world around you? Well, then I have the book for you. The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power by Roger Duncan and Michael E. Webber was so interesting to read. I enjoyed the chapter layouts and how each subject flowed neatly into the next; plus, I liked how at the end of each chapter they did a little summary. Roger Duncan and Michael E. Webber’s explanation of things like the future of AI and graphene (a new building material) were some of my favorites to learn about; although there were many more I enjoyed reading about as well
  
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Amy Christmas (170 KP) rated Northern Lights in Books

Jan 14, 2019  
Northern Lights
Northern Lights
Philip Pullman | 2015 | Children
9
7.8 (14 Ratings)
Book Rating
A child's perspective written well (1 more)
Imaginative but believable world
Lyra's character sometimes irked me (0 more)
Absolutely loved it!
I loved this book, I have been meaning to read it for years and have finally gotten around to embracing all those childhood favourites.
We follow Lyra a girl from Oxford who is looked after by the scholars of Jordan college. We are introduced to her deamon 'Pan' (for short because I couldn't for the life of me work out how to say his name) and the workings of this world, of this child's world. Before being thrown as Lyra is into the politics and shenanigans of adults.
Lyra's character is a complex one she is a feisty intelligent girl but at times the way she behaved and is described to talk is unrealistic for a child her age, however these small things can be overlooked.
As I had only ever seen the movie before, which pales in comparison, I was shocked by the twist at the end of the book concerning Ms Coulter and Lord Asriel, and made me feel as if my journeying with Lyra through the north, meeting Iorek and the witches and the Gyptians had all been worth it and there was another adventure ahead, as it is not over at the end of this book rather it tells you loud and clear that you've barely begun... and I love it.
  
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Liz Phair recommended The Catcher in the Rye in Books (curated)

 
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger | 2016 | Essays
6.8 (85 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Probably my favorite book of all time because of the truthful, raw language—it sounds so modern. To think that it was written almost seventy-five years ago at the end of World War II seems both astounding and inevitable. Plain, honest communication and wild, spontaneous beauty were all that was left after they’d cleared away the rubble. Enter Holden Caulfield, an off-kilter personality balancing an unlikely mix of cruelty, kindness, truth, acceptance and rebellion in one rather average noggin. Holden represents a new type of heartthrob, presaging the bored, hyper-vigilant James Dean types of later cinema—the romantic nihilists, capable of loving fiercely in the moment but standing equally aloof from and critiquing their own emotions. The dawning of the age of emo."

Source
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2109 KP) rated Secret Origins (Story Thieves #3) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
SO
Secret Origins (Story Thieves #3)
James Riley | 2017
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s been two months since Bethany last jumped into a book, and she’s started to notice a man sitting in a car across the street. Owen thinks Bethany is overreacting to things, but as the friends follow him to his house, they make a startling discovery. Have they stumbled upon Bethany’s fictional father?

This book overs things to the comic book world, and I found this setting to be lots of fun. The plot twists out in some surprising and fun directions, and the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter kept me turning pages. The characters are strong as well, and we meet some great new ones along the way. Just watch out for the cliffhanger at the end of the book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-secret-origins-by-james.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.