Author: Fuzzysteve

Review: Limitless

Fuzzysteve

The trailer lies. Not a lot, but it lies 😉

I enjoyed the film immensely. While the core premise of the film is shaky – you only use 20% of your brain – the rest of it hangs together well.

It explores a few topics, like how intelligence is tied to who you are. How someone’s goals are shaped by their limits. Addictive personalities. All that good stuff.

And it does it with Eddie Morra narrating. Sometimes that can be a sign of a lazy script. Tell, not show. But sometimes it works. When it’s the right kind of story. This is that kind of story. Very focused on the one character. So it works when he talks to you. Especially as it starts in medias res, then flashes back.

Review: Sucker Punch

Fuzzysteve

Odd film. Wonderful from a visual stand point, with some great set pieces, but don’t expect it to make a great deal of sense, from a literal standpoint.

There are some spoilers here, so be warned. I’ll try and keep them light though. For people that hate them, spoiler tags!

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Review: The Adjustment Bureau

Fuzzysteve1 Comment

Go see this film. Really. It’s good.

Oh, you want more than that, do you? Demanding.

I’ll try to stay away from any spoilers beyond the trailer.

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl. Boy is told he can’t be with her. Boy says screw that.

While there are religious tones in the film, they’ve been very careful not to put them in any conventional terms. And you won’t see Aslan anywhere. Is that a spoiler? Saying that a lion won’t be in the film? Oh well, there’s no Liam Neeson credit, so I think I’m good.

It’s a romance. But it’s a romance that has /strong/ fantasy elements.

It has some strong acting in it. Terence Stamp does his customary good turn, in his role. Sympathetic bad guys can be hard to pull off. But the film manages it. To the point your will feel sorry for at least the first main two.

Again, go see it.

Review: Dead Money (Fallout NV)

Fuzzysteve

While I haven’t review the main Fallout: New Vegas, I am reviewing the DLC. (Short review of the main game: It’s great, except for the bugs (mostly fixed now). It has that feeling of Fallout, that Fallout 3 just kind of missed.)

Having just completed the DLC, in about 8 hours of play time, I’m pretty happy with it. It won’t have the same level of stuff as the main game, but it’s pretty good. There’s a couple more paths I didn’t take, and going in with different skills would open up different options.

First off: It’s pretty much self contained. You can’t leave until you finish it, and you can’t return once you’re done. You’ll get a minor benefit from the end of it, but all in all, it doesn’t change the main game. Then again, only Broken Steel did on 3.

No obvious bugs in it. Which is always nice. And it ties up a few loose ends from the main game. Which is also nice. At the end, it does the classic Fallout ‘This is what happens to people’. And as a new feature, it gives hints about what will happen, in the next DLC. 😀

All in all, it’s pretty fun. Strips all your stuff, which is a bit cliched, but I guess it would be harder to power balance if you didn’t. Going in with a rocket launcher and plenty of rockets would make it /so/ much easier. And a lot less atmospheric. Dead Money is, at its heart, a ghost story.  And guns blazing would be a little more ghostbusters, than Poe.

As I’m staying away from spoilers (pretty much), there’s not a great deal I can tell you.

Review: Changeling

Fuzzysteve

Another review, given in return for a free copy of the book.

Review: Changeling by Nancy Jane Moore

Urban fantasy.

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was well written, and decently edited, it just didn’t have the structure I was expecting.

It’s pretty normal for a book to have some kind of plot, woven through all of it. This doesn’t, as such. It does have a mystery, but there’s no sense of urgency. It’s just there. It’s not a narrative structure I’m a fan off.

While I liked the book enough to finish it, I probably won’t be reading it again. I like more mystery in my mysteries. And I like more conflict in the stories I read. Not saying I want combat, just at least two parties, out to seriously inconvenience each other.

Review: The Emperor’s Finest

Fuzzysteve

The Emperor’s Finest – Sandy Mitchell

The short review is: If you liked the earlier books in the Ciaphas Cain series, go read this book now. Stop reading this review. Why are you still here? Oh, I guess if you didn’t, steer clear. And if you’ve not read them, give the first trilogy a go.

If you’re the kind of person that likes a longer review, I guess I can help you there. I’ll try to steer clear of the spoilers.

I found this novel as much of a page turner as any of the others. Not quite as strong, but still seriously worth the read. I suspect the reason for the relative weakness is that as it’s autobiographical, the peril can be a little hard to sustain. A big part of these books has been the ‘How is he going to get out of it this time?’ factor. While there are still elements of it here, it felt less like outrageous fortune.

Stil, it’s good. And being set in an earlier point in his career, it doesn’t have the larger cast of well known characters who can weaken the focus on Cain. There are plenty of other characters, who are fleshed out appropriately, giving him people to bounce off. People who you don’t have any expectations for.

Mitchell’s striding into classic territory here. Space Marines, and Space hulks. (Hey, it’s on the back of the book. Can’t call that a spoiler). A worthy addition to the series. Can’t wait for the next one.

Review: Coyote Ugly

Fuzzysteve

This is a review, given in exchange for a free copy of the ebook, through library thing.

Coyote Ugly – Pati Nagle

I had little idea what I was getting into with this book. Where as it’s normal for collections of short stories to have a theme running through them, or at least a genre, this collection didn’t, theme nor genre. A fair number of the stories were set in New Mexico, but there was no glue to hold the collection together.

On the other hand, the lack of cohesion meant it was a simple collection to dip in and out of. I didn’t particularly like a few of the short stories, but others were more to my taste. And the inclusion of some flavour pieces added a nice touch. Like a couple of recipes.

As a couple of pounds for the ebook, I’d recommend it. It’s not the kind of collection that will engross you. No ‘just one more story’. But it’s still worth a read

Review: Falling Star

Fuzzysteve

This review is given, as a thank you for a free copy. I got it through the member giveaway program on Library Thing

Falling Star – Philip Chen.

Starting in 1967, this novel runs up to 1993. I suspect it may be the first in a series, but it’s pretty much self contained.

At times, the author gets, I feel, a little hung up on specific details, but that’s a very minor complaint. It’s just sometimes, less is more. Assault rifle, rather than using Colt AR-15 repeatedly.

But getting back to the story, this is a thriller, with a sci-fi overlay. In a sequel, the sci-fi might become more overt, but for now, it’s really a McGuffin. The thing that drives the story, but doesn’t actually take part.

Fun story. The characters are defined, but with room for future growth, and with growth that shows up in story. As it’s over twenty-six years, it has plenty of room for it.

Available as an ebook, from Amazon, and Smashwords. probably some others too. While it has some flaws, they’re minor. I’d say, buy it and read it, if you like thrillers.

Review: Mistress of Molecules

Fuzzysteve

I got a copy of this novel through the Library Thing Early Reviewer’s group, which means I have to review it. That’s not to say I’m doing it grudgingly, though. Just wanted to make sure it was known. Should be pretty spoiler free, too.

Mistress of Molecules by Gerald M. Weinberg.

I wasn’t entirely sure how to take this book, from the capsule text on the back. The ‘extraordinary powers of chemical synthesis’ concerned me somewhat. While I have no problem with alchemy, it didn’t seem like it was meaning that. And it wasn’t; all it’s talking about, is that she’s a very good chemist. This book is firmly set in the sci of scifi.

The world is nicely defined, without being full of exposition. It’s all worked into the text. This does mean that you hear about things that aren’t defined until later, but all you have to do is hold them in mind.

While it is a 70 chapter novel, most of the chapters are pretty short, flip flopping between the first person perspective protagonists, and the third person chapters, covering antagonists.

It’s not science fiction of the epic space opera style. There aren’t any big space battles. There’s a very personal narrative, and the narrative of a lone revolutionary. Eventually they merge. They don’t, however, get much bigger than that, even when they come together. But that’s just fine.

All in all, it’s a pretty good read. I’ll be watching out for the sequel.

Day in life 2-12-2010

Fuzzysteve2 Comments

Just got round to something I should have done over a month ago. Installed some secondary glazing film on my bathroom window.

To give you a little background, most of my windows are double glazed, so they don’t suffer too badly from condensation. However, my back windows are single glazed, and the first winter I was in this flat, the back windows streamed water. So, I bought what is sold as secondary glazing film. It worked well on the bedroom window, but I didn’t have enough for the bathroom. Kept meaning to buy some more, but never got round to it. This year, I did.

It’s pretty simple stuff, really. First, get the window as dry as you can. Then, stick the double sided tape round the frame. The bathroom window was a little more difficult, as it doesn’t have a lower edge, just butting directly onto the sill. Just needed to wrap the tape around though, so it had no gaps. Then, stick the film on, cutting to a bit bigger than needed first. Not the easiest of things to do, only being a little less flexible and self-sticky than clingfilm. The good news is, you don’t need to care too much about the finish, because the last step (bar trimming the edge past the tape) is using a hairdryer on it. It’s the only reason I have one. When you heat it, it shrinks, tightening up against the tape and removing most of the imperfections.

It’s not as good, over all, as double glazing, but it’s good with dealing with condensation, with only a little interruption to whatever view you have. Course, on frosted glass, that’s not a probem ;). Still have to do the upper portion, but this should help. And the pack of silica gel I tossed in before sealing it up should help more.