Movie Review - Zack Snyder's Justice League

 I'm a huge DC Comics fan, and I loved most of their movies until The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, and the other grim and gritty trying to beat Marvel films. I was so excited for a Justice League movie and so disappointed by what we got. I, like many others, wondered if the original cut of the film might have been better.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is a 2021 live-action superhero film based on characters appearing in DC Comics. It is rated R for language and fantasy violence and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Story. This movie had a story. The story made sense. The story logically progressed from one scene to the next. That was all absent in the theatrical cut.

Fan Service. This film included a lot of characters and a lot of fan service, but it did it in a way that made sense and added to the story (for the most part).

The Bad

Music and Soundtrack. The music and soundtrack was one area this film fell short. It wasn't memorable. It didn't add to the emotion of the film. In places it was just plain boring or made no sense.

Lack of Great Fight Scenes. This film does have several fight scenes, but none of them were really great or memorable. They were short, looked like quickly rendered video games, and lacked choreography.

Not the Justice League We Wanted. While this is a really good film, it's not the Justice League film any fan really wanted. It didn't look or feel like the Justice League fans have grown to love in the comics and cartoons.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish the film would have been more true to the comics and cartoons.

 

Overall

Zack Snyder's Justice League is a 2021 live-action superhero film based on characters appearing in DC Comics. Unlike the theatrical version, this movie had a story. The story made sense. The story logically progressed from one scene to the next. This film included a lot of characters and a lot of fan service, but it did it in a way that made sense and added to the story (for the most part). The music and soundtrack was one area this film fell short. It wasn't memorable. It didn't add to the emotion of the film. In places it was just plain boring or made no sense. This film does have several fight scenes, but none of them were really great or memorable. They were short, looked like quickly rendered video games, and lacked choreography. While this is a really good film, it's not the Justice League film any fan really wanted. It didn't look or feel like the Justice League fans have grown to love in the comics and cartoons. I recommend this film and give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

Book Review - Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes

I love fairy tales, but I'm not a big fan of modern reinterpretations or variations on the classics, mostly because they are so predictable, dull, and derivitive. But every once in a while and author comes along with a unique spin.

Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace.

Characters. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry.

Use of Fairy Tales. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

A sequel.

Overall

Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways. Overall, this is a very entertaining tale. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth

I am a big fan of biographies, history, science, and technology. I'm also a big fan of science fiction becoming science fact. It's not often these five areas come together in one story.

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. This book tells the story of a woman who is bitten by a racoon, her arm becomes severely infected to the point it has to be amputated, and then a new, never-before-performed surgery restores sensation and motor functions to the art. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story.

Telling. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well.

Technology. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact.

The Bad

Stops too Soon. This book stops too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I really want to know what happens next. Does the main character get a new prosthetic, and does it work like a real arm?

Overall

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact. This book does stop too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale. Overall, it is a fascinating story. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.