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Ticket to Earth
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A distant planet. A dying colony. A deadly conspiracy. Fight a corrupt system in Ticket to Earth,...
Papers, Please
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A dystopian document thriller. The award-winning, critically-acclaimed border inspector game, now...
The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
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Late in 2016 the trio of Nils Edenloff, Paul Banwatt and Robin Hatch hit the road for a unique set...
rock
SongPop 2 - Guess The Song
Games and Music
8.0
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Join the world's largest music trivia community! Listen to actual songs and guess as fast as you...
Banner Saga
Games
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Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your...
World of Goo
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10.0
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"iPad Game of the Year" - TouchArcade "iPad Game of the Year" - MetaCritic Beautiful and...
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Clerks (1994) in Movies
Apr 22, 2017
Simple (3 more)
Hilarious
Pop Culture discussions
Jay and Silent Bob
I'm not even suppose to be here today!
Here is a film that could have left Kevin Smith in the Quickstop paying off the money he used to make this film, which he accomplished by maxing out credit cards.
Kevin Smith is an inspiration and this film is the start of it all. Clerks is a very simple film that manages to be entertaining and hilarious. The concept is this; Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to work on his day off, and ends up spending his day working in his dead end job behind the counter at a convenience store in New Jersey.
I should mention that this film is shot on a Arriflex 16 SR2 which means the film is in black and white.
Working with Dante is his best friend, Randal Graves, who isn't exactly a big help around the store or with personal problems. If anything, he makes matters worse because he almost never takes anything seriously.
The humour in this film is found through discussions of films such as Star Wars, discussions about sex, and about the customers of course. Describing it in text doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to watch it if I have in anyway peaked your interest.
This film was the introduction to what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' which is a series of films by Kevin Smith which are all connected via characters and events. However, the most important introductions from this film are the characters of the now famous duo, Jay and Silent Bob played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Yes, the same Kevin Smith who wrote and Directed the Movie. These two are the only two characters to appear in every movie in the View Askewniverse and usually help move the film in the right direction.
Overall, Clerks has to be one of my favourite movies of all time and once you watch the Askewniverse, it's easy to understand why, because no only is it smart and hilarious, but you have to appreciate that this started a series of other great indie films that made Kevin Smith the funny man he is today.
Kevin Smith is an inspiration and this film is the start of it all. Clerks is a very simple film that manages to be entertaining and hilarious. The concept is this; Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to work on his day off, and ends up spending his day working in his dead end job behind the counter at a convenience store in New Jersey.
I should mention that this film is shot on a Arriflex 16 SR2 which means the film is in black and white.
Working with Dante is his best friend, Randal Graves, who isn't exactly a big help around the store or with personal problems. If anything, he makes matters worse because he almost never takes anything seriously.
The humour in this film is found through discussions of films such as Star Wars, discussions about sex, and about the customers of course. Describing it in text doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to watch it if I have in anyway peaked your interest.
This film was the introduction to what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' which is a series of films by Kevin Smith which are all connected via characters and events. However, the most important introductions from this film are the characters of the now famous duo, Jay and Silent Bob played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Yes, the same Kevin Smith who wrote and Directed the Movie. These two are the only two characters to appear in every movie in the View Askewniverse and usually help move the film in the right direction.
Overall, Clerks has to be one of my favourite movies of all time and once you watch the Askewniverse, it's easy to understand why, because no only is it smart and hilarious, but you have to appreciate that this started a series of other great indie films that made Kevin Smith the funny man he is today.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated Gate 76 in Books
Jun 1, 2018
Oozing With Tension
In the right place at the right time, boxer turned private eye Freddy Ferguson catches sight of some very wrong people in an airport security line just before a flight explodes at the San Francisco International Airport.
And even though he's been contracted to go through passenger lists as part of the B team hired by the airline, Freddy can't help but follow up on what he'd witnessed on that deadly night when an enigmatic blonde woman escaped certain death by checking in only to change her appearance in an airport bathroom rather than get on that flight. Is she a part of a bigger conspiracy or merely the last living witness of a horrific crime?
Stylistically reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard with its no-nonsense first person point-of-view, indie author Andrew Diamond's Noir flavored page turner is terse, strong, and oozing with tension.
But while Freddy's redemptive plight is fascinating indeed, the otherwise terrific Gate 76 makes a few missteps in its final third as – instead of zeroing in on its increasingly complicated Grisham level mystery – one of its female leads begins to preach at Freddy, and therefore the reader. And even though I appreciate the book's bold characterization and vivid description, moments like this are not only the opposite of subtle but they also pull focus away from the main storyline.
Juggling a large number of characters to the point that in the end, Freddy has to phone a few to literally tell them and the reader what is going on, Gate 76 might've worked even better if it had cut down on some of the middle-men to avoid the repetition of needing to explain something we've already figured out alongside our lead.
From its dynamic opening that plays just like an action movie, Gate 76 is a largely effective and entertaining thriller. With his keen sense of humor, eye for details, and ability to weave together an intricate number of subplots with style, this was a great introduction for me to Andrew Diamond and makes me eager to pick up some of his other reads.
Note: I received an ARC of this title via Bookish First in exchange for my honest opinion.
And even though he's been contracted to go through passenger lists as part of the B team hired by the airline, Freddy can't help but follow up on what he'd witnessed on that deadly night when an enigmatic blonde woman escaped certain death by checking in only to change her appearance in an airport bathroom rather than get on that flight. Is she a part of a bigger conspiracy or merely the last living witness of a horrific crime?
Stylistically reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard with its no-nonsense first person point-of-view, indie author Andrew Diamond's Noir flavored page turner is terse, strong, and oozing with tension.
But while Freddy's redemptive plight is fascinating indeed, the otherwise terrific Gate 76 makes a few missteps in its final third as – instead of zeroing in on its increasingly complicated Grisham level mystery – one of its female leads begins to preach at Freddy, and therefore the reader. And even though I appreciate the book's bold characterization and vivid description, moments like this are not only the opposite of subtle but they also pull focus away from the main storyline.
Juggling a large number of characters to the point that in the end, Freddy has to phone a few to literally tell them and the reader what is going on, Gate 76 might've worked even better if it had cut down on some of the middle-men to avoid the repetition of needing to explain something we've already figured out alongside our lead.
From its dynamic opening that plays just like an action movie, Gate 76 is a largely effective and entertaining thriller. With his keen sense of humor, eye for details, and ability to weave together an intricate number of subplots with style, this was a great introduction for me to Andrew Diamond and makes me eager to pick up some of his other reads.
Note: I received an ARC of this title via Bookish First in exchange for my honest opinion.
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated Slave (Finding Anna, #1) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
This book was provided as part of a blog tour for Lily Loves Indie. The full review can be found here http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=174 but here is a snippet for you...
Well, that being said, you could be forgiven for wondering where the four star review comes from. Let me tell you that despite my niggles, there are plenty of things that are very enjoyable about this book. One of which is the way the story is told from both perspectives quite evenly. Hayes usually splits the chapters equally between Brianna and Stephan, which means we get both of their views on the situation. However, it is the way she does this that makes it so effective and enjoyable. The switch between them isn't the other one simply repeating things from their viewpoint, far from it in fact. Rather, they may recap any major thoughts directly relating to the previous passage, but the 'next' character then moves the story further on. This keeps the plot ticking over nicely, and means that the reader can engage with both characters equally. Something that can be quite difficult has been carried out with a high level of skill and makes for very engaging reading.
The plot is another aspect that is worthy of positive praise. Although at times a little repetitive, it does have a strong arc that develops well. The idea of a submissive being abused by their previous Dom is not a new thing, but Hayes brings a unique twist to this aspect with the introduction of Brianna as a slave. It is sensitively handled throughout, and incredibly well portrayed by Hayes, who doesn't linger on the suffering, however she doesn't dwell on it either. Although it's clear from the start that Brianna has a lot of issues relating to her servitude to Ian, it's not constantly referred to and the emphasis is on her getting over those experiences. This makes it incredible engaging, and it's also very easy for the reader to empathise with Brianna as she takes the proverbial two steps forward, one step back.
Well, that being said, you could be forgiven for wondering where the four star review comes from. Let me tell you that despite my niggles, there are plenty of things that are very enjoyable about this book. One of which is the way the story is told from both perspectives quite evenly. Hayes usually splits the chapters equally between Brianna and Stephan, which means we get both of their views on the situation. However, it is the way she does this that makes it so effective and enjoyable. The switch between them isn't the other one simply repeating things from their viewpoint, far from it in fact. Rather, they may recap any major thoughts directly relating to the previous passage, but the 'next' character then moves the story further on. This keeps the plot ticking over nicely, and means that the reader can engage with both characters equally. Something that can be quite difficult has been carried out with a high level of skill and makes for very engaging reading.
The plot is another aspect that is worthy of positive praise. Although at times a little repetitive, it does have a strong arc that develops well. The idea of a submissive being abused by their previous Dom is not a new thing, but Hayes brings a unique twist to this aspect with the introduction of Brianna as a slave. It is sensitively handled throughout, and incredibly well portrayed by Hayes, who doesn't linger on the suffering, however she doesn't dwell on it either. Although it's clear from the start that Brianna has a lot of issues relating to her servitude to Ian, it's not constantly referred to and the emphasis is on her getting over those experiences. This makes it incredible engaging, and it's also very easy for the reader to empathise with Brianna as she takes the proverbial two steps forward, one step back.