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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2660 KP) rated Murder at the Mena House in Books

Apr 2, 2020

Deadly Trip to Egypt

Jane Wunderfly, a war widow, is accompanying her aunt Millie on a trip to Egypt in 1926. She has always dreamed to seeing the Great Pyramids, so this trip is a dream come true. The only hiccup might be her aunt’s not so subtle attempts at matchmaking. That is, until she has some run ins with Anna Stainton, a beautiful socialite who has decided Jane is a rival. When Jane finds Anna’s dead body, the local police think Jane has a good motive for murder. Reluctantly teaming up with the mysterious Mr. Redvers, Jane begins to hunt for the real killer. Can she figure out what happened?

This book is fun, and it captured me from the first couple of sentences. Jane, Redvers, and the rest are a delight to spend time around. I definitely laughed at some of Jane and Redvers’s scenes together. Yet the characters do have layers, and I enjoyed seeing those emerge as the book progressed. I was having so much fun, it took me a while to see the plot was a little weak. While there are clues and twists, it felt like we could have used a few more of them. Still, the writing kept the pages turning, and the climax was suspenseful. I enjoyed this debut, and I’m very curious to find out where Jane goes next.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Monuments Men (2014) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

The Monuments Men (2014)

2014 | Action, Drama

5.5

(6 Ratings)

Movie Rating

As children, we all imagine going on a treasure hunt or adventure. In The Monuments Men, we bear witness to one of the greatest treasure hunts in recent history. The Monuments Men is based on the true story of a team of Art Historians and Architects who are tasked by President Roosevelt during WWII with locating and rescuing pieces of art from the Nazis. The challenge for these men is that they are put upon this task to search for these artifacts, many of which are trapped behind enemy lines.

It becomes a race not only to find the pieces but to prevent their destruction at the hands of the German Army under orders of Hitler himself. The film demonstrates that culture and history are vital to civilization’s memory. With a war of this scale, The Monuments Men demonstrates one of the many aspects of humanity that was endangered. It also reminds audiences that there are many stories still be told from the World War II era. The performances of Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Bob Balaban outshine that of George Clooney Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett. Despite this being an all-star cast, it does not detract from the story and the way that it is portrayed on screen. Audiences will find themselves emotionally connected to some of the characters, images, and the overall story.

Kudos

Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Under the Silver Lake (2018) in Movies

Apr 20, 2020

Under the Silver Lake (2018)

2018 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

7.4

(9 Ratings)

Movie Rating

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!