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The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
1999 | Action, Sci-Fi
Put simply, The Matrix is almost the perfect action/science-fiction/mind fuck movie. It has a deliciously dystopian concept that leans into the state of the real world today (well, 1999 to be exact but it still works now). It has an aesthetic style that still looks incredible, and was unarguably ahead of its time. This includes some truly inspired set pieces. It has a fantastic cast of actors playing well realised characters, from the tranquil nature of the good guys, to the uncomfortably sinister Terminator-esque agents. It has an instantly recognisable music score. Everything about it just flows, and two+ hours fly by in no time.
Sure, The Matrix was the catalyst for countless copycats and IRL edgelords (I remember seeing this back in 2000 as a humble 12 year old, thinking it was the coolest fucking thing ever, before having my perceptions unceremoniously shattered by the influx of middle aged men walking around my tiny countryside hometown in leather dusters) but it did it first, and looked good doing it. I can even get past the blaring breakbeat music, because it's The Matrix dammit.
All these years later, a fair chunk of the dialogue is cheesy as all hell, and occasionally a little cringey, but other than that, it still stands the test of time.

Also, Rage Against the Machine.
  
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Reclaimed ( Releasing the Magic book 3)
Maya Riley | 2022
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
84 of 230
Kindle
Reclaimed ( Releasing the Magic book 3)
By Maya Riley
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

What happens when your past catches up to you?

We found the Salvaged Lands and were welcomed into this secret sanctuary. Inside we find survivors, some comforts, and people who bring us more questions than answers.

With this new adventure, comes a new threat. We can no longer trust some of the new friends we've made.

The list of strange things going on is growing longer. My guys are developing more powers, and now I’m becoming afraid to touch them, in fear I may inadvertently turn them into rotters instead.

I don’t know the full potential of what I can do. I don’t know if I’m technically even human.

But what I do know, is:

1) There are more dangers in this world than I originally thought, and

2) If you don’t fight, you die.

I liked it but didn’t love it! The character building is really good. The story is developing well I’m enjoying this series and this one was slightly better than book 2. The powers and the small explanations we are getting is really well done. Besides all this I think it was lacking that spark. Mateo is starting to rile me a little but overall it’s a good book .
  
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Reclaimed ( Releasing the Magic book 3)
Maya Riley | 2022
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
84 of 230
Kindle
Reclaimed ( Releasing the Magic book 3)
By Maya Riley
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

What happens when your past catches up to you?

We found the Salvaged Lands and were welcomed into this secret sanctuary. Inside we find survivors, some comforts, and people who bring us more questions than answers.

With this new adventure, comes a new threat. We can no longer trust some of the new friends we've made.

The list of strange things going on is growing longer. My guys are developing more powers, and now I’m becoming afraid to touch them, in fear I may inadvertently turn them into rotters instead.

I don’t know the full potential of what I can do. I don’t know if I’m technically even human.

But what I do know, is:

1) There are more dangers in this world than I originally thought, and

2) If you don’t fight, you die.

I liked it but didn’t love it! The character building is really good. The story is developing well I’m enjoying this series and this one was slightly better than book 2. The powers and the small explanations we are getting is really well done. Besides all this I think it was lacking that spark. Mateo is starting to rile me a little but overall it’s a good book .
  
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Lou Grande (148 KP) created a post in LGBTQ+ Media

Jul 5, 2018  
So, Scarlett Johansson has been cast as a trans man in an upcoming film, and some people are a little outraged at both her casting and the way she handled the backlash (which was to say "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment").

I'm a trans guy, and I get it. The goal of any movie is to make money, and Johansson is bankable. I think the way she handled it lacks a bit of class, but again, she's sort of right--no one got in a snit when these other cis actors were cast as trans people. However, I also understand the frustration from the other side. Johansson already, arguably, whitewashed the role of Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, which totally flopped. She's working with the same director for this film. My fear is that trans guys get so little representation in the media, and this casting decision is going to negatively impact the movie. When I was growing up, the first time I learned that women could transition was watching Boys Don't Cry. And as you recall, that movie does not end well for anyone! So of course I was scared. I stayed in the closet for a long, long time. I'm really just torn about the whole thing.

What do you all think?
  
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Abi (5 KP) Jul 15, 2018

Thankfully she’s officially stepped down from the role now.

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Lou Grande (148 KP) Jul 17, 2018

Yeah, and now all the "anti-SJW" groups have their panties in a twist about it. I would have been fine if she had handled herself with more aplomb, even though she was going to be hilariously miscast.

TA
The Adventures of Winnie #2
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
169 of 230
Kindle
The Advetures of Winnie book 2
By Kelly A Walker
⭐️⭐️⭐️

My world turned upside down the day six guys, who used to be animals, showed up unexpectedly. My hexad is here, in my world, but not for long. Together, the seven of us have to venture back to Hundred Acres and save their parents and every other paranormal creature out there from Huff.

The problem?

We have no idea how to do either of these things. My mom has come back with us to help but, instead of answering questions, she brings up a whole list of new ones. One thing we do learn is a bond cannot be pushed. The connections I have to each of them is growing, but to force them only leads to disaster.

Can we figure out how to break the curse before it’s too late? Did bringing in my mom help or hinder us? The biggest question of all is: where is Ezra?

This is definitely a quirky book to read and certainly will have you seeing the friends of the 100 acre wood differently! It was a fun little read but didn’t hold as much fun as book 1! If you’re looking for a quick quirky read I’d give it a go although book 3 is still nowhere to be found!
  
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Merissa (12401 KP) rated A Little Christmas: Blake in Books

Dec 19, 2022 (Updated Dec 19, 2022)  
A Little Christmas: Blake
A Little Christmas: Blake
Wendy Rathbone | 2022 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A LITTLE CHRISTMAS: BLAKE starts off the A Little Christmas series for me. In it, Blake is left in a dire situation through no fault of his own. Luckily for him, a Christmas miracle called Eliot makes everything just right.

The thing I loved so much about this book is that neither of them were really in the lifestyle. Neither of them knew for sure, not until they were together and then it clicked. My heart broke for Blake as he recounted some of his experiences of being laughed at, whilst my heart melted (and broke) for Eliot and everything he wanted and needed to do, plus his poor dad. I'm really hoping these guys show up in future books, just so I can find out about his dad.

The pacing is perfect, the focus on these two characters, and the story flowed, keeping my attention from beginning to end. Low angst but high feeling. This was a sweet and loving story that gives you the warm Fuzzy's. I loved every word and have no hesitation in HIGHLY recommending this book.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Quest Kids
The Quest Kids
2021 | Fantasy, Kids Game
Have you heard of The Quest Kids? It’s a YouTube channel featuring six young adventurers as they use powerful “Tolk Gems” to help complete quests and protect the city of Treasure Falls. These kids are always striving for good and understanding, and are not afraid to do what is right in all scenarios. These Quest Kids are ideal role models for young children, and when I heard of board games based on the IP I knew my kids and I would love the games. Was my Faith Tolk Gem pointing me in the right direction, or has it gone dark for me? SPOILER: This game is great!

The Quest Kids is a dungeon crawler style board game for players as young as five years of age. Yes, FIVE! In it, players are acting as one of these Quest Kids, attempting to explore the cave of Tolk the Wise. The Quest Kids will find abilities to enhance their own, treasures to collect, and silly bad guys to scare away within, and the player with the most stars (VP) at the end will win the game!

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy from the publisher online or from your FLGS. -T


To setup, place the large game board on the table and populate it with the green, gray, and red Dungeon Tiles according to the rules. Also prepare the card decks and place them appropriately in their spaces on the board. The Treasure Tokens are placed in the Treasure Bag. Each player will receive one Quest Kid Player Mat and matching figurine. In addition each player will receive three starting Health Cards, one Quest Card, and one appropriate starting Ability Card. The game may now begin from the entrance to the cave!
On a turn players will be able to have free movement around the board exploring tiles and resolving them in turns. Green tiles are always good for the players, Gray tiles may have some bad guys but are predominantly good, and Red tiles are littered with those silly bad guys that will need to be scared away. A player will travel to a board location and encounter a Dungeon Tile by flipping it over and collecting the resources shown or attempting to scare away the bad guys. Bad guys can be scared by discarding the printed Ability Cards on their tile. Once discarded, the player collects the tile to their Player Mat for stars at game end.

Sometimes players will encounter a bad guy they do not possess enough Ability Cards to scare away. In these scenarios the player may ask the other players for help. Nonactive players may then offer Ability Cards from their stash in order to help achieve the goal. For every Ability Card donated to the cause the donating Quest Kid will receive one Kind Kid Card. Kind Kid Cards are always great and can be resolved at ANY time during the game. Should a player encounter a bad guy they cannot scare away and other Quest Kids cannot help with Ability Cards, the active player will suffer a loss of one of their Health Cards (worth two stars).

Some tiles or Quest cards will instruct the player to draw one or more treasures from the Treasure Bag. Most treasures are good and provide stars, but some are blobs that eat stars. Each Treasure Token also has two values. The top value is for the normal amount of stars. However, the bottom value is worth more stars if the controlling player matches the Quest Kid printed on the token. Some treasure may be worth just one star unless the Quest Kid is a match, in which case it is then worth three stars, for example.


Turns continue in this fashion until all Dungeon Tiles have been resolved or a stalemate reached. At this point all players count up their stars they have collected from various sources and the player with the most stars is the winner!
Components. This is a kids’ game, can we all agree? THIS kids’ game, however, boasts some of the most interesting and wonderful components I have seen. The board is huge and depicts a magical cave. Super cool. The tiles are easy to read and understand, as with all the iconography. The Quest Kids themselves all have the same abilities (unless the expansion is added – and the review for that is coming soon), so that smaller children are not burdened with having to remember their special abilities. There are these plastic Tolk Gems that can be collected during the game and children absolutely flip for these things. And did you see those colorful and very big minis? I mean, come on! It’s a kids’ game! They LOVE minis! The game also comes with cardboard standees in case your children cannot handle the minis carefully enough.

Here is the deal. I absolutely adore these Quest Kids games. They are absolutely the perfect difficulty for young gamers who are ready to step up from the Candy Lands and Chutes & Ladders. Now, the box suggests 5+ but my 4-year-old did just fine with it, so take that with a grain of salt. Having had him already familiarize himself with The Quest Kids characters in The Quest Kids: Matching Adventure, this was an easier process getting this game to the table for us.

The game gives an exciting dungeon crawl experience for younger children, and it’s honestly something I never really knew I needed in my life until I now have it. It is so simple to teach and play and definitely encourages helping other players, if even just because you receive those Kind Kid cards in return. Anything to create that helpful player atmosphere to prepare them for heavier cooperative games is much appreciated.

Please do not misunderstand me. The Quest Kids is targeting younger players, but I do believe that any aged gamer could appreciate and have a good time with this. It certainly will not fill the void of other dungeon crawlers, but if you need a fix and would like to spend 20-45 minutes playing something to scratch that itch, then pull out your copy of The Quest Kids. It is super-light, colorful, and is a perfect stepping stone to bigger cooperative games. Purple Phoenix Games (with special guest Finley) gives this one a Kind 11/12. Please visit the publisher’s website to pick up your copy, and have a great time introducing your children (or partners, in-laws, grannies, pets, whomever) to cooperative dungeon crawls that will have you leaving the table in a much better mood than when you sat down.
  
FT
Fade to Black (Rojan Dizon, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Imagine a combination of 1984, The Hunger Games, and a James Patterson mystery novel. That is the best way I can sum up Fade to Black. A world so intriguing, mysterious, and exciting that you want to live in it, and yet then again, maybe you don’t. A plot that never stops moving and throwing stuff at you, and with every page you become more and more wrapped up in it. Characters that you want to be, or be friends with, or take a good swing at. I am so excited about this novel, guys. I can’t recommend it enough.

First, the characters/narrator. I love Jake. I love Pacha. I love Rojan. I love them all. I love the way they talk to each other (or don’t talk to each other) and argue with each other. And the narrator, Rojan, is awesome. There are three things that makes Rojan a fantastic character, and a new favorite of mine.

First, he’s different. He’s not the “guy who wants to be a hero,” or the “I want to prove myself” or “I’m looking for my one-true-love” kind of guy. No, Rojan just wants to finish his damn job and get on with his damn life. He doesn’t want to be a hero or a villain: he just wants to get paid, go home, and find a new girl to chase. He’s the reluctant hero.

Second, the word “loyal” is not in Rojan’s repertoire. He specifically admits to enjoying the chase more than the catch, and for some reason, that’s really attractive! And of course, the girl he falls for is so perfect for him that it’s not even funny… in fact, if she’d come to terms with the idea, he might actually manage not to cheat on her. At the very end after he’s managed to kill the bad guys, save the planet, and rescue the girl, the only thing he was focused on was getting into the nurses pants.

Third, his personality is just fantastic. He’s such a pessimist, and admits to being a cynic. He makes the most absurdly snarky comments about everything, to the point that even in a tense scene there’s comic relief because he’s such a clever bastard (as a matter of fact, I think he actually calls himself that at least once).

The ending was wonderful, and left me feeling satisfied and complete, even though I can’t wait for the next book: not because it had a cliff-hanger, but because it was just so good!

Only thing I hate: It’s book 1 in a 3-book series, and the other two aren’t published… This happened to me while reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Better Part of Darkness. Gah! So annoying!

Content/Recommendation: Language and violence and dark humor. Mention of rape and sex. This is an adult book, maybe older teens, ages 18+. It’s totally worth the read. It’s also hilarious.
  
Rescued (Rescued Hearts #1)
Rescued (Rescued Hearts #1)
Felice Stevens | 2016 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved this book!
I got this free, from The Gay Romance Reader Club.

Jason broke up with his girlfriend cos he didn't want to marry her. Ryder broke up with his boyfriend cos the boyfriend didn't want to give up his drugs. Over the rescue of some pit bulls, they became friends. Ryder wants more and Jason? Well, he is digging deep into a long buried memory and realising that maybe it wasn't the fact he didn't want to marry his girlfriend, but maybe, just maybe, it was because she was a GIRL.

Oh I LOVED this book! It's one of those books that surprises you for some reason, but you've on idea why! I can't tell what surprised me, really I can't but I can tell you that I loved it!

Ryder is a lawyer, works for a pit bull rescue, has a pit called Pearl. While he loves his dog, she isn't much of a substitute for the warm male body he misses. Jason is a builder, developing his business with his brother. Finding the pit bulls chained up at a site brings Ryder into contact with Jason and both men, BOTH of them, have a reaction to the other. Ryder's is not surprising but Jason's is. As they spend more time together, Jason begins to question just what he's been doing all this time.

And I LOVED that we got to hear from both men! Cos you know I love that, but especially in books like this, when one is going against all he ever thought was right, and having that light bulb moment with someone and the world is a better place for it. And it really is a *light bulb above the head* moment for Jason, once he allows himself to just run with what he's feeling.

I did NOT like Ryder's mum. She's a Class A bitch and deserves to be alone for the rest of her days, for what she did to Ryder and his brother! So glad that his dad got his act together though!

Loved Jason's mum, especially after what his brother Liam says!

And while I'm not usually one for early professions of love, the way Jason came out with it? It was right that he said those words early, even if he didn't actually realise what he'd said! Both guys fell hard and they fell fast but it was right, for them, that they did.

There is a second book for these guys, and I'd love to read it at some point. There is a tiny snippet at the back of this one, and I have a feeling it might not be so warm and fuzzies!

First full length book by Ms Stevens I've read, the wish list is a few longer now!

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**