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Felicia (44 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Sep 20, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
I'm going to try very hard to keep my feelings about the novel out of this review about the movie, often when reading reviews I feel that the feelings of one medium influences the feelings of the other.
Ready Player One is a entertaining ride that follows the main character Wade through the virtual world of the Oasis. The creator of this virtual world is dead but he left a puzzle when he died that if the players figured out it would lead them to a series of keys that would grant them ownership of the world.
But of course nothing can just be simple, so while the players are trying to figure out the puzzle in the Oasis there are people who are trying to take them out of the real world.
The movie goes through many different phases cutting between live action and cgi to demonstrate the difference between the Oasis and the real world. So if you're a fan of CGI this probably won't annoy you too much.
One of my major complaints about the movie is that visually there is too much going on, it is a huge distraction with so much going on in the background to really pay attention to what is going on in the foreground. This could be because they were trying to give the illusion of it being a real world but in a movie setting it was just too much.
The movie is also too long, some of the challenges and scenes just take too much time and drag down the pace of the movie. But one of the Challenges, where the players go into a recreating of The Shining is actually the best part of the whole movie, it is fun, familiar, and entertaining. Moments like that really help to save the movie from the slower moments that seem to drag.
Overall the movie isn't bad but it also isn't good. I doubt it will become a classic like the novel had when it was released. But I can totally see people putting it on when hanging out with a group of friends and want some background noise. It was a really interesting and good concept but they tried to do too much with it and it really hurt the movie in the long run.
Ready Player One is a entertaining ride that follows the main character Wade through the virtual world of the Oasis. The creator of this virtual world is dead but he left a puzzle when he died that if the players figured out it would lead them to a series of keys that would grant them ownership of the world.
But of course nothing can just be simple, so while the players are trying to figure out the puzzle in the Oasis there are people who are trying to take them out of the real world.
The movie goes through many different phases cutting between live action and cgi to demonstrate the difference between the Oasis and the real world. So if you're a fan of CGI this probably won't annoy you too much.
One of my major complaints about the movie is that visually there is too much going on, it is a huge distraction with so much going on in the background to really pay attention to what is going on in the foreground. This could be because they were trying to give the illusion of it being a real world but in a movie setting it was just too much.
The movie is also too long, some of the challenges and scenes just take too much time and drag down the pace of the movie. But one of the Challenges, where the players go into a recreating of The Shining is actually the best part of the whole movie, it is fun, familiar, and entertaining. Moments like that really help to save the movie from the slower moments that seem to drag.
Overall the movie isn't bad but it also isn't good. I doubt it will become a classic like the novel had when it was released. But I can totally see people putting it on when hanging out with a group of friends and want some background noise. It was a really interesting and good concept but they tried to do too much with it and it really hurt the movie in the long run.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) in Movies
Nov 5, 2018 (Updated Nov 5, 2018)
Slight variation on the Alice in Wonderland reboot
I'm guessing Disney want to keep going with their live action Princess films, and thought they'd hit gold with the rights to the Nutcracker for a Christmas release. Similar to the 2010 Alice in Wonderland, the film intends to act as a sequel to the original tale of the Nutcracker, where the world has fallen into disarray. Clara is the daughter of the original story's Marie, who has passed away, and looking to open the intriguing present left by her mother she finds herself following a mouse (not a rabbit!) into a strange world. She is introduced to the world her mother was made queen of, though sadly learns that the "fourth realm" (led by Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger) is at war with the other three (among them are realms led by Keira Knightley and an underused Richard E Grant).
Here Disney have taken some liberties as Clara's brother and sister take the roles and names of her mother's siblings in the original, and for no apparent reason the film based on the Russian ballet that was based on the French adaptation of the German fairy tale, is set in London. I can only assume this was to up the Festive quotient, but seems a very odd choice, despite keeping a number of the German themes.
Keira Knightley is very irritating, doing an ear-piercing impression of Queenie from Blackadder.
Neither of the actors playing Clara or the Nutcracker are very good or likeable and you find yourself bored and starting to root for Mother Ginger just to end it.
The film is too long, and drags in large parts, and all three of my kids were restless for a lot of it. And there was a definite lack of large-scale special effects, some impressive scenes but audiences expect spectacles (not 3D glasses, I mean big scenes!) these days and those were lacking.
The most enjoyable scene was the use of ballet to get Clara up to date with the world she found herself in, being quite respectful to the medium it was adapting (though I can't say how authentic it was!).
Here Disney have taken some liberties as Clara's brother and sister take the roles and names of her mother's siblings in the original, and for no apparent reason the film based on the Russian ballet that was based on the French adaptation of the German fairy tale, is set in London. I can only assume this was to up the Festive quotient, but seems a very odd choice, despite keeping a number of the German themes.
Keira Knightley is very irritating, doing an ear-piercing impression of Queenie from Blackadder.
Neither of the actors playing Clara or the Nutcracker are very good or likeable and you find yourself bored and starting to root for Mother Ginger just to end it.
The film is too long, and drags in large parts, and all three of my kids were restless for a lot of it. And there was a definite lack of large-scale special effects, some impressive scenes but audiences expect spectacles (not 3D glasses, I mean big scenes!) these days and those were lacking.
The most enjoyable scene was the use of ballet to get Clara up to date with the world she found herself in, being quite respectful to the medium it was adapting (though I can't say how authentic it was!).
The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Coloma in Tabletop Games
Nov 11, 2019
Tight economy (3 more)
You build your engine for resources
everything is a good choice, there are no terrible choices.
good amount of planning is needed without being too deep.
Very well made Western Euro style game
I have played two games of it and so far I really like it. This is a euro game based in the gold rush american west about managing your resources and building an town (engine), and you select the actions you want to take and get a bonus if you don't do the same as other players. it's simultaneous, so you have to guess what other players are doing. I got my Kickstarter copy about a week or two ago, and finally got to break it out this weekend. we played it Saturday and then Sunday morning my wife requested we play it a 2nd time... always a very good indicator of a great game. We generally like more medium to heavy weight games, so the fact that she requested a game that is this light was another vote in its favor. It's not light like Catan, or Kingdomino, or splendor, but it's Lighter than say a Tzolkin, Newton, Castles of Burgundy, or Terraforming Mars. I would say this game is above gateway, but not too deep past that. We plan to introduce this to our newer game friends and see what happens, the turns are quite quick early as you don't do much and then get longer as you get to do more, and I'm anxious to see how that plays with larger play counts. One of the major pluses in the game is how you control how you want to play the game and what you want to do. You could go after horses, and then ride the territory and focus on the post office and stables, and then also go after gold and dudes and then chase the rivers and bridges.... or maybe you just buildup your town to the max and get more of everything on every turn... there seems to be lots of plausible routes to winning and it's just about how efficient you are with your strategy. Looking forward to having this in my collection for a long time.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Bombshell (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019
It was an event that sent shockwaves throughout the News industry as allegations of harassment brought down Roger Ailes and fueled the growing “Me Too” movement.
In the new film “Bombshell” we learn how Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), had so much power and influence that he helped elect several politicians and rose to the head of Fox News. He ran Media Empire to great success and made those around him celebrities.
The film follows Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) who opts to fight her ouster from the company claiming that her career was marked by frequent harassment often by Aisles himself.
At the same time; Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), is dealing with backlash from Candidate Donald Trump and is being forced to endure what she sees as verbal attacks for the good of their audience and ratings.
As this story unfolds, the audience is introduced to Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), a young journalist eager to make her way up the corporate ladder. She is introduced to Aisles who asks her to “model” for him claiming that since they work in a visual medium; he cannot just let anyone on the air and needs to ensure “loyalty” amongst his staff.
Carlson eventually files a lawsuit but due to the power that Aisles and the Network holds; nobody is willing to come forward to back her and she is faced with taking on the media giant alone. The movie then centers on the key players and their day to day lives which enables them to find the strength to come forward and do what they believe is right.
The film is powerful and all of the leads do amazing work. Lithgow is especially good in his role as he is as captivating as his is loathsome in the part.
The film is sure to spark some discussion as despite the events portrayed in the film it appears that many of those who acted improperly managed to financially win from their downfall but it at least set a precedent for those looking to come forward knowing they are not alone.
My only issue was that knowing how the story came out and that fact that it was very recent undermined any real drama but the performances and engaging and topical subject matter held my attention throughout.
4 stars out of 5
In the new film “Bombshell” we learn how Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), had so much power and influence that he helped elect several politicians and rose to the head of Fox News. He ran Media Empire to great success and made those around him celebrities.
The film follows Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) who opts to fight her ouster from the company claiming that her career was marked by frequent harassment often by Aisles himself.
At the same time; Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), is dealing with backlash from Candidate Donald Trump and is being forced to endure what she sees as verbal attacks for the good of their audience and ratings.
As this story unfolds, the audience is introduced to Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), a young journalist eager to make her way up the corporate ladder. She is introduced to Aisles who asks her to “model” for him claiming that since they work in a visual medium; he cannot just let anyone on the air and needs to ensure “loyalty” amongst his staff.
Carlson eventually files a lawsuit but due to the power that Aisles and the Network holds; nobody is willing to come forward to back her and she is faced with taking on the media giant alone. The movie then centers on the key players and their day to day lives which enables them to find the strength to come forward and do what they believe is right.
The film is powerful and all of the leads do amazing work. Lithgow is especially good in his role as he is as captivating as his is loathsome in the part.
The film is sure to spark some discussion as despite the events portrayed in the film it appears that many of those who acted improperly managed to financially win from their downfall but it at least set a precedent for those looking to come forward knowing they are not alone.
My only issue was that knowing how the story came out and that fact that it was very recent undermined any real drama but the performances and engaging and topical subject matter held my attention throughout.
4 stars out of 5
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson in Books
Nov 9, 2020
The protagonists of this story would be Margarette and Roy, but this novel is told from multiple perspectives, including Innis herself. Margarette and Roy belong to the families, that hate each other. Both of the families trying to outdo each other with better events and showing off, and Margarette has to endure all that competing behaviour. Innis is a character, who’s story is running in the background. Innis is an incredibly strange woman. Her story is revealed little by little, but it is very sweet and heartbreaking. I really liked all the main characters, they are very kind, sensitive and pleasant people. Margarette has patience made of steel, she does so much for both of the families, scared to offend them, I know I would have lost my patience in no time. 😀 😀
The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.
I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.
The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.
I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.