Search
Search results
![Maya and Mary [EN]](/uploads/profile_image/ba8/742138ca-0787-4722-b97a-d0d097a0dba8.jpg?m=1576228830)
Maya and Mary [EN]
YouTube Channel
About channel Maya and Mary: We create high-quality entertaining and educational songs so that your...
Jauja Cocina Mexicana
1.0
Rate It
YouTube Channel
Jauja Cocina Mexicana ℠ es un canal de cocina único en YouTube. Jauja significa paraíso,...
Sweetwater (The Kihn #1)
8.5
Rate It
Book
They say you can never go home again that what we remember, is just that—a memory. Well, I’m on...
4 stars paranormal romance vampires
Shifter Woods: Growl (Esposito County Shifters #3)
8.7
Rate It
Book
I knew he was trouble from the first moment I saw him. But I couldn't resist trouble… Life in...
Paranormal Romance
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies
Feb 5, 2021
Good...but wished it touched my Soul more
The creators at PIXAR have done it again. They have crafted a beautifully drawn, incredibly imaginative, wonderfully performed, heartwarming story for young and old alike to enjoy.
I just wished it touched my Soul more.
Written and Directed by Pete Docter (UP!, INSIDE OUT) - who I would argue is the…ahem…soul of Pixar - SOUL tells the story of Joe, a middle school band teacher who aspires to be a jazz musician. On the cusp of realzing his dream, Joe (or, rather, Joe’s soul) finds himself in the afterlife desperately trying to return to his life to fulfill his dream.
Strongly voiced by Jamie Foxx, Joe is singularly focused on his goal and he won’t let anything get in his way, not even a “lost soul” (voiced by Tina Fey).
Now, I am a big fan of Tina Fey’s and she does just as good a job in her voice acting as Foxx, but for me, I just didn’t sense a gel of characters between these two. Part of that issue just might be in the storytelling - as Joe’s character is constantly pushing Fey’s character away and, so, was pushing me away as well.
And that is too bad as this relationship is at the…well…soul of this film and I really wanted this to work better because the rest of the film is WONDERFUL.
Docter’s depiction of the afterlife is sublimely abstract and I really felt that this worked well and was a smart way to deal with that portion of the film. The script moves along and the assorted situations and characters that Joe and “22” (Fey’s character) encounter are fun.
And that’s because Pixar, once again, populates the film with a strong array of voice talent that brings “something more” to their characters - Graham Norton, Phylicia Rashad, Wes Studi and Daveed Diggs all shine in what are, essentially, extended cameo roles.
Which brings me back to my central issue - Foxx and Fey are on screen together for most of this film and I just wanted to connect with them more. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this film at the time I viewed it. I will definitely give this movie another look (because there are so many good things going on).
Perhaps, I just need to open my soul more.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
I just wished it touched my Soul more.
Written and Directed by Pete Docter (UP!, INSIDE OUT) - who I would argue is the…ahem…soul of Pixar - SOUL tells the story of Joe, a middle school band teacher who aspires to be a jazz musician. On the cusp of realzing his dream, Joe (or, rather, Joe’s soul) finds himself in the afterlife desperately trying to return to his life to fulfill his dream.
Strongly voiced by Jamie Foxx, Joe is singularly focused on his goal and he won’t let anything get in his way, not even a “lost soul” (voiced by Tina Fey).
Now, I am a big fan of Tina Fey’s and she does just as good a job in her voice acting as Foxx, but for me, I just didn’t sense a gel of characters between these two. Part of that issue just might be in the storytelling - as Joe’s character is constantly pushing Fey’s character away and, so, was pushing me away as well.
And that is too bad as this relationship is at the…well…soul of this film and I really wanted this to work better because the rest of the film is WONDERFUL.
Docter’s depiction of the afterlife is sublimely abstract and I really felt that this worked well and was a smart way to deal with that portion of the film. The script moves along and the assorted situations and characters that Joe and “22” (Fey’s character) encounter are fun.
And that’s because Pixar, once again, populates the film with a strong array of voice talent that brings “something more” to their characters - Graham Norton, Phylicia Rashad, Wes Studi and Daveed Diggs all shine in what are, essentially, extended cameo roles.
Which brings me back to my central issue - Foxx and Fey are on screen together for most of this film and I just wanted to connect with them more. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this film at the time I viewed it. I will definitely give this movie another look (because there are so many good things going on).
Perhaps, I just need to open my soul more.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
MichaelS (0 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018
"Meanwhile, at the Hall Of Justice..."
This movie is the culmination of a childhood full of Saturday mornings in front of the tv in pajamas with a bowl of cereal. "Superfriends" was superheroes at it's most basic. The bad guys wanted to take over or destroy the world and the good guys have to stop them. That was the depth of the plots for both those classic cartoons, and this movie. It's pure cartoon fun brought to life, and I loved every minute of it.
The plot only serves as a reason for these heroes to come together. So you can say that story is not a top priority. Character is the name of the game here, and on that level, the movie is gold. Each character is fully realized, with their own individual situation they need to grow from. Every hero is given his or her moment to shine as an individual. When they stand as a team, it's some of the best superhero action we've ever gotten.
The performances of the League members is spot on across the board. Every character is presented exactly the way they should be. Ben Affleck continues to prove all the doubters wrong, by giving us the best live action version of Batman we've ever seen. Right from the start you see how he demands fear from evildoers, but filled with hope for the good things in the world. Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman. If there was any doubt left after her solo movie, it should be thoroughly erased now. She's strong in body, mind, and spirit. Jason Mamoa forever erases the idea of Aquaman being the wimpiest superhero. His "surfer dude" take on the character brings all the recklessness and abandon you'd expect from a beach bum. He's almost like a Spartan soldier that lives for the excitement of battle. Ezra Miller brings a youthful excitement of someone who is simply jazzed by what he, and others, can do with their abilities. He's almost the comic relief until you realize that the excited reactions he gives to everything is exactly what we would to if we were dropped in that situation.
SPOILER TERRITORY....skip to "END SPOILERS" if you don't want anything ruined
Although it should really come as no surprise to anyone, Superman does indeed return from the dead in this movie. Not only is that he's resurrected very cool, but the aftermath gives us the best fight scene of the film. Superman vs The Justice League. 'nuff said? I've always loved Henry Cavill as Superman, but now he owns the role. He has grown from a man filled with self doubt, trying to find his place in the world, to a man who now fully realizes who he is, and what purpose he serves to mankind. Lots of great Superman stuff in this movie, and that is the thing I'm most thankful for.
END SPOILERS
This is the most fun I've had with a superhero movie in a long time. It may not have the deepest plot, but that is fine with me, because this is truly a comic book come to life. It's full of the action and joyful spirit that the boy in me tuned into every weekend. Now, if the post credit scene in the movie delivers, it REALLY will be everything that the classic Challenges Of The Superfriends, and reduce me to that boy in pajamas again, cereal in hand, and a smile on my face.
The plot only serves as a reason for these heroes to come together. So you can say that story is not a top priority. Character is the name of the game here, and on that level, the movie is gold. Each character is fully realized, with their own individual situation they need to grow from. Every hero is given his or her moment to shine as an individual. When they stand as a team, it's some of the best superhero action we've ever gotten.
The performances of the League members is spot on across the board. Every character is presented exactly the way they should be. Ben Affleck continues to prove all the doubters wrong, by giving us the best live action version of Batman we've ever seen. Right from the start you see how he demands fear from evildoers, but filled with hope for the good things in the world. Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman. If there was any doubt left after her solo movie, it should be thoroughly erased now. She's strong in body, mind, and spirit. Jason Mamoa forever erases the idea of Aquaman being the wimpiest superhero. His "surfer dude" take on the character brings all the recklessness and abandon you'd expect from a beach bum. He's almost like a Spartan soldier that lives for the excitement of battle. Ezra Miller brings a youthful excitement of someone who is simply jazzed by what he, and others, can do with their abilities. He's almost the comic relief until you realize that the excited reactions he gives to everything is exactly what we would to if we were dropped in that situation.
SPOILER TERRITORY....skip to "END SPOILERS" if you don't want anything ruined
Although it should really come as no surprise to anyone, Superman does indeed return from the dead in this movie. Not only is that he's resurrected very cool, but the aftermath gives us the best fight scene of the film. Superman vs The Justice League. 'nuff said? I've always loved Henry Cavill as Superman, but now he owns the role. He has grown from a man filled with self doubt, trying to find his place in the world, to a man who now fully realizes who he is, and what purpose he serves to mankind. Lots of great Superman stuff in this movie, and that is the thing I'm most thankful for.
END SPOILERS
This is the most fun I've had with a superhero movie in a long time. It may not have the deepest plot, but that is fine with me, because this is truly a comic book come to life. It's full of the action and joyful spirit that the boy in me tuned into every weekend. Now, if the post credit scene in the movie delivers, it REALLY will be everything that the classic Challenges Of The Superfriends, and reduce me to that boy in pajamas again, cereal in hand, and a smile on my face.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated You're Next (2013) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
Finding a good horror film has been a little like a prompt train over the last few years, they are few and far between. However, 2013 has produced more than its fair share of movies within the genre, with the excellent The Purge, released earlier this year; Insidious 2, which is in cinemas this autumn and of course, the subject of this review; You’re Next. But can this modern horror film deliver the thrills and spills of those of yesteryear?
Relative newcomer Adam Wingard directs this rather formulaic home invasion film with some nice creative touches and a rousing score, borrowing heavily from other similar films like the dire When a Stranger Calls, the excellent The Strangers and the downright ridiculous Black Christmas.
However, what sets You’re Next apart from the pack is in its comic timing. Rather than going for full shock value, the film delivers a comedic edge which is welcome in breaking up the bludgeoning and stabbing, which there is a huge amount of.
The plot is simple, a family gathers at their parents’ large manor house to celebrate an anniversary, only to be taunted and butchered by a group of masked killers intent on ruining the party. There are the usual horror clichés of people being watched from outside, people being crept up on from behind and the gem that is thinking there is someone there and realising it’s just a member of the family, but Wingard keeps it feeling fresh and new throughout.
The acting is generally terrible, as is the case with many horror films, but because the movie never takes itself too seriously, the performances add to the overall effect rather than become an annoyance. One stand-out characterisation is Sharni Vinson as Erin, a larger than life Australian who really comes into her own in the battle between the ever decreasing family and the constant onslaught of the masked murderers.
Whilst not scaling the heights of last year’s Cabin in the Woods, You’re Next really helps show that there is life in a genre which has been inundated with cheap knock-offs, countless sequels and pointless remakes.
It is daft, unoriginal and full of lifeless characters, but as a slice of truly terrifying horror and a piece of laugh out loud dark comedy, it succeeds and is highly recommended.
Relative newcomer Adam Wingard directs this rather formulaic home invasion film with some nice creative touches and a rousing score, borrowing heavily from other similar films like the dire When a Stranger Calls, the excellent The Strangers and the downright ridiculous Black Christmas.
However, what sets You’re Next apart from the pack is in its comic timing. Rather than going for full shock value, the film delivers a comedic edge which is welcome in breaking up the bludgeoning and stabbing, which there is a huge amount of.
The plot is simple, a family gathers at their parents’ large manor house to celebrate an anniversary, only to be taunted and butchered by a group of masked killers intent on ruining the party. There are the usual horror clichés of people being watched from outside, people being crept up on from behind and the gem that is thinking there is someone there and realising it’s just a member of the family, but Wingard keeps it feeling fresh and new throughout.
The acting is generally terrible, as is the case with many horror films, but because the movie never takes itself too seriously, the performances add to the overall effect rather than become an annoyance. One stand-out characterisation is Sharni Vinson as Erin, a larger than life Australian who really comes into her own in the battle between the ever decreasing family and the constant onslaught of the masked murderers.
Whilst not scaling the heights of last year’s Cabin in the Woods, You’re Next really helps show that there is life in a genre which has been inundated with cheap knock-offs, countless sequels and pointless remakes.
It is daft, unoriginal and full of lifeless characters, but as a slice of truly terrifying horror and a piece of laugh out loud dark comedy, it succeeds and is highly recommended.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in Books
Oct 29, 2017 (Updated Oct 29, 2017)
Amusing, yet disappointing thanks to all the hype
For six months I've been saving this book mostly because of how much praise this book has received. Not only did this receive the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction but also a Pulitzer Prize. And was it worth the awards? I personally don't think so.
Labelled 'a masterpiece' by critics, the book follows the life of Oscar de Leon, or as some know him as Oscar Wao, from the perspective of the people that know him. From the title you can expect something interesting happened to him to reduce his lifespan and this definitely is the case.
Through his friend Yunior and sister Lola's accounts, they delve into the history of the Dominican Republic where they were originally from before settling in New York. Fuku or a curse, plays a big role in this book, as the de Leon family believed they had faced many misfortunes over the generations and ghetto nerd Oscar was no exception. In between the chaos of murder and corruption, were several love stories that went awry.
And while some of it was interesting, and you need a good grasp of Spanish, the footnotes became irritating filling several half pages to explain the historical context. To be honest, apart from the grandmother La Inca, and sister Lola, most of the characters were unlikable - the idiotic things they'll do for love are astounding. The language was rich, but the structure seemed slightly convoluted, as if the writer had attempted to keep a scheme in place but it still leaked everywhere. While some of it is engaging, I'm really not sure how this won the Pulitzer.
Labelled 'a masterpiece' by critics, the book follows the life of Oscar de Leon, or as some know him as Oscar Wao, from the perspective of the people that know him. From the title you can expect something interesting happened to him to reduce his lifespan and this definitely is the case.
Through his friend Yunior and sister Lola's accounts, they delve into the history of the Dominican Republic where they were originally from before settling in New York. Fuku or a curse, plays a big role in this book, as the de Leon family believed they had faced many misfortunes over the generations and ghetto nerd Oscar was no exception. In between the chaos of murder and corruption, were several love stories that went awry.
And while some of it was interesting, and you need a good grasp of Spanish, the footnotes became irritating filling several half pages to explain the historical context. To be honest, apart from the grandmother La Inca, and sister Lola, most of the characters were unlikable - the idiotic things they'll do for love are astounding. The language was rich, but the structure seemed slightly convoluted, as if the writer had attempted to keep a scheme in place but it still leaked everywhere. While some of it is engaging, I'm really not sure how this won the Pulitzer.
Amber Murray-Schroer (4 KP) rated S-Town in Podcasts
Aug 17, 2018
Prepare to laugh and cry at this real life mystery unveil in real time....
I can't think of any other podcast like S-Town, but after I binged the entire first season on it's release date, I expected to find a plethora of the type in the next few months on account of it's success. But unlike Serial - a true crime podcast that broke the internet and introduced 90% of the world to our amazing little corner - S-Town is hard to even identify it's genre , let alone duplicate something that's good because it is unique , so to my dismay, I still hold S-TOWN up there as my top 5 and am always on the lookout for the next diamond in the rough.
Unfortunately, telling you too much of any of this podcast is not fair because you deserve the chance to listen with unabashed views or predetermined ideas so you too will have no idea of what's coming...that's the best way to go into this one!
Oh, since I didn't tell you ABYTHJNG about it, just know that of all the podcasts I've tried to get my husband to listen all the way thru to - this, S-TOWN, was the only one he's ever listened to from the first to last episode. And he is hard to entertain with podcasts or audiobooks , so if he was asking me to "play the next one" after the first, you're sure to enjoy it just as much as we did. And that's all ya need to know!
Unfortunately, telling you too much of any of this podcast is not fair because you deserve the chance to listen with unabashed views or predetermined ideas so you too will have no idea of what's coming...that's the best way to go into this one!
Oh, since I didn't tell you ABYTHJNG about it, just know that of all the podcasts I've tried to get my husband to listen all the way thru to - this, S-TOWN, was the only one he's ever listened to from the first to last episode. And he is hard to entertain with podcasts or audiobooks , so if he was asking me to "play the next one" after the first, you're sure to enjoy it just as much as we did. And that's all ya need to know!
City on a Grid: How New York Became New York
Book
You either love it or hate it, but nothing says New York like the street grid of Manhattan. Created...