Saturday, January 23, 2016

Movie Night: Frank Sinatra - All or Nothing At All

Review:

 

 

Frank Sinatra: All or Nothing At All

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SINATRA: All or Nothing at All is an up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer. Told in his own words from hours of archived interviews, along with commentary from those closest to him, the documentary weaves the music and images from Sinatra's life together with rarely seen footage of Sinatra's famous 1971 "Retirement Concert" in Los Angeles. The film's narrative is shaped by Sinatra's song choices for that concert, which Gibney interprets as the singer's personal guide through his own life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

I loved this docu-film from beginning to end.

I've loved everything Sinatra since I was a kid and getting to learn the legend in his own words and the words of his loved ones. Viewers get a real look at the ups and downs from the beginning of his life to the end and get a real intimate look at the man who was loved by many and loved many in the duration of his career.

Viewers also get a sense of the man who despite having been surrounded by people all the time and involved in many relationships was a man who was more alone in a crowd than he was by himself.

Sinatra was a man dedicated to his craft for as long as he could hold onto it, a man that made the champion of come backs before he retired one last time, and a man who's music will last the generations.

 

 

 

My Rating:

5 Stars

 

 

 

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330524/movie-night-frank-sinatra-all-or-nothing-at-all

Movie Night: Darkness

Review:

 

Darkness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A teenage girl moves into a remote countryside house with her family, only to discover that their gloomy new home has a horrifying past that threatens to destroy the family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

Darkness had some twists however fairly predictable and it also wasn't one of Paquins best. I have mixed feelings for Paquin because her acting always varies between really good and really bad depending on the project she's doing but for the most part because she doesn't seem to believe in it I have a hard time believing in it.

I mostly wanted to see this movie for both Lena Olin and Iain Glen because I love both of them as actors. Unfortunately even good actors can get dragged down by low budget horror films.

I had a hard time deciding if I'd rate the movie a 2/3 star review but just decided on a 2 basing it on Paquins overall acting and not really the movie itself since most of the movie is centered around her. 

 

 

 

 

My Rating:

2 Stars

 

 

 

 

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330518/movie-night-darkness

I Origins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A molecular biologist's study of the human eye has far-reaching implications about humanity's scientific and spiritual beliefs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

Who the fuck came up with this shit? I couldn't even force myself to finish it.

 

 

 

 

My Rating:

0 Stars

 

 

 

 

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330515/post

Movie Night: Mad Max (Fury Road)

Review:

 

Mad Max: Fury Road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post apocalyptic Australia in search for her homeland with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

Not sure what I was expecting, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't fantastic either then again remakes are never as good as originals anyway however I think I liked this remake more than the original even though I can't really say why other than Tom Hardy

Some of the bad guy extras were a little over the top ridiculous but the multiple action scenes more than made up for the overly annoying bad guy cast players.

In the end though it was interesting to see both Max and Furiosa search for redemption with the idea that sometimes to start over you have to go back to the beginning again.

Will definitely be seeing this movie more than once.

 

 

 

 

My Rating:

4 Stars

 

 

 

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330514/movie-night-mad-max-fury-road

Movie Night: The Pyramid

Review:

The Pyramid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father-daughter archaeologists Miles (Denis O'Hare) and Nora Holden (Ashley Hinshaw) discover a unique pyramid that has been buried beneath the Egyptian desert for 5,000 years. Accompanied by a newswoman (Christa-Marie Nicola) and her team, the archaeologists enter the tomb and promptly become trapped. Hopelessly lost within the pyramid's labyrinthine structure, the group faces deadly perils that threaten their escape, including collapsing floors and bloodthirsty predators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

Predictable jack in the box scares, another horrendous plot and hand held camera filmed movie with an even worse plot.

While I can appreciate some of the stunt set ups and set design in parts of the movie the rest of it doesn't follow suit. The movie also has a mix of good actors bogged down by bad actors and poor cgi to accompany them.

Would be a good movie to watch for those who like fake scares and ridiculous story lines for the sheer lame entertainment but as for me, I won't be seeing this one again. I had a hard enough time just trying to finish it. "Yawn worthy."

 

 

My Rating:

1 Star

 

 

 

 

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330510/movie-night-the-pyramid

Friday, January 22, 2016

Fictional Jobs

Reblogged from: My Book Life

Found this in one of my newsletters that I get from Shelf Awareness (one of the many places I discover new books), and I forgot that I saved to share.  It's not just fictional jobs from books, but movies, comics, etc.  I still think the coolest job ever it the Raptor Wrangler.  The first guy might have gotten eaten, but Star Lord proved it could be done.  Kind of, maybe, okay it was luck because Blue was awesome!  But still!  Clever Girl!

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1330286/fictional-jobs

Thursday, January 21, 2016

13 Free Ebooks 1-21-16

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Outlier by Jacob Memser: Sean Lovac is a detective in Rockport, Texas. Near proposing to his long term girlfriend, he finds her dead on her kitchen floor. Even though it looks like murder, the coroner can’t find any indication other than natural causes. As Sean Lovac investigates his girlfriend’s death, he uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving corporate interests that are above the law…

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle Kobo Apple

 

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Back to Lazarus: A Sydney Brennan Novel by Judy K. Walker: Sydney Brennan is journeying throughout north Florida, rebuilding a sad family history, when she’s hired to investigate the suicide of the inmate who killed his wife. But is she putting her life at risk by following the murdered woman’s trail?

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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Perfect for Me by Lexy Timms: Street smart and undercover specialist Lt. Grady Rivers is a big part of keeping Pittsburg safe. Drawn from his hometown to hunt down a drug ring, he’s tasked with the mission of finding the operation’s leader, Dean. This ones going to take all he has.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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Conflicted (Secrets and Lies #1) by M. M. Koenig: Find out what happens when a sexy, tattooed bad boy goes head to head with a sassy, fierce female in this explosive series! Go grab the series today!

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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Clarity by Loretta Lost: Helen is a unique heroine, not due to her blindness, but her sharp wit and independence. When a kind doctor expresses interest in giving her sight, Helen is anxious at the thought of leaving her isolated life in the woods, thrust back into the dangerous city. Making a bargain with Dr. Liam Larson, Helen will agree to his experiment if he will agree to her terms…

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle Kobo Apple

 

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Sapphire Beautiful by Ren Monterrey: 32 year old widow Dr. Mary Pine is beginning her 5th year as a faculty member in the Medieval Studies department. A sexual scandal that garnered national attention and resulted in her husbands suicide leaves her with nothing. She has no choice but to make a deal with The Club, even if it means giving up her body. But one of her clients is also a student in her program…

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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Indecent: The Cage Sessions Book 1 by Skylar Cross: When sexually frustrated reporter Annika shows up at rock star Damien Cage’s estate to interview him, they become instantly attracted to each other. He offers her a view into his Caligulan lifestyle, starting at one of his raunchy ragers.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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LoneWolff: an Online Romance by Fran Seen: Ellie Faye plays the role of several persons online, and tangled with many people. But a chat with LoneWolff changes her game, and takes things beyond the anonymity of the internet into the real world beyond.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle

 

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Grid Down: A Strike against America by Roger Hayden: A little town in the North East, site of an EMP detonation and cut off from outside help, falls to the clutches of wicked criminals. But they’re taking it further than the town. They’re after those escaping to the mountains as well.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle

 

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ATHAR – A Slightly Different Holocaust Memoir by Shlomo Kalo: An historical testimony from an era that has tainted mankind history forever, told by a witness to horrifying deeds performed by humans towards humans. Shlomo Kalo, using his exceptional writing style, portrays a personal account of one among many, yet one who is still able to observe acutely and be aware to the highest level.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle

 

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You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay: Megan Berry was born with the gift of keeping zombies from going ballistic of brains. If she had it her way, she’d prioritize the homecoming dance, but a date is hard to find when her gift is acting up. Of course, things can always get worse, and they do when someone sends typical zombies into frenzies with black magic. Now she has to save the day…her ticket to the dance depends on it.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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The Hades Contract by Ken Mooney: Godhead brought the Greek gods to the present day, with brutal results. In this sequel, the dark secrets of the gods are laid bare as the God of Death puts his bloody plans into place for the throne. Far below Olympus, the Father Of Demons stirs and the rest of the world burns.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

Kindle

 

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Alignment: The Silent City by H.G. Suren: After a party, five friends wake up to discover no one else is on the planet. What happened? Teaming up together, the group looks for a way to find out what’s going on and how to fix it.

This book is Free on January 21, 2016

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Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1329795/13-free-ebooks-1-21-16

Jade Lee's Winning a Bride (Part 14) - Free Newsletter Serial

 





“I want my father to cease worrying over my married state. I want my mother to stop despairing over my lack of polish. I want this restlessness in my heart to disappear. And I want…” Will. 



New to WINNING A BRIDE?
Catch up with Will and Josephine here >>

 

Chapter 14
 

No one spoke on the ride home. Alastair had simply lifted the women onto horses, grabbed one himself, and silently followed the ladies home. He didn’t speak, and a single glance at his profile showed he was rigid with anger. Nanny looked as miserable as Josephine felt.

After they reached the manor house, he ordered baths for the women before turning around and going back to the canal. It was still raining hard, so Josephine didn’t know what he expected to accomplish, but whatever it was, the message was clear. The men would handle the canal. The ladies were to wait at home.

So they did while Mama clucked and Megan regarded her with sad eyes. Josephine didn’t speak. How could she? The guilt was crushing her while the rest of the day passed in a tedious, awful parade of slow seconds.

The rain stopped sometime in the afternoon. Her father came back by evening, but was too exhausted to speak. She and Megan stood in the hallway outside his bedroom door, shamelessly eavesdropping while he and their mother spoke.

The lock was destroyed. There was no chance that the canal would be finished by September. It was likely sabotage, and Will had a relatively clear idea who had done it. In fact, Alastair was even now out searching for the blackguards.

He didn’t tell Mama what Josephine had done. He didn’t say that she’d been staring across the water at Will, not obeying her fiancé. He didn’t say anything except that the canal would not be done by September and that all his plans were ruined. Her mother asked why. After all, she still thought Alastair intended to marry her. Father disabused her of the idea by simply saying he wasn’t so sure of Mr. Montgomery’s intentions right then. Because, of course, she had been there looking at Will.

It was too much, the guilt too awful. In the end, Josephine crept away to stare out the window at the dark night, her body and her mind restless with anxiety. Usually, she’d go to the creek to sit or to scream, whichever suited her mood better. But Will wouldn’t be there tonight. Everyone had been ordered to their beds—Will included—because in the morning, there would be plenty of work to do at the canal.

She might have gone anyway, but the rain picked up. The woods would be a muddy mess. And… well, she didn’t know what she would say to the man. She had to settle things with Alastair first. So she sat in her bedroom and stewed, passing a horrible night wrapped in a blanket as she stared out the window.

She woke to sunshine that hurt her eyes. Her body ached, and it took some moments to uncurl from her position by the window. One glance outside told her she’d slept most of the morning away. So she dressed as quickly as she was able—not even bothering to call her maid—and headed to find out any news she could. She found it at the breakfast table, and not in the guise she wanted: Alastair. He was seated at the table drinking coffee as he read a stack of newspapers which must have arrived this morning from London. He looked as he always did: fair of face, broad of form, and tempting as sin. At least that’s what Megan had said of him, along with a host of other silly phrases. Mostly he looked as a gentleman ought: calm, well dressed, and smiling coolly as he bid her good morning.

Then, of course, he saw the horror on her face. She tried to cover it, but she was very bad at acting. Her greeting was a forced mumble, and then—face flaming—she sat down and asked the footman for something to eat. When the servant tried to ask what she would like, she shook her head, unable to think of anything.

In the end, she muttered, “Anything Cook has available. And tea, please. Strong, strong tea.” Then she glanced nervously at her fiancé and released a nervous titter that sounded horrid. “What happened, Alastair? Did you find the people who…”

“Sabotaged the lock? Yes, we did. It wasn’t hard to track them. The men in question are in custody.”

She swallowed. “Someone from here? Someone who didn’t like—”

“All the men? All the work? All the to-do in this sleepy Yorkshire village? Yes. But rest assured, it’s done now. The canal will go on as planned. Though the work has been set back a great deal.”

She nodded. And here they were back to the problem at hand. Her dowry, the canal, and would she wed a man she did not love. That was the realization she’d come to in the middle of the night. In truth, it had nothing to do with Alastair. She had known from the very beginning that she didn’t love him. After all, she barely knew him. She was happy to marry him because she didn’t love anyone else.

But now she did. She loved Will and probably had been in love with him for a very long time. Which meant that she had to end things with Alastair before they became any more entrenched.

“Alastair—” she began, only to have him interrupt her.

“Your father came to speak with me this morning. As soon as I rose.”

She blinked, trying to keep pace with the conversation. In the end, all she could manage was a weak “Oh?”

“He wants us to be married next week.”

“Next week!” she gasped. She stared at him, but could read nothing from his expression. “I don’t understand. I thought we had to wait until fall when the property can be added to my dowry. I thought the papers had already been filed but that it would take weeks to settle properly.”

“That’s all correct. He assured me that everything would go through as planned. The land would still come to me, even if the courts take a while to sort through everything. But now that the canal will never be done by September, he worries that I will back out of our arrangement. So he wants us wed as soon as possible as a way to lock me in, so to speak.”

Josephine took a fortifying gulp of her tea, but it did nothing to calm her thoughts. “How gratifying to know that he has my best interests at heart.” Her words were bitter, her heart even more so. Her father was terrified that she would never wed.

Alastair grimaced. “I believe he has spent too much time in India. You understand that his time there generated a great deal of money for him extremely quickly.”

She nodded. Yes, her father was rather unseemly sometimes in his pride at making all that money. “But what has that to do with anything?”

“I think he has forgotten that wealth has a slower pace in England.”

“It’s tied to the land,” she said, remembering some of the discussions she’d had with Will.

“And the land’s profit follows nature’s rules, not man’s. Of course there are other ways of making money. Factories, for example. The world is changing, and the way to wealth is shifting along with it.”

She sighed. “But I still don’t understand. What is that to the point?”

He was silent a long time. And as he sat, he toyed with his cup of coffee, twisting it in the saucer. “I believe it is because your steward spoke with your father yesterday. He asked permission to pay his addresses to you.”

She gasped, her mind suddenly reeling. Will had asked for her hand? Well of course he had! What they had done that night—

“Your father showed him the door. I believe he had some choice words to say about the Crowle name.”

Josephine winced. “How awful for Will,” she murmured. Certainly his family’s reputation was not the best. But Will wasn’t like the other Crowles. Why couldn’t her father see that?

“No doubt he is used to it. I have been here barely more than a week, and yet I have heard countless tales of the feckless Crowles.”

She shook her head. “The locals exaggerate—”

“I should think so.”

“And besides, Will has never done any of that.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

His tone was excruciatingly dry, and Josephine experienced a shot of alarm. There was something in his voice. Suspicion perhaps? Did he know what she had done with Will? He couldn’t, and yet there was something in his face. Something that did not bode well for her.

“Alastair? What did you say to Papa?”

“I told him no. I find that impatience leads to bad decisions.”

She exhaled in relief. At least she would not be wed before she could sort things out for herself.

“And I also told him I wished to speak with you.” He leaned forward, setting his forearms on the white tablecloth. “Josephine, are you aware your father promised Will a piece of property if the canal is done by summer’s end?”

She nodded. She knew.

“Since the canal has no hope of being finished in time, the only way for your steward to get the land he wants is by marrying you.”

She stared at the man, her jaw slack. Then she blinked, her face flushing hot. “But he wouldn’t do that! He’s not… ” She cut off her words abruptly, stopping them before she said too much. But Alastair wouldn’t let her get away with silence.

He steepled his fingers and looked hard at her. “He’s not what, Josephine? Pray do not parse your words now.”

She grimaced. Fine, he wanted the truth, she would say it baldly to his face. “He’s not a gentleman like you. He doesn’t think about land and dowries and…” She gestured wildly in his direction. “He doesn’t think like that.”

But even as she said the words, she knew it was a lie. She absolutely did know that he thought about land. In fact, Will’s driving force had been to find a way to rebuild the Crowle name. And the first step in that was to get back the Crowle land. What better way to do that than to seduce her, then expose her, then marry her?

The only reason he hadn’t told everyone what they’d done was because the land didn’t end up in her dowry until the end of the summer. He couldn’t risk her father finding out and then changing the terms of her dowry.

“But he’s not like that,” she whispered. But in her heart, she wondered.

“Are you so sure?” Alastair challenged. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Her gaze jumped to his face. “What way? How?”

His lips twisted into a wry grimace. “Like a poor man looks through a blocked iron gate. There’s hunger and desperation.”

“No. That’s not Will.”

“I assure you, it is.”

She pushed up to her feet, unable to sit still. But where was she to go? She stood there uncertainly, not wanting to leave the room. Alastair was speaking plainly to her. She didn’t want to abandon this discussion. And it wasn’t as if she could run to Will and demand the truth. Had he seduced her for her dowry? Did he feel nothing for her at all?

So she walked awkwardly to the window, staring out at the green expanse before her. And beyond that to the unfinished canal that she couldn’t see. “Is everything about property?” she asked.

She hadn’t intended the words to be for anyone but herself, but Alastair answered her. He was standing up. She could hear the scrape of his chair, but she didn’t turn to look at him. Not even when he touched her shoulder.

“Did you know that I am counted quite a good judge of character?”

She frowned. Another leap in the conversation. She had no interest in following it, so she didn’t answer. In the end, he kept speaking until he eventually came around to his point.

“I am. They say I read people very well, but in this, they are very wrong.”

She sighed, drawn into his words only because they distracted her from her whirling thoughts. “You do not understand people?”

“Goodness, no. I understand situations. And I have a general idea of what people want. Based on that information, I make good guesses.”

She shrugged. She didn’t see what that meant to her at all.

“Let me explain. I want a political career. That means a financial base in your dowry and a wife who will be an asset.”

She grimaced. She would never fit that particular mold.

“Your father wants you married well and as soon as possible. That is his impatience showing, I think, so he contacted me some months ago. Your steward wants your land as well, but I think he wants you too.”

She swallowed. She certainly hoped that was true. She would hate to think she had no allure to anyone beyond her dowry. And the idea that Will could touch her the way he had, all simply for the land? That was too painful a thought to believe.

“But in all this, Josephine, I have yet to see what you want.” He released a short laugh filled with self-­disgust. “Women are a mystery to me, I’m afraid. I cannot guess what they think or want.”

“Then we are a pair,” she murmured, “because I cannot understand how men could want so little.”

He jolted at that. She saw his body jerk out of the corner of her eye. He was close enough to touch her. The sunlight from the window was on his face. But he kept himself apart from her, and for that she was thankful.

“Josephine?”

She turned to face him, speaking aloud as she sorted out her thoughts. “I cannot speak to ‘women,’ Alastair, but I can say what I want. I want my father to cease worrying over my married state. I want my mother to stop despairing over my lack of polish. I want this restlessness in my heart to disappear. And I want…” Will. She wanted Will to love her and cherish her outside of any damned dowry.

His eyes narrowed in on her face. “Do not stop now. What do you want Josephine?”

She grimaced. “Something a great deal more than a hobby.” But what that was, she couldn’t say. And neither could he as he simply looked at her, his brow furrowed in thought. So she decided it was time to take control of her life as never before. “Alastair, I am afraid we will not suit. I cannot marry you. I wish you the very best, but I have no desire to marry you.”

He nodded. Once. A simple jerk of his chin, followed soon after by a brief bow. Then he straightened. “I will pack my bags immediately.” And then he left. That quickly, that easily. Her engagement was done. That fact might have depressed her if she hadn’t somewhere else to go. Immediately. So she went in search of her father. He wasn’t the one she really wanted to see, but he would do for a start.

She found him in his office, as usual. He looked up with a frown when she walked in without preamble. She didn’t give him time to speak.

“We will not move up the date of my wedding, Papa.”

He grimaced. “Sweetheart—”

“And you do not get to decide whom I marry.”

His face darkened at that. “You heard about Will’s request.”

“I should have heard it from you.”

He threw up his hands. “He’s not suitable. You know that as well as I. And he just wants—”

“My dowry. Yes, I know.”

He settled back in his chair. “If you know that, then why are you so angry?”

“Because if I am to sell myself, then at least allow me to pick my purchaser.”

He reared back at that, horror on his face. “I am not selling you!”

“No, Papa, I am.” And with that, she spun on her heel and went to find the one man she really wanted.
 

***

 

Original post: kkmalott.booklikes.com/post/1329791/jade-lee-s-winning-a-bride-part-14-free-newsletter-serial

Life's Too Frantic

So I haven't been around to blog since late November early December, I hope you all are doing well. I am keeping busy wi...