Bookish Wednesday: The ABCs of University by Luke Patitsas

 

Hey all I’m back with a book I was requested to review by the author for this week’s Bookish Wednesday. It’s The ABCs of University by Luke Patitsas!

Plot: First things first, this is a picture book that is only 35 pages long, and it took me about 5 minutes to read it from end to end. I probably could have done it faster, but I had just woken up and I wanted to see what this email was all about. Secondly this doesn’t really have much of a plot, except poking fun at all the typical college drama and struggles. Frankly this is amusing but I wouldn’t buy it myself. That is partly due to me having gone through college and hating it, and partly because I’m a spendthrift and I can’t countenance spending $7 on a book that won’t hold my attention for more than ten minutes, not to mention it taking me less time than that to read. That isn’t to say that this is a poorly done book, the artwork is decent, and fits the style of a children’s picture book, but it’s not a sprawling epic you can really sink your teeth into either.

Artwork: Miss Loong did a pretty good job fitting the theme of the book, but most pages are fairly empty with just a single character and some words on it. For a picture book that is fairly lackluster, and leaves a lot to be desired. What is there though is well done, so credit must be due for that.

Overall: A fun book, but not worth the price it’s being sold at. At least to me, for others they may disagree, but I cannot advise anyone to buy it at it’s current price point.

For those who like: Picture Books, College Life.

Not for those who don’t like: Either of the above.

Movie Monday: Talladega Nights

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a comedic movie. It’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby!

Plot: The movie is ridiculous, the entire thing is a parody of NASCAR and it’s pretty funny. Now being a person who sees little value in NASCAR personally, I can’t speak to the “accuracy” portrayed in the film, but overall this is just an oddball movie made mostly for laughs.

Casting: Though you could probably already tell that if the fact that Will Ferrell is the lead actor along with John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame as our main three characters weren’t a big enough clue. They do a good job of it too. The entire cast is pretty funny actually.

Cinematography: The cinematography isn’t amazing by any stretch of the word, but it wasn’t terrible either. Than again when you race on a ovoid track repeatedly it doesn’t seem very conducive to excellent special effects.

Music: I honestly don’t remember much of it, but that it fit the movie pretty well.

Overall: A funny movie, and while not a must watch, it is a good movie to watch for laughs.

For those who like: Will Ferrell, NASCAR, Racing.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Movie Monday: Austin Powers

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a movie that some of my family loves to the point that they got a cardboard cutout of the titular character from a Movie Theater. It’s Austin Powers; International Man of Mystery!

Plot Synopsis: In 1967, British spy Austin Powers thwarts an assassination attempt by his nemesis Dr. Evil in a London nightclub called Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Lemon Pipers Dr. Evil escapes in a space rocket disguised as a Big Boy statue, and cryogenically freezes himself. Powers volunteers to be placed into cryostasis in case Dr. Evil returns in the future. Thirty years later, in 1997, Dr. Evil returns to discover his henchman Number 2 has developed Virtucon, the legitimate front of Evil’s empire, into a multibillion-dollar enterprise…

Plot: The entire movie is absolutely ridiculous, and that’s the point. This being a spoof of the James Bond movies this pokes fun at all sorts of spy thrillers by making the situations and characters absolutely ridiculous. That being said the movie probably shouldn’t be watched by kids.

Cast: The entire cast is awesome, with Mike Myers playing both Dr. Evil and Austin Powers. The rest of the cast is just as ridiculous as well.

Cinematography: The special effects are just as ridiculous as the plot.

Overall: A fun movie to watch, if only to have a few good laughs at the sheer ridiculous nature of the movie.

For those who like: Comedy, Mike Myers, Parodies.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Manga Monday: Hero Company by Shimamoto Kazuhiko

This week for Manga Monday I’ve got another Quick Review! It’s Hero Company by Shimamoto Kazuhiko!

Plot Synopsis: “A hero” is a job that in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice. Would you like to work as such a hero in our company? You may transform, manipulate a huge robot or fight as a squad. Shall we realize your dream in our “Hero Company”?!

Plot: This first chapter that I reviewed is the introduction to the concept of the Hero Company itself and it’s quite funny. It makes a job that we dreamt about as a kid and totally ruins that image for us. It makes the heroes look like normal businessmen, and businesswomen, who are in it purely for the money just like most people who work for a living rather than doing what they love as a job.

Characters: We don’t get introduced to any specific characters in this first chapter, so I’m going to pass over this section this time around.

Art: The art is awesome and has a truly classic Manga feeling, in fact it reminds me the most of Cyborg 00-9 in terms of Art. So I’m definitely going to keep reading this series if it keeps up the amazing artwork.

Overall: This looks to be a truly amazing series that pokes fun at childhood dreams.

For those who like: Comedy, Crushed Dreams, Action, Mecha, Excellent Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Manga Monday: Fate/mahjong night by TYPE-MOON

This week for Manga Monday I’m covering an oddball adaptation! It’s Fate/mahjong night by TYPE-MOON!

Plot: It’s essentially Fate/Stay Night meets mahjong, with the Holy Grail War being fought by playing mahjong. Yea it’s pretty freaking ridiculous, but this is TYPE-MOON we are talking about, they can do some pretty oddball stuff.

Characters: We have all the various characters from Fate/Stay Night show up in this adaptation, since it’s pretty much Fate/Stay Night, just a little different. Rin is still my favorite character, though Sakura is pretty awesome as well. However since this is a 4-Koma adaptation expect some gags.

Art: The art is awesome, in fact it’s great. I wouldn’t expect this to be originally published on the web, but it’s not bad at all.

Overall: This is a pretty funny take on the hugely popular Fate/Stay Night storylines, so if you’re a TYPE-MOON fan at all, you’ll probably want to check the series out.

For those who like: Fate/Stay Night, Overly Dramatic Scenes, Awesome Mahjong, Mahjong, Great Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.