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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
Returning to a much more balanced tone that the overly "cooky" Temple of Doom, the third Indiana Jones adventure gives Raiders of the Lost Ark some serious competition for best entry in the franchise (Raiders just about beats it for me based on the ratio of melting nazi face content).
The Last Crusade is a hugely entertaining movie from start to finish. It has a fantastic cast from the ever reliable Harrison Ford in the title role, to the convincingly menacing antagonist played by Julian Glover. Of course, Sean Connery is here for the ride this time around, as Indy's old man. The dynamic between Connery and Ford is great, and every scene with the two of them is cinema gold. Alison Doody makes for a welcome change with this films female protagonist (sort of), her character finally bucking the trend of typical love interest and having some depth, and a hell of a mean streak. Its nice to see John Rhys-Davies return from his ToD absence, and River Phoenix makes for an extremely memorable young Indiana in the movies opening flashback scene - on the subject of that scene, the transition from young Indy to Harrison Ford Indy is epic, thanks in part to another wonderful John Williams score, and is one of my highlights of the entire franchise!
The pacing is spot on - the over-two-hour runtime never once feels like a slog. The constant action is some of Spielberg's best work, and is suitably high octane. Everything in between boasts an engaging screenplay that develops all of the characters nicely, and the comedy elements are well done and sporadically placed, making the sillier moments genuinely funny (even the ridiculous Hitler scene)
All in all, The Last Crusade is a wonderful conclusion to the original trilogy, and is a genuinely fantastic adventure movie that stands toe to toe with the first film in its quality.
The Last Crusade is a hugely entertaining movie from start to finish. It has a fantastic cast from the ever reliable Harrison Ford in the title role, to the convincingly menacing antagonist played by Julian Glover. Of course, Sean Connery is here for the ride this time around, as Indy's old man. The dynamic between Connery and Ford is great, and every scene with the two of them is cinema gold. Alison Doody makes for a welcome change with this films female protagonist (sort of), her character finally bucking the trend of typical love interest and having some depth, and a hell of a mean streak. Its nice to see John Rhys-Davies return from his ToD absence, and River Phoenix makes for an extremely memorable young Indiana in the movies opening flashback scene - on the subject of that scene, the transition from young Indy to Harrison Ford Indy is epic, thanks in part to another wonderful John Williams score, and is one of my highlights of the entire franchise!
The pacing is spot on - the over-two-hour runtime never once feels like a slog. The constant action is some of Spielberg's best work, and is suitably high octane. Everything in between boasts an engaging screenplay that develops all of the characters nicely, and the comedy elements are well done and sporadically placed, making the sillier moments genuinely funny (even the ridiculous Hitler scene)
All in all, The Last Crusade is a wonderful conclusion to the original trilogy, and is a genuinely fantastic adventure movie that stands toe to toe with the first film in its quality.
I was contacted by Lindzi herself to review her novel Maga High, the first in the Jodie Trilogy. I was excited and ready to have a fun easy-going read that dwindled my worries of stress. This novel didn’t quite hit home but it also didn’t really leave me disappointed. Just a big ole fat “meh” about it.
First off, there are quite a bit of grammatical errors and sentences/ paragraphs that don’t make any sense. I was utterly confused half of the time and I feel like there is so much that is missing from the story line. The writing is also very juvenile, where it kind of works in some parts but not in others. The characters feel more fake than what they are supposed to be, like they’re trying too hard. Wait, that’s not the word I’m looking for. The word I’m looking for is that they are lacking depth. They have no care in the world and seem destructive.
The story is a slow burn, yet it’s not really a burn at all. Just really a smolder that doesn’t feed the hunger in your brain at all. Also, why are there so many damn exclamation points?! It seriously takes away from the entirety of the novel. Well that, the juvenile writing style, and the lack of depth to the characters.
Reasons why I rated it 3 stars:
1. The characters lacked depth and background.
2. There was an over use of exclamation points and it really took away from the novel.
3. There were a ton of grammatical errors and sentences/ paragraphs that didn’t make any sense.
4. The story was interesting and it somehow captivated my attention long enough for me to finish reading it.
5. It was a fun read that packed tons of drama into it.
“It doesn’t matter what battle you might be fighting, everybody has their own going on. I suppose it’s how you handle it that counts.”
First off, there are quite a bit of grammatical errors and sentences/ paragraphs that don’t make any sense. I was utterly confused half of the time and I feel like there is so much that is missing from the story line. The writing is also very juvenile, where it kind of works in some parts but not in others. The characters feel more fake than what they are supposed to be, like they’re trying too hard. Wait, that’s not the word I’m looking for. The word I’m looking for is that they are lacking depth. They have no care in the world and seem destructive.
The story is a slow burn, yet it’s not really a burn at all. Just really a smolder that doesn’t feed the hunger in your brain at all. Also, why are there so many damn exclamation points?! It seriously takes away from the entirety of the novel. Well that, the juvenile writing style, and the lack of depth to the characters.
Reasons why I rated it 3 stars:
1. The characters lacked depth and background.
2. There was an over use of exclamation points and it really took away from the novel.
3. There were a ton of grammatical errors and sentences/ paragraphs that didn’t make any sense.
4. The story was interesting and it somehow captivated my attention long enough for me to finish reading it.
5. It was a fun read that packed tons of drama into it.
“It doesn’t matter what battle you might be fighting, everybody has their own going on. I suppose it’s how you handle it that counts.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book, and it probably won’t be the last, either. I’m reading the first two books in preparation for reading the final book. Wolf Hall is as good as it was the first time round, and I think it’s a book that bears reading more than once - I’ve picked up things this time that I didn’t see the first read through. I have a sneaking suspicion that you could find something new, no matter how many times you read it.
It can be a little confusing at first, when Cromwell is referred to as ‘he’ throughout, but I slipped into the habit after a while. When learning about the Tudors at school, Cromwell is very much skimmed over. We learn that he had his moment of favour and then had his head chopped off 🤷🏼♀️. It seemed to be a bit of a professional hazard if you worked with royalty in those days.
This book gives Thomas Cromwell personality, feelings and you get to see his hopes and aspirations. He is portrayed as a thoroughly nice person, a good, caring father and employer. Someone who fought his way out of poverty, and tried to bring others out of that same situation. But he’s also shown to be calculating, cunning, a man that is no fool. There would have to be an element of the cut-throat about a man who wanted to work with Henry VIII; a king who was unpredictable, to say the least, and easily influenced by those around him.
I adore this period in history. Nothing is as shocking as real life, and I cannot for the life of me get over how cheap life was in a time where it should have been worth more (with no antibiotics, high infant and maternal mortality, death around the corner from simple illnesses). I’m really looking forward to rereading the second book in this trilogy now.
It can be a little confusing at first, when Cromwell is referred to as ‘he’ throughout, but I slipped into the habit after a while. When learning about the Tudors at school, Cromwell is very much skimmed over. We learn that he had his moment of favour and then had his head chopped off 🤷🏼♀️. It seemed to be a bit of a professional hazard if you worked with royalty in those days.
This book gives Thomas Cromwell personality, feelings and you get to see his hopes and aspirations. He is portrayed as a thoroughly nice person, a good, caring father and employer. Someone who fought his way out of poverty, and tried to bring others out of that same situation. But he’s also shown to be calculating, cunning, a man that is no fool. There would have to be an element of the cut-throat about a man who wanted to work with Henry VIII; a king who was unpredictable, to say the least, and easily influenced by those around him.
I adore this period in history. Nothing is as shocking as real life, and I cannot for the life of me get over how cheap life was in a time where it should have been worth more (with no antibiotics, high infant and maternal mortality, death around the corner from simple illnesses). I’m really looking forward to rereading the second book in this trilogy now.
Replica
7.6
Rate It
Book
Two girls, two stories, one epic novel — now a New York Times bestseller! From Lauren Oliver,...
Science fiction
ClareR (6067 KP) rated The Country of Others in Books
Sep 19, 2021
This is a fascinating look at Leïla Slimani’s own family history.
Mathilde falls in love with, and marries, Amine Belhaj, a Moroccan stationed in Alsace. After the war, she sails to Morocco to live with Amine on his family farm. Life is so different to that in France, and Mathilde struggles to adapt. The French there shun her because of her husband, and Moroccans are suspicious of her because she’s French.
It’s a time of great upheaval in the 1950’s, as the Moroccans fight for independence from France, and life becomes increasingly dangerous for the Belhaj’s.
It’s a challenging life for Mathilde: she has to work hard, and Amine has a very fixed idea of a wife’s role. When she doesn’t stick to his rules, voices her opinions or disagrees, Amine beats her - he’s a violent man, scarred by the things that he saw and experienced in the war.
Mathilde does manage to insist that their daughter, Aicha, goes to a good French speaking school, and Aicha proves to be a good, diligent student - but the other girls at school are poisoned by their parents views: they’re very unkind and bully her.
There is a real feel for the heat and dust of Morocco. The contrasting cultures and religions of Christianity and Islam are shown, as well as the roles of women and how they are restricted in the light of their religions and it’s traditions. It looks at what it is to be a foreigner in a strange land; belonging, both in a country and a family; and the Moroccan struggle for independence from France.
This is going to be a trilogy, and I’m already fully invested in it - I can’t wait for the next book. Sam Taylor’s translation is perfect, and I hope that they’ll be translating the subsequent books as well.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for helping me (yet again!) with my NetGalley reading, and to Faber for my ebook copy through NetGalley.
Mathilde falls in love with, and marries, Amine Belhaj, a Moroccan stationed in Alsace. After the war, she sails to Morocco to live with Amine on his family farm. Life is so different to that in France, and Mathilde struggles to adapt. The French there shun her because of her husband, and Moroccans are suspicious of her because she’s French.
It’s a time of great upheaval in the 1950’s, as the Moroccans fight for independence from France, and life becomes increasingly dangerous for the Belhaj’s.
It’s a challenging life for Mathilde: she has to work hard, and Amine has a very fixed idea of a wife’s role. When she doesn’t stick to his rules, voices her opinions or disagrees, Amine beats her - he’s a violent man, scarred by the things that he saw and experienced in the war.
Mathilde does manage to insist that their daughter, Aicha, goes to a good French speaking school, and Aicha proves to be a good, diligent student - but the other girls at school are poisoned by their parents views: they’re very unkind and bully her.
There is a real feel for the heat and dust of Morocco. The contrasting cultures and religions of Christianity and Islam are shown, as well as the roles of women and how they are restricted in the light of their religions and it’s traditions. It looks at what it is to be a foreigner in a strange land; belonging, both in a country and a family; and the Moroccan struggle for independence from France.
This is going to be a trilogy, and I’m already fully invested in it - I can’t wait for the next book. Sam Taylor’s translation is perfect, and I hope that they’ll be translating the subsequent books as well.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for helping me (yet again!) with my NetGalley reading, and to Faber for my ebook copy through NetGalley.
Spark of Madness (Ember Glen #1)
Book
In Ember Glen, men purge under the full moon. It’s the duty of women to serve them. When Mercy...
Adult Dark Romance Dystopian
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Perfected (Perfected, #1) in Books
Jul 10, 2023
Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch
This book has been sat on my bookshelf for as long as I can remember, which is why i finally decided to pick it up.
The book was originally published in 2014, around the height of YA Dystopian books. And if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this book allow me to continue.
After creating a new law which allows for the creation of human pets, congressman Kimball bought Ella. She is a pet designed and trained specifically for entertaining the Elite as the most prestigious family companion.
But for Ella, things aren't what they seem. Family secrets arise; she is kidnapped; and the dark world under her pampered life shows itself; and she cannot help but fall for the congressman's son, Penn. She is forced to question her existence. But if she chooses to act on these new revelations, she may face a fate worse than death.
Not to be rude, but this book is just like any other YA book written of its time. It draws a lot of similarities to Lauren DeStefano's Wither Trilogy. Its beautifully written, with lots of potential, but lacks execution. Ella is a very basic character for me. She is passive and her only motives for pushing herself derive from Penn, her love interest.
It seems the author tried to go for a hate to love relationship, but it fell flat with the instalovey trope. Even then, their love seemed more like lust to me. They didn't really build any foundations and connection. At least not enough to justify Ella's actions and motives.
Had I read this in my teens when the book came out, I would probably have loved it. But I'm older and nore cynical now.
I have already bought the second book on Audible and the book wasn't so terrible that I won't at least give it a try, but I'm apprehensive to say the least.
The book was originally published in 2014, around the height of YA Dystopian books. And if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this book allow me to continue.
After creating a new law which allows for the creation of human pets, congressman Kimball bought Ella. She is a pet designed and trained specifically for entertaining the Elite as the most prestigious family companion.
But for Ella, things aren't what they seem. Family secrets arise; she is kidnapped; and the dark world under her pampered life shows itself; and she cannot help but fall for the congressman's son, Penn. She is forced to question her existence. But if she chooses to act on these new revelations, she may face a fate worse than death.
Not to be rude, but this book is just like any other YA book written of its time. It draws a lot of similarities to Lauren DeStefano's Wither Trilogy. Its beautifully written, with lots of potential, but lacks execution. Ella is a very basic character for me. She is passive and her only motives for pushing herself derive from Penn, her love interest.
It seems the author tried to go for a hate to love relationship, but it fell flat with the instalovey trope. Even then, their love seemed more like lust to me. They didn't really build any foundations and connection. At least not enough to justify Ella's actions and motives.
Had I read this in my teens when the book came out, I would probably have loved it. But I'm older and nore cynical now.
I have already bought the second book on Audible and the book wasn't so terrible that I won't at least give it a try, but I'm apprehensive to say the least.
ClareR (6067 KP) rated Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North in Books
Aug 19, 2023
Ok, I’ll put my hand up to this: I haven’t read the first two books in this trilogy! But I’ve heard enough about them that it feels as though I have! And they’re on my bookshelf. It’s not actually unusual for me to read trilogies out of order, and I can say in this case that I didn’t feel as though I’d missed anything major that made it incomprehensible. Maureen Fry to me was perfectly readable and very enjoyable on its own. That’s not to say that I won’t read Harold and Queenie’s stories though!
Maureen isn’t an instantly likeable person. She’s standoffish, rude and has experienced enough trauma in her life to make her attitude and personality unpleasant, yet understandable. As a child she was described as difficult, and she describes herself as a difficult adult. Harold clearly adores her, and finds this part of her just as endearing as the rest. We’ve all met difficult people like Maureen, possibly made sure that we avoided them afterwards, and this novella goes some way to explain how and why Maureen became the person she was.
Maureen doesn’t have an easy time during her journey, mainly because of her ‘spikiness’, but at the same time, it shows how intolerant some people can be (Maureen is included here!). We meet one of Harold’s friends from his walk who proves particularly invaluable for Maureen.
At the centre of this is Maureen’s loss. When her son died by suicide many years before this story takes place, he takes a piece of Maureen with him. This journey, which is, incidentally to Queenie’s garden, helps Maureen to come to terms with her sons death and life without him.
It’s quite beautiful. I’m not saying that Maureen transforms into a wonderfully kind, light-hearted woman (she doesn’t), but I do believe she comes to an understanding with her grief.
This was well worth the reading.
Maureen isn’t an instantly likeable person. She’s standoffish, rude and has experienced enough trauma in her life to make her attitude and personality unpleasant, yet understandable. As a child she was described as difficult, and she describes herself as a difficult adult. Harold clearly adores her, and finds this part of her just as endearing as the rest. We’ve all met difficult people like Maureen, possibly made sure that we avoided them afterwards, and this novella goes some way to explain how and why Maureen became the person she was.
Maureen doesn’t have an easy time during her journey, mainly because of her ‘spikiness’, but at the same time, it shows how intolerant some people can be (Maureen is included here!). We meet one of Harold’s friends from his walk who proves particularly invaluable for Maureen.
At the centre of this is Maureen’s loss. When her son died by suicide many years before this story takes place, he takes a piece of Maureen with him. This journey, which is, incidentally to Queenie’s garden, helps Maureen to come to terms with her sons death and life without him.
It’s quite beautiful. I’m not saying that Maureen transforms into a wonderfully kind, light-hearted woman (she doesn’t), but I do believe she comes to an understanding with her grief.
This was well worth the reading.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Ash (Hive Trilogy, #1) in Books
Aug 1, 2022
136 of 230
Kindle
Ash ( Hive Trilogy book 1)
By Jaymin Eve and Leia Stone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Are you an Ash?
*Increased stamina
*Lack of appetite
*Anger outbursts
*Insatiable thirst
*Beauty & Strength
*Male
Call the hotline if these symptoms come on suddenly!
Turns out Charlie Bennet was all of those things except the last. Don’t let the name fool you, Charlie was all woman and she wanted nothing to do with the ash … until the day she found out she was one.
It all started when infected bats bit a small group of humans and created what are now called vampires. Then, the male vampires knocked up some female humans and the result was a gorgeous race of all male ash. Superhuman freaks that had looks to kill.
Charlie is the first female ash, aka unicorn of the Hive – the gated compound in Portland that the humans have designated to isolate vampires and ash from society.
Problem? The Hive is full and only a select few will be allowed to live there. To live at all, really. If Charlie wants to earn the right to become a citizen of the Hive, she will have to survive the culling – a series of fights to the death. And guess what? Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she’ll get special treatment.
Good thing there’s Ryder, the mysterious lead ash enforcer, who seems to always have her back. But when secrets bubble to the surface, it will take more than one guy to save her.
I really liked this! It was a different take on vampires and their origins and I thought it was so clever. The characters were likeable and you had that will they won’t they attraction between the main characters. If I had one thing that slightly drove me crazy was being told how hot it sexy they were every 4 or so pages yes we get that they are beautiful, sexy and hot guys please stop telling me 😂. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where they take this storyline.
Kindle
Ash ( Hive Trilogy book 1)
By Jaymin Eve and Leia Stone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Are you an Ash?
*Increased stamina
*Lack of appetite
*Anger outbursts
*Insatiable thirst
*Beauty & Strength
*Male
Call the hotline if these symptoms come on suddenly!
Turns out Charlie Bennet was all of those things except the last. Don’t let the name fool you, Charlie was all woman and she wanted nothing to do with the ash … until the day she found out she was one.
It all started when infected bats bit a small group of humans and created what are now called vampires. Then, the male vampires knocked up some female humans and the result was a gorgeous race of all male ash. Superhuman freaks that had looks to kill.
Charlie is the first female ash, aka unicorn of the Hive – the gated compound in Portland that the humans have designated to isolate vampires and ash from society.
Problem? The Hive is full and only a select few will be allowed to live there. To live at all, really. If Charlie wants to earn the right to become a citizen of the Hive, she will have to survive the culling – a series of fights to the death. And guess what? Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she’ll get special treatment.
Good thing there’s Ryder, the mysterious lead ash enforcer, who seems to always have her back. But when secrets bubble to the surface, it will take more than one guy to save her.
I really liked this! It was a different take on vampires and their origins and I thought it was so clever. The characters were likeable and you had that will they won’t they attraction between the main characters. If I had one thing that slightly drove me crazy was being told how hot it sexy they were every 4 or so pages yes we get that they are beautiful, sexy and hot guys please stop telling me 😂. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where they take this storyline.
