Search
Search results

Kim Pook (101 KP) rated A Simple Favor (2018) in Movies
Jul 23, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
As soon as the movie starts we learn that Stephanie is a vlogger who's "best friend" Emily is currently missing and we are thrown into a backstory of how they met. We also discover that Stephanie is a widower and Emily isn't the nicest of people, she's always criticising Stephanie and even freaked out when she took her photo, yet Stephanie still wants to hang out with her and share secrets etc. I guess Stephanie just has a hard time making friends so clings to the first woman who speaks to her, sadly this is a thing as I've known people who have done this in real life. Anyway the last time Stephanie hears from Emily, she is asked to pick up her child from school for a few hours and she's never heard from again. Stephanie and Emily's husband take it upon themselves to find out where Emily is, the investigation is short lived when Emily is found dead.
The movie was very captivating especially an hour before the end. There was so many unexpected twists and turns, just when you get over one twist another is thrown at you. There is a little humour in it, however, this humour can sometimes takeaway the seriousness of the movie as it is a little far fetched at times. You'll understand when you watch 😉
The movie was very captivating especially an hour before the end. There was so many unexpected twists and turns, just when you get over one twist another is thrown at you. There is a little humour in it, however, this humour can sometimes takeaway the seriousness of the movie as it is a little far fetched at times. You'll understand when you watch 😉

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Piranha 3D (2010) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019
Kind of great, definitely awful
Looking for a silly, average, stupidly gory horror film? You could do a lot worse than Piranha 3D.
This movie is never going to be considered a horror great, not even close. It's cheesy, it's brimming with awful acting (except Elisabeth Shue, we love Elisabeth Shue), and it's completely brain dead, and in spite of all of this, Piranha 3D knows exactly what it is, and just waves it in our stupid entertained faces - it's a lot of fun.
The build up to the ridiculous finale is filled with a lot of one dimensional characters that are hard to care about, but has enough sudden gore (with some pretty nice practical effects for the record) to keep you interested.
They even throw in Christopher Lloyd just being a perfect bat-shit crazy version of himself, because why the hell not.
For the most part, it's all very standard and pretty average. But that aforementioned finale....Christ.
The final 20 minutes is gratuitous and then some.
The audience is just assaulted by outrageous violence, enough to keep you firmly grasping just how silly this film is...it's kind of glorious, and the whole thing deserves it's place in the infamous so-bad-its-great hall of horror fame.
It's dumb, but it's entertaining. A must for anyone who fancies a braindead popcorn horror now and again.
This movie is never going to be considered a horror great, not even close. It's cheesy, it's brimming with awful acting (except Elisabeth Shue, we love Elisabeth Shue), and it's completely brain dead, and in spite of all of this, Piranha 3D knows exactly what it is, and just waves it in our stupid entertained faces - it's a lot of fun.
The build up to the ridiculous finale is filled with a lot of one dimensional characters that are hard to care about, but has enough sudden gore (with some pretty nice practical effects for the record) to keep you interested.
They even throw in Christopher Lloyd just being a perfect bat-shit crazy version of himself, because why the hell not.
For the most part, it's all very standard and pretty average. But that aforementioned finale....Christ.
The final 20 minutes is gratuitous and then some.
The audience is just assaulted by outrageous violence, enough to keep you firmly grasping just how silly this film is...it's kind of glorious, and the whole thing deserves it's place in the infamous so-bad-its-great hall of horror fame.
It's dumb, but it's entertaining. A must for anyone who fancies a braindead popcorn horror now and again.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper in Books
Oct 29, 2024 (Updated Oct 29, 2024)
Beatles Cover Band Member Murdered
It’s 1993, and Sandy Fairfax has fallen from his glory days as a music and TV star in the late 1970’s. He’s hoping to get some of that back, but for now, he’s taking any job he can get, including appearing at a Beatles fan convention in a small Indiana town. He’s just supposed to be there for one panel about the time that Ringo appeared on his show, but when he finds a member of the Beatle’s tribute band dead, Sandy finds himself the prime suspect. Can he clear his name?
I’ve long had this author’s books on my radar, and I wish I’d read her sooner. Sandy is trying to put his life back together, but that made me care for him more, and I didn’t feel like it fell into cliches. The rest of the cast were good for the amount of page time they had. The mystery was strong, and I enjoyed how Beatles trivia was used in the plot. Don’t worry – if, like me, you aren’t that familiar with the Fab Four, everything you need to know is explained to you. I also enjoyed the laughs all the way through the book. I will definitely be back for more in this delightful series.
I’ve long had this author’s books on my radar, and I wish I’d read her sooner. Sandy is trying to put his life back together, but that made me care for him more, and I didn’t feel like it fell into cliches. The rest of the cast were good for the amount of page time they had. The mystery was strong, and I enjoyed how Beatles trivia was used in the plot. Don’t worry – if, like me, you aren’t that familiar with the Fab Four, everything you need to know is explained to you. I also enjoyed the laughs all the way through the book. I will definitely be back for more in this delightful series.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder in Books
Apr 23, 2021 (Updated Apr 23, 2021)
Murder in the Mayor’s Office
Easter is coming, and The Cookie Jar is awash in orders, keeping Hannah Swensen, her business partner Lisa, and the rest of their staff busy. But that doesn’t mean that Hannah doesn’t have time to help her sister Andrea when she calls in a panic. She’s just found Mayor Bascomb’s dead body in his office hours after having a very loud fight with him. The police wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t consider Andrea a suspect, so Hannah springs into action to figure out what really happened. Can she prove her sister is innocent?
I’ve been reading this long running series since the beginning, and I keep reading because I do enjoy catching up with the characters. If that is your reason for picking up the book, you’ll find they are as charming as always. I was pleased to see the soap opera of the previous few books has died down, and we see growth in a surprising direction in one character. Sadly, the love triangle is no closer to being resolved. The mystery is decent with enough suspects to keep us engaged. However, the focus is on the food. There is plenty of talk about food and how much the characters love what they are eating. With 24 new recipes for us to try, there is certainly plenty of new food to talk about. The dialogue is repetitious, an example of why realistic dialogue is better than real dialogue in a novel. While I still want to catch up with the characters, I find myself skimming the book instead of reading it closely. If you are like me and want to keep up with the characters, you’ll be glad you picked up this book. But if you haven’t started the series yet, you’ll want to go back to the beginning to find out why there are readers like me who still enjoy visiting the characters. And if you’ve given up on the series, you can safely skip this one.
I’ve been reading this long running series since the beginning, and I keep reading because I do enjoy catching up with the characters. If that is your reason for picking up the book, you’ll find they are as charming as always. I was pleased to see the soap opera of the previous few books has died down, and we see growth in a surprising direction in one character. Sadly, the love triangle is no closer to being resolved. The mystery is decent with enough suspects to keep us engaged. However, the focus is on the food. There is plenty of talk about food and how much the characters love what they are eating. With 24 new recipes for us to try, there is certainly plenty of new food to talk about. The dialogue is repetitious, an example of why realistic dialogue is better than real dialogue in a novel. While I still want to catch up with the characters, I find myself skimming the book instead of reading it closely. If you are like me and want to keep up with the characters, you’ll be glad you picked up this book. But if you haven’t started the series yet, you’ll want to go back to the beginning to find out why there are readers like me who still enjoy visiting the characters. And if you’ve given up on the series, you can safely skip this one.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Space Case (Moon Base Alpha #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Dashiell Gibson is one of the first people living on the Moon colony, and he’s found life for the kids to be rather boring. All that changes when one of the residents is found dead outside the base. While everyone thinks it was an accident, Dash is certain it was murder. But can he prove it?
This is a great combination of mystery and science fiction. The setting is realistically done and really adds to the story. The target middle grade audience will love the characters and the humor. Personally, I never saw the ending coming. I can’t wait for the sequel.
You can read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-space-case-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a great combination of mystery and science fiction. The setting is realistically done and really adds to the story. The target middle grade audience will love the characters and the humor. Personally, I never saw the ending coming. I can’t wait for the sequel.
You can read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-space-case-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Hide & Snoop (An Odelia Grey mystery, #7) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
After a merger at her law firm, Odelia finds herself with a new boss who seems to have it in for her. While trying to get her job from rival paralegal Mark Baker, Odelia gets saddled with her new boss' niece. But searching for the little girl's parents start turning up dead bodies, and Odelia suddenly finds herself in way over her head. I love this series (hence the reason I got my name in this book), and this was another great mix of humor, strong characters, and fast moving plot. If you don't read this series, fix that today.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-hide-and-snoop-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-hide-and-snoop-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Learn Technical Analysis
Book and Finance
App
Learn Technical Analysis with this concise E-Book that covers the essentials of technical analysis. ...

RadioNowhere
Podcast
It's eclectic! It's eccentric! It's RadioNowhere! The official and original since 2002! ...
CO
Cat Owner's Manual
Book
At Last! A Beginner's Guide to Feline Technology Scratch marks on your furniture. Dead mice on your...

The Dogfather
Book
Who knew the world of designer purses could be such a dog-eat-dog business? When a local,...