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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Holiday for Skins (Bongo Fury #2) in Books

Nov 11, 2019

Following on from the events in the first Bongo Fury book, this novella once again follows the music shop owner Jimmy Black as he unwillingly gets mired in the underworld of Northern Ireland. After the events of the first book, a silent struggle for power among the criminal elements is escalating and people are dying. All Jimmy wants to do is make sure he isn't one of them.

As with the first book the charm of this sequel is in the leading character. Wry, witty, foul mouthed with an eye for the darkly humorous observation, having Jimmy once again show us his world is very welcome. Together with the twists and turns of the plot (a little less straightforward than the first novel) this makes a cracking quick read that combines noir thriller and laugh out loud humour.

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Awix (3310 KP) rated Little Joe (2019) in Movies

Mar 14, 2020

Little Joe (2019)

2019 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

7.5

(4 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Offbeat Anglo-Austrian contribution to the botanical horror subgenre possibly makes too much of a virtue of understatement. A dedicated researcher breeds a special new flower with the ability to affect its owner's mood. But has she underestimated her creation's influence?

Clearly a movie which has been made with the greatest care and thought; every camera move and composition has obviously been planned for a reason. The plot is ultimately a somewhat derivative one (elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and perhaps even Rosemary's Baby are in the mix), but the slow-burning slide from normality into something rather unsettling is impeccably done, helped a lot by a strong performance from Emily Beecham in the lead role. The lack of a big, obvious genre climax is probably going to be an issue for many people, but very creepy and watchable nevertheless.