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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Psycho (1960) in Movies
Sep 30, 2019
Most Hollywood scholars and film critics agree Vertigo is the ultimate Hitchcock masterpiece with Psycho, North By Northwest or Rear Window rounding out the top 4. Although I would give each a 10 out of 10, I would say Psycho is probably my all time favorite.
Maybe you could say Vertigo is a better technical film or it uses camera, lighting, sets and scenery better, but Psycho has all of that as well and then some. I remember reading somewhere a list of movies where mid way through the film the plot was hijacked in a completely different direction than it had been going (for movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and True Lies), but Psycho was not listed.
I was extremely surprised in that by 1960, how many filmmakers would dare kill off their only main character and the only one the audience cares about partially through and leave the audience gasping as what was to happen next? I wish I had been sitting in a darkened theatre in 1960 to see just that. Working at movie theatres for years, I have had my share of watching crowd reaction both in laughter and in fear, and I can see how movie makers enjoy doing this themselves for their own films.
Great movies keep you coming back even though you are completely familiar with every detail already, but still come back to rewatch anyways.
I have to assume Anthony Perkins did too good of a job as Norman Bates to have any casting directors use him for different roles. He reprised Norman, several times in the 80s and 90s, and also had roles in other films like The Black Hole and Murder on the Orient Express, but no one really remembers him for anything other than Psycho. He was just that great.
I absolutely love the Bernard Herrmann score, especially over the haunting opening credit sequence. One of the best of all time. Have to mention Janet Leigh also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She was memorable and marvelous as well.
And Hitch never won Best Director.
Maybe you could say Vertigo is a better technical film or it uses camera, lighting, sets and scenery better, but Psycho has all of that as well and then some. I remember reading somewhere a list of movies where mid way through the film the plot was hijacked in a completely different direction than it had been going (for movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and True Lies), but Psycho was not listed.
I was extremely surprised in that by 1960, how many filmmakers would dare kill off their only main character and the only one the audience cares about partially through and leave the audience gasping as what was to happen next? I wish I had been sitting in a darkened theatre in 1960 to see just that. Working at movie theatres for years, I have had my share of watching crowd reaction both in laughter and in fear, and I can see how movie makers enjoy doing this themselves for their own films.
Great movies keep you coming back even though you are completely familiar with every detail already, but still come back to rewatch anyways.
I have to assume Anthony Perkins did too good of a job as Norman Bates to have any casting directors use him for different roles. He reprised Norman, several times in the 80s and 90s, and also had roles in other films like The Black Hole and Murder on the Orient Express, but no one really remembers him for anything other than Psycho. He was just that great.
I absolutely love the Bernard Herrmann score, especially over the haunting opening credit sequence. One of the best of all time. Have to mention Janet Leigh also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She was memorable and marvelous as well.
And Hitch never won Best Director.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Read It and Weep in Books
Oct 12, 2019
Romance Overshadows Mystery
This fall, Lindsey’s friend Violet La Rue is directing a local theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she is encouraging everyone to try out for it. Lindsey is more interested in working behind the scenes on the costumes, but many of her friends land parts in the play. The one non-community member cast is Violet’s friend, Robbie Vine, a celebrated actor. He brings with him his wife and his girlfriend, but he still is immediately smitten with Lindsey, and he starts flirting with her, which does nothing but irritate Sully, Lindsey’s ex. However, Lindsey’s romantic troubles aren’t the biggest issue on the stage. Instead, a series of increasingly more serious accidents seem to be happening in the theater. Is someone out to destroy the production? Is any one person the target? Will Lindsey get to the bottom of things before someone dies?
Since I’m behind on this series, I knew that Lindsey was going to have some serious issues with her love life, and that is the case here. In fact, it feels more like the focus of the book with the mystery being a sub-plot. I’m a guy, so I don’t tend to read romances, and I stir clear of many romantic comedies because they aren’t my thing. The romantic comedy aspect of this book certainly bothered me. While there are some mysterious occurrences, it wasn’t really until the second half when the mystery really got going and even then, is often overshadowed by the romance. There is a good twist to the mystery, however. And I adore the series characters. We get to see a different side of a couple of them and finally spend some time getting to know Violet. On the other hand, the suspects were rather weak. I’ve read enough of author Jenn McKinlay’s books to know this is a blip from an author I usually adore. If you are a fan of her books, you’ll still want to see what happens here. If you are new to her books, you’ll be better served starting with a different book and coming back to this one later. Personally, I am looking forward to visiting Lindsey again soon.
Since I’m behind on this series, I knew that Lindsey was going to have some serious issues with her love life, and that is the case here. In fact, it feels more like the focus of the book with the mystery being a sub-plot. I’m a guy, so I don’t tend to read romances, and I stir clear of many romantic comedies because they aren’t my thing. The romantic comedy aspect of this book certainly bothered me. While there are some mysterious occurrences, it wasn’t really until the second half when the mystery really got going and even then, is often overshadowed by the romance. There is a good twist to the mystery, however. And I adore the series characters. We get to see a different side of a couple of them and finally spend some time getting to know Violet. On the other hand, the suspects were rather weak. I’ve read enough of author Jenn McKinlay’s books to know this is a blip from an author I usually adore. If you are a fan of her books, you’ll still want to see what happens here. If you are new to her books, you’ll be better served starting with a different book and coming back to this one later. Personally, I am looking forward to visiting Lindsey again soon.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated This Is How I Lied in Books
May 21, 2020
This book was one of those delicious surprises that turns out to be so much better than you expect. I've never read a book by Heather Gudenkauf before, but I certainly will be reading more of her books now! I read this as I was sent a Netgalley widget, and I'm so glad! This is such a dark and twisty tale, and I loved how it kept me guessing the entire time, always wondering and doubting myself about what exactly happened to Eve.
Gudenkauf tells her tale from multiple perspectives and time periods, but unlike so many thrillers these days, she does so deftly. It's heartbreaking to hear from the Eve of twenty-five years ago, knowing her fate, yet fascinating, as she slowly dispenses details and clues about what has happened to her. Eve's younger sister is the "town crazy," a veterinarian with a penchant for extreme creepiness. We also have Maggie's even-keeled husband, Shaun, who runs their orchard (and did I mention Maggie is way pregnant?), her father, the ex-chief, who is suffering from dementia, and her brother, who has been forced to care for him. And lets not forget Eve's ex-boyfriend, Nick, who now runs a store in town.
The small-town dynamics are perfect here. Eve's murder is the biggest thing to happen to this town. Everyone knows everyone else, and they think they all know each other's secrets. But, goodness, the secrets and lies buried deep in this small town are just beginning as Maggie starts investigating Eve's death again. The story unfolds perfectly--new pieces coming at you in just the right amount, constantly changing the perspective and allowing suspects to switch around in your mind. Half the thrillers I read, I feel like I have the "whodunnit" figured out from the beginning, but I was never sure here, always frantically reading, always wondering, and being pulled deeply into Eve and Maggie's lives.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I loved the surprise of it--finding a book I didn't expect to be so good--and I loved being drawn into such a taunt well-written thriller. 4.5 stars.
Gudenkauf tells her tale from multiple perspectives and time periods, but unlike so many thrillers these days, she does so deftly. It's heartbreaking to hear from the Eve of twenty-five years ago, knowing her fate, yet fascinating, as she slowly dispenses details and clues about what has happened to her. Eve's younger sister is the "town crazy," a veterinarian with a penchant for extreme creepiness. We also have Maggie's even-keeled husband, Shaun, who runs their orchard (and did I mention Maggie is way pregnant?), her father, the ex-chief, who is suffering from dementia, and her brother, who has been forced to care for him. And lets not forget Eve's ex-boyfriend, Nick, who now runs a store in town.
The small-town dynamics are perfect here. Eve's murder is the biggest thing to happen to this town. Everyone knows everyone else, and they think they all know each other's secrets. But, goodness, the secrets and lies buried deep in this small town are just beginning as Maggie starts investigating Eve's death again. The story unfolds perfectly--new pieces coming at you in just the right amount, constantly changing the perspective and allowing suspects to switch around in your mind. Half the thrillers I read, I feel like I have the "whodunnit" figured out from the beginning, but I was never sure here, always frantically reading, always wondering, and being pulled deeply into Eve and Maggie's lives.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I loved the surprise of it--finding a book I didn't expect to be so good--and I loved being drawn into such a taunt well-written thriller. 4.5 stars.
IN///PARALLEL by Dhani Harrison
Album Watch
Grammy Award winning musician Dhani Harrison’s first solo album IN///PARALLEL. Dhani describes...
alternative
White as Silence, Red as Song
3.0
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International bestseller White as Milk, Red as Blood, has been called the Italian The Fault in Our...
original title Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Reclamation ( Shadowed Wings book 3) in Books
Sep 9, 2022
Contains spoilers, click to show
162 of 230
Kindle
Reclamation ( Shadowed Wings book 3)
By Ivy Ash
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
The last place I ever wanted to be was in the middle of someone else’s war. Too bad fate doesn’t give a fuck.
When I first woke up in the land of the Gryphons, I had one goal...getting back home.
I was so focused on figuring out how to leave that I got myself exiled from the Hidden, captured by the Avowed, and managed to claim not one, but three mates. Although I had no idea about that last one until it was too late.
Oh right, and then I almost died.
I thought having my throat slit from ear to ear was going to be the worst of my problems. But my asshole mates make coming back from the brink of death look like a glide through the sky compared to dealing with them.
I’m ready to accept my fate and right the wrongs of the past. I just wish I had some idea how to keep the pricks I’m bound to from fighting long enough so we can find the help we need.
I’m supposed to awaken all that I am in order to finally free the Gryphons, but will I find the key to unlock all the answers in time?
War is breathing down our backs, and if we can’t figure out how to come together...we’re all going to die.
So I was left reeling after the last two chapters in book 2 so I was thinking all sorts going into book 3. I just loved this book I think Falon is just brilliant she just does not give a f**k. She finally stands up to the 3 meat heads she is mated too and that scene I was just laughing. She finally finds her place in the world and does it with such a filthy mouth, there’s no holding her back. She reminds me so much of a person in my life. Definitely a series I’d recommend I think I need to start the series before this one as the ending has me believing they are lin
Kindle
Reclamation ( Shadowed Wings book 3)
By Ivy Ash
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
The last place I ever wanted to be was in the middle of someone else’s war. Too bad fate doesn’t give a fuck.
When I first woke up in the land of the Gryphons, I had one goal...getting back home.
I was so focused on figuring out how to leave that I got myself exiled from the Hidden, captured by the Avowed, and managed to claim not one, but three mates. Although I had no idea about that last one until it was too late.
Oh right, and then I almost died.
I thought having my throat slit from ear to ear was going to be the worst of my problems. But my asshole mates make coming back from the brink of death look like a glide through the sky compared to dealing with them.
I’m ready to accept my fate and right the wrongs of the past. I just wish I had some idea how to keep the pricks I’m bound to from fighting long enough so we can find the help we need.
I’m supposed to awaken all that I am in order to finally free the Gryphons, but will I find the key to unlock all the answers in time?
War is breathing down our backs, and if we can’t figure out how to come together...we’re all going to die.
So I was left reeling after the last two chapters in book 2 so I was thinking all sorts going into book 3. I just loved this book I think Falon is just brilliant she just does not give a f**k. She finally stands up to the 3 meat heads she is mated too and that scene I was just laughing. She finally finds her place in the world and does it with such a filthy mouth, there’s no holding her back. She reminds me so much of a person in my life. Definitely a series I’d recommend I think I need to start the series before this one as the ending has me believing they are lin