Search

Search only in certain items:

Wrath of Man (2021)
Wrath of Man (2021)
2021 | Action, Thriller
8
7.2 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Surprising Depth of Character and GREAT action
I am always up for a good “B” action flick - something mindless that shows a macho hero (usually seeking revenge) taking out a boatload of faceless/nameless bad guys. So it was with much anticipation that I settled back into my chair to clear my head and catch Jason Statham doing what he does best.

What I got was something much, much more.

Directed by Guy Ritchie (LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS), WRATH OF MAN tells the tale of seemingly innocent, meek, quiet man who takes a job with an Armored Car Company. Of course, since this meek man is played with a steely-eyed gaze by Jason Statham, there is something more to him. In the course of this film, of course, we find out.

Ritchie is a seasoned veteran Director of these sorts of films (LOCK STOCK…, SNATCH and the recent THE GENTLEMEN being examples of his ability) and this film nicely showcases his skill. He sets up the characters and the action scenes deftly and he does something that I really love to see in a film - he shows the same action scene from 3 different character's’ perspectives, every time we view the same scene from a different point of view it adds some depth to the scene (and the characters). It is this aspect of the film - the depth of character - that I was not expecting to see.

Statham, of course, is perfectly cast as the mysterious “H”. He has a strength of character (as well as a physical strength) needed to drive this story forward. I believed his motivations as a character while eagerly anticipating his “turn on a dime” change from “meek and mild” to “action hero”. In lesser hands, it would have seemed corny, but with Statham (and the direction of Ritchie), it is not.

Ritchie, of course, fills this world with a “rogues gallery” of tough guys, henchmen, unlikely heroes and villians. Standouts of this group were veteran character actor Holt McCallany (a veritable “that guy” actor) who plays a fellow armored car driver, Jeffrey Donovan (TV’s BURN NOTICE) and Scott Eastwood (Clint’s son) as a couple of “bad guys” and Darrell D’Silva (a veteran of European films who was heretofore unknown to me) as one of Statham’s allies. Whenever D’Silva was on the screen, he would draw my attention (in a good way). I’ll be keeping an eye out for him in future films.

Also along for the fun are the great Eddie Marsan (as the Manager of the Armored Car Company) and a gravelly voiced Andy Garcia (as a shadowy person from Statham’s past). They both know exactly what type of film they are in and look like they are having fun with their roles. Oh…and there is also a Josh Hartnett sighting (the “it” actor of the early ‘2000’s). His character of another Armored Car Driver is the weakest written and least realized of the characters in this film - but it was fun to see him on screen again.

But…all of these fine qualities rise or fall on the Direction of the action sequences and in the capable hands of Guy Ritchie, these scenes succeed greatly. He sets up and choreographs the fights (both hand-to-hand and gun fights) in such a way that the audience is never confused about what is going on (unless it is a deliberate choice) and he eschews the quick-cut editing that (I feel) is a sign of a weakly conceived and choreographed fight.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film - not only for the action, but for the depth of character and quality that was put up on the screen.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
40x40

Jerry Cantrell recommended Van Halen by Van Halen in Music (curated)

 
Van Halen by Van Halen
Van Halen by Van Halen
1978 | Rock
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"He's a friend of mine and I'm proud to call him that. They gave us one of our first breaks, around 1990 when we were on tour with those guys for about half a year. When I discovered his music, I think they had already released a couple of records. The first one was in ‘78, and I was in Pennsylvania in ‘79 when Van Halen II came out, but I had never actually heard them, instead I’d heard friends talking about them at school. A couple of my friends had the Van Halen logo written on their folders. I was like: ""What's that?"" ""This band Van Halen man, they're fucking killers, you gotta check 'em out!"" So, my Dad let me join the Columbia records and tapes club. It was a total scam. It was like you send a penny then you could pick out, I don’t know, seven or eight records, but then you were hooked for so many records after that, for way past full price. Some of the records I picked for my penny, were Van Halen I and II. I remember, my dad was watching TV in the living room like we did most nights. We had a pretty decent stereo system. So I put the headphones on, and I put on Van Halen I for the first listen. And from the first fucking note... I remember how magical that was. Same thing as with Hendrix. That's why I cite Eddie and Hendrix, ‘cause I think those guys are like brothers, of different eras. It's completely unique. There's nobody before that guy that sounded like that guy. But there were a ton of guys that sounded like him afterwards, or were trying to emulate him. I tried my tapping technique, but I'm no good at it. That record, for a kid wanting to be a guitarist, that was like an unachievable goal, to be that fucking good and to sound that fucking bad-ass, but it made you wanna try. Years later, when we went on that tour, we became really good friends. He had his new guitar and amps that he had had made. I remember asking if I could buy one, if he could give me a little discount or something like that. He's like: ""Fuck that man, I'll just give it to you!"" and, ""Look man, I got paid. It's the lamest thing in the world: when you got nothing, nobody will give you anything, when you have everything, everybody just gives you everything for free. So let me just give you some shit."" I forgot about that, it was sometime in the middle of the tour... I got home from that tour. I was living with my manager Kelly Curtis and his wife, down in their basement. Kelly greeted me at the door, like: ""Welcome home man! How was the tour?"" “Oh that was good man!"" ""Oh that's cool man! And d'you mind getting your shit out of my garage?"" I'm like: ""What are you talking about?"" He's like:""Eddie Van Halen has put so much gear in my garage, I can't even park my car. Get that fucking shit out of there."" So it was there, two full stacks and two guitars that he had fucking sent me for free. And I still have one of them. The other was stolen by someone years ago and I never saw it again. I still mourn the loss of that. But I saw him [Van Halen] about a month ago in LA before we left. As a matter of fact, I stole his guitar tech, Craig DeFalco [laughs]!"

Source
  
Keos (Fueled By Lust #10)
Keos (Fueled By Lust #10)
Celeste Prater | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Keos (Fueled By Lust #10) by Celeste Prater
Whooee! It appears that Ms. Prater has done it again! Keos is the tenth book in the Fueled by Lust series, and really, this series is misnamed! It is LOVE that rules these guys, not lust, and I love each and every one of them for that! (Sorry guys, Cato is still my favourite though)

In this edition, Keos is trying to make his way to the vortex, so he can report in to Lucien and explain how he allowed some items to be stolen. Oh, and bring along the thief and his sister too. Now you might think that this is easy enough for an Insedi warrior against two puny humans. However, Everly and her brother Jason are not prepared to go down without a fight. Keos quickly finds himself in a situation that he was not expecting. This does give him time to learn more about Everly and her brother, their past, and his thoughts for their future. Of course, to have any future, they need to get out of the damn game!

I'm not a big gamer, in fact, I'm not really a gamer at all unless you count FB games. So when this started I did wonder if I would enjoy this book as much as the others. I needn't have worried as the descriptions used were vivid enough to clarify each situation without having to have knowledge of how a game works. Not only were the descriptions excellent, but also the emotions were clear. There was no playing of games with Everly and Keos. I figure their surroundings were games enough. Even though Everly had her reasons, heartbreaking reasons, for feeling the way she did, she was still courteous to Keos. She didn't turn into uber-b*tch just because he wanted something that she didn't. I really appreciated that!

As with all Celeste Prater's books, this was very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. This is the tenth book in the series, and I would recommend that you read them in order as the overall story arc also comes into play with this story. A fantastic series, guaranteed to satisfy, and definitely recommended by me. My answer to the question in the synopsis is well known to Ms. Prater, but in case it needs spelling out - YES PLEASE!!!!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Surprise Delivery (Hearts and Health #5)
Surprise Delivery (Hearts and Health #5)
D.J. Jamison | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
the warm and fuzzies are back!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the other books. I first met Eric in the first book I read, which was book 2, because I still haven't got round to reading book 1 yet! Casper pops up in book 4. All stand alone stories, with connecting characters based in and around the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. But you should! Cos, you know, warm and fuzzies, people! Warm. And. Fuzzies.

Cos that's what I'm loving about this series! That feeling it gives, when two guys finally give in to their feelings. When they get over their hang ups. When they give up the guilt that has been eating them alive and just LOVE on each other! I live my life through books like this!

Casper does all his adrenaline junkie stuff as a way to connect with his dead boyfriend of 5 years. Eric is married to his job, because his real husband left him. When Eric's 16 year old niece turns up at his door, pregnant and thrown out of her home, the two men are thrown together. Casper pulls at Eric to live a little, and Eric pulls at Casper to just slow down a bit.

Expect some roller coaster emotions from Casper here, as he deals with his self inflicted guilt. He struggles to let Kage go, and he struggles to talk to Eric, which in turn leads to some roller coaster emotions from Eric, although not quite as painful reading. I bawled my eyes out for them both!

Paul and Zane play a part, Paul especially for Eric dealing with the Board and budgets, makes Eric see, really SEE what's going on in the ER and it's Paul who makes Eric begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there is life OUTSIDE of this hospital. He just needs the push that Paul, Olivia and Casper give him. Trent and Xavier pop up too, but only briefly.

I loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books in this series, but I'm wondering which way things will go now. Especially with what Eric, Paul and Trent have to decide to do. I don't really care whether future books will be based in the hospital or elsewhere, I just want and need more of these guys!

5 Warm And Fuzzies stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Proposition (Nights Series #6)
The Proposition (Nights Series #6)
A.M. Salinger | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
straight back up to 5 stars!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

We met Rhys and Wade in book 3, but I would say you don't need to read the other books before this one. You don't NEED to, but you'd get a better enjoyment of these if you did. And this is book 6, so get a-reading!

Wade and Rhys are partners in the firm that Gabe works for. They've know each other some 16 years. Rhys has lusted over and loved Wade for 12 of those years, and Wade has lusted over Rhys for just 12 months. 12 months ago, he caught Rhys pleasuring himself and calling out Wade's name when he did. So, 6 weeks. They have 6 weeks to get whatever *this* is, out their system. But will 6 weeks really be enough??

Did I mention that I made a new shelf for these books? No?? Oh, well I did, and I called it "fan yourself, it's a hot one!" Books one, two and three are sitting there, and now they are joined by book 6!

Because Rhys and Wade have blow your socks off chemistry! That much was obvious when we met them before but here? Once these guys admit they are doing this, this proposition, they are all in and I think they could probably give Cam and Gabe run for their money!

I loved that both men, separately of each other, came to the conclusion, very quickly, that 6 weeks would NEVER ever be enough. That it took a silly misunderstanding on Rhys' part for them to openly admit their feelings.

Loved that Gabe and Cam (books one and three) and Ethan and Joe (book two) take part here. Luke and Ash (books for and five) are mentioned, but don't appear.

These guys do say those three little words, but they also have another book planned, which is book 9, so I'd say they have their Happy For Now, rather than a Happy Ever After.

Who is book 7 and 8?? No idea, don't care, wanna read them regardless! A certain someone is a little hard done by here, and I'd love for him to have his own book.

After books one through three were five stars, we slipped a little with four and five, but whoosh! Just like that, we're back up to..

5 super sexy stars!!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
SM
Shade Me (Nikki Kill, #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Shade Me</i> and I are completely polar opposites. Everything Nikki is, I’m not (and I’m typically against it in some way), which is an extreme rarity (and definitely not a problem). And if this is a series, I’ll probably have a love/hate relationship with Nikki akin to love triangles where I love/hate both guys (and maybe the girl as well).

Anyways…

I feel Nikki’s past feels like a pity party with a really rough childhood. However, it just goes with the story because her rough childhood tells readers why Nikki is the way she is in the novel. She’s afraid of falling in love (hello? I’m not a romantic, but um…), probably hooks up with guys on a weekly basis (okay…), and is close enough to flunking and not graduating – basically, she seems like a character I would probably stay away from in real life. Also, with her Tae Kwon Do (is it Tae Kwon Do?) skills, she’s also just a person I would avoid messing around with.

But the coolest thing about Shade Me is how Nikki sees everything in color (synesthesia) and when she gets a call to identify a person in an attempted murder, Nikki uses her synesthesia to try and find the attempted murderer. The person she identifies isn’t even someone she knows really well (she’s heard of them because the person is the daughter of a famous producer, but doesn’t know them), which I find really admirable. I mean, it’s not typical a random person goes out of her way just to find out why someone attempted to murder someone she doesn’t even associate herself with. She’s also horrible with sneaking around – everything just backfires, but Nikki is an amazing sleuth who has extreme guts.

Overall, though? The book is about rich people problems with a dash of family drama. Brown takes something readers would typically find on daytime drama and mixes it up with something else completely different, making Shade Me just a tad bit different than simply “family drama.”

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-shade-me-by-jennifer-brown-arc-review-and-giveaway/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
40x40

Lee (2222 KP) rated 1917 (2020) in Movies

Jan 11, 2020  
1917 (2020)
1917 (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
British soldiers Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are taking a well earned rest in a peaceful French field when they are summoned to a meeting down in the trenches with General Erinmore (Colin Firth). Having believed that the Germans had retreated, and were now on the run, the General has now learned that they are in fact armed to the teeth and lying in wait for the unsuspecting battalion of 1600 Brits who are preparing to advance on them. Unfortunately, that battalion is quite a distance across country, and with telephone lines currently out of action, Blake and Schofield have been tasked by the General with delivering the message to call off the attack. And the reason for choosing Blake? His brother is one of the 1600 likely to meet their death if the message isn’t received before they attack the following morning.

The big talking point surrounding 1917 has been the ‘single shot’ effect that it uses in order to tell its story. We effectively follow Blake and Schofield in real time as they undertake their mission, with only a single camera shot tracking them, and only noticeably cutting away just once. The result is outstanding, delivering a seamless and fully immersive experience unlike anything you’ve experienced before, outside of a first person shooter video game.

Late last year, a short behind the scenes video for 1917 was released, showing how they’d used cameras hanging from wires, which were then passed to guys on foot, then to guys on vehicles, back and forth in order to achieve the effect. The result is that the camera glides effortlessly around the soldiers in the trenches and on the battlefields, through barbed wire and across bodies of water filled with rotting corpses. You feel the tension and all of the emotion right there, right alongside the soldiers who are experiencing it. It’s a truly amazing technical achievement.

Their journey takes them across no mans land, across the war-torn countryside, avoiding danger and all other obstacles in their way. And it’s edge of seat stuff, aided by an amazing heart pumping score and that incredible camera work. Hats off to George Mackay as Schofield too, who carries the majority of the movie and is really put through the wringer.

1917 has already earned itself a Golden Globe, and nine BAFTA nominations, just this last week alone. And it deserves it all. Bold, ambitious storytelling, and an early contender for this years best movie.
  
C is for Comfort (The Alphabet of Desire #3)
C is for Comfort (The Alphabet of Desire #3)
Colette Davison | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
the most emotional of the three.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Alphabet of Desire series. Its not necessary to read book 1, A is for Aftercare, or book 2, B is for Beg, before this one. All three books run concurrently, so you get these guys falling fast and falling HARD, in all three books, and I really loved that! It was great watching Archie, Blake and Corey falling in love from each of the other brother's perspective, it really was.

Corey is the last to fall, and he does so beautifully! And I think, he's the most emotional of the three brothers, but doesn't always show it. Spence, though, he can read Corey like a book, or a painting, very quickly and Spence calls Corey out a time or two.

Corey wants what's best for his daughter, Lexi, and his brothers have been a godsend in helping him do that, but now Archie and Blake are leaving, he's not sure he can cope; at home or at work. But Spence? Spence helps him get clarity. He helps him see that just because the brothers won't be living together, they are still close, and they will always be. Spence helps Corey to relax about work, teaching is a stressful enough job, so adding your own pressure on yourself? Recipe for disaster, especially for a first year teacher.

Spence's job is stressful too, he's an A&E doctor, so he knows all about pressure. But Corey helps HIM see that he needs something more than a hook up every now and then. Corey helps Spence see he needs a family, even if he didn't know he did. He has his sister and her kids, but with Corey and Lexi, Spence sees he needs more; wants more.

It's not heavy on the BDSM, more the care a Daddy gives. It's smexy and sweet, and emotional. I cried a bit, at Corey, and I don't quite know why!

It's been fun watching these guys, all seven of them, fall hard and fall fast. In ways they did not see coming, at all! That they run concurrently was different, but I liked it once I realised that's how they were written. It's different, I do enjoy different.

All three books are wonderful reads with book 2, Beg, being my favourite. If you enjoy low angst books, I would HIGHLY recommend these!

4 paint splattered stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
    VLC Streamer Free

    VLC Streamer Free

    Entertainment and Utilities

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Sit anywhere in your house and watch movies or TV shows on your iPhone, iPod or iPad. VLC Streamer...

    Partia

    Partia

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Partia is a SRPG (Strategy Role-playing) video game inspired by Fire Emblem and Tear Ring Saga...