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Tyler Perry's A Fall From Grace (2020)
Tyler Perry's A Fall From Grace (2020)
2020 | Drama
4
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Destroyed By Pacing Among Other Things
After being accused of killing her husband, Grace Waters’ (Crystal Fox) only hope is a public defender trying her first case.

Acting: 3
To say the acting is weak is an understatement. Everything is either overdone or underdone, but nothing in the middle. A shame too as there are some really stellar names on the billing. I have honestly seen better dramatizing out of six-year-olds.

Beginning: 5

Characters: 6

Cinematography/Visuals: 3

Conflict: 7
If it’s one thing I can respect Tyler Perry for, it’s finding a way to incorporate consistent drama. More than most, he gets it. What I mean by that is, he understands that drama never has to be forced, rather you put two conflicting sides in the same scene and the drama will happen naturally. The problem here is that the drama in question wasn’t always interesting or intriguing.

Entertainment Value: 3

Memorability: 0

Pace: 5
Got bored real quick and I try and hold interest in movies even when I have to force it at times. Because there were so many moving parts and a lot of what felt like means to no ends, Also way longer than it needed to be.

Plot: 4

Resolution: 2

Overall: 38
Outside of some mildly interesting conflict and decent characters that were buried by a sticky plot, this movie left a lot to be desired. I tried, I really did. But with a movie so low budget it doesn’t even look presentable on a 4K TV, I have to pass on Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace.
  
The Frame-Up (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 1)
The Frame-Up (The Golden Arrow Mysteries Book 1)
Meghan Scott Molin | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great idea but could've been executed better
When I first saw the synopsis of this book, I thought it sounded great - superheroes, geeks and comic books is right up my street. However what is a great idea for a story isn't executed very well.

My main problem is the character of MG herself. A female geek character is a great idea, but my issue is that I found MG very unlikeable. Her attitude and actions started off fairly well, but by the end I found myself getting so irritated by her inability to listen to other people and her stubborn and rash attitude. The romance aspect of this novel doesnt help matters - it sounds like every geeks dream and so farfetched and ridiculous it's laughable. This could not be any more predictable and cliched than it already is. Matteo as a character too seems fairly undeveloped and comes across as a rather one dimensional love interest.

This is a shame as the idea behind the story is quite interesting and rather fun to read. There's also some very decent minor characters like Lawrence who are a lot more intriguing and fun that should've been featured more. I also loved the references to geek and pop culture, and overall this aspect of the book was a lot of fun. I did find the lack of resolution in some parts of the story frustrating - your typical sequel baiting. I do have the sequel to read which I probably will read as I enjoyed this book enough, but I pray for a resolution as I doubt this series will hold my attention enough longer than that.
  
Hidden Realm (Legends of Lightning #1)
Hidden Realm (Legends of Lightning #1)
T.R. Slauf | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HIDDEN REALM is the first book in the Legends of Lightning series, and I was really looking forward to it.

What I got was a fantasy with elements of Brothers Grimm and all their original fairy tales. Now, it DOES say it is dark, so please pay attention to that if you have any triggers.

Esther is content (as far as she seems possible to be) with her life, but it takes a strange turn when she starts to manifest injuries from her dreams. She does a minimum amount of digging and decides to pack up her life and travel to a different realm.

There is a LOT of violence and rape is inferred on what felt like every page. Due to this, the impact of it lessened with each repeat. The emotional connection with the main characters was also lacking for me. I felt more for one of the supporting characters when his family died than I did for Esther or Oisin.

Just a quick heads up - prepare yourself for whiplash as Esther's emotions change course on a dime.

There is a lot of potential to this story with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep your attention. It does need tightening up in places, but on the whole, it was a good read. I am engaged enough to want to know what happens to Esther and Oisin now.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Morbius (2022)
Morbius (2022)
2022 | Action, Sci-Fi
For better or for worse, Morbius is finally out and, well, it ain't anything to write home about, but it's not quite as piss poor as I'd been hearing.
I've always liked the Morbius character, a solid C-list villain of Blade and Spider-Man, but did he ever really need his own movie? Well evidently not. It's essentially a run-of-the-mill comic book adaption that feels like it belongs in the mid 2000s with Elektra and Daredevil. It's kind of like a less fun Venom. Jared Leto isn't too shabby in the title roll when he's onscreen by himself, but there's just no chemistry between anyone otherwise, rendering a lot of the runtime quite boring. The action scenes are the kind of predictable grey CGI orgies that we've come to expect by now, and it's difficult to make out what's even happening on some occasions. The CG itself is hit and miss. Morbius actually looks pretty decent for the most part, but Matt Smith's character looks like a reject from I Am Legend. The movie suffers from a lack of an R rating, with a lot of weird looking bloodless scenes where gore was clearly meant to be present. To top things off, it boasts a mid credits scene that at best, doesn't even try to make sense, and at worst, manages to cheapen the events of Marvel movies that have come before.
Honestly though, I didn't outright hate Morbius. There are certainly worse comic book adaptions out there, but I won't be in any rush to watch again. Sony insisted on pushing ahead with it, and ultimately could have done so much more.
  
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Merissa (11925 KP) rated Interstellar Angel (Astral Heat #1) in Books

Sep 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 14, 2023)  
Interstellar Angel (Astral Heat #1)
Interstellar Angel (Astral Heat #1)
Laura Navarre | 2021 | Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
INTERSTELLAR ANGEL is the first book in the Astral Heat series and is a slow-start, slow-burn reverse harem science fiction story.

The prologue starts with a character called Zorin being held in a cell. He escapes (with help) and disappears until the last part of the book, but not before kissing one of our main males senseless. Kaia has run away from home to escape the chains of being a princess - and I mean that literally. Only now she has been caught and things are never going to be the same for her.

There was a lot to this that didn't make sense to me - the whole cyber aspect of it, if I'm honest. I use a computer but I don't know all about the innards, and that's what it felt like. Once I skimmed over those parts, it got better.

There are some very steamy moments in this but, as Kaia says, no penetration. There is also a lot of back and forth, life-mates, mating pheromones, protective instincts, you name it. Overall, it was a good read that I enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.

Fair warning though - it does end on a cliffhanger so be prepared to wait to find out what happens next. The next book, Renegade Angel, is due for release in December.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 16, 2021
  
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy
Great mindless fun but sadly just didn't live up to the original.
I keep bouncing between a 7 and 8 rating but after some of the shit that was pulled and I'm still upset about it's getting a 7.

Okay don't get me wrong Golden Circle was a fun movie with the same over the top violence as the first one but to me it felt like parts of the movie were missing for some reason and after seeing it I found out the apparently the original cut was like 3 1/2 hours long and to me it really did feel like they left out a fair bit of the story and a hell of a lot of the character development.



But hey Elton John was fabulous and the fight scenes were fucking Ace!
  
Google Maps - GPS Navigation
Google Maps - GPS Navigation
Navigation, Utilities
8
8.7 (141 Ratings)
App Rating
Essential app, but still needs a little work
This is the most important app on my phone - especially for walking routes and using public transport. My only gripe is the fact it still lacks in terms of disability access - a general issue across the UK. So as a 'local guide' I've begun manually uploading the information.

While walking, I tend to have Google Maps reciting the directions to me through my ear phones. A lot of the time it stops and I keep wondering if the app has switched off. No doubt, it beats all competition in terms of navigation, but it needs to update quicker. And Google needs to stop telling me to 'add an image' to places. I'm not taking a picture of a shop like a weirdo.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Krampus (2015) in Movies

Nov 26, 2017  
Krampus (2015)
Krampus (2015)
2015 | Comedy, Horror
A refreshingly different Christmas film
A Christmas horror film really shouldn't work, but for the most part it actually does. It's strange, as you usually associate Christmas films with sickly sweet happiness, but this is the complete opposite and it's a nice change.

It's funny, dark and doesn't take itself too seriously. The physical effects and make-up are very good, although some of the CGI is questionable in parts. It has a great cast and I loved the idea behind Krampus and also the strange ending. My only criticism would be that it could have been a lot scarier. It was creepy at times but I think it concentrated more on the laughs than the horror, which is a shame as a scary Christmas horror film would be truly terrifying.
  
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Phil (7 KP) rated Huckleberry Finn in Books

May 23, 2017  
HF
Huckleberry Finn
Harold Beaver | 2017 | Essays
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exciting world, interesting themes that are still relevant today (0 more)
Some of the talking is painful to read (0 more)
Would be hard to meet expectations
Huckleberry Finn is a story about deciding your values. Mark Twain has a lot to say about everything, from slavery, to how we view adults vs children, to general decency. It's a great read if you want to be challenged on morality and the process of judgement and trust. It is, however, really hard to get through some conversations where half the words have to be taken on context. Being a classic of literature, I had built this up unfairly in my mind, so I had to drop the score assuming you'd do the same.
Would be perfect for anyone learning Southerner though, looking for a cheap immersion course.