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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated One Hour Photo (2002) in Movies
Nov 1, 2019
Psychological Photo's
One Hour Photo- is a underrated movie, that more people should watch, see and know about. It is twisted, psychological, thrilling, chilling, intense, creepy and dramatic. Robin Williams is excellent in this film. He freaks you out. He makes you scared. So lets talk about the film..
The Plot: Sy Parrish runs a one-hour photo developing lab in a small mall. He's a perfectionist about his work and generous to his regular customers, including a typical family headed by Will Yorkin. Over the years, he's seen their family grow through their photographs, but when he sees evidence of Yorkin being unfaithful, coupled with a threat to his position, his already precarious mental state tips over the edge.
In one of the voice-over pieces Sy can be heard to say "They actually believe that any idiot that attends a two-day seminar can master the art of making beautiful prints in less than an hour. But of course, like most things, there's far more to it than meets the eye." Robin Williams prepared for the role by training for two and-a-half days in a Southern California photo development lab.
In the DVD commentary, Romanek says that Jack Nicholson was first approached to play the lead character. Nicholson turned the role down reportedly because he thought the character was too similar to the role he played in The Shining.
Speaking of the Shining, Robin Williams was up for the part of Jack, but Jack Nicolson got the part. Intresting fact.
This film is a must see, a great psychological thriller.
The Plot: Sy Parrish runs a one-hour photo developing lab in a small mall. He's a perfectionist about his work and generous to his regular customers, including a typical family headed by Will Yorkin. Over the years, he's seen their family grow through their photographs, but when he sees evidence of Yorkin being unfaithful, coupled with a threat to his position, his already precarious mental state tips over the edge.
In one of the voice-over pieces Sy can be heard to say "They actually believe that any idiot that attends a two-day seminar can master the art of making beautiful prints in less than an hour. But of course, like most things, there's far more to it than meets the eye." Robin Williams prepared for the role by training for two and-a-half days in a Southern California photo development lab.
In the DVD commentary, Romanek says that Jack Nicholson was first approached to play the lead character. Nicholson turned the role down reportedly because he thought the character was too similar to the role he played in The Shining.
Speaking of the Shining, Robin Williams was up for the part of Jack, but Jack Nicolson got the part. Intresting fact.
This film is a must see, a great psychological thriller.

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Logan Lucky (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Jimmy Logan is down on his lucky, his busted knee from college football has just lost him another job. His brother wants you to believe it's the Logan's curse plaguing their family again. That nonsense isn't going to stop Jimmy, getting something out of his life. He's got a plan.
There's going to be a robbery.
It doesn't matter how often I see the title, my brain always recalls it as Lucky Logan, it sounds so much better that way round.
I enjoyed this one, I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll need to see it again. At 119 minutes long it was a little painful to watch, not because it was bad, but because it felt like every minute of that time. I actually checked the clock because I thought it must have been ending soon and it had only been on for an hour.
Despite that, all the stars worked really well on screen together. It was a little off to see Craig in that role, but he played it with a nice amusing spin. I just went on a fun little Kevin Bacon loop as well, as I didn't realise there was a Gleeson in it... "wait, he's not the one I know" after a few click I realised that this one's brother was in American Made... small world!
It's a fun story line, and you do get a bit of an Ocean's feel about the whole thing. It is pretty much Ocean's Eleven with hillbillies. The ending did amuse me. I'm not sure why they left it like that, but it does leave you wondering...
There's going to be a robbery.
It doesn't matter how often I see the title, my brain always recalls it as Lucky Logan, it sounds so much better that way round.
I enjoyed this one, I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll need to see it again. At 119 minutes long it was a little painful to watch, not because it was bad, but because it felt like every minute of that time. I actually checked the clock because I thought it must have been ending soon and it had only been on for an hour.
Despite that, all the stars worked really well on screen together. It was a little off to see Craig in that role, but he played it with a nice amusing spin. I just went on a fun little Kevin Bacon loop as well, as I didn't realise there was a Gleeson in it... "wait, he's not the one I know" after a few click I realised that this one's brother was in American Made... small world!
It's a fun story line, and you do get a bit of an Ocean's feel about the whole thing. It is pretty much Ocean's Eleven with hillbillies. The ending did amuse me. I'm not sure why they left it like that, but it does leave you wondering...

Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Love in a Nutshell (Culhane Family #1) in Books
May 10, 2018
Kate Appleton is at a point in her life where things couldn't possibly be worse. She is currently living in Keene's Harbor in Michigan in an attempt to fix up her parent's summer home into a Bed and Breakfast before the new mortgage holder takes over.
Matt Culhane is at a point in his life where things couldn't be better. His Depot Brewery and restaurant is doing great and he has plans for more businesses in the very near future. He does have one small problem, though. Someone seems to be after him.
After being fired from her job Kate starts working for Matt as a "floater" and spy. It's her job to find the saboteur in the establishment as well as help out where she is needed. What will happen between them during this time?
I didn't dive into this book the way I thought I would when I got this book from the library. Trying to continue my [a:Janet Evanovich|2384|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1385051483p2/2384.jpg] challenge this was the next book I picked up. I started with the Stephanie Plum series, but I am waiting for [b:Three to Get Deadly|6854|Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, #3)|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311727539s/6854.jpg|1341652] to become available.
Mostly this was a cute story that held my interest at certain parts. About half way through, the excitement picked up and helped to carry me to the end. I like Kate's character and she seemed like someone I would be friends with. The same with Matt. He is not your typical guy, he is a true gentleman that genuinely care for those around him. He's the kind of guy every woman wants. This was not one of my favorites, but I am not giving up on my challenge.
The next book I'm going to read for the Challenge is [b:The Husband List|15793075|The Husband List (Culhane Family #2)|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345686386s/15793075.jpg|21416771] which is also co-authored by [a:Dorien Kelly|176341|Dorien Kelly|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1296407006p2/176341.jpg]. I got this from the library at the same time as this book. I'm going to take a small break from JE for a while though and switch to something different.
Matt Culhane is at a point in his life where things couldn't be better. His Depot Brewery and restaurant is doing great and he has plans for more businesses in the very near future. He does have one small problem, though. Someone seems to be after him.
After being fired from her job Kate starts working for Matt as a "floater" and spy. It's her job to find the saboteur in the establishment as well as help out where she is needed. What will happen between them during this time?
I didn't dive into this book the way I thought I would when I got this book from the library. Trying to continue my [a:Janet Evanovich|2384|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1385051483p2/2384.jpg] challenge this was the next book I picked up. I started with the Stephanie Plum series, but I am waiting for [b:Three to Get Deadly|6854|Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, #3)|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311727539s/6854.jpg|1341652] to become available.
Mostly this was a cute story that held my interest at certain parts. About half way through, the excitement picked up and helped to carry me to the end. I like Kate's character and she seemed like someone I would be friends with. The same with Matt. He is not your typical guy, he is a true gentleman that genuinely care for those around him. He's the kind of guy every woman wants. This was not one of my favorites, but I am not giving up on my challenge.
The next book I'm going to read for the Challenge is [b:The Husband List|15793075|The Husband List (Culhane Family #2)|Janet Evanovich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345686386s/15793075.jpg|21416771] which is also co-authored by [a:Dorien Kelly|176341|Dorien Kelly|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1296407006p2/176341.jpg]. I got this from the library at the same time as this book. I'm going to take a small break from JE for a while though and switch to something different.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Unearthing the Fae King (Bramble's Edge Academy, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I got this one, too, as a freebie from Amazon a week or two ago for the UF/PR A-Z Challenge on Goodreads.
This starts with Ryker trying to escape from fellow fae who are trying to force him into going to the Bramble Edge Academy to start his training. He's resisting after his mum tells him tales of abuse and strange treatments but he ends up being captured and starting at the academy. A week or so later Maurelle is also captured after her powers manifest but her mum is killed in the process. Neither of them are happy at the academy but neither put up much of a fight against the strict headmistress and they don't understand why. Then they decide to investigate.
This had a different description which drew me in. Humans are in charge and fae are classed as a lower form of being, forced to live in squalor and in the edges of big cities. The academies are run by the humans and fae who leave the schools are only too happy to work under them. It was a puzzle to me just why that was.
Unfortunately though, it was taking a long time to get where it was going. I think if the plot had sped up a little or had a little more excitement going for it, I would have been very into this. As I mentioned above, it did have a promising premise but it was failing to grab me. I got to a point where I didn't want to pick this up anymore.
As for the writing. Well, it felt a little stilted at times. They may be fae but what teen talks like they were doing in this? Their actions were more teenager like than their words most of the time. The sentences didn't always read the best, either:
"They turned down another street and she was surprised to see a number of Fae out and about still this late at night."
"The moment she noticed he blended with the shadows that ended and reality came back."
I'm sure some people will love this but I like a good bit of action in my paranormal books and there hadn't been any in those first 36%. I was a little disappointed.
This starts with Ryker trying to escape from fellow fae who are trying to force him into going to the Bramble Edge Academy to start his training. He's resisting after his mum tells him tales of abuse and strange treatments but he ends up being captured and starting at the academy. A week or so later Maurelle is also captured after her powers manifest but her mum is killed in the process. Neither of them are happy at the academy but neither put up much of a fight against the strict headmistress and they don't understand why. Then they decide to investigate.
This had a different description which drew me in. Humans are in charge and fae are classed as a lower form of being, forced to live in squalor and in the edges of big cities. The academies are run by the humans and fae who leave the schools are only too happy to work under them. It was a puzzle to me just why that was.
Unfortunately though, it was taking a long time to get where it was going. I think if the plot had sped up a little or had a little more excitement going for it, I would have been very into this. As I mentioned above, it did have a promising premise but it was failing to grab me. I got to a point where I didn't want to pick this up anymore.
As for the writing. Well, it felt a little stilted at times. They may be fae but what teen talks like they were doing in this? Their actions were more teenager like than their words most of the time. The sentences didn't always read the best, either:
"They turned down another street and she was surprised to see a number of Fae out and about still this late at night."
"The moment she noticed he blended with the shadows that ended and reality came back."
I'm sure some people will love this but I like a good bit of action in my paranormal books and there hadn't been any in those first 36%. I was a little disappointed.

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Kurt Vile recommended Live At The East by Pharoah Sanders in Music (curated)

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) in Movies
Jul 3, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
Our favourite budget Bond is back in the third installment of Johnny English, and it basically "does what it says on the tin." It's amusing and it's exactly what you expect it to be. Nothing groundbreaking.
They've thankfully updated some of the aspects where needed. We've got a tech genius, cyber threats, VR, and we've got health and safety regulations like you wouldn't believe!
Boff is back too and he's the brains behind the outfit managing to make English's buffonary work, as always. To be fair, English does have some pretty good ideas but they seem to either be accidental or poorly executed!
All of the characters are entertaining and their reactions to Johnny's behaviour are entirely inkeeping with what you'd expect. Ophelia getting exacerbated by his evading/dance technique is quite amusing.
My general feeling about this type of humour though is that you can have too much, or to be more accurate, it can go on too long. Some of the skits feel like they tip just slightly over the line between "that's funny" to "is this still going on?"
The audience in Bristol did appreciate one of the particular cyber attacks... "all the trains are trying to stop at Bristol Temple Meads"... yep, that seems about right to us!
What should you do?
You could probably hold out and watch this when it streams, it's quite a short film so it's probably not going to feel like you're getting your monies worth from a cinema ticket.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Oh so many options, but I think I'll pass on the spy gadgets and go straight for some of Johnny English's dumb luck!
They've thankfully updated some of the aspects where needed. We've got a tech genius, cyber threats, VR, and we've got health and safety regulations like you wouldn't believe!
Boff is back too and he's the brains behind the outfit managing to make English's buffonary work, as always. To be fair, English does have some pretty good ideas but they seem to either be accidental or poorly executed!
All of the characters are entertaining and their reactions to Johnny's behaviour are entirely inkeeping with what you'd expect. Ophelia getting exacerbated by his evading/dance technique is quite amusing.
My general feeling about this type of humour though is that you can have too much, or to be more accurate, it can go on too long. Some of the skits feel like they tip just slightly over the line between "that's funny" to "is this still going on?"
The audience in Bristol did appreciate one of the particular cyber attacks... "all the trains are trying to stop at Bristol Temple Meads"... yep, that seems about right to us!
What should you do?
You could probably hold out and watch this when it streams, it's quite a short film so it's probably not going to feel like you're getting your monies worth from a cinema ticket.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Oh so many options, but I think I'll pass on the spy gadgets and go straight for some of Johnny English's dumb luck!

James Dean Bradfield recommended Slow Dazzle by John Cale in Music (curated)

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Never Saw You Coming in Books
Jan 17, 2020
So Zara, who's a bit of a go getter, flies halfway across the world from Dubai to London (and then buys a third/fourth hand car so she can drive to Liverpool!) all so she can meet the guy she's been chatting with for months believing he could be "the one". But things don't turn out so well.
Then there's Jim, he's working a dead end job and can't seem to catch a break. Until he wins a car via a radio station giveaway and it changes his life.
The first half of this book was probably only 2 stars for me. It was rather slow and a bit of an info dump of flashbacks and now as we got to know our characters and figure out where their heads were at. I kept putting it down and doing other things because it just wasn't grabbing my attention that much.
The second half got a little more exciting as Jim and Zara travelled the country together, getting to know each other as they spent hours in vehicles. I was willing them on, both to get where they were going and at one point - to possibly get together. It was still a little slow going, though.
I did like Jim's cast of friends. They were resourceful and quite a good laugh.
I like how this is set in the UK. Most of the books I usually read tend to be set in the USA so this was a nice change. The way it was written was exactly how some of us talk here. It was a nice change.
I do like a good bit of chick-lit but I prefer them more along the lines of Paige Toon and Jo Watson where the characters are more obviously into each other and the romance blossoms quickly but this is still a good read if you really like the genre.
Then there's Jim, he's working a dead end job and can't seem to catch a break. Until he wins a car via a radio station giveaway and it changes his life.
The first half of this book was probably only 2 stars for me. It was rather slow and a bit of an info dump of flashbacks and now as we got to know our characters and figure out where their heads were at. I kept putting it down and doing other things because it just wasn't grabbing my attention that much.
The second half got a little more exciting as Jim and Zara travelled the country together, getting to know each other as they spent hours in vehicles. I was willing them on, both to get where they were going and at one point - to possibly get together. It was still a little slow going, though.
I did like Jim's cast of friends. They were resourceful and quite a good laugh.
I like how this is set in the UK. Most of the books I usually read tend to be set in the USA so this was a nice change. The way it was written was exactly how some of us talk here. It was a nice change.
I do like a good bit of chick-lit but I prefer them more along the lines of Paige Toon and Jo Watson where the characters are more obviously into each other and the romance blossoms quickly but this is still a good read if you really like the genre.
Hadley (567 KP) Nov 5, 2019
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Nov 5, 2019