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David McK (3238 KP) rated Bird Box (2018) in Movies
Aug 23, 2020 (Updated Jan 17, 2023)
2018 post apocalyptic horror film, that proved to be a big hit for Netflix when it was released on that streaming platform.
Starring Sandra Bullock, this was sold on the (strong) imagery of a blindfolded woman leading two equally blindfolded children through a river journey - the film, later, makes it clear that this is because a mysterious entity has decimated the population, driving whoever sees it (we don't) mad and causing them to commit suicide.
The film is actually told in both the 'now' of the journey and '5 year previously' (when this first started happening), with Sandra Bullock's character of Malorie heavily pregnant and trapped in a house with other survivors - we know, of course (they're not in the 'now'!) that they're all going to be bumped off one by one, but the suspense is in the how and when.
The ending also, apparently, is a lot less dark that the book on which it is based, and I still have little idea why the film is even called Bird Box!
Starring Sandra Bullock, this was sold on the (strong) imagery of a blindfolded woman leading two equally blindfolded children through a river journey - the film, later, makes it clear that this is because a mysterious entity has decimated the population, driving whoever sees it (we don't) mad and causing them to commit suicide.
The film is actually told in both the 'now' of the journey and '5 year previously' (when this first started happening), with Sandra Bullock's character of Malorie heavily pregnant and trapped in a house with other survivors - we know, of course (they're not in the 'now'!) that they're all going to be bumped off one by one, but the suspense is in the how and when.
The ending also, apparently, is a lot less dark that the book on which it is based, and I still have little idea why the film is even called Bird Box!
Mothergamer (1521 KP) rated Okami HD in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
Okami is one of my personal favorite games. When it came out on the PS2 I played it often. When I saw that Okami HD was available for PS4, I got it immediately. I was thrilled to play one of my favorite games again. This was also a game I chose to stream on my Twitch channel. The things I loved about Okami were still here in the HD remastered version. The art style was as beautiful as ever and the music was great. The story and the characters that I remembered brought a smile to my face. Playing as the white wolf god Amaterasu with her little Poncle pal Issun was so much fun. Exploring everywhere is half the fun because each area is so different from the next.
Amaterasu exploring.
The story is very much about helping nature as Amaterasu is a god and referred to as the mother of all. The goal is to find her celestial brush techniques and use them on your adventure as needed. For example a technique called Bloom, has you putting the celestial brush on a dead tree and when you do it, there is a beautiful cutscene that shows the tree blooming with cherry blossoms. When you do it with the guardian trees, an even prettier cutscene happens that rids the land of the curse and everything blooms and there are cute animals too.
Using the celestial brush to use the bloom technique.
Since Amaterasu is a god, she needs praise in order to level up her skills and health. There are several ways to do this. One way is by feeding the animals throughout the lands. You can buy food for the animals from the merchants in the towns. When you feed the animals the food they like you earn praise. The biggest one of course is healing all the guardian trees and healing the trees throughout the different areas. You can also do all the side quests and help the people you meet and you earn praise from helping them. When you have enough praise for various things such as increasing your ink pots or your health, you can upgrade them with all the praise you have earned.
There are also digging mini games where Amaterasu uses her digging abilities and celestial brush skills to help people find things. The digging mini game can be a little frustrating because it does not give you a lot of time and you have to look for blossoms with timer orbs and use bloom on them to add extra time. When you use your brush skills, the timer is still counting down so you have to be as fast as you can. If you run out of time, you have to start over again. This is why it can be a little frustrating, but the game is still fun.
The digging mini game in action. Be fast!
There are all kinds of demons to fight and you earn experience points, yen, and extra ink when you beat them. For the story there are several boss demons you need to fight. There are different strategies for each boss and you need to use your celestial brush skills in order to defeat them. This is where the art style of Okami really shines as no two bosses are alike and using the skills is a creative way to handle them. However, I did have a huge issue with the final boss fight. It was over the top and ridiculous. While I understand that it was meant to be a challenge, this fight had everything but the kitchen sink. There were at least five different things I had to avoid, dodge, or not get crushed under. This also caused frustration with my streaming because from the beginning Okami had been very stream friendly and everyone was enjoying it. When I got to the final boss however, it blocked the scenes. If it was just the cutscenes I could understand that, but it blocked the entire final boss fight and the closing credits. I get that they want to avoid spoilers too, but at this point if a person is watching the streaming and people have been watching since the beginning, there is no point in blocking the final scenes. I know I am fairly new to streaming and currently I am streaming from my PS4 until I get the equipment I need, but this was definitely incredibly infuriating. I did finish the game, but I felt I had to apologize to my viewers for this happening and I did. Luckily, they were all very supportive and understanding about the whole thing.
One of the boss battles in Okami.
In spite of that frustration I did enjoy the game. Okami is still a game that is dear to my heart because of the story, the art style, the characters, and wonderful music. It is fun to play and overall I did enjoy streaming it because I got to share a game I loved with everyone. It is a game that celebrates friendship, love, and doing your best to be kind and help others which is something I talk about often. A game that is not only fun to play, but offers such a wonderful story with those ideals is a pretty fantastic thing. After the game is done, you can play a new game plus with all the items and upgrades you have earned. You can also get any side quests you missed. Okami was so much fun to play again and I'm happy that we got to go on that adventure together. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you at the next adventure!
Amaterasu exploring.
The story is very much about helping nature as Amaterasu is a god and referred to as the mother of all. The goal is to find her celestial brush techniques and use them on your adventure as needed. For example a technique called Bloom, has you putting the celestial brush on a dead tree and when you do it, there is a beautiful cutscene that shows the tree blooming with cherry blossoms. When you do it with the guardian trees, an even prettier cutscene happens that rids the land of the curse and everything blooms and there are cute animals too.
Using the celestial brush to use the bloom technique.
Since Amaterasu is a god, she needs praise in order to level up her skills and health. There are several ways to do this. One way is by feeding the animals throughout the lands. You can buy food for the animals from the merchants in the towns. When you feed the animals the food they like you earn praise. The biggest one of course is healing all the guardian trees and healing the trees throughout the different areas. You can also do all the side quests and help the people you meet and you earn praise from helping them. When you have enough praise for various things such as increasing your ink pots or your health, you can upgrade them with all the praise you have earned.
There are also digging mini games where Amaterasu uses her digging abilities and celestial brush skills to help people find things. The digging mini game can be a little frustrating because it does not give you a lot of time and you have to look for blossoms with timer orbs and use bloom on them to add extra time. When you use your brush skills, the timer is still counting down so you have to be as fast as you can. If you run out of time, you have to start over again. This is why it can be a little frustrating, but the game is still fun.
The digging mini game in action. Be fast!
There are all kinds of demons to fight and you earn experience points, yen, and extra ink when you beat them. For the story there are several boss demons you need to fight. There are different strategies for each boss and you need to use your celestial brush skills in order to defeat them. This is where the art style of Okami really shines as no two bosses are alike and using the skills is a creative way to handle them. However, I did have a huge issue with the final boss fight. It was over the top and ridiculous. While I understand that it was meant to be a challenge, this fight had everything but the kitchen sink. There were at least five different things I had to avoid, dodge, or not get crushed under. This also caused frustration with my streaming because from the beginning Okami had been very stream friendly and everyone was enjoying it. When I got to the final boss however, it blocked the scenes. If it was just the cutscenes I could understand that, but it blocked the entire final boss fight and the closing credits. I get that they want to avoid spoilers too, but at this point if a person is watching the streaming and people have been watching since the beginning, there is no point in blocking the final scenes. I know I am fairly new to streaming and currently I am streaming from my PS4 until I get the equipment I need, but this was definitely incredibly infuriating. I did finish the game, but I felt I had to apologize to my viewers for this happening and I did. Luckily, they were all very supportive and understanding about the whole thing.
One of the boss battles in Okami.
In spite of that frustration I did enjoy the game. Okami is still a game that is dear to my heart because of the story, the art style, the characters, and wonderful music. It is fun to play and overall I did enjoy streaming it because I got to share a game I loved with everyone. It is a game that celebrates friendship, love, and doing your best to be kind and help others which is something I talk about often. A game that is not only fun to play, but offers such a wonderful story with those ideals is a pretty fantastic thing. After the game is done, you can play a new game plus with all the items and upgrades you have earned. You can also get any side quests you missed. Okami was so much fun to play again and I'm happy that we got to go on that adventure together. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you at the next adventure!
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated On My Way - Single by Bori in Music
Jun 25, 2019
Bori is a 19-year old rising singer-songwriter based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Not too long ago, he released a wonderful Afro-pop tune, entitled, “On My Way”.
‘On My Way’ is Bori’s second single, which he co-wrote with Mack, Sebastian Atas, Victor Sjöström, and Viktor Broberg.
The likable tune tells an inspirational tale of a young guy who chooses to follow his heart. Therefore, he does what he believes he has to do in order to fulfill his goals and find happiness.
‘On My Way’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dance-friendly instrumentation flavored with a tropical Afro-pop aroma.
“‘On My Way’ represents my way to success and the way that I will take to reach my goals.” – Bori
Bori gained international attention after featuring on German DJ Felix Jaehn’s multi-million streaming single, “Jennie”. Since then, the likable tune has amassed over 50M streams online.
Not too ago, Bori released a music video for his debut single, entitled, “Players Ballad”.
‘Players Ballad’ tells an interesting tale about a guy who gets in lots of trouble because of his bad decisions. In the end, he has to pay for it.
‘On My Way’ is Bori’s second single, which he co-wrote with Mack, Sebastian Atas, Victor Sjöström, and Viktor Broberg.
The likable tune tells an inspirational tale of a young guy who chooses to follow his heart. Therefore, he does what he believes he has to do in order to fulfill his goals and find happiness.
‘On My Way’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dance-friendly instrumentation flavored with a tropical Afro-pop aroma.
“‘On My Way’ represents my way to success and the way that I will take to reach my goals.” – Bori
Bori gained international attention after featuring on German DJ Felix Jaehn’s multi-million streaming single, “Jennie”. Since then, the likable tune has amassed over 50M streams online.
Not too ago, Bori released a music video for his debut single, entitled, “Players Ballad”.
‘Players Ballad’ tells an interesting tale about a guy who gets in lots of trouble because of his bad decisions. In the end, he has to pay for it.
Awix (3310 KP) rated King of Thieves (2018) in Movies
Oct 10, 2018
Michael Caine leads a crack team of crock crooks in robbing a safe deposit vault in London in this loosely-based-on-reality black comedy thriller. Quite apart from Caine, the film has an excellent cast (Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, Paul Whitehouse, and Michael Gambon, plus Charlie Cox for the streaming generation), which will probably be what draws most people to it.
Initially this looks like it's going to be a slightly cosy comedy thriller about blokes who are too old be robbers any more, but - very pleasantly - it quite soon acquires some real heft and gravity to it, with the various members of the gang falling out and attempting to double-cross each other - most of these actors are well-known as comedians, but there is some proper meaty drama here and scenes with a definite tension to them.
Not quite as much Caine as you might hope for, but he is still the guv'nor as far as British film acting is concerned, and this is his best role for a while. Everyone else is good too. The film never quite gets the shifts between comedy and gangster thriller right, and the low budget keeps it from being very cinematic, but it's an engaging movie driven by great performances.
Initially this looks like it's going to be a slightly cosy comedy thriller about blokes who are too old be robbers any more, but - very pleasantly - it quite soon acquires some real heft and gravity to it, with the various members of the gang falling out and attempting to double-cross each other - most of these actors are well-known as comedians, but there is some proper meaty drama here and scenes with a definite tension to them.
Not quite as much Caine as you might hope for, but he is still the guv'nor as far as British film acting is concerned, and this is his best role for a while. Everyone else is good too. The film never quite gets the shifts between comedy and gangster thriller right, and the low budget keeps it from being very cinematic, but it's an engaging movie driven by great performances.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated For, Lost Thoughts by Ballad in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Ballad is a rising singer-songwriter from Luanda, Angola. Not too long ago, he released a groovy contemporary R&B tune, entitled, “If”, produced by Jay Muse.
“‘If’ is the first track on my ‘For, Lost Thoughts’ EP, which touches on the themes of joy, love, depression, and acceptance. Also, ‘If’ represents joy.” – Ballad
‘If’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and neo-soul elements.
The likable tune is featured on Ballad’s latest EP, entitled, “For, Lost Thoughts”. Also, you can get acquainted with the artist’s music by streaming his project via Spotify.
“This felt like therapy for me, like I needed to get out all of these emotions that life has taken me through.”
Ballad’s soulful sound is reminiscent of Maxwell and Prince, all wrapped up in one. Also, his music has amassed over 200K streams online.
His “For, Lost Thoughts” EP is his most personal project to date because it’s laced with vulnerability. Also, every word uttered from Ballad tells a story, his story.
The 5-track project highlights a transitioning period in Ballad’s life where he ultimately learned some of his biggest lessons in love. Also, it includes his “Wondering” single, which is dedicated to love lost.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/ballad-if/
“‘If’ is the first track on my ‘For, Lost Thoughts’ EP, which touches on the themes of joy, love, depression, and acceptance. Also, ‘If’ represents joy.” – Ballad
‘If’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and neo-soul elements.
The likable tune is featured on Ballad’s latest EP, entitled, “For, Lost Thoughts”. Also, you can get acquainted with the artist’s music by streaming his project via Spotify.
“This felt like therapy for me, like I needed to get out all of these emotions that life has taken me through.”
Ballad’s soulful sound is reminiscent of Maxwell and Prince, all wrapped up in one. Also, his music has amassed over 200K streams online.
His “For, Lost Thoughts” EP is his most personal project to date because it’s laced with vulnerability. Also, every word uttered from Ballad tells a story, his story.
The 5-track project highlights a transitioning period in Ballad’s life where he ultimately learned some of his biggest lessons in love. Also, it includes his “Wondering” single, which is dedicated to love lost.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/ballad-if/
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Meteor Showers by Andy Kong in Music
Jun 26, 2019
Andy Kong is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in San Francisco, California. Not too long ago, he released a charming pop tune, entitled, “Westfalia”.
“‘Westfalia’ is the exhilaration of driving with the windows down on a sunny day. The freedom of letting it all go. Or the simplicity of spending time just relaxing with friends.” – Andy Kong
‘Westfalia’ tells an interesting tale of a young guy who follows the emotions that he is feeling inside.
Therefore, when he envisions visiting a far off town, he immediately departs with his significant other inside a comfortable automobile.
Moments later, they are cruising 55 miles-per-hour in the slow lane down the California coast, where they experience true bliss.
‘Westfalia’ contains a dreamy storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses lush instrumentation scented with a nostalgic indie-pop aroma.
In 2015, Andy Kong broke through with his emotive “Meteor Showers” EP. Since then, the 6-track project has amassed over 10 million streams online via Spotify.
Kong self-produces every song from start to finish, making each true to his vision and voice. Get acquainted with his music by streaming his “Meteor Showers” EP via Spotify.
“‘Westfalia’ is the exhilaration of driving with the windows down on a sunny day. The freedom of letting it all go. Or the simplicity of spending time just relaxing with friends.” – Andy Kong
‘Westfalia’ tells an interesting tale of a young guy who follows the emotions that he is feeling inside.
Therefore, when he envisions visiting a far off town, he immediately departs with his significant other inside a comfortable automobile.
Moments later, they are cruising 55 miles-per-hour in the slow lane down the California coast, where they experience true bliss.
‘Westfalia’ contains a dreamy storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses lush instrumentation scented with a nostalgic indie-pop aroma.
In 2015, Andy Kong broke through with his emotive “Meteor Showers” EP. Since then, the 6-track project has amassed over 10 million streams online via Spotify.
Kong self-produces every song from start to finish, making each true to his vision and voice. Get acquainted with his music by streaming his “Meteor Showers” EP via Spotify.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The House (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
It was a beautiful day in June as I strolled through the streaming sunshine... to go and sit in the cinema. I know, I know, I should have been enjoying the mysterious yellow thing in the sky. As it turns out though, I prefer sitting in the dark with a raspberry slushie. I skipped seeing The House on Friday because of the hoards of people at the cinema, so that was today's selection.
Scott and Kate have been looking forward to sending their daughter to college with a local scholarship, but when it is frittered away by an official they are faced with finding the money to replace it. With their down on his luck neighbour, the trio start their own underground casino and are soon seeing another side of their community, and themselves...
While I wouldn't actively seek out a film that has Will Ferrell in it, I have to say that this one was a good laugh. Was it groundbreaking film? No. But it did everything you want from a comedy. The cast were great, and I really enjoyed watching Lennon Parham and Andrea Savage.
One thing I noticed from the movie I didn't realise that axes were that effective.
Scott and Kate have been looking forward to sending their daughter to college with a local scholarship, but when it is frittered away by an official they are faced with finding the money to replace it. With their down on his luck neighbour, the trio start their own underground casino and are soon seeing another side of their community, and themselves...
While I wouldn't actively seek out a film that has Will Ferrell in it, I have to say that this one was a good laugh. Was it groundbreaking film? No. But it did everything you want from a comedy. The cast were great, and I really enjoyed watching Lennon Parham and Andrea Savage.
One thing I noticed from the movie I didn't realise that axes were that effective.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Amazon Fire TV Stick in Tech
Aug 16, 2018
Perfect if you have an amazing prime subscription (3 more)
Can sideload many apps not in store
Good price, there are often discounts if you look around
Easy to use remote and the device itself is easy
OS can feel clunky and slow at times (1 more)
Lack of ports
Great for the price
I have had this device for a while now and it's a decent little piece of tech. I say little because it is.
It's portable and is just a dongle that plugs into your HDMI port. It has 1 port for the plug and that's it and that's where I found myself a little disappointed almost immediately. There are no usb ports whatsoever. If you want usb your going to have to find an accessory somewhere to add them. This means no external hard drive, no mouse or keyboard and I was disappointed in that considering the stick has very small storage space.
The stick uses Amazon's fire OS and if you don't have Amazon prime the home screen will be just pointless as it advertises all the movies and TV you can watch through it. I don't have a subscription so it all just felt in the way. I'd have loved the Android TV OS more which is a lot more snappier but can't blame Amazon for using their own. It's just a shame their OS feels clunk and slow and times when trying to navigate.
This has all the apps you need for your streaming wether it be Netflix or prime. However I didn't see a good YouTube app on the Amazon store which was weird. But if you download the downloader app you can sideload different apps not in the store like Kodi.
The remote feels good. It's Bluetooth so doesn't need to be pointed at the device. It is easy to use, it's simple and I have the 2nd gen which includes voice control but without prime I find no use for this.
I do complain about the clunkiness of the OS and I've had a few apps restart but streaming feels smooth. For the money which I paid about £25 for in a sale, i can't really argue. This isn't the best device you can get. In no way does it compete with a device like Nvidia Shield but it is worth getting if you just want a couple of simple apps to stream. I basically mainly use 1 which makes the whole thing worthwhile.
If you want a capable device for good price then I can recommend this. Don't expect the greatest thing ever. There are loads of better devices out there but if you get this cheap in a sale then pick it up especially if your not too bothered about 4k.
It's portable and is just a dongle that plugs into your HDMI port. It has 1 port for the plug and that's it and that's where I found myself a little disappointed almost immediately. There are no usb ports whatsoever. If you want usb your going to have to find an accessory somewhere to add them. This means no external hard drive, no mouse or keyboard and I was disappointed in that considering the stick has very small storage space.
The stick uses Amazon's fire OS and if you don't have Amazon prime the home screen will be just pointless as it advertises all the movies and TV you can watch through it. I don't have a subscription so it all just felt in the way. I'd have loved the Android TV OS more which is a lot more snappier but can't blame Amazon for using their own. It's just a shame their OS feels clunk and slow and times when trying to navigate.
This has all the apps you need for your streaming wether it be Netflix or prime. However I didn't see a good YouTube app on the Amazon store which was weird. But if you download the downloader app you can sideload different apps not in the store like Kodi.
The remote feels good. It's Bluetooth so doesn't need to be pointed at the device. It is easy to use, it's simple and I have the 2nd gen which includes voice control but without prime I find no use for this.
I do complain about the clunkiness of the OS and I've had a few apps restart but streaming feels smooth. For the money which I paid about £25 for in a sale, i can't really argue. This isn't the best device you can get. In no way does it compete with a device like Nvidia Shield but it is worth getting if you just want a couple of simple apps to stream. I basically mainly use 1 which makes the whole thing worthwhile.
If you want a capable device for good price then I can recommend this. Don't expect the greatest thing ever. There are loads of better devices out there but if you get this cheap in a sale then pick it up especially if your not too bothered about 4k.
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Snowed In: Dane and Heath in Books
Mar 1, 2019
Snowed In: Dane and Heath by Rafe Jadison
Heath was happy to stay late and finish off some work with Dane, right up until the majority of people went home due to a snowstorm. Dane is used to the snow in Buffalo, but in D.C., it's a whole new story.
This is a Gay For You (sort of) story, which will make more sense once you hear Dane's side of the story. Heath is gay, and happy that way. He really isn't about to become a straight man's plaything. Luckily for them both, they are able to work out just what they are to each other, and take it from there.
The descriptions in this book are so clear and concise, I got goosebumps even though the sun was streaming in through my window. And in certain sections of the book, there was more than enough steam going on. With a smooth pace and a neat story all wrapped up on a snowstorm bow, I thoroughly enjoyed both the characters and the story itself. With no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, I have no hesitation in highly recommending this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a Gay For You (sort of) story, which will make more sense once you hear Dane's side of the story. Heath is gay, and happy that way. He really isn't about to become a straight man's plaything. Luckily for them both, they are able to work out just what they are to each other, and take it from there.
The descriptions in this book are so clear and concise, I got goosebumps even though the sun was streaming in through my window. And in certain sections of the book, there was more than enough steam going on. With a smooth pace and a neat story all wrapped up on a snowstorm bow, I thoroughly enjoyed both the characters and the story itself. With no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, I have no hesitation in highly recommending this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!