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    NY City FireFighter 2017

    NY City FireFighter 2017

    Games and Entertainment

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    App

    Want to serve humanity? Like rescue, action, driving and parking games? NY City Firefighter 2017...

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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn in Books

Mar 12, 2021  
The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn
The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn
Tyler Whitesides | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantastic fantasy heist follow-up
I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The second Ardor Benn book is another epic tale of the ruse artist taking on the royal family. The first book saw Ard's efforts depose the current king and save the dragon race (and hence the world). Sadly, the replacement royalty is no better and the Great Chain is now scattered into different, warring islands. Ard finds himself embroiled in a plot to unearth the conspiracy that the new king's dead nephew, and the rightful heir, is not actually dead.
There is also an interesting new subplot where we see a university professor tasked with discovering new Grit types (the world's magic system, whereby different materials once digested and fired by a dragon produce different magical results). This angle, like the industrial/medical revolution is surprisingly thrilling, with additional intrigue as the results become the interests of some unsavoury characters.
Ard and Raek are once again superb and quickly put together a plot to infiltrate a secret criminal underworld and discover the whereabouts of the true king. The secrecy and plotting, and use of the world's magic makes for some excellent exciting passages.
There are the usual twists and turns along the way, as the security measures in place in the secret society make it hard for Ard to progress too quickly.
As with the first book, the true nature of this strange world is unveiled a little more over the course of the book in spectacular fashion.
A wonderful fun read.
  
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Aretha Franklin recommended track You Send Me by Sam Cooke in Soul Heartbreaker by Sam Cooke in Music (curated)

 
Soul Heartbreaker by Sam Cooke
Soul Heartbreaker by Sam Cooke
2017 | Rhythm And Blues
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite
Details

You Send Me by Sam Cooke

(0 Ratings)

Track

"That song came out in 1967, but I don’t care when you it it, it still doesn’t sound dated. It’s always current. You just can’t beat it. All singers aspired to be Sam. He was a beautiful man. Very charming, engaging – a great artist with a whole lotta personality. It was thrilling for me – and every other woman – to be in the room with him. When I first heard ‘You Send Me,’ I was driving down South, traveling with my dad, doing services in various city auditoriums and arenas [Franklin would have been about 15]. My sister Erma and I were in the car, and when that came on the radio, we had to stop. It was pandemonium. We got out of the car, and we were just running around the car, screaming, ‘Sam was on! Sam was on! Sam is on the radio! Listen to this song!’ And we were just having one fit on the highway. We were just thrilled, because he had just left the gospel field. That was the first time hearing what he did after he leaving it. So it was super exciting for us. Sam was what you call a singer’s singer. My dad used to tell me not to copy him, that I had a voice. He stopped that early on, and he was absolutely right. As a performer, he was very simplistic. He didn’t do a lot of running around on the stage, and because he knew he didn’t have to. He had a voice, and he didn’t have to do anything but stand in one place and wipe you out."

Source
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Mercy River in Books

Jul 4, 2021  
Mercy River
Mercy River
Glen Erik Hamilton | 2019 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Helping a Friend Gets Van into Trouble
A middle of the night phone call sends Van Shaw to the small town of Mercy River, Oregon. The call had come from fellow former Army Ranger Leo Pak, and Leo has been arrested for a murder in the community. Van thinks Leo is innocent, but Leo won’t answer Van’s questions about what happened. Meanwhile, the town is the site of an event for current and former Ranger, so the population is swelling this weekend. Will that help or hurt Van’s efforts to clear his friend?

While this may sound like the set up for many of the books I normally read, it isn’t long before the plot branches off in some thrilling new directions. Those looking for a thriller will not be disappointed with the action scenes, yet the mystery is tied up perfectly. Since Van is out of town for much of this book, the series regulars are reduced to cameos, yet we still get some updates on them. The new characters are fully developed, and Van continues to be a complex main character. I appreciated how this book works in issues that vets face without slowing down the book by preaching. Like the earlier books in the series, this one does have flashbacks, but they don’t focus on any particular time in Van’s life while still helping us appreciate the events unfolding in Van’s life currently. This book has more language and violence than I typically read, but it fits for a thriller and never gets excessive. This was another compelling entry in the series. Anyone looking for a great thriller will be pleased this picked up this book.
  
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated 300 (2007) in Movies

Oct 3, 2020  
300 (2007)
300 (2007)
2007 | Action, Drama
7
8.0 (36 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
There's a few Zack Snyder films that I genuinely like, and 300 is one of them. It's 100% style over substance, it's overly gratuitous in the sheer amount of slow motion, but it's pretty enjoyable.

Some of the shots are expertly crafted recreations of the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and as such, is a damn faithful adaption of a cult classic comic series.
The visual effects are stunning at times, and the sepia tone it's draped in lends a lot to its overall feel (even if it's a subject of criticism from many)

Gerard Butler takes the lead as King Leonidas of Sparta, in what has arguably become his most well known roll in the years following. It's easy to look over his thick Scottish accent (in ancient Greece...) when he's playing the character with such enthusiasm. Most of his lines have become highly quotable, even familiar to those who have never seen the film. 300 would be a much lesser film without his involvement.
Rodrigo Santoro carves a striking figure as primary antagonist Xerxes, his androgynous look and demonic-like voice providing a memorable villain.
The cast is rounded out by the likes of Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, and an early role for Michael Fassbender, a sturdy ensemble cast.

The set pieces are pretty thrilling, and results in a movie that blurs the fantastical, with a real life historic battle. It's an interesting mix that works well.

300 is a film that throws big sloppy buckets of testosterone at its audience, whilst simultaneously flaunting a silly amount of homoerotic undertones and CGI pectoral muscles, and it's great.