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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Midnight Fugue (Dalziel & Pascoe #24) in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Mismatched colleagues Dalziel and Pascoe must use all their resources to solve a number of crimes, all within a day. Dalziel is back from prolonged sick leave and is feeling he has everything to prove, that he has still got what it takes. Pascoe has been busy in his absence and is glad to see him back - but wary that he must once again play second fiddle.
This is the last Dalziel and Pascoe book and somehow that is fitting, it provides a lot of closure for the two men, in so many ways opposites but who work well as a team. Dalziel is forcing himself back to work and perhaps has finally realised that not only is he not indestructable but that Mid Yorkshire CID is more than capable of solving crimes without him. This last story effectively provides that moment when he acknowledges that Pascoe is - at long last - good enough to fill his shoes.
The plots themselves are a little contrived to fit within the 24 hour sequence but as usual Hill is up to his old tricks of playing with the genre and the reader's expectations of how crime stories go. Because there is not one story here each one is a little light on actual plot but they serve their purpose - hooks to hang one last outing of Dalziel and Pascoe on.
This is the last Dalziel and Pascoe book and somehow that is fitting, it provides a lot of closure for the two men, in so many ways opposites but who work well as a team. Dalziel is forcing himself back to work and perhaps has finally realised that not only is he not indestructable but that Mid Yorkshire CID is more than capable of solving crimes without him. This last story effectively provides that moment when he acknowledges that Pascoe is - at long last - good enough to fill his shoes.
The plots themselves are a little contrived to fit within the 24 hour sequence but as usual Hill is up to his old tricks of playing with the genre and the reader's expectations of how crime stories go. Because there is not one story here each one is a little light on actual plot but they serve their purpose - hooks to hang one last outing of Dalziel and Pascoe on.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Nearly Normal Family in Books
Dec 13, 2019
A pretty good read
I don't read a lot of legal/courtroom stories and even less so-called Scandi-Noir type books but, for some reason, the blurb caught me and drew me in and, overall, I was pretty satisfied with "A Nearly Normal Family".
The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.
I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.
Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.
Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.
I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.
Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.
Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Nightcrawler (2014) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019 (Updated Dec 15, 2019)
Borderline psychotic...
This movie may have slipped under the radar for a lot of people back in 2014 but if you did miss it when it first came out, now is your chance to make things right.
Nightcrawler is a very good movie with a strong commanding lead performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. His portrayal of Louis Bloom is slick, manipulative and at times borderline psychotic.
Louis Bloom is a loner desperately looking for work. That is until he hears there is money to be made from shooting crime & accident scenes for L.A. news stations. He starts off small time but as the film unfolds he shows he is willing to do anything to reach the very top of this certain profession.
His Character is incredibly unlikable from the very first scene but Gyllenhaal plays the part so well that you can't take your eyes off the screen, no matter how much you will want to at times.
There are a few scenes that may upset people but I think it is more a statement that in today's news, people will go to any lengths to get that top story.
In summary Nightcrawler is a very entertaining movie, which keeps grabbing your attention and holding you firmly there when it's got you, with intense, nervous, even excited energy... Definitely worth a watch.
Nightcrawler is a very good movie with a strong commanding lead performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. His portrayal of Louis Bloom is slick, manipulative and at times borderline psychotic.
Louis Bloom is a loner desperately looking for work. That is until he hears there is money to be made from shooting crime & accident scenes for L.A. news stations. He starts off small time but as the film unfolds he shows he is willing to do anything to reach the very top of this certain profession.
His Character is incredibly unlikable from the very first scene but Gyllenhaal plays the part so well that you can't take your eyes off the screen, no matter how much you will want to at times.
There are a few scenes that may upset people but I think it is more a statement that in today's news, people will go to any lengths to get that top story.
In summary Nightcrawler is a very entertaining movie, which keeps grabbing your attention and holding you firmly there when it's got you, with intense, nervous, even excited energy... Definitely worth a watch.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Family Upstairs in Books
Jan 13, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Although I marked several of Lisa Jewell's works "want to read", I never got around to picking up one of her books. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review her latest, "The Family Upstairs".
As of 12/3/19, it has a 4.05 out of 5 with almost 14,000 ratings. Maybe it was due to my wanting to read her books for years or the high rating but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.
It is billed as a mystery/thriller. I may have enjoyed it if I had just considered it as a work of fiction, without the mystery/thriller label. I did not connect with the characters or with the story. I think this is mostly because I kept waiting for the mystery/thriller to begin.
The book itself was a quick read. Some reviewers had difficulty keeping track of the characters and the timeline. I did not and thought was easy to keep track.
I know most of this review is not exactly positive but I still plan to read another book by Lisa Jewell. I hope it was just this book I did not connect with and not the author.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 1/12/20.
Although I marked several of Lisa Jewell's works "want to read", I never got around to picking up one of her books. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review her latest, "The Family Upstairs".
As of 12/3/19, it has a 4.05 out of 5 with almost 14,000 ratings. Maybe it was due to my wanting to read her books for years or the high rating but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.
It is billed as a mystery/thriller. I may have enjoyed it if I had just considered it as a work of fiction, without the mystery/thriller label. I did not connect with the characters or with the story. I think this is mostly because I kept waiting for the mystery/thriller to begin.
The book itself was a quick read. Some reviewers had difficulty keeping track of the characters and the timeline. I did not and thought was easy to keep track.
I know most of this review is not exactly positive but I still plan to read another book by Lisa Jewell. I hope it was just this book I did not connect with and not the author.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 1/12/20.
Merissa (12934 KP) rated Nevermore (Raven Crawford, #2) in Books
Jan 27, 2020
NEVERMORE is the second book in the Raven Crawford series and we return to Raven as she is still adjusting to what happened at the end of book 1 and the death of the Corvid Queen.
I say that some of the instances in this book are not a surprise, but then I don't think they were intended to be. What you do get is the continuation of the story, with sass and snark in handfuls, steam that melts your Kindle, and a story that just keeps getting better.
I loved how Raven is still at her dead-end job with Mike, not because it's a dead-end job but because she's still got her 'normal' life. She's still trying to pay off Robert's debts and has moved back home. This isn't anyone who has let things go to her head and even more so in this one! We get more of her family in this one, plus some more of the 'bad guys' which, to be honest, just leaves me wanting more.
The writing is on form as always, with the pacing being perfect for the story. The characters just keep on getting better and the story will have you turning the pages, unwilling to stop reading.
For a top-notch Urban Fantasy, I have no hesitation in recommending both this book and the series.
I say that some of the instances in this book are not a surprise, but then I don't think they were intended to be. What you do get is the continuation of the story, with sass and snark in handfuls, steam that melts your Kindle, and a story that just keeps getting better.
I loved how Raven is still at her dead-end job with Mike, not because it's a dead-end job but because she's still got her 'normal' life. She's still trying to pay off Robert's debts and has moved back home. This isn't anyone who has let things go to her head and even more so in this one! We get more of her family in this one, plus some more of the 'bad guys' which, to be honest, just leaves me wanting more.
The writing is on form as always, with the pacing being perfect for the story. The characters just keep on getting better and the story will have you turning the pages, unwilling to stop reading.
For a top-notch Urban Fantasy, I have no hesitation in recommending both this book and the series.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Jan 8, 2020
Second rate sequel
I'm probably the only person who didn't really rate the first film in this reboot series. Yes it was better than I expected but not great, although having watched this sequel I can definitely now appreciate the first film.
This is by far a second rate sequel. The whole plot and game premise offered is just a little dull and predictable, and the bad guy is this is even less threatening in the first film (which is a shame seen as he's Rory McCann). They've tried to go even more extravagant with the set pieces and action scenes, but it doesn't quite hide the fact that the plot is fairly weak. Which is a shame as seeing the gang all back together again is actually quite fun. The way they've done the avatars this time round started off ridiculously funny, but there are a couple of characters who soon get very irritating very quickly. Thankfully we've got Jack Black who really shines in this no matter who he is, and he at least makes up for some of the more irritating characters. The inclusion of Danny DeVito and Danny Glover seemed entirely unnecessary.
Overall this was a vaguely enjoyable film but despite it's runtime being less than 2 hours, really seemed to drag. And I hate how they've set it up for yet another sequel.
This is by far a second rate sequel. The whole plot and game premise offered is just a little dull and predictable, and the bad guy is this is even less threatening in the first film (which is a shame seen as he's Rory McCann). They've tried to go even more extravagant with the set pieces and action scenes, but it doesn't quite hide the fact that the plot is fairly weak. Which is a shame as seeing the gang all back together again is actually quite fun. The way they've done the avatars this time round started off ridiculously funny, but there are a couple of characters who soon get very irritating very quickly. Thankfully we've got Jack Black who really shines in this no matter who he is, and he at least makes up for some of the more irritating characters. The inclusion of Danny DeVito and Danny Glover seemed entirely unnecessary.
Overall this was a vaguely enjoyable film but despite it's runtime being less than 2 hours, really seemed to drag. And I hate how they've set it up for yet another sequel.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated Lost Hills in Books
Mar 10, 2020
Eve’s First Big Case
Thanks to a well-time viral video, Eve Ronin has become the youngest person promoted to the homicide department of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Her new co-workers aren’t treating her with a lot of respect, so she knows she has to prove herself. That chance comes when she and her partner, Duncan Pavone, are called to the scene of a crime in Calabasas. A friend has called to report that Tanya Kenworth never showed up for work. The house where Tanya lives is covered in blood in every room, but there are no bodies. What could have happened to her?
Just as I expected, this book grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. There were plenty of clues and twists to keep me engaged until I reached the suspenseful climax. I did feel that Eve and her co-workers fell into genre clichés, but there are hints of more to them, and I hope we see that explored as the series progresses. This book describes the aftermath of the crime and has more language than the cozies I typically read, but I expected that going in, and it never got too excessive. There are some nice bits of humor to help lighten what is a mostly series story. I’m already looking forward to Eve’s next story.
Just as I expected, this book grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. There were plenty of clues and twists to keep me engaged until I reached the suspenseful climax. I did feel that Eve and her co-workers fell into genre clichés, but there are hints of more to them, and I hope we see that explored as the series progresses. This book describes the aftermath of the crime and has more language than the cozies I typically read, but I expected that going in, and it never got too excessive. There are some nice bits of humor to help lighten what is a mostly series story. I’m already looking forward to Eve’s next story.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Perfection (2019) in Movies
Apr 30, 2020
Better than expected
I feel like this film has been on my To Watch list since forever, and it's only taken a lockdown for me to finally get around to watching it. And it turned out much better than I expected.
This is a rather unusual film, it starts off feeling rather sinister and arty and then seems to rush through a variety of genres including romance, horror and suspenseful thriller. I'm a little undecided at how good an idea this was, but I was decently entertained for the most part. The plot starts off well, and whilst it may have been a tad predictable it was still enjoyable until the final few scenes. Sadly I feel like the final scenes and how the story got wrapped up went a little too bizarre and ridiculous. The very final scene almost had me in hysterics at how downright stupid it was. There was also a story telling mechanism used in this a couple of times that I think was trying to be retro but instead seemed a little silly and outdated, and entirely unnecessary.
Despite the negatives, this surprisingly kept my attention and wasn't as bad as I'd thought. There was a decent amount of gore that made me cringe in delighted horror and the short run time helps to make it a lot more enjoyable.
This is a rather unusual film, it starts off feeling rather sinister and arty and then seems to rush through a variety of genres including romance, horror and suspenseful thriller. I'm a little undecided at how good an idea this was, but I was decently entertained for the most part. The plot starts off well, and whilst it may have been a tad predictable it was still enjoyable until the final few scenes. Sadly I feel like the final scenes and how the story got wrapped up went a little too bizarre and ridiculous. The very final scene almost had me in hysterics at how downright stupid it was. There was also a story telling mechanism used in this a couple of times that I think was trying to be retro but instead seemed a little silly and outdated, and entirely unnecessary.
Despite the negatives, this surprisingly kept my attention and wasn't as bad as I'd thought. There was a decent amount of gore that made me cringe in delighted horror and the short run time helps to make it a lot more enjoyable.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Under the Silver Lake (2018) in Movies
Apr 20, 2020
Trippy
417. Under the Silver Lake. A pretty wild mind bender, head scratcher, what the fuck just happened good time! A great recommendation from the Movie Ninja, thank you. We meet Sam, he's kind of a slacker, and about to be evicted from his pad, but he is dating a very nice prostitute. One day hanging out on his patio, he spies a beauty, Sarah, chilling by the pool, and meets her later on while hanging around her dog. And after fun night of chilling, poof, she disappears. And Sam apparently really felt a connection with Sarah over those 2 or 3 hours because this dude goes on a hunt for this girl. Through a crazy couple of dreamlike days we follow Sam through some insane conspiracy theories that lead him through a hobo underground, complete with its own king (Fisher King?) secret sex drug parties, getting crazy to a Brimful of Asha (Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow) and of course the billionaire cults preparing for the afterlife. Think Alfred Hitchcock, Brian DePalma and Stanley Kubrick got together for a movie, and it turned out pretty sweet! Starring a former Spider-Man and a former Venom (didn't recognize him at first, Foreskin is all grown up) But yea, I really liked it, gets pretty crazy!! Check it out! Filmbufftim on FB!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Third Reich Victorious: Alternate Decisions of World War II in Books
Feb 24, 2020
There's been a certain tension when it comes to military history, pretty much since not long after the Second World War ended: pretty much everyone agrees that the Nazi Party was as close to evil incarnate as we will hopefully ever see, but many academics (amongst others) still harbour a sneaking admiration for the quality of the German war machine and its leadership. That tension is basically at the heart of this book; it's telling that several of the German victory scenarios outlines here are predicated on Hitler either being replaced or being markedly less of a genocidal bigot.
The what-ifs vary: what if Hitler served in the navy in the First World war, what if the Russians pre-empted Barbarossa and attacked Germany first, what if Turkey joined the Axis, what if the Germans got the atom bomb in 1944, what if Rommel defeated the D-day landings, deposed Hitler, and the war devolved into a one-front struggle with the Soviets? Most of these are interesting and seem to have been written with the general reader in mind; a few do suffer from getting bogged down with detail. On the whole it is engaging stuff, if recent military history is your thing, and you do come away with an improved awareness that the Second World War was a closer-run thing than most people realise nowadays.
The what-ifs vary: what if Hitler served in the navy in the First World war, what if the Russians pre-empted Barbarossa and attacked Germany first, what if Turkey joined the Axis, what if the Germans got the atom bomb in 1944, what if Rommel defeated the D-day landings, deposed Hitler, and the war devolved into a one-front struggle with the Soviets? Most of these are interesting and seem to have been written with the general reader in mind; a few do suffer from getting bogged down with detail. On the whole it is engaging stuff, if recent military history is your thing, and you do come away with an improved awareness that the Second World War was a closer-run thing than most people realise nowadays.