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Peter G. (247 KP) rated War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) in Movies

Sep 4, 2019  
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
8
8.1 (79 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
The last of the current trilogy and arguably the best.
It riffs upon established POTA tropes such as a believable reason for the loss of speech in humans and also the subtle introduction of Nova.
Effects are beautiful and animation of the apes with Andy Serkis continues to amaze with his performance.
it's a thought provoking story based upon a great escape/Prisoner of war type plot with a prison guard played by a very on form Woody Harrelson.
A fitting end to a better interpretation of Pierre Boulle's classic
  
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Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) in Movies

Aug 18, 2020 (Updated Aug 18, 2020)  
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
1999 | Fantasy, Sci-Fi
7
6.2 (131 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
While this movie does lack some of the charm and grit that made the original trilogy as epic as it was, it did have its own merits.

I've always felt it's important to allow movies that are a part of a larger universe stand on their own while also being judged as a part of said saga. When that approach is taken, I think most people would be hard pressed to not enjoy this movie.

Also, double bladed lightsaber and Ray Park gymnastics. Enough said.


P.S. Also, podracers!
  
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David McK (3623 KP) rated Toy Story 4 (2019) in Movies

Sep 16, 2019 (Updated Dec 25, 2023)  
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Toy Story 4 (2019)
2019 | Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi
7
8.2 (89 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Latest (at the time of writing) entry in Pixar's Toy Story series of films, although - I have to say - I'm not entirely sure that this was needed, after Toy Story 3 left the trilogy-as-was with pretty much the perfect ending.

Animation - as expected - is top notch, with this film (again, as expected) doing its best to tug on your heartstrings and finally reuniting Woody with Bo Peep (that's no spoiler: she's on all the posters and in the trailers!), after she sat out all of the previous movie.
  
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Alanna: The First Adventure in Books

Apr 16, 2018  
Alanna: The First Adventure
Alanna: The First Adventure
Tamora Pierce | 1983 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.8 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
The beginning of an epic world (0 more)
Writing style (it gets better!) (0 more)
The Song of the Lioness quartet is Tamora Pierce's first set of books. I read her latest trilogy (the Beka Cooper trilogy) first, which didn't exactly prepare me for The Song of the Lioness. It's obvious, going from the latest trilogy to her first writing, how much her writing has matured since the 80s. My first thought upon completing Alanna: the First Adventure was "I'm very glad she's gotten better at writing!" The story itself is still interesting and worth reading, but the style is a little difficult to read when I KNOW how well she writes now. The characters are mostly one-dimensional; few of the side characters seem to have plots going or events happening to them when they're not with Alanna. Characters pop up, have a significant interaction with Alanna, and are gone again, with no indication they exist outside of their usefulness to the main character. This is in stark contrast to her latest work, where every character that has a significant role to play has a history of their own, and thoughts and feelings of their own. They're much more fleshed out in her recent books.

That complaint aside, the Alanna books are really the foundation that the rest of Tortall was built upon. It's interesting to see how Pierce has fleshed out some of the concepts she touched on in the Alanna saga, and it's fun to see where some of the things from the Beka Cooper trilogy originated. It also pays to keep in mind that though the Alanna books were written first, the Beka Cooper trilogy is based two hundred years earlier. We learn a lot more about the office of The Rogue in the Beka Cooper trilogy, something that isn't explained very well in the Alanna quartet, even though one of Alanna's main romantic interests is George Cooper (yes, a descendant of Beka!), the Rogue. Pierce also never explains the origins of Alanna's cat, Faithful, in the actual Alanna books. That explanation lies in the Beka Cooper books as well.

The Song of the Lioness quartet is the story of a girl who decides to rebel against tradition and follow her heart to become a knight. In her time, ladies simply do NOT become knights. They learn to organize households and marry well. Alanna, however, is lucky enough to have a twin brother who does not want to become a knight; instead Thom wants to be a mage. So when they're sent off to face their futures, they switch places, with Alanna becoming "Alan", the younger twin. (Thom stays Thom; the school that ladies are sent to is the same school mages start at.)

Alan/Alanna begins as a page, then moves to squire, and eventually a knight. Her secret is discovered, but due to her influential friends, most of whom knew she was a girl by then, she is able to keep her status. Her adventures take her from uncovering a plot against the royal family, to being adopted by a desert tribe, to recovering a magic jewel of prosperity, with many small adventures in between.

I love reading Pierce's heroines; both Alanna and Beka have problems reconciling their feminine natures with the work they've chosen. The scenes where Alanna's love interests see her in a dress for the first time, instead of her normal boy-garb and armor, is heart-warming in one case, and sad in another. In both womens' lives it's the man who can accept all of their aspects who ultimately wins their heart, which is a wonderful message.

Ultimately, the technical flaws in the writing of the Alanna saga faded as I became absorbed in the story. I'll be requesting more Tortall books from the library in the near future!

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com