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His Final Battle: The Last Months of Franklin Roosevelt
Book
“By far the most enigmatic leading figure” of World War II. That’s how the British military...
Biography history politics
Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts #7)
Book
What would you do if your daughter was kidnapped and given only a week to live? Lauren...
Suspense Thriller
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Seven years have passed since Frank Miller’s classic Graphic Novel 300 was adapted into a hit film and made a star of the largely unknown Gerard Butler.
The follow up film, “300 Rise of an Empire” is both a sequel and a prequel to the original film as it takes place before and after the events of the first film and involves Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), a general from Athens who is tasked with defeating the invading Persian navy with only a handful of soldiers and ships who years earlier at the Battle of Marathon put the events of the two films in motion with his actions on the battlefield.
The film also chronicles the rise of the mortal turned god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his brutal right hand Artemesia (Eva Green), who plays a deadly game against the Greeks and Themistocles based on a long standing desire for revenge against the Greeks despite being Greek herself.
While the film is slow getting started as there is a lot of back story and character introductions to chronicle, the film does start off nicely with the bloody battle of Marathon and then sets up several battles along the way.
Lena Headey is the only returning character of note aside from Xeres and she does a good job in her limited time as the Queen of Sparta who must make hard decisions for her people.
The film uses the same graphical style of the previous film and while there is tons of blood and splatter, it is done with CGI and this helps diminish the impact of seeing copious amounts of blood and gore flying through the air during the numerous battles.
The 3D in the film is effective and seeing the embers from the fires float around was a nice touch.
The cast was engaging and entertaining despite being largely unknown and Stapleton does a nice job with the lead as he does not try to recreate the performance of Butler and instead focuses on his own character.
While it plays out largely like it is, a film version of a comic, Zack Snyder who produced the film and wrote the screenplay has done a good job with the source material. Director Noam Murro keeps the action flowing and gives a nice mix of visuals and character to overcome some of the issues with plot and pacing.
In the end, the film is an enjoyable action film and a worthy follow up to the original which sets the stage well for future films.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/07/300-rise-of-an-empire/
The follow up film, “300 Rise of an Empire” is both a sequel and a prequel to the original film as it takes place before and after the events of the first film and involves Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), a general from Athens who is tasked with defeating the invading Persian navy with only a handful of soldiers and ships who years earlier at the Battle of Marathon put the events of the two films in motion with his actions on the battlefield.
The film also chronicles the rise of the mortal turned god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his brutal right hand Artemesia (Eva Green), who plays a deadly game against the Greeks and Themistocles based on a long standing desire for revenge against the Greeks despite being Greek herself.
While the film is slow getting started as there is a lot of back story and character introductions to chronicle, the film does start off nicely with the bloody battle of Marathon and then sets up several battles along the way.
Lena Headey is the only returning character of note aside from Xeres and she does a good job in her limited time as the Queen of Sparta who must make hard decisions for her people.
The film uses the same graphical style of the previous film and while there is tons of blood and splatter, it is done with CGI and this helps diminish the impact of seeing copious amounts of blood and gore flying through the air during the numerous battles.
The 3D in the film is effective and seeing the embers from the fires float around was a nice touch.
The cast was engaging and entertaining despite being largely unknown and Stapleton does a nice job with the lead as he does not try to recreate the performance of Butler and instead focuses on his own character.
While it plays out largely like it is, a film version of a comic, Zack Snyder who produced the film and wrote the screenplay has done a good job with the source material. Director Noam Murro keeps the action flowing and gives a nice mix of visuals and character to overcome some of the issues with plot and pacing.
In the end, the film is an enjoyable action film and a worthy follow up to the original which sets the stage well for future films.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/07/300-rise-of-an-empire/
Records of Shelley, Byron and the Author
Rosemary Ashton and Edward John Trelawny
Book
In February 1822 the writer and adventurer Edward John Trelawny arrived in Pisa to make the...
The Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China
Book
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) is the most important woman in Chinese history. She ruled China for...
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Book
This classic biography is the story of seven men--a naturalist, a writer, a lover, a hunter, a...
Paribus - Rebates When Prices Drop
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Get money when prices drop, effortlessly. Stores change their prices all the time – and...
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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Magnolia Duchess (Gulf Coast Chronicles, #3) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
As the War of 1812 comes to a close. Lives will be lost, hearts broken, and dreams shattered. But love can conquer all in the midst of the chaos and destruction.
About the Book
Reeling from the devastation that her brother has been taken prisoner by the British Navy, Fiona Lanier is in disbelief when she discovers a British sailor washed up on the shores of her home. Suffering from amnesia, Charlie Kincaid does not know why he is in America. As his memory returns in bits and pieces, duty and loyalties are challenged.
Despite her mother's attempts to raise Fiona into a "proper lady". Miss Lanier is anything but...Training and breeding horses, wearing her brother's clothes, and dashing off to ...Nevermind, "Spoilers". I would like to think that if I lived in 1814, I would be like Fiona. Refusing to conform to the regulations that society dictates, to follow my heart, my passion, my dreams. Will Fiona and Charlie follow their hearts? Or will they submit to duty to their country?
My Thoughts
As with The Creole Princess I was swept away from the first page of this book! The very first line is:
"She could set fire to the letter in her pocket and it would still be true."
Very fast paced and full of adventure, Beth White continues to draw us into the Lanier family. Throughout The Magnolia Duchess you will get to see the story unfold through the eyes of several characters. Creating a deeper understanding for the situation and the era. While Fiona has become very dear to me, I was thrilled to see her Aunt Lyse's reappearance (The Creole Princess)! As we follow Fiona and Charlie through the war, we can see God's hand on their lives. Protecting and guiding them. Bringing two hearts together despite all odds.
I definitely enjoyed reading this book and learned a bit more about the War of 1812 (thanks to my need to research the events I read about). There are several kissing scenes and references to "passion", but nothing that made me feel uncomfortable (and I thrive on clean reads). The war scenes are not overly descriptive. Enough to make me sad and ache about the horrors of war, but nothing that caused my stomach to churn. I can't wait to read Beth's next book! (I suppose I should go back and read The Pelican Bride first!) These books can stand alone as the main characters are in different generations. Although, I recommend reading them in order.
I received a free copy of The Magnolia Duchess from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
About the Book
Reeling from the devastation that her brother has been taken prisoner by the British Navy, Fiona Lanier is in disbelief when she discovers a British sailor washed up on the shores of her home. Suffering from amnesia, Charlie Kincaid does not know why he is in America. As his memory returns in bits and pieces, duty and loyalties are challenged.
Despite her mother's attempts to raise Fiona into a "proper lady". Miss Lanier is anything but...Training and breeding horses, wearing her brother's clothes, and dashing off to ...Nevermind, "Spoilers". I would like to think that if I lived in 1814, I would be like Fiona. Refusing to conform to the regulations that society dictates, to follow my heart, my passion, my dreams. Will Fiona and Charlie follow their hearts? Or will they submit to duty to their country?
My Thoughts
As with The Creole Princess I was swept away from the first page of this book! The very first line is:
"She could set fire to the letter in her pocket and it would still be true."
Very fast paced and full of adventure, Beth White continues to draw us into the Lanier family. Throughout The Magnolia Duchess you will get to see the story unfold through the eyes of several characters. Creating a deeper understanding for the situation and the era. While Fiona has become very dear to me, I was thrilled to see her Aunt Lyse's reappearance (The Creole Princess)! As we follow Fiona and Charlie through the war, we can see God's hand on their lives. Protecting and guiding them. Bringing two hearts together despite all odds.
I definitely enjoyed reading this book and learned a bit more about the War of 1812 (thanks to my need to research the events I read about). There are several kissing scenes and references to "passion", but nothing that made me feel uncomfortable (and I thrive on clean reads). The war scenes are not overly descriptive. Enough to make me sad and ache about the horrors of war, but nothing that caused my stomach to churn. I can't wait to read Beth's next book! (I suppose I should go back and read The Pelican Bride first!) These books can stand alone as the main characters are in different generations. Although, I recommend reading them in order.
I received a free copy of The Magnolia Duchess from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of BioShock in Video Games
Oct 21, 2019
Would You Kindly
Contains spoilers, click to show
Bioshock- is a horrorfying game, it has adventure, chills, thrills, twist, turns and so much more. It is a fantasic game to play. If you havent not played it, than i would highly reccordmend it. Lets talk about it...
The Plot: BioShock is set in 1960. The player guides the protagonist, Jack, after his airplane crashes in the ocean near the bathysphere terminus that leads to the underwater city of Rapture. Built by the business magnate Andrew Ryan, the city was intended to be an isolated utopia, but the discovery of ADAM, a genetic material which can be used to grant superhuman powers, initiated the city's turbulent decline. Jack tries to find a way to escape, fighting through hordes of ADAM-obsessed enemies, and the iconic, deadly Big Daddies, while engaging with the few sane humans that remain and eventually learning of Rapture's past.
The player, as Jack, can defeat foes in several ways by using weapons, utilizing plasmids that give unique powers, and by turning Rapture's defenses against them.
The twist is unexpected and once you find out, it is so unexpected. It's revealed that Atlas is actually the gangster Frank Fontaine, who'd smuggled Jack to the surface several years earlier with the intention of bringing him back as a weapon, as "your" DNA can operate a lot of Rapture's systems that only Ryan would otherwise have access to. Jack has been abused, hypnotized to carry fabricated memories and respond to a key phrase: "Would you kindly." Fontaine has been, to this point in the game, using it to control Jack's progression through Rapture.
Bioshock aslo has two different ends: The ending depends on how the player interacted with the Little Sisters:
1. If the player rescues all of the Little Sisters (or harvests only one of them), Jack takes them back to the surface with him and adopts five of them as his daughters, and Tenenbaum happily narrates how they go on to live full lives under his care, eventually surrounding him on his deathbed. This ending is consideredc anon in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.
2. If the player harvests more than one Little Sister, Jack turns on the Little Sisters to harvest their ADAM. Tenenbaum sadly narrates what occurred, condemning Jack and his actions. A US Navy submarine then comes across the wreckage of the plane and finds itself suddenly surrounded by bathyspheres containing Splicers who attack the crew and take control of it. The submarine is revealed to be carrying nuclear missiles, with Tenenbaum claiming that Jack has now "stolen the terrible secrets of the world": the more Little Sisters are harvested, the harsher and more furious Tenenbaum's narrative becomes.
Dont forget about the big daddy.
I love this game, it is a classic. I wouls highly reccordmend playing this game.
The Plot: BioShock is set in 1960. The player guides the protagonist, Jack, after his airplane crashes in the ocean near the bathysphere terminus that leads to the underwater city of Rapture. Built by the business magnate Andrew Ryan, the city was intended to be an isolated utopia, but the discovery of ADAM, a genetic material which can be used to grant superhuman powers, initiated the city's turbulent decline. Jack tries to find a way to escape, fighting through hordes of ADAM-obsessed enemies, and the iconic, deadly Big Daddies, while engaging with the few sane humans that remain and eventually learning of Rapture's past.
The player, as Jack, can defeat foes in several ways by using weapons, utilizing plasmids that give unique powers, and by turning Rapture's defenses against them.
The twist is unexpected and once you find out, it is so unexpected. It's revealed that Atlas is actually the gangster Frank Fontaine, who'd smuggled Jack to the surface several years earlier with the intention of bringing him back as a weapon, as "your" DNA can operate a lot of Rapture's systems that only Ryan would otherwise have access to. Jack has been abused, hypnotized to carry fabricated memories and respond to a key phrase: "Would you kindly." Fontaine has been, to this point in the game, using it to control Jack's progression through Rapture.
Bioshock aslo has two different ends: The ending depends on how the player interacted with the Little Sisters:
1. If the player rescues all of the Little Sisters (or harvests only one of them), Jack takes them back to the surface with him and adopts five of them as his daughters, and Tenenbaum happily narrates how they go on to live full lives under his care, eventually surrounding him on his deathbed. This ending is consideredc anon in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.
2. If the player harvests more than one Little Sister, Jack turns on the Little Sisters to harvest their ADAM. Tenenbaum sadly narrates what occurred, condemning Jack and his actions. A US Navy submarine then comes across the wreckage of the plane and finds itself suddenly surrounded by bathyspheres containing Splicers who attack the crew and take control of it. The submarine is revealed to be carrying nuclear missiles, with Tenenbaum claiming that Jack has now "stolen the terrible secrets of the world": the more Little Sisters are harvested, the harsher and more furious Tenenbaum's narrative becomes.
Dont forget about the big daddy.
I love this game, it is a classic. I wouls highly reccordmend playing this game.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Larry Crowne (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
“Larry Crowne” is a movie (in the works since 2006) that stars Tom Hanks in the lead as Larry Crown and Julia Roberts as Mercedes Tainot, a disenchanted community college speech professor.
“Larry Crowne” tells the tale of a Navy veteran and recent divorce’ whom, after many years of tirelessly and loyally working at the same big-box store, is fired on the spot supposedly because of the fact that he does not have a college degree. Coincidentally at the same time the bank demands the money from the mortgage taken out on his home. With no options and on the advice of his next door neighbor Lamar (who tries to sell him a “free” college degree for 20 cents at his garage sale) Larry decides to enroll in community college From there the movie follows Larry as falls in love with his speech professor Dr. Mercedes Tainot (who is still married to some Internet businessman obsessed with large breasted women) while at the same time, being befriended by a “gang” of motor-scooter/vespa enthusiasts.
Now ….. normally I’m not the one to go see the stereotypical “feel good movie” of the season. Plus, I’m honestly not that big a fan of Julia Roberts. But come on ….. Personally, I cannot ever recall Tom Hanks in a bad movie and I have to admit it Julia Roberts had me laughing the minute she started talking. After the first 15 minutes of the movie, you have a pretty good idea of the general direction the movie will go in and how it will end. However, this is one of those movies where it’s more entertaining to see how the whole movie plays out despite that fact. The ensemble cast that Tom Hanks put together does an excellent job of keeping you on your seat laughing (including a hilarious performance by the great George Takei as a militant economics professor who is trying to pimp his new book very two minutes in his class). Plus, the movie does a great job keeping you focused on the story. Especially when the gang of motor-scooter enthusiasts seemingly appear out of nowhere to show him how NOT to dress like a cop and to explain the concept of “Fung Shui”.
The ensemble cast that includes Bryan Cranstson, Pam Grier, Cedric The Entertainer, Rob Riggle, Wilmer Valderama, and George Takei amongst many others supports the lead characters well.
All in all, I’d say this movie deserves 4 out of 5 stars. Not a movie you’d want to take the kids to due some sexual content and alcohol use in the movie. Definitely a great “Date Movie” though. Besides being slow at some points and it’s “predictability” I’d say it’s definitely worth your hard earned money. Go to a matinee showing or get it “on demand”.
“Larry Crowne” tells the tale of a Navy veteran and recent divorce’ whom, after many years of tirelessly and loyally working at the same big-box store, is fired on the spot supposedly because of the fact that he does not have a college degree. Coincidentally at the same time the bank demands the money from the mortgage taken out on his home. With no options and on the advice of his next door neighbor Lamar (who tries to sell him a “free” college degree for 20 cents at his garage sale) Larry decides to enroll in community college From there the movie follows Larry as falls in love with his speech professor Dr. Mercedes Tainot (who is still married to some Internet businessman obsessed with large breasted women) while at the same time, being befriended by a “gang” of motor-scooter/vespa enthusiasts.
Now ….. normally I’m not the one to go see the stereotypical “feel good movie” of the season. Plus, I’m honestly not that big a fan of Julia Roberts. But come on ….. Personally, I cannot ever recall Tom Hanks in a bad movie and I have to admit it Julia Roberts had me laughing the minute she started talking. After the first 15 minutes of the movie, you have a pretty good idea of the general direction the movie will go in and how it will end. However, this is one of those movies where it’s more entertaining to see how the whole movie plays out despite that fact. The ensemble cast that Tom Hanks put together does an excellent job of keeping you on your seat laughing (including a hilarious performance by the great George Takei as a militant economics professor who is trying to pimp his new book very two minutes in his class). Plus, the movie does a great job keeping you focused on the story. Especially when the gang of motor-scooter enthusiasts seemingly appear out of nowhere to show him how NOT to dress like a cop and to explain the concept of “Fung Shui”.
The ensemble cast that includes Bryan Cranstson, Pam Grier, Cedric The Entertainer, Rob Riggle, Wilmer Valderama, and George Takei amongst many others supports the lead characters well.
All in all, I’d say this movie deserves 4 out of 5 stars. Not a movie you’d want to take the kids to due some sexual content and alcohol use in the movie. Definitely a great “Date Movie” though. Besides being slow at some points and it’s “predictability” I’d say it’s definitely worth your hard earned money. Go to a matinee showing or get it “on demand”.