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Cal Brown (53 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Jul 7, 2017
Great alternative perspective on the marvel universe. (4 more)
Great casting. Love the racial diversity and equality of characters.
Amazing references to the original films and the MCU.
Tom Holland's performance and presence is incredible.
Air-gasping plot twists.
The aspect ratio of the smartphone-video diary doesn't make sense. (1 more)
A few minor logic flaws.
Spider-teen
Contains spoilers, click to show
Spiderman, a superhero that has been the go-to Halloween costume for the past 15 years and rightly so. With this being the 6th Spiderman movie, most would expect a drained and exhausted movie. I try to go into the cinema with an unbiased opinion on any movie, but even I expected it. However, it was a replenishing surprise to see a cinematic and equally entertaining Marvel film.
I loved seeing an alternative, somewhat more realistic, perspective on the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Hearing the 'voice of the people' and what students think of the avengers was a quirky amusement.
As a filmmaker, it was incredulous to see a specific inter-textual reference within one of the scenes. Night draws and the Vulture is driving the car with Peter Parker in the back. Things are getting tense as he realises that Peter Parker is Spiderman. The car is stationary at a set of traffic lights. The light turns green, cut to a close up of the Vulutre's face as he replicates the Green Goblin's expression and speaks the exact same words to Spiderman that the Green Goblin did in the very fist movie.
It's hard to believe that Tom Holland (Peter Parker) was born and raised in London as his American accent is spot on! This was complimented by his excellent and energetic performance.
The casting for this film was noteworthy. The racial diversity and equality of characters was great.
There were a few logic flaws within the film, but they're not worth enough value to even discuss them as the story and value of the film overall was excellent. I'm content with giving this film an almost perfect 9/10 as there were a few parts of the story where I felt like it was getting repetitive and the plot was starting to feel a bit 'back-and-forth'.
I loved seeing an alternative, somewhat more realistic, perspective on the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Hearing the 'voice of the people' and what students think of the avengers was a quirky amusement.
As a filmmaker, it was incredulous to see a specific inter-textual reference within one of the scenes. Night draws and the Vulture is driving the car with Peter Parker in the back. Things are getting tense as he realises that Peter Parker is Spiderman. The car is stationary at a set of traffic lights. The light turns green, cut to a close up of the Vulutre's face as he replicates the Green Goblin's expression and speaks the exact same words to Spiderman that the Green Goblin did in the very fist movie.
It's hard to believe that Tom Holland (Peter Parker) was born and raised in London as his American accent is spot on! This was complimented by his excellent and energetic performance.
The casting for this film was noteworthy. The racial diversity and equality of characters was great.
There were a few logic flaws within the film, but they're not worth enough value to even discuss them as the story and value of the film overall was excellent. I'm content with giving this film an almost perfect 9/10 as there were a few parts of the story where I felt like it was getting repetitive and the plot was starting to feel a bit 'back-and-forth'.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated A Voice in the Distance (Flynn Laukonen, #2) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I read A Note of Madness a little while ago and absolutely loved it. Flynn is a great character, and the story of his struggles with mental health is just fantastic. There can never be too much awareness, especially in boys/men.
This book was even more... emotional for me. I don't want to go into too much detail, but Flynn really reminds me of my boyfriend. The ending of this novel - while fantastic and honest - was not very comforting at all.
Jennah and Flynn started dating after the first book, and so in this book we alternate between the two narratives. Hearing Jennah's thoughts on what's happening with Flynn was amazing. I related to a lot of it.
In case you haven't heard about A Note of Madness, it's about Flynn Laukonen, a young uni student in London. He struggles with mental health problems and is misdiagnosed at first, but eventually correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He suffers from extreme manic episodes, followed by severe depression. Fitting his music - especially competitions - around these episodes is quite a feat.
As I mentioned earlier, the ending is great. It was extremely bittersweet. I think it's good to be honest about things like this, though, and not just throw together a stereotypical happy ending.
In this book, Flynn goes through a few treatment methods. Following attempted suicide (which may be hard for some people to read about, so be warned) he is sectioned and sent to a residential unit for a month. He also has some issues involving his medication and the side effects they cause.
The most noteworthy thing about Jennah's take on Flynn's illness is her admitting that Flynn can be horrible and can hurt her sometimes, and it's okay to recognise that. Just because he is ill does not mean he is excused for harmful and mean behaviour. This is so important for anyone to realise when dealing with a loved one with any kind of mental health problems.
A really good book, realistic and reassuring but really quite emotional. 4 stars.
This book was even more... emotional for me. I don't want to go into too much detail, but Flynn really reminds me of my boyfriend. The ending of this novel - while fantastic and honest - was not very comforting at all.
Jennah and Flynn started dating after the first book, and so in this book we alternate between the two narratives. Hearing Jennah's thoughts on what's happening with Flynn was amazing. I related to a lot of it.
In case you haven't heard about A Note of Madness, it's about Flynn Laukonen, a young uni student in London. He struggles with mental health problems and is misdiagnosed at first, but eventually correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He suffers from extreme manic episodes, followed by severe depression. Fitting his music - especially competitions - around these episodes is quite a feat.
As I mentioned earlier, the ending is great. It was extremely bittersweet. I think it's good to be honest about things like this, though, and not just throw together a stereotypical happy ending.
In this book, Flynn goes through a few treatment methods. Following attempted suicide (which may be hard for some people to read about, so be warned) he is sectioned and sent to a residential unit for a month. He also has some issues involving his medication and the side effects they cause.
The most noteworthy thing about Jennah's take on Flynn's illness is her admitting that Flynn can be horrible and can hurt her sometimes, and it's okay to recognise that. Just because he is ill does not mean he is excused for harmful and mean behaviour. This is so important for anyone to realise when dealing with a loved one with any kind of mental health problems.
A really good book, realistic and reassuring but really quite emotional. 4 stars.
DJ Muggs recommended Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin in Music (curated)
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) in Movies
Feb 5, 2020
Ian Malcolm Should Have Left Them On the Island
Thoughts before watching The Lost World: Jurassic Park as a twelve-year-old in 1997: “Oh man, I can’t wait to check out all this dino action! Raptors for life!” Thoughts before watching The Lost World: Jurassic Park as a thirty-five-year-old in 2019: “Why the hell are they going back to the island? These people clearly have a death wish!” Yes, the sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made sees a return to the dinosaur madness as a special team led by Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm goes on a mission for Jurassic Park’s creator John Hammond (Richard Attenborough).
Acting: 10
Jeff Goldblum has a way of captivating any screen he’s on. He has charm, wit, and an erratic nature that’s absolutely hilarious. He has a strong cast backing him up with guys like Vince Vaughn and Julianne Moore helping to run the show.
Beginning: 10
Strong start as we see there are still idiots out there that don’t know how to stay away from these islands. The movie is immediately entertaining while also letting you know it’s going to be a different kind of movie than the first. Definitely piqued my interest.
Characters: 6
One of my biggest issues with the entire movie. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t score it lower. For the most part, I hated these characters outside of Ian Malcolm. I almost wish he had left the rest of them to stew on the island by themselves. Julianne Moore’s character Sarah Harding was obnoxious and pretty annoying. Then again, I can say that for a lot of the characters including Malcolm’s daughter Kelly Curtis (Vanessa Lee Chester). At times, it really made it hard for me to enjoy the movie.
Cinematography/Visuals: 9
The dino special effects were taken to new heights in this one. I particularly love the extra work they put into the velociraptors showing off their incredible jumping ability and rogue-like stealth. I also appreciated the multitude of dinos you get in this one as well from the stegosaurus down to the tiny compies. I can’t remember their names, but my particular favorite dino was the one with the bone head. His hard skull could crash through just about anything. I enjoyed watching it wreak havoc on a number of doors and people.
What bothered me just a bit was the choice of a darker color tone throughout the movie. It was almost as if they were trying to purposefully differentiate from the first by doing this. It takes some getting used to, but ultimately didn’t kill the movie for me.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 4
Pace: 8
Plot: 4
What a stupid story. Who in their right mind after hearing all the craziness that went down at the original park would ever go back to face off against these dinos? Rescue mission my ass, not this guy! Had they followed the book, I feel it would have been a lot more believable.
Resolution: 9
Overall: 77
Let’s be honest, no way this movie was going to match the first in any way. Jurassic Park set an amazing standard that is just hard to follow. However, I will say that, while not perfect, The Lost World: Jurassic Park does have its moments that make it a decent enough watch.
Acting: 10
Jeff Goldblum has a way of captivating any screen he’s on. He has charm, wit, and an erratic nature that’s absolutely hilarious. He has a strong cast backing him up with guys like Vince Vaughn and Julianne Moore helping to run the show.
Beginning: 10
Strong start as we see there are still idiots out there that don’t know how to stay away from these islands. The movie is immediately entertaining while also letting you know it’s going to be a different kind of movie than the first. Definitely piqued my interest.
Characters: 6
One of my biggest issues with the entire movie. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t score it lower. For the most part, I hated these characters outside of Ian Malcolm. I almost wish he had left the rest of them to stew on the island by themselves. Julianne Moore’s character Sarah Harding was obnoxious and pretty annoying. Then again, I can say that for a lot of the characters including Malcolm’s daughter Kelly Curtis (Vanessa Lee Chester). At times, it really made it hard for me to enjoy the movie.
Cinematography/Visuals: 9
The dino special effects were taken to new heights in this one. I particularly love the extra work they put into the velociraptors showing off their incredible jumping ability and rogue-like stealth. I also appreciated the multitude of dinos you get in this one as well from the stegosaurus down to the tiny compies. I can’t remember their names, but my particular favorite dino was the one with the bone head. His hard skull could crash through just about anything. I enjoyed watching it wreak havoc on a number of doors and people.
What bothered me just a bit was the choice of a darker color tone throughout the movie. It was almost as if they were trying to purposefully differentiate from the first by doing this. It takes some getting used to, but ultimately didn’t kill the movie for me.
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 4
Pace: 8
Plot: 4
What a stupid story. Who in their right mind after hearing all the craziness that went down at the original park would ever go back to face off against these dinos? Rescue mission my ass, not this guy! Had they followed the book, I feel it would have been a lot more believable.
Resolution: 9
Overall: 77
Let’s be honest, no way this movie was going to match the first in any way. Jurassic Park set an amazing standard that is just hard to follow. However, I will say that, while not perfect, The Lost World: Jurassic Park does have its moments that make it a decent enough watch.
TG
The Gamer's Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design
Book
Making a successful video game is hard. Even games that are successful at launch may fail to engage...
Alicia S (193 KP) rated Untamed (Thoughtless, #4) in Books
Sep 28, 2018
Oh, Griffin... (smh). First off, I am a HUGE fan of the Thoughtless series. This is one of my all-time TOP favorite series. SC Stephens has a way of writing that brings you so close to the characters that you feel as if you know them personally. I was completely caught up emotionally in this series from day one and I still carry it with me. It's almost scary his much this series affected me... I was so overly sensitive to their thoughts and feelings, it was as if I was experiencing it firsthand. This most recent addition was no exception. On a personal note, this was a very tough book for me to read as the overall theme hit very close to home for me. Watching the lies and deceit flow so easily from Griffin was very hard to stomach. His snowball of bad decisions was painful to watch, for him, Anna and the girls and for the rest of the band and family. I love the D-Bags but always saw Griffin as that annoying friend that you just can't help but love and hate. I found him incredibly annoying at times and hearing it all from his POV was interesting as you saw that he did truly justify his actions.. in his own Griffin kinda way. As frustrating as it was at times, making me want to smack the $hit out of him, he was easier to understand. In the end, he rectified himself in a way that I never thought Id seem, nor did anyone else!? We all got to finally see out Hulk grown up. He's still there, just in controlled doses.. ;-) His relationship with Anna and the girls was beautiful to witness.. we really got to see a whole other side to him. This book tore me up, left me hanging at moment, scared to death and made me bawl my eyes out... Yet another masterpiece form SC Stephens.. surely not to be missed!
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Uncle Buck (1989) in Movies
Mar 18, 2018
Hilarious
My Movies 365 journey has taken me deep into 80's territory, with Uncle Buck being my next up to review. Released in 1989, it just squeezes into the decade but is perfect for it. The 80's trend is becoming clearer with every film I watch: It was all about having fun. No strong depth. No taking itself too seriously. If you were going to see a film in the 80's, you were there for the sole purpose of having a good time. Did I have a good time watching Uncle Buck? Absolutely!
The film is simple in its design, yet still manages to have a ton of classic scenes. How many takes do you think it took to film the memorable Q&A scene with John Candy and McCauley Caulkin? I crack up just thinking about it so I can only imagine how hard it was for them. And Uncle Buck's car? Oh my God, the car! Hooptiest of hoopties. I don't know what's funnier, hearing its shotgun exhaust for the first time or watching everyone scatter for their lives.
Uncle Buck is called in to help babysit after his brother and sister-in-law have to go out of town to deal with an emergency. Other than the fact that there's no real substance to the movie, I don't really have anything bad to say about it. John Candy is perfect in his role as Buck. He's lived a life full of mistakes, but he's a great guy at heart. How can you not love a guy that will make you table-sized pancakes and punch out a clown for your birthday? My Favorite Line: "Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"
Recommended by an Uncle Kory, I'm so glad Uncle Buck made it's way onto my movie list. I'm giving it an 85.
The film is simple in its design, yet still manages to have a ton of classic scenes. How many takes do you think it took to film the memorable Q&A scene with John Candy and McCauley Caulkin? I crack up just thinking about it so I can only imagine how hard it was for them. And Uncle Buck's car? Oh my God, the car! Hooptiest of hoopties. I don't know what's funnier, hearing its shotgun exhaust for the first time or watching everyone scatter for their lives.
Uncle Buck is called in to help babysit after his brother and sister-in-law have to go out of town to deal with an emergency. Other than the fact that there's no real substance to the movie, I don't really have anything bad to say about it. John Candy is perfect in his role as Buck. He's lived a life full of mistakes, but he's a great guy at heart. How can you not love a guy that will make you table-sized pancakes and punch out a clown for your birthday? My Favorite Line: "Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"
Recommended by an Uncle Kory, I'm so glad Uncle Buck made it's way onto my movie list. I'm giving it an 85.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Ashley Bell in Books
Feb 19, 2018
This was the best Dean Koontz novel I've read since the first Odd Thomas. I loved Bibi, and there was a great cast of supporting characters, including her parents, her best pal Pogo, and her fiance, a Navy Seal named Pax. Not everyone was on Bibi's side, however, and once again Mr. Koontz proves that sometimes the scariest monsters are those who wear human faces.
This is one of those stories that is very hard to talk about without giving too much away, and I would not want to ruin the surprises for anyone who might choose to read the book. With that said, here's what I can tell you without spoiling anything.... The novel starts out with Bibi, a novelist, discovering that she has brain cancer. After hearing that she has less then a year to live, she surprises everyone (except maybe herself) by waking completely cancer free the next morning. As a celebratory gift, her parents send a psychic to Bibi, and during her reading, she discovers that her life was spared so that she could save someone named Ashley Bell. The journey that Bibi has to make in her quest to locate Ashley forces her to revisit places and experiences from her own past that she has long since forgotten.
The buildup in this novel started out slow but constant, and once it got moving I couldn't put it down. Any Dean Koontz fan, or any thriller fan for that matter, will love this one. While Dean Koontz may be thought of as a horror writer, and there are some paranormal elements to this story, non-horror fans should enjoy this one also.
<i>Note: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest </i>review.
This is one of those stories that is very hard to talk about without giving too much away, and I would not want to ruin the surprises for anyone who might choose to read the book. With that said, here's what I can tell you without spoiling anything.... The novel starts out with Bibi, a novelist, discovering that she has brain cancer. After hearing that she has less then a year to live, she surprises everyone (except maybe herself) by waking completely cancer free the next morning. As a celebratory gift, her parents send a psychic to Bibi, and during her reading, she discovers that her life was spared so that she could save someone named Ashley Bell. The journey that Bibi has to make in her quest to locate Ashley forces her to revisit places and experiences from her own past that she has long since forgotten.
The buildup in this novel started out slow but constant, and once it got moving I couldn't put it down. Any Dean Koontz fan, or any thriller fan for that matter, will love this one. While Dean Koontz may be thought of as a horror writer, and there are some paranormal elements to this story, non-horror fans should enjoy this one also.
<i>Note: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest </i>review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated A Time to Swill in Books
Jul 28, 2021 (Updated Jul 28, 2021)
Chloe Gets Swept into a New Mystery
Chloe Jackson has just returned from packing up her life in Chicago and saying her goodbyes to move full time to her new home in Florida. Her first morning back, she is running on the beach near her new home when she sees a ship that has beached itself. Hearing a cry on board, she climbs on board only to get swept out to sea. Before she is rescued, she’s found a skeleton that reopens a disappearance from twelve years ago. With some of her new friends under investigation, she is determined to find out what happened all those years ago and why it is coming to light now. What will she uncover?
The plot teaser just covers a few of the questions the book quickly gives us, and I had a very hard time putting the book down. In fact, I used a lazy Saturday to finish it faster than I originally planned. Meanwhile, there’s a strong sub-plot, not that we need any more reason to be addicted. Everything is resolved satisfactorily by the time we reach the end. Since Chloe doesn’t know her new friends super well yet, this book gives her, and us, a chance to learn more about them, and I love the character development. I might not normally pick up a book set in a bar, but I definitely enjoyed this one, especially the location – right on the beach. That setting may make this the ultimate beach read. Whether you pick up this book while on the beach or not, allow plenty of time to get lost in a great mystery when you pick up this book.
The plot teaser just covers a few of the questions the book quickly gives us, and I had a very hard time putting the book down. In fact, I used a lazy Saturday to finish it faster than I originally planned. Meanwhile, there’s a strong sub-plot, not that we need any more reason to be addicted. Everything is resolved satisfactorily by the time we reach the end. Since Chloe doesn’t know her new friends super well yet, this book gives her, and us, a chance to learn more about them, and I love the character development. I might not normally pick up a book set in a bar, but I definitely enjoyed this one, especially the location – right on the beach. That setting may make this the ultimate beach read. Whether you pick up this book while on the beach or not, allow plenty of time to get lost in a great mystery when you pick up this book.
