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JT (287 KP) rated Ca$h (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
A contender for one of the worst thrillers ever, this is nothing more than a total disaster. And that is being generous!
Director Stephen Milburn Anderson’s last outing was with Dead Men Can’t Dance back in 1997, and after such a long break you wonder why he stepped back behind the camera. The film’s central plot has been graced in Hollywood one way or another, at least in a different guise.
A bag of money from a robbery falls in the lap of Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie Phelan (Victoria Profeta) and so beings the moral dilemma. It doesn’t take long for the couple to blow and hide most of the money.
Sean Bean complete with trademark Sheffield accent steps in as Pyke Kubic tasked with recovering the half million dollar loot to split between himself and his brother who is in prison (also played by Bean).
For most you’d expect a game of cat and mouse, gripping edge of seat stuff. Forget that, what you are handed is a rather boring plot of Bean meticulously accounting for all the missing cash and spending time with the couple inside their home as some sort of unwanted house guest.
There is no need for violence here, he’s polite and calm but at the same time attempts to be chilling even insulting the couple for their lack of meat in home cooking. Christ, he even goes out to buy them food for their fridge!
It really is embarrassing to watch and sad, as put in the right hands this could have been a real sleeper hit. Two simple words, “don’t bother”!
Director Stephen Milburn Anderson’s last outing was with Dead Men Can’t Dance back in 1997, and after such a long break you wonder why he stepped back behind the camera. The film’s central plot has been graced in Hollywood one way or another, at least in a different guise.
A bag of money from a robbery falls in the lap of Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie Phelan (Victoria Profeta) and so beings the moral dilemma. It doesn’t take long for the couple to blow and hide most of the money.
Sean Bean complete with trademark Sheffield accent steps in as Pyke Kubic tasked with recovering the half million dollar loot to split between himself and his brother who is in prison (also played by Bean).
For most you’d expect a game of cat and mouse, gripping edge of seat stuff. Forget that, what you are handed is a rather boring plot of Bean meticulously accounting for all the missing cash and spending time with the couple inside their home as some sort of unwanted house guest.
There is no need for violence here, he’s polite and calm but at the same time attempts to be chilling even insulting the couple for their lack of meat in home cooking. Christ, he even goes out to buy them food for their fridge!
It really is embarrassing to watch and sad, as put in the right hands this could have been a real sleeper hit. Two simple words, “don’t bother”!
The Writers' War: The Great War in the Words of Great Writers Who Experienced it
Book
'When I come home and leave behind Dark things I would not call to mind ...' wrote Leslie Coulson,...
Mario Vargas Llosa: A Life of Writing
Book
Awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 at the age of seventy-four, Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa has...
Lock In (Lock In #1)
8.3
Rate It
Book
Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get...
Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible
Parnell Hall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Verena Rose and Rita Owen
8.0
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Book
The Malice Domestic anthology series returns with a new take on mysteries in the Agatha Christie...
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Moon Over Soho: The Second PC Grant Mystery in Books
Dec 4, 2018
Great follow up to the first one
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Spoilers ahead you’ve been warned***
It is advisable to read the first one before you get into Moon Over Soho. You’re pretty much carrying on right after the events in the first book so it’s always better to get the background information before carrying on :)
I was pleased with this one, complete with rather macabre scenes that will stick with me for a while. I still enjoy the way it’s being narrated by Peter Grant. He tells it pretty bluntly and explains well for some of us who don’t live in London which helps understand the setting more. The setting is dark and gritty, just right to complement the mystery that is prevalent to the case. The mix with the supernatural blends quite well with real life London, I believe it’s probably even more enjoyable to read for those that are quite familiar to the city.
Supporting characters and some new ones are featured in the book. It’s nice to see Leslie again despite what happened to her (ahh but the ending though!). Peter takes a lot of beating (both verbal and physical) during the book which is to be expected. He does have a thing with Simone that covers a good latter part of the book which is ok, although I thought it provided a lot of filler and it slowed the pace down considerably. You almost wanted to ask; “Peter, don’t you have a case to work on?”
It proved to be a quick read with a good open cliffhanger ending with the mystery of The ‘Faceless One’ which makes the series even more intriguing at this point. I’ll be definitely be picking up the third one. A great series to read so far!
It is advisable to read the first one before you get into Moon Over Soho. You’re pretty much carrying on right after the events in the first book so it’s always better to get the background information before carrying on :)
I was pleased with this one, complete with rather macabre scenes that will stick with me for a while. I still enjoy the way it’s being narrated by Peter Grant. He tells it pretty bluntly and explains well for some of us who don’t live in London which helps understand the setting more. The setting is dark and gritty, just right to complement the mystery that is prevalent to the case. The mix with the supernatural blends quite well with real life London, I believe it’s probably even more enjoyable to read for those that are quite familiar to the city.
Supporting characters and some new ones are featured in the book. It’s nice to see Leslie again despite what happened to her (ahh but the ending though!). Peter takes a lot of beating (both verbal and physical) during the book which is to be expected. He does have a thing with Simone that covers a good latter part of the book which is ok, although I thought it provided a lot of filler and it slowed the pace down considerably. You almost wanted to ask; “Peter, don’t you have a case to work on?”
It proved to be a quick read with a good open cliffhanger ending with the mystery of The ‘Faceless One’ which makes the series even more intriguing at this point. I’ll be definitely be picking up the third one. A great series to read so far!
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated How To Be Single (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Being a single twenty something in New York City is one of the best and one of the worst things all at the same time. Alice (Dakota Johnson) thinks it is time to see what the single life is all about by take a “break” from her longtime boyfriend Josh (Nicholas Braun). Unfortunately as we all know things don’t always work out the way people want and Alice must figure out who she is. With the help of her friend Robin (Rebel Wilson) and her sister Meg (Leslie Mann), Alice faces the challenges and benefits that come with being single. While Alice is trying to find her way the plot looks into the lives of Tom (Anders Holm) the flirty bartender who would pretty much bang anything that walks, Lucy (Alison Brie) the crazed romantic who believes she can find the one, and Meg, Alice’s doctor sister who find out she wants everything she never wanted. “How to Be Single” shows us that we need to take time to find ourselves and that things do happen in time.
Directed by Christian Ditter and loosely based off of Liz Tuccillo’s novel How to Be Single the film is actually quite relatable. While it is not a necessity to be single, finding yourself is an essential part of life and people should explore new opportunities no matter what others tell them. As far as the acting goes, it was ok but nothing Oscar worthy. Also for a romantic comedy I feel this movie is more relatable then most, it shows that love isn’t perfect and instantaneous. I would recommend this film to people who are going to have a girl’s night, because to its core this movie came down to friendship. Would I see this film again? Sure, Rebel Wilson’s one liners in the film were hilarious and kept me hooked.
Directed by Christian Ditter and loosely based off of Liz Tuccillo’s novel How to Be Single the film is actually quite relatable. While it is not a necessity to be single, finding yourself is an essential part of life and people should explore new opportunities no matter what others tell them. As far as the acting goes, it was ok but nothing Oscar worthy. Also for a romantic comedy I feel this movie is more relatable then most, it shows that love isn’t perfect and instantaneous. I would recommend this film to people who are going to have a girl’s night, because to its core this movie came down to friendship. Would I see this film again? Sure, Rebel Wilson’s one liners in the film were hilarious and kept me hooked.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Prom Night (1980) in Movies
Sep 19, 2019
Halloween 1.5
Fairly forgettable slasher/horror film with a lot of similarities to the original Halloween which had been released only 2 years earlier also starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Maybe at the time, all the now predictable horror cliches had not been overdone as they have been these days, but it was still mostly a bore.
After several children murder another girl in an abandoned building, they decide to keep their crime as a secret. Years later the children are now in high school when a mysterious stranger now decides to look them up and make them pay for the dastardly deed. They don't notice subtle clues immediately as the stranger starting calling them with his "spooky voice". The night of the prom is different though, as he decides to take his revenge on them one at a time after there is plenty of disco dancing of course.
Were audiences easier to please back in 1980? Clearly this was a cash grab of a film coming right on the heels of a much better ground breaking entry into the horror genre. This killer is pretty boring in comparison to others even of the same time period. No Captain Kirk or hockey masks here. The guy just wears all black with a black ski mask.
The soundtrack of disco tunes and the prom dancing scene with Jamie Lee strutting her stuff with her date was the highlight for me. It was also funny, yet not funny to see Leslie Nielsen in a dramatic role. It's hard to believe his career would change forever the same year when Airplane! was released.
I would pass if I were you.
After several children murder another girl in an abandoned building, they decide to keep their crime as a secret. Years later the children are now in high school when a mysterious stranger now decides to look them up and make them pay for the dastardly deed. They don't notice subtle clues immediately as the stranger starting calling them with his "spooky voice". The night of the prom is different though, as he decides to take his revenge on them one at a time after there is plenty of disco dancing of course.
Were audiences easier to please back in 1980? Clearly this was a cash grab of a film coming right on the heels of a much better ground breaking entry into the horror genre. This killer is pretty boring in comparison to others even of the same time period. No Captain Kirk or hockey masks here. The guy just wears all black with a black ski mask.
The soundtrack of disco tunes and the prom dancing scene with Jamie Lee strutting her stuff with her date was the highlight for me. It was also funny, yet not funny to see Leslie Nielsen in a dramatic role. It's hard to believe his career would change forever the same year when Airplane! was released.
I would pass if I were you.
Exporting Democracy: The United States and Latin America
Book
The idea that the United States can and should help Latin America achieve democracy has been a...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Molten Death in Books
Apr 3, 2024 (Updated Apr 3, 2024)
Valerie Face a Hot Problem on Vacation in Hawaii
Valerie Corbin and her wife, Kristen, are spending a couple of weeks in Hilo, staying with Kristen’s friend Isaac. They have arrived just as a lava flow is really gaining steam, so they decide to go out and see it early their first Saturday morning on the island. When Valerie wanders away from the other two, she sees part of a body being buried in the molten lava. She can’t get anyone to take her seriously, even Kristen and Isaac. Certainly, the police aren’t taking it seriously without any proof. Can Valerie figure out what really happened?
Author Leslie Karst lives part time in Hilo, so I wasn’t surprised that she chose this as the setting for her new series. Her knowledge showed in how she brought the setting to life. And who doesn’t want a Hawaiian vacation? The plot was very inventive, and I appreciated Valerie’s good motive for getting involved. We had some nice twists before a great climax. I did struggle with Valerie’s relationship with Kristen because they were so at odds for much of the book. I think if this hadn’t been my introduction to them, I would have been okay with this sub-plot. Overall, I liked the series regulars by the end, and Valerie’s darker baggage made her an interesting character. We do get some Pigeon and Hawai’ian mixed into the dialogue. A couple times it was a bit overwhelming, but for the most part, I could figure it out from the context. We get six Hawaiian recipes at the end. The inventive plot will make this series debut a winner for mystery fans.
Author Leslie Karst lives part time in Hilo, so I wasn’t surprised that she chose this as the setting for her new series. Her knowledge showed in how she brought the setting to life. And who doesn’t want a Hawaiian vacation? The plot was very inventive, and I appreciated Valerie’s good motive for getting involved. We had some nice twists before a great climax. I did struggle with Valerie’s relationship with Kristen because they were so at odds for much of the book. I think if this hadn’t been my introduction to them, I would have been okay with this sub-plot. Overall, I liked the series regulars by the end, and Valerie’s darker baggage made her an interesting character. We do get some Pigeon and Hawai’ian mixed into the dialogue. A couple times it was a bit overwhelming, but for the most part, I could figure it out from the context. We get six Hawaiian recipes at the end. The inventive plot will make this series debut a winner for mystery fans.
