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David McK (3770 KP) rated Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1993) in Movies

Feb 5, 2023  
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1993)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1993)
1993 | Action, Comedy
5
7.1 (14 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Finkle and Einhorn, Einhorn and Finkle ...
Early 90s comedy movie starring a then up-and-coming Jim Carrey (before he completely went off the rails), round about the time of Dumb and Dumber and the Mask.

Of those three, this has probably aged the least well - I would be shocked if they could get away with some of the stuff they did here nowadays (particularly the whole Einhorn and Finkle plotline).

Anyway - provided you're not too easily offended - Carrey plays the eponymous Ace Ventura, a detective who specialises in finding missing animals, and who is hired (by none other than Courtney Cox) when the Miami Dolphins mascot - an actual Dolphin - is kidnapped on the Superbowl weekend.

Which probably means more the American audiences than any other.

The film does still raise the odd wry chuckle, but I was obviously easier amused back in the day ...
  
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David McK (3770 KP) rated Sherlock Holmes (2009) in Movies

Nov 1, 2020 (Updated Jan 13, 2024)  
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
2009 | Action, Drama, Mystery
5
7.4 (27 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Guy Ritchie's 2009 very different take on Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous literary creation, starring Robert Downey Jr as the great detective himself, Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler ('the woman') and Jude Law as Dr. Watson.

Unlike the more-contemporary set TV 'Sherlock', this is still set in Victorian times although, I have to say, that I never really took to the portrayal of Holmes in this film at all. It's also a completely-new (to the best of my knowledge) mystery for him to solve; not based on any of the Conan Doyle stories. That's both a good thing and a bad thing: it does mean that it's 'fresh' (unlike, say, another retelling of 'The Hounds of the Baskervilles'), but - I have to say - it also lacks the fun, the sense of mystery, the sheer enthrallment of the Conan Doyle stories.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Lost Lake in Books

Mar 18, 2019  
Lost Lake
Lost Lake
Emily Littlejohn | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting and engaging mystery
It's a bright May day when Cedar Valley Detective Gemma Monroe is called to Lost Lake. Sari Chesney, who was camping with her boyfriend, his brother, and her best friend, has gone missing. Sari hated the water, and the group is convinced she would never go missing on her own so near the lake. Sari was scheduled to work at a big gala at Cedar Valley's museum later that evening--a huge event she had been working on for months. Her friends insist she would never miss it. It's still chilly in Colorado in May, the lake still tinged in ice. Gemma begins the search for Sari, not realizing how quickly one woman's disappearance will lead to so much more.

"Later, much later, I would regret every decision I made that morning."

This is the third book in Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe series, and I really enjoy both Gemma's character and the series. The books stand alone, but it's an enjoyable series, and I do recommend reading them from the beginning. At this point, Gemma has a six-month-old daughter, Grace, with her fiance, Brody, and one of my favorite things about the books is how realistically Littlejohn paints Gemma's struggles as a working mom. She loves her career and yet finds it difficult to leave Grace and juggle working and caring for her daughter.

Gemma is a great character overall, and I always enjoy reading a strong mystery that features a female detective. We find Gemma not only dealing with Sari's disappearance, but several more things that happen in the aftermath, which lead to her becoming quite busy, and allow us a solid set of cases to follow. This one kept me guessing the whole way, with a few good twists thrown in too. There's occasionally a bit of telling versus showing, but overall Littlejohn is a strong writer, and you can't help but root for Gemma.

In this one, I especially felt like Gemma was growing as a person, as we find her struggling in her partnership with Finn (her fellow detective) and second guessing some of the decisions she makes in Sari's case. It's nice to see a story where everything isn't easy, cut and dried, and our heroine seems so human and regular. One of the things I like so much about Gemma is that she seems like someone you could befriend (if maybe she let her walls down once in a while). It leads to an insightful and thoughtful book coupled with a good mystery (or two) as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I feel like I can always count on Littlejohn for some excellent characterization with Gemma, and I found the plot to be interesting. It kept me engaged and guessing.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!)