The Shadowhunters Codex Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis

First off....the artwork....oh my gosh....there are various artworks in this book and they are all beautiful however what struck me is the artwork under the front cover and under the back cover it is so beautiful and you really see the two different storylines from the Infernal Devices and from the Mortal Instruments. 

The words are clear and concise and very different from Cassie's creative style, however it is supposed to be because this book was written by the Clave for the use of future Shadowhunters. So you can truly see the way the Clave looks at things and it really ties everything together. You see how they look at it and see things from the different series of books and things that happen and you go..."Oh I know what that is" (eg...Demon Pox nuff said). 

The little comments by Clary, Jace, and Simon are hilarious. Simon, I love his comedic remarks and Clary's answers. I personally love when she shows the book to Luke and takes notes. There's a point where Luke is mad and pacing around the room and I just rolled laughing because I understood the Clave's one mindedness and I agreed with Luke. He was taught all of this before he became a werewolf and now he's seeing how one minded the Clave is and he sees how ridiculous it is. 

It's a dry read but it's meant to be and it really is so descriptive and "in the world" of this incredible series. Cassandra Clare's writing is one of a kind and so beautiful and amazing and special. She's created this wonderfully frightening world of angels and demons and good and evil and the fine line that we all walk between the two. This is just an overall awesome read and I highly recommend it. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a classic in its own right

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... It's not Harry Potter, however it is a classic in its own right. I loved the creature creations for this movie including of course those greedy goblins which I was so very happy to see in this film as well. Eddie Redmayne did such a wonderful job as Newt Scamander and his cast of creatures was breathtaking. They were all created differently and beautifully in their own right. His deep connection and understanding of the creatures was so well done by Redmayne who seemed to be a little Autistic with his lack of eye contact most of the time while talking, which if it was done on purpose, I love it. It gives the character even more depth and beauty. The other wizards were amazing, I think my favorite was Queenie Goldstein she was so endearing and such a wonderfully played character. She had a lot of heart and that endeared her to the audience even more.

It was cool to see the differences between the American and British Ministries of Magic and the difference in terminologies between the two countries. All in all this movie gets 5 enthusiastic stars from me. The continuity was incredible and I highly recommend it.

Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing movie. Sarah and I went to see it this afternoon and it was really true to life. I became wrapped in the storyline right from the beginning and the fact that this is a true story had me amazed at the happenings. They were very careful about making everything look authentic right down to the buttons on the uniforms. This is the story of a true hero, and I don't want to spoil it for you. Let me say that Desmond Doss is probably one of the most unsung brave heroes I've ever read about the things he did during the war are incredible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss

This man with strong faith was braver than anyone can imagine. You must see this movie it was excellent!

Nerve

This movie is incredible, I can totally see an underground game going on like this. It truly could be considered a cautionary tale in my book. The game of Nerve as described in the movie is truth or dare without the truth. People run around doing dares for cash driven by people hiding behind a keyboard. In real life people are very brave behind a keyboard but if you call them out they back down. It is very similar in this movie. With plot twists a plenty it will definitely test your nerve and put you on the edge of your seats for this action packed ride. This is for a more mature audience and definitely needs the parental, just because they do it in the movies doesn't mean that you should try it in real life. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I have to admit I was skeptical going into the movie because the book was very slow moving for my tastes and I did not finish it. So when my daughter said she'd treat me to see it, I said yes just to see how the movie was compared to the book. I was very pleased with this movie, it was definitely faster than the writing in the book which dragged you along very slowly. The characters from the book really came to life and I especially loved Miss Peregrine she was so well played by Eva Green. She really brought that character to life in so many awesome ways I can't begin to count them. The makeup and the set designs were incredible and the power creation effects were very well done. All in all I would definitely add this amazing movie to my collection when it is available. I thumbs up for give this movie an enthusiastic thumbs up for all ages.

Free State of Jones

Free State of Jones

This movie is Oscar worthy, this is some of McConaughey's finest work. His portrayal of a man who is just trying to do the right thing during a tumultuous time in history is incredible. I love the camaraderie with all characters black and white. During a war like the Civil War there's the people that fight against crooked soldiers, and for the rights of everyone whatever color their skin. This is what this movie is about. 

I loved this movie, I will be adding this to my collection and giving it as a gift as well. This is an incredible and based on true stories from the Civil War, which I have a huge interest in. However this did not sway my opinion of this film at all. This film is standalone awesome all on its own merits. The writing, the characters, the storyline...every piece of this movie was well done. I don't know what the budget was for this film, but it was money well spent on a phenomenal and talented cast. 

Beyond the cast choices the writing of this story was amazing, I would read this screenplay over and over again. Kudos to the writers, it was understandable and riveting. The characters were well developed and well written with well imagined backstories. 

I can't say enough how good this movie was I would highly recommend it to anyone. I haven't seen a Civil War Film this good since 12 Years a Slave, which was another movie I truly loved. 

McConaghey's character is akin to the one that Mel Gibson played in The Patriot and he played it just as well. However his character's love was not just for family, but for his community and the world around him. He protected them in a time when there were crooked soldiers and generals stealing from them.

All in all this was an outstanding film! Highly recommended.

Blair Witch

If you saw the 1999 version of The Blair Witch Project I wouldn't bother seeing this movie, it is along the same lines but now it's the brother looking for his lost sister in this movie with his friends. I came home tonight and said to my husband, "Well it was just like the first one just with more screaming and better equipment." Everything in this movie was overplayed in the previews. It had you expecting a decent plot and better written characters. Unfortunately that was not the case. With the larger budget and play up I thought this would be a better movie. Of course there were a lot of jump scares which always keep the audience going and the use of a drone instead of handheld cameras showed ho much of a reboot this really was. Honestly again, if you've seen the first one in 1999 it's the same story, different characters. All I can say is reboot, repeat, wait till it hits tv or video. Not worth seeing in the theater. I am a huge horror fan and the more b rated the better but this was a strikeout for me.