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ArecRain (8 KP) rated Heat in Books

Jan 18, 2018  
H
Heat
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I tried to like this novel but it just fell short. I give 3 stars for the steamy sex scenes but that’s all I enjoyed about it. The heroine Rikki felt too whiny and obnoxious. I seriously felt like she needed to go see a therapist because she clearly has no coping mechanisms to speak of. The rest just felt cliché. A sexy fireman calendar, that pushy friend who speaks in sexual innuendos and thinks that everything can be solved by getting laid, and even a wet t-shirt shower seen. All in all, it felt like a porno come to life. If that’s your thing, then you will love this novel but don’t expect any depth. Though come to think of it, the author warns the reader of that.
  
Diary of a haunting
Diary of a haunting
M. Verano | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
6
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I saw the cover and immediately jumped on this book. Haven't read a good horror in a while, and I was super intrigued. Diary style, no issues with that. Kinda cool in some ways, as we get the MC's version of what's going on in her own words. I even found myself a little creeped out at some points.

This book would've been a solid 4-star rating if it weren't for that ending. It was almost like the author took too long, got to the day before the deadline, then just cobbled some nonsense together and said, "Here, take it." Still, not a bad read up until the last 15 pages or so, and could still be decent for those who aren't uber horror fans.

3 stars
  
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
1973 | Classics, Comedy
8
6.9 (39 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Gentle Humour (2 more)
Cast always gel
Idyllic Setting
Struggle to keep it original towards the end (0 more)
The (miss)adventures of the retired generation... Over the years a who's who of British stars have turned up in this long running show which started by following 3 completely different retired friends but over time developed into following the supporting cast of the village too... Clegg was a mainstay of the trio, Compo was there for many years until the death of the actor playing him and then various different 3rd character - probably the most well known being Foggy... It would be impossible to sum up the escapades they had over 30+ series in a short review but if you want an easy, silly and quintessentially British comedy - this would be the one to go for...
  
    Snail Bob 2 Deluxe

    Snail Bob 2 Deluxe

    Games and Education

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Bob is a snail who needs your help to traverse dangerous obstacles and avoid bug baddies. Bob will...

The Haunting of Emily Grace
The Haunting of Emily Grace
Elena Taylor | 2025 | Horror, Mystery, Paranormal
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
not for me
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

My review for this will be brief, because I'm not sure I got the whole point!

It gives ghostly vibes in the title (The HAUNTING of ) and the blurb does hint at ghosts (the ethereal specter in the window), but there are no ghosts in this book! It slightly lacks the spooky factor as well.

It was one of those n-i-c-e books, that some folks will gush and praise and love, and others, like myself, will think, what is all the fuss about.

It is well written, though and I did finish it. I'm just really sorry I didn't really get it.

3 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Little Things (2021)
The Little Things (2021)
2021 | Crime, Drama, Thriller
7
6.7 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
3 Strong Actors Elevate This Above Mediocrity
Generally, when a movie is “dumped” in January, it is a sure sign of a bad film, filled with Liam Neeson kicking butt or CGI monsters attacking a small group of survivors in an isolated location, but these being times that they are, Warner Brothers release of THE LITTLE THINGS simultaneously in Movie Theaters and on HBO MAX gave me reason to change my thinking.

And…I’m glad I did for THE LITTLE THINGS is an intriguing mystery with 3 very strong actors going toe-to-toe with each other.

Written and Directed by John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE), THE LITTLE THINGS stars the great Denzel Washington as a former L.A. Detective (now a Sherriff in some small town) who returns to L.A. and teams up with his hot shot replacement (Rami Malek) to track down a serial killer (the main suspect being Jared Leto).

It is a moody, atmospheric piece with Hancock taking his time telling the story he wants to tell in the way he wants to tell it, letting this trio of Oscar winning actors take over the story while he creates interesting, moody pictures/scenarios/scenes.

And…this approach mostly works. 2 time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, as you can imagine, is terrific as Joe “Deke” Deacon a cracker-jack Detective that is living with some demons from his last case in L.A.. He is in 90% of the scenes in this film and he is more than capable of carrying this film through some pretty slow and sloggy scenes.

I would love to say that Oscar winner Rami Malek is equal to the task of playing against Washington and keeping the middle part of this film interesting - but he just isn’t. Not to say that Malek is bad - he is very good. He just isn’t as good as Washington and the chemistry between these two characters was just not all that strong.

That said…without spoiling anything…Malek has a scene at the end of this film where he is TERRIFIC and shows that he is a VERY, VERY good actor.

The wild card in this film is Oscar winner Jared Leto as the prime suspect in this case - and he is more than up to the task. As is often the case in these sorts of film (think David Fincher’s SEVEN), Leto does not show up in full force until about 2/3 of the way through the film and that is too bad for he creates sparks on the screen the moment he enters the proceedings and the 3 way interrogation scene between these 3 Oscar winners is, I’m sure, what drew all 3 of these performers to this project and is the best thing in the film.

The praise and the criticism of this film must fall on Writer/Director Hancock, for he was smart enough to cast these 3 actors and direct them well while also falling prey to falling in love too much with the script and atmosphere he created to the detriment of the film. He could have used someone telling him to speed things up.

Letter Grade: B

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)