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Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Considering no-one has managed to make an entirely satisfactory King Kong movie since the early 1930s, and also bearing in mind that the same company's Godzilla movie left a bit to be desired, my expectations for this one were low, to put it mildly. Government survey team, aided by semi-unhinged Vietnam veterans (the setting is the 1970s), fly off to unexplored tropical island and discover all manner of weird wildlife awaiting them, including the greatest of great apes.

Truth be told, ostensible stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson feel a bit surplus to requirements (Sam Jackson, John Goodman and John C Reilly chew the scenery quite satisfactorily), but in all other respects this is a hugely enjoyable pulp monster movie that isn't afraid to relax and have some fun. It does feel a bit odd to do a Kong movie entirely set on the island, but the story hangs together well, there are some interesting creatures, and the set-up for the next Godzilla movie is well handled. Doing a monster movie in the style of a Vietnam film is also an inspired touch. Raises the bar for the rest of the films in this series; highly entertaining stuff.
  
The Pho Cookbook by Andrea Nguyen is an in-depth introduction to pho and its history. The book is split into six sections Pho Manual, Master Pho, Adventurous Pho, Pho Add-ons, Stir-fried, Pan-fried pho and Deep-fried Pho and Pho Sidekicks. Each section is includes high quality photographs that show both food and life in Vietnam.

An excellent book, both from the point of view of the approach and extensive documentation, as well as a sample of quality food writing. Beyond the useful directions and details about how to prepare the traditional Pho, and the meals to match with, the reader is also offered anthropological observations about the history of this meal and other insider information based on frequent visits to Vietnam and direct experience in her mother's restaurant.

The book provided many variations of Pho, which I am looking forward to trying out. While I haven't yet made any of the recipes, I did read over them and they vary in skill and level of difficulty, which is something I appreciate as a lover of Pho as well as a lover of easy recipes.

I received this book from Ten Speed Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
Before Watchmen:  The Comedian
Before Watchmen: The Comedian
Brian Azzarello | 2013 | Comics & Graphic Novels
7
5.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Some interesting historical links
The Comedian's part of the pre-Watchmen series continues the link to actual historical events and people. Edward Blake, the Comedian, is a good friend of the Kennedy brothers and regularly helps them out in various ways. Blake is then sent to Vietnam, initially as a boost to morale for the US troops, but he soon embarks on a trademark campaign of terror across the jungle.
The overall story wasn't to my tastes, but some excellent artwork and nice historical links. Plus something of an origin story for his trademark smiley face logo.
  
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    From Ha-Long Bay in Vietnam to the Grand Canyon in Colorado, Gaia is a collection of the most...