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Take Your Breath Away
Take Your Breath Away
Linwood Barclay | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a quick and enjoyable read and one that didn't disappoint.

Brie disappeared off the face of the earth 6 years ago and whilst the husband, Andy, was prime suspect, no evidence could be found against him. Now, a woman who appears to be Brie reappears and this sets off a chain reaction that has devastating results.

Written at a fast pace, with many twists and turns, this is a book with an intriguing plot that had me guessing most of the way through and although I did figure it out before the big reveal, it didn't spoil my enjoyment.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Superman and Lois - Season 2
Superman and Lois - Season 2
2021 |
Season 2 of CWs 'Superman and Lois' (and family) show, that again pulls the rug from under the viewer in the early couple of episodes in who (or what) you would expect the 'big bad' of the season to be.

Hoechlin is fast becoming my favourite 'modern' incarnation of the character - nowhere near as dour and serious as Cavill in the DCEU - with Tulloch admirably holding her own as his now-wife Lois Lane living alongside Clark Kent in Smallville (now wife in that she has always been so since the show began, but - if you're anything like me - you most associate the character with their earlier years in Metropolis when she didn't know his secret)
  
Dirty Deeds (Cole McGinnis #4)
Dirty Deeds (Cole McGinnis #4)
Rhys Ford | 2014 | Contemporary, Crime, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sheila Pinelli is back in Cole's life, and he wants to find her and make sure that she can't hurt anyone ever again. Due to a mistake, she is released without the officer knowing that she should have been detained. This takes Cole on a journey to find her and also draws him into finding some missing women as well. Claudia comes back to work too, and I love her wisdom and style!

Ending on a cliffhanger regarding Bobby, this is a well-written and fast-paced addition to the Cole McGinnis series. Definitely recommended.

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 20, 2016
  
Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One is a fast paced action film full of fun pop culture nostalgia. Set in a dystopian 2045, the world’s number one resource is the Oasis. A virtual reality world where everyone either works or uses to escape the doldrums of everyday slum/trailer park life of Columbus Ohio.

When the creator of the Oasis, James Holiday (Mark Rylance) passes away, he leaves a Willy Wonka like challenge in the Oasis, where whoever is the first to find Holiday’s “Easter egg,” will inherit control of the Oasis and the fortune that comes with it. Naturally, we go on a “Goonies” like adventure where we follow the hunt for the egg through our hero Wade Watts/Parzival (Tye Sheridan) and his crew of friends Aech (Lena Waithe) and Art3mis (Olivia Cooke). They hope to keep the Oasis free for everyone and make it so no one will have to slave away working to pay off debt in the Oasis. Meanwhile, the wicked corporation, led by Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) that will do anything to win control of the Oasis as a way to make money and enslave people. Got that? Good. Because the film pretty much explains this in the first fifteen minutes or so. After that, the film becomes a fast paced adventure race to find each of the three key’s needed to find Holiday’s egg and win the challenge.

Since the majority of the film takes place in the Oasis, we find ourselves mostly watching animation and voice acting. The cast does an excellent job delivering their lines combined with top tier animation. These two things are melded so well, at times you barley even realize you are watching animation. Additionally, the Oasis is packed full with visual pop culture references and gags. Whether its video game or comic characters, a reference to a scene from a movie, soundtrack, or even certain famous sound cues, you will find yourself constantly looking at everything on screen and smiling with amusement. Even if you do not know the references very well, the film moves at a fast enough pace through each part of the adventure, you never feel alienated or as if you are out of the loop.

For those who are wondering, then film differs greatly from the hit 2011 novel by the same name, in that it is able to create a version of this story that is entirely its own. Thus it leaves the “book is better” conversations to the side. Instead, the book could be seen as a complement to the movie, for those looking for more depth in character, the real world of 2045 and the Oasis. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the changes from the book in the film, and yet, I want to re-read the novel to get more out of this rich environment.

In the end, I’d have to say that Ready Player One is worth the full price of admission. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this fun, fast paced, action film.
  
Logan Lucky (2017)
Logan Lucky (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) just got fired from his job and found out that his ex-wife is moving his daughter to another state. He lives for his daughter and needs to get money fast to pay for a lawyer to fight the move. He decides that the best way to get this fast cash is to rob his previous employer, the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He enlist the help of his brother Clyde Logan (Adam Driver), his fast driving sister Millie Logan (Riley Keough), and explosives expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Together they hatch a plan to rob the cash vault under the NASCAR track during the biggest race of the year. It won’t be easy for the crew as they must overcome many obstacles along the way. For one they only one of them who can blow the massive safe, Bang, is currently in prison. Bang also insists that his two inept brothers be included in the heist. There is also the matter of a large private police force patrolling the track. But the biggest hurdle may be the Logan family curse. Something bad is seemingly always happening to the family. Jimmy was destine to go to the NFL before a freak accident ruined his knee and ended his football career. Clyde was on his way back home from deployment in the Army and was hit by a roadside bomb and lost his arm. If they can overcome all of this they can walk away with a fortune.

This Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13) directed film is a fun and fast paced heist film. It definitely fits into the Ocean’s film model, with a large cast, twists that keep the audience guessing and well thought out ending. This films stands apart from those by being more hillbilly than the sleek well put together Ocean’s crew. The film dialog is well done and written expertly by Rebecca Blunt, this is the first screen writing credit for Rebecca. There are plenty of cameos by West Virginia Natives, NASCAR drivers and commentators, and others. I had heard beforehand that there were several cameos and made for a fun exercise in spotting the NASCAR drivers in various roles. The ensemble cast is stellar led by Tatum, Driver and Craig. The cast includes fun performances by a barely recognizable Seth MacFarlane along with Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank. There were times thought that the various accents that the cast were attempting to use felt forced and/or missing from particular scenes. The pace of the film is good but does get a little slow during the heist set up and the two hour run time was a tad too long for me.

Overall this is a fun film that fits the heist movie genre perfectly. One news report in the film characterized the robbery as Ocean’s 7/11 and that pretty well sums up the film. The characters are original and if you are a fan of these types of movies you will not be disappointed.