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Merissa (13178 KP) rated Driving Me to You in Books

Dec 17, 2018  
DM
Driving Me to You
Julie Farrell | 2013
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This heart-warming story is based around only a few characters but trust me when I say with characters this full of life, you don't need many. Sam has just come back from India after being severely ill but it has changed how she views life and she has a lot of ideas on how to share this with others. Verlaine is down on his luck after being out of work for four months and has applied for his dream job - renovating classic cars. Gemma is struggling to keep the business her late father started afloat and has asked (but paying for) the help of an old friend, Marcus. Marcus is Sam's ex-boyfriend but he has decided that he will have her back, after all, who could resist him? And then you have Paul and Scott, a couple that definitely belong together, that complement each other and work well together. The one you don't hear much of is Jack, Verlaine's flat mate, who seems a bit grumpy but that is understandable as he is worried about where they will live if things don't work out between Verlaine and the boss' sister! So there are the characters, let the story commence.

This story is full of bumps and bends as Sam and Verlaine learn about each other, make friends with each other and the others in the small circle, and let the sparks fly between them. Sam is also trying to find a way of mending her relationship with Gemma, is it really broken beyond repair? The things you find out about Marcus will make your toes curl but I won't say whether that's in a good or bad way.

The thing that I love about Julie Farrell's stories is that although you have the main characters, you also get taken along on the side stories of the other characters. This makes the book simply a delight to read and they are never boring! They are realistic but not depressing. Julie's heroines have backbone, a sense of humour and wit, and yes, slightly kooky in a good way. Her hero's are not perfect, they have their flaws which just makes them more loveable.

If you are looking for a modern romance with a hint of suspense and mystery, then check out this book. I honestly can't see how you would be disappointed.
  
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ghost Stories (2018) in Movies

Sep 29, 2021  
Ghost Stories (2018)
Ghost Stories (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror
6
7.0 (19 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
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“.