Search

Search only in certain items:

HT
How To Succeed in Witchcraft
Aislinn Brophy | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trigger Warnings: Grooming, prejudice, racism

Shay Johnson is a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School and has done everything she possibly can to win the full-ride Brockton Scholarship - her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her only real competition is Ana Alvarez, but Shay also knows if she can impress Mr.B, the drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee, she’ll have an upper leg.

When Mr.B “persuades” Shay into being in the school’s racially diverse musical, in their no-so-diverse school, she agrees, and lands the leading role. But Ana is right behind her playing the second female lead. With the start of rehearsals, Shay realizes Ana isn’t the intense enemy she’s always thought she was… perhaps, she would be a friend, or more?

But when Shay gets asked by Mr.B to do some one-on-one practicing for the musical, she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr.B’s unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But, will speaking out cancel her opportunity for the scholarship - her future?

This book deals with a lot of hard topics: grooming, prejudice, abuse of power, racism. I feel like Aislinn Brophy did a good job in writing the predatory actions that Mr.B was doing with Shay - every time something between them happened, it made my skin crawl.

I did enjoy the enemy-to-lovers storyline; or should I say misunderstandings-to-lovers storyline? It was cute and adorable and nothing drastically changed afterwards (besides more cuteness).

Though the title I feel like the title is a little deceiving, I still liked that magic was a part of the world here, but that magic doesn’t fix everything. Even in a world where you can fly around on brooms and make potions to help you wake up, the world is still far from perfect.

Overall, this is a magic-filled book that dives into where one draws the line on what they will allow to happen in order to get something they’ve worked so hard for their entire life. A good read for the witchy season coming up, but also a good read for the message behind it.

*Thank you G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reads and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
2022 | Horror
Some inventive chainsaw massacr...ing (2 more)
Excellent Work by Leatherface Actor Mark Burnham
The Fucking Bus....
Lead Actress was annoying as all hell (0 more)
It's About Freaking Time!!!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I always go into a Chainsaw Massacre movie with as open of a mind as I can. Knowing full well, that the last few entries haven't been up to par.
Netflix....you beautiful bastards you...
From beginning to end, this film kept me going. I sat, literally on the edge of my chair the entire time. Waiting to see what this big, Momma face wearing Slasher would do next.
The first kill nearly made me spit out my Coke. I wasn't expecting such ferocity of the hop.
The writers making this a true after the first film sequel, did everything right in my book.
The cast, minus the lead, Sarah Yarkin, were not your basic, run into the basement kind of kids that have been cannon fodder for good ol' Leatherface in the past. They seemed as logical as they could for a bunch of 20 somethings fending off a once dormant serial killer, who has been woken by the death of his 'Mother'.
Yarkin, who was playing main character Melody, seemed to try and grasp hold of the Scream Queen crown left behind by prior Chainsaw Final Girls Marilyn Burns and Jessica Biel, but failed miserably. She is the one thing out of this movie that I just couldn't get in to.
And, I will admit. That ending. While waiting for the basic good old jump scare. I sat, clenching the sides of the chair I was in, waiting anxiously for it to come. And when it finally did. It did not disappoint.
Look out for a stand out preformance by Olwen Fouere, who plays the role of Sally Hardesty. The lone survivor of the original 1974 film. As well as Mark Burnham as Leatherface and Elsie Fisher as Lila, Mel's sister, and a survivor in her own right.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the first films in the horror genre that I ever seen. Leatherface will always hold a special place in my Dark little heart. And after some clusterfuck films in the series. It's nice to have one strike a chord and make me want more.
  
Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)
Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)
2023 | Fantasy
8
7.5 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Ton of Fun
The BankofMarquis is not into Dungeons & Dragons - the role playing/fantasy game that the film DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is based on, so any Easter Eggs for fans of the game is lost here. What the BankofMarquis is into is a good, fun action/adventure film and DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is all that…and more.

The 4th film to be based on the RPG game, this D&D is no relation to the previous three and should be viewed as a reboot of the franchise…and if HONOR AMONG THIEVES is an indication of where this film series will go, then the audience is in for a fun ride, indeed.

Written and Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, D&D follows a smooth talking, good-looking musician (the perfectly cast Chris Pine), his tough-as-nails best friend (the perfectly cast Michelle Rodriguez) and their merry band of thieves as they go on a quest to right wrongs and achieve a goal.

What that goal is doesn’t really matter as it is the journey - not the destination - that matters and the journey is quite fun thanks to an enjoyable cast and a script and direction that evokes memories of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS and, yes, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL along the way.

The cast (Pine, Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant) know exactly what type of film they are making and jump in with both feet to have some fun, fight some creatures and make a family-friendly medieval action/adventure comedy that works.

Credit, of course, goes to Daley & Goldstein and this appears to be their first film together as Directors. If that is the case, the BankofMarquis is eager to see where they go from here.

While, I’m sure, there are plenty of Easter Eggs in this film for the D&D fan, the BankofMarquis caught none of that and just sat back and had a really fun 2+ hours, chuckling out loud on more than one occassion.

This film is now streaming on Paramount Plus. If you run across, check it out, you’ll have a good time.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
40x40

Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies

Oct 4, 2018 (Updated Oct 4, 2018)  
Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Unexpectedly fun and comical (1 more)
Tom Hardy
Wasn't up to MCU standard (0 more)
This Is The Movie That Everyone Hates?
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have to be honest, I was not on-board with this film going in at all. I wasn't interested in a Spiderman-less Spiderman universe and the trailers didn't exactly sell me on it either. It looked like they were messing with the origin of Venom too much and the action set pieces didn't look too impressive. Then there was the fact that the review embargo was only lifted a day before the movie's release, then there were the terrible reviews. Suffice to say I went into this with a morbid curiosity expecting a total mess.

However, I am happy to report that this movie actually really pleasantly surprised me and I had a ton of fun watching Venom.

When I heard that Tom Hardy was playing Eddie Brock, I was really gutted because I think that he would have been the perfect choice for the MCU's Wolverine. I also thought that this was going to be a mistake in terms of Hardy's career; out of all of the superhero movies he could have been a part of, he chose Venom? I was happy to be proven wrong, Hardy was great in both his role as Eddie Brock and as Venom. He was funny, scary and heartfelt at all the right moments and looked like he was having a good time playing the character.

This movie did remind me a lot of Upgrade, which was also a Sci-fi movie released this year with a protagonist who gains a voice in his head and extraordinary powers that he doesn't have any control over. Coincidentally Tom Hardy also looks strikingly similar to the actor in Upgrade, Logan-Marshall Green. If I had to compare the two movies, I personally preferred Upgrade, but I had a lot of fun with both of them.

And that's the best thing about this movie, it is fun. Sure, it's not a comic book accurate Venom origin and it's not connected to the MCU's Spiderman and it's not up to snuff compared to the recent entries in the MCU, but it is a ton of fun to watch this violent alien join forces with a witty, down on his luck reporter and wreak havoc.

I'm going to drop a few spoilers going forward, so if you have yet to see the movie, you should probably click away now.

The thing that was really bothering me during the opening of the movie was; why is this story taking place in San Francisco? Eddie Brock is a New Yorker, not a San Franciscan. Then they addressed that issue and explained that he had moved away from New York. It was only a brief, throwaway line, but they didn't have to bother including it and I appreciate that they did.

I also really enjoyed the brief appearance of She-Venom. Sure, the odds that this Symbiote that rejects almost every human host that it comes into contact with, just happens to bond perfectly with this couple, is a bit of a stretch. However, this is a comic book movie with aliens, so I'm willing to accept a few stretches in the movie's logic.

Lastly I like the fact that they teased Carnage in the post credits tease and I am glad that they got Woody Harrelson to play him, he is one of my favourite actors... but my God he looked really dumb in that red wig, like almost parody bad.

Overall, although I had extremely low expectations going into Venom, it exceeded them by a great deal. Sure, it's not Infinity War and it's not even Spiderman: Homecoming, but it is a lot of fun and there is definitely a good amount of enjoyment to be had in Venom.
  
40x40

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Tom Clancy's The Division in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019  
Tom Clancy's The Division
Tom Clancy's The Division
Shooter
As if pulled directly from the headlines Tom Clancy’s The Division is a chilling look at New York in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic. Dubbed the Dollar Flu, after tainted money was released during Black Friday, Manhattan is a desolated region populated by scavengers, roaming gangs; people just trying to survive. It is into this scenario that players take on the role of an agent of an elite government division known as “The Division”, their task is to help restore order, investigate the outbreak, and bring facilities and a sense of normality to a devastated area. Playing from a third person perspective and mixing elements of a RPG and shooter, The Division is an extremely ambitious and highly detailed project. Players are tasked with several main missions but also have the option to do side missions which help them gain resources in order to upgrade their base and equipment. Weapons and accessories can be bought, sold, or modified, and various skill options ranging from healing to combat options become available as well.

One of the great things about the game is the ability to join other players to complete your missions. At the start of a mission, players have the option to be matched up with other players but of course the difficulty will ramp up based on the number of players that are currently assigned. The level of difficulty can be extreme but the enjoyment rewards of successfully completing the mission of this magnitude are worth it.

There was a lot of complaining online from gamers about the delays that the game had coming to market and I would say that the time has definitely been well spent. It is a deeply immersive game that is very impressive to look at in terms of the detail that Ubisoft has put into re-creating the city. The enemies are diverse and challenging and the storyline is extremely engaging.
I am not a huge fan of micromanagement in terms of having to sort out my gear and tactful upgrades I’ve always been more in favor of finding and using an item rather than crafting and purchasing because I do not like to have to decide what is worth keeping and what is worth discarding or selling. The great thing is the game gives me the ability to play in my comfort zone but also step outside it and take some new paths to enhance my loadout.

There are unfortunately a few bugs in the game as I remember one early mission in a department store were encountering a flamethrower equipped enemy on a staircase I backed up and dispatched them with a volley from my assault rifle. My triumph was short-lived as I found that I become wedged between an ankle high box and a mannequin and that there was no way for me to get out of that predicament without ending the game and then reloading. I have not encountered any of the exploits that I read about being deployed online but I also avoid The Dark Zone more than other players as this is truly a lawless area were players run amok.

Ubisoft has said they plan to address the issues and they also have upcoming DLC which will expand upon the universe. For now The Division is a very impressive game in that it provides a fantastic an open world scenario filled with numerous challenges and a great level of visual detail. I found myself to of been drawn into the game and it is managed to maintain my interest ever since release and also has me thinking about the game and strategizing even when I’m not playing. Hopefully the necessary updates and features will continue to, so this game can reach its full potential.

http://sknr.net/2016/05/13/tom-clancys-division/
  
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
I honestly forgot about writing a review for <i>Cage of Destiny</i> after reading it, so I am now fashionably late in the reviewing scheme of things.

My excuse: I've been trying to get both of my co-bloggers into reading this and it has not happened yet. My mission will continue. (Also Anelise’s library is cooler than mine because she says they have a copy of the first book.)

<b>I honestly live for Davis’s introductions because they give me life</b>. It's one of the rare things that never happen in books but it happened and I always look forward to reading it. <b>Also it seems like there will be more books?</b> Which means I might get more of one of my favorite bad-ass princess? My heart is overjoyed. *rolls into abyss of happiness*

<i>Cage of Destiny</i> starts right off from <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-cage-of-darkness-by-jennifer-anne-davis-arc-review"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cage of Darkness</a></i>, when Allyssa is given the ultimate choice from her parents to walk away from her crown or continue the path of being empress of Emperion. This makes things a lot interesting since <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-cage-of-deceit-by-jennifer-anne-davis-arc-review"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cage of Deceit</a></i> revealed <b>Allyssa is a bad-ass princess who sneaks around the kingdom just to take down criminals in a disguise. </b>And now she has a decision while taking down evil queen interested in kingdom domination!

To be a ruler, or not to be a ruler, that is the question.

And of course, <b>there is a love triangle, which is kind of strange yet thrilling at the same time.</b> Unlike most love triangles where the poor girl is playing “Pick a Boy” and us poor readers are fighting around with teams, <b>there's only one side to this love triangle.</b> The other guy is just there hanging on hopelessly, and my heart is happy because <b>Davis isn't busy pulling around with my poor heartstrings and there is only one ship to this story.</b>

Which basically leads me into some of the characters of book three. All of the major characters have been introduced in either the first or second book, so a lot of those characters are returning. In addition to that, <b>there are some new characters as well, so maybe there's a book four? That is yet to be seen.</b>

But let me take a moment to appreciate Kerdan, who got introduced in the previous book and will be playing a larger role than floating around and plotting and being all around mysterious prince warrior. <b>Kerdan is basically the Kenji from <i>Shatter Me</i></b> - all funny personality with more page time than Kenji did, but also my favorite character other than Allyssa.

In fact, <b>Kerdan probably brings out the funny side of Allyssa, </b>which I will definitely not complain about.
<b>
</b> <b><i>Cage of Destiny </i>brings a satisfying conclusion to one story with an unknown promise of future books</b> - I'll be looking forward to future books regardless.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/cage-of-destiny-by-jennifer-anne-davis/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
    liveBPM - Beat Detector

    liveBPM - Beat Detector

    Music and Utilities

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Sharpen your sense of time! liveBPM is the tempo monitoring tool for drummers, bands and DJs. It...

    Fiete Cars

    Fiete Cars

    Education and Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    In Fiete Cars the children are the master builders. In this app kids can create their own car game....