Fortune's Pawn
9.0
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Book
Devi Morris isn't your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It's a...
science fiction romance space marine power armor
Andy K (10821 KP) rated 12 Monkeys (1995) in Movies
Aug 1, 2018
Any time travel film is always going to mess with your brain a little and become more confusing the more you think about it; however, this one still holds up.
Willis plays his again everyman sent back in time to try and discover details about a mysterious disease which ravages the entire world in the future he comes from. Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a hilarious supporting role for Brad Pitt.
The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
Jeff Hertzberg, Zoe Francois and Stephen Scott Gross
Book
A fully revised and updated edition of the bestselling, ground-breaking Artisan Bread in Five...
Thirty Day Boyfriend
Book
I should've never agreed to this arrangement... Thirty days ago, my boss--Mr. Wolf of Wall...
romance
Always for Pleasure (1978)
Movie
A look at the spirit of New Orleans. First a funeral: Allen Toussaint explains that you arrive slow...
Talk Radio News - Local & International Edition
News and Lifestyle
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Talk Radio News is your one stop streaming audio source for the best local, national and...
AbmostFiction (32 KP) rated I Am Legend in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Neville is the only survivor of a disease that turns people into howling vampires that gather outside his house every night to try and break in or lure him out. During the day he scavenges for supplies and tries to hunt his friends and neighbours and kill them while they're sleeping. Then before the sun sets he must barricade himself into his home to try and survive one more night.
In equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking, this fresh take on the vampire novel is one to read.
Heartstopper Volume One
9.2
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Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met ... until one day when they're made...
Shattered Promises
5.5
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For twenty-one year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. She knows nothing about her past and has...
paranormal romance new adult
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Palm Springs (2020) in Movies
Apr 14, 2021
Positives:
- So, it's obviously a retread of "Groundhog Day" (so 1/5 for originality), but it has some fresh fun with the concept.
- It starts off at the "town dance" stage of G/D, where Bill Murray's character has lived enough lives to perfect everything. This is a smart move, and allows those of the audience 'in the know' (which I would guess is 80%+) the joy of getting to the fun bits early.
- It also luxuriates in having two (actually, more than two) people experiencing the 'phenomenon'. This leads to some truly hilarious scenes of Nyles and Sarah living life to the max.
- Because this dynamic duo can talk to each other, we get deeper existential discussion about the downsides of eternity and what life is all about.
- The best comedies also have some element of pathos as well, to mix the highs with some lows, and this movie does that nicely. The despair felt by Nyles at one point in the movie is heartfelt and moving.
- The element of female empowerment in here (no spoilers) is very 2020's and entertaining.
- The mushroom-induced hallucinations (again, no spoilers) made me laugh.
- I wasn't familiar with either Samberg (who is a regular in TVs "Brooklyn Nine-Nine") or Milioti. Samberg was fine, but came across a bit "Saturday Night Live cookie-cutter". Milioti though is a real comedic find, nicely filling the sort of young-kooky-woman space that the younger Sarah Silverman used to do in movies. One to watch.
Negatives:
- The movie starts off at such a pace that the minority of the audience not familiar with the "Groundhog Day" concepts will have a "WTF" attitude and possibly turn them off during the first 20 minutes. (There is explanation, but it takes this long).
- The movie is rude. Very rude. This doesn't bother me, but it does shift the viewing options away from the "Groundhog Day" set and more towards the "Hangover" set. This will limit the audience, so I'm not sure it was a wise move by the writers.
Thoughts:
Of all the films showing this week, this one seems to have the most hype through social media: "SEE THIS, YOU'LL LOVE IT" screamed the posts. And - don't get me wrong - it's pretty good and has more than the requisite half-dozen laugh-out-loud moments to merit being called a comedy. But - perhaps my expectations were too high - it's no where near, in my book anyway the 5* classic that "Groundhog Day" was. Any any movie that borrows so much from the plot of that film has to be prepared to be directly compared and rated against it.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the version on One Mann's Movies here: https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/04/14/palm-springs-did-anyone-order-groundhog-for-two/ . Thanks).
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) Aug 2, 2018
Andy K (10821 KP) Aug 2, 2018