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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Last House on the Cliff [Audiobook] in Books
Sep 11, 2022
![The Last House on the Cliff [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/916/14f63193-1f77-4f72-910d-7f9dc767e916.jpg?m=1662905541)
This is a dark and creepy mystery/thriller that kept me engaged from the start.
Lowri hasn't had the happiest lives so far and when she returns to Anglesey on the death of her beloved aunt, Gwyn, she thinks this might be the start of a better life for her and her daughter, Ruby. Little does she know what nightmare awaits.
The location and setting of this story is genius; the author captures the small island village and the ever present dangerous cliffs together with the dark and creepy atmosphere of the house perfectly and I was transported there by her excellent and vivid descriptions.
There are quite a few characters and it did take me a while to get a grasp on them all but they are an interesting and eclectic bunch and not all of them are particularly likeable but all fit in and have their place in the story.
The story itself is a complex one of historical family trauma that spans generations. There is a pervading sense of the creepy and the unsettling from the start with some great twists culminating in a very satisfying ending that brought everything together.
The narrator was excellent; her voice was absolutely perfect for the story and I actually think I enjoyed it more because of her narration. Would I have enjoyed it had I read it rather than listened? I think so but I would definitely have had trouble with pronouncing the Welsh words!
Overall, a great audio book to keep you company whilst driving, cleaning or doing just about anything that doesn't need a lot of thought and many thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts on The Last House on the Cliff.
Lowri hasn't had the happiest lives so far and when she returns to Anglesey on the death of her beloved aunt, Gwyn, she thinks this might be the start of a better life for her and her daughter, Ruby. Little does she know what nightmare awaits.
The location and setting of this story is genius; the author captures the small island village and the ever present dangerous cliffs together with the dark and creepy atmosphere of the house perfectly and I was transported there by her excellent and vivid descriptions.
There are quite a few characters and it did take me a while to get a grasp on them all but they are an interesting and eclectic bunch and not all of them are particularly likeable but all fit in and have their place in the story.
The story itself is a complex one of historical family trauma that spans generations. There is a pervading sense of the creepy and the unsettling from the start with some great twists culminating in a very satisfying ending that brought everything together.
The narrator was excellent; her voice was absolutely perfect for the story and I actually think I enjoyed it more because of her narration. Would I have enjoyed it had I read it rather than listened? I think so but I would definitely have had trouble with pronouncing the Welsh words!
Overall, a great audio book to keep you company whilst driving, cleaning or doing just about anything that doesn't need a lot of thought and many thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts on The Last House on the Cliff.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Witch (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Based on New England folklore, Robert Eggers brings us his debut film The With.
William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine (Kate Dickie) are the parents of five children living in 1630 New England. This God-fearing family has become dissatisfied with how their town chose to live by the word of God. William hopes to promote change in the town, instead he causes his family to be banished left only to find a patch of land bordered by dark dense woods to call home. Luckily they have Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) the eldest daughter who is in charge of looking after her younger siblings. A pre teen Caleb, unruly twins Mercy and Jonas and baby Samuel along with all of the household chores. Newborn Samuel has fate working against him when he suddenly disappears during an afternoon round of peekaboo.
The family is left heartbroken. With no sign of Samuel’s return William declares that this must have been the act of a wolf. Thomasin’s siblings soon become suspicious that this was not the work of a wolf, that she has to have succumbed to the malevolent forces of witchcraft. Mercy has also claimed that she and her twin brother have been conversing with their goat Black Phillip one would assume only jokingly from children. There might just be something darker going on. As the days progress and their crops continue to fail, tensions between the family grow. Things start to go bump in the night making the situation more oppressive each day.
This film is described as a horror genre film, after screening it though I felt it lean more towards a psychological thriller. When asked what films inspired The Witch Robert Eggers mentioned Stephen King’s The Shinning which to me really shines through the film. Most importantly the film is based on actual historical accounts of witchcraft in a time where men feared a woman’s power and sexuality. In my opinion the horror in it is the unknown, because even though you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I suppose it can be viewed as both horror and psychological.
Paying close attention to detail Eggers’ immerses the audience into 1630 New England. It’s hard to believe that it was filmed in Canada and not New England because of how accurate every little detail is from the hand stitched costumes to the intricacies of the dialogue. Perhaps this can be credited to his former career as a production designer and costume designer. The music alone adds the perfect amount of horror to make those hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This film is an excellent portrait of amazing filmmaking and horrific historical folklore.
William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine (Kate Dickie) are the parents of five children living in 1630 New England. This God-fearing family has become dissatisfied with how their town chose to live by the word of God. William hopes to promote change in the town, instead he causes his family to be banished left only to find a patch of land bordered by dark dense woods to call home. Luckily they have Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) the eldest daughter who is in charge of looking after her younger siblings. A pre teen Caleb, unruly twins Mercy and Jonas and baby Samuel along with all of the household chores. Newborn Samuel has fate working against him when he suddenly disappears during an afternoon round of peekaboo.
The family is left heartbroken. With no sign of Samuel’s return William declares that this must have been the act of a wolf. Thomasin’s siblings soon become suspicious that this was not the work of a wolf, that she has to have succumbed to the malevolent forces of witchcraft. Mercy has also claimed that she and her twin brother have been conversing with their goat Black Phillip one would assume only jokingly from children. There might just be something darker going on. As the days progress and their crops continue to fail, tensions between the family grow. Things start to go bump in the night making the situation more oppressive each day.
This film is described as a horror genre film, after screening it though I felt it lean more towards a psychological thriller. When asked what films inspired The Witch Robert Eggers mentioned Stephen King’s The Shinning which to me really shines through the film. Most importantly the film is based on actual historical accounts of witchcraft in a time where men feared a woman’s power and sexuality. In my opinion the horror in it is the unknown, because even though you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I suppose it can be viewed as both horror and psychological.
Paying close attention to detail Eggers’ immerses the audience into 1630 New England. It’s hard to believe that it was filmed in Canada and not New England because of how accurate every little detail is from the hand stitched costumes to the intricacies of the dialogue. Perhaps this can be credited to his former career as a production designer and costume designer. The music alone adds the perfect amount of horror to make those hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This film is an excellent portrait of amazing filmmaking and horrific historical folklore.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Haunting of Henderson Close in Books
May 22, 2019
The Haunting of Henderson Close
Hannah has relocated to Edinburgh and now works as a performing tour guide regaling tourists with the goings on in the spooky derelict Henderson Close. Together with colleagues they bring the past to life as they play the parts of real people who lived there and spin tales of the spooky and historical past, some really gruesome. But then she starts to see shadows, she has flashes where she feels weird and, well, has some really rather scary experiences. But she's not alone, one of the other guides has experienced similar and then some of the tourists also start to see things. What is happening? Are the legends and stories of what went before coming back? Who are the people that Hannah keeps seeing, and what do they really want?
I was intrigued by the classification of The Haunting of Henderson Close as a horror, mystery and thriller novel as these are my favourites.
I loved all the hints at ghosts and supernatural activity but sadly it all got a bit confusing for me as it progressed. The flashbacks and present just seemed to clash and not move seamlessly together. At times I felt possibly the author meant for the book to be more of a Victorian mystery rather than supernatural.
The use of location was one of the main strengths of the book, as the descriptions of 19th century Edinburgh were detailed and made it easy to imagine just what Victorian Scotland used to look like; really amazing and descriptive.
The ending I found a bit lacking as I had an idea built u in my of something climatic and it wasn’t.
The story itself intrigued me, the setting especially; all in all, a story that kept my attention nicely throughout and left me mostly satisfied at its conclusion.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Hannah has relocated to Edinburgh and now works as a performing tour guide regaling tourists with the goings on in the spooky derelict Henderson Close. Together with colleagues they bring the past to life as they play the parts of real people who lived there and spin tales of the spooky and historical past, some really gruesome. But then she starts to see shadows, she has flashes where she feels weird and, well, has some really rather scary experiences. But she's not alone, one of the other guides has experienced similar and then some of the tourists also start to see things. What is happening? Are the legends and stories of what went before coming back? Who are the people that Hannah keeps seeing, and what do they really want?
I was intrigued by the classification of The Haunting of Henderson Close as a horror, mystery and thriller novel as these are my favourites.
I loved all the hints at ghosts and supernatural activity but sadly it all got a bit confusing for me as it progressed. The flashbacks and present just seemed to clash and not move seamlessly together. At times I felt possibly the author meant for the book to be more of a Victorian mystery rather than supernatural.
The use of location was one of the main strengths of the book, as the descriptions of 19th century Edinburgh were detailed and made it easy to imagine just what Victorian Scotland used to look like; really amazing and descriptive.
The ending I found a bit lacking as I had an idea built u in my of something climatic and it wasn’t.
The story itself intrigued me, the setting especially; all in all, a story that kept my attention nicely throughout and left me mostly satisfied at its conclusion.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Bernard Cornwell, as an author, is perhaps better know/more associated with historical fiction as a genre.
Yet I was aware he had also written a couple of other, more contemporaneous set, novels and mainly concerned with sailing.
I had never read any of those until recently (they held little appeal), when I came across Sea Lord on offer on Kindle, and decided to pick it up. I did feel it was not as good as his more 'usual' sort of novel; not as good as the Sharpe books or those of The Last Kingdom, for example.
So I wasn't really on the look out for any more of his so-called 'sailing thrillers'.
Having said that, when I came across this one - which I have since learnt was the first of his sailing thriller novels - also on sale, I never-the-less thought I would give this style of work another chance.
As before, I found that - while an enjoyable enough read - this does NOT live up to the standards set by the likes of the aforementioned Sharpe or Uhtred novels.
This is set in the I-assume-then-present 1980s, and follows Falklands hero Nick Sandman who, as the novel starts, is in hospital after having his spine shattered by a bullet. Whilst there, he makes himself a promise that, once better, he will sail his beloved boat Sycorax to the other side of the world, but finds that this will be easier said than done once he discharges himself from the hospital and finds that his ex-wife has sold his berth to TV personality Tony Bannister and left the boat to rot, who - in exchange for his help in refitting Sycorax - want Sandman to help navigate his own boat Wildtrack to victory in an ocean race. The rest of the novel then deals with the fallout from this devils bargain, especially as Bannister has powerful enemies of his own ...
So, yeah, enjoyable enough but not Cornwell's best.
Yet I was aware he had also written a couple of other, more contemporaneous set, novels and mainly concerned with sailing.
I had never read any of those until recently (they held little appeal), when I came across Sea Lord on offer on Kindle, and decided to pick it up. I did feel it was not as good as his more 'usual' sort of novel; not as good as the Sharpe books or those of The Last Kingdom, for example.
So I wasn't really on the look out for any more of his so-called 'sailing thrillers'.
Having said that, when I came across this one - which I have since learnt was the first of his sailing thriller novels - also on sale, I never-the-less thought I would give this style of work another chance.
As before, I found that - while an enjoyable enough read - this does NOT live up to the standards set by the likes of the aforementioned Sharpe or Uhtred novels.
This is set in the I-assume-then-present 1980s, and follows Falklands hero Nick Sandman who, as the novel starts, is in hospital after having his spine shattered by a bullet. Whilst there, he makes himself a promise that, once better, he will sail his beloved boat Sycorax to the other side of the world, but finds that this will be easier said than done once he discharges himself from the hospital and finds that his ex-wife has sold his berth to TV personality Tony Bannister and left the boat to rot, who - in exchange for his help in refitting Sycorax - want Sandman to help navigate his own boat Wildtrack to victory in an ocean race. The rest of the novel then deals with the fallout from this devils bargain, especially as Bannister has powerful enemies of his own ...
So, yeah, enjoyable enough but not Cornwell's best.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2) in Books
May 22, 2019
Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan does not wish to linger on the grisly scene before her eyes. Two mutilated corpses. In a church. In Clontarf. Her profiling background screams one fact: this is just the beginning of a sickening message.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old case is playing out on a TV documentary, the convicted professing his innocence and historical police errors being exposed daily in the media. Frankie's superior, commissioner Donna Hegarty, makes no bones about who she expects to clean things up - both in terms of past mishandlings and the present murders.
But not everyone working the cases wants the truth to come out. And the corridors of power have their own vested interest. Soon Frankie pinpoints just what is making her so nervous: the fact that anyone could be the next victim when justice is the killer.
The Killer In Me is a fast-paced thriller in which lies are safer than the truth, the past is never far from the present, and the ability to kill could well, it seems, live in everyone.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Killer in Me.
The Killer in Me is the second novel to feature Dublin based Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan of An Garda Síochánas Bureau for Serious Crime.
I could use a lot of words to describe this book and how much I liked it, but I want to summarize it in few words: it's amazing and gripping.
This novel is fast paced and full of twists and turns which just ramp the suspense level up.
I was gripped from the start and read this book in one go. It is really well written and very cleverly thought out.
Dark and intense, this story is told wonderfully well.
I found the characters very interesting and also full of depth.
Lot of red herrings about to keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Highly Recommend.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Killer in Me; this is my honest voluntary review.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old case is playing out on a TV documentary, the convicted professing his innocence and historical police errors being exposed daily in the media. Frankie's superior, commissioner Donna Hegarty, makes no bones about who she expects to clean things up - both in terms of past mishandlings and the present murders.
But not everyone working the cases wants the truth to come out. And the corridors of power have their own vested interest. Soon Frankie pinpoints just what is making her so nervous: the fact that anyone could be the next victim when justice is the killer.
The Killer In Me is a fast-paced thriller in which lies are safer than the truth, the past is never far from the present, and the ability to kill could well, it seems, live in everyone.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Killer in Me.
The Killer in Me is the second novel to feature Dublin based Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan of An Garda Síochánas Bureau for Serious Crime.
I could use a lot of words to describe this book and how much I liked it, but I want to summarize it in few words: it's amazing and gripping.
This novel is fast paced and full of twists and turns which just ramp the suspense level up.
I was gripped from the start and read this book in one go. It is really well written and very cleverly thought out.
Dark and intense, this story is told wonderfully well.
I found the characters very interesting and also full of depth.
Lot of red herrings about to keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Highly Recommend.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Killer in Me; this is my honest voluntary review.
Rachel (48 KP) rated The Devil's Prayer in Books
May 27, 2017
Thrilling Read
When I first read the blurb of this book I was desperate to read it - Why would a nun commit suicide? Why had a mother abandoned her children? What exactly is The Devil's Prayer?
To be honest I was expecting a mystery thriller with supernatural undertones. I could not have been more wrong.
This book is entirely unexpected. In a very good way though, it far surpassed my expectations. It does start off slowly but wow - you soon find yourself in an incredibly fast paced tale that twists and shocks constantly.
I enjoyed it immensely. The shifting of the voice telling the story is natural, the differences between them enough to make it obvious who was narrating. The two main female protagonists become incredibly sympathetic as the story moves along and the descriptions of various locations were detailed enough that you could easily 'see' them without the minute that bogs down some novels. Some of the scenes are brutal and deal with subject's that are very delicate. I felt that the author dealt with these incredibly well and, as someone who could be labelled 'sensitive' to some, it never felt gratuitous.
So why only nine stars? Well, there are a few nagging issues that grew rather tiresome.
The main issue has nothing to do with the story itself - rather it is a huge formatting flaw. Every word that is written in italics, usually the foreign names of things or places, is tiny. About half of the size of the normal font. I do not need glasses but squinting constantly left me with a slight headache and a huge amount of frustration. It's always nice to know the real name of things so I nearly always took the time to look. Unfortunately that meant that the flow of the story was somewhat spoilt.
One other minor niggle was that I felt that some characters deserved much more of a back story than they got. At one point the motivation for one of the later characters is being explained then it suddenly turns into a detailed historical description and then back to one of the main protagonist's again. That was a shame because it would have been very satisfying to have learnt more about the actual character.
Overall I would definitely recommend this novel - I just hope that the migraine inducing formatting is sorted out!
To be honest I was expecting a mystery thriller with supernatural undertones. I could not have been more wrong.
This book is entirely unexpected. In a very good way though, it far surpassed my expectations. It does start off slowly but wow - you soon find yourself in an incredibly fast paced tale that twists and shocks constantly.
I enjoyed it immensely. The shifting of the voice telling the story is natural, the differences between them enough to make it obvious who was narrating. The two main female protagonists become incredibly sympathetic as the story moves along and the descriptions of various locations were detailed enough that you could easily 'see' them without the minute that bogs down some novels. Some of the scenes are brutal and deal with subject's that are very delicate. I felt that the author dealt with these incredibly well and, as someone who could be labelled 'sensitive' to some, it never felt gratuitous.
So why only nine stars? Well, there are a few nagging issues that grew rather tiresome.
The main issue has nothing to do with the story itself - rather it is a huge formatting flaw. Every word that is written in italics, usually the foreign names of things or places, is tiny. About half of the size of the normal font. I do not need glasses but squinting constantly left me with a slight headache and a huge amount of frustration. It's always nice to know the real name of things so I nearly always took the time to look. Unfortunately that meant that the flow of the story was somewhat spoilt.
One other minor niggle was that I felt that some characters deserved much more of a back story than they got. At one point the motivation for one of the later characters is being explained then it suddenly turns into a detailed historical description and then back to one of the main protagonist's again. That was a shame because it would have been very satisfying to have learnt more about the actual character.
Overall I would definitely recommend this novel - I just hope that the migraine inducing formatting is sorted out!
The story is told from multiple perspectives, mainly by Volnay – The Inspector of strange and unexpected death, and Casanova – the seducer of everyone with a vagina. The main character I think is Volnay, and most of the time he shares his findings, uncovered with the help of his companion, the Monk. Casanova is just there, and his story was not very interesting to me, he was more of an obstacle rather than an intriguing participant. The characters are very sophisticated, refined, and most of the time very rich. The atmosphere in this book is quite grand, pompous and fancy, however, there are parts of filthiness and prostitution from time to time as well. My favourite character in this book has to be the Monk, he is the smartest and most intriguing of all of them, and Volnay would be nothing without him.
This book was quite a slow burner for me. First of all, there is not much progress happening towards the murders, and secondly, it is a very political book. There is a lot of scientific talks about alchemy, potions and other science-related things, that sound interesting, but at the same time doesn’t make sense to me at all. :/ The topics discussed in this book were paedophilia (the king was a paedophile), prostitution, scientific inventions, alchemy, French political affairs, etc. There were not many things happening in this book, and I missed the twists and turns to speed up this book.
The writing style of this book is very rich and sophisticated, the author has to be a true intellectual, who is into philosophy and science. It is a translation from French, that’s why it is filled with French expressions and place names. The chapters were too long for my liking and felt quite draggy sometimes. The ending was quite interesting but didn’t leave me fully satisfied. So, to conclude, it is a very complex novel, filled with refined characters, and very layered and political plot. This book is very beautifully written and I believe that the author is very gifted, to be able to write a book like this, but the reader has to be an intellectual as well, to appreciate and enjoy it. So if you are into 18th century France, and enjoy books about politics and science, this historical thriller will be for you.
This book was quite a slow burner for me. First of all, there is not much progress happening towards the murders, and secondly, it is a very political book. There is a lot of scientific talks about alchemy, potions and other science-related things, that sound interesting, but at the same time doesn’t make sense to me at all. :/ The topics discussed in this book were paedophilia (the king was a paedophile), prostitution, scientific inventions, alchemy, French political affairs, etc. There were not many things happening in this book, and I missed the twists and turns to speed up this book.
The writing style of this book is very rich and sophisticated, the author has to be a true intellectual, who is into philosophy and science. It is a translation from French, that’s why it is filled with French expressions and place names. The chapters were too long for my liking and felt quite draggy sometimes. The ending was quite interesting but didn’t leave me fully satisfied. So, to conclude, it is a very complex novel, filled with refined characters, and very layered and political plot. This book is very beautifully written and I believe that the author is very gifted, to be able to write a book like this, but the reader has to be an intellectual as well, to appreciate and enjoy it. So if you are into 18th century France, and enjoy books about politics and science, this historical thriller will be for you.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Post (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
You can’t get on the internet these days without a political controversy smacking you right in the face. You also can’t help but notice the timing of this historical thriller directed by Steven Spielberg. Using the past’s political agenda to reaffirm the resistance we are facing today. The Post takes place in the deep thrones of the Vietnam War, the “Pentagon Papers” are leaked: a classified study of revealing a government cover up relating to the war. Kay Graham (Meryl Steep) is the owner and largest shareholder of the Washington Post newspaper. Taking on a position she never foresaw herself ever doing after the untimely death of her husband. And, finally having to make one of the toughest decision of her entire life, both personally and professionally. To not only bringing down the government, but some very close personal friends in the process. It takes her Editor-In-Chief, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) to convince her the importance of the news and the role journalists must play to deliver the news and protect the governed and not the government.
When you hear the high caliber names such as Hanks, Streep, Speilberg, you can almost guarantee a top notch film with unbelievable emphasis on character development. They definitely did not disappoint! The Post works as a history lesson. Not only does it portray the events that took place with such thorough details, it exemplifies the relationship between not only a journalist and their source, but also the personal struggle between the editor, the owner of the newspaper, their friends who hold major positions within the government, and the moral obligation to at least get the truth out to the public.
The set design, the costume design, the characters’ mannerisms are flawless. Even the way social interaction was demonstrated between men and women. Women’s role is in the home, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining. Something so simple as the use of a rotary phone played such a nostalgic role. I can’t say enough about the wonderful acting skills of both Streep and Hanks. I suspect one or both with be receiving some serious accolades during awards season. Streep and Hanks both shine throughout the entire film. They both did a great job at relaying the emotions and the turmoil these characters faced.
Many lines throughout the movie–“if we don’t hold them accountable, than who will?”–ring true to a lot of the issues affecting us today.
When you hear the high caliber names such as Hanks, Streep, Speilberg, you can almost guarantee a top notch film with unbelievable emphasis on character development. They definitely did not disappoint! The Post works as a history lesson. Not only does it portray the events that took place with such thorough details, it exemplifies the relationship between not only a journalist and their source, but also the personal struggle between the editor, the owner of the newspaper, their friends who hold major positions within the government, and the moral obligation to at least get the truth out to the public.
The set design, the costume design, the characters’ mannerisms are flawless. Even the way social interaction was demonstrated between men and women. Women’s role is in the home, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining. Something so simple as the use of a rotary phone played such a nostalgic role. I can’t say enough about the wonderful acting skills of both Streep and Hanks. I suspect one or both with be receiving some serious accolades during awards season. Streep and Hanks both shine throughout the entire film. They both did a great job at relaying the emotions and the turmoil these characters faced.
Many lines throughout the movie–“if we don’t hold them accountable, than who will?”–ring true to a lot of the issues affecting us today.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Six Minutes to Midnight (2021) in Movies
Apr 4, 2021 (Updated Apr 4, 2021)
Historical story (Potential for a great film) (1 more)
Judi Dench
B-grade spy caper antics (1 more)
Some ridiculous plot-points
A "39 Steps-esque" thriller that doesn't match its potential
In "Six Minutes to Midnight", it's the summer of 1939 (so we are in a parallel time-flow here with the events of "The Dig"). A private girl's school - the Augusta Victoria College in Bexhill-on-Sea - is run with loving care by the spinster Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench). But the 'finishing school' is unusual, in that all its teenage students are German. Indeed, they are the offspring of prominent Nazis.
When half-German English teacher Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) applies for a suddenly vacant position, he is taken on to share the teaching duties with Rocholl and Ilse (Carla Juri). But in snooping into the activities going on there, he finds mystery and danger.
Positives:
This is a fascinating premise for a movie that will appeal to an older generation, along the lines of "They don't make them like this anymore". It has elements of the 'good guy on the run' that struck parallels with "The 39 Steps" for me.
It's great that the school is all based on historical fact. Miss Rochol did indeed run the school, as a part of a plan to infiltrate British high-society with pro-Nazi sympathies ahead of an invasion. In real-life, one of the pupils was the god-daughter of Heinrich Himmler and one - Bettina von Ribbentrop - was the daughter of the German foreign minister.
After a comic "Family Guy"-style set of production logos to kick off with (for a full one and a half minutes!!), the pre-title sequence is a superb scene-setter. What exactly is going on here? A frantic scrabbling in a bookcase. A pier-end disappearance. The school badge (a genuine reproduction!) with its Union flag and Nazi Swastika insignia. The girls performing a ballet-like ritual on the beach with batons. (This looks to be a cracker, I thought).
Judi Dench. Superb as always.
Chris Seager does the cinematography, and impressively so. Most of Seager's CV has been TV work, so it must be delightful to be given the breadth of a cinema screen to capture landscapes like this.
I like the clever title: "Six Minutes to Midnight". I assumed it was intended solely to reflect the imminence of war. But it actually has another meaning entirely.
Negatives:
For me, was a highly frustrating film. All of the great credibility and atmosphere it builds up in the first 30 minutes, it then squanders by diving off into sub-Hitchcock spy capers.
Izzard becomes a 'man on the run', and doesn't seem credible at that. (I appreciate the irony of this statement given that this is the man who ran 32 marathons in 31 days for charity!) But Izzard is built for distance and not for speed, and some of the police chase scenes in the movie strain credibility to breaking point. Another actor might have been able to pull this off better.
There's a lack of continuity in the film: was it perhaps cut down from a much longer running time? At one point, Miller is a wanted murderer with his face plastered on the front pages. The next, kindly bus driver Charlie (Jim Broadbent) is unaccountably aiding him and Rochol seems to have assumed his innocence in later scenes.
Various spy caper clichés are mined to extreme - including those old classics 'swerve to avoid bullets'; 'gun shot but different gun'; and 'shot guy seems to live forever'. And there are double-agent 'twists' occurring that are utterly predictable.
A very specific continuity irritation for me was in an 'aircraft landing' scene. Markers are separated by nine paces (I went back and counted them!) yet a view from a plane shows them a 'runway-width' apart. This might have escaped scrutiny were it shown just once. But no... we have ground shot; air shot; ground shot; air shot..... repeatedly!
Summary thoughts: This was one of the cinema trailers that most appealed to me over a year ago, in those heady days in the sunlit-uplands of life before Covid-19. It's a movie that showed a great deal of promise, since the history is fascinating. And there is probably a really great TV serial in here: showing the 'alternate history' consequences of these high-society German girls penetrating British society and steering the war in a different direction (screenplay idea (C) RJ Mann!) But the potential is squandered with a non-credible spy caper bolted onto the side.
So with "Six Minutes to Midnight", Downton-director Andy Goddard has made a perfectly watchable 'rainy Sunday afternoon' film, that I enjoyed in part for its 'old-school' quirkiness. But it's frustrating that all the promise couldn't be transitioned into a more satisfying movie.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the One Mann's Movies review here https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/04/04/six-minutes-to-midnight-a-39-steps-esque-thriller-but-not-quite-pulling-it-off/. Thanks).
When half-German English teacher Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) applies for a suddenly vacant position, he is taken on to share the teaching duties with Rocholl and Ilse (Carla Juri). But in snooping into the activities going on there, he finds mystery and danger.
Positives:
This is a fascinating premise for a movie that will appeal to an older generation, along the lines of "They don't make them like this anymore". It has elements of the 'good guy on the run' that struck parallels with "The 39 Steps" for me.
It's great that the school is all based on historical fact. Miss Rochol did indeed run the school, as a part of a plan to infiltrate British high-society with pro-Nazi sympathies ahead of an invasion. In real-life, one of the pupils was the god-daughter of Heinrich Himmler and one - Bettina von Ribbentrop - was the daughter of the German foreign minister.
After a comic "Family Guy"-style set of production logos to kick off with (for a full one and a half minutes!!), the pre-title sequence is a superb scene-setter. What exactly is going on here? A frantic scrabbling in a bookcase. A pier-end disappearance. The school badge (a genuine reproduction!) with its Union flag and Nazi Swastika insignia. The girls performing a ballet-like ritual on the beach with batons. (This looks to be a cracker, I thought).
Judi Dench. Superb as always.
Chris Seager does the cinematography, and impressively so. Most of Seager's CV has been TV work, so it must be delightful to be given the breadth of a cinema screen to capture landscapes like this.
I like the clever title: "Six Minutes to Midnight". I assumed it was intended solely to reflect the imminence of war. But it actually has another meaning entirely.
Negatives:
For me, was a highly frustrating film. All of the great credibility and atmosphere it builds up in the first 30 minutes, it then squanders by diving off into sub-Hitchcock spy capers.
Izzard becomes a 'man on the run', and doesn't seem credible at that. (I appreciate the irony of this statement given that this is the man who ran 32 marathons in 31 days for charity!) But Izzard is built for distance and not for speed, and some of the police chase scenes in the movie strain credibility to breaking point. Another actor might have been able to pull this off better.
There's a lack of continuity in the film: was it perhaps cut down from a much longer running time? At one point, Miller is a wanted murderer with his face plastered on the front pages. The next, kindly bus driver Charlie (Jim Broadbent) is unaccountably aiding him and Rochol seems to have assumed his innocence in later scenes.
Various spy caper clichés are mined to extreme - including those old classics 'swerve to avoid bullets'; 'gun shot but different gun'; and 'shot guy seems to live forever'. And there are double-agent 'twists' occurring that are utterly predictable.
A very specific continuity irritation for me was in an 'aircraft landing' scene. Markers are separated by nine paces (I went back and counted them!) yet a view from a plane shows them a 'runway-width' apart. This might have escaped scrutiny were it shown just once. But no... we have ground shot; air shot; ground shot; air shot..... repeatedly!
Summary thoughts: This was one of the cinema trailers that most appealed to me over a year ago, in those heady days in the sunlit-uplands of life before Covid-19. It's a movie that showed a great deal of promise, since the history is fascinating. And there is probably a really great TV serial in here: showing the 'alternate history' consequences of these high-society German girls penetrating British society and steering the war in a different direction (screenplay idea (C) RJ Mann!) But the potential is squandered with a non-credible spy caper bolted onto the side.
So with "Six Minutes to Midnight", Downton-director Andy Goddard has made a perfectly watchable 'rainy Sunday afternoon' film, that I enjoyed in part for its 'old-school' quirkiness. But it's frustrating that all the promise couldn't be transitioned into a more satisfying movie.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the One Mann's Movies review here https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/04/04/six-minutes-to-midnight-a-39-steps-esque-thriller-but-not-quite-pulling-it-off/. Thanks).
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
<i>Wake</i> is a historical, debut novel by the British author, Anna Hope. Set in 1920 the story spans itself over five days, from Sunday 7th November until Thursday 11th November – Armistice Day. It is a story about the aftermath of the First World War and how individuals deal with the loss of loved ones, as well as their relationships with those around them.
The novel tells the story of three different women. None of them know of each other, nor even meet during the course of the narrative. However, they are connected through relationships and acquaintances with other people. There is Hettie, a young woman who works as a dance instructress at the Hammersmith Palais. Her brother fought in and survived the war only to return shell shocked and unable to cope. Evelyn, just short of 30, lost someone dear to her. Her brother, however, survived but he is also greatly affected by what he has done. Finally, there is Ada, a mother of a soldier who died from his wounds. Unable to let go of tragedy she is slowly, unknowingly, pushing her husband away.
The title of the novel initially gives an indication of what the story may contain. The most common definition is about waking up – emerging from sleep. There is slightly less focus on this meaning, nevertheless, toward the end of the book Ada is, in a way, waking up out of the past and concentrating on the here and now. Wake is also the term for a ritual of the dead. The story takes place in the days leading up to Armistice Day, the day when the Unknown Warrior was brought to England and buried in London. The final meaning, and most important in terms of this novel’s content, is consequence or aftermath. Every character, not just the three women, is dealing with the repercussions of war.
Hope has conducted in-depth research with the result that <i>Wake</i> gives a powerful insight into the lives of Londoners at that difficult time. It shocks the reader by revealing the awfulness and pain – emotionally and physically – people went through. As well as war, the book heavily focuses on family and romantic relationships, and even encompasses a hint of mystery, not in the crime thriller sense, but enough to keep the reader engaged and eager to discover the truth.
Admittedly, the beginning did not appear to have a clear plot line, but once the secrets and revelations begin cropping up, the book takes off and becomes an enjoyable read.
<i>Wake</i> is a historical, debut novel by the British author, Anna Hope. Set in 1920 the story spans itself over five days, from Sunday 7th November until Thursday 11th November – Armistice Day. It is a story about the aftermath of the First World War and how individuals deal with the loss of loved ones, as well as their relationships with those around them.
The novel tells the story of three different women. None of them know of each other, nor even meet during the course of the narrative. However, they are connected through relationships and acquaintances with other people. There is Hettie, a young woman who works as a dance instructress at the Hammersmith Palais. Her brother fought in and survived the war only to return shell shocked and unable to cope. Evelyn, just short of 30, lost someone dear to her. Her brother, however, survived but he is also greatly affected by what he has done. Finally, there is Ada, a mother of a soldier who died from his wounds. Unable to let go of tragedy she is slowly, unknowingly, pushing her husband away.
The title of the novel initially gives an indication of what the story may contain. The most common definition is about waking up – emerging from sleep. There is slightly less focus on this meaning, nevertheless, toward the end of the book Ada is, in a way, waking up out of the past and concentrating on the here and now. Wake is also the term for a ritual of the dead. The story takes place in the days leading up to Armistice Day, the day when the Unknown Warrior was brought to England and buried in London. The final meaning, and most important in terms of this novel’s content, is consequence or aftermath. Every character, not just the three women, is dealing with the repercussions of war.
Hope has conducted in-depth research with the result that <i>Wake</i> gives a powerful insight into the lives of Londoners at that difficult time. It shocks the reader by revealing the awfulness and pain – emotionally and physically – people went through. As well as war, the book heavily focuses on family and romantic relationships, and even encompasses a hint of mystery, not in the crime thriller sense, but enough to keep the reader engaged and eager to discover the truth.
Admittedly, the beginning did not appear to have a clear plot line, but once the secrets and revelations begin cropping up, the book takes off and becomes an enjoyable read.