Search
Search results
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Hunter Killer (2018) in Movies
Nov 3, 2018
Surpisingly Good
Ever since he uttered the immortal line "We Are Sparta" as King Leonidas in the 2006 surprise hit 300, Gerard Butler has filled the screen with unadulterated machismo and virility. So I was expecting just more of the same when I went to check out the submarine flick HUNTER KILLER, figuring it was just a "B" action flick with Butler throwing up macho line after macho line and punching anyone who was in his way.
But...HUNTER KILLER is, surprisingly, much, much more.
Telling the story of a "Hunter Killer" submarine under a new captain that must go into enemy territory to check out the sinking of another American submarine, this adept action-thriller by South African Director Donovan Marsh is a pleasant surprise for only 1/2 of the film is about the action aboard the submarine, or the action back at HQ where a screaming Gary Oldman insists on less diplomacy and more aggressive action. The other part of the film is a very gripping, tense and exciting "behind enemy lines" war flick following the exploits of 4 Special Ops members (led by Toby Stephens) who must grab a person and then unite with the submarine.
Color me shocked by this. While Butler and Oldman gave me exactly what I wanted, the Special Ops soldiers, the stakes and the action sequences are a notch above your every day effort. If you are looking for a fun action flick, that can easily pass a few hours on a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon, you could do much, much worse than this one.
Letter Grade: B+
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
But...HUNTER KILLER is, surprisingly, much, much more.
Telling the story of a "Hunter Killer" submarine under a new captain that must go into enemy territory to check out the sinking of another American submarine, this adept action-thriller by South African Director Donovan Marsh is a pleasant surprise for only 1/2 of the film is about the action aboard the submarine, or the action back at HQ where a screaming Gary Oldman insists on less diplomacy and more aggressive action. The other part of the film is a very gripping, tense and exciting "behind enemy lines" war flick following the exploits of 4 Special Ops members (led by Toby Stephens) who must grab a person and then unite with the submarine.
Color me shocked by this. While Butler and Oldman gave me exactly what I wanted, the Special Ops soldiers, the stakes and the action sequences are a notch above your every day effort. If you are looking for a fun action flick, that can easily pass a few hours on a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon, you could do much, much worse than this one.
Letter Grade: B+
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Taming the Flood: Rivers, Wetlands and the Centuries-Old Battle Against Flooding
Book
'Exquisitely written' Sunday Times Beautifully written and magnificently illustrated with...
WH
Wild Horses of Cumberland Island
Anouk Masson Krantz and Oliver Ferguson
Book
A longtime favourite getaway for America's most influential families, Cumberland Island, off the...
A Matcha Made in Hell (Boyfriend Café #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Who would have guessed my high school bully could be such a good boy? Rhett The worst day of my...
Contemporary MM Enemies to Lovers Romance
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories #2) in Books
Oct 15, 2023
152 of 235
Book
The Pale Horseman ( The Last Kingdom 2)
By Bernard Cornwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uhtred, Northumbrian born, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon, is already a formidable figure and warrior. But at twenty he is still arrogant, pagan and headstrong, so not a comfortable ally for the thoughtful, pious Alfred. But these two, with Alfred's family and a few of Uhtred's companions, are apparently all that remains of the Wessex leadership after a disastrous truce. It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset. There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support. They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk. Uhtred finds himself torn between his Danish foster brother and the winning Vikings, and his growing respect for the stubborn leadership of Alfred. He must decide whether to rebuild the Saxons' strength from his watery base and help them to take on the Vikings once more.
I loved this book! This is the second one in the The Last Kingdom series and book has this kicked me in the bum! I love historical fiction and this is becoming one of my favourite series. The end of this book made me want to throw it at losing a character I think is just fantastic and made me laugh. Im not going to mention which one as I don’t do spoilers, but if you’ve read it you’ll know!
Book
The Pale Horseman ( The Last Kingdom 2)
By Bernard Cornwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uhtred, Northumbrian born, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon, is already a formidable figure and warrior. But at twenty he is still arrogant, pagan and headstrong, so not a comfortable ally for the thoughtful, pious Alfred. But these two, with Alfred's family and a few of Uhtred's companions, are apparently all that remains of the Wessex leadership after a disastrous truce. It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset. There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support. They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk. Uhtred finds himself torn between his Danish foster brother and the winning Vikings, and his growing respect for the stubborn leadership of Alfred. He must decide whether to rebuild the Saxons' strength from his watery base and help them to take on the Vikings once more.
I loved this book! This is the second one in the The Last Kingdom series and book has this kicked me in the bum! I love historical fiction and this is becoming one of my favourite series. The end of this book made me want to throw it at losing a character I think is just fantastic and made me laugh. Im not going to mention which one as I don’t do spoilers, but if you’ve read it you’ll know!
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated I'm With The Band (Rock My World #3) in Books
Jun 1, 2023
doesn't quite work for me!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I'm kinda on the fence about this one, and I really cannot pinpoint why, so this review will be short and I'm sorry for that.
Only Tawny gets a say. 99.9% of the time, I will say I wanted to hear from everyone, and I stand by that here. I didn't much like Tawny to be honest!
What I DID like, was being kept on my toes. You don't get the full story as to what happened between Tawny and Marsh, all those years ago, in one fell swoop. Oh no. You get a hint and a clue, and a randomly placed thought that makes you put the pieces together in totally the wrong way and then when we DO get the full story, you go, like DUH! Of COURSE that's what happened! The clues are all there, and I loved being shown that I really did NOT put the pieces together in the right order.
I liked the band guys, and they seem like they all have a great story to tell.
It's only a short book, less than 100 pages, but because I didn't much like Tawny, it took me far longer than it should to read.
There is on page stalking and talk of past drug abuse. It's really quite necessary to the story, cos you need to know what happened to everyone, and how they came out the other side, or not, in some cases. Please be mindful of your triggers.
First I've read of this author. I'd like to read something else, not this series, at some point. This one just didn't float my boat.
3 good, but not for me, stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I'm kinda on the fence about this one, and I really cannot pinpoint why, so this review will be short and I'm sorry for that.
Only Tawny gets a say. 99.9% of the time, I will say I wanted to hear from everyone, and I stand by that here. I didn't much like Tawny to be honest!
What I DID like, was being kept on my toes. You don't get the full story as to what happened between Tawny and Marsh, all those years ago, in one fell swoop. Oh no. You get a hint and a clue, and a randomly placed thought that makes you put the pieces together in totally the wrong way and then when we DO get the full story, you go, like DUH! Of COURSE that's what happened! The clues are all there, and I loved being shown that I really did NOT put the pieces together in the right order.
I liked the band guys, and they seem like they all have a great story to tell.
It's only a short book, less than 100 pages, but because I didn't much like Tawny, it took me far longer than it should to read.
There is on page stalking and talk of past drug abuse. It's really quite necessary to the story, cos you need to know what happened to everyone, and how they came out the other side, or not, in some cases. Please be mindful of your triggers.
First I've read of this author. I'd like to read something else, not this series, at some point. This one just didn't float my boat.
3 good, but not for me, stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Aliens on Holiday in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Aliens On Holiday</i> is Gillian Bradshaw’s second novel for children involving extraterrestrial beings. Following on from the first book <i>Alien in the Garden</i>, Alex Marsh is reunited with his celestial friend, Shakespeare. It has been two years since fourteen-year-old Alex found himself involved with aliens, yet he is still glad to see Shakespeare and is determined to help him out with whatever his purpose on planet Earth is. However, this could put both Alex and his family in grave danger.
With the ruse of going on a family holiday to the south of France, Shakespeare tags along with the Marshes in the disguise of Alex’s cousin, whilst he takes part in an undercover operation for the police of the United Worlds. Despite trying not to get Alex too involved with his mission, Alex still ends up in a precarious situation involving both notorious drug dealers as well as treacherous aliens.
<i>Aliens on Holiday </i>is both funny and exciting, as the characters have to deal with communication difficulties whilst trying to save the world. Bradshaw has been very imaginative when creating her aliens and has thought up concepts that are unique and interesting to the child-like minds of the readers.
Although written for younger people, readers need to be mature enough to understand about drugs and drug culture. Despite being written for entertainment purposes, <i>Aliens on Holiday </i>does contain some very serious issues.
To get the most out of this book it would help to have read <i>Alien in the Garden </i>(I had not) as it would create a clearer understanding of Alex and Shakespeare’s relationship. Having said that, Aliens on Holiday contains enough information to comprehend and appreciate the storyline.
Overall, <i>Aliens on Holiday </i>is the perfect work of fiction for the child or young teenager interested in action, science and aliens.
Aliens On Holiday</i> is Gillian Bradshaw’s second novel for children involving extraterrestrial beings. Following on from the first book <i>Alien in the Garden</i>, Alex Marsh is reunited with his celestial friend, Shakespeare. It has been two years since fourteen-year-old Alex found himself involved with aliens, yet he is still glad to see Shakespeare and is determined to help him out with whatever his purpose on planet Earth is. However, this could put both Alex and his family in grave danger.
With the ruse of going on a family holiday to the south of France, Shakespeare tags along with the Marshes in the disguise of Alex’s cousin, whilst he takes part in an undercover operation for the police of the United Worlds. Despite trying not to get Alex too involved with his mission, Alex still ends up in a precarious situation involving both notorious drug dealers as well as treacherous aliens.
<i>Aliens on Holiday </i>is both funny and exciting, as the characters have to deal with communication difficulties whilst trying to save the world. Bradshaw has been very imaginative when creating her aliens and has thought up concepts that are unique and interesting to the child-like minds of the readers.
Although written for younger people, readers need to be mature enough to understand about drugs and drug culture. Despite being written for entertainment purposes, <i>Aliens on Holiday </i>does contain some very serious issues.
To get the most out of this book it would help to have read <i>Alien in the Garden </i>(I had not) as it would create a clearer understanding of Alex and Shakespeare’s relationship. Having said that, Aliens on Holiday contains enough information to comprehend and appreciate the storyline.
Overall, <i>Aliens on Holiday </i>is the perfect work of fiction for the child or young teenager interested in action, science and aliens.
Doing Time with Nehru - The Story of an Indian-Chinese Family
Book
It's midnight and there are fists pounding on the door. Authoritative voices shouting, "We're coming...
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated American Hippo (River of Teeth, #1-2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I actually read these volumes as separate books, so I have two separate reviews here.
River of Teeth (Part 1):
I somehow missed that this was a novella, every time I looked at it online. It wasn't until I checked it out from the library and was shocked at how small it was that I made that discovery. It was a welcome one, since I checked out seven other books that day, and finding something short was a relief!
And I AM SO GLAD I finally read this, because it's AMAZING. It opens on Winslow seducing a federal agent, and quickly moves to him gathering up a crew to drive feral hippos out of a marsh in Louisiana. I was expected a fun hippo-cowboy romp, and I got that - what I wasn't expected was strong, deadly women, a bisexual male hero, a nonbinary love interest, and hippo steeds. I don't know why hippo steeds didn't occur to me - it's not like they could wrangle hippos from atop horses! There is so much goodness packed into this little volume.
River of Teeth: short and sweet, action-packed with amazing characters and a fascinating, bizarre, but historical premise.
Taste of Marrow (Part 2):
Another quick novella, Taste of Marrow is the sequel to the bizarre alternate history novella River of Teeth. It picks up a few months after the ending of the first - people have had a chance to heal their injuries from the explosive ending of the first book, and hippos have begun to spread to previously safe waterways. The cast of this book consists of the surviving characters from the first, plus only one more semi-important character.
It's not quite as good as the first - no explosions and it's less of a rollercoaster - but there is some character development, and a deeper exploration of a few characters than we saw in the first book. I wish my library had the omnibus edition, because it includes two short stories set in the same world, and I'm very curious which aspects of the world she explored in those.
But this is a fun pair of books, very quick, easy reads, and it's just fun to say you're reading a book about hippos and cowboys!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
River of Teeth (Part 1):
I somehow missed that this was a novella, every time I looked at it online. It wasn't until I checked it out from the library and was shocked at how small it was that I made that discovery. It was a welcome one, since I checked out seven other books that day, and finding something short was a relief!
And I AM SO GLAD I finally read this, because it's AMAZING. It opens on Winslow seducing a federal agent, and quickly moves to him gathering up a crew to drive feral hippos out of a marsh in Louisiana. I was expected a fun hippo-cowboy romp, and I got that - what I wasn't expected was strong, deadly women, a bisexual male hero, a nonbinary love interest, and hippo steeds. I don't know why hippo steeds didn't occur to me - it's not like they could wrangle hippos from atop horses! There is so much goodness packed into this little volume.
River of Teeth: short and sweet, action-packed with amazing characters and a fascinating, bizarre, but historical premise.
Taste of Marrow (Part 2):
Another quick novella, Taste of Marrow is the sequel to the bizarre alternate history novella River of Teeth. It picks up a few months after the ending of the first - people have had a chance to heal their injuries from the explosive ending of the first book, and hippos have begun to spread to previously safe waterways. The cast of this book consists of the surviving characters from the first, plus only one more semi-important character.
It's not quite as good as the first - no explosions and it's less of a rollercoaster - but there is some character development, and a deeper exploration of a few characters than we saw in the first book. I wish my library had the omnibus edition, because it includes two short stories set in the same world, and I'm very curious which aspects of the world she explored in those.
But this is a fun pair of books, very quick, easy reads, and it's just fun to say you're reading a book about hippos and cowboys!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com