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Dana (24 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.9 (161 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I want to start off by saying that I read this for my book club with my friends, not that that changes anything, I just wanted you to know. Also, I did a hybrid reading of this. I would actually read the physical book for about half of it, but the other half, I listened to the audio book. (It's read by Wil Wheaton, y'all!)

Okay, so onto my review. I really enjoyed reading this book. I am not a gamer at all, but I do love 80s references., especially to movies. So even though I didn't understand a lot of the video game references (except Pac Man and a few others), I still understand the overall encompassing love of the 80s culture.

At first, this is a really cool dystopian sci-fi book focusing on a kid who is trying to win an Easter Egg hunt inside of a video game to get out of a crappy situation at home. By the end, there is action, romance, bad guys, and so much more. Kind of like what you would find in a typical 1980s classic film.

I think what I loved most about this is all of the hidden allusions to the 80s. Yes, there are the overt ones like to Ferris Buller's Day Off or Pac Man or Blade Runner. But there are a lot of little moments as well that are subtle that I barely caught. I don't want to give any away, so I won't spoil them on here. This book almost becomes it's own kind of easter egg hunt for the readers.

I loved trying to figure out the clues with Winston. A few of them, I did get, but some I did not. It was still fun trying to write down all of the clues and figure it out like a code cracker.

I loved the relationships in this book, especially since they weren't the main focus of the novel. It was refreshing to see people getting along and working together toward the same goal.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend you see it before you go see the movie next year!
  
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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Tombstone (1993) in Movies

Mar 27, 2018  
Tombstone (1993)
Tombstone (1993)
1993 | Action, Western
8
8.3 (37 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Fun Western
Renowned gunslingers Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) come to Tombstone, Arizona to settle down, but are forced to pick up their guns again when a gang called the Cowboys start to wreak havoc.

Acting: 8

Beginning: 10
Great start as you're quickly introduced to the bad guys of the film. You can't quite figure out if they're a sloppy group of thugs or a well-oiled machine, but you know they have the worst intentions. The first scene is very reminiscent of the bridal massacre in Kill Bill.

Characters: 9

Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Beautiful shots of the town of Tombstone create the proper western vibes from grassy plains to old-timey saloons. The film isn't as gory as one you would see in our current decade so when you see characters actually bleeding out, the effect is powerful. While I thought the scene in the rain was a bit over the top, the film definitely made up for it in its closing shots of the final face off.

Conflict: 9
The action is both consistent and fun in Tombstone. A lot of it is built up in the familiar traditional western style of long-paused shots. One second, you're watching a staredown and the next, guns are drawn. Wyatt Earp seemed to have this down to a science. His intense staredown right before he open-hand slapped Johnny Tyler (Billy Bob Thornton) was probably one of the most memorable moments for me. Seriously, what man open-hand slaps another man with zero hesitation?

The gunfight montages more than gave me my fill of action. You know it's just a film, but you feel like you're watching the best of the best show off their skills on screen as the bullets fly. I appreciated the original moments that later films have duplicated.

Genre: 8

Memorability: 7

Pace: 7

Plot: 7

Resolution: 7

Overall: 79
Not the best western I've seen, but still a very fun film. If you can get over the hump of the forced love story, this should be an enjoyable watch.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Final Girls in Books

Aug 20, 2018  
Final Girls
Final Girls
Riley Sager | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (26 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good world building (0 more)
Forgettable Book (1 more)
Overdone Plot
Just Okay
Final Girls by Riley Sager came highly recommended to. I was looking for a good horror book to read. While Final Girls wasn't a great read, it wasn't bad. Final Girls was just an okay read and nothing more.

The pacing is okay in Final Girls. It's not fast paced, but it's not slow either. I didn't hurry to finish this book at all. Every now and then the pacing would get better, but most times it was just okay.

The plot was alright. It's like every other slasher survival type books. Final Girls did have a few plot twists. Most were pretty predictable such as the one with Sam. I just felt like I had read and seen this plot line so many times before. Nothing really stood out with the plot of Final Girls.

The world building was done well. It was easy for me to be transported to the world of Final Girls. Even the attacks on the girls seemed realistic.

I liked the characters enough and felt that they were fairly well written. I did feel that Quincy was a little too gullible and trusting. There were times I had to shake my head at her. For example, I felt like she was too trusting of Samantha. It's like she just took her at her word all the time. Saying all that, I did love Quincy though. She did have a fighting spirit about her, and I loved her determination. Sam annoyed me. She was written well, but she annoyed me with how she said "babe" almost all the time. She was always so shady, and I never trusted her. Even though Jeff and Coop weren't major characters, I still liked them a lot. They just seemed like really nice guys.

There are some themes in this book such as violence, smoking, prescription drug abuse, alcohol, sex, and swearing. Nothing is too over the top, and it fits in with the book perfectly.

All in all, I feel as if Final Girls by Riley Sager is a forgettable book. Nothing really stands out plot wise or character wise. It's just an okay read, but it's been done before.
  
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Sheridan (209 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider in Video Games

Sep 27, 2018  
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
2018 | Action/Adventure
9
8.1 (15 Ratings)
Video Game Rating Watch
Graphics are incredible (2 more)
Gameplay is flawless
Story is engaging and interesting
Bug in Achievements which only allows you to get the game to 98.92%, even though you've done everything (Xbox One) (0 more)
A Visual Masterpiece
I'll do my best not to gush too much, but holy mother of - this game, you guys - this game is utterly phenominal. The graphics, oh wow! The trees, the water, Lara's hair! It's all totally on point. Amazing all round, I spent the first ten minutes just looking around because let me tell you the graphics are just beautiful. The gameplay is similar to the other two Tomb Raider games but with a few new interesting ideas, the skill tree gives you a bunch of great perks that *really* help when you get further into the story. The collectibles are interesting and at some stages challenging to find, I honestly can't remember whether or not Rise of the Tomb Raider had the GPS caches but they've done away with that idea in SotTR and gone with Survival caches which are great for upgrading. They've also got a new idea where you find monoliths which give you a rare survival caches if you can solve the riddle ;) Another new feature are Crypts which are like mini challenge tombs, once you complete it you recieve an outfit which you restore at your base camps, and wearing those gives you extra game perks (they're also pretty which is fun too). The challenge tombs are great fun and give you perks in your skill tree, you can't get unless you complete them, so it's worthwhile doing them. Once you've finished the game, you have the option to have another crack at it in New Game +, you keep all your skills, outfits and weapons (at the moment I'm a bit of the way through this with the game on 'One with the Jungle' which is the hard setting). The story is really interesting and based on Mayan legends, which I won't spoil for you, needless to say it's fantastic :) TL;DR: It's f**king phenominal, get it, you won't be disappointed :)
(1)   
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Debbiereadsbook (1327 KP) rated Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1) in Books

Nov 2, 2018  
Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1)
Where Nerves End (Tucker Springs #1)
L.A. Witt | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
warm and fuzzies, people, warm and fuzzies!
Independent review for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Jason is faced with two choices: an increase in pain medication, or a visit to the acupuncturist his friend keeps recommending. He opts for the latter to relieve his shoulder pain, but it is costly. Finding out Michael was also struggling financially, Jason suggests they become room mates, since Jason has room. Jason just never factored in the attraction he has for Michael, especially since Michael is straight, right?

Warm and fuzzies, right here! I really enjoyed this! I mean, I must have. I went to bed to read a few pages before sleep and 90 minutes later, I'm done! One late night sitting and I made a new shelf for them too!

My only niggle is that only Jason has a say! Even though it;s first person, I think if Michael had been given a voice, this would have been a 5 star read. Michael does go against his feelings. Well, not really AGAINST them, more he lets his TRUE feelings free and I wanted to ear from him at key points along the way. There were many of them, too, but mostly his first meeting with Jason; when Michael does what he does to set Jason off and the bits in between, when they are fighting the attraction so bloody hard it made my teeth hurt!

It's not really a Happy Ever After ending, either, at least I didn't think so. Oh they get together and announce it to every one and they are happy, I just feel there might be more to come from these guys! Is there?? I hope so!

This appears to be the first book in a series written by (that I can see) 3 different authors, set in Tucker Springs which is the series name. I'd certainly read more of them, by Witt especially. Her book "Nine Tenths of The Law" spurned a new shelf too, "too stinking cute". I'd quite happily read other books in the series, just to see who pops up along the way!

So, ONLY because Michael doesn't get a voice

4 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in Movies

Nov 20, 2018  
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
2018 | Action, Comedy
7
6.7 (36 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
If you like the leads, you'll like this film
The family was surfing through the "Pay-Per-View" films the other night when we settled on THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME. I knew that this action.comedy came and went pretty quickly this past summer, so I wondered what was wrong with it. But with 2 strong leads in Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, we decided to give it a try.

And we're glad we did, for THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME is a very fun, very funny action/comedy that delivers the goods with 2 charismatic and very watchable lead actresses.

Kunis stars as Audrey, a waitress who's boyfriend dumps her. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend was...any guesses...a spy! And in his things in Audrey's apartment is an item that other spies want to get. Audrey must go on the run with her roommate and best friend, Morgan to escape the "bad guys" and figure out what to do to stay alive while keeping the item safe.

Pretty standard plot set-up, to be sure. But in the hands of 2 comics like Kunis and McKinnon, it rises above average fair. Kunis is winning in her role and is pleasant enough personality to spend 2 hours with. McKinnon, on the other hand, is hilarious. Now, some say that "a little Kate McKinnon goes a long way". I don't agree with that. I find her fascinatingly funny to watch. Ranking right up there with Will Ferrell as a comedian who will go anywhere and do anything for a joke. Joining in on the fun are Jane Curtin and Paul Reiser as the parents of one of the characters. They are a welcome addition to the proceedings.

Writer and Director Susanna Fogel does a nice job of keeping the plot moving and mixes fun action/chase scenes in between the comedy sequences in a formula that works very well, indeed.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed THE SPY WHO DUMPED - and you (and your house guests) will, too.

Letter Grade: B+

7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
(3)   
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Alien 3 (1992) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019  
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 (1992)
1992 | Horror, Sci-Fi
5
6.6 (65 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Story: How do you follow up two of the best sci-fi films or all time? This struggles to keep up with the atmosphere created in the first two. It offers nothing new to the series either. As a stand-alone film this would struggle to be a good sci-fi thriller. It’s only positive I can think of were a couple of surprise deaths. (5/10)

 

Actor Review: Sigourney Weaver – Ripley back to kick the alien’s arse. Sigourney has created one of the biggest icons in female cinema, but this is not the chapter anyone would be remembering. (6/10)

 ripley

Actor Review: Charles S. Dutton – Dillon leader of the religious movement on in the prison. One of the good guys who protects Ripley from the bad prisoners. He does an ok job but doesn’t have enough to work with. (6/10)

dance

Actor Review: Charles Dance – Medical officer with a dark past on the road to recovery. Good supporting role is used well to create a good connection between Ripley and the prisoners. (6/10)

 

Director Review: David Fincher – The great director disowned this film after it got changed post production and I don’t blame him. (4/10)

 

Action: Slow moving action throughout. (6/10)

Sci-Fi: Take out the Alien it offers very little in the world of sci-fi. (5/10)

Thriller: Not very thrilling compared to previous offering. (5/10)

Special Effects: Poor special effects too. (5/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Settings: A prison on a planet with nowhere to run creating a great isolation setting for this sci-fi horror. (9/10)

 

Suggestion: I only say try because it makes the first two look even better and it is nice to see how the characters you grew to love, well their next chapter. (Try It)

 

Best Part: Lead scene.

Worst Part: Loses suspense element.

Action Scene of the Film: Final scene.

Kill Of The Film: Clemens

Oscar Chances: Nominated for one Oscar for visual effects

Chances of Sequel: Did get a sequel.

 

Overall: Poor addition to the franchise.

https://moviesreview101.com/2014/01/29/alien-3-1992/
(4)   
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Imitation (Clone Chronicles, #1) in Books

Dec 14, 2018  
I(
Imitation (Clone Chronicles, #1)
Heather Hildenbrand | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

Heather Hildenbrand’s latest young adult science fiction series <i>Clone Chronicles</i> gets off to a good start in this book, <i>Imitation</i>. Raven Rogen is a shallow eighteen-year-old girl whose father holds a high position in the city. The main character, however, is known as Ven and is an imitation of Raven, a clone. The purpose of the imitations is to be available for their Authentics whenever they are needed, whether it is organ transplants or taking their place completely. When the real Raven is attacked, Ven is instructed to take her place as bait to draw the attackers out of the shadows. Although they may look the same, their personalities are completely different meaning that Ven has to try extra hard to convince people that she is Raven.

Ven is a very likable character and it is easy to feel for her as she struggles to live up to the expectations of Raven’s father. The book takes a turning point when Ven decides to run away with the help of a security guard, Linc, who she has fallen in love with. To complicate things even further it is not clear for a long time who the real bad guys are.

There were times when the storyline became really exciting but some of the characters were really annoying to read about. Although Raven was not actually in the book, Ven had to behave like her which involved being rather rude and sarcastic. Raven’s friends were also of the same nature. Other than Ven and Linc most characters were rather irritating.

The novel ends leaving the reader wondering what will happen next. It is not a cliffhanger as such, but it does leave the story wide open in regards to how things will be resolved.

<i>Imitation</i> would fit in well in a selection of other popular science fiction books that young adults have become addicted to. The ending of book one leaves us with the feeling that book two, <i>Deviation</i>, will be even more exciting.
  
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Sarah (7799 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies

Dec 31, 2019  
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
3
5.8 (88 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Why?!
I know the original Hellboy films didn’t do well critically, but they got a fairly decent fan following and I personally loved them, so I really didn’t see why they wanted to remake it. And after watching this disaster, I definitely cannot understand why they bothered to remake it!

I’ll start with the good bits, which won’t take long as David Harbour and Ian McShane are pretty much the only decent things about this film. Ian McShane seems to be playing his usual charismatic, crazy old man character (very reminiscent of Mr Wednesday) and I’m not complaining, as this is exactly what I love about him and he’s a rather good less nice version of Professor Broom. And David Harbour is a good Hellboy and gets the very few laughs there is in this, although I think he’s very let down and not able to shine properly because of the dodgy script and just general terribleness of this film. There’s also a decent rock soundtrack accompanying the fight scenes and a fairly fun amount of gore.

And now the bad. There’s far too much cgi in this and it isn’t always good, and they should’ve toned this down a lot. The plot and progression of the entire story is just bizarre, it was just downright ridiculous. They seem to have decided to try and fit in a strange assortment of folk tales and historic legends, like the Pendle Hill witches and King Arthur, and this is alongside the already crazy (but just about believable) origin of Hellboy himself and the Nazis. Even the bad guys in this are cheesy and not particularly threatening - Milla Jovovich with a horrendous English accent and a pig creature with a Scouse accent?! I know Stephen Graham is from Liverpool but that accent on that particular character was possible the most bizarre and frustrating thing I’ve ever seen. And also despite the main lead up being slightly different, the end result to Hellboy personally is exactly the same as the original. Why not try and come up with something completely different to avoid yet more negative comparisons to the original?

This is one film that should never have seen the light of day.
(6)   
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) Jan 1, 2020

I was so so disappointed with this. I was hoping it would one of those films that everyone hates, but I still find something to love, but sadly not. Apart from DH of course
(4)
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Darren (64 KP) rated Any Which Way You Can (1980) in Movies

Nov 1, 2019  
Any Which Way You Can (1980)
Any Which Way You Can (1980)
1980 | Action, Comedy
8
7.1 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Great fight scenes, funny moments, Clyde and not forgetting The Black Widows. (0 more)
Nothing i can think of. (0 more)
Right Turn Clyde
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was the first film i ever rented as a kid from the video shop. I was 5 at the time and the cover just drew me to it. My mum bless her let me have this and The Snowman. That was way back in 1985 and i have never lost any love for it.

Clint stars as Philo Bedo a bare knuckle brawler who has decided after his last fight (Which he easily wins) Enough is enough and he no longer wants to fight as, He is getting to enjoy the pain a little too much. When he is offered $25,000 by Patrick Scarfe ( Michael Cavanaugh) to fight Jack Wilson played by B movie great William Smith, Philo finds the offer to tempting to resist and accepts. Meanwhile, Lynn Halsey Taylor (Sondra Locke) returns to town and plays at the local bar in an attempt to reconcile with Philo, who she betrayed in the first film. Add to this, The Black Widows, the notorious and bumbling local biker gang, plan revenge on Philo for previous misdeeds from the first film.

When circumstances lead Philo to reconcile with Lynn, She and Philo's half brother Orville (Geoffrey Lewis) find out that Jack has killed a guy in his previous fight leading no one wanting to fight him. After much pressure, Philo decides not to fight and attempts to give the money back but Scarfe and his partner James Beekman ( Harry Guardino) won't take no for an answer and have Lynn kidnapped so that Philo has no choice but to fight.

Wilson finds out about this and helps Philo get Lynn back with both of them taking down a Beekmans mob guys.. When the fight is called off again because of the under handed tactics of Scarfe and Beekman, Pride between Philo and Wilson makes them wonder who would of won the fight?

Knowing it can't end how it is, Bedo and Wilson have a wild fight through the streets of Jackson to find out, Just who is the best between them.
(1)