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Darth Vader.

Both legs chopped off.

Only one arm.

Left on the lave beds of Mustafar.

No, we're not talking about the end of 'Revenge of the Sith' here, but about part of what happens to Vader in this, the second compilation of Greg Pak's run on the Darth Vader series of graphic novels (here, comprising issues 6 through 11), at the behest of The Emperor, who has found out about Vader's previous 'failings' from Volume 1 (Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak, Vol. 1: Dark Heart of the Sith in which he allowed his personal feelings to get the better of him.

This run also introduces Ochi of Bestoon - who The Emperor has sent to kill Vader - and actaulyl makes a better attempt at tying together the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy (with Vader discovering about, and travelling to Exegol and encountering the Sith Eternal) than any of those latter movies did!
  
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
2021 | Drama, Romance, Western
The film has more layers than onions, it's layers on top of layers, each character is a unique universe full of ramifications and that scares. It's impossible to understand every detail of his actions and emotions, just like in the real world, I've never seen it in the cinema elevated to such an exorbitant degree, at least not that I can remember. We can only close a few holes with our imagination, but in doing so we remain unsure of anything. I found Kirsten Dunst's character a bit exaggerated in the film and I only identified Keith Carradine at the end of the film. Everyone is talking about Cumberbatch's performance, which is really undeniably good, but for me Kodi Smit-McPhee steals the show, the boy best known for playing the X-Men's Nightcrawler in the latest films in the franchise was simply spectacular. I don't even need to talk about the technical part here, it was a spectacle.
  
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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Host (2020) in Movies

Oct 29, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)  
Host (2020)
Host (2020)
2020 | Horror
We’ve seen films before that takes us into the world of social media such as Friend Request, but with HOST we are taken into the world of horror via the paranormal horror of a séance and let’s face it in all the films we’ve seen where these things take place they aren’t going to go well.

HOST starts with everyone logging in one by one on Zoom and catching up with each other about how they are doing during the lockdown with them having fun chats with filters, talking about others before they log in ready for the night of some scary stuff.

If you have ever been on a seance or a ghost hunt, which believe me can send chills down your spine, will now that sometimes there is always one that has to try to wind everyone up and it’s not good to mess with the spirits, but when Jemma pulls a prank about the schoolboy it’s time to get the spook on!
  
Little Mate (Gay Monsters in Space #1)
Little Mate (Gay Monsters in Space #1)
Rome Ford | 2023 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
LITTLE MATE is the first book in the Gay Monsters in Space series, and it is a perfect hot-and-spicy coffee break book!

The pacing is fast but the story is all there. We're also talking about a HUGE case of instalust, although Jake does do his best to fight it at the beginning. His sarcasm was spot on. And Zahn's reaction to it was brilliant.

I would have liked a little more to the story, but I'm always greedy with novellas and end up wanting more. And it was nice to see Jake's sister get her HEA too.

A great start to the series and I look forward to reading more.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 13, 2023
  
The People on Platform 5 (UK); Iona Everson’s Rules for Commuting (USA)
The People on Platform 5 (UK); Iona Everson’s Rules for Commuting (USA)
Clare Pooley | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The People on Platform 5 was a truly fabulous read on The Pigeonhole, and not a book I would have picked up to read if left to myself - which is the joy of The Pigeonhole!

Six very different people take the same train every day, never talking to one another (or anyone else - this is an English train, after all!), and it’s not until one of them chokes on a grape, that the ice is broken.

These people are a great cross-section of people you might meet on a train, all with relatable problems, and the train setting was such a good idea. It showed how although we all try to ignore one another on public transport, people are generally more than happy to listen in to other peoples conversations and lend a hand if necessary!

I really enjoyed immersing myself in the lives of Iona and her fellow travellers every day, and felt bereft when the ten day serialisation was over. A recommended read!
  
Truth Teller (The Truth Teller Series #1)
Truth Teller (The Truth Teller Series #1)
Kurt Chambers | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Remember when you were 6 or 7 and first read The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe? Well I do and the whole 'you could go to another realm and be special' thing was such a key to drawing me into fantasy. And at that age the whole talking animals thing was entirely in keeping with my imagination.

But if you are a little older, nicely into double figures of age. Although the escape to another realm is still a terrific idea, the talking animals are just not going to fit anymore. What you need is a bit of action and likeable characters who are realistic while still being elves and dwarves. But if Narnia is no longer a viable destination at that age, where is?

Truth Teller fits the bill perfectly. Charlotte is a normal ten year old girl on holiday with her family. While wandering around the shops of the local town she finds a strange curio shop. She finds one of the objects in the shop interesting - a sort of snow globe without any snow. The odd little man who runs the shop gives it to her for free, but warns her that the price she pays might not be of the monetary kind.

That night while studying the globe she feels if she is falling into it and finds herself in a cold woodland, where she meets Elder. Very soon it is apparent to her that she is not anywhere near where she should be, if she is even on Earth at all anymore. Elder is an elf and he and his family try to help Charlotte find her way back home. Meanwhile dark forces are stirring and rumours of invasion are spreading.

Chambers has set out to provide an entry point into fantasy for younger (female) readers and has done a sterling job. My immediate reaction to this book was that it is flawless, in idea and execution. Although perhaps a little cliched for grizzle fantasy readers like myself it contains just enough strange creatures - elves, dwarves, giant wolves and druids - and a sprinkling of magic here and there to whisk the plot along. And it is whisked at some pace too, the narrative fluid and always in motion towards the books conclusion without much of a pause for breath.

Charlotte as the main character is well written and prone to modern turns of phrase that baffle her elven friends. Elder the elf boy she meets is charming and friendly even though he is as confused by Charlotte's plight as she is. The other characters are also very well drawn.

The story entwines the various threads into a whole that is easy to read and hard to forget. Reaching the last page was something I dreaded but like a lot of things the end of this book is just the start of the story of the Truth Teller.

If anyone is looking for a first book in fantasy, without the talking animals, this book fits the bill perfectly. Narnia for the iPhone generation? It's pretty close to that.
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books

Nov 30, 2018  
The Hate u Give
The Hate u Give
Angie Thomas | 2017 | Children
2
8.4 (54 Ratings)
Book Rating
Strong Characterisation, Great Cover (0 more)
Wrong Tone, Bad Examples (0 more)
Problematic
I was so excited to start reading this one. Because of how popular it had been, I'd put off buying it for ages. Waterstones had a special edition in and that was as much of an excuse as I needed to buy it.
It's got five-star reviews everywhere, has won so many awards, and literally, everyone is talking about it. So, of course, it's worth a try.
Only I didn't enjoy it to the point where I got halfway through and couldn't finish it. I wasn't even sure whether to post the review because I know that lots of people will disagree with me over this.
I was so excited for a book to be out that's about police brutality in America towards black teenagers, and was surprised, to begin with, that something as serious as this was in a YA book, but also happy that it was being told to teenagers. It sounded like my ideal book.
But I just couldn't get along with it at all. The whole idea with the book is to show what casual racism is doing to America, but at the same time on every few pages, there's another part talking about how horrible and funny and evil white people are. If a book wants to make a stand against racism, make a stand against it from both sides, not just one. You cannot end racism by calling the other race.
I just found it really one-sided in its battle against racism. I am definitely not saying that the police shooting was right, let me just say that, and Starr has every right to hate the police for shooting her best friend. However, this does not mean that every few pages there needs to be a comment about how awful white people are.
A much healthier focus for the book would have been equality, not switching the racism to the other side in a 'how-do-you-like-it-now' move.

Read the full review at https://ohbookit.blog
  
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Rian Johnson recommended F for Fake (1973) in Movies (curated)

 
F for Fake (1973)
F for Fake (1973)
1973 | Documentary
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I got four, and there’s one more. It’s a biggie. And again, this is one that’s maybe a little bit of a stretch in terms of it being a con man movie, but I actually don’t think so. It’s F for Fake. If I was numbering these, this might be number one. It’s a movie that’s really hard to define. It’s pretty commonly termed a filmic essay by Orson Welles on the subject of fakery, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s so many things. I don’t even know how to start talking about it. At its essence, it is about what we were just talking about. It’s about the charlatans and fakery and the notion of fake versus real, and the notion of the con versus legitimacy, I guess. And he just digs into that pretty deeply. And also in a way that’s so incredibly entertaining. The way that the movie’s cut, also, you would think that, today with our shorter and shorter attention spans and our notions of fast cutting, you would think that the way that Orson Welles, the style in which he cuts this film, would be easily absorbed by us. But I actually… You know, I have friends of mine who are much, much younger than me. You know, it actually took a second viewing to kind of absorb the film. I mean, it really is still pretty insane, the abstract way that Welles cut this whole thing together and made the whole together work. I feel like he’s absolutely self-aware; that’s part of the act. That’s what’s fun. And that’s why that opening sequence in the train station, you see him putting on that character and very much doing the… You know, I think he’s aware of it. I think he’s also aware that it’s kind of funny, that that’s part of the gag, you know, is pretending to be somebody you’re not, putting that on. Putting on that big cape and that big hat, and being that guy. And, you know, if you’re Orson Welles, you can pull it off."

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