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The Blue Pool
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What really happened that weekend? Four friends go to a remote cabin one summer. Only three return....
Dreadfleet
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For two bleak decades the Undead reavers of Count Noctilus have plagued the oceans of the world....
Boardgames Miniaturegames
Debbiereadsbook (1110 KP) rated Sloane's List in Books
Dec 19, 2023
high on the cute scale!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Sloane is now an empty nester, after sending her 18 year old daughter off to college. She has a list of ten things she wants to do. She just needs a man to help her. Enter Oscar. He meets her the day before Paige goes off, and is smitten from then on. But Oscar is younger than Sloane, and has a bit of a reputation. What's a girl to do, eh?
Bar one thing, and I will come back to that, I loved this!
It's a really easy read, and I mean that in a very VERY good way.
There were some plot lines I did not see coming, so well played there, but the penny did drop really fast! And some coming at ya like a freaking freight train, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. But I loved that! Sometimes, it really is lovely to see it all laid out for you.
It's not overly explicit, and I loved that here, for these two. I was expecting it to be, for some reason, and I loved being proven wrong about what I needed to read at this point in time.
Fairly low on the angst scale, but high on the cute scale and scorching on the warm and fuzzy scale!
I loved that we got to hear from both Sloane and Oscar, but also from Paige (Sloane's daughter) Alex (Oscar's brother) and the mother hen in the apartment complex, Auntie Ernie.
So, what didn't I like? Simple. First person, present tense AND multi point of view. In fact, I very VERY nearly dumped this, once I saw how it was written. So very VERY glad I didn't!
I haven't read anything by this author before, and I think I'd like to read something with a bit more bite.
But still, a very VERY good, 4 star read.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Sloane is now an empty nester, after sending her 18 year old daughter off to college. She has a list of ten things she wants to do. She just needs a man to help her. Enter Oscar. He meets her the day before Paige goes off, and is smitten from then on. But Oscar is younger than Sloane, and has a bit of a reputation. What's a girl to do, eh?
Bar one thing, and I will come back to that, I loved this!
It's a really easy read, and I mean that in a very VERY good way.
There were some plot lines I did not see coming, so well played there, but the penny did drop really fast! And some coming at ya like a freaking freight train, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. But I loved that! Sometimes, it really is lovely to see it all laid out for you.
It's not overly explicit, and I loved that here, for these two. I was expecting it to be, for some reason, and I loved being proven wrong about what I needed to read at this point in time.
Fairly low on the angst scale, but high on the cute scale and scorching on the warm and fuzzy scale!
I loved that we got to hear from both Sloane and Oscar, but also from Paige (Sloane's daughter) Alex (Oscar's brother) and the mother hen in the apartment complex, Auntie Ernie.
So, what didn't I like? Simple. First person, present tense AND multi point of view. In fact, I very VERY nearly dumped this, once I saw how it was written. So very VERY glad I didn't!
I haven't read anything by this author before, and I think I'd like to read something with a bit more bite.
But still, a very VERY good, 4 star read.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Darren (1599 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies
Sep 3, 2019
Verdict: Blood Soaked Wedding
Story: Ready or Not starts on what should be Grace’s (Weaving) greatest day, her wedding day to Alex (O’Brien) which will put her into the famous gaming family Le Domas. With the wedding at Alex’s family home, she is welcomed by the likes of his brother Daniel (Brody), his father Tony (Czerny) and his mother Becky (MacDowell).
The family has an unusual tradition of playing a randomly selected game, which can be a simple game like chess, but tonight Grace selects Hide and Seek, a game which means the whole family will hunt her down before dawn, being a race for her to survive.
Thoughts on Ready or Not
Characters – Grace is a woman that was raised through the foster system, now she has met the love of her life in Alex and is hoping to be part of a family for the first time in her life. Like most people she is nervous on her wedding day, eager to impress her new family too, but nothing will prepare her for the night, where she must learn to fight to survive when her new family is hunting to capture her. Alex is the man that is going to marry Grace, he has become distant from his family, but knows the traditions that must be followed, he doesn’t give everything away to Grace, knowing it will scary her away, though he doesn’t want to get involved in everything once the game starts. Daniel is Alex’s brother, he hates being part of the family, he wants nothing to do with the game, but reluctantly agrees to play along with little to no enthusiasm, being one of the few people that will help Grace. Tony is the father of the household, he has made the family bigger that ever and wants to continue the traditions that were bought upon the family, he will do anything to make sure the tradition is upheld. We do meet other members of the family including Becky the wife of Tony, mother of the boys, her daughter Emilie alone with the spouses Fitch who will get the most laughs in the film and Charity.
Performances – Samara Weaving kills it in the leading role, first she puts up a fight, secondly, she gives us natural looking reactions to everything that is going on. Adam Brody gives us a strong performance that makes us want to be like his character in this situation. Mark O’Brien is strong, but doesn’t reach the levels of the fellow stars of the film. Henry Czerny is fun through this film, he starts welcoming, turns psychotic and soon becomes a loose cannon as things get out of control, Henry makes us want to see more from his character through this film.
Story – The story here follows a woman that is getting married, only to learn that her wedding night is going to have a twist, she must play a game with the family, with this being a extreme, hide and seek, in a battle for life. This is a story that takes the most important day in anybody’s life and turns it into a nightmare, which will see Grace needing to fight to survive against a family that will do anything to hunt her down to continue having their fame and fortune. It does show how the rich will do anything to get away with something big in their lives, even murder, while it does show us just how games can be turned into something bigger than just a board game.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film does come from the gore that we do see, both towards Grace and to other innocent victims in the game, one scene involving a hand is extremely difficult to watch. The mystery in the film does look at how the family is acting, like what will happen if they don’t win.
Settings – The film is set in one location, the giant mansion of the Le Domas, this shows how many different potential hiding spots we could see and how much she is playing on away ground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are brutal to see, it is mostly all the injuries being inflicted through the film, as mentioned before the hand sequence is one that will make most wince.
Scene of the Movie – How to use a crossbow.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We do get a lot of time jumps here, considering this is taking place over about seven hours.
Final Thoughts – This is an entertaining humour filled horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat seeing if Grace will make it out alive and just what will happen next.
Overall: Fun survival horror.
Story: Ready or Not starts on what should be Grace’s (Weaving) greatest day, her wedding day to Alex (O’Brien) which will put her into the famous gaming family Le Domas. With the wedding at Alex’s family home, she is welcomed by the likes of his brother Daniel (Brody), his father Tony (Czerny) and his mother Becky (MacDowell).
The family has an unusual tradition of playing a randomly selected game, which can be a simple game like chess, but tonight Grace selects Hide and Seek, a game which means the whole family will hunt her down before dawn, being a race for her to survive.
Thoughts on Ready or Not
Characters – Grace is a woman that was raised through the foster system, now she has met the love of her life in Alex and is hoping to be part of a family for the first time in her life. Like most people she is nervous on her wedding day, eager to impress her new family too, but nothing will prepare her for the night, where she must learn to fight to survive when her new family is hunting to capture her. Alex is the man that is going to marry Grace, he has become distant from his family, but knows the traditions that must be followed, he doesn’t give everything away to Grace, knowing it will scary her away, though he doesn’t want to get involved in everything once the game starts. Daniel is Alex’s brother, he hates being part of the family, he wants nothing to do with the game, but reluctantly agrees to play along with little to no enthusiasm, being one of the few people that will help Grace. Tony is the father of the household, he has made the family bigger that ever and wants to continue the traditions that were bought upon the family, he will do anything to make sure the tradition is upheld. We do meet other members of the family including Becky the wife of Tony, mother of the boys, her daughter Emilie alone with the spouses Fitch who will get the most laughs in the film and Charity.
Performances – Samara Weaving kills it in the leading role, first she puts up a fight, secondly, she gives us natural looking reactions to everything that is going on. Adam Brody gives us a strong performance that makes us want to be like his character in this situation. Mark O’Brien is strong, but doesn’t reach the levels of the fellow stars of the film. Henry Czerny is fun through this film, he starts welcoming, turns psychotic and soon becomes a loose cannon as things get out of control, Henry makes us want to see more from his character through this film.
Story – The story here follows a woman that is getting married, only to learn that her wedding night is going to have a twist, she must play a game with the family, with this being a extreme, hide and seek, in a battle for life. This is a story that takes the most important day in anybody’s life and turns it into a nightmare, which will see Grace needing to fight to survive against a family that will do anything to hunt her down to continue having their fame and fortune. It does show how the rich will do anything to get away with something big in their lives, even murder, while it does show us just how games can be turned into something bigger than just a board game.
Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film does come from the gore that we do see, both towards Grace and to other innocent victims in the game, one scene involving a hand is extremely difficult to watch. The mystery in the film does look at how the family is acting, like what will happen if they don’t win.
Settings – The film is set in one location, the giant mansion of the Le Domas, this shows how many different potential hiding spots we could see and how much she is playing on away ground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are brutal to see, it is mostly all the injuries being inflicted through the film, as mentioned before the hand sequence is one that will make most wince.
Scene of the Movie – How to use a crossbow.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We do get a lot of time jumps here, considering this is taking place over about seven hours.
Final Thoughts – This is an entertaining humour filled horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat seeing if Grace will make it out alive and just what will happen next.
Overall: Fun survival horror.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Mountain Between Us (2017) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
A film not quite sure what it’s trying to be.
Idris Elba after scoring a mammoth hit with UK TV’s “Luther” has really struggled to make a breakthrough as a leading man into A-grade movies. Although he’s had some strong supporting roles (“Molly’s Game” and “Star Trek Beyond” for example) and small bit parts in the Marvel universe, when he has landed a lead role they are in films best forgotton (e.g. “Bastille Day”; “The Dark Tower”). This is seldom down to his performance. Here he is given more of a chance to shine, in what is almost a two-hander with Kate Winslet for most of the film. And he is the best thing in the film: lots of the brooding look that he is so famous for.
Elba plays Ben Bass, a neuro-surgeon stranded at Boise airport who has to get back to Baltimore for an important operation. Winslett playing Alex Martin, a famous photo-journalist, is stranded with him and equally desperate to travel as she is due to get married in New York the following day. The two club together to hire a plane from charter pilot Walter (Beau Bridges, “Homeland”, “The Descendents”). But in terrible conditions, and with a medical emergency, the plane crash lands in the snow of the Rockies, and Ben and Alex (together with Walter’s Labrador) need to struggle to survive in the wilderness. The problem is that they are an odd couple, and constantly wind each other up the wrong way.
It’s a well-worn tale that has been portrayed many times before in films like “Alive” and “The Grey”, so what makes the film live or die is the quality of the screenplay and the chemistry between the characters. Unfortunately the former by Chris Weitz (co-writer on “Rogue One“) is rather clunky, and in the latter case I just didn’t feel it. Winslett’s character is just so goddamn whiney and annoying that the thought of Ben doing anything with her other than hitting her with the shovel and feeding her to the dog seems unlikely! Winslett seems to sense that too, since I never felt she was completely invested in her character. Aside from one (impressive) monologue, I found it to be a so-so performance from her.
Aside from Elba the other star of the show is the landscape of the High Uintascape in North East Utah of the which is beautifully filmed, on location by Mandy Walker (“Hidden Figures“).
The story leaps from improbability to improbability and raises more questions than it answers: in a survival situation should you walk or stay put? If you have a dog, should you eat it* and what condiments are appropriate? Does an iced-over river have any current flowing under the ice? If they both died, would the audience care?
No spoilers with answers to any of these (*apart from the dog… just joking, they don’t!) , but the ending is as corny as you can get… but it still gave me a lump in my throat. #suckered!
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, overall if you have a rainy afternoon you need to fill then this a perfectly pleasant movie to veg in front of, but it neither completely satisfies as a romance nor as an adventure flick but falls rather uncomfortably between the two stools.
Elba plays Ben Bass, a neuro-surgeon stranded at Boise airport who has to get back to Baltimore for an important operation. Winslett playing Alex Martin, a famous photo-journalist, is stranded with him and equally desperate to travel as she is due to get married in New York the following day. The two club together to hire a plane from charter pilot Walter (Beau Bridges, “Homeland”, “The Descendents”). But in terrible conditions, and with a medical emergency, the plane crash lands in the snow of the Rockies, and Ben and Alex (together with Walter’s Labrador) need to struggle to survive in the wilderness. The problem is that they are an odd couple, and constantly wind each other up the wrong way.
It’s a well-worn tale that has been portrayed many times before in films like “Alive” and “The Grey”, so what makes the film live or die is the quality of the screenplay and the chemistry between the characters. Unfortunately the former by Chris Weitz (co-writer on “Rogue One“) is rather clunky, and in the latter case I just didn’t feel it. Winslett’s character is just so goddamn whiney and annoying that the thought of Ben doing anything with her other than hitting her with the shovel and feeding her to the dog seems unlikely! Winslett seems to sense that too, since I never felt she was completely invested in her character. Aside from one (impressive) monologue, I found it to be a so-so performance from her.
Aside from Elba the other star of the show is the landscape of the High Uintascape in North East Utah of the which is beautifully filmed, on location by Mandy Walker (“Hidden Figures“).
The story leaps from improbability to improbability and raises more questions than it answers: in a survival situation should you walk or stay put? If you have a dog, should you eat it* and what condiments are appropriate? Does an iced-over river have any current flowing under the ice? If they both died, would the audience care?
No spoilers with answers to any of these (*apart from the dog… just joking, they don’t!) , but the ending is as corny as you can get… but it still gave me a lump in my throat. #suckered!
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, overall if you have a rainy afternoon you need to fill then this a perfectly pleasant movie to veg in front of, but it neither completely satisfies as a romance nor as an adventure flick but falls rather uncomfortably between the two stools.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
In that sleep of death, what dreams may come.
“Ghost Stories” is based on the spooky London West-End stage play by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman who both write and direct the film version. I didn’t know this until the end credits, but began to wonder in the final act where the action suddenly becomes very “stagey” in nature. The screenplay was always bound to be both bizarre and intriguing, since Dyson has been a past contributor to TV’s “League of Gentlemen” and other equally surreal programmes and Nyman has been a major collaborator with the stage-illusionist Derren Brown.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, “The Death of Stalin“) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in “The Imitation Game“) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, “Black Panther“) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like “The Twilight Zone: the Movie”. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature film…. (“Why are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!”).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesn’t like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus “A Quiet Place“, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and that’s the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see what’s going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the ‘on the make’ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does “spooked” extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. “****ing O2” exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air… something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I can’t quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But it’s still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like “It“.
Nyman himself plays TV paranormal debunker Professor Goodman who receives a surprise message from a respected colleague, long thought dead, who on his death bed wants Goodman to investigate the three cases from his career that he was never able to debunk. The first concerns Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse, “The Death of Stalin“) as a night watchman at a spooky old asylum; the second concerns Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther, young Turing in “The Imitation Game“) as a freaked-out young man with a forest breakdown; and Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman, “Black Panther“) as a rich broker with parenting issues. As Goodman investigates each case weirder and weirder things start to happen: is this his mind playing tricks as his faith is rocked, or is there something more sinister going on?
The primary issue I have with this film is its portmanteau nature, harking back to similar films like “The Twilight Zone: the Movie”. Having three segments, loosely linked together, feels like a clunky device for a feature film…. (“Why are there three cases to investigate? Well, two would have made the film too short, and four would have made it too long!”).
That being said, the overall story arc and the drawing together of the strands for the unexpected (although not terribly original) conclusion, is intriguing.
The film looks and feels like a British-made horror film, which is both a compliment and a criticism. Who doesn’t like the jump-scares and the vague tackiness of a Hammer horror? But if you care to compare the production values on show here versus “A Quiet Place“, there is no comparison. The location-shot scenes (which are most of the scenes) seem to be very poorly lit: and that’s the non-spooky ones where you are supposed to see what’s going on!
The cast seem to be well-suited to their roles, with Paul Whitehouse in particular being impressive as the ‘on the make’ Matthews, who always feels like being on the knife-edge of violent outburst. I particularly liked Alex Lawther who does “spooked” extremely well! The script also seems to be well-tuned to the characters, with a number of laugh-out-loud lines. “****ing O2” exclaims Simon as he waves his mobile in the air… something the marketing department at the telecoms giant must have loved!
The critics seem to have been overtly positive about this film, which I can’t quite match. Apart from one or two scenes towards the end, all of the jump scares were pretty well signposted in advance. But it’s still as fun as a slightly tacky ghost house ride at the fairground, if you like that sort of thing, and is certainly a much more interesting and better watch in my book than some recent and much higher budget horror films like “It“.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Charnel House (2016) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Characters – Alex Reaves is the man behind the refurbishment of the building, he sees this as a fresh start for his family which will give them financial support for life, he starts having visions which will bring the connection back to the previous owner. Charlotte is the artist and designer (I think she did this too) who has help turn the building into the apartments and soon becomes the one that needs to fight to keep her family together. Mia is the daughter of the couple who starts seeing the little boy haunting the building, treated like the imaginary friend for the most part, she has behavioural problems and follows in her mother’s artistic nature. Devin Pyles is the man that has a connection to the previous use of the building, he is here to investigate just what happened here and knows about the darker side of the building.
Performances – Callum Blue in the leading role is fine without ever standing out in the leading role, which is going to be a theme when looking at the performances, nobody does anything to make themselves feel stand out in the film.
Story – The story here follows the re-opening of an old slaughterhouse as luxury apartments, but the ghosts of the old building are still there haunting the people that move in. this does give us the limited characters as the building isn’t officially opened, but will let people move into the property they have purchased early, this helps the story because an over crowded building would have only dragged the film down. The story is trying to be clever with certain connections only to fall mostly short with this side of the story telling. Once you do work out where the story wants to go you will work out the ending pretty easily which again disappoints and as for the supporting characters they seem to have no connection to the actual hauntings and are here just to give us a body count.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from the ghost visits and the technology not following the rules it should be, again simple scares which don’t give us anything to be frightened off.
Settings – The film is set in one house, we have an apartment building with history which gives us the haunting side of the film. it works well for the most part too.
Special Effects – The effects are not over used, they are simple when needed but nothing that becomes clear to what is happening in the film.
Scene of the Movie – Butch the Yorkie.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The pointless disposable supporting residents.
Final Thoughts – This is a very simple horror, it does the basics right without ever being put in the position of being anything special or standout, nothing is terrible, it is just average throughout.
Overall: Average horror.
Performances – Callum Blue in the leading role is fine without ever standing out in the leading role, which is going to be a theme when looking at the performances, nobody does anything to make themselves feel stand out in the film.
Story – The story here follows the re-opening of an old slaughterhouse as luxury apartments, but the ghosts of the old building are still there haunting the people that move in. this does give us the limited characters as the building isn’t officially opened, but will let people move into the property they have purchased early, this helps the story because an over crowded building would have only dragged the film down. The story is trying to be clever with certain connections only to fall mostly short with this side of the story telling. Once you do work out where the story wants to go you will work out the ending pretty easily which again disappoints and as for the supporting characters they seem to have no connection to the actual hauntings and are here just to give us a body count.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from the ghost visits and the technology not following the rules it should be, again simple scares which don’t give us anything to be frightened off.
Settings – The film is set in one house, we have an apartment building with history which gives us the haunting side of the film. it works well for the most part too.
Special Effects – The effects are not over used, they are simple when needed but nothing that becomes clear to what is happening in the film.
Scene of the Movie – Butch the Yorkie.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The pointless disposable supporting residents.
Final Thoughts – This is a very simple horror, it does the basics right without ever being put in the position of being anything special or standout, nothing is terrible, it is just average throughout.
Overall: Average horror.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Beastly in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I have a small obsession with the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, so any time a new retelling comes out, I must read it. This version written by Alex Flinn is both modernized and aimed at the Young Adult genre. I was curious to see how closely it would parallel the original fairy tale and still feel like an original story, and I think that it succeeded fairly well. There were parts that felt cliche, and it certainly verged into the realm of fantasy with the presence of the witch, but not so much that I was bothered by these elements. Plus, I liked the ways that the author diverged from the original tale and added new elements, such as the continuing involvement of the witch and the character of Kyle's father.
The plot wraps around the character of Kyle Kingsbury, who becomes the Beast. The book mainly felt like a character study as he progressed from a conceited, self-involved boy to a self-sacrificing, repentant young man. This is certainly a change from most retellings of this tale, since it is usually from the viewpoint of the character who plays the role of "Beauty." Many of the side characters were also just as fascinating, such as the blind tutor who comes to live with Kyle. I love the fascination that Kyle adopted for roses and the details of their care that were included in the book, it gave the book more depth. Probably the most exciting part of the book was his frantic race through New York City and the way that he handled the reactions that he created during this foray.
I know that this book was turned into a movie recently. I have not seen it as of yet, other than the previews, but I do look forward to it. But I already know of one major difference that the movie has from the book, and that is Kyle's beastly appearance is changed to resemble extravagant and disfiguring tattoos. I'll reserve opinion on this until after I've seen the movie.
The plot wraps around the character of Kyle Kingsbury, who becomes the Beast. The book mainly felt like a character study as he progressed from a conceited, self-involved boy to a self-sacrificing, repentant young man. This is certainly a change from most retellings of this tale, since it is usually from the viewpoint of the character who plays the role of "Beauty." Many of the side characters were also just as fascinating, such as the blind tutor who comes to live with Kyle. I love the fascination that Kyle adopted for roses and the details of their care that were included in the book, it gave the book more depth. Probably the most exciting part of the book was his frantic race through New York City and the way that he handled the reactions that he created during this foray.
I know that this book was turned into a movie recently. I have not seen it as of yet, other than the previews, but I do look forward to it. But I already know of one major difference that the movie has from the book, and that is Kyle's beastly appearance is changed to resemble extravagant and disfiguring tattoos. I'll reserve opinion on this until after I've seen the movie.
JT (287 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Original story (1 more)
Solid tension
White wedding goes full bloodshed
Grace (Samara Weaving) is about to marry the man of her dreams, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien). But her new in-laws, as it turns out, are going to be a real nightmare.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Starboard (Voyagers #2) in Books
Jun 12, 2023
STARBOARD is the second book in the Voyagers series and it is Dylan's turn. He is Rowan and Drew's best friend and has been to hell and back. He has been offered a book deal; to write his biography with the help of a ghostwriter. Max is divorced but still has communication with his ex due to their child, Blake. She is a brilliant character with a wise head on her shoulders for a thirteen-year-old. To keep the press away from them, they go on Rowan's boat in French waters. Romance strikes again.
Drew makes a joke in this that a spell has been put on the boat. When he said that, all I could remember was the cheesy TV series, The Love Boat 🤣. Surrounded by all that luxury, romance isn't hard but when real life intrudes, I loved the way Max and Dylan worked together.
I loved Drew and Rowan's book but this one... Oh, man; I loved it! The stories of Dylan's past he shared were done in such a sensitive manner. It was both heartbreaking and emotional to read. Max was the perfect person to tell it to, with his reactions being non-judgemental.
I also loved how both of them had had complaints about being too distant, too cold, and yet, with each other, the softness came out. Their endearments - and subsequent grumbles - were wonderful.
Not only did we get Drew and Rowan showing up, but we also have Rafe (who's next up) plus two other "couples" (and I use that term loosely right now) that I need to know more about. There is Jared and Alex, plus Reed and Tate. I don't know if they are in any other of Ava Olsen's books, but I will be searching through the backlist to see. I really want to read their stories as the sparks were just flying.
Tender, emotional, heartbreaking, and funny; this book is guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies. HIGHLY recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 12, 2023
Drew makes a joke in this that a spell has been put on the boat. When he said that, all I could remember was the cheesy TV series, The Love Boat 🤣. Surrounded by all that luxury, romance isn't hard but when real life intrudes, I loved the way Max and Dylan worked together.
I loved Drew and Rowan's book but this one... Oh, man; I loved it! The stories of Dylan's past he shared were done in such a sensitive manner. It was both heartbreaking and emotional to read. Max was the perfect person to tell it to, with his reactions being non-judgemental.
I also loved how both of them had had complaints about being too distant, too cold, and yet, with each other, the softness came out. Their endearments - and subsequent grumbles - were wonderful.
Not only did we get Drew and Rowan showing up, but we also have Rafe (who's next up) plus two other "couples" (and I use that term loosely right now) that I need to know more about. There is Jared and Alex, plus Reed and Tate. I don't know if they are in any other of Ava Olsen's books, but I will be searching through the backlist to see. I really want to read their stories as the sparks were just flying.
Tender, emotional, heartbreaking, and funny; this book is guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies. HIGHLY recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 12, 2023