Search
David McK (3547 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) in Movies
May 22, 2022
It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground!
The final part of the prequel trilogy, which at least - and in comparison to the sequel trilogy - had a clear vision and overarching narrative.
I remember going to see this in the cinema in '05.
I also remember there was a kid somewhere in the audience who didn't know Anakin became Vader.
Cue a shocked "noooo!" at that part of the film.
Anyway, the prequels had all been building to this; to the long awaited showdown between Obi-Wan and Vader, that ends with Vader encased in the suit.
It might take a while getting there, and it's maybe not *quite* up there with the Duel of the Fates from 'The Phantom Menace', bit it doesn't disappoint once it does!
I remember going to see this in the cinema in '05.
I also remember there was a kid somewhere in the audience who didn't know Anakin became Vader.
Cue a shocked "noooo!" at that part of the film.
Anyway, the prequels had all been building to this; to the long awaited showdown between Obi-Wan and Vader, that ends with Vader encased in the suit.
It might take a while getting there, and it's maybe not *quite* up there with the Duel of the Fates from 'The Phantom Menace', bit it doesn't disappoint once it does!
David McK (3547 KP) rated Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) in Movies
Mar 11, 2023
Caesar. Home.
A surprisingly good prequel/re-imagining/reboot of the seminal Charlton Heston starring sci-fi flick, with this being set in more contemporary time and with it tracing the origins of the smart Apes/the beginning of the decline of man.
Basically, don't mess with nature.
I have to say, the end credits - tracing the virus - also hits differently now (in 2023) than it did on release (in 2011), after the world has been through a global pandemic.
Anyway, Andy Serkis interpretation of Caesar is really the star of the show, with able support from his surrogate 'father' Will Rodman (James Franco), the scientist who first developed a drug that he hopes will cure Alzheimer's but which leads to super intelligence in the chimps exposed to it.
Basically, don't mess with nature.
I have to say, the end credits - tracing the virus - also hits differently now (in 2023) than it did on release (in 2011), after the world has been through a global pandemic.
Anyway, Andy Serkis interpretation of Caesar is really the star of the show, with able support from his surrogate 'father' Will Rodman (James Franco), the scientist who first developed a drug that he hopes will cure Alzheimer's but which leads to super intelligence in the chimps exposed to it.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Of Fire and Stars (Of Fire and Stars #1) in Books
Dec 25, 2018
Having read the prequel to this book already, I can see why a lot of people complained about the lack of worldbuilding. Even though the prequel is based in a neighboring country, there's a lot in this book that I understood based on events in Inkmistress. I definitely recommend reading that one first.
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated This Evening and The Morning in Books
Apr 9, 2021
Loved it!
46 of 250
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies
Oct 26, 2020 (Updated Oct 26, 2020)
Incompetent, one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen. No film with a 70s soundtrack this cool should suck this hard, just as a bylaw from now on. Gives you false hope by starting off with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's charming Warren couple (after rehashing that first 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 scene for the third goddamned time in three different movies) then violating your trust by immediately veering into pure shit. Not even remotely scary, just really loud and irritating - somehow even less frightening than 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦: 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and that useless spinoff wasn't scary either. The same tropes with increasingly less charm, wit, originality, and purpose with each subsequent entry - this one having the added facet of looking like total ass now too! You'd think a beloved multi-million dollar franchise would be able to produce a film that doesn't look like a cheap Halloween section at a Party City with only like one and a half cool shots lmfao. At first you may think that maybe its lack of polish is supposed to add into a nostalgic, old-school Hollywood horror vibe but no - they just didn't care. For a now defaced series so adamant on overstuffing itself with intertwining lore (like so many films feel the need to nowadays during this unholy "just wait for the good stuff... it's building for now..." franchise kick) to the point of losing all sense of singularity they really put nothing into this writing to justify any of that. They really just turned this into some disgraceful, borderline unwatchable, generic drek that'd feel right at home in 2011/2012's rotten horror catalogue. A sequel to a prequel of a prequel to a main entry which has its own sequel that has *its* own spinoff. The pits.
David McK (3547 KP) rated Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir in Books
Mar 21, 2019
Often cited as the best thing to come out of 'The Phantom Menace', the athletic Darth Maul has developed quite a bit of a fan following since his debut.
Which Lucasfilm (as was) and Disney/Marvel obviously recognised, with - in the expanded universe - Maul surviving his encounter with and bisection by Kenobi, even - SPOILER ALERT - cameoing in the recent Han Solo prequel movie.
This collection of stories, apparently (or so I've heard) is developed from unused Clone Wars scripts, which might explain how - I felt - it assumed familiarity with events that aren't covered/shown in the movies.
For me, that was a bit of a put-off: since I had no previous connection with most of the characters (apart from the obvious, like Maul himself or The Emperor or Sidious), it's kind of hard to care what happens to them!
Which Lucasfilm (as was) and Disney/Marvel obviously recognised, with - in the expanded universe - Maul surviving his encounter with and bisection by Kenobi, even - SPOILER ALERT - cameoing in the recent Han Solo prequel movie.
This collection of stories, apparently (or so I've heard) is developed from unused Clone Wars scripts, which might explain how - I felt - it assumed familiarity with events that aren't covered/shown in the movies.
For me, that was a bit of a put-off: since I had no previous connection with most of the characters (apart from the obvious, like Maul himself or The Emperor or Sidious), it's kind of hard to care what happens to them!
Connie (244 KP) rated Marella (Wraidd Elfennol 1) in Books
Sep 2, 2018
A prequel worth reading.
*I was given a copy of this book for a fair and honest review by the author.*
When I originally started reading it, I wasn't crazy about this book. I set it aside and left it there for other books.
Recently, I went back and got the book in a different format, and I began to enjoy it much more. You get a chance to see how Marella is trying to grow and adapt, how her actual Testing goes, and you get to learn about her family relationships.
Personally, I have not read the "official" first book, but I plan on going to pick it up shortly on Amazon. All in all, I'm pretty eager to see what happens next and I can't wait to see how Marella's world changes. Well done!
When I originally started reading it, I wasn't crazy about this book. I set it aside and left it there for other books.
Recently, I went back and got the book in a different format, and I began to enjoy it much more. You get a chance to see how Marella is trying to grow and adapt, how her actual Testing goes, and you get to learn about her family relationships.
Personally, I have not read the "official" first book, but I plan on going to pick it up shortly on Amazon. All in all, I'm pretty eager to see what happens next and I can't wait to see how Marella's world changes. Well done!
David McK (3547 KP) rated Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover in Books
Jul 21, 2019
Mention the words Spider-man, and I'm sure the first thing most people think of is the Marvel comics.
Maybe closely followed by the 70s TV series or 90s cartoon, and the more recent big-screen outings.
What I'm pretty sure is not commonly thought of, however, is a Spider-Man prose novel, which is exactly what this is, alongside being a prequel tie-in to the really-rather-enjoyable 2018 PS4 game.
That game - and, by extension - this novel, sees Peter Parker roughly already 7 or 8 years into his career as Spider-man, with the novel serving to set up the entry levels into the game in which (no spoilers) Spider-Man takes on Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime, and showing how he got to have his contact in the police force Yuri Wattanabe (sp?)
Maybe closely followed by the 70s TV series or 90s cartoon, and the more recent big-screen outings.
What I'm pretty sure is not commonly thought of, however, is a Spider-Man prose novel, which is exactly what this is, alongside being a prequel tie-in to the really-rather-enjoyable 2018 PS4 game.
That game - and, by extension - this novel, sees Peter Parker roughly already 7 or 8 years into his career as Spider-man, with the novel serving to set up the entry levels into the game in which (no spoilers) Spider-Man takes on Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime, and showing how he got to have his contact in the police force Yuri Wattanabe (sp?)
Lee (2222 KP) rated Seoul Station (2016) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Nowhere near as good as it's live action companion
Seoul Station is an animated prequel to 'Train to Busan', one of my favourite movies in recent years. It is written and directed by the director of that movie too. Set in and around Seoul Station at night, the movie begins with an elderly homeless man who staggers towards the station, weak and bleeding from a wound. The beginning of the zombie apocalypse, which then unfolds throughout the night.
I found this movie to be nowhere near as interesting or as intense as Train to Busan. No characters of note to get behind and I didn't really like the animation style either. To be honest, it took me two or three sittings to complete it, I just found it a real struggle. Stick with the far superior Train to Busan.
I found this movie to be nowhere near as interesting or as intense as Train to Busan. No characters of note to get behind and I didn't really like the animation style either. To be honest, it took me two or three sittings to complete it, I just found it a real struggle. Stick with the far superior Train to Busan.
King's Cross Kid: A Childhood Between the Wars
Book
Ninety-three-year-old Victor Gregg has had a rich and fascinating life. King's Cross Kid follows his...