LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
May 14, 2019 (Updated Dec 15, 2019)
I left feeling pretty positive about the whole goofy experience.
As with most DC material, the film starts on a fairly dark note, introducing us to a young Dr Sivana (a truly old school super villain, dating all the way back to the late 30s).
After a bit of back story as to why he gets all villainy, the movie wastes no time introducing us to Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and the rest of his foster family, and the movie succeeds in making all of the younger characters likable.
After a bit of comic book magic, we're eventually acquainted with the true power of Shazam!
Zachary Levi absolutely shines as he clearly relishes in playing this goofy, excitable teenager trapped in the body of a God. He bounces back and forth with Jack Dylan Grazer pretty well, and for the most part the relentless stream of jokes land nicely.
The film starts to waiver slightly towards the end, as the story hurtles towards a standard comic book movie CGI showdown, with a by the numbers comic book movie performance from Mark Strong, and some sketchy CGI cloud monsters, but it's hard not to grin with the surprise introduction of the Shazam! family (something I would surely expect from a sequel).
Shazam! also struggles at times to balance it's humour with it's more serious beats, but for the most part is an enjoyable origin story that the whole family can enjoy.
I loved the structure of the book itself. It was made to look like a continuous piece of paper, much like a timeline to which someone's life may be measured against. I thought it was really cool the way Carson would pull in the definitions of the words in Latin only to reveal about half way or three quarters of the way through that is was because she was translating an old poem that had originally been written in Latin. That gave it the sense that everything was pulled together.
One thing I enjoyed about this poem was how different it was from other elegies I have had to read over the course of this quarter. Instead of only lauding the deceased, Carson makes them realistic. She does not make them out to be some saint-like, or even god-like creature that had done no wrong. In giving them flaws and pointing those flaws out, the poem itself becomes more realistic and approachable.
I loved how it looked like everything was just scanned in, as well. It gave an informal quality to the poem that, again, makes it accessible to wider audiences than the more traditional elegies might.
Overall, this was a pretty cool poem! I suggest you pick it up if you want to read something different.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Occasional Diamond Thief (#1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this story. Kia didnt seem to be able to get a break at all, and even thought being sent to Malem kept her out of prison, it still seemed like punishment for her. Once she and Agatha arrived on Malem, the story kept moving at a pace that kept me reading, wanting to know what was going to happen next. Both Kia and Agatha were well developed, likable characters who learned and grew throughout the story. Sometimes I wanted to shout at Kia for her behavior, but considering her age it was perfectly appropriate.
There was no cliffhanger ending, and it may turn out to be a standalone novel, but I wouldnt be surprised to see more adventures for Kia in the future.
Disclaimer I received a free digital copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Merissa (11958 KP) rated All Boy in Books
Jul 15, 2019
These two were excellent characters, so rich and full of emotion. They were absolutely perfect for each other, and I loved how they balanced each other out. For Callie and Jayden, they had the best back-up team ever invented in Lauren and Willy. What a cast of characters! Of course, not every character is likeable, and there is one in particular who I took a dislike to (just as I was meant to). For me though, it was Lauren's words of wisdom that made me appreciate her more than I had done up to that point.
For all this is fiction, I am sure it only scratches the surface of what trans-men actually go through. It is a raw, heart-rending story, that will break you down, and build you up again. An eye-opener in so many ways, this is a gritty story filled with hope. I was gripped from the very beginning, and I hope for a HEA for Callie and Jayden. After all, #LoveIsLove.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
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