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Merissa (13353 KP) rated The Keeper (Crossing Realms Series #1) in Books

Sep 25, 2023  
The Keeper (Crossing Realms Series #1)
The Keeper (Crossing Realms Series #1)
Rebecca E. Neely | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This story starts with a human woman in a dead-end job, suffering on a minute-by-minute basis with severe anxiety. Her life changes when she is stuck in a traffic jam and a stranger taps on her car window.

This book is full of heartbreak and hope. I can't imagine how hard it was for Nick to lose Libby time and time again! Libby is a strong character, who initially appears weak as self-doubt rules her.

The Keeper is the first of a new series that I can't wait to read more of. Every character is well-rounded and developed. The storyline is smoothly paced, building to the climax, with shocks and surprises throughout. Looking forward to continuing with this series and definitely recommended!

* I received this book from Barclay Publicity / NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 27, 2016
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Gemini Man (2019) in Movies

Dec 8, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
7
5.8 (33 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
I saw the trailers for this and thought it looked pretty good, the story sounded interesting and even though the effects in the clips looked a little dubious I was excited for one reason... Jerry Bruckheimer was involved, and I've never seen anything he's done that I didn't enjoy.

Henry Brogan is a master assassin, his whole life has been dedicated to perfecting his craft, but when he discovers he's been misled about a recent kill he decides it's time to hang up his gun. Such a high profile asset can't just retire from his life though and he soon finds himself being pursued. His would-be killer is agile and surprisingly capable, Henry is impressed by the improvising skills, and so he should be... they're his.

I've only just learnt that this film has been on the cards for 20 odd years. When it was first discussed technology wasn't up for the task the idea was pitching. Knowing that fact makes me wonder if they kept a 90's/00's script because the action does have that nostalgic quality. There have been lots of directors and actors attached to it and there's a fun thought experiment to have by exploring the possible outcomes it could have had.

Before I talk about my thoughts on the film I want to touch on the experience I had. Being out of town for the release meant that I was able to go to a cinema showing it in HFR 3D. This is the way it was filmed and intended to be seen but hardly any cinemas (in the world it seems) are able to show it that way. Cineworld Crawley were one of the cinemas that could, initially I wasn't bothered about seeing it in this format, but to be so close and have it snatched away was a real trauma.

I saw roughly the first 3 minutes of the film in HFR 3D and it seems this was the same fate of the screening before too. What I saw of it was mind-blowing, Will Smith was so crystal clear that he probably wouldn't have even looked that good if he was performing it in the room with me. But as I say, (several) 3-minute viewings were all we got before they had to give up and show us the 2D version. I'd be interested to know if anyone has a successful HFR screening. I would like to have seen it all the way through to see how it changed the visuals, sadly that's unlikely to happen now.

Let me put this out there straight away... this film is not good, and yet somehow good.

Gemini Man is a conventional idea with a twist and has an average script, but there's something engaging about the action. Oh, and while the script wasn't great it's entirely accurate when it states "Everyone hates cilantro." Yes, quite right.

De-aging technology has come a long way recently, but it has ups and downs depending on budget. In this respect Gemini Man had me stumped. The CGI in the trailer didn't look great and I assumed that was maybe early footage to get it out in front of audiences, but the film genuinely wasn't much better. There are moments where you don't notice it, you could almost pass Little Will off as the original, but the main problem is he's too familiar. On a lesser-known actor this might have played off better in more scenes. There are several moments where Little Will is lit with a flashlight and those moments caused me the most problems because that lighting looked wrong, particularly on his neck, and any quality work that may have been there was lost with the one bad piece. Most other effects are pretty reasonable until we get to the parkour ninja assassin towards the end... that sequence appears to be CG and everything is too fast and very cartoony.

I don't feel much of a need to talk about acting, it's all... fine. Without an epic script there's not much to work with but everyone makes it work as it needs to. It's a little sad that with 20 years to play with this wasn't a masterpiece on all fronts, or at least the script.

Gemini Man may have had a lot of issues for me but in the moment it's good to watch... even with the cheesy ending and the point where I thought it was directed by John Woo. I won't feel the need to buy this when it comes out but I'll definitely watch it again while hoping to see the HFR version in full.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/11/gemini-man-movie-review.html