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The Silent Second
The Silent Second
Adam Walker Phillips | 2017 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good, but Not the Tone I Was Expecting
Chuck Restic has spent twenty years in HR, and he’s good at his job – making sure employees get along so they don’t sue each other or, more importantly, the company. That’s how he first meets Ed, who has had a complaint filed against him. Ed seems like a nice guy, and their meeting goes well, but then Ed disappears a couple of days later. A plea from Ed’s family to figure out what happened to him intrigues Chuck. He’s recently separated from his wife, and he wants to do something to fill his time away from work, so he uses his boredom as an excuse to start poking around. The trail quickly leads to real estate around Los Angeles, but how could that have led to Ed’s disappearance?

I’d seen the author speak at a library event a while ago, and I thought this book sounded like fun. While I certainly enjoyed it, I found the book to be darker in tone than I was expecting. There were a few laughs when Chuck was in HR mode, but for the most part, this felt more like a hard-boiled book. But that’s my only complaint with the book. I really did like Chuck – in fact, I could identify with him a bit too much. (Maybe that was part of my problem.) The rest of the cast are just as strong and become well-rounded people as we learn most about them. The plot was great with plenty of twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. The book was light on foul language and didn’t get too graphic with the violence or sex, which I most definitely appreciated. This is a solid debut, but pick it up when you are in the mood for something on the darker side.
  
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Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Bates Motel in TV

Aug 6, 2019  
Bates Motel
Bates Motel
2013 | Drama
Acting (1 more)
Storylines
It's over (0 more)
Hated psycho but enjoyed this
Contains spoilers, click to show
I never saw the original psycho but i did watch the 90s remake which i found very boring, so i went into this not expecting much at all. However, after the first episode i was hooked and bingewatched all 5 seasons in about 3 weeks.
Incase you have never seen or heard of psycho, it's about the teenage life of a boy called Norman Bates, who suffers with blackouts where he becomes violent. Norman helps run a motel with his mother Norma (yes, that's right - Norman and Norma haha!!) Who is very protective of her son. Seasons 1-3 we get to know about the bates and why they are unlike any normal family, there's a few murders but we wonder was it Norman or not? Season 4 and 5 is where it gets very good and Normans shy side of his personality starts to completely diminish and his 'mother' personality takes over more frequently.
Throughout the seasons there wasn't really any main character i disliked, each one had a gripping story attached to them and I even started to like chick - the strange trailer guy who had beef with Dylans dad (and normas brother). The only part of the show i wasn't interested in was Dylans job in the weed selling business but that didn't last long thankfully.
Funny enough I even felt sorry for Norman but at the same time i wanted to smack some sense into Norma for protecting him right up until he killed her.
The final episode was very sad but at the same time you feel happy because Norman got his wish and no longer had to fight 'Mother'. I know many people think a season 6 was needed but i think season 5 ended perfectly. I feel lost now I'm finished though.
  
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)
2012 | Comedy
7
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Everyone knows a guy like Jeff (Jason Segel). Someone who never really left home, opting instead to sit around waiting for a sign. Jeff’s family is not much better. His daft, unaware brother, Pat (Ed Helms), has his life centered on a marriage that is devoid of connection or even much conversation. Jeff’s mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon), spends her days de-stressing by staring at a waterfall picture in a drab office environment. But today a change is going to come in a big way to the people in Jeff’s life.

In “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” both Segel and Helms have taken on roles that are slightly more serious than the comedic standards that these actors are known for. Still the film is not so far removed as to alienate the fans who diligently follow these two actors to the theater time and time again.

The film’s plot is full of unexpected yet mildly realistic twists and turns. There are no big explosions or giant leaps of faith. This serpentine story is much more subtle. Many of the standout moments are realistically bizarre yet prove relevant, sweeping the audience into lives that have hit the final dregs of acceptability.
Visually the film is lack-luster. More than once viewers experience uncomfortable close-up shots of the less than attractively decorated characters. Still the script is well composed and crafted with such care that every word seems to naturally flow from the actors’ mouths. The story delves into so many facets of the human experience, from marriage to the building of a brotherly bond, that the tale itself is engrossing.

The characters are nervous, inexperienced, and closed off but the tale that defines “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is entirely relatable. The film is not exactly enchanting but it was significantly better than I had originally anticipated.
  
    Santa Text

    Santa Text

    Entertainment, Social Networking and Stickers

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    Welcome to Santa Text Yes you can now Text Santa. aka. Father Christmas or Saint Nick Have a good...

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Horror, Romance
Unexpected and Inventive Mix of Drama and Zombie
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie was surprisingly decent even with all the cheesy love drama and relationship plot mixed in from Pride and Prejudice. I liked the background for the alternate 19th century London and how it came to be full of zombies. I also really liked how the father of this family had his daughters train in Chinese martial arts and was more concerned with their immediate safety and how the mother was more concerned with them marrying. I was a little disappointed in how not all the sisters where featured prominently enough into the plot/story. I liked Lena Headey's character too but felt she was underutilized as well. The zombies in this movie were pretty unique. It said that they were zombies but they could still talk quite intelligently and also craved human brains and if they didn't eat brains then they wouldn't turn into full zombies. The full zombies were far more aggressive and faster. I also liked how the character Darcy was in charge of investigating possible zombie cases and wish they could have delved more into that part of the characters story. The action also surprised me for being a PG-13 movie there was quite a bit of blood and violence. There were some nice headshot scenes where the zombies heads were blown clean off their bodies. The fight scenes were pretty well choreographed and the girls kicked a lot more butt than most of the guys. Even the plot with the cheesy love triangle had me trying to guess which guy was going to get with which girl and kept the plot interesting enough inbetween the action. I give this movie a 6/10 and say it's an above average zombie movie.


  
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Nick Rhodes recommended Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone in Music (curated)

 
Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone
Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I discovered this album relatively late. I liked funk, and disco was an earlier discovery for me when I was in my late teens. But, around 1985, I found Sly And The Family Stone. I was about 23 at the time and – wow – was that a discovery, not knowing that that particular album was out there before then. I played it from morning until night before we were doing the Notorious album, which was very influenced by Fresh. For me, it is the greatest funk album. I could have picked a James Brown album – I love Live At The Apollo, which was such a terrific record – but the songs on Fresh like ‘If You Want Me To Stay’ and ‘In Time’ are just masterpieces. Fresh has got such a mood to it. It is very difficult in the studio to capture a mood. In a live show it is easier because there is an atmosphere there already – you’ve got the audience, you are playing together, there is a danger something can go wrong any minute and you will take a song off somewhere and you cannot get yourselves back. But, doing it in a studio and capturing a real vibe is the apex of music. If you can do that and you can get that – then you have something great. The Stones were always very good at that, as were The Who early on. But, this album, Fresh, is just pure vibe and every time I listen to the organ swells in the songs I can almost feel the guy playing them. You don’t get that so much in modern records. That’s what we’ve lost. Andy Newmark played drums on the album and they are some of the greatest drum tracks ever recorded. It’s not just feel – it is vibe. Love it."

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