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They Wish They Were Us
They Wish They Were Us
Jessica Goodman | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
They Wish They Were Us is about Jill Newman and her senior year at Gold Coast Prep. Though everything looks perfect, it's far from it. Three years ago, Jill's best friend Shaila Arnold was murdered. Her boyfriend Graham confessed, the police arrested him, cased closed. Now, Jill is a senior member of the Players (a Gold Coast Prep exclusive, not-so-secret society) and she's ready to make a change. One night, she gets a text claiming Graham's innocence and her year begins to crumble. She needs to find out what really happened to her best friend, no matter the cost.

I enjoyed this book, but I think I enjoyed it most because of the character of Jill Newman. She's a badass, independent female character who knows what she wants. Her friends though, I absolutely hated them at the beginning - spoiled little rich kids who thinks the world owes them everything. But throughout the book, Jessica Goodman was able to drop hints here and there about why they are the way they are, and it made me hate them less. By the end of the book, I actually started rooting for them.

Towards the end of the book, I had a thought as to what the twist was, but still didn't know who the killer was, not until it was basically revealed. Goodman did an excellent job at keeping the suspense. The twist ended up being good - sometimes with murder mysteries, the killer/killing ends up being a bit out there, but this one added up.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the mystery within. It kept me turning the pages to see what the end results were.

*Thank you Bookishfirst and Razorbill for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
Re-Animator (1985)
Re-Animator (1985)
1985 | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Straight up, Re-Animator is one of my favourite horror movies of all time - there is just so much to love about this bonafide classic.

Based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, the plot revolves around trainee doctor Dan Cain, who's world is turned upside down when he crosses paths with Herbert West, a fellow trainee who has developed a serum that has the ability to reverse brain death. With some serious trial and error, it's not long before all hell breaks loose, and Dan is roped into Herbert's crazy schemes.

This film is a shining example of schlocky 80s horror done right and ticks all the right boxes. The dialogue may come across a bit B-Movie-ish at times, but that's hardly a problem with the strong cast involved.
Jeffrey Combs dominates every second he's on screen as Herbert West, giving us a truly iconic Mad Scientist of cinema. Same goes for David Gale as primary antagonist Dr. Carl Hill. God, I hate that character - a trait that makes him an excellent horror villain.
Bruce Abbot plays Dan, and his performance has you on his side for the whole runtime, even when he's reluctantly helping West in his unethical experiments. This was also a break out film for horror icon Barbara Crampton. I can't help but love her in anything she's in.
Another fantastic aspect about Re-Animator is the practical effects, which are truly incredible. It's such a visceral experience, so over the top, and just plain gross, everything you want from a gory horror flick. This all culminates in one of the most absurd final sequences in 80s horror, and that's saying something!

Re-Animator is both charming and disgusting, and manages to be funny as well. A true horror gem that should be seen by any fan of the genre.
  
Leave Only Footprints
Leave Only Footprints
Conor Knighton | 2020 | Natural World
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Left Me with Mixed Reactions
When Conor Knighton’s fiancée left him, he wasn’t sure quite what to do until he saw a promotion talking about the National Park’s 100th anniversary. Soon, he was making plans to visit all of the official National Parks in 2016, reporting on some of them for CBS Sunday Morning. After experiencing sunrise on New Year’s Day in Acadia, he crisscrossed the country numerous times in his quest to experience all of them.

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. I’ve long wanted to visit all of the parks myself, not that I’ve done much more than think about it. When this book focuses on the parks and some of their history, it is fascinating. The writing is excellent, and it is easy to feel you are right next to him as he experiences the parks. However, at times he gets distracted trying to push an agenda on us, and when that happens, the parks get shafted. A few of the parks he barely describes, focusing instead on the bad he feels needs to be fixed or pointing out the bad in the past that has been fixed. Even when I agreed with his point, I found this frustrating because it’s not what I wanted to read about when I picked up the book. He definitely made me want to visit several of the parks as soon as I can. His brief stories about his life and his stories about the people he met along the way were fun and fascinating. There are two inserts of pictures from his journey; I would have loved more, but I enjoyed what we got. I wish the book had focused more on the parks themselves. Then it would have been fantastic.
  
40x40

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the PlayStation version of Twisted Metal in Video Games

May 7, 2020 (Updated May 7, 2020)  
Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal
1995 | Action, Racing
Classic: Let The Cars Hit The Floor
Twisted Metal- i remember playing this game when i was like 7 on the playstation with my brother. I would play as Mr. Grimm, Axel and Sweet Tooth. My three favorite charcters.

Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat video game developed by SingleTrac, produced by Sony Interactive Studios America (now 989 Studios) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation.

Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat game in which the player takes control of one of twelve unique vehicles. While in control of a vehicle, the player can accelerate, steer, brake, reverse, activate the turbo, turn tightly, toggle between and activate weapons using the game controller's d-pad and buttons.

The game takes place in the streets of Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, 2005. The contest featured in the game is the tenth annual running of the competition thus far.

The game's plot is centered on the titular competition in which various drivers in modified vehicles must destroy the other vehicles in an attempt to be the last one alive. The winner meets the organizer of the competition, a mysterious man named Calypso, who will grant the winner a single wish, regardless of price, size or even reality.

The Story: Once a year the legendary Calypso, a man who dwells beneath the streets of Los Angeles, holds the "Twisted Metal" competition. The contest takes place all around the Los Angeles area and calls upon drivers in various different vehicles to battle to the death. The contestants are selected and contacted by Calypso via an e-mail message that simply reads "WILL YOU DRIVE?" in red letters. The one driver still alive at the end of the night is granted a single wish, with no limits on price, size or, according to some, even reality.

Its a excellent game and a classic.
  
    Lep's World Z

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