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Bird (1700 KP) created a video about Sony DVPSR210P DVD Player in Tech

May 11, 2018  
Video

Review by HOAR Reviews

  
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Lindsay (1693 KP) rated Roma, Underground in Books

Aug 30, 2018 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)  
RU
Roma, Underground
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Roma Underground is done well. The author start out with a woman we meet as Bianca N. We do learn a little about her past. Her name is mentioned, as Alabaster Black. You may think well, is that her real name or not? We also meet up with Dante, Alessandro, Farrugia and Gennaro. We also run into a few more people along the way.

What out a bit of a boring start with this story. It does get much better. Somehow this group gets involved with a smuggling artifact. Why is Bianca recruited by “Rendition”? Who are they, and what do they want?

Though you do not know how this group gets brought in to start a hoax? You will just be wandering in the world is going on and what it roughly about. Someone is stealing artifacts or art artifacts that have been going missing. The hoax is started by an idea that is shared by Dante.

You do go about learning about Roma Underground and what happens there along the history of Rome. I can not wait to find out what to happen next in the next book named “Wasp Nest.” This book is worth the reading and it offers so much more.
  
RU
Roma, Underground
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Review: Roma Underground by Gabriel Valjan (Blog Tour) Roma Underground is done well. The author starts out with a woman we meet as Bianca N. We do learn a little about her past. Her name is mentioned, as Alabaster Black. You may think well, is that her real name or not? We also meet up with Dante, Alessandro, Farrugia and Gennaro. We also run into a few more people along the way.
 
What out a bit of a boring start with this story. It does get much better. Somehow this group gets involved with a smuggling artifact. Why is Bianca recruited by “Rendition”? Who are they, and what do they want?
 
Though you do not know how this group gets brought in to start a hoax? You will just be wandering in the world is going on and what it roughly about. Someone is stealing artifacts or art artifacts that have been going missing. The hoax is started by an idea that is shared by Dante.
You do go about learning about Roma Underground and what happens there along the history of Rome. I can not wait to find out what to happen next in the next book named “Wasp Nest.” This book is worth the reading and it offers so much more.
  
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
2016 | Horror
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Conjuring 2 is based on the events of The Enfield poltergeist from 1977 the film however starts with the Warren's involvement with The Amityville incident it is during this that Lorraine has a vision of Ed dying.
In England a single mother of four is struggling to make ends meets for her family and then one of the daughters,Janet, starts to experience waking downstairs. It isn't long till it is established its a haunting. Various experts and skeptics alike decend on to the family home till during a TV interview Janet speaks as that of former home resident Bill Watkins.
This eventually brings in the church who contact the Warren's for them to assess whether its a hoax or not.
It is definitely presented as real. Lorraine is still troubled by her premonition of Eds demise but they seem to bond with the family.
Plenty of twists and scares and huge amount of atmosphere make this, dare I say it, a more enjoyable watch then the first Conjuring.

Of course this is based on a real life situation and all the players who were involved are represented in the film. However, the Warren's involvement was nowhere near as much as portrayed here (claims that no one even knew who Ed Warren was). In the end some believe its Britain's Amityville or a clever hoax by some teen girls, the film doesn't try to get into though there is a scene which eludes to the fact it could have been a hoax.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back as the Warren's and are both very good in there roles. It is however young Madison Wolfe as Janet who steals the show from confused, scared little girl to snarling demon. The TV interview scene she portrays the point where Janet is possessed superbly.
Special mention to Simon Mcburney for his portrayal of Maurice Grossae.
James Wan is a man who knows how to

In the end I give The Conjuring 2 top marks. A film I enjoyed immensely and actually preferred this to the original.
  
I Will Make You Pay
I Will Make You Pay
Teresa Driscoll | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Teresa Driscoll's most popular book is I am Watching You. Her latest thriller is I Will Make You Pay. Enjoying an earlier book, The Promise, as much as I did, I was excited to have the opportunity to review her new novel.

In I Will Make You Pay Journalist Alice Henderson receives a threatening phone call while at work. Dismissing it as a hoax, she hangs up. Exactly one week later, it becomes apparent it is not a hoax. Alice should be worried. Alice's family should be worried. Alice should be worried for and about her family.

The twists and turns work. The characters are fully developed and likable. The story flows so well it was hard to find a stopping point. I ended staying awake much later than I should have on a work night. However, the story was worth it and did not disappoint.

After thoroughly enjoying both The Promise and I Will Make You Pay, I added other books by Teresa Driscoll to my "want to read" list. If she keeps writing thrilling books like the two I read, I will continue reading them.

Read my review for The Promise at http://philomathinphila.com/2019/02/28/the-promise-by-teresa-driscoll/.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 1/21/2020.
  
Could - Single by HOAX
Could - Single by HOAX
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
HOAX is an indie pop-rock outfit from Queens, New York. Not too long ago, they released a groovy alternative-rock tune, entitled, “Could”.

“We could be right or we could be wrong, together. When Daffodil Skies, they bloom in the darkest weather. Make up a lie. Tell yourself you’re fine like your mother and father did before. Eat yourself alive. You open up but the words are all tongue-tied.” – lyrics

‘Could’ tells an interesting tale of a young guy who knows that his relationship with his significant other is in survival mode.

Apparently, late one night, his mind is occupied with stimulating thoughts, which question the life that he’s living. While pondering, he realizes that he and his partner are wasting their time on mindless entertainment.

Later, he admits that behind their broken smiles, they struggle to find a reason behind their need to survive.

‘Could’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation scented with an indie-alternative fragrance.

“‘Could’ is the first snapshot of many narratives told in the forms of songs on the album that opens up a begrudging conversation everyone must eventually come to have with oneself. Questions that highlight the essence of BEING, which if not asked in a timely manner, might result in years and years passing by. Until you finally look backward through a telescope of regret.” – Michael Raj & Frantz Cesar

‘Could’ is an episode in a series of stories exploring the human condition of Being. The likable tune is the first single from HOAX’s upcoming debut album, entitled, “b?”, which took two years to make.

Also, the LP follows the narratives of thirteen different characters, thrown together in the aftermath of an otherworldly series of events.

The intertwined stories are centered around the abstract concepts of: “BEING”. An evident obsession of both the characters in the story and the band members themselves.

The dichotomy of BEING vs. DOING is highlighted through careful lyrical content on the album.

HOAX is the musical brainchild of Michael Raj and Frantz Cesar. They view themselves as “the beautiful sound of sadness”, a description coined by a close friend.

Their modern vintage sound draws from a wide range of influences such as ‘60s pop, ‘70s Motown, and alternative R&B music.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/hoax-could/
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Alternative 3 in TV

May 4, 2019 (Updated May 4, 2019)  
Alternative 3
Alternative 3
1977 | Documentary, Sci-Fi
One of the great TV hoaxes, from back when such things were still considered an acceptable jape. Made, for the most part, with great care and attention to detail, the result is very convincing and unsettling viewing - although the presence of fairly well-known actors in a couple of roles does kind of blow the gaffe a bit, long before the end.

Some people will argue that claims that this is a hoax are just a smokescreen and the makers either stumbled onto the truth or were trying to blow the whistle on a real conspiracy, which is why this show vanished into obscurity for a long while after its transmission. I really don't know, but parts of the story here do seem eerily close to reality, 40 years on, and the questions Alternative 3 raises about how much to trust the media are still pertinent today.
  
The War of the Dwarves
The War of the Dwarves
Markus Heitz | 2010 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The follow-up to the first Dwarves book sees the dwarves again join forces with the humans and now join forces with their age old enemies the elves to battle against a new source of evil.
There is a lot packed into this book with a number of stand-offs against the evil thirdling dwarves, the evil elves and an invading force from the Outer Lands.
For me at times it felt like the story was being made up on the spot with the overarching plot changing a number of times to suit the author's mood. At one point the feared enemy in the West was just a hoax by the thirdlings then it was real etc etc. There were still some good action scenes but these were in the minority here as so much of the book was taken up with politics and intrigue.
Something of a comedown from the first in the series.
  
I'm Still Here (2010)
I'm Still Here (2010)
2010 | Comedy, Drama, Music
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This film, is it, was it real, or was it in effect a massive hoax concocted by Phoenix and Affleck? Well, it has been revealed that it was the latter, and to be fair after watching it you’d have to be a total fool to actually believe that one of Hollywood’s brightest talents would jack it all in to become a rapper.

As far as performances go this is one of Joaquin’s best, and all he had to do was grow a grizzly beard, smoke a lot and write some of the most ridiculous rap lyrics ever! But if this is genuine satire then he put his heart and sole into it!

When he was interviewed by David Letterman (who had no idea the whole thing was a hoax) Phoenix looked like a shadow of his former self

Chewing gum, and slopped in his chair he was totally unresponsive to the abuse he was getting, and back stage vented his anger. The more outrageous scenes are the ones that create the most hilarious and deliver the shocking impacts, such as sniffing coke from the bosom of a prostitute, to having his face shat on by a so called friend.

What is the most cringe-worthy to watch is Phoenix’s pitiful attempts at rapping, the bloke has about as much musical talent as Jedward and he gets his fair share of heckles, in each venue that he some how manages to get a gig for.

“I’ve got a million dollars in the bank, what have you got!?” comes Pheonix’s response, and then he proceeds to hurl himself into the crowd fists swinging, followed by violent vomiting.

To think that a man of P Diddy’s calibre would even consider letting some disheveled tramp off the street play him tracks from his demo is unbelievable in itself. Diddy’s eyes say it all as he asks Phoenix to skip on to the next one, continually starring down the camera in sheer disbelief!

There is not a lot to suggest that an actor such as this would just suddenly melt down, of course we don’t deny the pressures in Hollywood might cause few to sink to a lowest ebb, but Affleck succeeds in making this a shocking and truly hilarious stunt.
  
This is a book involving the 'Witch of Lime Street', a 'medium', and notorious hoax-finding Houdini.
The spiritualist movement is an interesting one, that propelled many people to fame that had supposed psychic powers. Most of these were debunked, and Houdini was the main person doing this debunking. A notable believer in this movement was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I find so completely interesting.
While this book mostly focuses on the woman referenced in the title, it does touch on other female psychics and mediums. There was some weird stuff that happened, and one situation seriously haunts me - ectoplasm being discharged from the vag (EWWWWWWWWWWW). Apparently these ladies hid a lot of things up there, and that's why they tended to be checked.
What is interesting about Houdini, is the fact that he was always trying to connect to the spirit world, and basically got pissed off when these fakes popped up, getting his hopes up. His doubting nature of the psychics, etc, mostly comes from a personal vendetta of being screwed over in the past by phonies.
Anyway, if you're interested in weird history, history of the spiritualist movement, and Houdini, it's a good read.