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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Nine Lives and Alibis in Books
Oct 4, 2023
Murder Old and New Haunts This Halloween
This October, Daybreak Island is trying to put on a Halloween festival to extend tourist season, and Maddie James has been roped into helping with it. The main draw is going to be celebrity psychic Balfour, who was raised on the island but hasn't been back since he made it big. Some are hoping he can solve a pair of forty year old cases, but Maddie doesn't put much stock into psychics. Then a murder happens. Are there modern motives for the murder? Or do the past crimes have to do with the modern killing?
Those looking for a quick murder will be disappointed here. Yes, I did feel there were some pacing issues, but for the most part, I found the book did a good job of introducing suspects and motives before the murder happened. I did figure one thing out early, but the rest was still a surprise. I didn't appreciate the emphasis on psychics in the book, but the rest of the Halloween events in the book were fun, making it perfect for this time of year. (And yes, I do realize that issue is all mine.) Fans of the author's Full Moon Mysteries will enjoy seeing a couple of those characters show up here. As a series fan, I definitely enjoyed seeing the characters again, and want to see how some new beginnings impact the next book in the series. There's still time to add this book to your October reading list, and if you enjoy Halloween set cozies, you'll be glad you did.
Those looking for a quick murder will be disappointed here. Yes, I did feel there were some pacing issues, but for the most part, I found the book did a good job of introducing suspects and motives before the murder happened. I did figure one thing out early, but the rest was still a surprise. I didn't appreciate the emphasis on psychics in the book, but the rest of the Halloween events in the book were fun, making it perfect for this time of year. (And yes, I do realize that issue is all mine.) Fans of the author's Full Moon Mysteries will enjoy seeing a couple of those characters show up here. As a series fan, I definitely enjoyed seeing the characters again, and want to see how some new beginnings impact the next book in the series. There's still time to add this book to your October reading list, and if you enjoy Halloween set cozies, you'll be glad you did.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Tale of Halcyon Crane in Books
Feb 15, 2019
THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE is an interesting, easy Gothic read. It wasn't a book that held my interest in one sitting, but was enjoyable whenever I picked it up. A bit slow to start, it didn't really pick up until halfway, maybe two-thirds of the way through. The end was a bit anti-climatic but it fit the book, so that's fine. The author has a wonderful imagination and usually brought that through life, mainly through the island setting and the Hill history, which was enthralling. I loved the inclusion of two Alaskan Malamutes, which are one of my favorite dogs. So, if you like Gothics, and like a more modern setting with a heroine who isn't helpless, give it a go. It's a good book that's very easy to read.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Gone with the Twins (League of Literary Ladies #5) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Bea Cartwright is facing stiff competition from twins who have set up a bed and breakfast on South Bass Island themed after Gone with the Wind. While she figured out how to get customers back – any customers at all – a local relator is murdered and Bea’s friend Chandra starts acting suspicious. Can Bea clear her?
I love the characters in this series, so it’s always a delight to visit them. This book is no exception. The pace appears to lag at times, but it also picks back up again soon. I certainly always had a hard time putting it down.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-gone-with-twins-by-kylie.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I love the characters in this series, so it’s always a delight to visit them. This book is no exception. The pace appears to lag at times, but it also picks back up again soon. I certainly always had a hard time putting it down.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-gone-with-twins-by-kylie.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) in Movies
Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)
Turtle Recall
Hugely confident reinvention not just of Gamera the flying turtle but also, maybe, the whole kaiju movie genre. Japan is plagued by man-eating Gyaos birds, finds unexpected assistance when floating island turns out to be giant flying turtle with plasma fireball breath. Stage is set for climactic showdown between Gamera and the last, colossal Gyaos in downtown Tokyo (of course).
Altogether much lighter on its feet than Toho's Godzilla movies from the same period; makers have clearly studied the tropes of the genre and reinvent and deploy them to great effect. Hugely enjoyable monster action sequences, solid work from the human cast as well (Steven Seagal's daughter Ayako Fujitani is clearly the one in the family with acting talent). The two sequels are possibly even better.
Altogether much lighter on its feet than Toho's Godzilla movies from the same period; makers have clearly studied the tropes of the genre and reinvent and deploy them to great effect. Hugely enjoyable monster action sequences, solid work from the human cast as well (Steven Seagal's daughter Ayako Fujitani is clearly the one in the family with acting talent). The two sequels are possibly even better.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Mar 22, 2018 (Updated Mar 22, 2018)
Bog-standard action runaround is lifted enormously by proper, non-pneumatic performance from Alicia Vikander as Crofty. Feisty heiress goes in search of missing dad, ends up on desert island with hissable bad guys and tomb; soon there is much running down collapsing corridors and many death-defying leaps.
Vikander keeps it real and plays Croft as a proper human being, and is the main - probably only - reason to watch an otherwise undistinguished film. Bad guys are dull, good guys too; special effects are okay but nothing really special. I suppose it's somewhat notable for the way it keeps the audience guessing about what genre it's going for. Still, much more fun than watching either of the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies, but then so is sawing off your own feet.
Vikander keeps it real and plays Croft as a proper human being, and is the main - probably only - reason to watch an otherwise undistinguished film. Bad guys are dull, good guys too; special effects are okay but nothing really special. I suppose it's somewhat notable for the way it keeps the audience guessing about what genre it's going for. Still, much more fun than watching either of the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies, but then so is sawing off your own feet.
Awix (3310 KP) rated King Kong (2005) in Movies
Feb 26, 2018 (Updated Feb 26, 2018)
Peter Jackson's labour of love takes itself awfully seriously for a film about a giant gorilla living on an island full of dinosaurs. Proof that even hugely successful, talented people occasionally need someone to tap them on the shoulder and say 'You need to think again about this.'
I mean, I love monster movies as much as the next person, but not when they last three hours and are stuffed with dead-wood character subplots like this one (what exactly is going on with Jamie Bell's character?). Attempting to make Kong wholly sympathetic throughout is also arguably a mistake. Movie looks great and has brilliant creature designs, but overall loses the sense of pulpy fun and excitement which the best Kong movies have; ends up feeling just a bit pompous.
I mean, I love monster movies as much as the next person, but not when they last three hours and are stuffed with dead-wood character subplots like this one (what exactly is going on with Jamie Bell's character?). Attempting to make Kong wholly sympathetic throughout is also arguably a mistake. Movie looks great and has brilliant creature designs, but overall loses the sense of pulpy fun and excitement which the best Kong movies have; ends up feeling just a bit pompous.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Better Homes and Hauntings in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This was a quick, fun read. Deacon Whitney, heir to what remains of the Whitney fortune, assembles a group of people to help him revamp his family's ancestral home, located on its own island off the New England coast. His family has been plagued by bad luck and financial misfortune through the years, but Deacon is a successful software engineer and has the funds available to redo the old family home. Joined by a cousin who wants to find out who really killed their great-great grandmother years ago and hopes to break the family curse, an old friend, a landscaper, and an organizational expert, Deacon and his new found friends encounter ghostly presences and jealous ex-business partners. There are some spooky moments, some humor, and plenty of romance along the way.
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2018
A Mixed Bag
Full review here:
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom started well. Most things to do with the island, volcano and all, worked for me. There was even a moment that genuinely had an emotional impact on me and I wasn't expecting that at all. The wheels fell off for me though as soon as the setting changed. Whilst I appreciate the horror tone that it was going for, it all felt a bit B movie and so far removed from what made me fall in love with the franchise in the first place. The ending was intriguing and opens up some interesting possibilities for what's next, but on the whole, this was a real mixed bag.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom started well. Most things to do with the island, volcano and all, worked for me. There was even a moment that genuinely had an emotional impact on me and I wasn't expecting that at all. The wheels fell off for me though as soon as the setting changed. Whilst I appreciate the horror tone that it was going for, it all felt a bit B movie and so far removed from what made me fall in love with the franchise in the first place. The ending was intriguing and opens up some interesting possibilities for what's next, but on the whole, this was a real mixed bag.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Escape from New York (1981) in Movies
Jun 18, 2019
Snaaaaaake!
Escape from New York is a 1981 dystopian science fiction-action film.
In 1997, a major war between the U.S and Russia is continuing and the whole of Manhattan has been converted into a giant free roaming maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.
Dark toned action adventure spawning a cult franchise and heavily inspired the Metal Gear Solid franchise. (I mean its lead character is snake plissken)
co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter.
It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton
In 1997, a major war between the U.S and Russia is continuing and the whole of Manhattan has been converted into a giant free roaming maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.
Dark toned action adventure spawning a cult franchise and heavily inspired the Metal Gear Solid franchise. (I mean its lead character is snake plissken)
co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter.
It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton
BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated Isle of Dogs (2018) in Movies
Jul 16, 2019 (Updated Jul 16, 2019)
Strange but so very fantastic!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I had been waiting a very long time to see this since nobody I knew would watch it with me... I'm a big fan of stop motion movies but apparently nobody else is?? Finally, Netflix added it and I must have seen it about 20 times since then.... the whole movie is so strange but I can't get enough! The casting is fantastic! Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Brian Cranston? Genius! They definitely added to the movies feel and made it a better watch but the plot is just so great! City that doesn't allow dogs so they get dumped. Boy goes to find his dog on island. Epic journey to save his best friend. New friends along the way and a possible love interest... spectacular!