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Odd Thomas (2014)
Odd Thomas (2014)
2014 | Mystery
9
7.9 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I'd put off watching this for a long time, I loved the books by Dean Koontz and that made me a little nervous for the film. I'd almost forgotten about it until it popped up streaming, it's been a long time so I figured I'd forgotten enough about the books to see it.

Odd tries to live a simple life in Pico Mundo but when you have the ability to see dead people and talk to them it makes things difficult, especially when everything is pointing to something disastrous on the horizon.

The idea behind Odd's ability is a good one and I feel like they manage to illustrate it well during the film, foreknowledge may have helped a bit but I honestly don't remember that much from the books and we're given a succinct explanation.

Anton Yelchin plays the lead character and he has the perfect demeanour for it. There's a calm but scared quality that fits right into his wheelhouse and it was a match made in heaven.

Yelchin is off-set by Willem Dafoe as Chief Porter and Addison Timlin as Stormy Llewellyn, both of whom give great performances that bolster to story from each side. While they're not massive roles they both influence and guide Odd in very different ways and they're particularly effective characters.

The film plays out like a supernatural detective story with Odd at its centre trying to save Pico Mundo from an unknown terror. It creates a nice sense of intrigue to latch on to early on and plenty of fantasy action to move you along with the story at a quick pace.

For a relatively obscure film it's got a solid all round feel with passable graphics and a great visual style. Normally I find voice overs in films a little off putting but the bits of the story it's combined with work really well and again, added to the storytelling. I couldn't honestly say how accurate it was to the source material after such a long time, but I can tell you I wasn't disappointed with what I watched.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/odd-thomas-movie-review.html
  
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AJaneClark (3975 KP) Aug 17, 2020

Absolutely love this movie

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Amy Norman (1042 KP) Aug 18, 2020

Have watched this film a few times, and love it 😊
I haven't read the source material but it's been on my list for a while 😅 from what I have read about them, there are a few nods given to things that played a much larger part in the books. However, from what I can tell they may not necessarily translate well to film!

Hellbound Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #8)
Hellbound Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #8)
Brenda Trim, Tami Yulka | 2016 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
188 of 250
Kindle
Hellbound Warrior ( Dark Warrior Alliance book 8 )
By Brenda Trim and Tami Julka

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Rhys O'Morda finds himself at the mouth of Hell after swearing he would never go back. When the archdemon, Kadir, steals the Goddess' powerful Triskele Amulet, Rhys is left with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. Cursing his birthright, he sets out to tackle the nine circles of the Underworld. Facing rivers of fire, freezing rains, soul-sucking creatures and his inner weaknesses is nothing compared to coming face to face with his Fated Mate. His biggest challenge isn't passing the tests of each circle in Hell, but trying to win his mate's heart. In a cruel twist of fate, his other half isn't bound by the same force and has to consciously choose him. Problem is she loathes demons. Will he be able to win his angel over or be forced to let her go and live for eternity without her? Illianna has every reason to despise everything related to demons and the Underworld. Once an angel of happiness, she has been a prisoner in Hell for a hundred years, forced to perform vile acts that leave a dark stain on her soul. Her prayers fall on deaf ears day after day and she is on the cusp of giving up when the sexy, impossible and arrogant cambion, Rhys, rescues her from his father's clutches. She will do anything to get back to heaven and her wings, even partner with Rhys and his fellow warriors. Yet, her attraction to the exquisite Dark Warrior challenges every barrier she has set. Having the passion she craves comes with a high price tag, including complete and unconditional surrender.

I really enjoyed the boys trip to Hell and I think Illianna is my favourite mate yet! I love her and can just picture those beautiful wings!
This series is great if you like Dark Hunters crossed with the Black Dagger brothers.
We are on book 8 and can’t wait to see what book 9 brings.
  
The Jesus Man
The Jesus Man
Keith Anthony Baird | 2017 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Horror
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Jesus Man by Keith Anthony Baird is a tough book for me to rate, if I’m being honest. It’s part of why, despite completing it last week, I’ve taken so long to write up my review. The book isn’t an easy read by any means, especially with its vast amounts of purple prose. It does, however, have a uniquely intriguing plot.

One of the major deciding factors for me when I read a book is its ability to make me feel emotion. I want a connection with the characters, even if it’s a seething hatred that I feel in the depths of my heart. With The Jesus Man, I felt loathing and disdain, but nothing beyond that. I felt disconnected, for the most part. The characters seemed to me as if they were in limbo between fully and halfway developed.

In regards to plot, Baird does an excellent job. As a horror fan, I end up reading a lot of apocalyptic books. Most of the time, the cause is a viral outbreak of zombies. It’s a cliché we deal with far too often and it’s been beaten to death time and time again. Baird goes an entirely new route, with the dredges of Hell returning to claim what should be theirs. Described as the Fallen, we know these creatures as the angels cast from Heaven in the wake of God’s love for mankind stoking rebellion among them. It’s an interesting take on the world’s post-nuclear was end and I feel that Baird did a wonderful job in this area of his book.

I do have to take a moment to appreciate one beautiful perk to Baird’s ornate writing style: his depiction of gory acts is absolutely stunning. I’m a sucker for splatterpunk, so this served as a nice treat for me. While his characters felt lacking to me (which I discovered was the author’s intent post-read), his vivid descriptions (even if heavy-handed) are breathtaking and nightmare invoking.

I’ve danced between a two and four for this book several times, so ultimately I’m going to go with a three. While I loved the concept, the difficulty of reading this book made it hard for me to enjoy.

I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)
Becca Fitzpatrick | 2009 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
7.6 (36 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm still tingling from the ending of this wonderfully delicious book! I immediately went in search of a sequel and discovered that there is one set to release in November (thank the heavens!) titled Crescendo, phew! Sooooo, on with my review!
I decided to read this novel after reading multiple reviews of how fantastic this book is, especially since I have been looking for a good angel saga ever since I read Sharon Shinn's entire Samaria series in less than a week. (5 books) There is something refreshingly different about angels in the Fantasy genre of literature, instead of the almost-cliched use of vampires, werewolves, and witches. Not that I've had my fill of those, either, but change is good.
The lust-filled tension between Patch and Nora reminds me of a certain other famous couple in YA Fantasy, except Patch isn't nearly as secretive about what he wants. After stepping back and thinking about his character, I came to the conclusion that what attracts the fairer sex to the bad-boy type is not necessarily his "badness", but his confidence. The biggest clue that Patch was not normal was the amount of confidence he exuded around Nora. And I don't recall my sex ed. classes ever being as interesting as Coach McConaughy's class! Truly, I don't think I could say one bad thing about this book. The loose ends will obviously be answered in future books, such as Nora's father's death, Dabria's fate, and what Nora's mother will do about the farmhouse. The ending was almost a complete surprise to me, and unpredictable in many ways. I'm also curious as to how Nora Grey's parentage will play a part in future books and the massive potential that comes with it. I also like how Nora is not totally dependent on Patch and seeks to solve her own problems and fight her own battles - more strong woman than damsel in distress. Her best friend Vee provides a bit of comic relief, as well as adding a human element to balance the supernatural aspects of the book. I could go on and on. I'm also very curious if the topic of God will be addressed in any future books, since it would seem that acknowledging heaven, angels, the Book of Enoch, etc., means doing the same for God. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Crescendo!