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Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama
6
5.8 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I’m a big fan of Tom Cruise. He is a real old-fashioned film star, generous with his fans on the red carpet and with real star power at the box office. And I can happily sit down in front of just about any one of his DVD’s time and time again and still enjoy it. Unlike many critics, I even enjoyed his last outing as Jack Reacher.
Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this but, his latest outing – “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” – is a bit dull.

Lee Child’s Reacher has many years before turned his back on his military past and wanders the country as a drifter righting wrongs outside of the law. In this film, his military past again makes a major (“No, ex-Major”) intrusion into his life. Potential love interest Major Susan Turner (Colbie Smulders, from the “Avengers” world) is arrested on trumped-up espionage charges and Cruise sets out to clear her name. Along the way he accidentally (and rather too conveniently for the plot) discovers that a paternity suit has been filed against him and Reacher confronts the rebellious and light-fingered teenager Samantha (Danika Yarosh, aged 18 playing 15).

Unfortunately the big-cheeses involved in the international arms skulduggery are determined to tie up each and every loose end in their intrigue, and that includes Reacher, Turner and young Samantha by association. Needless to say, the villains – led by a one-man killing machine (Patrick Heusinger) – haven’t counted on Reacher’s ‘particular set of skills’.

My problem with the film (after an entertaining opening) is that the screenplay lumbers from standard thriller set-piece to standard thriller set-piece in a highly predictable way. It’s as if the scripts from 20 different films have been stuck in a blender. Shadowy arms dealing shenanigans: check; Cute teenager in peril: check; Gun fight on a dockside: check; Rooftop chase: check.

Are all the individual set-pieces decently done? Yes, sure. But the combination of these bits of action tapas really don’t add up to a satisfying meal. The story arc is almost non-existent as there is no suspense in the ‘investigation’: the plot is all pretty well laid out for you.

Where there is some fun to be had is in the play-off between the born-leader Reacher and the born-leader Turner, both trying to be top-dog in the decision making. The romantic connection between the leads seems almost plausible despite their 20 (TWENTY!) year age difference: this is more down to how incredibly good Cruise still looks at age 54 (damn him!). Turner makes a good female role-model right up to the point where there is a confrontation in a hotel room and Turner backs down: despite Cruise being the “hero” it would have been nice for female equality for this face-off to have gone the other way.

The director is Edward Zwick, who helmed Cruise’s more interesting movie “The Last Samurai”.
The trailer started off well and then progressed into general mediocrity. Unfortunately – for me at least – the film lived up to the trailer. Watchable, but not memorable.
  
I was so excited for the release of this novel. Karen Kingsbury is one of my absolute favorite authors and her Baxter family has been my favorite for a long time now. This book is the start of books about her Baxter family characters as children. I've always wondered about the Baxter kids and what there life was like growing up, and with this book, we get just that and so much more!

This one focuses on Ashley Baxter. Ashley was one of my favorite characters in the Baxter series and her character as a child......let me tell you, she was full of mischief and I saw myself in her so much! The experiences of having to move and make new friends and adjust to life in a new way, was something that I could relate to, after my dad retired from the military and I had to leave my best friend. The faith, the hope, the love that the Baxter children had as young ones was inspiring, even for this adult!

Whether you have a child or grandchild, niece or nephew, who loves to read, this book is perfect for them! Every child, and adult needs to read this sweet book! I read it in one sitting. Mother and Son did a phenomenal job on this creation! If you're 8, or 98, this is a 5 star read that you will want on your shelf forever! Bravo and magnificently done, Mrs. Kingsbury and Mr. Russell. I can't wait to read the next one!
  
Maid to Crave (Man Maid #2)
Maid to Crave (Man Maid #2)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Maid to Crave by Rebecca Avery
Man Maid book 2

Maid to Crave is book 2 in the Main Maid series. It is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Avery, it was part of a 4 book collection I rented through my library and Overdrive. Sadly this was painful to get through. I literally had to force myself to finish this book. The story line had so much potential I just felt like this was a horribly novice writing style and it just didn’t work for me.

Tori Stewart is a single mom to a 6 year old boy. Her friend recommends using the Man Maid service that she had luck using (and finding love). She agrees just hoping to not get the one Maid that makes her heart flutter, Seth Lewis.

Seth Lewis is a former military man who comes to work for his friend at Man Maid services. He is working not only as a Maid but as a stripper to pay for his brothers medical bills. He remembers Tori from a wedding a little bit back but doesn’t see her other than his potential boss.

Tori and Seth realize they can become friends and maybe then morph it into something more. Like I said, this story had such great promise but the writing really killed it for me. I would like think I would give this author another chance at her writing style but I can’t say that for sure just yet.
  
I received this book from Sparkle Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review.

Toni is the daughter of an incredibly rich man in Australia and has therefore always felt like she has fallen short of the mark and will never live up to her parents' expectations. Her mum is slim and expects Toni to be the same, even though she has inherited her father's genes in the weight department. Jason is the military man who doesn't have oodles of money to his name but instead oozes sex appeal and Toni finds him irresistible.

I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I am loving the Romantic Suspense genre at the moment but something in this book just didn't work for me... and I'm at a loss to explain what it is. Perhaps it's the quickness of their relationship, perhaps it is how the relationship with her parents turns on its head within moments with no real explanation of why she was treated the way she thought she was in the past. The other thing could be that I never really felt that danger was present for Toni. The whole suspense issue, indeed most of the issues in the book, seemed to be resolved too quickly, too easily and all tied together with a neat bow.

The writing of this book is very well done and the plot flows at a steady pace. This is a light book to read when you don't want to have to think too deeply about anything.
  
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Josh Burns (166 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Godzilla in Video Games

Jun 21, 2019  
Godzilla
Godzilla
Action/Adventure
Nails the feeling from the movies (2 more)
Fun with a large variety of playable Kaiju
A ton of unlockables
No story mode (1 more)
Does get repetitive
A fun love letter to the classic Godzilla movies
I feel like this game was dead before it had a chance. Critics expected Mortal Kombat with Kaiju and it isn't. It's more of a kaiju simulator. You are a big lumbering monster, so that's how the controls are intentionally. Many have written it off as too clunky for that reason, missing the point.
Gameplay: It is fun, but does get repetitive after a while. There is no real story so it's best played for a while, and back off once it feels repetitive and come back later. Basically, you smash cities and generators, gaining G Energy which makes your Kaiju grow in size and power. Or, you protect them, while fighting kaiju and increasing human military forces.
content: you can unlock almost any monster seen in any Godzilla movie as well as bios for each. You can level them up and unlock figures and settings to build dioramas also. It has multiple game modes but they don't vary from each other a lot. There is also PVP online, but since the critics shredded it so bad there aren't many players so matchmaking is a nightmare.
overall: it's a lot of fun with a ton of content to unlock, just don't burn yourself out on it. I play for like a month here and there, have a blast, then back off for a while so it doesn't get stale.