A ★★★★½ review of Unbreakable (2000)
A Movie Review
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Steven's review of Havana Bay (Arkady Renko, #4)
A Book Review
Steven's review of Red Square (Arkady Renko, #3)
A Book Review
A ★★★★ review of Canary Black (2024)
I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I decided to watch Canary Black. I'm not a big fan of Kate Beckinsale. I did enjoy her in Serendipity, and that movie was a romantic comedy. Canary Black is far from that. CIA agent Avery Graves (Beckinsale) must find a top secret computer program to save her kidnapped husband. With better than average fight scenes and some explosions and intrigue, this movie was something I actually enjoyed. When I first saw the first fight scene, I groaned. Not anothe...
Steven's review of Neverwhere (London Below, #1)
Neverwhere, written by Neil Gaiman is a great book to read, whether on the beach, curling up on the couch on a rainy day, or taking public transportation. I was thoroughly engaged from page one. The development of the main character was done superbly. The plot was well done, and by the end of the novel, I was wishing for more. Kudos, Mr. Gaiman, for having me have hope in fantasy fiction again.
Steven's review of Kashmir at the Crossroads
Kashmir at the Crossroads is a great book to read if you want an in depth study on the Kashmir conflict in India. I found about the various players in this, one of the most volatile places on earth. Clear and concise, with many acronyms, it is a book that is informative and interesting. This book starts with the partition in 1947 and all the way to 2021.
Steven's review of We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, by Philip Gourevitch is an eye-opening and horrifying book on the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The book is clear and concise, and also brutal and informative. I was surprised at how one ethnicity of humans can viciously kill and maim another. I would recommend this book to those who want to learn more about the worse or worst side of humanity, and the failure, once again, of the international community to stop genocide. As the
Steven's review of Iran Rising
This a good book to read if you want to know more about Iran from the revolution of 1979 to the present. Not a dry or boring book, it was really informative about the inner workings of Iran and its government and also every day life. I just wish there were more information on the present, with current events folding around us with Iran.
Steven's review of Making Sense of the Troubles
This book is a good start to read on anything related to the Northern Irish 'Troubles'. I wasn't sure if the book would be a bland affair or not. I was incorrect. This book is in chronological order, and there is much information on the beginning of 'The Troubles' to 2012. 'The Troubles' ended in 2007, if I'm correct, though some may say 1998, as a major event in peace happened to Northern Ireland.
Steve Baba's ★★★★ review of S01 E02 of The Equalizer
This episode of The Equalizer was fine. I enjoyed the storyline where the bad guys are kidnapping people to get things from their families. The main one is the son of a single mom is kidnapped so she has to get a confidential file from her employer. Queen Latifah is a great actress and her backup team are cool. A nice episode.
Steve Baba's ★★★★★ review of S01 E01 of The Equalizer
The Equalizer is a really great TV show. My roommate got me interested in it. Queen Latifah falls into the main character smoothly. This show has heart. I look forward to the next episodes.
Steven's review of The Ensemble
The Ensemble was like watching a movie and seeing the actors stunt and grow throughout the movie. 4 main characters, two men, two women. They each play a musical instrument and have 4 different, distinct personalities. Reading from beginning to end, I felt that I knew each character intimately and by the end of the book, I wanted more from their lives. The author is great at bringing the technical music information into layman's terms, and the author really did a good job fleshing out the charac
A ★★★★★ review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a movie that was deep and interesting. The story was really good, and the nod to The Shaw Brothers was cool. The bride, played by Uma Thurman, is a great protagonist. Revenge, revenge, revenge. That about sums up the plot of the movie. First, the Bride has a knife fight with Vernita Green, and it is action packed. Then a sword fight with O-Ren Ishii finishes the film. Originally one film, with Kill Bill Vol. 2 as the 2nd half, this film was an enjoyable watch. And the violen
A ★★★★★ review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Blade Runner 2049 is a great followup and sequel to the original Blade Runner. Ryan Gosling's character is well rounded and there are so many questions that need answers, which are not all addressed by the end of the movie. This seems like a good way to further the next sequel if and when it comes. Los Angeles 2049 is as dark and smutty as the original. We also get teased to see the characters go off world, but in the end they do not. The technology aspect is well done, and a creepy, zenlike Wal
Steve Baba's ★★★★★ review of S01 E03 of Star Trek
This is the third episode of the Star Trek : The Original Series. The Enterprise enters unknown space, and does something to the ESP positive persons on the spaceship. The moral issue of being a god is portrayed here. A entertaining episode, the main characters meet new challenges.
Steve Baba's ★★★★★ review of S01 E02 of Star Trek
The Original Series continues as a young man has come from nowhere to live amongst other humans. He was marooned on a planet that had a finite amount of food and just recorded tapes so he could learn how to speak. But he isn't the young man everyone thinks he is. He has alien powers and has a temper that he uses these powers when he gets offended. This was a great episode to watch, as the plot unfolds, and so does the main antagonist. A treatise on whether one should live with their own species,
Steven's review of This Close to Okay
This was a book that seemed to be a cautionary tale. Instead, it was a novel that I couldn't believe was written. A young man is standing on a bridge, ready to end it all, while a woman, a therapist, talks him down from committing suicide. In the course of a few days, they end up being really close, through half-truths and lies. But I couldn't believe how someone could become so close to another, even during a crisis. I wasn't tricked into this facade. The novel was entertaining, though. And the
Steve Baba's ★★★★★ review of S01 E01 of Star Trek
This is a wonderful opening for the Star Trek Universe. Also known as The Original Series, this series is excellent. This opening episode starts with Dr. Leonard McCoy and Captain James T. Kirk. They are on a mission to check the health of an archeologist and his wife. A man ends up dead, and there is no clue as to how he dies. That is, until the good doctor finds out. A great suspenseful episode.
A ★★★★★ review of Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunrise is a film that brings two lost souls together for just one night. Ethan Hawke plays Jesse, a drifter who is traveling around Europe. Julie Delpy is Celine, a woman who is also traveling. Both meet on the train going to Vienna. They connect while on the train, and Jesse asks Celine if she would come spend a night in Vienna because his airflight leaves there for the US the next morning. They eventually fall for each other. This was a wonderful film to watch. You get a tour of Vienna
Steven's review of Hired
James Bloodworth, the author, goes to various cities in Great Britain to find low paying jobs. He tries working at an Amazon warehouse, a care giver that looks over the infirm and elderly, and driving a car as an Uber. His insight on the lower classes of society makes one feel grateful, hopefully, for their better life. I would recommend this book for those who want an inside look into people and places that the average middle class person may not meet and see.
Steven's review of We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, by Philip Gourevitch is an eye-opening and horrifying book on the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The book is clear and concise, and also brutal and informative. I was surprised at how one ethnicity of humans can viciously kill and maim another. I would recommend this book to those who want to learn more about the worse or worst side of humanity, and the failure, once again, of the international community to stop genocide. As the
Steven's review of Gaza
I thought this book was informative and eye opening. His search for facts are true and to the point. His arguments are valid and upheld with those facts. Sad to say nothing much has changed in Gaza since the book was written.
A ★★★★★ review of Glory (1989)
Glory is a movie in which the events that are encountered in the movie makes the viewer feel closer and more emotional.
Glory is about the 54th Massachusetts Regiment fighting in the Civil War. It is an all African American regiment and is lead by a man named Robert Gould Shaw. They must fight prejudice, racism, as well as the Confederate Army. For those who love history, this is a movie for you.
I cried a lot during this movie. Yes, it is an emotional movie but the emotions evoked are not man
Glory is about the 54th Massachusetts Regiment fighting in the Civil War. It is an all African American regiment and is lead by a man named Robert Gould Shaw. They must fight prejudice, racism, as well as the Confederate Army. For those who love history, this is a movie for you.
I cried a lot during this movie. Yes, it is an emotional movie but the emotions evoked are not man
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