Review - Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War

DISCLAIMER: Before I start, you clicked on the post, obviously there are going to be SPOILERS. IT’S FULL OF SPOILERS, VEEEERY MANY SPOILERS. BE WARNED…

 

Directed by: Anthony Russo; Joe Russo

Based on: Captain America by Joe Simon; Jack Kirby

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, Thriller

UK Rating: 12+

Release Date: 29 April 2016

Runtime: 147 minutes

My rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis: Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side.

Marvel continues doing a great job!

Went to see Captain America with pretty high expectations and it most definitely does not disappoint! The balance between exposition and action was just right and the story between the characters simply worked. New characters were introduced and they were done just the right way. I do agree with some people that they could have done the trailer without adding Spiderman, I would rather preferred if he suddenly showed but when he was introduced, he was good! I definitely loved the way they introduced Black Panther as well and actually made me hyped for their own movies when they come out. They have also finally managed to find a good Spiderman! (Hopefully, his own movie will be just as good!) I would have liked to have seen more of some of the other characters, but I guess this was a Captain America movie after all. In terms of the main plot and the ‘bad guys’ it was very well presented. (I’m not going to use the word villains because I am #TeamIronMan, plus there weren’t any villains really) They began by making the world hate them, moved on to splitting the team against each other by making them sign this contract, they are fine at first but then someone does an illegal thing which leads to more illegal things and then the two sides start fighting, turns out it was the main ‘bad guy’ who had started everything just to watch everyone fight each other, but in reality he really wasn’t a bad person, he just wanted revenge. Now that that’s out of the way, it was interesting to see the way they made the fights because at first you have a big fight scene with everyone, but it is all building up to the final fight scene with the two main characters: Captain America and Iron Man, and it most definitely does not lose its hype throughout the movie.

As you can probably tell, I really liked the movie, however, if I do have to say something negative about it, then I would probably say I didn’t like the whole relationship between Captain America and Sharon Carter. I found that unnecessary and to be honest quite forced. Especially given that Agent Carter had died a couple of scenes before. But other than that, it was really good! (And yay for Ant-man!)

If you haven’t already seen the movie, grab a ticket and go see it. It’s definitely worth it!

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Review - Agora

Agora

Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar

Written by: Alejandro Amenabar; Mateo Gil

Distributed by: Focus Features; Newmarket Films; Telecinco Cinema

Genre: Historical Drama

UK Rating: 12+

Release Date: October 9, 2009 (at Cannes Film Festival)

Runtime: 126 minutes

My rating: *****

Plot Summary (Source: IMDB): Alexandria, 391 AD: Hypatia teaches astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. Her student Orestes is in love with her, as is Davus, her personal slave. As the city's Christians, led by Ammonius and Cyril, gain political power, the institutions of learning may crumble along with the governance of slavery. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city's prefect, has an uneasy peace with Christians, led by Cyril. A group from the newly empowered Christians has now taken to enforce their cultural hegemony zealously; first they see the Jews as their obstacle, then nonbelievers. Hypatia has no interest in faith; she's concerned about the movement of celestial bodies and "the brotherhood of all". Although her former slave doesn't see it that way.

One of my favourite movies!

Minor spoiler at the end, be warned...

(I have been meaning to review this movie for a while now, so apologies for the delay!) I was recommended to watch this movie and it has easily become one of my favourite movies! The whole movie is set in Roman Alexandria, Egypt, and it dates to 4th century AD (waaaaay too late for my preferred ancient times). It tells the story of Hypatia, a philosopher, mathematician and astronomer who lives in an Alexandria under the turmoil of different religions clashing: Roman paganism, Christians and Jews. The movie explores the revolts between religions, the life of slaves, and the life of Hypatia.

The thing I love the most about the movie, not accounting for a couple of errors, is the way the story is told. It keeps the viewer constantly interested in the story. The balance between action and exposition is perfect (unlike with Pompeii, which I will write a review of at some point), the relationships between characters are just right and the scenes flow well into each other. I also really like the duality of the peace that exists inside the 'academies' (or schools) between religions and as soon as we leave that area it becomes a war zone. I highly recommend this movie to anyone! It is set in the late Roman Empire but so much happens in it that it becomes a background issue.

Anyway, until next time!

P.S. [SPOILERS] The only thing that I hated was watching the great library of Alexandria burn... Whyyyyy did you show that in such detail?... 

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Review – How to manage your slaves

How to Manage Your Slaves

Title: How to Manage Your Slaves

Authors: Marcus Sidonius Falx with Jerry Toner (Foreword by Mary Beard)

Publishing Date: 2015

Edition: Paperback edition

Publisher: Profile Books

Number of pages: 216

ISBN: 978-1-78125-252-9

My rating: *****

Synopsis: At last, a clear manual for managing slaves the Roman way. In How to Manage Your Slaves, Roman noble and slave owner Marcus Sifonius Falx (with the help of Cambridge University classicist Jerry Toner) offers practical answers to every question you could have: where and how to buy slaves; how to tell the good ones from the bad; when to let your slaves have sex with each other and whether to engage in sex with them yourself; and when, perhaps, to set them free. Armed with this guide you will be master in your own home: your household will be a comfort to your family, its running the envy of your neighbours.

Slavery was a core institution in the Roman world for all its long existence. This Roman’s-eye view lets us understand just why slaves meant so much to the Romans.

Loved it

I was looking around Waterstones and this book caught my eye. I must admit I’m not a big fan of historical fiction (I know, I know, an ancient history student who doesn’t like historical fiction…) but I couldn’t resist in reading this one! I love the way it’s so funny! It does a very good job in putting the reader in the shoes of an upper class citizen of Rome and gives you an insight into what life would be like when it comes to owning slaves. It has a bit of a commentary in the end of every chapter which is quite cleverly done: it is not annoying like footnotes and you only really need to read it if you want to know the context of parts of the chapter, further reading and for any additional information that didn’t really fit the chapter such as the servile wars, and the continuous references, the character makes, to the ‘troublesome slave called Spartacus’ (also a good movie to watch… the 1960 version I mean).

I’ll try not to spoil it too much but I love things like the way you are introduced to the reasoning behind the book – for a roman-born citizen it would’ve been strange for a society to not have slaves. So when he met someone from such a society, he realises that he must educate him in how to get slaves, how to train them and the precautions to take when handling them.

Overall, I really found it entertaining and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, even if you aren’t a big ancient history fan, it is still a good read just to get an idea of what slavery was like back then! 

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A Different World

Hello! 

I know I haven't posted in ageeees, I'm really sorry about that.

However, in the little free time I've had, I have been working on a story which I hope to work on sometime over the summer so I can start posting it! 

This is a little part from it, I hope you enjoy :)

A Different World - Excerpt

'I started to collect some reasonably well-looking berries from a nearby bush when I heard something in some bushes, further into the forest, which startled me. Perhaps it was some sort of game that I could cook! And with those thoughts, I crouched with the blade I had previously found amongst the wreckage, and prepared to hunt. However, to my surprise, what I found was not a beast I had ever seen before. On the ground was a tiny creature not much bigger than my hand. It had a terrified look on its face as it crawled backwards, away from me. It appeared as if it was a tiny person however it had wings! Never in my life had I been told of such creatures existing. Yes there were gods and echidnas, multi-headed beasts and human-looking ones, but never this small nor this handsome. The closest I’d heard of such things were the nymphs, but this was no Nereid.

Upon a closer look, I noticed one her minuscular lime green wings appeared to be torn. Ripping part of my not-so-whole shirt, I made a long gauze. I crouched in front of her, avoiding making sudden movements. Surely, catching her would be much like hunting centaurs.

She curiously stared at me, studying my movements carefully. She said something, however it was in barbarian[1] and I could not understand her blabbers.

I showed her the piece of cloth and demonstrated on my arm my intentions. There was still a hint of mistrust in her hazel eyes but she stopped running away and allowed me to approach her. As I did so, carefully, I reached for her wing and gently applied the cloth, fixing the damage. She hoped off my hand quickly and distanced herself from me. The tiny woman then tested the newly fixed wing. My fixes seemed to have been enough as she was soon flying all around the flowers. However, I was not expecting the green colour which began to shine, surrounding her. Returning to me, she bowed in gratification but she was not done. She started tugging at my hand with her minuscular long fingers, trying to make me follow her. I was quite unsure of whether I should follow her. I had herd of stories of men who had followed similar creatures and ended in a trap. At least that’s what Homer claims happened to Odysseus, in the Odyssey. My insides said otherwise. Hunger was beginning to take over and, honestly, the chances of getting food seemed slim to none, so I followed her.'

---

[1] Note: Ancient Greeks tend to classify any language/culture foreign to them as barbarian (βάρβαρος)

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Review - Into the Woods

Into the Woods
Directed by: Rob Marshal

Written by: James Lapine

Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures

Genre: Fantasy, Musical, Family

Rating: PG

UK Release date: 9^th January 2015

Runtime: 125 mins

My rating: *****

Synopsis: "Into the Woods" is a modern twist on several of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them. 

WOW!

       I must admit I do quite like musicals and this movie actually surprised me. It must have been from the trailer that I originally didn’t pick up that this was actually a musical until some of my friends told me it. I was quite hesitant but the movie managed to get me hooked from the first minute. I absolutely loved it and it is definitely on my top 20 movies! (Although I still think Maleficent is better! :p )

       I loved the fact that they managed to combine 5 different fairy-tales and make a musical out of it! The actors were well chosen and suited well their roles, even if they put a bit too much emphasis on Johnny Depp when he only shows up for about 10 minutes altogether. I also found that they had an unnecessary scene, a song with the two princes that seemed to have been too much since they are more of secondary characters, so again they seem to have put unnecessary emphasis on the wrong characters. But nonetheless, this is still an amazing movie.

      I was quite surprised at the length of the movie and yet it did not weigh on the viewer. It was very easy to watch. The scenes were really beautiful and really made it feel fairy-tale like.

I’m hoping to see the stage play! And I most definitely recommend watching it! :D

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Review - Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Title (Original): Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Creator: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko

Studio: Nickelodeon

Year of Launch: 2012 - Present

Seasons: 4

Episodes: 52

Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy-Drama

Plot: The story's main character is the waterbender Korra, the new Avatar. She travels to Republic City to learn the last element she needs to master to become a full Avatar. There she meets Mako, Asami and Bolin with which she befriends and travels with and embarks on adventures to save the world and fulfil the Avatar's purpose: to provide balance to the world.

Rating: *****

A good sequel

I must say this series really surprised me. I was quite sceptic after watching the first two episodes because of how different it was to its previous serie Avatar: The Last Airbender, however, it grew on me. I was amazed at the quality of animation, its HD scenes and spectacular fights but plot-wise... well not much of a link between books. Whereas in The Last Airbender it was continuous throughout the books: Fire nation taking over the world, Aang had to fight them and learn the elements. In Korra we meet this 17 year old who already knows all but one element, air. I guess it's a good introduction but the problem is from then onwards. There is no clear link between books, and only in the last book we find out what was the idea all along. It is quite confusing initially but after you reach the end it makes you want to re-watch it and that's what I did. And I was surprised at all the details that I missed! And you can pick up on the themes of what's going on very easily.

In the first time round I found it is was really good and enjoyable. Yes, we get the late explanation but the series still made me follow it religiously, and yes, every Friday I made sure to watch the new episode, whether good or bad. And even the worst ones such as the episode 'Remembrances' in book 4, which ties in with the explanation of the plot, was made because of nickelodeon's cut on their budget and even then you get a good insight into character development. And what fascinates me is that even though they suffered the cut, they still went ahead with the series and managed to get it to the end. Now the debate stands as to whether or not the series will continue, to which my opinion is YES PLEASE!!!, but unlike other series they carried on till the end and delivered a spectacular ending. I won't spoil it that much but wow, that ending! It had the great big fight but what was great about it was that the character grew as a person. If this fight had been made in the beginning, Korra would have probably just beaten the lights out of the bad guy and put him to prison or even let him die. However here she saves the baddie and shows empathy, even though her family was tortured, even though her friends nearly died. And I guess in the end it was satisfying to see that growth in character and ability to do something not many of us possibly would be able to do, at least I speak for myself. And that in the end was the plot of the whole story: Korra as the Avatar, as an Avatar in a balanced world that can take care of itself.

I liked the ideas in each book. They touch upon adult themes in a kids show such as dictatorships and egalitarianism. I also like the way they make the viewers ponder upon who is right. Sometimes it felt as if the bad guys were right except they took it too far like the right for everyone to be equal between benders and non-benders, except it was taken the wrong way by ceasing bending to exist. And again in the other seasons the same happens.

There is also the friends she makes throughout the episodes: Mako, Asami and Bolin, as well as the older masters and their respective families which accompany her journey throughout the series.  And in the end of it, it felt as if all the characters had a proper ending, and everything tied together nicely. The conflicts were resolved and you could say everyone had their happy ending.  

Just before I finish there are a few curiosities that I loved, hated and made me sad about such as the fact that when Korra became the next Avatar after Aang, yeah that meant Aang had just died which sadden me from the beginning because Aang is just Aang. I also disliked very much the idea in the beginning that the setting was during the industrial revolution. I very much liked Aang's story precisely because of its setting but in the end I coped with it and ended up liking the ideas that originated from it. I also hated the fact that they pretty much erased all the connections to the previous avatars, I guess to make it so that we wouldn't see Aang all the time, and to that extent it worked quite well and as such what I loved about it was meeting the old guys: Katara, Toph, Zuko, Uncle Iron and even Zhao's cameo. Such a great little bonus to the story. (I absolutely love it when sequels add in old characters!)

In the end I guess they left a few of plot wholes, possibly intending on a continuation via comic books? This is since most people believe that there won't be another Avatar, but then they said it about the previous one and hey! Legend of Korra. But yeah, aside its ups and downs I did enjoy the series as a whole and will still carry on being a fan of the Avatar!

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New Years' Tale: The Change of Year

Hiya guys!! (again haha!) Right, some more distracting myself from exams... This one is my tale from the season (wooo), it's part of the story Eddie, and yes, it is cannon ;)

Enjoy!! :D

New Years' Tale: The Change of Year

                Karl woke up in the middle of the night. It was 4 in the morning. Another night he had had the same nightmare. It must be the 31^st of December. He had woken up in the middle of tremors and sweating, although the temperature remained that of the dead. Karl feared that day, he hated having photographic memory, he loathed who had done it to him.

            He tried to sleep but as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw those clear blue eyes and a sense of guilt invaded him. He should’ve been the one to die, not Kate ... by an act of jealousy, she shot out of the room. Shot out of his life ... it was too late now, thousands of years too late. His immortal soul, forever, would miss her...

            Karl had had enough. He stood up, walked into the living room and laid down watching over Cardiff Bay through a glass wall that he had in his apartment. The night lights of the bay still fascinated this man with over thousands of years. How the world had grown and evolved. Since the race of the un-dead had come, he was chosen as the guardian, agent, and protector. And, over time, he saw this city starting, evolve, grow...

            Unable to sleep, he went out of the house and went for a walk around town. Within an hour, the town would wake up to another day of work for some, a resting day to others and a day to be with the family for several. He walked down the main artery of the city, in every corner expecting to see his wife. He remembered the promises of building a village with him. So often he only wished to have a family, why have immortality if there is no one to share it with? He just wanted to have lived enough to have a child with her and then he would die peacefully. But no, they had to have kidnapped the woman and put a curse upon her. If it wasn’t for Apollo, where would he be now? He gave him immortality, power and made him the guardian. And together, with Apollo’s daughter, they were maintaining the balance of un-dead and human races.

            Sometime later, he entered a pub for lunch. Whilst having lunch, a girl approached him and asked if he was okay. In this modern world, there still existed those who cared about complete strangers with no interests. Amazing! Telling her that he was feeling fine, he finished his lunch and went home where he tried to relax a little more.

            “You sure we’re not bothering him” Eddie asked his beloved Haley.

            “Don’t worry, Karl needs this, I know him well,” Haley answered him, a girl who looked about twenty years old but, in fact, was very close to twenty thousand years of age.

            Karl woke up suddenly with the knock at the door. He knew who it was, that knock was unmistakable, it was about ten in the evening already. Putting on a t-shirt, he opened the door. It was Haley and Eddie, whom he considered to be his children, which wasn’t true. Haley was the daughter of Apollo and Eddie was a shape shifter that Karl had saved. They had visited him, the only things he had left since Kate departed. He remembered that he had agreed to go see the firework display at the bay with them. He put on a woollen sweat-shirt and left.

            In the bay, everyone was ready for the countdown. There were bands playing pop music and everyone was talking excitedly, clearly eager to enter the New Year.

            “I don’t know whether to believe the answer you gave me in the morning. Are you okay?” It was the same girl from the pub. Karl's heart throbbed, a warm feeling flooded through his ​​body.

            “Yes, I'm feeling better.” He answered. She smiled and then began to walk away.

            “Wait!” She looked back and Karl continued “Do you want to celebrate the New Year with us?”

            She smiled and nodded. 

             Half an hour later, the countdown began, followed by the show.

            “Happy New Year everyone!” said Karl.

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Chrismas Tale 2: Matilde

Hiya guys!!! :D
Managed to get around and do some more translations because what better way to procrastinate from the algebra exam than to do some translations haha!
Right, this one was posted for Christmas 2012 and written by one of our collaborators Patricia Ferreira, I merely translated it (as always!) :)
Enjoy ;)

Christmas Tale 2: Matilde

Every year Matilde sat on the floor and unwrapped gifts her family gave her, surrounded by love, affection and happiness. She loved writing the letter with the toys she wanted and place it in the mailbox to be sent to Santa.

That year was no different. It was Christmas Eve and Matilde was distractedly playing with a doll, eager for the night to arrive, when her mother came into her room and asked her to show her the toys she no longer played with.

Matilde did not understand why, but she started to split her toys into two groups: the ones she liked and the ones did not like. Then, she looked at her mother and stood watching her put the toys she no longer wanted inside a plastic box.

“What are you doing?” Matilde wanted to know.

“Let's put away toys that you no longer you use and give them to other kids that will use.”

Matilde ran behind his mother and prevented her from leaving your room. She shouted:

“I don’t want to give my toys to any children because they are mine!”

Matilde's mother smiled and put the plastic box on the floor. She knelt down and grabbed one of her hands Matilda.

“I know the toys are yours, Matilde, but isn’t it true that you don’t use them anymore?”

Little Matilde shook her head and said:

“I use them. I don’t want you to give them to anyone!”

Her mother sighed and continued:

“What if you come with me? You’ll meet the children who I was going to give the toys to, and then you’ll decide if you want to keep them or not. What do you think?

Matilde agreed. She put on a very warm coat and walked alongside her mother to a large house with a wreath, made of evergreen branches, and red bows on the door.

When they entered, Matilde noticed the amount of boys and girls that decorated several small Christmas trees. For an instance, Matilde felt embarrassed because she didn’t know anyone, but she went and helped the children put the balls, ribbons and angels in the trees.

After having some fun with the decorations, a mug of hot chocolate was given to each person. Matilda sat next to a boy, gained courage, and asked:

“Why are so many children here?”

The child looked at her and smiled. He told her that many of those children had no parents because they were in heaven, or because they did not want children. Matilde didn’t like what she heard and ran to her mother. She whispered in her mother’s ear what the boy had told her and said she had a lot of pity for them.

Matilde's mother explained to her that she shouldn’t have pity because those kids were happy they had a home, and told her they would not have Christmas presents because they didn’t have a lot of money.

Matilde thought about her mother’s words and remembered that there weren’t any wrappings beneath the Christmas trees, and so, made a decision because all the children should receive toys on Christmas day.

She dragged the box of toys, which was near the kitchen, to the big room and shouted: toys for everyone! The children smiled and ran to the big plastic box that Matilde was to giving them.

When she returned home, Matilde was still thinking of the children living without parents but she knew that, at that time, they were happier because they had their own toys.

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English Zone

About

• The Blog

• The Contributors

Stories 2012

• Tales

Stories 2013

• An Arrow That Returned (Nânci Santos)

• Hunger (Bruna Rocha)

• Eddie (Nânci Santos)

Stories 2014

• Chased - Short Story (Nânci Santos)

Stories 2015

• A Different World - Excerpt (Nânci Santos)

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