Inside Out

Inside Out (2015)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I didn't really know anything about this movie going into it other than that the characters had oddly colored skin tones based on the images I saw at the stores and restaurants. With no clue what the movie itself was to be about, it was a pleasant surprise to find it about family and emotions. More than a little amused by the opening scene with the baby and how similar that was to our own recent scene bringing Justin home, down to the same pink and blue striped hospital hat. The "emotion" characters are amusing and strange all at the same time, as is the world of "memories" that Disney built for this film. Probably the most humor comes near the end when we start to see some of the other emotion teams for the parents, town employees, and even a couple of random animals. Joy might have been the first and most enthusiastic of the emotions, but she has to learn the hard way that it takes the entire team and not just her strong determination to keep things "happy" to really make a life for their little girl.

An American Tail

An American Tail (1986)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I remember thinking this was a cute series when I was a child, so I was mildly surprised when my husband said we should find a copy for our daughter to watch and realized I'd never thought of it on my list of kid's shows myself. Of course the movie is best known for the popular song Somewhere Out There, which I've used as audition material several times myself. Having only heard the more professional/radio release version for awhile now, it was surprising to realize that with "kids" singing it in the movie, it's a little more shaky and off-pitch overall. Still, a cute story with cute characters that is very age appropriate for young families. That has to be worth something with all the questionable material out in the media these days.

Jurassic Park 4: Jurassic World

Jurassic Park 4: Jurassic World (2015)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


For a reboot of an old story line, this was well done. There are little kick backs to the original movies scattered throughout the film, like the little DNA cartoon. Given it's a theme park about dinosaurs, it's impressive how much more "modern" they've managed to make it as well as the advancement in breeding (as frightening as those end up being) to keep it successful. The idea that a human could also be the "alpha" of a raptor pack was also intriguing. Overall it's a similar story to what's already been done, but really, how many ways can you realistically have dinosaurs get loose somewhere and terrorize the population. Short of the T-Rex in L.A., this is probably the most mayhem on a human population scale in any of the films so far. Not bad for what limited options they really had to work with.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 24: Dead Ice

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 24: Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are parts of this series that make me both love and hate it. Still not overly impressed with the emphasis on poly relationships. That isn't what the series started out about, and it rather annoys me that it's turned into slamming that into our faces over and over and over again.

On the plus side, more zombie work and seeing Anita work with the FBI and SWAT again. Okay, so she's facing yet another internal review at the end of the book, but that should turn out in her favor since she was green lighted for the shot by the operator of the rescue mission.

Max being Manny's unknown son with Dominga feels forced however. It might have been more believable if Manny hadn't talked about how he was glad he'd never allowed that to happen with her before he married his wife and how she had two nephews. After that it just seems a little too convenient. The link to Dominga is obvious in the power structure and how it's used however, so son or nephew, that much is believable. It's also a little hard to believe Manny would willing go brake the gris-gris against the law knowing that Max was his son, especially after he caved to requests not hunt vampires any more with Anita. Seems a conflict from his "newer" mild mannered personality. Maybe more in line with who he was as a wild child practicing with Dominga in the first place, though I couldn't say for sure since we didn't know his character back then.

Asher... where to even go with him. I loved him originally when he was introduced in the series. Now he just seems to be a hot button for so many issues that it's a wonder they haven't either shipped him off somewhere else permanently or killed him outright. Anita came probably the closest she ever has to that eventuality when she held her gun on Kane, but that's it. A little surprising that it was Nicky who talked her down from the trigger point, but I guess being a sociopath, he'd understand where she was in her head at that point the best of her group.

So I really can't say if I did or didn't like this book at the end of the day. There were pros and cons. A lot of it is still very muddled. I like the return to the actual work scenes since that was what the series was about in the first place. All the relationship stuff just seems to be so much drama added on top.

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The Maeve'ra 2: Bloodkin

The Maeve’ra 2: Bloodkin by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to admit, I'm having a much harder time getting into this series than the original shifter series Amelia wrote. The old and familiar characters like Jaguar and Jeshika are barely mentioned in passing as they pretty much stay in Midnight and don't interact with the outside world other than lording their market and power over everyone. Keeda seems to be the main focus in this book instead of Vance, though he still has plenty of time in the spotlight too. The two of them appear to be on the fringes of everything happening, yet still tied up in the center at the same time. It seems as if Keeda is starting to put pieces of the various prophecies together, though it's yet to be determined how that will all play out to the downfall of Midnight. There also seems to be a lot less hostility between the avians and the serpiente, even though this is clearly after the initial betrayal that would have resulted in their war taking place. Rather, the focus seems to be on the serpents and Obsidian. While Obsidian appears to be a bit of a mash up of various species looking for their own peace on the outside of their various cultures, it would also seem from the clans description that this would be where the white vipers like Adelina and Ailbhe come from. Hopefully the next book will clear things up as it appears this is meant to be another trilogy.

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