Glances

All posts tagged Glances

Alien 3 - (1992 movie)

2018-03-27
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Alien 3 (1992) image

Entertainment > Movies >

(on Wikipedia)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103644/

Survivors of an alien attack crash next to a prison and learn that the alien came with them.

This was my first movie with a shaved-headed woman. I guess I was all "oh no she di'int, now wesa gettin serioooos".

In my mind, the franchise was significantly weakened by this movie. It just didn't "feel right". Perhaps the previous two were so good that they became too tough to follow, but after yet another re-watch this movie really just doesn't seem all that good.

  • Properly titled ALIEN3

  1. Alien - (1979 movie)
  2. Aliens - (1986 movie)
  3. Alien 3 - (1992 movie)

  4. Alien - Resurrection - (1997 movie)



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Aliens - (1986 movie)

2018-03-13
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Aliens (1986) image

Entertainment > Movies >

(on Wikipedia)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/

Waking from long hibernation, a woman claims to be the survivor of an alien attack from a planetoid which has since become a terraforming colony.

A direct descendent of Alien - (1979 movie), this movie not only builds on but improves on the movie, turning this into a blockbuster franchise.

  1. Alien - (1979 movie)
  2. Aliens - (1986 movie)
  3. Alien 3 - (1992 movie)

  4. Alien - Resurrection - (1997 movie)



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Alien - (1979 movie)

2018-03-13
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Alien (1979) poster

Entertainment > Movies >

(on Wikipedia)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/

A crew of civilians investigates a distress beacon, but it turn out to be a warning that they were too late to heed.

Alien is another "first to get there" movie which has set the bar for its sub-genre.

It has a dirty old-but-futuristic look to it that really stretches its technological and budgetary limitations. As it turns out, this has given the movie incredible longevity. For a movie as old as this, it easily stands the test of time.

  1. Alien - (1979 movie)
  2. Aliens - (1986 movie)
  3. Alien 3 - (1992 movie)

  4. Alien - Resurrection - (1997 movie)



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Net Force - (1998 book), by Tom Clancy

2018-01-12
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Net Force - (1998 book), by Tom Clancy image

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

In a world where everyday people use the internet through total-sensory virtual reality, a specialist intelligence agency tracks down murderers and terrorists.

Slow and confusing, this book isn't just a challenge to read, it's a challenge to read with a straight face. One of the risks of speculative science fiction is that they can get very, very, wrong in their predictions. This book hand-waives people being transported into a magical world with no explanation as to how it's possible or what it's like. It is vague in everything it demands the reader suspend their disbelief in. It is awed at 900 Mhz computers. This is definitely a 1998 book that had way too much hope for its future.

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The Hobbit - (1937 book), by J.R.R. Tolkien

2018-01-12
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The Hobbit - (1937 book), by J.R.R. Tolkien cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

An unlikely little hero is swept into an travel-adventure through dangerous lands to recapture the lost treasures of a fallen Dwarvish kingdom.

Considered a classic fantasy book, it's definitely a children's book from it's narrative tone. It's slow and awkward in a lot of places, and takes too long to pick up into anything interesting for me. Perhaps it's because I had read it long ago, and perhaps it's because of the staggering quality of its associated movies, but I didn't like it.

Definitely not recommended as an entry into fantasy fiction, in spite of its popularity. Veterans of the genre may as well read this just to say they have.



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Sphere - (1987 book), by Michael Crichton

2017-12-17
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Sphere - (1987 book), by Michael Crichton cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

The United States Navy discovers a crashed craft, and includes a cross-disciplinary team in its investigation.

I liked it, though I found it rather simple. I had already seen the movie that was inspired by this book, which I really liked, and that likely coloured my views.



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The Chronicles of Narnia - (1950-1956 book series), by C. S. Lewis

2017-12-05
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The Chronicles of Narnia cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

Some kids are given Lantern rings for transporting around.

I read a decent ways in before getting bored. The combination of language (English-age) and language (audience-age) made it tiring. It's definitely a book to be read aloud to a 10 year old girl, and I respect that. I'd, even, be the one to do the reading aloud.. but not the listening.

This is a seven volume unabridge compilation, presented in the author's intended reading order.

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Journey to the Center of the Earth - (1864 book), by Jules Verne

2017-11-17
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Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

I could only get through the first chapter before setting this down. It has flowery awkward old English which I will avoid from now on.

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Much Ado About Nothing - (1623 play), by Shakespeare

2017-11-05
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Much Ado About Nothing - (1623 play), by Shakespeare - Signet Classic image

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

An man works to undermine his brother's happiness by meddling with his son's marriage. Also two smart people dual with words.

A pretty good book, though my reading of the Signet Classic was seriously interrupted by footnotes. Not because of the shifting up/down to read them, but because the footnotes are crammed all together. Given that this book is 1/4 commentary, axing one for clearer footnotes would have been amazing. Maybe another edition will be better. I intend to collect many of this particular play.



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The Secret Garden - (1911 book), by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2017-08-06
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My cover is different
My cover is different

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

A spoiled little girl loses her rich parents and is sent away to live with her reclusive heartbroken (rich) relative.

The story is fairly awful to me, though I can see how this was popular at the time. It has definitely aged, not just in its period but in its language and writing style.

I'll class this as "liked", but I only see this as being good for historical reasons and wouldn't recommend it. I'll also class this as child-friendly, except it's child-friendly in its context: A parent reading to their child in the early 1900s.

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