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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Secrets, Lies & Revenge (Book 1) in Books

Jul 11, 2023  
SL
Secrets, Lies & Revenge (Book 1)
Ben Andrews | 2023
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
92 of 235
Book
Secrets,Lies &Revenge (Book 1)
By Ben Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Four women. Three murders. Infinite secrets.

After Emily Lamont and her grandmother, Cynthia, move into the affluent neighborhood of Beechwood Close — their plan is set in motion.

Ava Shaw has built up a stellar reputation, the envy of society at Beechwood. Yet her troubled past soon catches up with her when things begin to spiral out of control, threatening to finally expose the truth she spent years hiding.

Rose Walker is struggling to find peace in her home, but when she is approached by a stranger who spins stories of a group that can change her life, things finally start to look up. Until she learns of their sinister motives…

Florence Foster is transforming her life in a desperate attempt to recapture the affections of her wandering husband. But, as divorce approaches, her worst fears come to fruition.

As plans unfold and secrets are revealed, the fate of the four women hangs in the balance. But one thing is for certain, hell hath no fury like a women scorned.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was full of drama from the start. The characters were interesting and you felt everything with them. A book full of secrets, lies and revenge it certainly was. I was lucky enough to be gifted this along with an Arc copy of book 2 in the series and I can’t wait to see how these lives continue to unfold.
  
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Mountain Between Us (2017) in Movies

Sep 28, 2021  
The Mountain Between Us (2017)
The Mountain Between Us (2017)
2017 | Drama, Romance
4
6.3 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
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.