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Kill With Kindness

Ed James

6.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

A sadistic killer. An infamous victim. A crime that gets darker and darker… The body of a young...

Dreams That Never Were

Greg Messel

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

June 5, 1968: Senator Robert F. Kennedy, then a candidate for President and victorious in the...

political thriller romance historical fiction fiction politics

David McK (3610 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies

Sep 5, 2019 (Updated Mar 27, 2023)

I'm going to start by saying that I originally wondered why this film was subtitled Parabellum, until a character in the film quotes the famous line: 'if you desire peace, prepare for war' in its original Latin (with English subtitles).

And that is pretty much what this film is about, picking up almost directly after Chapter 2 and with Keanu's super assassin John Wick now with a 14 million USD price on his head after killing a man on company (sacred) ground - i.e. The Continental Hotel - in the previous instalment.

I'm still a little hazy on the society itself - just how much are those hitman tokens worth? They constantly seem to change value! - and on why the world and its neighbour seems to be some sort of assassin, leading me almost to wonder are we in some sort of Matrix reality (not helped by Keanu even saying he needs 'Guns. Lots of guns'), but - putting that aside - this is still quite an enjoyable, albeit very violent, action movie.

Kudos

Karla Dee (6 KP) rated Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels in Books

Aug 26, 2022

My prima just moved back to the midwest after being in hollywood and wow did I hear some stories about dark hollwood, woah! I can't share that business but I can share what I read in this book about a Doctor who uses his power and money to control heroine and meth addicts in Cali. I love how the author pursues this story even though the whole city and all the magazine editors are in the Doctors pocket. Honestly the city of Pasadena seemed very nice and bougie before Paul Pringle exposed the city hall and the police department in having covered up an overdose where a girl could have died. A good Samaritan working at the hotel tipped off authorities which led to Pringle finding about the case and believing that there is a cover up. Pringle's persistence in getting a well to do university to talk and the police department to write up a report they had ignored at first just shows a little of his badass detective work. Def recommend reading the whole report aka book <3

Kudos

Panty Raid

Diane Vallere

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Vegas, Baby, Vegas! When fashionista and amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd is assigned to cover the...

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Vacancy (2007) in Movies

Aug 14, 2019

Vacancy (2007)

2007 | Horror, Mystery

6.4

(11 Ratings)

Movie Rating

While driving down a back road late one evening on their way to L.A. an embattled couple, are about to make a stop that could cost them their lives. In Vacancy, Amy and David Fox, are returning home from a trip to celebrate the anniversary of their in laws.
The fact that they had to hide their failing marriage, and the tensions that still remain as a result, have driven Amy and David to the point of irritability and they never cease to find new ways to verbally spar with one another.

When their car breaks down, they are happy to discover a gas station attendant who tells them that he can get their car repaired enough to make it to the next town where they will be able to get the help that they need in the morning.

This proves not to be the case as their car once again breaks down shortly after they resume their trip, which forces Amy and David to walk back into town and stay the night at the only hotel in the remote locale.

Frustrated by their situation, the two resign themselves to their situation and check into the hotel and soon make a startling discovery. A stack of video tapes in the room seems to indicate that a series of ghastly murders has been committed in their room, and when hidden cameras are discovered, Amy and David soon realize that they are to be the stars of a future tape.

Trapped and alone, the duo must stave off a series of attacks and find a way to survive, so they can escape the nightmare they have stumbled into.

At first the premise of the film seems to be a step above the usual genre film, as the two leads, Wilson and Beckinsale, bring acredibility to their roles, and do develop their characters beyond the paper thin constructs that are so common in films of this type.

Sadly the film does not take advantage of this advantage and soon becomes a series of pat situations and a surprisingly odd lack of tension and suspense in the film.

One of the biggest problems in the film is that it tips it’s hand way to early in the film, as we know what is going on as the discovery of the tapes eliminates much of the mystery. Had the film saved this piece of information until the end of the film, it might have had far more impact as the audience would be left wondering why the bizarre events were happening to the couple.

Another issue for me was the small cast, as with only Wilson and Beckinsale in peril for the majority of the film, the tension level was greatly reduced, as you know that neither of them is going to be killed early in the film, as that would leave the movie without any protagonists.

As much as I liked the concept and casting, especially Frank Whaley as the creepy hotel clerk, Vacancy is simply a good idea that never rises above its premise, and ends up content to recycle the same old formula from dozens of other horror films without offering any of the thrills or chills, and leaves you unsatisfied.