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Beckie Shelton (40 KP) rated The Treatment in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com
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🌟🌟🌟Stars
The Treatment By C.L. Taylor was a decent enough read that I really quite enjoyed.
I also took into account when reading, that this was aimed at a much younger audience than myself, so I have been slightly lenient in my rating as I feel there were things I noticed that would probably go over the heads of this books intended demographic.
I would say this is a read my twelve and thirteen-year-old boys would really enjoy, Myself being a mum in my forties, well let's just say I enjoyed this, while not overtaxing my brain overmuch.
So The Treatment is about sixteen-year-old Drew Finch and her actions when her younger brother Mason gets expelled from yet another school and sent to Norton House, a residential reform academy.
so After being followed by the mysterious Dr Cobey and receiving a strange message about the treatment, her brother is receiving while residing at Norton House. Drew decides to investigate herself by getting herself admitted as a pupil.
So as I said this was an enjoyable read that does what it says on the tin.
There were no great surprises here, This was more, the underdog saves the day type of tale.
Drew herself, well I felt a bit sorry for her bullied by her ex-best friend (which there was no real explanation for)
Does one thing wrong and then gets shipped off to a reform academy, I know she needs to be for the story to work but jeez, her mum, hardly mother of the year actions are they.
Drew herself seems to be quite a resilient girl with a bit of a kick-ass attitude, more so maybe than I would expect from someone who's been bullied so relentlessly.
But anyway she seems a very likeable pragmatic type of girl.
She teams up inside Norton with her roommate Mouse and the two try to coordinate an escape while steering clear of there other roomy Jude.
Jude is every mean girl cliche you can think off, horrid just for the sake of it. Shes even worse when Lacey, Drew's arch nemesis turns up like a bad penny and the two join forces to torment Drew.
I did find both Jude and Lacey to be slightly one dimensional in their behaviour.
So anyway to cut a long story short Drew strives to save the day, while rescuing her friends and brother along the way.
This is done in true kick-butt style with only the one extra unsurprising twist along the way.
So the wrap up of "The Treatment" I felt was a little bit rushed, I would have liked to have seen things eked out and explored in a little more depth.
But besides that, this is a great addition to the Young Adult/teen genre-leaning more heavily towards the Teen age group.
So I would definitely recommend this to the younger generation, It is a fun action packed clean read, that is well written and is sure to catch imaginations.
thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an Arc of "The Treatment" By C.L. Taylor this is my own honest unbiased opinion.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg"/></a>
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
https://www.beckiebookworm.com
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/13527235_f520_zps01bvcnj2.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/13527235_f520_zps01bvcnj2.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo 13527235_f520_zps01bvcnj2.jpg"/></a>
🌟🌟🌟Stars
The Treatment By C.L. Taylor was a decent enough read that I really quite enjoyed.
I also took into account when reading, that this was aimed at a much younger audience than myself, so I have been slightly lenient in my rating as I feel there were things I noticed that would probably go over the heads of this books intended demographic.
I would say this is a read my twelve and thirteen-year-old boys would really enjoy, Myself being a mum in my forties, well let's just say I enjoyed this, while not overtaxing my brain overmuch.
So The Treatment is about sixteen-year-old Drew Finch and her actions when her younger brother Mason gets expelled from yet another school and sent to Norton House, a residential reform academy.
so After being followed by the mysterious Dr Cobey and receiving a strange message about the treatment, her brother is receiving while residing at Norton House. Drew decides to investigate herself by getting herself admitted as a pupil.
So as I said this was an enjoyable read that does what it says on the tin.
There were no great surprises here, This was more, the underdog saves the day type of tale.
Drew herself, well I felt a bit sorry for her bullied by her ex-best friend (which there was no real explanation for)
Does one thing wrong and then gets shipped off to a reform academy, I know she needs to be for the story to work but jeez, her mum, hardly mother of the year actions are they.
Drew herself seems to be quite a resilient girl with a bit of a kick-ass attitude, more so maybe than I would expect from someone who's been bullied so relentlessly.
But anyway she seems a very likeable pragmatic type of girl.
She teams up inside Norton with her roommate Mouse and the two try to coordinate an escape while steering clear of there other roomy Jude.
Jude is every mean girl cliche you can think off, horrid just for the sake of it. Shes even worse when Lacey, Drew's arch nemesis turns up like a bad penny and the two join forces to torment Drew.
I did find both Jude and Lacey to be slightly one dimensional in their behaviour.
So anyway to cut a long story short Drew strives to save the day, while rescuing her friends and brother along the way.
This is done in true kick-butt style with only the one extra unsurprising twist along the way.
So the wrap up of "The Treatment" I felt was a little bit rushed, I would have liked to have seen things eked out and explored in a little more depth.
But besides that, this is a great addition to the Young Adult/teen genre-leaning more heavily towards the Teen age group.
So I would definitely recommend this to the younger generation, It is a fun action packed clean read, that is well written and is sure to catch imaginations.
thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an Arc of "The Treatment" By C.L. Taylor this is my own honest unbiased opinion.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo cb2989776ebd90b183a9e563b27fb6a9--funny-reading-quotes-funny-book-quotes_zpse5d7bszz.jpg"/></a>
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Passionaries (The Blessed, #2) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
I loved the first book in this series! Precious Blood was a fantastic read. However, Passionaries was a bit mediocre in my opinion.
I like the title, and I believe it is quite fitting for the book. A minor character in the book defines what passionaries are. They are some kind of books related to the Catholic religion. I don't know if that's fictitious or not (I did try searching for it and found nothing).
The cover is very gorgeous as are all of the covers of Tonya Hurley's books. The cover fits the book especially with the guitars and the sword.
The world building was a bit hit and miss. There were times when it seemed like something like this could happen. I mean, who says we can't have modern day saints? However, there were also times when it seemed a bit too unreal such as when people were getting murdered. For example, in one scene, the girls get attacked so they end up killing their attackers. They don't get arrested because there's no evidence. Surely they would've caught them on CCTV or someone would've seen the girls with blood all over them. Plus, there'd be so much forensic evidence. I also felt that sometimes there was sometimes some fight scenes just for the sake of having a fight scene.
The pacing started off slow but eventually find a decent pace. The pacing isn't as good as the first book in the series, but it still held my attention.
As for the plot, I don't really know what's going on. At least in the first book, it was the girls finding out they were saints. However, after reading this book, I don't know what's going on! I realize the girls are saints and there are some people that don't want the world to know that, but what I don't know is the why. Why do these people not want the world to know these girls are saints? I felt that the answer is just not very clear. Passionaries did have a plot twist that I never saw coming. There's also a big cliff hanger at the end of the story as to make way for the third book in the series.
The characters were all fabulously written. The girls are stronger in this book, and their saintly personalities show through. Saying that, Cecelia is more hardcore in this book then in the first one. At least I thought so. Dr. Frey is still very cunning as ever in Passionaries. One thing that did irk me was that Hurley brought in the character of Finn. To me, Finn is a totally pointless character. I really didn't see the relevance in bringing him into the story.
There were times when the dialogue did seem a bit awkward although this was mostly in the beginning of the book. I felt that the meeting between Dr. Frey and some of his associates at the beginning of the book had painful dialogue. It just didn't seem to flow naturally. Luckily, the problem is quickly solved. There is some swearing in Passionaries as well as graphic violence.
All in all, Passionaries fell short of my expectations. It was a little bit too confusing, and the world building just didn't seem all that realistic. I do want to read the next book in the series because I've invested so much time in this series. However, the expected publication is some time in 2015, so I may give it a miss since I tend to forget things that happened in books after so long.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who want to know more about Lucy, Cecelia, and Agnes.
I loved the first book in this series! Precious Blood was a fantastic read. However, Passionaries was a bit mediocre in my opinion.
I like the title, and I believe it is quite fitting for the book. A minor character in the book defines what passionaries are. They are some kind of books related to the Catholic religion. I don't know if that's fictitious or not (I did try searching for it and found nothing).
The cover is very gorgeous as are all of the covers of Tonya Hurley's books. The cover fits the book especially with the guitars and the sword.
The world building was a bit hit and miss. There were times when it seemed like something like this could happen. I mean, who says we can't have modern day saints? However, there were also times when it seemed a bit too unreal such as when people were getting murdered. For example, in one scene, the girls get attacked so they end up killing their attackers. They don't get arrested because there's no evidence. Surely they would've caught them on CCTV or someone would've seen the girls with blood all over them. Plus, there'd be so much forensic evidence. I also felt that sometimes there was sometimes some fight scenes just for the sake of having a fight scene.
The pacing started off slow but eventually find a decent pace. The pacing isn't as good as the first book in the series, but it still held my attention.
As for the plot, I don't really know what's going on. At least in the first book, it was the girls finding out they were saints. However, after reading this book, I don't know what's going on! I realize the girls are saints and there are some people that don't want the world to know that, but what I don't know is the why. Why do these people not want the world to know these girls are saints? I felt that the answer is just not very clear. Passionaries did have a plot twist that I never saw coming. There's also a big cliff hanger at the end of the story as to make way for the third book in the series.
The characters were all fabulously written. The girls are stronger in this book, and their saintly personalities show through. Saying that, Cecelia is more hardcore in this book then in the first one. At least I thought so. Dr. Frey is still very cunning as ever in Passionaries. One thing that did irk me was that Hurley brought in the character of Finn. To me, Finn is a totally pointless character. I really didn't see the relevance in bringing him into the story.
There were times when the dialogue did seem a bit awkward although this was mostly in the beginning of the book. I felt that the meeting between Dr. Frey and some of his associates at the beginning of the book had painful dialogue. It just didn't seem to flow naturally. Luckily, the problem is quickly solved. There is some swearing in Passionaries as well as graphic violence.
All in all, Passionaries fell short of my expectations. It was a little bit too confusing, and the world building just didn't seem all that realistic. I do want to read the next book in the series because I've invested so much time in this series. However, the expected publication is some time in 2015, so I may give it a miss since I tend to forget things that happened in books after so long.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 17+ who want to know more about Lucy, Cecelia, and Agnes.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murder and the Birth of the FBI in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<I>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</I>
It is well known that throughout history, facts have been omitted from history books. Written accounts of events ostensibly make important figures and countries appear to be in the right, whereas reality reveals otherwise. One such exclusion is the fate of the Native Americans inhabiting the southern states at the beginning of the 1900s. Children are brought up to believe the stories that “Red Indians” are bad and the cowboys are good, but this was unlikely the case. David Grann has researched into a particular period of Native American history that most people may never have heard of.<I> Killers of the Flower Moon</I> reveals the horrors innocent people faced at the hands of perfidious criminals.
The majority of the book is written as a third person narrative, recounting the lives of some of the members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. White people, believing themselves to be superior, had forced the natives off their homelands and onto rocky, unwanted ground. What they did not anticipate, however, was the abundance of oil residing beneath the surface. The Osage went from being oppressed to being the wealthiest people in the state. Full of avarice, the whites were not going to let them get away with this fortune for long.
David Grann takes a particular interest in Mollie Burkhart, an Osage member with a white husband. Mollie had three sisters, but within a few short years they were all dead, and so was her mother. Believing they had been murdered, Mollie fears for her life. Other Osage members were also being killed, as well as those who tried to investigate the spreading slaughter. However, the case remained stubbornly unsolved.
Nevertheless, there was still hope for Mollie after the arrival of Tom White, an agent of the soon to be known as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Determined to get to the bottom of the so-called Reign of Terror, Tom and his team carefully analyse the behaviours and motives of the disingenuous citizens, narrowing down the suspects until eventually finding their duplicitous killer.
Learning about this unknown period of history is eye opening and offers a completely new view on the relations between whites and Native Americans. It was a time of prejudice and racism, not unlike the attitude towards black people emphasised with the civil rights movement in the mid-1900s. Greed was a significant motivator, particularly where making money was involved. But, David Grann does not stop here.
The final section of <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i> is written from the author’s perspective. As a staff writer at <i>The New Yorker</i>, the evidence of the Osage murders case intrigued David Grann, but he was concerned about some unresolved holes in the story. Determined to uncover the truth, Grann conducted his own research to discover the culprits behind the undocumented murders unrelated to Mollie Burkhart’s family. What he stumbles on highlights the severity of the dark fate the Osage Indians were threatened with.
Despite being written as a narrative, it is obvious that <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i> is a work of non-fiction. It lacks emotion and character insight, however, since it is not meant to be a fabricated story, these elements are not required. Instead, it shocks and disturbs the reader with its unbelievable truths.
An extensive biography proves the authenticity of David Grann’s revelation. With the reinforcement of FBI files, jury testimonials, statements, court transcripts, letters, telegrams, diaries and confessions, Grann produces a strong historical record of events that should not be glossed over. Without authors and books such as <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i>, people will blindly go around believing falsehoods. The truth needs to be discovered, and readers can start by reading this book.
It is well known that throughout history, facts have been omitted from history books. Written accounts of events ostensibly make important figures and countries appear to be in the right, whereas reality reveals otherwise. One such exclusion is the fate of the Native Americans inhabiting the southern states at the beginning of the 1900s. Children are brought up to believe the stories that “Red Indians” are bad and the cowboys are good, but this was unlikely the case. David Grann has researched into a particular period of Native American history that most people may never have heard of.<I> Killers of the Flower Moon</I> reveals the horrors innocent people faced at the hands of perfidious criminals.
The majority of the book is written as a third person narrative, recounting the lives of some of the members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. White people, believing themselves to be superior, had forced the natives off their homelands and onto rocky, unwanted ground. What they did not anticipate, however, was the abundance of oil residing beneath the surface. The Osage went from being oppressed to being the wealthiest people in the state. Full of avarice, the whites were not going to let them get away with this fortune for long.
David Grann takes a particular interest in Mollie Burkhart, an Osage member with a white husband. Mollie had three sisters, but within a few short years they were all dead, and so was her mother. Believing they had been murdered, Mollie fears for her life. Other Osage members were also being killed, as well as those who tried to investigate the spreading slaughter. However, the case remained stubbornly unsolved.
Nevertheless, there was still hope for Mollie after the arrival of Tom White, an agent of the soon to be known as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Determined to get to the bottom of the so-called Reign of Terror, Tom and his team carefully analyse the behaviours and motives of the disingenuous citizens, narrowing down the suspects until eventually finding their duplicitous killer.
Learning about this unknown period of history is eye opening and offers a completely new view on the relations between whites and Native Americans. It was a time of prejudice and racism, not unlike the attitude towards black people emphasised with the civil rights movement in the mid-1900s. Greed was a significant motivator, particularly where making money was involved. But, David Grann does not stop here.
The final section of <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i> is written from the author’s perspective. As a staff writer at <i>The New Yorker</i>, the evidence of the Osage murders case intrigued David Grann, but he was concerned about some unresolved holes in the story. Determined to uncover the truth, Grann conducted his own research to discover the culprits behind the undocumented murders unrelated to Mollie Burkhart’s family. What he stumbles on highlights the severity of the dark fate the Osage Indians were threatened with.
Despite being written as a narrative, it is obvious that <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i> is a work of non-fiction. It lacks emotion and character insight, however, since it is not meant to be a fabricated story, these elements are not required. Instead, it shocks and disturbs the reader with its unbelievable truths.
An extensive biography proves the authenticity of David Grann’s revelation. With the reinforcement of FBI files, jury testimonials, statements, court transcripts, letters, telegrams, diaries and confessions, Grann produces a strong historical record of events that should not be glossed over. Without authors and books such as <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i>, people will blindly go around believing falsehoods. The truth needs to be discovered, and readers can start by reading this book.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated A Robot in the Garden in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>This ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
What would you do if you found a robot in your garden? That is exactly what, as the title suggests, 34-year-old Ben has to answer on making this discovery early one September morning. Set in the near future where many people have androids in their houses to do the chores they do not wish to do, finding a robot is not a completely unsettling event. What is unusual, however, is that this particular robot is the opposite of the modern, shiny models: he appears to be a mishmash of Japanese fine art and something you would find on a scrap heap.
As Ben discovers, the robot, named Tang is broken and is in need of urgent care and repair. Ben becomes obsessed with trying to pry information out of the robot as to where he came from and to whom he belongs to. Bringing Tang into the house is the last straw for his wife, Amy, who after letting him know all his faults – unemployment, never achieved anything – walks out on him. Now alone, with no one else to worry about, Ben is determined to locate Tang’s creator and save the robot’s life.
What continues is a wild goose chase across America and over to Asia as the strange pairing – human and robot – follows hints and clues that could help them reach their destination. Along the way Ben gets to know Tang and learns to love him in the same way a father loves a child. No matter what mischief Tang gets himself into, Ben is always there to fix the situation. The only thing he cannot fix is Tang’s internal parts, and time is running out.
Initially the story was about a man who wanted to prove he could achieve something to show his sister and his, now, ex-wife that they were wrong about him. However later on in the novel Ben realizes he is changing for himself, not for anyone else, and the person – or robot – that has helped him to achieve this is Tang. On the other hand it is also a humorous tale that explores a character that is unable to connect to the world around him. Tang is like a human toddler who needs constant care and attention, and is fascinated by everything around him. With Ben’s love and attention he proves to the world that he is much more than a rusty metal box.
<i>A Robot in the Garden</i> is a gem of a novel that is guaranteed to make the reader laugh. It is also touching and emotionally engaging, with both heartwarming and heart wrenching moments. Deborah Install has created an accurate representation of a character that has no understanding of the happenings in the world around it, basing many hilarious instances on those of her young son.
Whilst reading this book I could not help but compare it to the film <i>Short Circuit</i> (1986) in which a robot is electrocuted and gains human intelligence. I kept picturing the storyline of <i>A Robot in the Garden</i> in my head and thinking up ways it could be portrayed on screen. Whether there are plans to make it into a film I have no idea, but I am sure it would make prize-winning picture.
Do not be put off by its science fiction classification; <i>A Robot in the Garden</i> is no <i>War of the Worlds</i> or <i>Doctor Who</i> type of story. Instead it is a brilliant piece if fiction suitable for all adults. Those with children will laugh at the similarities between Tang and their offspring, whereas those without will sympathise with Ben’s struggles to keep the robot under control. All in all a great novel.
What would you do if you found a robot in your garden? That is exactly what, as the title suggests, 34-year-old Ben has to answer on making this discovery early one September morning. Set in the near future where many people have androids in their houses to do the chores they do not wish to do, finding a robot is not a completely unsettling event. What is unusual, however, is that this particular robot is the opposite of the modern, shiny models: he appears to be a mishmash of Japanese fine art and something you would find on a scrap heap.
As Ben discovers, the robot, named Tang is broken and is in need of urgent care and repair. Ben becomes obsessed with trying to pry information out of the robot as to where he came from and to whom he belongs to. Bringing Tang into the house is the last straw for his wife, Amy, who after letting him know all his faults – unemployment, never achieved anything – walks out on him. Now alone, with no one else to worry about, Ben is determined to locate Tang’s creator and save the robot’s life.
What continues is a wild goose chase across America and over to Asia as the strange pairing – human and robot – follows hints and clues that could help them reach their destination. Along the way Ben gets to know Tang and learns to love him in the same way a father loves a child. No matter what mischief Tang gets himself into, Ben is always there to fix the situation. The only thing he cannot fix is Tang’s internal parts, and time is running out.
Initially the story was about a man who wanted to prove he could achieve something to show his sister and his, now, ex-wife that they were wrong about him. However later on in the novel Ben realizes he is changing for himself, not for anyone else, and the person – or robot – that has helped him to achieve this is Tang. On the other hand it is also a humorous tale that explores a character that is unable to connect to the world around him. Tang is like a human toddler who needs constant care and attention, and is fascinated by everything around him. With Ben’s love and attention he proves to the world that he is much more than a rusty metal box.
<i>A Robot in the Garden</i> is a gem of a novel that is guaranteed to make the reader laugh. It is also touching and emotionally engaging, with both heartwarming and heart wrenching moments. Deborah Install has created an accurate representation of a character that has no understanding of the happenings in the world around it, basing many hilarious instances on those of her young son.
Whilst reading this book I could not help but compare it to the film <i>Short Circuit</i> (1986) in which a robot is electrocuted and gains human intelligence. I kept picturing the storyline of <i>A Robot in the Garden</i> in my head and thinking up ways it could be portrayed on screen. Whether there are plans to make it into a film I have no idea, but I am sure it would make prize-winning picture.
Do not be put off by its science fiction classification; <i>A Robot in the Garden</i> is no <i>War of the Worlds</i> or <i>Doctor Who</i> type of story. Instead it is a brilliant piece if fiction suitable for all adults. Those with children will laugh at the similarities between Tang and their offspring, whereas those without will sympathise with Ben’s struggles to keep the robot under control. All in all a great novel.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James in Books
Jun 21, 2019
Sunny St. James is twelve and getting a new heart. She was diagnosed at the age of ten with cardiomyopathy: a failing heart. That was two years ago. Sunny’s been through a lot in her short life. Her dad passed away in an accident right after she was born. When she was four, her mom, Lena, couldn’t take care of her anymore, so she gave her to her best friend, Kate. Kate and Sunny moved to Juniper Island, where Kate runs Cherry Picked Books. And recently, Sunny’s best friendship with Margot ended. But she’s getting a heart transplant, and everything is going to change now. Sunny even has a new life plan, which includes finding a new best friend and kissing some boys. So when she meets Quinn, a new girl, on the beach, it seems like all the pieces of her plan are coming together. But Quinn makes Sunny question some things—including whether she wants to kiss boys at all.
“I’m going to die today. Definitely for a few minutes and maybe forever. Kate keeps telling me no way, nohow is it going to be forever, but she isn’t the one who’s about to have her most important internal organ switched out like a new swimsuit at the start of the summer.”
Oh this book, this book. Ashley Herring Blake did it again. She is just such a wonderful, wonderful writer. I simply fell head over heels for Sunny, who stole my heart from the first pages of this beautiful book. She is strong, vulnerable, and a darling character who came to life through Blake’s lovely writing. She goes through so much in her life—and in the chapters of this book—and yet there’s so much hope and laughter. I cannot even describe it. The book opens with Sunny’s transplant and then we move on from there, as she works to implement her three-step plan:
“Step One: Do awesome amazing things I could never do before. Step Two: Find a new best friend. Step Three: Find a boy and kiss him.”
To Sunny’s twelve-year-old reasoning, it all makes perfect sense. She has a new heart, so it’s a perfect time to be a new person. In fact, with the new heart, there’s no reason to feel the things she felt before, which might have included some desires to kiss girls. When she meets Quinn on the beach—Quinn and her mom are in town for the summer, as Quinn’s mom is a nature photographer—they become fast friends. It seems like they will be on a quest to kiss boys together. But things quickly go awry (seriously – there are some hilarious comedic scenes as the two attempt to kiss some boys). This book does such an amazing job at capturing the loneliness of young gay kids. I so wish there books like this around when I was a teen. Sunny is so sweet, so real, and so raw as she works through her confusion about liking girls. This is such a wonderful and needed book for middle schoolers (and everyone)—for queer kids as they try to figure out things like Sunny and for the allies who need to support them. I wish everyone could read it. Not only does Sunny struggle with her feelings about liking girls and boys, but she must deal with the return of her long-lost mother, Lena. In another book, these two storylines might feel crowded, but Blake handles them deftly.
And it’s such a lovely story at its heart—because, truly, it’s a book about hearts and those you love and who love you. I defy you to read this book and not fall in love with Sunny St. James. She is a character who will stick with you long after you read the last page. Blake has created yet another lasting story through her magical words. I highly recommend this book. 4.5+ stars.
“I’m going to die today. Definitely for a few minutes and maybe forever. Kate keeps telling me no way, nohow is it going to be forever, but she isn’t the one who’s about to have her most important internal organ switched out like a new swimsuit at the start of the summer.”
Oh this book, this book. Ashley Herring Blake did it again. She is just such a wonderful, wonderful writer. I simply fell head over heels for Sunny, who stole my heart from the first pages of this beautiful book. She is strong, vulnerable, and a darling character who came to life through Blake’s lovely writing. She goes through so much in her life—and in the chapters of this book—and yet there’s so much hope and laughter. I cannot even describe it. The book opens with Sunny’s transplant and then we move on from there, as she works to implement her three-step plan:
“Step One: Do awesome amazing things I could never do before. Step Two: Find a new best friend. Step Three: Find a boy and kiss him.”
To Sunny’s twelve-year-old reasoning, it all makes perfect sense. She has a new heart, so it’s a perfect time to be a new person. In fact, with the new heart, there’s no reason to feel the things she felt before, which might have included some desires to kiss girls. When she meets Quinn on the beach—Quinn and her mom are in town for the summer, as Quinn’s mom is a nature photographer—they become fast friends. It seems like they will be on a quest to kiss boys together. But things quickly go awry (seriously – there are some hilarious comedic scenes as the two attempt to kiss some boys). This book does such an amazing job at capturing the loneliness of young gay kids. I so wish there books like this around when I was a teen. Sunny is so sweet, so real, and so raw as she works through her confusion about liking girls. This is such a wonderful and needed book for middle schoolers (and everyone)—for queer kids as they try to figure out things like Sunny and for the allies who need to support them. I wish everyone could read it. Not only does Sunny struggle with her feelings about liking girls and boys, but she must deal with the return of her long-lost mother, Lena. In another book, these two storylines might feel crowded, but Blake handles them deftly.
And it’s such a lovely story at its heart—because, truly, it’s a book about hearts and those you love and who love you. I defy you to read this book and not fall in love with Sunny St. James. She is a character who will stick with you long after you read the last page. Blake has created yet another lasting story through her magical words. I highly recommend this book. 4.5+ stars.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) in Movies
Jul 1, 2019
25+ years in the making!
Up until its release, "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" would have been at the top of any movie list featuring movies in development hell never to actually make it to the big screen. Those who are interested should read the lengthy details of the various derailed productions of the film including its original incarnation starring Johnny Depp and the late Jean Rochefort. The film chronicles can even be viewed on their own in the 2002 documentary film "Lost in La Mancha".
To say director Terry Gilliam has had a hard time getting some of his quirky films made, financed and released is an understatement for sure. Films like "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" or "Tideland" had their difficulties making it to the big screen. How about having the main star of your film die in the middle of production? He had that issue as well during filming of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when Heath Ledger passed away. Thanks to the help of Johnny Depp, Collin Farrell and Jude Law stepping in, the film was able to be released eventually.
Over the years I had kept up with Gilliam's repeated attempts to get the film financed and made including another time where he had cast fellow Python vet Michael Palin in the lead or even Robert Duvall was attached at one point.
The movie itself is a marvel of tenacity for Gilliam and I am very glad he was finally able to make it.
This final version of the film stars Adam Driver as troubled film director, Toby, and Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote.
Toby is not thrilled about his current production and wanders back to the small Spanish town where he had met some of the locals and made a student film about Quixote 10 years earlier. He finds his "Quixote" living out a sideshow fantasy having lost his grip on reality thinking he is still Quixote today. Toby decides to launch an adventure with him through the Spanish countryside as his "Sancho Panza". Through their quests they encounter a multitude of interesting, wacky and outlandish characters who feed into the Quixote fantasy.
I have to say the film's look left me breathless. As with Gilliam's entire library of films, the production design, art direction and cinematography were astonishing really delving you into this larger than life world and helped move along some of the weaker elements.
Gilliam's goal with the screenplay was to adapt the classic Quixote story to be told under up to date circumstances and I'm not sure he completely succeeded. Some of the scenes and dialogue were boring and the movie's plot dragged at times. The mixing of world's was a little confusing and not sure the payoff entirely wrapped the story to conclusion.
Besides playing Kylo Wren, I am not sure Adam Driver will end up having a long career in film as I thought he was flat and not entertaining to watch as I am sure Depp would have been in the role. Jonathan Pryce was a joy to watch and every scene he was in he really stole the show.
It was fun to watch some elements from some of Gilliam's other work on display including the red knight from "The Fisher King", the sprawling landscapes from "Baron Munchausen" or "Time Bandits" and even the sideshow from "Parnassus".
Overall, I am glad I finally got to watch it as I am sure Gilliam was to finally film and release his long-awaited project. I guess I would say I was entertained, but felt like it fell short of being a true classic.
To say director Terry Gilliam has had a hard time getting some of his quirky films made, financed and released is an understatement for sure. Films like "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" or "Tideland" had their difficulties making it to the big screen. How about having the main star of your film die in the middle of production? He had that issue as well during filming of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when Heath Ledger passed away. Thanks to the help of Johnny Depp, Collin Farrell and Jude Law stepping in, the film was able to be released eventually.
Over the years I had kept up with Gilliam's repeated attempts to get the film financed and made including another time where he had cast fellow Python vet Michael Palin in the lead or even Robert Duvall was attached at one point.
The movie itself is a marvel of tenacity for Gilliam and I am very glad he was finally able to make it.
This final version of the film stars Adam Driver as troubled film director, Toby, and Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote.
Toby is not thrilled about his current production and wanders back to the small Spanish town where he had met some of the locals and made a student film about Quixote 10 years earlier. He finds his "Quixote" living out a sideshow fantasy having lost his grip on reality thinking he is still Quixote today. Toby decides to launch an adventure with him through the Spanish countryside as his "Sancho Panza". Through their quests they encounter a multitude of interesting, wacky and outlandish characters who feed into the Quixote fantasy.
I have to say the film's look left me breathless. As with Gilliam's entire library of films, the production design, art direction and cinematography were astonishing really delving you into this larger than life world and helped move along some of the weaker elements.
Gilliam's goal with the screenplay was to adapt the classic Quixote story to be told under up to date circumstances and I'm not sure he completely succeeded. Some of the scenes and dialogue were boring and the movie's plot dragged at times. The mixing of world's was a little confusing and not sure the payoff entirely wrapped the story to conclusion.
Besides playing Kylo Wren, I am not sure Adam Driver will end up having a long career in film as I thought he was flat and not entertaining to watch as I am sure Depp would have been in the role. Jonathan Pryce was a joy to watch and every scene he was in he really stole the show.
It was fun to watch some elements from some of Gilliam's other work on display including the red knight from "The Fisher King", the sprawling landscapes from "Baron Munchausen" or "Time Bandits" and even the sideshow from "Parnassus".
Overall, I am glad I finally got to watch it as I am sure Gilliam was to finally film and release his long-awaited project. I guess I would say I was entertained, but felt like it fell short of being a true classic.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Ten Minutes On Mars in Books
Jan 10, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Ten Minutes on Mars by Jonathan Fisher is a small collection of eighteen short stories. Some, or rather, most of these stories are a bit on the twisted side so reader be warned. On a deeper level this book appears to explore the darker side of humanity and how we are monsters to each other and to animals.
Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
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Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
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Neil Goddard (3 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
Feb 27, 2020
No Actors Required
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have a theory about movies that are 100% CGI; when someone isn’t a great actor and they are required only to supply a voice and they still aren’t very good, it really stands out.
Now, imagine you’re watching a film. I don’t know, maybe a bit creature epic, larger than life with whole cities being destroyed. The creature’s look amazing and the carnage they are wreaking is fabulous; buildings, helicopters, cars, all flying around the screen with a swish of a mighty reptilian tale. Now imagine that the actors, real people, not CGI, are, at best, bland and in some instances just outright terrible.
Annoying isn’t it?
It would lead one to believe that the film makers didn’t really put any stock in the human interactions, rather just gave a huge wad of cash to an SFX company and said, “Fill your boots, the more the merrier, make everything f---ing enormous!”
Godzilla (2014) was the second time Hollywood has attempted to make a film featuring Japan’s kaiju supremo and it was the first successful attempt from Hollywood, given that the 1998 Roland Emmerich attempt was basically Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) but with added daddy issues (Roland Emmerich’s trademark).
Gareth Edwards 2014 first entry in the MonsterVerse was a huge success, financially and artistically. We saw a Godzilla that was of a scale we’d always wanted, towering over buildings, a reptilian God and we’re just the ants trying to not get squished.
Godzilla: King of Monsters attempts to up the ante by throwing a dozen or so monsters at the story. “Godzilla fought two MUTO’s did he, well… hold my beer!” Yeah, we’ll hold your beer while you get Millie Bobby Brown to stand there teary eyed for most of the film (a waste), Vera Farmiga to go from bereaved workaholic, to eco-terrorist to pointless self-sacrifice (unfathomable), and for Kyle Chandler to… well, Christ knows what Kyle Chandler was doing, apart from spitting terrible dialogue badly and then standing/sitting/walking looking angry but unconvincingly. Bradley Whitford provided some nice comic relief, he does droll sarcasm immensely well, Charles Dance is underused (and then forgotten about) and Zhang Ziyi tries to out-Kyle-Chandler Kyle Chandler in the bland, borderline useless stakes.
Worse than any failing on the human emotion side of the story are the huge liberties they take with global travel, like, one of side of the world to the other in a very short space of time. I mean Godzilla can do it because of some tunnels under the sea that he uses, possible the ones used in the science-denying sci-fi car crash abomination The Core (2003), but for the humans to just pop to Venezuela or the Antarctic is unforgivable.
This kind of leaps of reality always leads me to lose interest in the events in a film and start thinking around the script. In a film where everything everyone says is of dire emergency or import and then we see them in another part of the world some time later, what have they been talking about for all that time. Have they been napping? If so, it’s hasn’t eased any of the pointless angry posturing. Have they been chatting about boring everyday stuff? There is no hint of a relationship between any of these people who are spending potentially their last moments on earth together with alarming regularity. The world is possible about to get destroyed and you are in direct harm’s way! Shut up and nut up.
Now, imagine you’re watching a film. I don’t know, maybe a bit creature epic, larger than life with whole cities being destroyed. The creature’s look amazing and the carnage they are wreaking is fabulous; buildings, helicopters, cars, all flying around the screen with a swish of a mighty reptilian tale. Now imagine that the actors, real people, not CGI, are, at best, bland and in some instances just outright terrible.
Annoying isn’t it?
It would lead one to believe that the film makers didn’t really put any stock in the human interactions, rather just gave a huge wad of cash to an SFX company and said, “Fill your boots, the more the merrier, make everything f---ing enormous!”
Godzilla (2014) was the second time Hollywood has attempted to make a film featuring Japan’s kaiju supremo and it was the first successful attempt from Hollywood, given that the 1998 Roland Emmerich attempt was basically Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) but with added daddy issues (Roland Emmerich’s trademark).
Gareth Edwards 2014 first entry in the MonsterVerse was a huge success, financially and artistically. We saw a Godzilla that was of a scale we’d always wanted, towering over buildings, a reptilian God and we’re just the ants trying to not get squished.
Godzilla: King of Monsters attempts to up the ante by throwing a dozen or so monsters at the story. “Godzilla fought two MUTO’s did he, well… hold my beer!” Yeah, we’ll hold your beer while you get Millie Bobby Brown to stand there teary eyed for most of the film (a waste), Vera Farmiga to go from bereaved workaholic, to eco-terrorist to pointless self-sacrifice (unfathomable), and for Kyle Chandler to… well, Christ knows what Kyle Chandler was doing, apart from spitting terrible dialogue badly and then standing/sitting/walking looking angry but unconvincingly. Bradley Whitford provided some nice comic relief, he does droll sarcasm immensely well, Charles Dance is underused (and then forgotten about) and Zhang Ziyi tries to out-Kyle-Chandler Kyle Chandler in the bland, borderline useless stakes.
Worse than any failing on the human emotion side of the story are the huge liberties they take with global travel, like, one of side of the world to the other in a very short space of time. I mean Godzilla can do it because of some tunnels under the sea that he uses, possible the ones used in the science-denying sci-fi car crash abomination The Core (2003), but for the humans to just pop to Venezuela or the Antarctic is unforgivable.
This kind of leaps of reality always leads me to lose interest in the events in a film and start thinking around the script. In a film where everything everyone says is of dire emergency or import and then we see them in another part of the world some time later, what have they been talking about for all that time. Have they been napping? If so, it’s hasn’t eased any of the pointless angry posturing. Have they been chatting about boring everyday stuff? There is no hint of a relationship between any of these people who are spending potentially their last moments on earth together with alarming regularity. The world is possible about to get destroyed and you are in direct harm’s way! Shut up and nut up.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Boy Who Talks to Animals in Books
Feb 29, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Boy Who Talks To Animals by Nic Carey is a hard book to describe. The best way I can come up with is to offer a quote from the book:
“Where does legend end and reality begin? Perhaps all reality has root in legend and the two are intertwined.” - Professor Lofthouse page 140
Ben has worked at the zoo for years and had always wanted to be a zookeeper ever since he was a child. He loves animals and has dedicated his life to their care and happiness. Sometimes this means going into work super early and at times staying all night long. One night he started to notice strange things happening at the zoo restaurant, making him believe someone is breaking in and getting into the food. Concerned about the security of the zoo and the safety of not only the animals but also for the person breaking in, Ben sets a trap and waits to see who it is.
Much to Ben’s surprise, the culprit is a young boy about twelve years old. This boy appears to be a runaway and has been getting his food from the zoo for quite a while now. Slowly Ben befriends the boy and discovers something odd and wondrous about him. While this boy either can’t or won’t talk to people, he can talk to animals. All the animals in the zoo love this boy, even the most dangerous ones consider him to be one of their own. The people that spend a lot of time around the boy also start to notice some changes within themselves. Now all Be can hope for is that the zoo can offer this special boy the shelter, protection, love, and life that he deserves.
What I liked best was the Professor's description of hidden skills and his explanation of Autism was one of the best I have ever heard. He suggests that our ancestors had abilities like the boy in the story but since we lost our connection with the planet we lost those abilities. At times that extra chromosome shows up, giving a person access to these ancient abilities, but they must give up something else such as the ability to speak in order to access it. Honestly, my biggest problem occurs before the book actually starts. There is a four-page synopsis at the beginning of the book. While a synopsis in itself is not a problem this one was so long and detailed that after reading it I lost interest in reading the book. This was because the synopsis contains major spoilers and tells the reader how the book ends. I highly recommend if anyone decides to read this book that you do not read the synopsis.
Content-wise this book is safe for just about anyone to read. Aside from kissing the only thing that could be classified as inappropriate is a primate grabbing at a woman’s butt in one short area. The book is a bit long which may discourage some younger readers. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The story itself is really good but the delivery isn’t all that great. Besides the synopsis (which ruined the book for me) inside the book which tells everything of importance that happens. Also, the book drags, nothing really happens until the last few chapters and the first half of the book is really slow to progress.
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“Where does legend end and reality begin? Perhaps all reality has root in legend and the two are intertwined.” - Professor Lofthouse page 140
Ben has worked at the zoo for years and had always wanted to be a zookeeper ever since he was a child. He loves animals and has dedicated his life to their care and happiness. Sometimes this means going into work super early and at times staying all night long. One night he started to notice strange things happening at the zoo restaurant, making him believe someone is breaking in and getting into the food. Concerned about the security of the zoo and the safety of not only the animals but also for the person breaking in, Ben sets a trap and waits to see who it is.
Much to Ben’s surprise, the culprit is a young boy about twelve years old. This boy appears to be a runaway and has been getting his food from the zoo for quite a while now. Slowly Ben befriends the boy and discovers something odd and wondrous about him. While this boy either can’t or won’t talk to people, he can talk to animals. All the animals in the zoo love this boy, even the most dangerous ones consider him to be one of their own. The people that spend a lot of time around the boy also start to notice some changes within themselves. Now all Be can hope for is that the zoo can offer this special boy the shelter, protection, love, and life that he deserves.
What I liked best was the Professor's description of hidden skills and his explanation of Autism was one of the best I have ever heard. He suggests that our ancestors had abilities like the boy in the story but since we lost our connection with the planet we lost those abilities. At times that extra chromosome shows up, giving a person access to these ancient abilities, but they must give up something else such as the ability to speak in order to access it. Honestly, my biggest problem occurs before the book actually starts. There is a four-page synopsis at the beginning of the book. While a synopsis in itself is not a problem this one was so long and detailed that after reading it I lost interest in reading the book. This was because the synopsis contains major spoilers and tells the reader how the book ends. I highly recommend if anyone decides to read this book that you do not read the synopsis.
Content-wise this book is safe for just about anyone to read. Aside from kissing the only thing that could be classified as inappropriate is a primate grabbing at a woman’s butt in one short area. The book is a bit long which may discourage some younger readers. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The story itself is really good but the delivery isn’t all that great. Besides the synopsis (which ruined the book for me) inside the book which tells everything of importance that happens. Also, the book drags, nothing really happens until the last few chapters and the first half of the book is really slow to progress.
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Bloodshot (2020) in Movies
Mar 21, 2020
It's nice to get a different side of the comic book genre for once, I'm still suffering from Marvel/Avengers fatigue so this was a welcome diversion.
After a successful operation, soldier Ray Garrison has come home to take his beautiful wife of a well deserved break. What he doesn't realise is that he's being tracked by a team who are looking for information, and they'll do anything it takes to get it.
Waking up in a high tech lab with no memory Ray discovers that his body has been donated to a company after his death. RSC are pioneers in enhancements to the human body, taking people who might otherwise be given up on and giving them a new lease of life.
When you've had one of those days and you need some gratuitous violence you can't really go wrong with a Vin Diesel films... can you?
I can't say I ever go into films like this expecting a "masterpiece" of cinema, I was just hoping for some solid entertainment and it certainly gives that.
Enhanced humans always offer that level of escapism that allows for a few faux pas to come across as less obvious, but the trailer made me raise an eyebrow. The effects didn't look great in the few snippets we got, luckily, on seeing the final product thought I was pleasantly surprised. The close up action that wouldn't require major stunts were excellent and believable, I didn't feel like there were any holes to pick... until the elevator scene. You'll clearly see the graphic work and it's a real shame it is so bad in comparison to the rest, there's also a terrible chase scene that has no natural movement in it either.
It's not often Vin strays from a certain type of character so we get exactly what you'd expect from his portrayal of Ray Garrison, a driven "bad guy" with a reason to be mad at a lot of stuff. It's not groundbreaking but it's always fun to see.
Eiza Gonzalez as KT gets a good range to work with, she gives us an excellent character with a reasonable amount of depth compared to her counterparts... who I had to call Legs and Eyes in my notes because at no point did I notice if they had names or not.
Our bad guy was obviously Guy Pearce seems about right for him. It wasn't really out of his comfort zone either though and despite him being great as Dr Emil Harting it wasn't really pushing any boundaries.
Visually this film is pretty good, the fight sequence we get glimpses of during the trailer uses colour well and has some amusing little touches in it. A bit of humour and some shots that I'd associate with horror/thriller movies build that excitement and tension well. There's also a well edited montage that's used to great effect to show the audience an event succinctly without it becoming boring, which is always greatly appreciated in films.
There are a few comments I have but they definitely constitute spoilers so I'll keep them to myself, but there's nothing that majorly added or detracted from the film for me beyond what I've mentioned already.
As I said at the beginning, it's nice to have a different comic book entity on our screens and I think the story is a good one, we're thankfully given an interesting set of characters to focus on and that helps the story stay a little lighter. You know how I like an origin tale though and this seems a bit short on that bit of discovery. I've got the graphic novel to read though so I'm interested to see where it deviates. Despite its minor (and slightly major action CGI) issues I really enjoyed Bloodshot, Ray's anger issues really helped get out some frustration.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/bloodshot-movie-review.html
After a successful operation, soldier Ray Garrison has come home to take his beautiful wife of a well deserved break. What he doesn't realise is that he's being tracked by a team who are looking for information, and they'll do anything it takes to get it.
Waking up in a high tech lab with no memory Ray discovers that his body has been donated to a company after his death. RSC are pioneers in enhancements to the human body, taking people who might otherwise be given up on and giving them a new lease of life.
When you've had one of those days and you need some gratuitous violence you can't really go wrong with a Vin Diesel films... can you?
I can't say I ever go into films like this expecting a "masterpiece" of cinema, I was just hoping for some solid entertainment and it certainly gives that.
Enhanced humans always offer that level of escapism that allows for a few faux pas to come across as less obvious, but the trailer made me raise an eyebrow. The effects didn't look great in the few snippets we got, luckily, on seeing the final product thought I was pleasantly surprised. The close up action that wouldn't require major stunts were excellent and believable, I didn't feel like there were any holes to pick... until the elevator scene. You'll clearly see the graphic work and it's a real shame it is so bad in comparison to the rest, there's also a terrible chase scene that has no natural movement in it either.
It's not often Vin strays from a certain type of character so we get exactly what you'd expect from his portrayal of Ray Garrison, a driven "bad guy" with a reason to be mad at a lot of stuff. It's not groundbreaking but it's always fun to see.
Eiza Gonzalez as KT gets a good range to work with, she gives us an excellent character with a reasonable amount of depth compared to her counterparts... who I had to call Legs and Eyes in my notes because at no point did I notice if they had names or not.
Our bad guy was obviously Guy Pearce seems about right for him. It wasn't really out of his comfort zone either though and despite him being great as Dr Emil Harting it wasn't really pushing any boundaries.
Visually this film is pretty good, the fight sequence we get glimpses of during the trailer uses colour well and has some amusing little touches in it. A bit of humour and some shots that I'd associate with horror/thriller movies build that excitement and tension well. There's also a well edited montage that's used to great effect to show the audience an event succinctly without it becoming boring, which is always greatly appreciated in films.
There are a few comments I have but they definitely constitute spoilers so I'll keep them to myself, but there's nothing that majorly added or detracted from the film for me beyond what I've mentioned already.
As I said at the beginning, it's nice to have a different comic book entity on our screens and I think the story is a good one, we're thankfully given an interesting set of characters to focus on and that helps the story stay a little lighter. You know how I like an origin tale though and this seems a bit short on that bit of discovery. I've got the graphic novel to read though so I'm interested to see where it deviates. Despite its minor (and slightly major action CGI) issues I really enjoyed Bloodshot, Ray's anger issues really helped get out some frustration.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/bloodshot-movie-review.html