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Copshop (2021)
Copshop (2021)
2021 | Thriller
5
6.7 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Alexis Louder - very impressive acting performance (0 more)
Ludicrous plot "twists" that make no sense (0 more)
Ludicrous plot points ruin a promising actioner.
Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) is arrested after deliberately punching dedicated rookie cop Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) and incarcerated within Gun Creek City police station. Soon after, Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler) is dumped in the opposite cell for drunk driving. It’s clear both men intended to end up there, but why?

The wheels come off the night big time though when the psychopathic Anthony Lamb (Toby Huss) arrives, having the same mission as Viddick.

Positives:
- While the three male leads have fun with their roles, the star of the show for me was the (unknown to me) Alexis Louder. She delivers a really strong performance here, with a confident stillness in some of her close-ups.
- There are a number of nice lines in the script, some of which made me laugh out loud, which I wasn't expecting to do.
- As a 'park your brain at the door' shoot-em-up, the ending is fun, similar in many ways I thought to the claustrophobic violence of "Free Fire".

Negatives:
- Here's YET another example of a script that is downright insulting to the audience's intelligence. There are some genuine "WTF" moments in this script. I can't go into details without dropping spoilers, but the biggest of these - you'll know it when you see it - is a genuine "HANG ON A MINUTE!!!" moment.
- The sound mix drowns out a lot of the (already drawly and indistinct) dialogue with the incessant music. It's really difficult to pick up on some of the lines.
- There's something surprisingly 'retro' about the whole movie, right down to the use of split-screen at the end. The titles feel as if they were from a 70's TV show like Kojak. I could imagine this would work well... if the movie had actually been set in the 70's!

Summary Thoughts on "Copshop": There's almost a good little action film buried in here struggling to get out. Alexis Louder makes a very positive impression with the best parts of the film happening when she is verbally sparring with Butler. But a good action movie needs to keep things credible, albeit on the edge of credibility (e.g. John McClane's lift shaft fall in "Die Hard" is very much on the boundary, if a little over it). Thanks to some ludicrous decisions within the script, this one lost all credibility for me and took me right out of the story.

(For the full graphical and video reviews, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks).
  
SH
See How They Run (Embassy Row, #2)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

See How They Run</i> begins one week after the first novel in Ally Carter’s <i>Embassy Row</i> series comes to its dramatic conclusion. It is a week since sixteen-year-old Grace remembers what happened to her mother; a week since her life was in danger; a week since the Prime Minister suffered a fatal “heart attack”.

Naturally, it is not possible for Grace’s life to go back to “normal” after the bombshells dropped in <i>All Fall Down</i>, but even if she were to try her life would only be turned upside again. After a brief love triangle sparks a fist fight, Grace’s friend Alexei is suspected of murder when the body of Jamie’s, Grace’s brother’s, friend is washed up on the beach. Since being introduced to a world of secret societies and passages 100 feet under the city, Grace is certain that Alexei has been framed, but how can she prove it? As Grace and her friends set out to discover the truth, she unearths a lot more than she bargained for.

<i>See How They Run</i> is even more exciting than its precursor. There is no need for introductions to the characters, nor their history, allowing the story to jump straight into the action. The plot twists and turns from beginning to end as the mystery becomes more complicated before ending on yet another bombshell.

Ally Carter is inventive and accurately captures the personality of a person suffering from PTSD. Due to past psychotic episodes, Grace is rarely believed whenever she suggests something that goes against the beliefs of the masses. She also questions herself and her ability to post judgment on the situation.

Grace is not a typical young adult hero and thus will appeal to many readers who feel different from other people in a negative way. Although the brief love triangle toward the beginning of the book, romance does not get in the way of or detract from the plot, which a lot of avid readers will be pleased about.

Ally Carter is already popular within the young adult world and this series will not be a disappointment to her fans. Unsurprisingly the books need to be read in order; so if you like the sound of this book, make sure you get a copy of the first in the series!