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Contes et Légendes
Book and Education
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Cette collection inclut une sélection de Contes et Légendes. Elle est composée des 46 livres...
8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I
Video Game Watch
8-bit Adventure Anthology is a compilation featuring faithful remakes of three of the best 8-bit...
action adventure
Land and Wine: The French Terroir
Book
For centuries, France has been the world's greatest wine-producing country. Its wines are the global...
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Prepare For War
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a 2019 neo-noir action film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams. The movie is based on a story by Derek Kolstad and produced by Thunder Road Pictures, 87Eleven Productions and distributed by Summit Entertainment. It stars Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Marc Dacascos.
After an unsanctioned killing at the New York City Continental, John Wick is now a marked man on the run. He is declared "excommunicado" and a $14 million dollar bounty placed on his head. Meanwhile, an adjudicator with the "High Table" meets with both Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the Continental, and the King of the Bowery (Laurence Fishburne), leader of a group of vagrant assassins. The adjudicator gives an ultimatum to both, give up their offices in seven days or face the consequences for aiding John Wick.
This movie does not disappoint. I cannot stress that enough. It's an adrenaline ride from beginning to end. The action scenes are just masterfully choreographed and the special effects make each kill more brutal than the last. It feels like they raised the bar with the violence and gore in this one. The introduction of Halle Berry's character and her dogs were a welcome addition and made this film unique when compared to the previous two. Also the adjudicator was a really good character and i liked the way she played into the plot throughout the whole movie. Marc Dacascos was probably my favorite character in this movie. I liked his character's personality a lot and how his faction had a big part in the film. He was actually pretty funny in certain scenes and i liked it, but I can see how some people would be critical of the lightheartedness in such a grim movie. If it wasn't for some villains giving John a chance when they shouldn't, and the fact that the 3rd act couldn't hold up with the first two, I couldn't find a lot to complain about in this film. It was freaking awesome. I give it a 8/10 and I give it my "must see seal of approval".
After an unsanctioned killing at the New York City Continental, John Wick is now a marked man on the run. He is declared "excommunicado" and a $14 million dollar bounty placed on his head. Meanwhile, an adjudicator with the "High Table" meets with both Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the Continental, and the King of the Bowery (Laurence Fishburne), leader of a group of vagrant assassins. The adjudicator gives an ultimatum to both, give up their offices in seven days or face the consequences for aiding John Wick.
This movie does not disappoint. I cannot stress that enough. It's an adrenaline ride from beginning to end. The action scenes are just masterfully choreographed and the special effects make each kill more brutal than the last. It feels like they raised the bar with the violence and gore in this one. The introduction of Halle Berry's character and her dogs were a welcome addition and made this film unique when compared to the previous two. Also the adjudicator was a really good character and i liked the way she played into the plot throughout the whole movie. Marc Dacascos was probably my favorite character in this movie. I liked his character's personality a lot and how his faction had a big part in the film. He was actually pretty funny in certain scenes and i liked it, but I can see how some people would be critical of the lightheartedness in such a grim movie. If it wasn't for some villains giving John a chance when they shouldn't, and the fact that the 3rd act couldn't hold up with the first two, I couldn't find a lot to complain about in this film. It was freaking awesome. I give it a 8/10 and I give it my "must see seal of approval".
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Boys - Season 1 in TV
Sep 21, 2020
A refreshing take on superheroes
Note: This is a copy of my review of the main series, as it was done solely on the basis of the first series.
I’ve never read the comics, so took a punt on this as it’s been recommended by a few of my friends, and i absolutely loved it.
It’s the perfect antidote to the homely, suitable for kids superhero films like Marvel that bombard our screens every year. Instead The Boys is rude, crude, dark and downright hilarious at times. It’s full of blood and gore too that you’d never find anywhere near any Marvel films. There’s something beyond refreshing watching a show with superheroes behaving badly like villains, and the take on superheroes being owned and represented by a massive corporation is rather brilliant. You can almost imagine that this is how superheroes would turn out if they lived in today’s society.
This has a great cast too, and there are some wonderful performances in this. I adore Karl Urban and he’s good in this, although I feel like he’s let down a little by the fact that they’ve made him a cliched cockney. Antony Starr is seriously creepy and yet charming as Homelander, and he was great to watch. Although my favourite had to be Chace Crawford as The Deep. I feel like he was a little under-utilised in the main plot, but he provided some of the funniest scenes in the entire series and I really wanted to see more of him.
The ending was good and a nice reveal, although I wanted more and felt like it ended maybe a little too abruptly. Aside from Karl Urban’s English accent, the superhero names grate a little after a while because they are super cheesy and cringey (which I’m assuming they’re meant to be). And I felt like the character of Black Noir was a complete mystery and whilst this may be intentional, I do there has been a little bit more of him.
Aside from these little niggles though, this is a refreshingly entertaining series. So much so I’d love to watch a second series, like now.
I’ve never read the comics, so took a punt on this as it’s been recommended by a few of my friends, and i absolutely loved it.
It’s the perfect antidote to the homely, suitable for kids superhero films like Marvel that bombard our screens every year. Instead The Boys is rude, crude, dark and downright hilarious at times. It’s full of blood and gore too that you’d never find anywhere near any Marvel films. There’s something beyond refreshing watching a show with superheroes behaving badly like villains, and the take on superheroes being owned and represented by a massive corporation is rather brilliant. You can almost imagine that this is how superheroes would turn out if they lived in today’s society.
This has a great cast too, and there are some wonderful performances in this. I adore Karl Urban and he’s good in this, although I feel like he’s let down a little by the fact that they’ve made him a cliched cockney. Antony Starr is seriously creepy and yet charming as Homelander, and he was great to watch. Although my favourite had to be Chace Crawford as The Deep. I feel like he was a little under-utilised in the main plot, but he provided some of the funniest scenes in the entire series and I really wanted to see more of him.
The ending was good and a nice reveal, although I wanted more and felt like it ended maybe a little too abruptly. Aside from Karl Urban’s English accent, the superhero names grate a little after a while because they are super cheesy and cringey (which I’m assuming they’re meant to be). And I felt like the character of Black Noir was a complete mystery and whilst this may be intentional, I do there has been a little bit more of him.
Aside from these little niggles though, this is a refreshingly entertaining series. So much so I’d love to watch a second series, like now.
InSquarer - No Crop for Instagram
Photo & Video and Social Networking
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InSquarer is the easiest, quickest and most flexible way to post entire photos on Instagram without...
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Island (Hidden Iceland #2) in Books
Jun 5, 2019
After reading the previous Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir story (The Darkness) of which I really enjoyed, I was pleased to be offered this book to review by Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) via NetGalley. Here’s my review:
In The Island Ragnar brings back CID member Hulda of the Reykjavik police with another case to solve. One surrounding four young adults who have decided to take a weekend away in a remote and deserted part of of Elliðaey island off the Icelandic coast. Strange because they’d not seen each other for ten years, and even stranger still, one is married with kids and it’s odd that she’d just go on a mini-break with old school friends she’d not seen for years when they hadn’t really kept in contact all that time. Stranger still, once they meet up again, there’s a fatal accident and when they wake up one morning a girl’s missing. She’s only gone and fallen off a cliff and killed herself.
Or was she pushed? *Strokes chin in a very Sherlock way*
What is the connection between these four people? And why did they decide to meet up after ten years? I don’t know about you, but I was dying to find out! Okay, maybe not dying, I don’t want the author to put me in one of his stories only to kill me off – but I was keen!
My thoughts? Ragnar has written an intriguing and clever plot where two stories (past and present) fold into one. Running along beside Hulda’s crime solving antics, there’s a chance to discover more about her private life, her dark past, and her wish to find her own father of whom she’s never known.
I thoroughly enjoyed solving this crime with Hulda. I found the bittersweet ending (of which more than one character received) was brilliantly crafted. How an author writes a book with so much detail, I’ll never know but Jónasson is very good at it!
Nordic fiction can be as bleak as the setting, but that’s the beauty of these unforgiving scenes! I love how the isolated island, along with the terrain and the weather, helps to weave suspense and atmosphere into the story, just as much as the characters involved. What an entertaining, and cleverly crafted Nordic Noir! Looking forward to reading The Mist the third of Jónasson’s Hidden Iceland series. It can’t come fast enough!
In The Island Ragnar brings back CID member Hulda of the Reykjavik police with another case to solve. One surrounding four young adults who have decided to take a weekend away in a remote and deserted part of of Elliðaey island off the Icelandic coast. Strange because they’d not seen each other for ten years, and even stranger still, one is married with kids and it’s odd that she’d just go on a mini-break with old school friends she’d not seen for years when they hadn’t really kept in contact all that time. Stranger still, once they meet up again, there’s a fatal accident and when they wake up one morning a girl’s missing. She’s only gone and fallen off a cliff and killed herself.
Or was she pushed? *Strokes chin in a very Sherlock way*
What is the connection between these four people? And why did they decide to meet up after ten years? I don’t know about you, but I was dying to find out! Okay, maybe not dying, I don’t want the author to put me in one of his stories only to kill me off – but I was keen!
My thoughts? Ragnar has written an intriguing and clever plot where two stories (past and present) fold into one. Running along beside Hulda’s crime solving antics, there’s a chance to discover more about her private life, her dark past, and her wish to find her own father of whom she’s never known.
I thoroughly enjoyed solving this crime with Hulda. I found the bittersweet ending (of which more than one character received) was brilliantly crafted. How an author writes a book with so much detail, I’ll never know but Jónasson is very good at it!
Nordic fiction can be as bleak as the setting, but that’s the beauty of these unforgiving scenes! I love how the isolated island, along with the terrain and the weather, helps to weave suspense and atmosphere into the story, just as much as the characters involved. What an entertaining, and cleverly crafted Nordic Noir! Looking forward to reading The Mist the third of Jónasson’s Hidden Iceland series. It can’t come fast enough!
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Silent City in Books
Jun 27, 2018
Great mood and setting
What I liked about this one is the setting and the overall mood of the book. It’s gritty, very noir, and it suits the plot. It shows the other side of Miami besides the beaches and the bustling city we are all familiar with. It’s great writing and really sets the tone throughout the story.
The plot was interesting if a little far fetched. So someone comes up to you and asks you to help find their daughter. Okay. Any other person would go straight to the police right? Although I suppose this is to show Pete’s ‘investigative’ reporter spidey senses and it piques his interest as he delves further into a downward spiral. So maybe that’s what got him going further. Now I understand (without providing any spoilers here) it gets a little more personal later but I expected maybe a little more from it. Perhaps because I’m used to other books where there’s more twists and turns, some more shocking moments, etc. This one just gets down to business and it’s pretty much cut and dry - which is fine for those that enjoy this type of story. However, there is plenty of action which does make the plot move forward.
Pete does take quite a beating in the book but I just could not really like him. He’s gone through a lot, true, but he’s just been on the pity party train and it got old and aggravating. However when he reached the point of no return and when there’s nothing to lose, something sparked in him and he managed to climb out of it (for a bit) but then you have to wonder if he’s going to go back into that void again. Meh.
The supporting characters weren’t that great or likable either. I’d suppose the only one that had something was Mike. Emily wasn’t that great and I found her an annoying pest. And Kathy. She was a piece of work and not that likable either.
I might keep going further into this series. Not sure yet. I did like reading this but at the same time I wanted more out of it. It was enough to get my attention but I really did like the mood and theme of the book. Perhaps I’ll give the second one a try and see how it goes.
The plot was interesting if a little far fetched. So someone comes up to you and asks you to help find their daughter. Okay. Any other person would go straight to the police right? Although I suppose this is to show Pete’s ‘investigative’ reporter spidey senses and it piques his interest as he delves further into a downward spiral. So maybe that’s what got him going further. Now I understand (without providing any spoilers here) it gets a little more personal later but I expected maybe a little more from it. Perhaps because I’m used to other books where there’s more twists and turns, some more shocking moments, etc. This one just gets down to business and it’s pretty much cut and dry - which is fine for those that enjoy this type of story. However, there is plenty of action which does make the plot move forward.
Pete does take quite a beating in the book but I just could not really like him. He’s gone through a lot, true, but he’s just been on the pity party train and it got old and aggravating. However when he reached the point of no return and when there’s nothing to lose, something sparked in him and he managed to climb out of it (for a bit) but then you have to wonder if he’s going to go back into that void again. Meh.
The supporting characters weren’t that great or likable either. I’d suppose the only one that had something was Mike. Emily wasn’t that great and I found her an annoying pest. And Kathy. She was a piece of work and not that likable either.
I might keep going further into this series. Not sure yet. I did like reading this but at the same time I wanted more out of it. It was enough to get my attention but I really did like the mood and theme of the book. Perhaps I’ll give the second one a try and see how it goes.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Out of the Silence in Books
Nov 21, 2019
This book tackles a difficult subject without compromise but still manages to be a gripping and powerful read. In rural Pakistan a woman is found badly injured after a horrific attack. Sure she is about to die she tells the nurse tending her the story of her life.
She is called Afra and was courted by a boy called Jameel in her village. But her family only see profit in Afra and sell her to a rich businessman from a distant city to be his wife. Jameel leaves the village in shame. Their lives take very different paths from there.
Ralph Buchanan used to be the toast of the journalistic world, exposing corruption and scandal, his work earning him awards and fame. However too many corners cut and too many regrets have left him washed up in Lahore, a has-been drinking his life away. He is told the story of Afra and realises he could make a difference, but before that he needs to drag himself up from rock bottom.
The first part of the book, telling the story of Afra and Jameel is relatively slow paced. It is also a pretty grim read as Mullen describes the reality of life for many women who are still treated as property in Pakistan. There is much that is hard to read, but sometimes the truth can be very ugly. This is nothing like anything Mullen has written before. But he is a writer of considerable talent and weaves the tale expertly. Naturally there is a murder mystery woven into the story, so it is not a complete departure from his normal subject matter.
Once Buchanen enters, the pace picks up and something of the style of his other books returns, with Ralph being very much in the mould of a 'noir journalist'. The story from this point forward is not only his ongoing investigation into Afra's story and the murderer, but also his own personal journey. Mullen has a fabulously light touch with both characters and language that mean the reader is drawn into the events, even more so for having read the shocking story that kicks this book into life.
Owen Mullen has tried something different here, and has sought to expose a deep injustice in the world. He has succeeded on both counts. An author that deserves a wider audience
She is called Afra and was courted by a boy called Jameel in her village. But her family only see profit in Afra and sell her to a rich businessman from a distant city to be his wife. Jameel leaves the village in shame. Their lives take very different paths from there.
Ralph Buchanan used to be the toast of the journalistic world, exposing corruption and scandal, his work earning him awards and fame. However too many corners cut and too many regrets have left him washed up in Lahore, a has-been drinking his life away. He is told the story of Afra and realises he could make a difference, but before that he needs to drag himself up from rock bottom.
The first part of the book, telling the story of Afra and Jameel is relatively slow paced. It is also a pretty grim read as Mullen describes the reality of life for many women who are still treated as property in Pakistan. There is much that is hard to read, but sometimes the truth can be very ugly. This is nothing like anything Mullen has written before. But he is a writer of considerable talent and weaves the tale expertly. Naturally there is a murder mystery woven into the story, so it is not a complete departure from his normal subject matter.
Once Buchanen enters, the pace picks up and something of the style of his other books returns, with Ralph being very much in the mould of a 'noir journalist'. The story from this point forward is not only his ongoing investigation into Afra's story and the murderer, but also his own personal journey. Mullen has a fabulously light touch with both characters and language that mean the reader is drawn into the events, even more so for having read the shocking story that kicks this book into life.
Owen Mullen has tried something different here, and has sought to expose a deep injustice in the world. He has succeeded on both counts. An author that deserves a wider audience
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Knives Out (2019) in Movies
Nov 28, 2019
Donut Hole
Knives out is a classic old fashioned murder mystery given a breath of fresh modern day life to make it one of this years biggest delights. Knives out from the get go clearly and proudly wears a history of films/tv shows that it ows its existence to on both of its arms from Murder she wrote to Hetty Wainthropp a dash of Clue and many other murder mystery stories/tales too. Sets are fascinating with every nook and crany intricately stuffed full of the very things that inspired it almost as if its proud to display and pay great tribute to this sadly almost forgotton genre. As a film its comparable mostly to murder on the orient express mixed but its quirkiness, intelligence and charm help it soar way above that movie. Daniel Craig plays an almost Poirot character and its fascinating to watch his mind tick over and piece the puzzle together gradly along side the viewer. Its a slow burner but not a second of it drags as we follow the gradual and methodical webb spun infront of us. Pieces of clues are scattered everywhere tucked away in subtle background objects, woven into dialog and even hinted at in character names keeping your brain constantly engaged/stimulated and your eyes and ears paying attention. Its all so intricate, gradually layered, unpredictable and intelligent not even once using cheap methoods or reasoning to come to a conclusion. Subbtle themes underline the entire film too pulling the film into the present and making it higly relevant to today's goings on. Characters are deceitful, betray each other/lie constantly and the film depicts how these traits can be just as bad as murder but almost never face the same consequences. Symbolisum and metaphors are also everywhere along with great use of shadow showing inocence and and sinister intent (echoing back to classic film noir movies). Knives out certainly indeed left me smiling and challenged as well as thought provoked and rewarded. A clever, intriguing and facinating movie with a message that in a world plagued with racism, polotical lies, selfishness, deceit, distrust and the internent being used instead of knowledge nothing is more powerful than the wisdom of the old and the kind heart and inocence of a good heart.