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The horror genre can’t wait to splash the screen with as much blood and gore as possible, letting you know what the intentions of the film are going to be. In this Blumhouse produced thriller that isn’t the case, as Oscar winner Octavia Spencer plays quiet but dissociated veterinary assistant Sue-Ann, who befriends a group of adolescent teens.
On the outside she’s warm and friendly, only wanting to be accepted (this becomes apparent as to why later on). She secretly buys them alcohol and lets them have use of her basement to party – until she ‘becomes’ the party and local speakeasy. For the vast majority of the film there is little to class this as anything but a horror. It is relatively uneventful and offers no traditional jumpscares or shock moments.
The narrative unravels slowly allowing us to delve into Sue-Ann’s past and discover her motives, and it is these flashbacks that are most shocking of all, to the point of sympathy. The finale is frenetic, as Sue-Ann goes from likeable charmer to absolute psycho in a matter of moments – not that it hasn’t been building up to it.
Unfortunately it’s all delivered in such a short space of time that it feels rushed. Spencer’s performance is very good and there are distinct similarities to Kathy Bates and her equally psychotic character in Misery – there is even a subtle nod to the Stephen King classic.
Ma is not a total flop, but more could have been done to grip the viewer early on, instead of leaving it all to the final act.
On the outside she’s warm and friendly, only wanting to be accepted (this becomes apparent as to why later on). She secretly buys them alcohol and lets them have use of her basement to party – until she ‘becomes’ the party and local speakeasy. For the vast majority of the film there is little to class this as anything but a horror. It is relatively uneventful and offers no traditional jumpscares or shock moments.
The narrative unravels slowly allowing us to delve into Sue-Ann’s past and discover her motives, and it is these flashbacks that are most shocking of all, to the point of sympathy. The finale is frenetic, as Sue-Ann goes from likeable charmer to absolute psycho in a matter of moments – not that it hasn’t been building up to it.
Unfortunately it’s all delivered in such a short space of time that it feels rushed. Spencer’s performance is very good and there are distinct similarities to Kathy Bates and her equally psychotic character in Misery – there is even a subtle nod to the Stephen King classic.
Ma is not a total flop, but more could have been done to grip the viewer early on, instead of leaving it all to the final act.
JT (287 KP) rated The Mule (2018) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
With the internet flower business putting him into foreclosure, Earl Stone (Eastwood) must find alternative ways to make money. A man who was more dedicated to things growing in the ground than the family he neglected until it was too late he turns up at his granddaughter’s birthday party and doesn’t get a warm welcome.
Leaving with a business card and the offer to drive and deliver goods – no questions asked. Initially reluctant, Earl accepts the offer unbeknown to him the type of cargo he would be carrying.
Grizzled and back to doing what he does best, Clint Eastwood commands a screen presence like no other.
Eastwood’s grizzled charisma is not lost and he strikes up a friendly bond with some members of the cartel as his popularity rises. This puts him on the radar of DEA agents Bates (Bradley Cooper) and Treviño (Michael Peña) who piece together clues as to the identity of the mysterious driver known to the cartel as ‘El Tata’.
While there is a sufficient amount of tension, the film focuses on Earl desperately trying to reconnect with his family and make amends for all the times he wasn’t there – including his daughter’s wedding.
When we’re not in the passenger seat we’re following the DEA as they close in on ‘El Tata’. Changes in hierarchy within the cartel threaten to turn everything on its head and Earl is forced to make a number of decisions that will ultimately save him and his family.
The Mule has some heart-warming moments and is blessed with a strong cast. It’s not as gritty as Gran Torino but it worked for me.
Leaving with a business card and the offer to drive and deliver goods – no questions asked. Initially reluctant, Earl accepts the offer unbeknown to him the type of cargo he would be carrying.
Grizzled and back to doing what he does best, Clint Eastwood commands a screen presence like no other.
Eastwood’s grizzled charisma is not lost and he strikes up a friendly bond with some members of the cartel as his popularity rises. This puts him on the radar of DEA agents Bates (Bradley Cooper) and Treviño (Michael Peña) who piece together clues as to the identity of the mysterious driver known to the cartel as ‘El Tata’.
While there is a sufficient amount of tension, the film focuses on Earl desperately trying to reconnect with his family and make amends for all the times he wasn’t there – including his daughter’s wedding.
When we’re not in the passenger seat we’re following the DEA as they close in on ‘El Tata’. Changes in hierarchy within the cartel threaten to turn everything on its head and Earl is forced to make a number of decisions that will ultimately save him and his family.
The Mule has some heart-warming moments and is blessed with a strong cast. It’s not as gritty as Gran Torino but it worked for me.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 8 in TV
Apr 29, 2020 (Updated Sep 10, 2020)
Season 8 of AHS is one that I honestly struggled with.
Subtitled "Apocalypse", the show deals with the end of the world and endeavours to bring the antichrist, a now grown Michael Langdon (born at the end of season 1) face to face with the coven of witches from season 3.
I can't fault the ambition on display. I really like when different seasons reference each other so this first fully fledged crossover is enticing.
The execution is just a bit boring unfortunately.
I didn't really like any of the new characters. I like both Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson very much, but the characters written for them are so over the top. AHS had always had a hammy side, but this was just a little too much. The comedy aspect just didn't stick this time around. Even Kathy Bates get a pretty uninspired story arc, really nothing too different from her "right hand man" relegation in Freak Show and Hotel.
As I've said before, I'm also not a huge fan of Coven, so when they eventually turn up, I surprisingly felt relieved.
Michael Langdon is an exception. Cody Fern plays him with a genuine sense of evil, and was the highlight for me.
It's not all bad however, the return to Murder House was a great touch and it was great to see Jessica Lange and other season 1 characters return, even if it was all too brief.
It's hard to hate on it too much, as AHS always has it's tongue firmly in cheek, but Apocalypse just felt like a misfire - a great idea, but fumbled in practice.
Subtitled "Apocalypse", the show deals with the end of the world and endeavours to bring the antichrist, a now grown Michael Langdon (born at the end of season 1) face to face with the coven of witches from season 3.
I can't fault the ambition on display. I really like when different seasons reference each other so this first fully fledged crossover is enticing.
The execution is just a bit boring unfortunately.
I didn't really like any of the new characters. I like both Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson very much, but the characters written for them are so over the top. AHS had always had a hammy side, but this was just a little too much. The comedy aspect just didn't stick this time around. Even Kathy Bates get a pretty uninspired story arc, really nothing too different from her "right hand man" relegation in Freak Show and Hotel.
As I've said before, I'm also not a huge fan of Coven, so when they eventually turn up, I surprisingly felt relieved.
Michael Langdon is an exception. Cody Fern plays him with a genuine sense of evil, and was the highlight for me.
It's not all bad however, the return to Murder House was a great touch and it was great to see Jessica Lange and other season 1 characters return, even if it was all too brief.
It's hard to hate on it too much, as AHS always has it's tongue firmly in cheek, but Apocalypse just felt like a misfire - a great idea, but fumbled in practice.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated City of Betrayal in Books
Dec 6, 2023
Observing the War of the Roses
It's August of 1920, and the fight to ratify the nineteenth amendment giving women the right to vote has come down to Tennessee. Everyone thinks that, among the states that haven’t voted on it yet, the best chance to pass it will be here. Elizabeth Bates and her mother-in-law have been asked to go to Tennessee and help with the lobbying of state representatives to get it passed. Gideon joins them as well. When the three arrive, they quickly see the see of various color roses, those for and against ratification. But can they do anything to make a difference in the vote?
Normally, I love this author’s books, so I picked this book up without paying too much attention to what it was about. However, this one didn’t live up to her usual standards. I have a feeling she was so fascinated by the real life stuff she uncovered while doing research she tried to fit it all into a novel. The problem is the result reads more like a history book than a novel, and Elizabeth and the others get involved in mini episodes without having an overall plot to drive us other than will the amendment get passed or not. Several supporting characters show up for cameos, and even the three main characters feel flat. If you are a fan of the author, know what to expect going in. If you are new to her, don’t judge her by this book, but pick up some of her other books and you’ll get caught up in them.
Normally, I love this author’s books, so I picked this book up without paying too much attention to what it was about. However, this one didn’t live up to her usual standards. I have a feeling she was so fascinated by the real life stuff she uncovered while doing research she tried to fit it all into a novel. The problem is the result reads more like a history book than a novel, and Elizabeth and the others get involved in mini episodes without having an overall plot to drive us other than will the amendment get passed or not. Several supporting characters show up for cameos, and even the three main characters feel flat. If you are a fan of the author, know what to expect going in. If you are new to her, don’t judge her by this book, but pick up some of her other books and you’ll get caught up in them.
Joelene Marie (28 KP) rated The Waking Land (The Waking Land, #1) in Books
Oct 1, 2018
**3.75 stars rounded up**
I really wish we had half stars to use at least. This one was difficult for me to nail down for a rating. I don't think it's really a solid 4 stars but not 3 either so somewhere in between.
That said, I did enjoy the book. I thought the plot was unique and the world building was decent. The characters were my main issue. There is a bit of a lack of depth in some of the supporting characters that I feel could have used a little more development. However, my main problem was with Elanna. She seemed a bit... well, flaky at times. She clearly had Stockholm's in the beginning but she changed her beliefs every time someone told her something. She went from hating her father to loving him as soon as she saw him to almost indifference when he died as well as from hiding and fearing her magic to loving it with no real in between. There was also A LOT of repetition, especially in her inner monologues. She didn't want to fight in a war for her dad, she wanted to run away, then it was steward of the land and born for this over and over. This book does have its redeeming qualities tho. Despite my irritation with the characters at times, the action kept me invested in the story. I needed to know what was going to happen, will their small band of revolutionaries win or lose and at what cost? I also liked the mythology woven into the story, especially about the ancestors.
Overall, I think it's a promising start for a first novel and am looking forward to the sequel and to seeing what Ms. Bates comes up with next.
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!**
I really wish we had half stars to use at least. This one was difficult for me to nail down for a rating. I don't think it's really a solid 4 stars but not 3 either so somewhere in between.
That said, I did enjoy the book. I thought the plot was unique and the world building was decent. The characters were my main issue. There is a bit of a lack of depth in some of the supporting characters that I feel could have used a little more development. However, my main problem was with Elanna. She seemed a bit... well, flaky at times. She clearly had Stockholm's in the beginning but she changed her beliefs every time someone told her something. She went from hating her father to loving him as soon as she saw him to almost indifference when he died as well as from hiding and fearing her magic to loving it with no real in between. There was also A LOT of repetition, especially in her inner monologues. She didn't want to fight in a war for her dad, she wanted to run away, then it was steward of the land and born for this over and over. This book does have its redeeming qualities tho. Despite my irritation with the characters at times, the action kept me invested in the story. I needed to know what was going to happen, will their small band of revolutionaries win or lose and at what cost? I also liked the mythology woven into the story, especially about the ancestors.
Overall, I think it's a promising start for a first novel and am looking forward to the sequel and to seeing what Ms. Bates comes up with next.
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!**
Enjoyable thriller
This is a page turner of a thriller. It takes a little to get to grips with the time jumping but it helps that it uses rewind, pause and fast forward as chapters to give you some baring and once you get it it’s fine and kinda fun in a novel way. This book lends itself to being a great easy read with enough going on to keep you engaged but without being too taxing on the old noggin - perfect for holiday reading.
Natalie is a social media influencer and I did find the beginning of the book was throwing a bit too much jargon about this area at us; along with describing click bait journalist Audery’s world it felt like a real push to be “with it”. It is however a great area to explore as opening yourself up to the world like that gives a whole huge potential for weirdo exposure. When Natalie visits the remote Irish village of Shanamore she gets to meet even more odd characters in the form of holiday cottage manager Andrew with a real Norman Bates feel to him and other locals. There is definitely an air of creepy, in a skin crawling fashion, about them.
I didn’t find there to be much mystery in this book with it all being too evident who was responsible as soon as they began to appear. The multitude of POVs and the moving around in time did hamper any real development of feeling invested in the characters. All in all an enjoyable quick thriller read without too much thought required.
My thanks to the author, publisher Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Natalie is a social media influencer and I did find the beginning of the book was throwing a bit too much jargon about this area at us; along with describing click bait journalist Audery’s world it felt like a real push to be “with it”. It is however a great area to explore as opening yourself up to the world like that gives a whole huge potential for weirdo exposure. When Natalie visits the remote Irish village of Shanamore she gets to meet even more odd characters in the form of holiday cottage manager Andrew with a real Norman Bates feel to him and other locals. There is definitely an air of creepy, in a skin crawling fashion, about them.
I didn’t find there to be much mystery in this book with it all being too evident who was responsible as soon as they began to appear. The multitude of POVs and the moving around in time did hamper any real development of feeling invested in the characters. All in all an enjoyable quick thriller read without too much thought required.
My thanks to the author, publisher Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated City of Scoundrels in Books
Nov 8, 2019
Saving a War Widow from Scoundrels
It’s the fall of 1918, and the draft age for World War I has been increased, upsetting Elizabeth Miles since her fiance, Gideon Bates, has been drafted. Gideon is focusing his last few weeks as a civilian on drafting wills for soldiers. Most of them are, but one of the exceptions is Tom Preston, part owner of Preston Shoes, which has made a fortune providing shoes to the soldiers. Tom wants a new will leaving his share of the family business to his new wife and their unborn child – a wife the rest of his family knows nothing about. When word comes back that Tom has died, this new will goes missing, and his family doesn’t want to acknowledge his widow. Elizabeth is quick to jump in, getting her family, all conmen, to come up with a scheme to get this war widow the money she should have inherited. But what complications might there be along the way?
Yes, there are complications. We wouldn’t have much of a novel without them. It would have been nice if they are started a little sooner, but that’s a minor complaint. I was hooked the entire time, and it only became harder to put the book down the further I got into it. History came alive, and I felt like I was part of what was happening in the New York City area during this time. It helps that the characters are extremely strong. Through them, I came to care about the plot and the history that was unfolding around us. Yes, I felt that welcomed into the world that I was actually part of what was happening on the page. If you aren’t taking these trips back in time, you need to do so today.
Yes, there are complications. We wouldn’t have much of a novel without them. It would have been nice if they are started a little sooner, but that’s a minor complaint. I was hooked the entire time, and it only became harder to put the book down the further I got into it. History came alive, and I felt like I was part of what was happening in the New York City area during this time. It helps that the characters are extremely strong. Through them, I came to care about the plot and the history that was unfolding around us. Yes, I felt that welcomed into the world that I was actually part of what was happening on the page. If you aren’t taking these trips back in time, you need to do so today.
I Call Myself A Feminist: The View from Twenty-Five Women Under Thirty
8.0
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Is feminism still a dirty word? We asked twenty-five of the brightest, funniest, bravest young women...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2450 KP) rated City of Schemes in Books
Jan 6, 2021
Facing the Past While Planning for the Future
Reformed conwoman Elizabeth Miles is getting ready for her wedding to Gideon Bates. They have tried to keep their engagement quiet, but it still shows up in the papers. That brings Oscar Thornton back into their lives, insisting that Elizabeth refund the money that he feels she owes him. Can they stop him once and for all? Meanwhile, Gideon has reconnected with one of his friends who has returned home from World War I. Logan Carsten had become engaged to a young woman before he left, but he fell in love with someone else while stationed in France. He intends to honor his engagement, but then, he hears from this Frenchwoman asking for his help in coming in America. Elizabeth thinks something more is going on. Can she also help Logan?
If you haven’t read this series yet, I recommend you read it from the beginning. This book includes some call back to earlier adventures as well as a major spoiler for the previous book. All of that is wonderful for fans, however, as it allows the characters to grow in some great ways. I love Elizabeth, Gideon, and the rest of the regulars, so I enjoyed spending time with them again. Since this is more a caper than a traditional mystery, I enjoy watching the plot unfold in different ways, and it kept me engaged the entire time. I did have an issue with one part of the climax; if Elizabeth’s motives for her actions had been built into the story a bit more, I probably would have been okay with it. I also enjoyed the humor early in the book. Once again, author Victoria Thompson has written a book that pulled me in and only let me go when I reached the final page.
If you haven’t read this series yet, I recommend you read it from the beginning. This book includes some call back to earlier adventures as well as a major spoiler for the previous book. All of that is wonderful for fans, however, as it allows the characters to grow in some great ways. I love Elizabeth, Gideon, and the rest of the regulars, so I enjoyed spending time with them again. Since this is more a caper than a traditional mystery, I enjoy watching the plot unfold in different ways, and it kept me engaged the entire time. I did have an issue with one part of the climax; if Elizabeth’s motives for her actions had been built into the story a bit more, I probably would have been okay with it. I also enjoyed the humor early in the book. Once again, author Victoria Thompson has written a book that pulled me in and only let me go when I reached the final page.
City of Shadows
9.0
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In this all-new Counterfeit Lady Novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson newlywed...