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Rock 'n' Film: Cinema's Dance with Popular Music
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Rock 'N' Film presents a cultural history of films about US and British rock music during the period...
Andy K (10821 KP) rated The Isle (2018) in Movies
Oct 12, 2019
Not much happens
Three men survived the destruction of their sailing ship in 19th century Scotland only to find themselves in the middle of the ocean with no where to go. Alas, they discover a small island with the mist of the open sea and decide to try for it. The make it ashore and are relived to be on dry land. The island does have a few residents one of which comes to greet their weary bodies and welcome them to his home.
After drying off, resting and tending to their injuries, the men are eager to return to the mainland which they query their new acquaintance about. He dodges the question several times making mention of other inhabitants of the island. The men decide to explore on their own since their new friend. Additional residents are found, some nice some aloof and maybe not so eager for conversation.
Eventually it is discovered the island has an unsettling curse upon it whereas men are lured to their deaths by the female natives due to an event which happened years earlier involving another female island resident now deceased. The surviving men now have to figure out how to leave The Isle without succumbing to its evil vices.
The best thing The Isle has going for it is the beautiful Scottish countryside, forested landscapes and gorgeous ocean views. At first, you may feel like you are watching a period Scottish episode of Lost or the recent film The Witch when you hear the Sottish accent dialogue; however, this film doesn't have the depth or screenplay of either of these. I read online the script for this film took years to complete, which is unfortunate since not much happens for the first two thirds of screen time. Once on the island, the three ship survivors mostly lounge around getting spooked by the natives and not much else.
Once the "curse" has been revealed the film picks up a bit and the 3rd act is mildly interesting; however, I was out of it by then. The resolution is interesting and entertaining, and saves the film somewhat. I just wish the set up would have been more exciting.
The film was definitely very low budget, which doesn't bother me if still done well. Sometimes, really great films can come with diminutive price tags. That just usually means filmmakers have to be more creative with what they spend their money on and make sure each dollar counts.
In the end, I was left wanting more and was disappointed.
After drying off, resting and tending to their injuries, the men are eager to return to the mainland which they query their new acquaintance about. He dodges the question several times making mention of other inhabitants of the island. The men decide to explore on their own since their new friend. Additional residents are found, some nice some aloof and maybe not so eager for conversation.
Eventually it is discovered the island has an unsettling curse upon it whereas men are lured to their deaths by the female natives due to an event which happened years earlier involving another female island resident now deceased. The surviving men now have to figure out how to leave The Isle without succumbing to its evil vices.
The best thing The Isle has going for it is the beautiful Scottish countryside, forested landscapes and gorgeous ocean views. At first, you may feel like you are watching a period Scottish episode of Lost or the recent film The Witch when you hear the Sottish accent dialogue; however, this film doesn't have the depth or screenplay of either of these. I read online the script for this film took years to complete, which is unfortunate since not much happens for the first two thirds of screen time. Once on the island, the three ship survivors mostly lounge around getting spooked by the natives and not much else.
Once the "curse" has been revealed the film picks up a bit and the 3rd act is mildly interesting; however, I was out of it by then. The resolution is interesting and entertaining, and saves the film somewhat. I just wish the set up would have been more exciting.
The film was definitely very low budget, which doesn't bother me if still done well. Sometimes, really great films can come with diminutive price tags. That just usually means filmmakers have to be more creative with what they spend their money on and make sure each dollar counts.
In the end, I was left wanting more and was disappointed.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Family Plot in Books
Sep 16, 2021
Dahlia Lighthouse and her siblings were all named after various people murdered by serial killers. Her parents are obsessed by true crime, and the children were raised in an isolated island home known as the "Murder Mansion" to the locals. Each sibling left when they received their inheritance, except for Dahlia's twin brother, Andy, who disappeared when they were sixteen. Dahlia's been gone from home for seven years when she reluctantly returns after her father's death. Once home, the family receives some terrible news; someone is already buried in their father's plot: Andy, his skull split with an ax. As Dahlia tries to work through her grief over Andy and attempt to figure out what happened to him, she begins to realize that it may trace back to her island home and her family.
"I have to find out what happened to Andy. Then I have to leave this place for good."
This is a dark thriller that will appeal to true crime fans. The Lighthouse family embodies true crime--home schooled, the kids write reports on various serial killer victims and they perform rituals related to their deaths. The obsession with death and murder runs deep, and it's certainly unsettling at first. Dahlia's mother lost her own parents in a gruesome way, and it's definitely apparent that this family isn't quite right.
The first half of this book was really fascinating for me. Weird yes, but oddly interesting as you get to know this messed up family and all their dark secrets. Dahlia seems like a sister grieving the loss of her twin brother, and you find yourself wanting to know what happened to him. There's certainly a limited pool of suspects (small island) but the book keeps you guessing.
The second half did not seem as strong as the first. The weirdness factor ratchets up to almost unbelievable. Dahlia's older siblings are annoying and too much. The limited pool of subjects becomes almost cloying, suddenly making things seem too obvious as the plot thickens and become a bit too bizarre. Things get incredibly grim at times.
Still, while this is a strange read, overall it's a page-turner and something kept me reading. It's like a trainwreck from which you cannot look away. Collins definitely includes some good points about the bonds of family and people's obsession with crime and murder. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Atria Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"I have to find out what happened to Andy. Then I have to leave this place for good."
This is a dark thriller that will appeal to true crime fans. The Lighthouse family embodies true crime--home schooled, the kids write reports on various serial killer victims and they perform rituals related to their deaths. The obsession with death and murder runs deep, and it's certainly unsettling at first. Dahlia's mother lost her own parents in a gruesome way, and it's definitely apparent that this family isn't quite right.
The first half of this book was really fascinating for me. Weird yes, but oddly interesting as you get to know this messed up family and all their dark secrets. Dahlia seems like a sister grieving the loss of her twin brother, and you find yourself wanting to know what happened to him. There's certainly a limited pool of suspects (small island) but the book keeps you guessing.
The second half did not seem as strong as the first. The weirdness factor ratchets up to almost unbelievable. Dahlia's older siblings are annoying and too much. The limited pool of subjects becomes almost cloying, suddenly making things seem too obvious as the plot thickens and become a bit too bizarre. Things get incredibly grim at times.
Still, while this is a strange read, overall it's a page-turner and something kept me reading. It's like a trainwreck from which you cannot look away. Collins definitely includes some good points about the bonds of family and people's obsession with crime and murder. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Atria Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Churchill (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
“We will bore them on the beaches”.
“Churchill” tells the story of the great leader’s extreme opposition to “Operation Overlord”, the Eisenhower-led invasion of Normandy in 1944 that ultimately led – more by luck that judgement perhaps – to the fall of the Third Reich in the following year.
I’m not a historian but am married to one, so know the importance of “sources” in the pursuit of “truth”: one man’s terrorist is after all another man’s freedom fighter from a different perspective. Some sources on the internet (here for example) certainly suggest the The British (led by Churchill as Prime Minister) might have sensibly promoted the acceleration of the Italian campaign to reach Berlin rather than the far riskier Channel crossing.
This film however paints Churchill as a man demonised by his decision to send young men to their deaths in the fateful Gallipoli beach landings of World War One, with this – rather than a sensible strategic one – being the primary reason for opposing the Normandy landings. To further paint him as a bumbling old fool that is “worked around” by his peers strikes you as borderline libellous.
So the film’s script, by novice Alex von Tunzelmann, immediately set the wrong tone with me, and the undeniably strong performances of Brian Cox (“The Bourne Identity”) as Churchill and the wonderful Miranda Richardson (“Harry Potter” and the soon to be released “Stronger”) as Clemmie can’t fill the gap.
Besides anything else, diretor Jonathan Teplitzky (“The Railway Man”) delivers a piece so dull and lifeless, and with so much brooding, that its not remotely enjoyable. You think the introduction of a bullied secretary – Ms Garrett (Ella Purnell) – with a strong personal connection to ‘Overlord’ will add dramatic colour? But this angle too seems to go nowhere in particular.
There are many tales of the Normandy landings that are fascinating, over and above the dramatic sweep of “The Longest Day” (which is surely well overdue for a remake?) and Spielberg’s fictionalisation of the Niland brothers in “Saving Private Ryan”. How about the 2 out of 29 American amphibious tanks that reached Omaha beach after ignoring British advice to not launch so far from shore in rough seas?
So, as a film, it might be “worthy”. But I didn’t remotely believe the depiction of Churchill and it astonished me that such a rivetingly exciting period of British history could deliver a film that bored me. So, sorry, can’t recommend this one. Perhaps Joe Wright will have a better go with Gary Oldman as Churchill in “Darkest Hour”…
I’m not a historian but am married to one, so know the importance of “sources” in the pursuit of “truth”: one man’s terrorist is after all another man’s freedom fighter from a different perspective. Some sources on the internet (here for example) certainly suggest the The British (led by Churchill as Prime Minister) might have sensibly promoted the acceleration of the Italian campaign to reach Berlin rather than the far riskier Channel crossing.
This film however paints Churchill as a man demonised by his decision to send young men to their deaths in the fateful Gallipoli beach landings of World War One, with this – rather than a sensible strategic one – being the primary reason for opposing the Normandy landings. To further paint him as a bumbling old fool that is “worked around” by his peers strikes you as borderline libellous.
So the film’s script, by novice Alex von Tunzelmann, immediately set the wrong tone with me, and the undeniably strong performances of Brian Cox (“The Bourne Identity”) as Churchill and the wonderful Miranda Richardson (“Harry Potter” and the soon to be released “Stronger”) as Clemmie can’t fill the gap.
Besides anything else, diretor Jonathan Teplitzky (“The Railway Man”) delivers a piece so dull and lifeless, and with so much brooding, that its not remotely enjoyable. You think the introduction of a bullied secretary – Ms Garrett (Ella Purnell) – with a strong personal connection to ‘Overlord’ will add dramatic colour? But this angle too seems to go nowhere in particular.
There are many tales of the Normandy landings that are fascinating, over and above the dramatic sweep of “The Longest Day” (which is surely well overdue for a remake?) and Spielberg’s fictionalisation of the Niland brothers in “Saving Private Ryan”. How about the 2 out of 29 American amphibious tanks that reached Omaha beach after ignoring British advice to not launch so far from shore in rough seas?
So, as a film, it might be “worthy”. But I didn’t remotely believe the depiction of Churchill and it astonished me that such a rivetingly exciting period of British history could deliver a film that bored me. So, sorry, can’t recommend this one. Perhaps Joe Wright will have a better go with Gary Oldman as Churchill in “Darkest Hour”…
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) in Movies
Jul 3, 2020
Introduce a horror icon (3 more)
Robert Englund
Freddy
Wes Craven
Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!
Contains spoilers, click to show
A Nightmare on Elm Street- is one of my all time favorite horror films. Its also one of the greatest horror movies of all time. That being said, the ending sucks and i will get to that, but first lets talk more about the film.
I just love the idea of someone who appears in your dreams. Someone who stalks you, someone who messes with you, someone who kills you in your dreams. Now Wes got the idea from several newspaper articles printed in the Los Angeles Times in the 1970s about Southeast Asian refugees, who, after fleeing to the United States because of war and genocide in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, suffered disturbing nightmares and refused to sleep. Some of the men died in their sleep soon after and some of his own childhood nightmares.
The idea of Freddy was Craven's early life. One night, a young Craven saw an elderly man walking on the sidepath outside the window of his home. The man stopped to glance at a startled Craven and walked off. Now Initially, Fred Krueger was intended to be a child molester, but Craven eventually characterized him as a child murderer to avoid being accused of exploiting a spate of highly publicized child molestation cases that occurred in California around the time of production of the film. This idea happened in the 2010 remake.
Lets talk about the plot: In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?
The plot/story is excellent, the mystery surrounded of Krueger. Who he exactly is, why is he do this, what made him do this, how do the parnets know about Krueger? All of these questions and more your trying to figure out and the movie does a excellent job explaining them.
The deaths: the death scenes are excellent. Tina revolving around her room, Rod's bed sheets wrapping around him while he is in a prison cell and dies hanging and Glen getting pulled through his bed and then his blood gushes to the ceiling. Excellent deaths and memorable.
The Ending: Craven originally planned for the film to have a more evocative ending: Nancy kills Krueger by ceasing to believe in him, then awakens to discover that everything that happened in the film was an elongated nightmare. However, New Line leader Robert Shaye demanded a twist ending, in which Krueger disappears and all seems to have been a dream, only for the audience to discover that it was a dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream.
According to Craven, "The original ending of the script has Nancy come out the door. It's an unusually cloudy and foggy day. A car pulls up with her dead friends in it. She's startled. She goes out and gets in the car wondering what the hell is going on, and they drive off into the fog, with the mother left standing on the doorstep and that's it. It was very brief, and suggestive that maybe life is sort of dream-like too. Shaye wanted Freddy Krueger to be driving the car, and have the kids screaming. It all became very negative. I felt a philosophical tension to my ending. Shaye said, "That's so 60s, it's stupid." I refused to have Freddy in the driver's seat, and we thought up about five different endings. The one we used, with Freddy pulling the mother through the doorway amused us all so much, we couldn't not use it."
Heather Langenkamp states that "there always was this sense that Freddy was the car", while according to Sara Risher, "it was always Wes' idea to pan to the little girls' jumping rope". Both a happy ending and a twist ending were filmed, but the final film used the twist ending. As a result, Craven who never wanted the film to be an ongoing franchise, did not work on the first sequel, Freddy's Revenge (1985).
Also Nancy's mom getting pulles through the window door was wierd and you can tell it was a blow up doll.
The Music: The lyrics for Freddy's theme song, sung by the jumprope children throughout the series and based on One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, was already written and included in the script when Bernstein started writing the soundtrack, while the melody for it was not set by Bernstein, but by Heather Langenkamp's boyfriend and soon-to-be husband at the time, Alan Pasqua, who was a musician himself. One of the three girls who recorded the vocal part of the theme was Robert Shaye's then 14-year-old daughter. Per the script, the lyrics are as follow: One two, Freddie's coming for you.Three four, better lock your door. Five six, grab your crucifix. Seven eight, gonna stay up late. Nine ten, never sleep again.
End Thoughts: A Nightmare on Elm Street is a excellent horror movie, it introduces a horror icon, has great charcters, has great death scenes and above all is perfect. Thank you Wes for giving us this movie.
I just love the idea of someone who appears in your dreams. Someone who stalks you, someone who messes with you, someone who kills you in your dreams. Now Wes got the idea from several newspaper articles printed in the Los Angeles Times in the 1970s about Southeast Asian refugees, who, after fleeing to the United States because of war and genocide in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, suffered disturbing nightmares and refused to sleep. Some of the men died in their sleep soon after and some of his own childhood nightmares.
The idea of Freddy was Craven's early life. One night, a young Craven saw an elderly man walking on the sidepath outside the window of his home. The man stopped to glance at a startled Craven and walked off. Now Initially, Fred Krueger was intended to be a child molester, but Craven eventually characterized him as a child murderer to avoid being accused of exploiting a spate of highly publicized child molestation cases that occurred in California around the time of production of the film. This idea happened in the 2010 remake.
Lets talk about the plot: In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?
The plot/story is excellent, the mystery surrounded of Krueger. Who he exactly is, why is he do this, what made him do this, how do the parnets know about Krueger? All of these questions and more your trying to figure out and the movie does a excellent job explaining them.
The deaths: the death scenes are excellent. Tina revolving around her room, Rod's bed sheets wrapping around him while he is in a prison cell and dies hanging and Glen getting pulled through his bed and then his blood gushes to the ceiling. Excellent deaths and memorable.
The Ending: Craven originally planned for the film to have a more evocative ending: Nancy kills Krueger by ceasing to believe in him, then awakens to discover that everything that happened in the film was an elongated nightmare. However, New Line leader Robert Shaye demanded a twist ending, in which Krueger disappears and all seems to have been a dream, only for the audience to discover that it was a dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream.
According to Craven, "The original ending of the script has Nancy come out the door. It's an unusually cloudy and foggy day. A car pulls up with her dead friends in it. She's startled. She goes out and gets in the car wondering what the hell is going on, and they drive off into the fog, with the mother left standing on the doorstep and that's it. It was very brief, and suggestive that maybe life is sort of dream-like too. Shaye wanted Freddy Krueger to be driving the car, and have the kids screaming. It all became very negative. I felt a philosophical tension to my ending. Shaye said, "That's so 60s, it's stupid." I refused to have Freddy in the driver's seat, and we thought up about five different endings. The one we used, with Freddy pulling the mother through the doorway amused us all so much, we couldn't not use it."
Heather Langenkamp states that "there always was this sense that Freddy was the car", while according to Sara Risher, "it was always Wes' idea to pan to the little girls' jumping rope". Both a happy ending and a twist ending were filmed, but the final film used the twist ending. As a result, Craven who never wanted the film to be an ongoing franchise, did not work on the first sequel, Freddy's Revenge (1985).
Also Nancy's mom getting pulles through the window door was wierd and you can tell it was a blow up doll.
The Music: The lyrics for Freddy's theme song, sung by the jumprope children throughout the series and based on One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, was already written and included in the script when Bernstein started writing the soundtrack, while the melody for it was not set by Bernstein, but by Heather Langenkamp's boyfriend and soon-to-be husband at the time, Alan Pasqua, who was a musician himself. One of the three girls who recorded the vocal part of the theme was Robert Shaye's then 14-year-old daughter. Per the script, the lyrics are as follow: One two, Freddie's coming for you.Three four, better lock your door. Five six, grab your crucifix. Seven eight, gonna stay up late. Nine ten, never sleep again.
End Thoughts: A Nightmare on Elm Street is a excellent horror movie, it introduces a horror icon, has great charcters, has great death scenes and above all is perfect. Thank you Wes for giving us this movie.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated You're Next (2013) in Movies
Oct 11, 2017
One fucked up family gathering... Hey, who invited the sheep??
Contains spoilers, click to show
When I sing the praises of a movie in it's entirety, people who read my reviews know I think it's amazing.
First things first, let me get the blowing the writer put of the way... Simon Barrett is a God amongst horror writers. He brings you to the edge, makes you think you know what's going on and then drives a stake through you beliefs like Van Helsing...
Your typical home invasion movie turns into a sinister and diabolical insurance scam that deflates the typical nature of this formerly typical plotline... I know, I'm saying typical alot...fuckin bite me.
Adam Wingard is an absolutely kick-ass director who I personally have watched grow in the genre, and who I have come to trust when it comes to picking a film out... Regardless of what people say, had Death Note not been a successful anime series before he took the helm of the movie, it would've been glorified as a work or horror/fantasy art.
Take your (that word again) typical upper class family, stick them in a deserted home for a family get together. Add another horror director, Ti West, and Wingard and Barrett's favorite actors... Joe Swanberg, A.J. Bowen and Amy Seimetz... Dash in some Australian hottie, Sharni Vinson. And add one of the most amazing Scream Queens to ever grace the screen, Barbara Crampton. And chuck in some relative nobodies for fodder and you have the ingredients for a wild ride.
You're Next appeals to me because home invasions happen. It has a reality to it that can be matched by 2008's The Strangers and a more recent addition, Hush.
This movie delivers on all fronts.
The Killers are a band of ex Marines who are contracted but an unlikely source to carry out the deaths of rich mom and dad.
The children in the family are the height of dysfunctional, thus proving money can't buy you sanity.
And the twist in this movie proves that secrets can be hidden well in a script if the proper distractions are in place.
One thing I'd like to add before I end this is the masks work by the Killers are straight creepy. Whoever thought to put them in those is genius. And they made for some great marketing posters and internet spots.
Simple flat white masks that have not scared me to death since I was a child and seen the iconic Michael Myers for the first time.
Barrett and Wingard make movies that are more reality based and that scare the bejesus out of you.
Check out A Horrible Way to Die if you don't believe me. It will not disappoint.
First things first, let me get the blowing the writer put of the way... Simon Barrett is a God amongst horror writers. He brings you to the edge, makes you think you know what's going on and then drives a stake through you beliefs like Van Helsing...
Your typical home invasion movie turns into a sinister and diabolical insurance scam that deflates the typical nature of this formerly typical plotline... I know, I'm saying typical alot...fuckin bite me.
Adam Wingard is an absolutely kick-ass director who I personally have watched grow in the genre, and who I have come to trust when it comes to picking a film out... Regardless of what people say, had Death Note not been a successful anime series before he took the helm of the movie, it would've been glorified as a work or horror/fantasy art.
Take your (that word again) typical upper class family, stick them in a deserted home for a family get together. Add another horror director, Ti West, and Wingard and Barrett's favorite actors... Joe Swanberg, A.J. Bowen and Amy Seimetz... Dash in some Australian hottie, Sharni Vinson. And add one of the most amazing Scream Queens to ever grace the screen, Barbara Crampton. And chuck in some relative nobodies for fodder and you have the ingredients for a wild ride.
You're Next appeals to me because home invasions happen. It has a reality to it that can be matched by 2008's The Strangers and a more recent addition, Hush.
This movie delivers on all fronts.
The Killers are a band of ex Marines who are contracted but an unlikely source to carry out the deaths of rich mom and dad.
The children in the family are the height of dysfunctional, thus proving money can't buy you sanity.
And the twist in this movie proves that secrets can be hidden well in a script if the proper distractions are in place.
One thing I'd like to add before I end this is the masks work by the Killers are straight creepy. Whoever thought to put them in those is genius. And they made for some great marketing posters and internet spots.
Simple flat white masks that have not scared me to death since I was a child and seen the iconic Michael Myers for the first time.
Barrett and Wingard make movies that are more reality based and that scare the bejesus out of you.
Check out A Horrible Way to Die if you don't believe me. It will not disappoint.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 Years Old in Books
May 25, 2017
Hilariously Honest
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Think Adrian Plass but with octogenarians and this is the result. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old is a years long journal beginning on 1st January 2013. Hendrik hates old people, an unfortunate predicament as he live in a home for the elderly. He set himself the task of writing a daily account about the “life of the inmates of a care home in North Amsterdam,” with the purpose of it being read after his death by readers, or “inmates” who wish to know what to expect in their old age.
Whether the contents of this diary are true or exaggerated does not matter, as what it produces is a laugh-out-loud story, a pleasure to read. From cake in the fish tank, to complaints about leaky nether regions, Hendrik provides a brutally honest account of the highs and lows of being an OAP.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old encompasses a selection of unique and presumably real characters. Readers are bound to discover someone who reminds them of an elderly relative, or even themselves! There is the diabetic, rude, gin loving Evert – Henrdik’s best friend of many years – who is never without a witty comeback for the bossy, self-important director of the home. On the other hand, levelheaded Eefje, who Hendrik is rather fond of, shows a completely different view of elderly mentality. Despite the stereotypes associated with care home patients, Hendrik and friends still have as much fun as possible; after all, they may be Old but not Dead.
Speaking of dead, Hendrik makes a number of jokes and references to euthanasia, which may seem like poor taste to some readers. However, when all the friends around you are literally living the final years of their lives, why not joke about it instead of worry? Naturally there are sad diary entries about the inevitable deaths of his contemporaries throughout the year, but Hendrik does not let it get him down for long. Hendrik and his close friends make the most of the time they have left, and if that involves speeding along the roads of Amsterdam on their souped-up mobility scooters, then that is exactly what they will do.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old is a gem of a book and comes highly recommended to readers of all ages. Hendrik ‘s effortlessly funny, sarcastic remarks stress what the average citizen is too polite to voice. Once you begin it is hard to put down. Unfortunately a year is not long enough and you will end up wanting more. Whatever the future holds for us, let’s hope we become someone like Hendrik Groen.
Think Adrian Plass but with octogenarians and this is the result. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old is a years long journal beginning on 1st January 2013. Hendrik hates old people, an unfortunate predicament as he live in a home for the elderly. He set himself the task of writing a daily account about the “life of the inmates of a care home in North Amsterdam,” with the purpose of it being read after his death by readers, or “inmates” who wish to know what to expect in their old age.
Whether the contents of this diary are true or exaggerated does not matter, as what it produces is a laugh-out-loud story, a pleasure to read. From cake in the fish tank, to complaints about leaky nether regions, Hendrik provides a brutally honest account of the highs and lows of being an OAP.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old encompasses a selection of unique and presumably real characters. Readers are bound to discover someone who reminds them of an elderly relative, or even themselves! There is the diabetic, rude, gin loving Evert – Henrdik’s best friend of many years – who is never without a witty comeback for the bossy, self-important director of the home. On the other hand, levelheaded Eefje, who Hendrik is rather fond of, shows a completely different view of elderly mentality. Despite the stereotypes associated with care home patients, Hendrik and friends still have as much fun as possible; after all, they may be Old but not Dead.
Speaking of dead, Hendrik makes a number of jokes and references to euthanasia, which may seem like poor taste to some readers. However, when all the friends around you are literally living the final years of their lives, why not joke about it instead of worry? Naturally there are sad diary entries about the inevitable deaths of his contemporaries throughout the year, but Hendrik does not let it get him down for long. Hendrik and his close friends make the most of the time they have left, and if that involves speeding along the roads of Amsterdam on their souped-up mobility scooters, then that is exactly what they will do.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old is a gem of a book and comes highly recommended to readers of all ages. Hendrik ‘s effortlessly funny, sarcastic remarks stress what the average citizen is too polite to voice. Once you begin it is hard to put down. Unfortunately a year is not long enough and you will end up wanting more. Whatever the future holds for us, let’s hope we become someone like Hendrik Groen.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated River Road in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Nan Lewis is a creative writing professor at a state school in upstate New York. She lives alone after the tragic death of her young daughter, Emmy--an incident which her marriage could not survive. She's recently been denied tenure by her school and is upset and agitated the university's holiday party. On her way home, she hits a deer, but cannot find the animal when she goes to check on it. Nan eventually makes it back home in a snowstorm, leaving her car at the bottom of her icy, unplowed driveway. But when she wakes in the morning, she learns that one of her prized students, Leia, was killed in a hit-and-run the night before on River Road: the exact road where Nan hit the deer. Because her car was damaged from hitting the deer, Nan is the prime suspect, and she quickly loses the support of her colleagues, who point out that she has become a functioning alcoholic since her daughter's death. Even worse, Nan starts seeing signs that remind her of Emmy's death. Are Emmy and Leia's deaths related? How much did Nan have to drink the night she hit the deer? Will she clear her name before her entire life is destroyed?
I'm honestly not sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had several things working against it: 1) an unlikable narrator who drinks heavily; 2) a storyline that heavily involved dead children and pets (why?!); and 3) an easily guessed villain. Still, I found this one compulsively readable and stayed up far past my bedtime to finish the second half of the book. Nan grew on me, and I found myself almost protective of her. The lead policeman in the novel, Joe, was a favorite of mine. While I figured out the villain fairly early, I didn't understand the motives, so the plot kept me guessing until the end. Goodman weaves several storylines together--which intersect, but loosely--and somehow they all work. There are several supporting characters, including the woman who killed Nan's daughter and a young single mother from one of Nan's classes, who give the novel a surprising depth.
Anyway, despite some of the craziness, I found myself enjoying the book and racing to finish it. I first fell in love with Goodman due to her novel [b:The Lake of Dead Languages|120274|The Lake of Dead Languages|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554718s/120274.jpg|3159707]. That book was impressive and still sits on my bookshelf to this day. If you haven't read it, I certainly recommend it. However, [b:River Road|25111007|River Road|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454544060s/25111007.jpg|44804735] is a fun thriller and a worthy diversion.
I'm honestly not sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had several things working against it: 1) an unlikable narrator who drinks heavily; 2) a storyline that heavily involved dead children and pets (why?!); and 3) an easily guessed villain. Still, I found this one compulsively readable and stayed up far past my bedtime to finish the second half of the book. Nan grew on me, and I found myself almost protective of her. The lead policeman in the novel, Joe, was a favorite of mine. While I figured out the villain fairly early, I didn't understand the motives, so the plot kept me guessing until the end. Goodman weaves several storylines together--which intersect, but loosely--and somehow they all work. There are several supporting characters, including the woman who killed Nan's daughter and a young single mother from one of Nan's classes, who give the novel a surprising depth.
Anyway, despite some of the craziness, I found myself enjoying the book and racing to finish it. I first fell in love with Goodman due to her novel [b:The Lake of Dead Languages|120274|The Lake of Dead Languages|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554718s/120274.jpg|3159707]. That book was impressive and still sits on my bookshelf to this day. If you haven't read it, I certainly recommend it. However, [b:River Road|25111007|River Road|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454544060s/25111007.jpg|44804735] is a fun thriller and a worthy diversion.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Delusions in Books
Sep 14, 2018
A must-have for all the lovers of psychological thrillers and mysteries – this is a book that will show you a twisted side of a human being so well, that you will not know what happened once you reach the end! A masterpiece of a thriller – a delight for all the murder solvers out there!
''She remembered now. The deaths. They weren't just delusions planted in her mind by others. They were real.''
This book starts in an interrogation room, where two detectives are questioning Abigale about the murders that happened - and she is the main suspect. As the interrogation happens in the present, we follow the story in the past from Abigale's point of view, from the moment she moves into the new town.
The story and plot are so well set, and the past and present are so well connected that give you clues step by step, until you reach the grand ending, and nothing is as you expected. Even though I realised what is happening around the middle of the book, I still had to keep reading to find out whether it was true in the end.
This is, for certain, the best ending of a mystery book I have read so far!
The characters - some of them - are so twisted, and so psychologically unstable and scary, that it makes you wonder. Such possessiveness and anger, and twisted mind - Amy managed to perfectly such a rare condition. ( I am trying so hard here to stay away from all the spoilers.)
''Abigale wasn't the outgoing type. She'd rather sit in her room with her nose buried in a book than socialise with anyone outside her inner circle of friends, which was small to begin with.''
I wish I could connect with Abigale's character - but I just couldn't. That was the only flaw I had with this book. I didn't care enough for her, and for what was happening to her. The side characters were amazingly portrayed though - I enjoyed reading about Julia and Mike, and Damien - what an interesting character!
''There was something about him that made her feel alive and ready for anything, but there was another part that screamed danger. She wasn't sure she liked either half.''
The ending, as I already mentioned, was the best one I have read - it was so unexpected and so amazing - I can't explain that feeling of satisfaction when all the little pieces from the puzzle throughout the book finally come together - spectacular!
If you love mystery, psychological thrillers and good book that keeps you on your toes all the time - this is the book for you. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the author, Amy Crandall, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
''She remembered now. The deaths. They weren't just delusions planted in her mind by others. They were real.''
This book starts in an interrogation room, where two detectives are questioning Abigale about the murders that happened - and she is the main suspect. As the interrogation happens in the present, we follow the story in the past from Abigale's point of view, from the moment she moves into the new town.
The story and plot are so well set, and the past and present are so well connected that give you clues step by step, until you reach the grand ending, and nothing is as you expected. Even though I realised what is happening around the middle of the book, I still had to keep reading to find out whether it was true in the end.
This is, for certain, the best ending of a mystery book I have read so far!
The characters - some of them - are so twisted, and so psychologically unstable and scary, that it makes you wonder. Such possessiveness and anger, and twisted mind - Amy managed to perfectly such a rare condition. ( I am trying so hard here to stay away from all the spoilers.)
''Abigale wasn't the outgoing type. She'd rather sit in her room with her nose buried in a book than socialise with anyone outside her inner circle of friends, which was small to begin with.''
I wish I could connect with Abigale's character - but I just couldn't. That was the only flaw I had with this book. I didn't care enough for her, and for what was happening to her. The side characters were amazingly portrayed though - I enjoyed reading about Julia and Mike, and Damien - what an interesting character!
''There was something about him that made her feel alive and ready for anything, but there was another part that screamed danger. She wasn't sure she liked either half.''
The ending, as I already mentioned, was the best one I have read - it was so unexpected and so amazing - I can't explain that feeling of satisfaction when all the little pieces from the puzzle throughout the book finally come together - spectacular!
If you love mystery, psychological thrillers and good book that keeps you on your toes all the time - this is the book for you. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the author, Amy Crandall, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated Hunted (The Gates Legacy, #1) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
Harrow Gates - vampire, diseased, hunted. Jordan - bereaved, determined, out for revenge. Pritchard Tack - entrepreneur, protector of the infected, searching for a cure. Altogether, they make a wonderful lead for a fantastic start to a series I know I will be watching closely for the foreseeable future!
My copy started with a glossary, which was a superb tease and left me rushing forward to find out what on earth could lead to all these ideas and words. Sure enough, within the first 5% I was completely hooked and didn't want to put my kindle down. I was totally drawn into the characters, drama and mystery, highlighting just how high the quality of writing was in this story. The way the perspective switches between the different characters is done with skill and is very clear to follow. This feeds into the mystery created by the glossary and the writing in general as you're ripped away from that character just as the next piece of information is about to be revealed! This makes it highly compulsive reading, with the 'one more chapter' syndrome being a real possibility when reading this book.
The characters are also fabulous, and we pick them apart just as carefully as the plot, slowly learning what makes each of them tick. Harrow, Tack and Jordan are wonderful to read, they engage you, pull you into your complicated life and leave you wanting to know more of them and their lives. Demetrius is a very odd character, driven by very different desires to the others, yet he is equally engaging to read about. It takes real skill to be able to pull a reader so completely into so many characters, and so I really must shower praise on Font for managing to do this.
The story is, at risk of repeating myself, fantastic. It thoroughly draws you in, instilling in you a need to keep reading and has you thinking about what is going to happen next. The momentum is excellently paced, particularly towards the end because even though you're expecting something big to happen, you're still shocked and hit just as hard as if it were a huge surprise! The deaths (not spoiling it though haha!) are quick and fast and really tug on your emotions, leaving you reeling as the end of the story arrives. I've got to warn you though, as these are the exact words a friend said to me, 'don't get too attached to anyone - you never know who is going to be next!' - and boy was she right! That said, I loved it, and I'm a convert to this series.
*This book was first reviewed on Lily Loves Indie as part of a blog tour, for which an ARC was received in return for an honest review*
My copy started with a glossary, which was a superb tease and left me rushing forward to find out what on earth could lead to all these ideas and words. Sure enough, within the first 5% I was completely hooked and didn't want to put my kindle down. I was totally drawn into the characters, drama and mystery, highlighting just how high the quality of writing was in this story. The way the perspective switches between the different characters is done with skill and is very clear to follow. This feeds into the mystery created by the glossary and the writing in general as you're ripped away from that character just as the next piece of information is about to be revealed! This makes it highly compulsive reading, with the 'one more chapter' syndrome being a real possibility when reading this book.
The characters are also fabulous, and we pick them apart just as carefully as the plot, slowly learning what makes each of them tick. Harrow, Tack and Jordan are wonderful to read, they engage you, pull you into your complicated life and leave you wanting to know more of them and their lives. Demetrius is a very odd character, driven by very different desires to the others, yet he is equally engaging to read about. It takes real skill to be able to pull a reader so completely into so many characters, and so I really must shower praise on Font for managing to do this.
The story is, at risk of repeating myself, fantastic. It thoroughly draws you in, instilling in you a need to keep reading and has you thinking about what is going to happen next. The momentum is excellently paced, particularly towards the end because even though you're expecting something big to happen, you're still shocked and hit just as hard as if it were a huge surprise! The deaths (not spoiling it though haha!) are quick and fast and really tug on your emotions, leaving you reeling as the end of the story arrives. I've got to warn you though, as these are the exact words a friend said to me, 'don't get too attached to anyone - you never know who is going to be next!' - and boy was she right! That said, I loved it, and I'm a convert to this series.
*This book was first reviewed on Lily Loves Indie as part of a blog tour, for which an ARC was received in return for an honest review*