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Custom Heroes
8.0
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Tabletop Game
Custom Heroes is a card-crafting, climbing trick game in which plastic cards are added to sleeves in...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Inspector (Zvyozdniy inspektor) (1980) in Movies
May 26, 2019 (Updated May 26, 2019)
Borderline-unwatchable Soviet-era sci-fi film, also known as Space Cop (according to the subtitles on the version I saw, anyway). The reappearance of a ship thought lost in space, and an attack on Space Police HQ, results in a patrol spaceship being sent to investigate, the search leading to one of those planets which looks suspiciously like a quarry. What ensues there is a joyless, repetitive trudge.
Feels like one of those films made by people who've had sci-fi explained to them over the phone, but who have no first-hand familiarity with the genre, or indeed much familiarity with storytelling in general. This is before we get to the primitive production values, the aspects of the story which don't travel well (the villains are a trio named Doug, Marge, and Steve), or the heavy reliance on technobabble plot devices. Has the general feel of an episode of Space 1999. There are some interesting psychedelic visuals on display, and the special effects are often amusing (this was not the intention), but this is grim stuff for the most part.
Feels like one of those films made by people who've had sci-fi explained to them over the phone, but who have no first-hand familiarity with the genre, or indeed much familiarity with storytelling in general. This is before we get to the primitive production values, the aspects of the story which don't travel well (the villains are a trio named Doug, Marge, and Steve), or the heavy reliance on technobabble plot devices. Has the general feel of an episode of Space 1999. There are some interesting psychedelic visuals on display, and the special effects are often amusing (this was not the intention), but this is grim stuff for the most part.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Quatermass and the Pit (1967) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018
The best of the Quatermass films keeps all the unsettling ideas of Nigel Kneale's original TV scripts and adds Hammer's talent for coming up with smart casting and polished production values. Weird projectile turns up buried under London; the authorities initially assume it's an unexploded bomb from the Second World War, but the presence of fossil ape skeletons in and around the object indicates otherwise, as does a history of hauntings in the area going back hundreds of years. Professor Quatermass begins to suspect that this is a relic of a highly unusual alien invasion that happened before man had even evolved...
Pretty much a perfect fusion of horror and science fiction, giving a convincing extraterrestrial rationale for various paranormal and demonic phenomena; thoughtful and disturbing rather than actually scary. Andrew Keir rocks the joint as Professor Q but is well-supported by everyone else. The sequence in which London is transformed in the final reel is also very well done. Sets the standard for intelligent British SF movies; rather influential in its own way, too.
Pretty much a perfect fusion of horror and science fiction, giving a convincing extraterrestrial rationale for various paranormal and demonic phenomena; thoughtful and disturbing rather than actually scary. Andrew Keir rocks the joint as Professor Q but is well-supported by everyone else. The sequence in which London is transformed in the final reel is also very well done. Sets the standard for intelligent British SF movies; rather influential in its own way, too.
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated Abigail And The North Pole Adventure in Books
Feb 15, 2018
Abigail and the North Pole Adventure by Tali Carmi This is another quick read. It good for children. Children learn to use their imagination. It teaches your kids or children values and about giving a helping hand. It also teaches your children about making friendships. Each book tell you about a different place and culture. You learn about the animals and the habit of the folk that live in that area.The images are down really well. You can see what the description is talking about. This is good for children ages for young children. Parent can read this to their children. Kids can learn to read with these beginner books. Pictures are quite nice and understandable. This is also a good book for children that enjoy adventure books.I would recommend this book and this series to young readers and children learn to read. If you would like to check out my other review on a book in this series. Here the review to Abigail & Tropical Island adventure.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dirty Harry (1971) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018 (Updated Feb 17, 2018)
Supremely tough cop thriller that helped elevate Clint Eastwood to iconic status. Worthless hippie-scumbag Scorpio commences reign of terror in San Francisco, only laconic police detective Harry Callaghan has the spine to do what must be done in order to stop him.
Probably best not to think too hard about the morality and politics on display: they are at best deeply illiberal and at worst borderline fascist (antihero Harry doesn't give a fig about Scorpio's legal rights, tortures a wounded prisoner for information, etc). The film is playing with a stacked deck, anyway: Scorpio (nice performance from Andy Robinson - it almost ended his career, as he became so closely associated with the role) is an irredeemable monster, the embodiment of every concern respectable folks had about the 60s counterculture. Needless to say Harry (embodying traditional American values) shows no mercy as the story progresses. Story is very well-told, with just enough moments of ambiguity to keep it from being solely a piece of ultra-right-wing wish fulfilment. Essential Clint.
Probably best not to think too hard about the morality and politics on display: they are at best deeply illiberal and at worst borderline fascist (antihero Harry doesn't give a fig about Scorpio's legal rights, tortures a wounded prisoner for information, etc). The film is playing with a stacked deck, anyway: Scorpio (nice performance from Andy Robinson - it almost ended his career, as he became so closely associated with the role) is an irredeemable monster, the embodiment of every concern respectable folks had about the 60s counterculture. Needless to say Harry (embodying traditional American values) shows no mercy as the story progresses. Story is very well-told, with just enough moments of ambiguity to keep it from being solely a piece of ultra-right-wing wish fulfilment. Essential Clint.
lurkykitty (3 KP) rated The Only Good Indians in Books
Mar 25, 2020 (Updated Mar 25, 2020)
A well written and superbly crafted horror story
The Only Good Indians is a well written and superbly crafted horror story which takes place in the northwestern US and has characters from the Blackfeet and Crow tribes. Four young Blackfeet men embark on a badly planned and illegal elk hunt which results in a violation of tribal values and the desecration of nature. Ten years later, an entity exacts her revenge in a chilling, suspenseful and brutal fashion. The characters are incredibly well developed given the length of the novel, and the reader develops sympathy for them. The reader also empathizes with the perspective of the entity who pursues the four men. This story has great depth in its exploration of themes of cultural identity, tradition, social justice, revenge and respect for the natural world. Horror readers will love this, but I would also recommend this book for readers of fiction in general. I can see why this The Only Good Indians is receiving so much critical acclaim.
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