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A Perfect Getaway (2009)
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
2009 | Mystery, Thriller
If “Survivorman” hadn’t given me enough reason to never spend time on a remote beach, “A Perfect Getaway” has sealed my resolve. Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cidney (Milla Jovovich) are newlyweds honeymooning on a remote Hawaiian Island when rumors of a murderous couple begin to circulate. Cliff and Cidney soon find themselves in a triangle of couples, any of which could be the killers.

The film is more akin to a blending of “The Rundown” and “Idle Hands”, than the non-stop creep fest I had expected. Avoiding the exhausted remote Hawaiian island murder movie clichés, “A Perfect Getaway” contains a funny attention-grabbing game of who-done it complete with movie terms worked directly into the plot.

This is a film all about well-crafted characters. All the leads are fun to watch and everyone is bound to have a favorite; from the self proclaimed ‘American Jedi’ Nick (Timothy Olyphant) to the bubbly newlywed Cindy. For me it was the standout performance of Kiele Sanchez as Gina that was the most dramatic and suspenseful.

While I was hesitant to see a film about another a remote island in Hawaii covered in killers, “A Perfect Getaway” blasts past my sense of been there-done-that. The general feel of a mystery novel scattered through the lead characters creates a funny film reminiscent of my R. L. Stine years.

The location is beautiful and haunting, as is to be expected, and the camera is used in a way that truly puts viewers in the film’s action. While “A Perfect Getaway” does drag a little in the beginning staying into the real meat of the film is worth the wait. Additionally viewers will wonder why the film’s characters continue to spend time on an island reported to house a set of murders, but if you can discard these obvious mistakes “A Perfect Getaway” is a refreshing trip.
  
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Necole (36 KP) rated We Were Liars in Books

Oct 25, 2018  
We Were Liars
We Were Liars
Emily Jenkins, Emily Lockhart | 2014 | Children, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.6 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plot twist (0 more)
Slow at times (0 more)
Every summer, the Sinclair family visits the family island to spend the months there.
Gat, Mirren, Johnny and Cady were close and loved their summers they had together. Then an accident happened when Cady was 15 on the island that left her with no memory of events. For two years she didn't hear from Gat, Mirren or Johnny nor did she go to the family island during the summer. The summer of her 17th year, she finally returned ...
How did her family react to her to her return? Did Gat, Mirren and Johnny open up their arms to her? What happened to Cady that fateful summer of the accident? Will she remember?
Not only is this a crucial part of the story, but how does greed, money, power and family all play out in this well thought out novel of mystery?
I loved the writing style and how this book was broken into 4 parts, but I won't tell you the parts names because it might give something away!!!!
A brilliantly written mystery with an intriguing plot and a twisted ending you will not foresee!!!!
A must read that will have you flying through the pages and making you ask yourself a few questions. I also loved the retelling of fairy tales that make all the sense in the world once all the pieces are put together.
  
Smile Beach Murder
Smile Beach Murder
Alicia Bessette | 2022 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder at the Lighthouse
After being laid off from her job as a reporter, Callie Padget has returned home to Cattail Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and landed a job at the local bookstore. She is forced to face a tragedy from her past when a friend falls from the island’s lighthouse almost on the anniversary of her own mother’s tragic death at the lighthouse. Callie doesn’t buy the official police ruling of suicide, especially since the victim had just found the first clue to a treasure hunt. Can Callie figure out what really happened? Is the treasure hunt related to the death?

Despite the vacation island setting, this book does have a bit of a more serious tone thanks to Callie’s own past and how the current death impacts some of the characters. It’s a delicate balance that this book handles well. I quickly came to love the characters, and I can only see that love growing as the series progresses. The plot has a bit of a relaxed pace, but it does get us to a logical conclusion. I loved the setting; I can see myself spending a week on the island on vacation. I also appreciated how this book used all the senses to bring the setting to life. This book would be fun on a vacation, but if you are looking for a virtual vacation, you’ll be extra glad you picked this one up.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Doomwatch (1972) in Movies

Feb 26, 2018  
Doomwatch (1972)
Doomwatch (1972)
1972 | Classics, Horror, Mystery
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Big screen adaptation of then-popular BBC TV SF-thriller show looks much more like a horror story than the telly version normally was. Scientist (Bannen) discovers something nasty afflicting the inhabitants of a remote island; can anything be done to help them?

Competently done; resembles the TV show in its tone and concerns much of the time. However, the general tone and subject matter (investigator on remote island discovers conspiracy of silence amongst locals, including disappearing corpses) would almost make you suspect a Wicker Man rip-off, except this was made first (by a matter of months). Not that it matters much these days, but the actual stars of the TV show barely appear in the movie; they may have been busy actually making it at the time the movie was in production. Worth seeing if you're familiar with the TV show, probably a bit too low-octane if you're not.