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Awix (3310 KP) rated Pacific Rim (2013) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018
Brave and comparatively rare (these days) attempt to do a blockbuster that isn't a remake nor based on a novel, comic book, toy line, TV show or theme park attraction. Which is not to say this isn't a tremendously derivative movie; clearly inspired by tokosatsu movies, manga, and anime, just with most of the actual Japanese characters replaced by Americans and Australians. (Hmmm, isn't this cultural appropriation?)
Anyway: big monsters lumber out of the sea, get smacked in the mouth by giant robots. Story isn't really anything special, but the background details of this slightly cartoony world are engaging, as are some of the supporting performances. Film subscribes to the prevailing American dogma, which is that giant monster fights must take place at night and preferably in bad weather: apparently this makes them much more believable. The Hong Kong battle is terrific, the others not so much. In the end I think the premise of this movie is really much better than the way it is realised; maybe the sequel will address some of the shortcomings here.
Anyway: big monsters lumber out of the sea, get smacked in the mouth by giant robots. Story isn't really anything special, but the background details of this slightly cartoony world are engaging, as are some of the supporting performances. Film subscribes to the prevailing American dogma, which is that giant monster fights must take place at night and preferably in bad weather: apparently this makes them much more believable. The Hong Kong battle is terrific, the others not so much. In the end I think the premise of this movie is really much better than the way it is realised; maybe the sequel will address some of the shortcomings here.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6) in Books
Apr 26, 2020
I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school... Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life...
It was ok! I usually devour these books but this took a little longer. I’m so bored of Nash and things were just meh. I was a little disappointed and got a little bored in places! But still gotta love a Vincent book!
It was ok! I usually devour these books but this took a little longer. I’m so bored of Nash and things were just meh. I was a little disappointed and got a little bored in places! But still gotta love a Vincent book!
Talking with Psychopaths and Savages: A Journey into the Evil Mind
5.3
Rate It
Book
Having spent years interviewing imprisoned criminals - including notorious serial killers - he...
Halloween Crafts: 35 Spooky Projects to Make and Bake
Book
With 35 of the creepiest projects you have ever seen, Halloween Crafts will inspire you to make and...
Power Rangers Dino Charge Rumble
Games and Education
App
Get Dino Charged! Power up with the Dino Charge Power Rangers in this stunning 3D game for tablets...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Family Business in Books
Oct 9, 2022
I have never read anything by Mr Sims before but I do like to dip into the horror genre on occasion however, this is what I would call more supernatural with a bit of horror thrown in rather than a full-blown horror but that's ok just like this was an ok read.
What I enjoyed: the characters were interesting and believable, the "monster" was something a bit different and the plot was pretty unique.
What let it down for me: it was a bit of a slow burn with not a lot happening for quite a lot of the book although there was an increasing sense of unease which built up from the start but it just seemed to take a long time to get there unfortunately.
Whilst I wouldn't say this was one of my favourites in this genre, I did like Mr Sim's writing style and I would be tempted to read his future books and I must give my thanks to The Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Family Business.
What I enjoyed: the characters were interesting and believable, the "monster" was something a bit different and the plot was pretty unique.
What let it down for me: it was a bit of a slow burn with not a lot happening for quite a lot of the book although there was an increasing sense of unease which built up from the start but it just seemed to take a long time to get there unfortunately.
Whilst I wouldn't say this was one of my favourites in this genre, I did like Mr Sim's writing style and I would be tempted to read his future books and I must give my thanks to The Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Family Business.
imPerfect Fae (The imPerfect Cathar #3)
Book
Body-jacking a legendary assassin when I’m running on empty. No problem, right? After the last...
Dark Humour Supernatural Mystery
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Mind is a Razorblade in Books
Mar 8, 2024
45 of 220
Book sirens arc
The Mind is a Razorblade
By Max Booth lll
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drowning, he wakes beside two corpses. His memory has been wiped clean. He doesn't know his name, what he's doing here, who these people are, or even why one of them is a cop. Nor can he explain his strange telekinetic abilities.
Questions plague his mind like hellfire, questions that begin a journey leading into the rot of downtown America, a journey that will not end until every one of his questions have been answered, despite who has to die in the process. Even if those who have all the answers aren't human.
Even if the true monster he's hunting for is staring at him through the mirror.
This was bloody bizarre and to start with I was completely baffled but I actually really enjoyed it especially the ending. Definitely different to anything I’ve read. Also spiders really? I suppose it could have been worse like centipedes!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book sirens arc
The Mind is a Razorblade
By Max Booth lll
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drowning, he wakes beside two corpses. His memory has been wiped clean. He doesn't know his name, what he's doing here, who these people are, or even why one of them is a cop. Nor can he explain his strange telekinetic abilities.
Questions plague his mind like hellfire, questions that begin a journey leading into the rot of downtown America, a journey that will not end until every one of his questions have been answered, despite who has to die in the process. Even if those who have all the answers aren't human.
Even if the true monster he's hunting for is staring at him through the mirror.
This was bloody bizarre and to start with I was completely baffled but I actually really enjoyed it especially the ending. Definitely different to anything I’ve read. Also spiders really? I suppose it could have been worse like centipedes!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I’m new to this whole world of YA Fantasy and to Victoria Schwab’s work. This Savage Song has been repeatedly brought up on different BookTube channels and consistently been listed as favorite books by many different people. Schwab has a strong presence in the world of YA. I couldn’t let these recommendations go to waste, so I promptly went to my local book retailer and purchased my copy of This Savage Song. As soon as I got it home I knew I would be reading it right away. I must tell you; this book DID NOT disappoint.
The dystopian elements along with the fantasy elements weave together to create an alternate version of our world for us to escape to. I love the way Schwab created new monsters for us and didn’t resort to the same old monsters of lore. Obviously the Sunai are my favorite of the monsters. The juxtaposition between monsters who were created out of something terrible happening but then essentially working with the humans to keep the peace is a thing of beauty. She provides a fresh perspective. Imagine a monster that only need sing to steal your soul and kill you, or with a couple of strokes of the bow on a violin, you’re done for. These ideas just blew my mind. A fresh idea to stand out among all the rest. The best part for me was the fact that Schwab didn’t feel the need to overload the book with needless killing just to prove how cool the Sunai were. You see some a couple of kills in the first half of the book, but she teases you throughout the second half of the book leaving you craving to see what happens when a Sunai goes dark.
It bears mentioning the other two monsters in this story the Malchai which are solitary predators that use blood as a form of sustenance. They are weakened by sunlight and to me are like a vampire’s second cousin. Then you have the Corsai which move in swarms like a massive shadow and feed on flesh and bone. They have a hive mentality and everything they do is driven by fear.
This book focuses on two main characters Kate and August. They are from opposing families. She is portrayed as hard and guarded. August, is a Sunai and just wants to be human. These two characters are shoved together under the worse of circumstances and they learn to trust and rely on each other. Many times, throughout this book I found myself comparing them to Romeo & Juliet; however, Schwab doesn’t play the romance card in this book. I thought I was going to be upset about that, but in the end, I think it was smart because it would have detracted from the deeper relationship formed and the story wouldn’t have meant as much, in my opinion. There are several supporting characters like Ilsa, Henry, and Emily that I hope to learn more about in the Our Dark Duet.
I can’t wait to read Our Dark Duet, and I will have it as part of my March reading list for sure. I’m a huge fan of Schwab’s writing style and the depth of her characters. I’ve also added Vicious to my TBR as well as her upcoming book City of Ghosts.
I would love to hear everyone else thoughts about this book, or Schwab’s other books.
The dystopian elements along with the fantasy elements weave together to create an alternate version of our world for us to escape to. I love the way Schwab created new monsters for us and didn’t resort to the same old monsters of lore. Obviously the Sunai are my favorite of the monsters. The juxtaposition between monsters who were created out of something terrible happening but then essentially working with the humans to keep the peace is a thing of beauty. She provides a fresh perspective. Imagine a monster that only need sing to steal your soul and kill you, or with a couple of strokes of the bow on a violin, you’re done for. These ideas just blew my mind. A fresh idea to stand out among all the rest. The best part for me was the fact that Schwab didn’t feel the need to overload the book with needless killing just to prove how cool the Sunai were. You see some a couple of kills in the first half of the book, but she teases you throughout the second half of the book leaving you craving to see what happens when a Sunai goes dark.
It bears mentioning the other two monsters in this story the Malchai which are solitary predators that use blood as a form of sustenance. They are weakened by sunlight and to me are like a vampire’s second cousin. Then you have the Corsai which move in swarms like a massive shadow and feed on flesh and bone. They have a hive mentality and everything they do is driven by fear.
This book focuses on two main characters Kate and August. They are from opposing families. She is portrayed as hard and guarded. August, is a Sunai and just wants to be human. These two characters are shoved together under the worse of circumstances and they learn to trust and rely on each other. Many times, throughout this book I found myself comparing them to Romeo & Juliet; however, Schwab doesn’t play the romance card in this book. I thought I was going to be upset about that, but in the end, I think it was smart because it would have detracted from the deeper relationship formed and the story wouldn’t have meant as much, in my opinion. There are several supporting characters like Ilsa, Henry, and Emily that I hope to learn more about in the Our Dark Duet.
I can’t wait to read Our Dark Duet, and I will have it as part of my March reading list for sure. I’m a huge fan of Schwab’s writing style and the depth of her characters. I’ve also added Vicious to my TBR as well as her upcoming book City of Ghosts.
I would love to hear everyone else thoughts about this book, or Schwab’s other books.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Girl With All the Gifts (2017) in Movies
Mar 4, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Girl With All the Gifts is a slow paced zombie movie based on the book of the same name. Unlike a lot of zombie movies, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' doesn't go in for gore, although there is a bit. Instead it uses it's slow pace to build suspense as the protagonists try to find safety as they pass through zombie infested England. As they travel the group find out more about both the zombies and the strange children that now inhabit the earth.
As I said, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is slow but it uses this pace to let us know about the new world, the zombies and the other characters. The scenery is both beautiful and harsh as the characters travel through the now overgrown city of London and the visual effects are built on by the eerie soundtrack.
If you have read the book then you should find that the film is close to the main story, of course the film cuts out some of the back story's and there are some scenes missing but over all the film does well and manages to show how the events of the story change some of the characters (although even this is a bit lacking from the book but that is too be expected) and, over all the film does manage to get the feel of the book.
As I said, 'The Girl With All The Gifts' does not really go for gore so, if you want to see lots of action and people getting eaten then this isn't really for you. 'The Girl With All the Girts' focus more on what lies ahead, both for the reaming humans and for the zombies who will be left and the answer is bleak.
So, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is a slow, story based zombie film with an interesting, well thought out take on the popular monster.
As I said, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is slow but it uses this pace to let us know about the new world, the zombies and the other characters. The scenery is both beautiful and harsh as the characters travel through the now overgrown city of London and the visual effects are built on by the eerie soundtrack.
If you have read the book then you should find that the film is close to the main story, of course the film cuts out some of the back story's and there are some scenes missing but over all the film does well and manages to show how the events of the story change some of the characters (although even this is a bit lacking from the book but that is too be expected) and, over all the film does manage to get the feel of the book.
As I said, 'The Girl With All The Gifts' does not really go for gore so, if you want to see lots of action and people getting eaten then this isn't really for you. 'The Girl With All the Girts' focus more on what lies ahead, both for the reaming humans and for the zombies who will be left and the answer is bleak.
So, 'The Girl With All the Gifts' is a slow, story based zombie film with an interesting, well thought out take on the popular monster.