Thursday, 24 March 2016

Movie review: Day vs. Night, The God from Krypton vs. the Bat of Gotham.


Dawn of Justice  (I refuse to officially call it Batman v Superman) has been one of my most anticipated movie releases for over a year now and with each new trailer we were provided, that anticipation grew all the more. And I mean who wouldn't be excited when faced with an epic battle between the two most notable DC characters that have been adapted for the big screen many times before but never together.

Also, this is DC Comics' first attempt to create a round cinematic universe on the steps Marvel Comics left behind, especially after The Avengers.

And it was a decent try. But not enough.

You don't understand what I am talking about? Let's take a little closer look to what I saw today when I went to the cinema to watch Dawn of Justice.

Monday, 4 January 2016

Book review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Book: Illuminae
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files, #1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Blurb:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Friday, 1 January 2016

Top 10 reads of 2015.

Wait, what's the time? *checks laptop screen because never wears watch* Technically it's the second of January and I am kind of late to the party, but...

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2016 be as awesome as I am.


I do hope everyone started the new year in the way they hoped and obviously alongside either friends of family or maybe both or neither. However anyone wished to do so.

But seeing that now it is 2016, I haven't posted the reads that I enjoyed the most in 2015, right? Then, let us get on with it, shall we?

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Book review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Book: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising, #1
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Blurb:

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow-- and Reds like him-- are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity' s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society' s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. 

Saturday, 26 December 2015

Book review: Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes

Book: Frozen Tides
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms, #4
Publisher: Razorbill

 Blurb:


The plans are laid and the players are determined...but nothing can prepare these unlikely warriors for what the elemental gods of Mytica have in store.  CLEO: Reeling after a shocking realization about Magnus, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a queen. MAGNUS: The steely prince of Limeros is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he's strong enough to rule his people. LUCIA: Heartbroken and blind with fury, the betrayed sorceress allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.  JONAS: The defeated rebel leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to become a pawn in the dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.  KING GAIUS: A desperate King of Blood flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.



Thursday, 24 December 2015

Movie review: In a galaxy far, far away Anna finally watched The Force Awakens.


...padawan Anna finally watched Episode VII of Star Wars, commonly known as The Force Awakens.

And it was marvelous.

I'm going to say a few words about the movie, without giving away the plot. Or at least, I hope that's what's going to happen by the end of this post.

So, apparently we all know that J.J. Abrams directed this movie and this is a continuation of the original series from the '70s-'80s. Meaning, we get names like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO. My babies.

And a tiny spoiler for you... We got them all.

That's the only thing you're getting from me about the characters.

Back to the direction.

J.J. Abrams directing the film was actually quite telling. While keeping some of the original shots and patterns, like the famous line from above, those words that seem to float in space and certain shots, at some points the movie flowed like the reboots of Star Trek. I am not complaining, I love those reboots, it's just an observation.

The space battles felt like the original trilogy, there was loads of humour (mostly from Fin, but we'll get to that later) and droids. We can never forget the importance of the droids.

Let's continue on, though, to the characters.

Our main protagonist in this movie is the girl Rey, that we see in the official trailer, and Fin along with a new droid, named BB-8 (I think?).While I enjoyed all the characters, if I have, I am going to play favourites and confirm that I loved Fin more than I loved Rey. Their chemistry was amazing as a team, but Rey sometimes felt to me a little dull, while Fin gave me numerous bouts of humour sprinkled here and there.

And my brother pointed out that he looks like a young Denzel Washington. Which he does, doesn't he?

On the other hand, from the Dark Side of the Force, we have Kylo Ren. Blessed Jesus, that uniform did something for me.

Kylo Ren was a good villain. And not in the sense that he's secretly good, mostly in the fact that he is a really complex character (at least to me he was) that we have just scratched the surface of as of yet. You will see him without his mask, but in the end you'll realise the mask is everything.

Honourary mention to Oscar Isaac that raised the level of enjoyment about 20% for me than it already was. I really loved Po and I honestly can't wait to see him bring Apocalypse to life this spring in the newest X-Men movie.

Amen.

One last thing that I need to comment on. I saw a lot of famous faces in this movie. I don't know if you've noticed it as well, but I am pretty certain I identified many of the actors. Bill Weasley? Brienne? That dude from Heroes? Don't tell me you didn't see a person that you thought had no business in a movie like this. And they blended in pretty well. Good for them.

Anyway.

To summarise the rant above, I'll leave you with a couple of sentences.
The Force Awakens exceeded my expectations based on the trailer and not in the special effects part, but in the story. I am brutally honest with you when I tell you that I didn't think the story would be that well. But it was.

Hence, this new trilogy was 100000 times better than the prequels of 2000s and has me hopeful for fantastic plot twists.

May the Force be with you.

P.S. During the movie, we had a count of:
1 "I have a bad feeling about this", and
1 "May the Force be with you".

Monday, 7 December 2015

Book review: Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book: Oblivion
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux, #1.5
Publisher: Entagled Teen

Blurb.

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...