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We Were the Salt of the Sea
8.0
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Truth lingers in murky waters… As Montrealer Catherine Day sets foot in a remote fishing...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Alex Cross (2012) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Alex Cross starts with homicide detective Alex Cross (Perry) and his team Thomas (Burns) and Monica (Nichols) needing to show their skills when a new hired killer nicknamed Picasso (Fox) uses his torture and pain techniques while eliminating people.
When the team learns of the targets they must work with who they think is the main target Giles Mercier (Reno), but this has made his team the newest targets for Picasso, who makes the killings personal.
Thoughts on Alex Cross
Characters – Dr Alex Cross is a homicide detective, we have seen this character before, but this time we meet a younger version of him, before he becomes the FBI agent we know. Alex has a family and is on the way to making his big career decision, when Picasso comes into his life, Alex will need to balance his skills and rage to stop him. Picasso is a hired gun, he is one of the very best in the world, he enjoys the pain he gives and receives, he makes his mission personal and drives Alex to limits he has never been pushed before. Thomas is the partner of Alex, he is shorter tempered, but loyal to Alex. Giles Mercier seems to be the main target of Picasso mission, he is the rich man that gets what he wants.
Performances – Tyler Perry was considered a strange choice for the leading role in this movie, known mostly for comedy and taking over from Morgan Freeman, he just doesn’t reach his levels, but is good through the film. it is Matthew Fox that shines the most as the cold calculated killer that enjoys the pain. The commitment Fox showed to this role needs to be praised because of the physical change he put his body through makes him an unlikely looking threat. Edward Burn is good as the partner while not being anything special and Jean Reno will always be good in the role he takes.
Story – To step into another Alex Cross story is always going to be interesting, picking up before he became an FBI agent helps us understand what drove him to be the determined man we know. Making the story personal for Cross shows how he can balance the law and revenge in his attempts to solve the crime. The story might not reach the level of intensity is could have for a personal story, it does everything we need for an entertaining crime mystery thriller.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action involved in the film is good, even if moments of the effects used are weak. The crime is an interesting one to watch unfold, but it takes away from the mystery because we are always on the same level of the cops, we are not feed anything to solve.
Settings – Detroit makes for a good setting, it always feels like it is a place known for the crime rates.
Scene of the Movie – Picasso introduction fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The Rocket effects.
Final Thoughts – This is an easy to watch crime thriller, it does everything it needs to do and is carried by a wonderful villain performance from Fox.
Overall: Crime fans watch.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/07/15/matthew-fox-weekend-alex-cross-2012/
When the team learns of the targets they must work with who they think is the main target Giles Mercier (Reno), but this has made his team the newest targets for Picasso, who makes the killings personal.
Thoughts on Alex Cross
Characters – Dr Alex Cross is a homicide detective, we have seen this character before, but this time we meet a younger version of him, before he becomes the FBI agent we know. Alex has a family and is on the way to making his big career decision, when Picasso comes into his life, Alex will need to balance his skills and rage to stop him. Picasso is a hired gun, he is one of the very best in the world, he enjoys the pain he gives and receives, he makes his mission personal and drives Alex to limits he has never been pushed before. Thomas is the partner of Alex, he is shorter tempered, but loyal to Alex. Giles Mercier seems to be the main target of Picasso mission, he is the rich man that gets what he wants.
Performances – Tyler Perry was considered a strange choice for the leading role in this movie, known mostly for comedy and taking over from Morgan Freeman, he just doesn’t reach his levels, but is good through the film. it is Matthew Fox that shines the most as the cold calculated killer that enjoys the pain. The commitment Fox showed to this role needs to be praised because of the physical change he put his body through makes him an unlikely looking threat. Edward Burn is good as the partner while not being anything special and Jean Reno will always be good in the role he takes.
Story – To step into another Alex Cross story is always going to be interesting, picking up before he became an FBI agent helps us understand what drove him to be the determined man we know. Making the story personal for Cross shows how he can balance the law and revenge in his attempts to solve the crime. The story might not reach the level of intensity is could have for a personal story, it does everything we need for an entertaining crime mystery thriller.
Action/Crime/Mystery – The action involved in the film is good, even if moments of the effects used are weak. The crime is an interesting one to watch unfold, but it takes away from the mystery because we are always on the same level of the cops, we are not feed anything to solve.
Settings – Detroit makes for a good setting, it always feels like it is a place known for the crime rates.
Scene of the Movie – Picasso introduction fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The Rocket effects.
Final Thoughts – This is an easy to watch crime thriller, it does everything it needs to do and is carried by a wonderful villain performance from Fox.
Overall: Crime fans watch.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/07/15/matthew-fox-weekend-alex-cross-2012/
Sue (5 KP) rated Cut, Crop & Die (Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery, #2) in Books
Apr 23, 2018
book description:
All it took was one scone. When the hot-tempered (and widely hated) hobbyist Yvonne Gaynor eats a tainted pastry at Kiki's scrapbooking crop party, it triggers an allergy that leads to Yvonne's death. Even worse, the police suspect foul play when they realize that someone tampered with the treats and swiped the victim's allergy medication.
An expert at stealing design ideas, Yvonne had enough enemies to fill a memory album. Soon, the scrapbooking community pins her murder on Kiki's friends and our ace scrapper finds herself dealing with anti-Semitic threats at the shop, a quarrelsome pre-teen daughter at home, a meddlesome mother-in-law, and constant financial pressure. Despite help from the handsome yet annoyingly coy Detective Detweiler, Kiki has her work cut out for her in solving the crime.
All it took was one scone. When the hot-tempered (and widely hated) hobbyist Yvonne Gaynor eats a tainted pastry at Kiki's scrapbooking crop party, it triggers an allergy that leads to Yvonne's death. Even worse, the police suspect foul play when they realize that someone tampered with the treats and swiped the victim's allergy medication.
An expert at stealing design ideas, Yvonne had enough enemies to fill a memory album. Soon, the scrapbooking community pins her murder on Kiki's friends and our ace scrapper finds herself dealing with anti-Semitic threats at the shop, a quarrelsome pre-teen daughter at home, a meddlesome mother-in-law, and constant financial pressure. Despite help from the handsome yet annoyingly coy Detective Detweiler, Kiki has her work cut out for her in solving the crime.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) in Movies
Mar 31, 2019 (Updated Mar 31, 2019)
Hugely likeable, tongue-in-cheek mash-up of monster movie and crime drama. An ancient Aztec dragon-bird-god begins terrorising window-cleaners, construction workers and other people on top of high buildings in New York. Small-time crook (Moriarty) comes across the lair but will only tell heroic detective (Carradine) if the price is right.
The stuff with the monster is grisly good fun, while the more down to earth scenes are lifted hugely by the terrific performance of Moriarty, who seems to think he's appearing in a John Cassavetes film. The special effects are heroically over-ambitious and a subplot about an Aztec cult committing human sacrifices feels like an awkward afterthought, but that just adds to the entertainment value of an unashamed exploitation movie, and a mighty fine one too.
The stuff with the monster is grisly good fun, while the more down to earth scenes are lifted hugely by the terrific performance of Moriarty, who seems to think he's appearing in a John Cassavetes film. The special effects are heroically over-ambitious and a subplot about an Aztec cult committing human sacrifices feels like an awkward afterthought, but that just adds to the entertainment value of an unashamed exploitation movie, and a mighty fine one too.
Sue (5 KP) rated Cut, Crop & Die (Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery, #2) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
book description:
All it took was one scone. When the hot-tempered (and widely hated) hobbyist Yvonne Gaynor eats a tainted pastry at Kiki's scrapbooking crop party, it triggers an allergy that leads to Yvonne's death. Even worse, the police suspect foul play when they realize that someone tampered with the treats and swiped the victim's allergy medication.
An expert at stealing design ideas, Yvonne had enough enemies to fill a memory album. Soon, the scrapbooking community pins her murder on Kiki's friends and our ace scrapper finds herself dealing with anti-Semitic threats at the shop, a quarrelsome pre-teen daughter at home, a meddlesome mother-in-law, and constant financial pressure. Despite help from the handsome yet annoyingly coy Detective Detweiler, Kiki has her work cut out for her in solving the crime.
All it took was one scone. When the hot-tempered (and widely hated) hobbyist Yvonne Gaynor eats a tainted pastry at Kiki's scrapbooking crop party, it triggers an allergy that leads to Yvonne's death. Even worse, the police suspect foul play when they realize that someone tampered with the treats and swiped the victim's allergy medication.
An expert at stealing design ideas, Yvonne had enough enemies to fill a memory album. Soon, the scrapbooking community pins her murder on Kiki's friends and our ace scrapper finds herself dealing with anti-Semitic threats at the shop, a quarrelsome pre-teen daughter at home, a meddlesome mother-in-law, and constant financial pressure. Despite help from the handsome yet annoyingly coy Detective Detweiler, Kiki has her work cut out for her in solving the crime.
Tick Tock (Michael Bennett, #4)
7.0
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A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to...
Silver Bullets
Book
For Detective Edgar "Lefty" Mendieta, tormented by past heartbreak and dismayed by all-pervasive...
Speedy Death
8.0
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Rediscover Gladys Mitchell - one of the 'Big Three' female crime fiction writers alongside Agatha...
The Sleeping and the Dead
Book
Detective Peter Porteous is called to Cranwell Lake where the body of a teenager has been...
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories in Books
Jun 24, 2019
It's getting a bit late to post these festive reviews so I'll keep it short. It's only a short book, anyway.
This book contains four short stories, all crime/detective tales, starting with The Mistltoe Murder. My personal favourite was the final story, The Twelve Clues of Christmas. Every story was great, though, and A Very Commonplace Murder was particularly surprising.
James manages to include a fantastic little hint/twist at the end of the stories, changing your whole perception on what you've just read. This made the crimes so much more interesting and real. They were relatively simple crimes - stabbings, poisoning - but there's always a lot more going on under the surface than you'd expect.
A fantastic little collection, with a foreword by Val McDermid too. 4 stars.
This book contains four short stories, all crime/detective tales, starting with The Mistltoe Murder. My personal favourite was the final story, The Twelve Clues of Christmas. Every story was great, though, and A Very Commonplace Murder was particularly surprising.
James manages to include a fantastic little hint/twist at the end of the stories, changing your whole perception on what you've just read. This made the crimes so much more interesting and real. They were relatively simple crimes - stabbings, poisoning - but there's always a lot more going on under the surface than you'd expect.
A fantastic little collection, with a foreword by Val McDermid too. 4 stars.