xoliana
Member Since: July 31, 2016Reviews
Thor (2011)
Thor is a 2011 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by KennethBranagh and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman. The story follows Thor, a God who lives in... +
Thor is a 2011 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by KennethBranagh and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Natalie Portman.
The story follows Thor, a God who lives in the legendary kingdom of Asgard with his brother Loki and their father, the king. When Thor is banished to live on Earth, he must learn to live among humans and, eventually, defend them.
The Thor movies are not my favourite. The first one is better than the second, but I'm still not really a fan. I do really love the way the kingdom of Asgard looks -- it's really beautiful, and the costumes are really nice to look at. Tom Hiddleston is excellent as Loki, though you don't see as much of him here as you do in The Avengers. I just feel that Thor is an arrogant buffoon who is hard to like, and that the film tries too hard to be funny.
If you're looking for a film with more comedy alongside the action, you may like this. I just didn't find it particularly funny or exciting. These are the weak point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for me anyways.
The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 115 minutes.
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Captain America: Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a 2014 action film, which is part of phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by brothers Anthony & Joe Russo and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smolders, and... +
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a 2014 action film, which is part of phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by brothers Anthony & Joe Russo and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smolders, and Robert Redford.
The story follows Steve Rogers/Captain America, who tries to become accustomed to living in modern day America. He teams up with fellow Avenger Black Widow to battle the Winter Soldier, a mysterious assassin who has been causing mayhem around the city.
This is definitely one of the stronger entries in the Marvel series. I wasn't an enormous fan of the first Captain America, but I felt that this one was a great improvement. There was a great deal of character development here, in addition to some wonderfully-choreographed action setpieces. I thought that Cap and Black Widow had great camaraderie, and the new characters introduced to the franchise -- particularly Anthony Mackie as Falcon -- were all very good.
My only real complaint would be the sound design. Sometimes the action scenes were really loud, and I'd have to turn the volume down. Then someone would talk and it would be too quiet, so I'd have to turn it up again. It wasn't very consistent, so it was a bit annoying at times. Still, if that's the only thing I have to complain about, I'd say that's a good thing!
The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 136 minutes.
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Captain America
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Joe Johnston and stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, and Hugo Weaving. The story... +
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Joe Johnston and stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, and Hugo Weaving.
The story is about Steve Rogers, a young man rejected from the military due to his physical inadequacy. After undergoing an experimental treatment which results in a complete transformation, Steve becomes Captain America, poster boy for the American military. He eventually helps a covert government operation to bring down a German terrorist organization known only as HYDRA, who are led by Red Skull.
This is the only film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take place in the past, during WWII to be exact. I think they did a good job of capturing the era with the different costumes and sets. It's almost like watching a period piece while enjoying an action film. That makes this film more unique than some others, but at the same time, I did find the pacing to be quite slow. It's not as exciting as it could have, or should have, been.
Chris Evans makes a perfect Cap and he has great chemistry with all of his on-screen companions, particularly Hayley Atwell and Sebastian Stan, who play his love interest and best friend, respectively. I can't imagine anyonr else portraying the First Avenger at this point because he does such a good job.
Not the best Marvel film, but certainly not the worst. I would still recommend watching at least once. The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 124 minutes.
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Bead Landing Crimp Beads (155 piece)
The Bead Landing Crimp Beads come in a pack of 155 pieces. There are three different assortments in the pack, including two sizes of crimp bead and a crimp tube. They come in different colour varieties. I have tried both the silver and the gold... +
The Bead Landing Crimp Beads come in a pack of 155 pieces. There are three different assortments in the pack, including two sizes of crimp bead and a crimp tube. They come in different colour varieties. I have tried both the silver and the gold, the latter of which I bought most recently and have pictured here. They are nickel-free and made of plated brass and iron.
If these are all you can afford, you can make them work. I've made them work for me. However, they are NOT the best quality, not by a long shot. These things can and will fall apart. It's really the luck of the draw -- some of them are fine, and others will shatter the second you apply any pressure. In this most recent package of gold-plated ones that I bought, I literally saw one or two already broken in the package. When I used them in a project, one of them was fine, the second one made a huge CRACK when I crimped it. Time will tell if it will hold up.
If you can save up and buy something better, I would highly recommend you buy some sterling silver and gold-filled crimp tubes. They're so much better quality. These are very hit and miss, and they can let you down very easily.
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Bead Landing Gold Spacer Beads
The Bead Landing gold spacer beads come in a small package of 200 individual pieces. They are nickel-free and are gold-plated brass. The size of each bead is 3mm. I purchased this from Michaels. I bought these for a recent jewellery project. I... +
The Bead Landing gold spacer beads come in a small package of 200 individual pieces. They are nickel-free and are gold-plated brass. The size of each bead is 3mm. I purchased this from Michaels.
I bought these for a recent jewellery project. I needed some small gold beads for a bracelet and a pair of matching earrings. I had previously been able to obtain a very large pack of silver spacer beads, but surprisingly, gold beads were much harder to find. This package was quite small in comparison to the one I'd found in the silver variety, and more expensive too. 200 beads sounds like a lot, but these will definitely go quickly!
The beads themselves are of good quality. They have a nice colour and shine to them, and I like that the base metal isn't nickel because that's a metal so many people are sensitive to (myself included). The holes are not 100% consistent in size, however I haven't come across any where the holes are too narrow or holes that are closed.
I would recommend these spacer beads for your beading project.
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Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 is a 2013 action film, which is part of phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Dhane Black and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ben Kingsley. The story follows Tony Stark, whose role as... +
Iron Man 3 is a 2013 action film, which is part of phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Dhane Black and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ben Kingsley.
The story follows Tony Stark, whose role as Iron Man is starting to take a mental and physical toll on him, particularly after the devastation that took place during the events of The Avengers. While battling his inner turmoil, Tony must deal with the arrival of a new enemy who calls himself the Mandarin, a man who has taken over the airwaves and made terrorist threats.
This is possibly one of the most divisive among the MCU films; people either love it or hate it. I personally find itto be one of the strongest films in the franchise. It's very dark, and it shows the very real, very human side of a superhero struggling with the aftermath of a traumatic event. This film paints a good portrait of a man struggling with PTSD, and it's really no wonder when you consider everything Tony has been through. This makes him more relatable, in my opinion, because he can often come off as a bit of an arrogant jerk.
I also greatly enjoyed the villain(s) in this film. They looked really neat, and Ben Kingsley was wonderful as Mandarin. The twist was one which I didn't see coming, and I appreciated the spontaneity of it. I would recommend this to fans of the MCU, or anyone new looking to enjoy the Iron Man films.
The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 130 minutes.
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Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, and Mickey Rourke. The story is about... +
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, and Mickey Rourke.
The story is about Tony Stark, who is under pressure to share the technology of his Iron Man suit with the military. They intend to weaponize this technology, which Tony isn't keen on doing. He sides with new ally Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), and together they fight to ensure the technology is kept safe.
I love the addition of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. I think she does a fabulous job of kicking butt alongside all the men in these films. Mickey Rourke also does a great job as the villain Whiplash, who has these really neat whips and chains. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Sam Rockwell, who steals scenes wherever he goes!
The storytelling may not be quite as strong as the first, but the addition of the new characters keeps things fresh. A lot of people kind of found this to be a letdown, but I personally don't think it's a bad film at all. If you liked the first Iron Man, you will probably like this one too.
The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 124 minutes.
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Iron Man
Iron Man is a 2008 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. The story is about billionaire Tony Stark, who is kidnapped... +
Iron Man is a 2008 action film, which is part of phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges.
The story is about billionaire Tony Stark, who is kidnapped by terrorists and forced to make weapons for them. He instead builds a prototype suit of armour and blasts his way free, eventually refining his technology and becoming the superhero Iron Man.
This was really the first film that kicked off the whole Avengers franchise. I don't think it would have been as successful without Robert Downey, Jr., who really started this whole thing and brought the character of Tony Stark to life. His charisma has really stuck around throughout all of the films and has helped carry their popularity and continued success.
This is a very good film on its own, with a strong story and themes, and great characters. Why they replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, I really don't know, but it's not something that really bothers me now that Don has been playing the character for so many years. The special effects are great and like all the films that follow, it's full of action as well as some very sarcastic humour.
I recommend this to any comic book or action film fan. The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 126 minutes.
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All For Color Lap Desk
I bought the All For Color lap desk in the Chevron style. I got mine from the Chapters website a few years ago, and though it appears these particular lap desks are no longer available from that particular online retailer, they are still available... +
I bought the All For Color lap desk in the Chevron style. I got mine from the Chapters website a few years ago, and though it appears these particular lap desks are no longer available from that particular online retailer, they are still available elsewhere.
A lap desk is a small surface to protect your lap when working with a heavy laptop. My laptop is rather large, and I have chronic pain, so at times it can be uncomfortable for me to have something so heavy in my lap for a longer period of time. This lap desk has a hard surface on one side, on which I can rest the laptop, and the underside -- the one which rests on my lap -- is filled with beans, much like a beanbag chair.
Although I do find that this helps somewhat with reducing the overall weight of the laptop, I would have preferred if it had provided an actual cushioned surface of some sort. It's rather cheaply made, and it's still not the most comfortable that I think I could be. It's also very bulky, and it lifts my laptop up to a certain height where it becomes a bit awkward when I actually have to type on it.
I think this is fine for the price, but I'll probably end up buying something different at some point.
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Bath & Body Works Sea Salt Citrus Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
The Sea Salt Citrus Deep Cleansing Hand Soap is not one of my favourites from Bath & Body Works. I much prefer their foaming hand soaps, which this is not. This soap contains exfoliating beads, which are quite rough and irritating. I enjoy... +
The Sea Salt Citrus Deep Cleansing Hand Soap is not one of my favourites from Bath & Body Works. I much prefer their foaming hand soaps, which this is not.
This soap contains exfoliating beads, which are quite rough and irritating. I enjoy exfoliating my entire body, butbecause this is a hand soap and because I wash my hands frequently, I find that this amount of exfoliation is unnecessary. Exfoliation is only really recommended once to twice per week. I wash my hands more than ten times in a day. At that point, you're no longer removing dead skin for a deep clean, you're just irritating oversensitized layers of skin.
This left my hands feeling very dry and uncomfortable. Any time I washed with this soap, I had to use a moisturizer immediately after. Additionally, I wasn't very fond of the scent. I love the scent of citrus, as it's often very refreshing and revitalizing. This had a funny smell to it. It smelled more like dish soap or something you would clean your house with. It's just not very appealing.
If you like other soaps from Bath & Body Works, I would recommend you stick to those. This one just isn't worthjt.
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