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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) in Movies
Mar 31, 2018
Enjoyable
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is not quite as good as its predecessor, but still manages to serve up some good fun. Set moments after the first, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his crew end up at a rescue facility where Thomas suspects strange things are happening. What Thomas ultimately finds is far more than what he expected.
Acting: 9
Dylan O'Brien is a rising star in my book. His role requires a strong mix of emotions and he carries out each without flaw. He seems to work with what he's given, never trying to overdo it. I appreciate the intensity he brings to the screen. I also appreciated the solid efforts from the supporting cast as well.
Beginning: 9
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
The special effects throughout the film were superb. The "cranks" reminded me of the World War Z zombies, just terrifying once they got rolling. Their horde attacks made me grip my seat a few times. And that sewer scene. Oh man, the sewer...
Personal favorite scene: The tilted building scene. If you haven't seen the film yet, I won't ruin it by saying anything else other than very nicely done. Not only is it great to look at, but also very unique.
Conflict: 7
Genre: 10
Memorability: 7
Pace: 8
Plot: 6
Resolution: 5
Overall: 78
Not a life changing movie by any means, but definitely worth a watch for some solid action.
Acting: 9
Dylan O'Brien is a rising star in my book. His role requires a strong mix of emotions and he carries out each without flaw. He seems to work with what he's given, never trying to overdo it. I appreciate the intensity he brings to the screen. I also appreciated the solid efforts from the supporting cast as well.
Beginning: 9
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
The special effects throughout the film were superb. The "cranks" reminded me of the World War Z zombies, just terrifying once they got rolling. Their horde attacks made me grip my seat a few times. And that sewer scene. Oh man, the sewer...
Personal favorite scene: The tilted building scene. If you haven't seen the film yet, I won't ruin it by saying anything else other than very nicely done. Not only is it great to look at, but also very unique.
Conflict: 7
Genre: 10
Memorability: 7
Pace: 8
Plot: 6
Resolution: 5
Overall: 78
Not a life changing movie by any means, but definitely worth a watch for some solid action.
Ian McCulloch recommended Reprise Collection by Frank Sinatra in Music (curated)
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Sightless (2020) in Movies
Jul 31, 2022
The movie instantly shows a blind woman making her way to the balcony of an apartment, climbing over and jumping to her death........ Rewind to a month earlier and she's waking up in hospital after an attack which has left her blind.
She is soon able to move into a blind friendly apartment organised by her brother, she also has someone to come in every day to help her adjust to her new life.
She starts to hear concerning voices and cries for help coming from her neighbour, she invites her over to speak but the woman behaves weirdly, she's shaken, scarred and tells Ellen not to trust anyone. Ellen phones the police about this but they brush it off saying the woman is well known for lying, and when Ellen is attacked by an intruder, the police once again shrug it off. Ellen soon realises something is off and she sets out trying to find out the truth.
Whilst this movie started off good, the more it went on the more it confused me. Though I did quickly realise that we see the movie from Ellen's perception. The movie doesn't have a huge cast, but they do do a very good job, especially the woman playing Ellen. However, with half an hour to go I lost interest as the movie started to get silly and more confusing. Such a shame really.
She is soon able to move into a blind friendly apartment organised by her brother, she also has someone to come in every day to help her adjust to her new life.
She starts to hear concerning voices and cries for help coming from her neighbour, she invites her over to speak but the woman behaves weirdly, she's shaken, scarred and tells Ellen not to trust anyone. Ellen phones the police about this but they brush it off saying the woman is well known for lying, and when Ellen is attacked by an intruder, the police once again shrug it off. Ellen soon realises something is off and she sets out trying to find out the truth.
Whilst this movie started off good, the more it went on the more it confused me. Though I did quickly realise that we see the movie from Ellen's perception. The movie doesn't have a huge cast, but they do do a very good job, especially the woman playing Ellen. However, with half an hour to go I lost interest as the movie started to get silly and more confusing. Such a shame really.
What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust
5.0
Rate It
Book
Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious moon-faced cousin Undine, who has come to...
Jamie (131 KP) rated Dangerous Behavior in Books
May 24, 2017
Extremely slow start (1 more)
Heavy focus on the romance can be off-putting
Killer Couples
I could almost tag this book as a straight up romance given how much time is dedicated to Sam and Jules’ love story. While the romance could be a good hook for some I personally just found it distracting and kind of eye roll worthy. Sam and Jules were high school sweethearts, Sam cheats, and after getting dumped Jules finds her way into the arms of his brother, who took care of her through her family troubles. The book spends an inordinate amount of time on Sam’s miserable love life and how he never got over his first love despite a plethora of women throwing themselves at him. This made the earlier parts of the novel slow down to a crawl as the narrative focus was more about the romance than the actual murder.
It got worse when Jules started getting her memory back and remembers nothing of the love she shared with her husband and instead keeps thinking about Sam and all the great sex they had. Days after her husband is murdered. I groaned. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised and it’s predictable, it’s just so distasteful and was just sort of a big middle finger to Sam’s brother Joe. I couldn’t get behind the romance in the story at all and it really decreased my enjoyment. So much that I actually was really struggling to like the book and had been thinking about rating it lower until I got to the second half of the book.
Thank goodness for the second half, when the mystery really started to come together. The thrill killers were an interesting pair that bring to mind several serial killer couples. It was a confusing twist on an otherwise average murder mystery and at first I had been wondering why they were even in the story at all. As I dug deeper into the story, however, things pulled together nicely and I actually found these characters to be pretty interesting.
This was the part of the book that was actually good, and the ending alone convinced me to push my rating just a little bit higher. It was worth slogging through the romance to get to the good stuff. While I found certain parts predictable and had figured out the dastardly duo immediately when they were introduced I still enjoyed unraveling the mystery and finding a few surprises along the way.
It got worse when Jules started getting her memory back and remembers nothing of the love she shared with her husband and instead keeps thinking about Sam and all the great sex they had. Days after her husband is murdered. I groaned. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised and it’s predictable, it’s just so distasteful and was just sort of a big middle finger to Sam’s brother Joe. I couldn’t get behind the romance in the story at all and it really decreased my enjoyment. So much that I actually was really struggling to like the book and had been thinking about rating it lower until I got to the second half of the book.
Thank goodness for the second half, when the mystery really started to come together. The thrill killers were an interesting pair that bring to mind several serial killer couples. It was a confusing twist on an otherwise average murder mystery and at first I had been wondering why they were even in the story at all. As I dug deeper into the story, however, things pulled together nicely and I actually found these characters to be pretty interesting.
This was the part of the book that was actually good, and the ending alone convinced me to push my rating just a little bit higher. It was worth slogging through the romance to get to the good stuff. While I found certain parts predictable and had figured out the dastardly duo immediately when they were introduced I still enjoyed unraveling the mystery and finding a few surprises along the way.
Merissa (11961 KP) rated Hidden Realm (Legends of Lightning #1) in Books
Oct 28, 2021
HIDDEN REALM is the first book in the Legends of Lightning series, and I was really looking forward to it.
What I got was a fantasy with elements of Brothers Grimm and all their original fairy tales. Now, it DOES say it is dark, so please pay attention to that if you have any triggers.
Esther is content (as far as she seems possible to be) with her life, but it takes a strange turn when she starts to manifest injuries from her dreams. She does a minimum amount of digging and decides to pack up her life and travel to a different realm.
There is a LOT of violence and rape is inferred on what felt like every page. Due to this, the impact of it lessened with each repeat. The emotional connection with the main characters was also lacking for me. I felt more for one of the supporting characters when his family died than I did for Esther or Oisin.
Just a quick heads up - prepare yourself for whiplash as Esther's emotions change course on a dime.
There is a lot of potential to this story with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep your attention. It does need tightening up in places, but on the whole, it was a good read. I am engaged enough to want to know what happens to Esther and Oisin now.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
What I got was a fantasy with elements of Brothers Grimm and all their original fairy tales. Now, it DOES say it is dark, so please pay attention to that if you have any triggers.
Esther is content (as far as she seems possible to be) with her life, but it takes a strange turn when she starts to manifest injuries from her dreams. She does a minimum amount of digging and decides to pack up her life and travel to a different realm.
There is a LOT of violence and rape is inferred on what felt like every page. Due to this, the impact of it lessened with each repeat. The emotional connection with the main characters was also lacking for me. I felt more for one of the supporting characters when his family died than I did for Esther or Oisin.
Just a quick heads up - prepare yourself for whiplash as Esther's emotions change course on a dime.
There is a lot of potential to this story with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep your attention. It does need tightening up in places, but on the whole, it was a good read. I am engaged enough to want to know what happens to Esther and Oisin now.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Managing Yourself in a Week: The Success Toolkit for Managers in Seven Simple Steps
Book
Managing yourself just got easier One of the most important aspects of being a manager is being able...
Merissa (11961 KP) rated The Current Between Us (Layne Family Duet #1) in Books
Apr 12, 2023
OMG!! I simply adore Kindle Alexander's work so please excuse me if you think I'm fangirling... because I will be! There are many reasons that I love her work but the main reason is her work is CLEAN. By clean, I mean that there are very few, if any, grammatical or spelling errors. The plot line is well thought out and presented. The characters are all believable, well rounded and grow with the story. So for those reasons alone, I look forward to reading a Kindle Alexander book every. single. time!
The Current Between Us however, simply overloaded my circuits! (See what I did there? Yeah, not funny, I apologise.) This is pure and simply a love story but with pizzazz! The connection between the two is instantaneous and HOT! I loved how Gage actually changed his ways for no other reason than he couldn't see the reason for keeping them now that he had met the love of his life. I loved how Trent was cautious and almost suspicious of the good thing that came into his life and I could totally see and understand his reaction regarding the differences between himself and Gage.
The supporting characters in this are also superb, Auntie Crazy (love that), Rhonny, Hunter (love him) and Emalynn - how can you not fall in love with each and every character in this book?
This story pulls you in, gets you thinking one way and then suckers you, right in the stomach. The world literally dropped out from beneath me when I read this part and saw the cracks forming. It was heartbreaking. I love that a book can get to me this way.
I'm not going to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to give away any spoilers and trust me when I say that you really should read this for yourself because it is cracking.
So, in summary, if you want a smokin' hot, romantic, gorgeous book that is also incredibly good value for money, then I can highly recommend any of Kindle Alexander's works!
* 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!
Jun 04, 2015
The Current Between Us however, simply overloaded my circuits! (See what I did there? Yeah, not funny, I apologise.) This is pure and simply a love story but with pizzazz! The connection between the two is instantaneous and HOT! I loved how Gage actually changed his ways for no other reason than he couldn't see the reason for keeping them now that he had met the love of his life. I loved how Trent was cautious and almost suspicious of the good thing that came into his life and I could totally see and understand his reaction regarding the differences between himself and Gage.
The supporting characters in this are also superb, Auntie Crazy (love that), Rhonny, Hunter (love him) and Emalynn - how can you not fall in love with each and every character in this book?
This story pulls you in, gets you thinking one way and then suckers you, right in the stomach. The world literally dropped out from beneath me when I read this part and saw the cracks forming. It was heartbreaking. I love that a book can get to me this way.
I'm not going to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to give away any spoilers and trust me when I say that you really should read this for yourself because it is cracking.
So, in summary, if you want a smokin' hot, romantic, gorgeous book that is also incredibly good value for money, then I can highly recommend any of Kindle Alexander's works!
* 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!
Jun 04, 2015
Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan
Book
Great-grandson of a crofter and son-in-law of a Duke, Harold Macmillan (1894-1986) was both complex...
The Riddle of the Sands
Book
One of the first great spy novels, The Riddle of the Sands is set during the long, suspicious years...