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David McK (3755 KP) rated The Rock (1996) in Movies
Jul 12, 2023
There was a period during the late 90s, early 90s, where Nice Cage was in full action hero mode.
We're talking the likes of National Treasure, Con-Air, Face/Off. And this, his first entry in that mold from 1996.
Also starring Sean Connery in a Bind-in-all-but-name role, this sees Cage playing the part of an FBI chemical expert who has to accompany Connery and US Marines on a mission to infiltrate Alcatraz (Connery's role being as the only man to ever escape from said prison) after a group of disillusioned Marines - led by Ed Harris - seize control of the island and have chemical weapons pointing at San Francisco.
I think this may be the first Michael Bay film I ever saw; looking back on it now I can see that, even back then, it has all the hallmarks of one of his films!
We're talking the likes of National Treasure, Con-Air, Face/Off. And this, his first entry in that mold from 1996.
Also starring Sean Connery in a Bind-in-all-but-name role, this sees Cage playing the part of an FBI chemical expert who has to accompany Connery and US Marines on a mission to infiltrate Alcatraz (Connery's role being as the only man to ever escape from said prison) after a group of disillusioned Marines - led by Ed Harris - seize control of the island and have chemical weapons pointing at San Francisco.
I think this may be the first Michael Bay film I ever saw; looking back on it now I can see that, even back then, it has all the hallmarks of one of his films!
David McK (3755 KP) rated The Suicide Squad (2021) in Movies
May 27, 2023
Hmmm ... not Suicide Squad, but 'The Suicide Squad'.
Like Aliens and not Alien.
A sort-of sequel to the earlier movie (here, Suicide Squad), with some of the same characters - most noticeably, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn - although it is by no means necessary to have watched that earlier movie.
This is also a fair bit bloodier/messier than I remember said earlier movie being, and has absolutely no mention of either Batman or the Joker (unless you count Quinn's aversion to personalised number plates? See The Jokers car ...) to distract from the plot here, which sees the group of super-villains (all with a tracker and bomb implanted in their head) all sent on a mission to the island of Corto Maltese to destroy a Nazi-era prison and laboratory.
Of the 2 movies, I think this is the better.
It's definitely a James Gunn film through and through!
Like Aliens and not Alien.
A sort-of sequel to the earlier movie (here, Suicide Squad), with some of the same characters - most noticeably, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn - although it is by no means necessary to have watched that earlier movie.
This is also a fair bit bloodier/messier than I remember said earlier movie being, and has absolutely no mention of either Batman or the Joker (unless you count Quinn's aversion to personalised number plates? See The Jokers car ...) to distract from the plot here, which sees the group of super-villains (all with a tracker and bomb implanted in their head) all sent on a mission to the island of Corto Maltese to destroy a Nazi-era prison and laboratory.
Of the 2 movies, I think this is the better.
It's definitely a James Gunn film through and through!
The Bloody Chorus
Book
Two empires...one in decline, the other ascendant and hungry for conquest... Upon his father’s...
Lost Shores of Thonis
8.0
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Book
A year ago, Azizi's island home abruptly sank into the Mediterranean, drowning her family, culture,...
Historical Mystery Ancient Egypt
Ghosting Academy (The Limerent Series #4)
8.0
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Book
It’s been years since Amelie abandoned her home to become an elite agent of the Academy. In its...
Contemporary Urban Fantasy Psychological Suspense Thriller
Isle of Skye: 2016
Book
Are you planning a visit to the Isle of Skye? Do you enjoy a walk in the country or a leisurely...
50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind
Lonely Planet and Ben Handicott
Book
From the people who have been delivering trustworthy guidebooks to every destination in the world...
Christina Haynes (148 KP) rated The Book Jumper in Books
Sep 18, 2018
The Book Jumper
Amy Lennox is a book jumper, only she doesn't know this until she arrives in Scotland with her mother Alexis. There she finds out she comes from a long line of Book Jumpers along with another family. Now a book jumper is exactly what it sounds like. You have the ability to jump into any book you like by sliding it over your face and bamn your inside. Name your favourite book and your there, in the pages of the book. Your not just in the book living the lives of the characters, your in the book able to talk to whoever you like and go wherever you like. Only you can't interfere with the story itself, but your able to go among the pages as you please. The purpose of a Book Jumper is to protect literature and keep things safe, so that the stories don't change.
Amy learns how to be one through lessons with the other students who to can Book Jump. She learns the history of the two families and how a manuscript 100's of years ago was destroyed. She is then given her first book to jump into and protect - The Jungle Book.
Whilst Amy is in the world of books she meets some great allies and experiences some great stories. But whilst she is in one book with a friend of hers, she hears that someone or something has been stealing ideas from the stories. They are stealing the thing that makes that story, the thing that starts that story off...
But who is stealing these ideas, on the island she lives there is only around 6 people. But is the thief from the island or is there more to who is stealing and why?
This book was so good and I loved every moment of it.
☕☕☕☕ 4 – I REALLY LIKED IT
Love,
Christina xx
Amy learns how to be one through lessons with the other students who to can Book Jump. She learns the history of the two families and how a manuscript 100's of years ago was destroyed. She is then given her first book to jump into and protect - The Jungle Book.
Whilst Amy is in the world of books she meets some great allies and experiences some great stories. But whilst she is in one book with a friend of hers, she hears that someone or something has been stealing ideas from the stories. They are stealing the thing that makes that story, the thing that starts that story off...
But who is stealing these ideas, on the island she lives there is only around 6 people. But is the thief from the island or is there more to who is stealing and why?
This book was so good and I loved every moment of it.
☕☕☕☕ 4 – I REALLY LIKED IT
Love,
Christina xx
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury, #1) in Books
Dec 19, 2018
I didn't actually have high hopes for this book - the description hits a lot of standard YA tropes. Sisterhood, switched roles, Royal/pauper juxtaposition...but WOW. No, this book blew me away.
In Serina and Nomi's world, women are second-class citizens, forbidden to read, have romantic relationships with each other, or have careers of their own. Serina plans to be a Grace, effectively a concubine to the Prince, with her sister as her handmaiden. But it is Nomi who catches the Prince's eye when she stumbles into him in a hallway, and Nomi that he picks. In a moment of weakness, Nomi's secret is discovered and thought to be Serina's, and rather than jeopardize Nomi's new position, Serina capitulates and takes the fall. She's sent to a volcanic island prison while Nomi struggles to tame her own rebellious nature long enough to gain enough influence to free her sister.
The book is about oppression and sisterhood, whether it be with those that share your blood or not. Along the way, we discover a different history of the nation than what is normally taught, and find a few men who sympathize with the women's plight. (And eventually step up to take action alongside the women.)
It's a quick read - the action starts on page one and never stops. Chapters alternate between Nomi in the palace and Serina on her island prison fighting for food, and both girls learn that what they saw as weakness in each other can be strengths in different circumstances.
The only downside to this book is that it ends with things unfinished. Not a cliffhanger, exactly, but the story is most definitely not done, and the sequel doesn't come out until July of 2019! I will be snapping that up as soon as it releases because I NEED to know how these two sisters overcome their trials.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
In Serina and Nomi's world, women are second-class citizens, forbidden to read, have romantic relationships with each other, or have careers of their own. Serina plans to be a Grace, effectively a concubine to the Prince, with her sister as her handmaiden. But it is Nomi who catches the Prince's eye when she stumbles into him in a hallway, and Nomi that he picks. In a moment of weakness, Nomi's secret is discovered and thought to be Serina's, and rather than jeopardize Nomi's new position, Serina capitulates and takes the fall. She's sent to a volcanic island prison while Nomi struggles to tame her own rebellious nature long enough to gain enough influence to free her sister.
The book is about oppression and sisterhood, whether it be with those that share your blood or not. Along the way, we discover a different history of the nation than what is normally taught, and find a few men who sympathize with the women's plight. (And eventually step up to take action alongside the women.)
It's a quick read - the action starts on page one and never stops. Chapters alternate between Nomi in the palace and Serina on her island prison fighting for food, and both girls learn that what they saw as weakness in each other can be strengths in different circumstances.
The only downside to this book is that it ends with things unfinished. Not a cliffhanger, exactly, but the story is most definitely not done, and the sequel doesn't come out until July of 2019! I will be snapping that up as soon as it releases because I NEED to know how these two sisters overcome their trials.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2528 KP) rated The Lost World (Jurassic Park, #2) in Books
Dec 15, 2019
Scientific Theories Disguised as Fiction Make Desire to Read This Novel Extinct
This book picks up a few years after the original Jurassic Park disaster. It turns out that that the rumors of Ian Malcom’s death were greatly exaggerated, and he has recovered thanks to Sarah Harding. While none of the survivors of the Jurassic Park disaster have talked about what happened, there are rumors. And those rumors aren’t helped by the reappearance of weird creatures on the Costa Rica coast. In fact, wealthy scientist Richard Levine has come up with the theory that there is another island with dinosaurs on it, and he is obsessed with finding it. And it isn’t long before he, Ian, Sarah, and others are heading to the second island to study the dinosaurs, learn more about how they lived, and hopefully learn why they became extinct. Will the scientists be able to prove their theories? Or will some stowaways and other uninvited guests ruin their plans?
I listened to an abridgement of this book over 20 years ago, and I remember thinking this was a decent if unnecessary sequel. I decided it was time for a relisten and this time, a listen of the full book. Turns out, I enjoyed the abridgement better. There is too much time spent rediscovering that the dinosaurs are out there again and trying to locate them. Then, once we arrive, we get lectures, mostly from Malcom and Levine, about how dinosaurs lived and theories about why they became extinct. While there are some suspenseful scenes early on, it’s not until the final quarter that we get the scenes the movie has made famous. And those scenes? Nail bitters even if you know what is going to happen. The ending is much better than the movie’s ending as well, not that this is a high bar. Diehard fans will enjoy this one, but the casual fan has no reason to pick this book up.
I listened to an abridgement of this book over 20 years ago, and I remember thinking this was a decent if unnecessary sequel. I decided it was time for a relisten and this time, a listen of the full book. Turns out, I enjoyed the abridgement better. There is too much time spent rediscovering that the dinosaurs are out there again and trying to locate them. Then, once we arrive, we get lectures, mostly from Malcom and Levine, about how dinosaurs lived and theories about why they became extinct. While there are some suspenseful scenes early on, it’s not until the final quarter that we get the scenes the movie has made famous. And those scenes? Nail bitters even if you know what is going to happen. The ending is much better than the movie’s ending as well, not that this is a high bar. Diehard fans will enjoy this one, but the casual fan has no reason to pick this book up.