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Dead Souls: A Poem
Nikolai Gogol and Christopher English
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'Rus! Russ!...Everything within you is open, desolate, and flat; your squat towns barely protrude...
Some Small Magic
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From acclaimed author Billy Coffey comes Some Small Magic, "a story of determination and love...
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
10.0
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In Persepolis, heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the freshest and most original memoirs...
Twisted Mind
7.0
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Born at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse to the head of the CDC and the leader of the new...
Post Apocalyptic Apocalypse Dystopia Dystopian Zombies
ClareR (6256 KP) rated A Day of Fallen Night in Books
Feb 28, 2023
Phenomenal. Breath-taking. Complex, and well worth both the wait and the work - well, it’s not really work to read this. It was all pleasure.
To say this book is wide-sweeping would be an understatement. Set 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night encompasses a whole world, with different religions, traditions and cultures. The complexity of this book! And then there’s the fact that I didn’t for one moment feel confused. The style of writing in each Kingdom was so distinct, that I knew immediately where I was (no reading ahead and then back again to figure out where I was!).
Matriarchal societies, societies where homosexuality is accepted (and in fact is nothing extraordinary), dragons, magic, did I say dragons? Yes, OK, I did, but I cannot stress enough how much I loved the dragons.
There’s over 800 pages of action, fighting, adventure, romance, politics, love, betrayal, religion, dragons (have I mentioned the dragons?), magic, strong women, noble men. Ah, I could go on - I won’t.
If fantasy is your thing, you’ll love this. If you’ve read and enjoyed Priory, you’ll love this. I don’t think it matters which order you read the two books in, they’ve been written as standalones in the same world. And, if rumours are true, there will be more - AND I CAN’T WAIT!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my ebook copy. And you’d better bet your life that I’ve bought a hardback copy. I mean, look at that cover! It’s glorious - beautiful!!
To say this book is wide-sweeping would be an understatement. Set 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night encompasses a whole world, with different religions, traditions and cultures. The complexity of this book! And then there’s the fact that I didn’t for one moment feel confused. The style of writing in each Kingdom was so distinct, that I knew immediately where I was (no reading ahead and then back again to figure out where I was!).
Matriarchal societies, societies where homosexuality is accepted (and in fact is nothing extraordinary), dragons, magic, did I say dragons? Yes, OK, I did, but I cannot stress enough how much I loved the dragons.
There’s over 800 pages of action, fighting, adventure, romance, politics, love, betrayal, religion, dragons (have I mentioned the dragons?), magic, strong women, noble men. Ah, I could go on - I won’t.
If fantasy is your thing, you’ll love this. If you’ve read and enjoyed Priory, you’ll love this. I don’t think it matters which order you read the two books in, they’ve been written as standalones in the same world. And, if rumours are true, there will be more - AND I CAN’T WAIT!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my ebook copy. And you’d better bet your life that I’ve bought a hardback copy. I mean, look at that cover! It’s glorious - beautiful!!
Lee (2222 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
May 1, 2018 (Updated May 1, 2018)
A truly epic culmination of 10 years
10 years and it's all been leading to this. And so much has happened in this last decade too, both in the Marvel universe and outside of it, in every day life. I remember watching the very first Iron Man with my brother-in-law, who sadly passed away just a few years later. I remember watching many other Marvel movies with the biggest Marvel geek of them all, my youngest brother, who also tragically passed away before Age of Ultron was released. On-screen we've been gradually introduced to countless wonderful characters, each one continuing to expand and enrich the cinematic universe, and each movie touching upon the bigger battle yet to come. Infinity War is the culmination of everything. Expectation and excitement were through the roof for me, as they would be for any Marvel fan, but at the same time I was feeling pretty emotional about it all too. Avoiding reviews and spoilers was agonising, and I can't remember ever heading into a movie feeling the way I was when heading into Infinity War.
I'm not sure what to say, other than it doesn't disappoint. And if you've followed the Marvel movies and enjoy them in any way at all, you won't be disappointed either. Every character gets their moment to shine. Every scene draws you in, thrills you to the point where you just don't want it to stop, then cuts to another scene where that feeling kicks off again - yet another epic moment of threat, action and joy. Characters are spread so far around the universe that many don't even cross paths, yet they all share one common goal. It never gets boring, the lengthy run time flies by, and it all just works.
In Thanos we finally have a worthy villain. A villain with a purpose you can believe in, a villain that brings credible threat to the universe, and even humour at times. A villain you can even empathise with.
And Marvel also have the balls to pull off the most intense, dramatic, gut wrenchingly final act. One that leaves you traumatised yet wanting more. A truly epic achievement.
I'm not sure what to say, other than it doesn't disappoint. And if you've followed the Marvel movies and enjoy them in any way at all, you won't be disappointed either. Every character gets their moment to shine. Every scene draws you in, thrills you to the point where you just don't want it to stop, then cuts to another scene where that feeling kicks off again - yet another epic moment of threat, action and joy. Characters are spread so far around the universe that many don't even cross paths, yet they all share one common goal. It never gets boring, the lengthy run time flies by, and it all just works.
In Thanos we finally have a worthy villain. A villain with a purpose you can believe in, a villain that brings credible threat to the universe, and even humour at times. A villain you can even empathise with.
And Marvel also have the balls to pull off the most intense, dramatic, gut wrenchingly final act. One that leaves you traumatised yet wanting more. A truly epic achievement.
Pinball Arcade
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Winner of the Best Mobile Game of 2012 on G4TV! Pinball Arcade by FarSight Studios features exact...
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) in Movies
May 12, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
Repo! The Genetic Opera is perhaps one of the most underrated films I’ve ever watched. The first time I watched it was at the behest of the elder of my younger brothers during my senior year of high school. At that time, I thought it was alright. The characters were hauntingly beautiful and the costumes delightfully dark, but beyond its appeal to my horror loving heart, I had little interest in re-watching it. The other day, I was browsing Shudder and came across it and decided to watch it for the sake of nostalgia. It was then that I picked up on the parody that my seventeen-year-old self missed entirely: for-profit healthcare.
Repo! takes place in 2056, where a planet-wide organ failure epidemic has led to drastic measures. In a time of need, a company by the name of GeneCo has come to the rescue. Offering payment plans to those that cannot afford their new organs, GeneCo saves the lives of those unfortunate souls. But what happens when they can’t meet their payments? Well, that’s what repo men are for, isn’t it?
So where does the parody come in? A similar system already exists in the way the American health care system is presently structured with its for-profit health insurance. Most insurance companies, like GeneCo, are not there for the benefit of their consumers, but for the filling of their pockets. As long as you can pay the premium (or the payment), your coverage remains intact and you’re able to get treatment and medication (or keep your organs in the world of Repo!). The moment you’re not able to do that, your coverage is often revoked (or your organs are repossessed). Of course, in the real world, this isn’t as brutal as it is in Repo! At least, not in most cases, but it can be just as scary. For myself, it’s often quite terrifying as I struggle to stay in remission from ulcerative pancolitis.
Moving on from the parody, there are other aspects of the movie that I feel are also accurate representations of today’s society – things that I feel Repo! was a bit ahead of its time on. The Largo family seems to represent the manner by which the wealthy feed upon the powerlessness of the poor. Also, am I the only one that, upon re-watching this film, can’t help but think of Trump when I’m looking at Rotti Largo? As a villain, Rotti is largely incompetent. He uses others to do what he can’t and often resorts to bullying to get what he wants, as can be seen in the blood contract with Blind Mag. Another example is how he manipulated Nathan and later Shiloh to break and control them, in hopes of controlling them. While it worked for the former of the two, Shiloh was not susceptible to his manipulation – yet another reference to something we’re seeing in today’s society in regards to Shiloh’s generation (that is present-day millennials) and the older generation, which is more mixed politically.
I think it’s also important that we take a moment to focus on Shiloh as a character. She is, perhaps, my least favorite character in this film. Then again, she was also in her rebellious teenage years and was, naturally, horrendously stereotyped. She loathed her father for keeping her bound to her room, even though she understood why and, even when she found out his sins and the lies he told her, she failed to turn against him – paying homage to the saying that “blood is thicker than water.” The end comics only state that she went into hiding, hinting that she was never to be heard from again – which is a shame. I’d like to think she’d become an activist, but… I guess that wasn’t her future.
One of my favorite things about this musical is the haunting and unearthly qualities that linger around Blind Mag and the Graverobber. This is a film I will watch again and again, even if others loathe it for being campy and over the top. In fact, I plan to show it to my Dad’s girlfriend’s kid.
Repo! takes place in 2056, where a planet-wide organ failure epidemic has led to drastic measures. In a time of need, a company by the name of GeneCo has come to the rescue. Offering payment plans to those that cannot afford their new organs, GeneCo saves the lives of those unfortunate souls. But what happens when they can’t meet their payments? Well, that’s what repo men are for, isn’t it?
So where does the parody come in? A similar system already exists in the way the American health care system is presently structured with its for-profit health insurance. Most insurance companies, like GeneCo, are not there for the benefit of their consumers, but for the filling of their pockets. As long as you can pay the premium (or the payment), your coverage remains intact and you’re able to get treatment and medication (or keep your organs in the world of Repo!). The moment you’re not able to do that, your coverage is often revoked (or your organs are repossessed). Of course, in the real world, this isn’t as brutal as it is in Repo! At least, not in most cases, but it can be just as scary. For myself, it’s often quite terrifying as I struggle to stay in remission from ulcerative pancolitis.
Moving on from the parody, there are other aspects of the movie that I feel are also accurate representations of today’s society – things that I feel Repo! was a bit ahead of its time on. The Largo family seems to represent the manner by which the wealthy feed upon the powerlessness of the poor. Also, am I the only one that, upon re-watching this film, can’t help but think of Trump when I’m looking at Rotti Largo? As a villain, Rotti is largely incompetent. He uses others to do what he can’t and often resorts to bullying to get what he wants, as can be seen in the blood contract with Blind Mag. Another example is how he manipulated Nathan and later Shiloh to break and control them, in hopes of controlling them. While it worked for the former of the two, Shiloh was not susceptible to his manipulation – yet another reference to something we’re seeing in today’s society in regards to Shiloh’s generation (that is present-day millennials) and the older generation, which is more mixed politically.
I think it’s also important that we take a moment to focus on Shiloh as a character. She is, perhaps, my least favorite character in this film. Then again, she was also in her rebellious teenage years and was, naturally, horrendously stereotyped. She loathed her father for keeping her bound to her room, even though she understood why and, even when she found out his sins and the lies he told her, she failed to turn against him – paying homage to the saying that “blood is thicker than water.” The end comics only state that she went into hiding, hinting that she was never to be heard from again – which is a shame. I’d like to think she’d become an activist, but… I guess that wasn’t her future.
One of my favorite things about this musical is the haunting and unearthly qualities that linger around Blind Mag and the Graverobber. This is a film I will watch again and again, even if others loathe it for being campy and over the top. In fact, I plan to show it to my Dad’s girlfriend’s kid.
iKamasutra® - Sex Positions from Kama Sutra and beyond Kamasutra
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Find out what over 20 million lovers—including editors from Cosmopolitan and Wired—are all...
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Nov 17, 2017
Fantastic Story (4 more)
Left you wanting more
The Mix of comedy and action
The Flash
Length of the movie
A Super Hero Movie Everyone Can Enjoy
Well folks, it finally arrived. The Justice League was one of the best super hero movies I have seen. I did not go into the movie with high expectation. I just went in wanting to be entertained. I got and so much more. I walked out of the theater with a big smile on my face and nothing but good things to say.
I will get this over with first, but I did not care to much for how the movie opened with the kids interviewing Superman. It kind of felt off with the way the rest of the movie played out. After that moment it was just high flying from there.
The best part of this movie was the lack of origin story feel. They introduced the character in a way that made it feel they have been around forever. It didn't get into detail one where they came from and how they got there powers. They just gave us just enough to want to see more of them in another movie. What they showed us in this movie is that characters just needed to be placed in to the story and let go from there.
I would not call this a spoiler but Superman does come back from the dead. It was done perfectly. I think the weird thing though is that it was done in broad daylight and only 2 cops were around to see it. And Batman was out during the day too. Oh well.
The core story line of the movie, Steppenwolf getting the mother boxes told very well. Not to long and not to short. It I told us who the bad guy was, why he was doing it and how it was going to be accomplished. You can probably tell I like shorter movies. I know people are going to be a little upset with the lack of Darkseid, but I am sure it will make a big splash in a future movie.
Well I don't want to spoil the ending because I want you to go and see it, but it will make you wanting so much more. Also stay till the end of the credits, you will not be disappointed like you were at the end of the Wonder Women credits.
Well until next time, enjoy the show.
I will get this over with first, but I did not care to much for how the movie opened with the kids interviewing Superman. It kind of felt off with the way the rest of the movie played out. After that moment it was just high flying from there.
The best part of this movie was the lack of origin story feel. They introduced the character in a way that made it feel they have been around forever. It didn't get into detail one where they came from and how they got there powers. They just gave us just enough to want to see more of them in another movie. What they showed us in this movie is that characters just needed to be placed in to the story and let go from there.
I would not call this a spoiler but Superman does come back from the dead. It was done perfectly. I think the weird thing though is that it was done in broad daylight and only 2 cops were around to see it. And Batman was out during the day too. Oh well.
The core story line of the movie, Steppenwolf getting the mother boxes told very well. Not to long and not to short. It I told us who the bad guy was, why he was doing it and how it was going to be accomplished. You can probably tell I like shorter movies. I know people are going to be a little upset with the lack of Darkseid, but I am sure it will make a big splash in a future movie.
Well I don't want to spoil the ending because I want you to go and see it, but it will make you wanting so much more. Also stay till the end of the credits, you will not be disappointed like you were at the end of the Wonder Women credits.
Well until next time, enjoy the show.