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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Vendetta in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Vendetta by Iris Johansen brings back characters introduced in the Eve Duncan books. Although it is billed as an “Eve Duncan” she is only mentioned briefly. But, this does not take anything away from the plot and the main characters, Rachel Venable and Jude Brandon. The story centers on these two and their attempts to bring down Max Huber, the head of Red Star, a terrorist organization with immense power.
The story begins with the shooting of a top CIA official, Carl Venable. His dying breath to the operative, Jude Brandon, to save his daughter, Dr. Rachel Venable, and give her the choice of eliminating Huber to prevent him from wreaking further havoc on a global scale. Huber wants revenge on Rachel, believing that she killed his father by poisoning him. Enlisting the help of her good friend, CIA operative Catherine Ling and her on again, off again boyfriend, Richard Cameron, they work together to bring Huber down.
Johansen noted, “Every other chapter has a choice come into play. It is all about making choices. Rachel had to decide if she would go after the bad guys. Brandon whether he would involve himself emotionally with Rachel. Catherine made the choice not to hide from her desire for Cameron, as well as knowing she had to give Rachel space and control over her own destiny. The bad guy Huber is pure evil without redeeming qualities and his choice was to inflict as much collateral damage as possible. Even though I have a choice as a writer, I just wanted to kill Huber for doing terrible things to the people I love in my books.”
Both Rachel and Catherine had similar experiences of having to overcome rape. At the age of fifteen Rachel was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, watched them kill her mother and brother, and was brutally raped as well as tortured. What Johansen does wonderfully is to show how Rachel is determined to overcome her past experiences. One of the reasons she becomes a medical doctor is to heal people. Both Catherine and Rachel are intelligent, tough, strong, independent, and stubborn.
The book quote has Rachel determined to not be seen as a cripple. “I wrote that because I consider it the bravest thing she ever said. She went through a terrible event, but she fought and conquered it. Catherine also had a tough life, growing up on the Hong Kong waterfronts. She learned from it to become stronger. These two women are more similar than different. They had rough teenage years that they had to overcome. I think they are more sisters than friends and will always go to bat for each other. I think Catherine is more like the older sister because she has a son, which makes a big difference.”
Johansen writes female characters that are something other than constant damsels in distress. They find a way to survive and have come out even stronger. This story shows how a character’s past and the decisions made influence the present and future, sometimes to the point of getting revenge by pursuing a vendetta.
The story begins with the shooting of a top CIA official, Carl Venable. His dying breath to the operative, Jude Brandon, to save his daughter, Dr. Rachel Venable, and give her the choice of eliminating Huber to prevent him from wreaking further havoc on a global scale. Huber wants revenge on Rachel, believing that she killed his father by poisoning him. Enlisting the help of her good friend, CIA operative Catherine Ling and her on again, off again boyfriend, Richard Cameron, they work together to bring Huber down.
Johansen noted, “Every other chapter has a choice come into play. It is all about making choices. Rachel had to decide if she would go after the bad guys. Brandon whether he would involve himself emotionally with Rachel. Catherine made the choice not to hide from her desire for Cameron, as well as knowing she had to give Rachel space and control over her own destiny. The bad guy Huber is pure evil without redeeming qualities and his choice was to inflict as much collateral damage as possible. Even though I have a choice as a writer, I just wanted to kill Huber for doing terrible things to the people I love in my books.”
Both Rachel and Catherine had similar experiences of having to overcome rape. At the age of fifteen Rachel was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, watched them kill her mother and brother, and was brutally raped as well as tortured. What Johansen does wonderfully is to show how Rachel is determined to overcome her past experiences. One of the reasons she becomes a medical doctor is to heal people. Both Catherine and Rachel are intelligent, tough, strong, independent, and stubborn.
The book quote has Rachel determined to not be seen as a cripple. “I wrote that because I consider it the bravest thing she ever said. She went through a terrible event, but she fought and conquered it. Catherine also had a tough life, growing up on the Hong Kong waterfronts. She learned from it to become stronger. These two women are more similar than different. They had rough teenage years that they had to overcome. I think they are more sisters than friends and will always go to bat for each other. I think Catherine is more like the older sister because she has a son, which makes a big difference.”
Johansen writes female characters that are something other than constant damsels in distress. They find a way to survive and have come out even stronger. This story shows how a character’s past and the decisions made influence the present and future, sometimes to the point of getting revenge by pursuing a vendetta.
Darren (1599 KP) rated American Mary (2013) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Key words here original, clever and dark all these make this something very special. It fuses different motives for each character instead of just using one motive to drive them. Once you have seen this story you will always remember it too. (9/10)
Actor Review: Katharine Isabelle – Mary who enters the world of body modification. Great performances in which she stays calm in every situation which is needed to create a very impressive character. Very haunting character and a welcome addition to horror icons. Star Performance Award (9/10)
mary
Actor Review: Antonio Cupo – Billy club owner and seemingly small time gangster who helps Mary to complete her jobs. Good character which slowly becomes the only moral compass in the film. (7/10)
billy
Actor Review: Tristen Risk – Beatress a lady who spends all her money on making herself into a fictional character. Very quirky character which you will remember once you have first seen her on the screen and hears her voice. (8/10)
beatirce
Actor Review: David Lovgren – Doctor Grant a Doctor who expects the best from his students but also takes advantage of them. Typical take advantage Doctor does enough to drive Mary to the next stage of her spiral into the underworld. Good performance and creates a character that is meant to be disliked. (7/10)
grant
Actor Review: Paula Lindberg – Ruby Realgirl who has presidia done to turn her into a doll. The extremes this character goes to and the final reveal off the work is something you will remember. (8/10)
Director Review: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska – The second film by the Twisted Twins and this time they step up to a new level giving an original story with some very memorable scenes. (9/10)
Cameo by the Twisted Twins
Cameo by the Twisted Twins
Horror: A welcome addition to the horror genre with some very disturbing scenes. (9/10)
Thriller: Very good build using revenge filled suspense for some actions as well as good suspense to see what Mary will do next. (9/10)
Special Effects: There are some brilliant special effects used to create that body modifications. (9/10)
Believability: People will do some very strange things to their body so you could say this is quite believable. (8/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Settings: Most of the film is set between two locations, Mary’s apartment and a metal strip club for alternative music fans. Both work as this shows the two main places Mary works and makes her money. (8/10)
Suggestion: In the world of horror it is very unusual to see something different. This is that something different and once you have seen it you will remember it. I suggest all horror fans must watch this as it is one of the most original films to come out in a very long time. (Watch)
Best Part: Mary’s revenge on Doctor Grant.
Kill Of The Film: Security guard as it shows how far Mary has gone.
Oscar Chances: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Overall: Dark, delicious and brilliant
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/01/17/american-mary-2012/
Actor Review: Katharine Isabelle – Mary who enters the world of body modification. Great performances in which she stays calm in every situation which is needed to create a very impressive character. Very haunting character and a welcome addition to horror icons. Star Performance Award (9/10)
mary
Actor Review: Antonio Cupo – Billy club owner and seemingly small time gangster who helps Mary to complete her jobs. Good character which slowly becomes the only moral compass in the film. (7/10)
billy
Actor Review: Tristen Risk – Beatress a lady who spends all her money on making herself into a fictional character. Very quirky character which you will remember once you have first seen her on the screen and hears her voice. (8/10)
beatirce
Actor Review: David Lovgren – Doctor Grant a Doctor who expects the best from his students but also takes advantage of them. Typical take advantage Doctor does enough to drive Mary to the next stage of her spiral into the underworld. Good performance and creates a character that is meant to be disliked. (7/10)
grant
Actor Review: Paula Lindberg – Ruby Realgirl who has presidia done to turn her into a doll. The extremes this character goes to and the final reveal off the work is something you will remember. (8/10)
Director Review: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska – The second film by the Twisted Twins and this time they step up to a new level giving an original story with some very memorable scenes. (9/10)
Cameo by the Twisted Twins
Cameo by the Twisted Twins
Horror: A welcome addition to the horror genre with some very disturbing scenes. (9/10)
Thriller: Very good build using revenge filled suspense for some actions as well as good suspense to see what Mary will do next. (9/10)
Special Effects: There are some brilliant special effects used to create that body modifications. (9/10)
Believability: People will do some very strange things to their body so you could say this is quite believable. (8/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Settings: Most of the film is set between two locations, Mary’s apartment and a metal strip club for alternative music fans. Both work as this shows the two main places Mary works and makes her money. (8/10)
Suggestion: In the world of horror it is very unusual to see something different. This is that something different and once you have seen it you will remember it. I suggest all horror fans must watch this as it is one of the most original films to come out in a very long time. (Watch)
Best Part: Mary’s revenge on Doctor Grant.
Kill Of The Film: Security guard as it shows how far Mary has gone.
Oscar Chances: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Overall: Dark, delicious and brilliant
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/01/17/american-mary-2012/
Darren (1599 KP) rated I Spit On Your Grave: Vengeance (2015) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – Jennifer/Angela, is the victim from the first movie that got her revenge on her rapist, now back in the real world, she is still experiencing nightmares from sexual assault and fantasies of killing anyone that shows any sexual interest, be it a look or inappropriate touching. This becomes a reality once her new friend is killed and now she sets out to kill anyone that has victimised members of the rape support group. Marla is the new friend Angela makes, she has been a victim of an abusive ex-boyfriend and gets to show a looser side when working with Angela to get their message across to the guys in their lives. Oscar is a member of the support group that has seen his daughter raped before she killed herself and the rapist walked free, he talks the revenge game, never sure whether to take the step. Detective McDylan is investigating the murder of Marla and tries to help Angela when the suspect gets murdered, this is a generic cop figure.
Performances – Sarah Butler returns to the franchise (that what it is now?) she is clearly the star of the show here and continues to bring us a strong character in every scene. Jennifer Landon is good in her supporting role getting to be wild at times. Sadly, the rest of the cast are just fine, while the characters they are playing are interesting, we don’t get to see much from them as the film is centred around Sarah’s character and interactions with these characters.
Story – The story here picks up with the life of Jennifer as she has tried to start a new life after the events in the previous film, yes, we skip the second films events all together. This brings us back to the real world where the hate she feels is still strong, though the motive to act on it is being held back, until her friend is murdered and now she needs to get back to her blood vengeance she is going through to help clean up the streets.
Horror – The horror from this film comes from the horrors that the victims have been through and how Angela goes out to get her own justice.
Settings – The film being set in the big city, is a big change, it shows us how the city can be filled with people you would never know their darker secrets and how cleaning them up can be difficult.
Special Effects – The effects in this movie are used lightly, but when they are used they are brutal and effective to show the horror being put on the victim.
Scene of the Movie – The first real murder, it is graphic as they come.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too many dream sequences.
Final Thoughts – This is a good sequel to a film that didn’t feel like it needed one, showing the lasting effects of what happened to Jennifer is the highlight of the film and something you do want to continue watching.
Overall: Nice sequel that works in the right ways.
Performances – Sarah Butler returns to the franchise (that what it is now?) she is clearly the star of the show here and continues to bring us a strong character in every scene. Jennifer Landon is good in her supporting role getting to be wild at times. Sadly, the rest of the cast are just fine, while the characters they are playing are interesting, we don’t get to see much from them as the film is centred around Sarah’s character and interactions with these characters.
Story – The story here picks up with the life of Jennifer as she has tried to start a new life after the events in the previous film, yes, we skip the second films events all together. This brings us back to the real world where the hate she feels is still strong, though the motive to act on it is being held back, until her friend is murdered and now she needs to get back to her blood vengeance she is going through to help clean up the streets.
Horror – The horror from this film comes from the horrors that the victims have been through and how Angela goes out to get her own justice.
Settings – The film being set in the big city, is a big change, it shows us how the city can be filled with people you would never know their darker secrets and how cleaning them up can be difficult.
Special Effects – The effects in this movie are used lightly, but when they are used they are brutal and effective to show the horror being put on the victim.
Scene of the Movie – The first real murder, it is graphic as they come.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too many dream sequences.
Final Thoughts – This is a good sequel to a film that didn’t feel like it needed one, showing the lasting effects of what happened to Jennifer is the highlight of the film and something you do want to continue watching.
Overall: Nice sequel that works in the right ways.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2019
It seems to have been a long wait since Red Country for another book from Lord Grimdark himself, Joe Abercrombie. Not only is this the first book in a new sequence, but it is also labelled as Young Adult. I have to say I had my reservations about that since I wondered how the author of the very grim and very dark First Law books would be able to make a book suitable for young adults... it would be like Quentin Tarantino making a Disney film...
I needn't have worried. It seems all Abercrombie has done is create his usual cast of dark, mysterious, vengeful and misfit characters, set them on a bloody quest during which they can philosophise, complain and make pithy remarks to each other while hacking their enemies into pieces. It seems the only nods to being a 'Young Adult' book is that there is no sex and maybe some of the gore has been turned down a notch. The writing, the plot or the characters don't suffer from this at all.
The plot concerns Yarvi, youngest son of the king in a land where strength and ability in battle is everything. However Yarvi was born with a deformed hand and he is an embarrassment to his father and fated to join the ministry - which normally only women do - to become and adviser to a king rather than a king himself.
However destiny strikes a cruel blow when his father and older brother are both killed. Yarvi is now the king - unprepared as he is and as unpopular as he is with his subjects. He is soon betrayed and sets out on a quest for revenge.
This is pure Abercrombie from start to finish. Yarvi's journey takes him from being a king to being the lowest of the low - if not lower. He might lack the strength or ability to fight but he has wisdom, knowledge, cunning and a thirst for revenge to make up for that. From a lonely and unhappy child he becomes a leader of men - and women - and has to fight for survival across a continent to get home to take his rightful place at the throne.
The book is perhaps a little slow to start - until Yarvi is betrayed - but it is essential that this time is taken to lay the groundwork for what follows. Once it gets going the book races along with barely a stop for breath as events carry the young hero along, sometimes with some control of the situation but often just as much a bystander as the reader. There are characters aplenty - some plain mean and nasty, some friendly and amusing, some mean and nasty and amusing. As would be expected from Abercrombie nobody falls into a neat pigeonhole or trope. When deaths among Yarvi's comrades occur they are touchingly written - but with the senseless random nature of war and death writ large across their last words.
Definitely a great read, hope it will not be so long before the next in the series.
I needn't have worried. It seems all Abercrombie has done is create his usual cast of dark, mysterious, vengeful and misfit characters, set them on a bloody quest during which they can philosophise, complain and make pithy remarks to each other while hacking their enemies into pieces. It seems the only nods to being a 'Young Adult' book is that there is no sex and maybe some of the gore has been turned down a notch. The writing, the plot or the characters don't suffer from this at all.
The plot concerns Yarvi, youngest son of the king in a land where strength and ability in battle is everything. However Yarvi was born with a deformed hand and he is an embarrassment to his father and fated to join the ministry - which normally only women do - to become and adviser to a king rather than a king himself.
However destiny strikes a cruel blow when his father and older brother are both killed. Yarvi is now the king - unprepared as he is and as unpopular as he is with his subjects. He is soon betrayed and sets out on a quest for revenge.
This is pure Abercrombie from start to finish. Yarvi's journey takes him from being a king to being the lowest of the low - if not lower. He might lack the strength or ability to fight but he has wisdom, knowledge, cunning and a thirst for revenge to make up for that. From a lonely and unhappy child he becomes a leader of men - and women - and has to fight for survival across a continent to get home to take his rightful place at the throne.
The book is perhaps a little slow to start - until Yarvi is betrayed - but it is essential that this time is taken to lay the groundwork for what follows. Once it gets going the book races along with barely a stop for breath as events carry the young hero along, sometimes with some control of the situation but often just as much a bystander as the reader. There are characters aplenty - some plain mean and nasty, some friendly and amusing, some mean and nasty and amusing. As would be expected from Abercrombie nobody falls into a neat pigeonhole or trope. When deaths among Yarvi's comrades occur they are touchingly written - but with the senseless random nature of war and death writ large across their last words.
Definitely a great read, hope it will not be so long before the next in the series.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Mayhem in Books
Oct 2, 2020
I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for Mayhem by Estelle Laure. Thank you to the team at Wednesday Books, for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Estelle Laure, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world.
It's 1987 and Mayhem Brayburn has always known something's off about her and her mum, Roxy. Roxy is in constant physical pain, and Mayhem has an irresistible pull to water. She knows they aren't like the other people.
When one day, Mayhem's stepfather goes one step too far, her and Roxy escape to Santa Maria, California, the beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is. There, she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and she opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage of the Brayburn family. The very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.
But when she is on a mission to search for a man that has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she needs to pay the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.
My Thoughts:
Mayhem by Estelle Laure is one of a kind. Entwined with mystery, magic with family heritage and revenge, this book is full of emotions.
The beginning of the book, although powerful, is very slow. It took me a little while to get into it, but as soon as I was hooked, it stayed amazing.
Mayhem is an interesting character. She holds a lot of emotions inside of her, all from past experiences that have shaped her character. Sad to say that most of her experiences were not good, and she holds the burden for it all. I can imagine how hard it must be to write a character as complicated as Mayhem, and I think Estelle Laure did and amazing job doing it.
I loved the kids as well - each of them different in their own way, battling their own demons and living through their bad experiences in the past. Some of these characters drastically change over the course of the book, which was unbelievable to me.
The magic aspect of this book was interesting, and for me, original. I have seen many reviews mentioning that this might not be true, and it is a very similar story to The Lost Boys. Since I haven't watched The Lost Boys, I am unable to comment on this part. Personally, I really enjoyed the magic concept with the water, the dependency on it and the family heritage part too.
If you are searching for a YA fantasy thriller, with rich characters and mysterious adventures, I think you will definitely enjoy this book.
Estelle Laure, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world.
It's 1987 and Mayhem Brayburn has always known something's off about her and her mum, Roxy. Roxy is in constant physical pain, and Mayhem has an irresistible pull to water. She knows they aren't like the other people.
When one day, Mayhem's stepfather goes one step too far, her and Roxy escape to Santa Maria, California, the beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is. There, she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and she opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage of the Brayburn family. The very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.
But when she is on a mission to search for a man that has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she needs to pay the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.
My Thoughts:
Mayhem by Estelle Laure is one of a kind. Entwined with mystery, magic with family heritage and revenge, this book is full of emotions.
The beginning of the book, although powerful, is very slow. It took me a little while to get into it, but as soon as I was hooked, it stayed amazing.
Mayhem is an interesting character. She holds a lot of emotions inside of her, all from past experiences that have shaped her character. Sad to say that most of her experiences were not good, and she holds the burden for it all. I can imagine how hard it must be to write a character as complicated as Mayhem, and I think Estelle Laure did and amazing job doing it.
I loved the kids as well - each of them different in their own way, battling their own demons and living through their bad experiences in the past. Some of these characters drastically change over the course of the book, which was unbelievable to me.
The magic aspect of this book was interesting, and for me, original. I have seen many reviews mentioning that this might not be true, and it is a very similar story to The Lost Boys. Since I haven't watched The Lost Boys, I am unable to comment on this part. Personally, I really enjoyed the magic concept with the water, the dependency on it and the family heritage part too.
If you are searching for a YA fantasy thriller, with rich characters and mysterious adventures, I think you will definitely enjoy this book.
Remind Me (Mystic Beach Fantasy Rockstar Romances, #4)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Recipe for a Delicious Love Story: • 1 spicy rockstar • 1 salty chef • a sweet first love ...
Paranormal RockStar Romance
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Equalizer 2 (2018) in Movies
Mar 10, 2019
Revenge not as sweet the 2nd time...
When we left Robert McCall, he had just vanquished a set of Russian baddies and went back to trying to enjoy a normal life. When we meet him again, he is up to his old tactics trying to help those who cannot help themselves. After some initial carnage, the film takes a different turn striking McCall where it hurts with someone close to him. The situation is challenging McCall gets drawn in as he tries to figure out who is responsible.
Meanwhile, he befriends a young man who lives near him and tries to give him advice and steer him along the right course in life avoiding the temptation to fall in with the wrong crowd.
After the true nature of the crimes is discovered and the perpetrators reveal themselves, McCall falls into his old ways of doing whatever it takes and using whatever means necessary to attempt to prevail.
Although I thought the idea to strike closer to home for McCall was an interesting one, and took him out of his comfort zone, the screenplay was not good enough and I saw the twist coming almost immediately. These characters didn't seem to be very smart and made the film more cumbersome and not nearly as fun.
The climax scene was kind of cool I guess, but seemed very forced and something the writer thought would be cooler than what it was.
Kind of disappointed.
Meanwhile, he befriends a young man who lives near him and tries to give him advice and steer him along the right course in life avoiding the temptation to fall in with the wrong crowd.
After the true nature of the crimes is discovered and the perpetrators reveal themselves, McCall falls into his old ways of doing whatever it takes and using whatever means necessary to attempt to prevail.
Although I thought the idea to strike closer to home for McCall was an interesting one, and took him out of his comfort zone, the screenplay was not good enough and I saw the twist coming almost immediately. These characters didn't seem to be very smart and made the film more cumbersome and not nearly as fun.
The climax scene was kind of cool I guess, but seemed very forced and something the writer thought would be cooler than what it was.
Kind of disappointed.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Secret Child (DI Amy Winter #2) in Books
Apr 2, 2019
the 2nd novel in Caroline Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series
Last year I read Truth and Lies, the first novel in Caroline Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series. My eyes started to hurt so I took a break and realized I had read the first 16 chapters without stopping.
The Secret Child is the second novel in Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series. I learned my lesson from binge reading the first book and set a timer to remind myself to take a break from reading. I forced myself to take a few breaks but finished reading it in one day. It is not a very long book, 330 pags, but I just could not find a place to stop reading for the day. I just had to keep reading!
Detective Inspector Amy Winter returns with her high-priority crime unit tracking down a kidnapper. He is using the kidnappings to extract revenge on those who had used children for dangerous and illegal experimentation years ago. Also returning is Lillian Grimes, Winter's biological mother who is imprisoned for being half of a serial killer husband and wife team known as the Beasts of Brentwood.
The Secret Child is as riveting as Truth and Lies. Both are character-driven and fast-paced, suspenseful, and well written.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, and Amazon on or before 4/2/19. Will publish on Twitter, Facebook, and Barnes and Noble on its release date, April 18, 2019.
The Secret Child is the second novel in Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series. I learned my lesson from binge reading the first book and set a timer to remind myself to take a break from reading. I forced myself to take a few breaks but finished reading it in one day. It is not a very long book, 330 pags, but I just could not find a place to stop reading for the day. I just had to keep reading!
Detective Inspector Amy Winter returns with her high-priority crime unit tracking down a kidnapper. He is using the kidnappings to extract revenge on those who had used children for dangerous and illegal experimentation years ago. Also returning is Lillian Grimes, Winter's biological mother who is imprisoned for being half of a serial killer husband and wife team known as the Beasts of Brentwood.
The Secret Child is as riveting as Truth and Lies. Both are character-driven and fast-paced, suspenseful, and well written.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, and Amazon on or before 4/2/19. Will publish on Twitter, Facebook, and Barnes and Noble on its release date, April 18, 2019.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Captain America: Civil War (2016) in Movies
Apr 13, 2019
In my top 5 Marvel movies
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I did not care for the Baron Zemo angle. His reason for revenge was related to his family getting killed due to the actions of the Avengers. In the comics Zemo was a power and despot that was on the same level as Captain America when it comes to battle. This story was similar to the story arc in the Civil War comics. The government wants to control heroes because innocent people get killed in their battles trying to save mankind. The last battle they had with Ultron was the catalyst for the Sokovia accords. Oversight by the allied nations. We finally see Cap and Bucky reunited as friends but it is a little tricky at first. Bucky gets blamed for a terrorist action that he is innocent of. Zemo gets a hold of a old Hydra book that was used to brainwash Bucky and he uses it again on Bucky to carry out his plan. The "Civil War" begins when Tony agrees with oversight from the UN and Cap disagrees. The highligjt for me is seeing Spider-Man finally in the MCU. The action was great, the story was great and it had a profound impact on the MCU. It ended with Tony and Steve not being the best of friends and you see that affect in Infinity War. This movie is highly recommended by me
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
May 20, 2019
A sequel on par with the first two, making for a fine trilogy
The original John Wick was a bit of a sleeper hit. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and grabbed people's attention immediately with it's revenge story, brutal action scenes, and undercuts of humour.
John Wick Chapter 2 was more of the same, and certainly in a good way.
John Wick Chapter 3, you guessed it, is more of the same, and the thing is, it's still not remotely boring.
The films opening action sequences hit you in the face from the get go (it opens immediately after the events of Chapter 2) and it's pretty relentless from there.
The action scenes themselves are frantic, but the lack of constant quick cuts means you can see what is happening. They are suitably violent, and keeps the John Wick tradition of ammo counting, which sets it apart from most gun orientated action films.
The martial arts stunt work is solid and slick and just all round thrilling to watch.
Keanu Reeves, as before, is great as the mostly-silent protagonist, and Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Halle Berry, all compliment the story pretty well.
The only problem I had with the cast was the completely over the top Adjudicator character. The constant crazy eyes were just a little too comical for me.
John Wick Chapter 3 is a great addition to this trilogy and thankfully leaves it open for another story down the line. I'm certainly ready to see what happens next.
John Wick Chapter 2 was more of the same, and certainly in a good way.
John Wick Chapter 3, you guessed it, is more of the same, and the thing is, it's still not remotely boring.
The films opening action sequences hit you in the face from the get go (it opens immediately after the events of Chapter 2) and it's pretty relentless from there.
The action scenes themselves are frantic, but the lack of constant quick cuts means you can see what is happening. They are suitably violent, and keeps the John Wick tradition of ammo counting, which sets it apart from most gun orientated action films.
The martial arts stunt work is solid and slick and just all round thrilling to watch.
Keanu Reeves, as before, is great as the mostly-silent protagonist, and Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Halle Berry, all compliment the story pretty well.
The only problem I had with the cast was the completely over the top Adjudicator character. The constant crazy eyes were just a little too comical for me.
John Wick Chapter 3 is a great addition to this trilogy and thankfully leaves it open for another story down the line. I'm certainly ready to see what happens next.