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ClareR (5885 KP) rated The Dark Lake in Books

Sep 5, 2018

The Dark Lake

Sarah Bailey | 2017 | Mystery, Thriller

7.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

One to watch for.

A debut thriller that really kept me on the edge of my seat. Rosalind Ryan, a local Drama and English teacher, is found dead in the lake at a local nature reserve. Gemma Woodstock, a local Detective Sergeant, is put on the case. Except Gemma has a history with Rosalind, and she has a lot of other personal baggage.
I enjoyed this. They're all very human characters with lots of faults, sometimes unpleasant ones: but I liked that. I liked that the murderer wasn't at all obvious (to me, anyway!) and had me guessing right up to the end, and the whole reason for the murder was a shock, and at the same time, understandable.
I will keep an eye out for future novels by this author, particularly in this series. I really do think that she'll be one to watch out for in the future.

Kudos

David McK (3562 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) in Movies

Aug 11, 2019

Oft-forgot-about (or so it seems) 4th instalment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series, this is the one with Penelope Cruz that also sees Jack set off to find the Fountain of Youth: the Fountain itself also sought after by both English and Spanish factions, and by the notorious pirate Blackbeard (as portrayed by Ian McShane) who, here, also dabbles in Vodoo and is also (inexplicably) able to control his ship the Queen Anne's revenge by magic.

With no Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightley in sight, the focus on this one is firmly on Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow (a character who initially, remember, way back in the first film, was not the main focus), although it has to be said that his Keith Richards schtick is perhaps getting old by this point in the franchise.

Standout sequence of the film? That would be the Whit Cap bay mermaid bit.

Kudos

Lenard (726 KP) rated The Hustle (2019) in Movies

Jul 1, 2019

The Hustle (2019)

2019 | Comedy

5.1

(27 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

When I first heard they were making a gender-flipped version of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," I feared that it could be misogynistic based on the end of the English language remake of the French original. The Frank Oz-directed "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a classic comedy with a original twist. This female-centric remake is rarely funny and inoffensive. Anne Hathaway gets to practice three of her Meryl Streep accents. Rebel Wilson plays the uncouth low level con artist piggishly. When the two met on a train to St Tropez where Anne runs elaborate cons on rich tourists, Anne is not threatened but she realizes Rebel could ruin her trade. So she continuously schemes ways to rid herself of the slouch. The whole movie could have ended if Rebel just found a real policeman and unmasked Anne, but that would not make great cinema so we are stuck with this stinker.

Kudos

Sonofdel (6291 KP) rated Men in White Suits: Liverpool Fc in the 1990s - the Players' Stories in Books

Nov 15, 2019

very frank and honest views (0 more)

A wonderful insight

I grew up supporting Liverpool FC and do to this day. I remember the highs of the eighties and the lows of the nineties. This candid and frank collection of interviews with both players and managers delves into the reasons behind Liverpools gradual decline in English football in the nineties. Its a turthful behind the scenes diagnosis and autopsy on a Liverpool side who failed to be the dominant force that they were in the Eighties. From player ego's, mis-managment and an unwillingness to modernise this bares it all and is well worth a read if you have read the first insalment (The Red Machine). There is also a third book entitled Ring of Fire which i shall also be reading. A very good read and pute to bed some of the myths associated with 'The Spice Boys' :)

Kudos

Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Holiday (2006) in Movies

Dec 14, 2019

The Holiday (2006)

2006 | Comedy, Romance

7.6

(30 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Would've been better without Cameron Diaz...

I really wish Cameron Diaz hadn't been in this world. Theres something about her in this that is just so grating, she really overacts and just seems completely out of place.

It's a shame really, because everything else in this film is quite likeable. The plot is straightforward (I'm currently googling how to do a house exchange with a stranger from LA) and the rest of the cast are great. Jude Law is a loveable English gent - maybe a little too OTT at times but he's still adorable. Jack Black and Kate Winsley are by far the best things about this film though. Their interactions and relationships both together and with others (her neighbour) are just so damn cute and fun to watch. This definitely isn't no Love Actually, but if it hadn't have been for Cameron Diaz this would actually be pretty good.