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Hummingbird (aka Redemption, Crazy Joe) (2013)
Hummingbird (aka Redemption, Crazy Joe) (2013)
2013 | Action, Drama
7
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Jason statham (0 more)
Watched Friday on Disney plus not the kinda movie u expect to find on Disney plus especially as its gritty and dark movie but Jason statham saves it for me from totally being dull and the London locations
  
The October Man (Rivers of London #7.5)
The October Man (Rivers of London #7.5)
Ben Aaronovitch | 2019 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
7
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
New location. New characters. (0 more)
Does not include Peter Grant as a main character. (0 more)
Novella set in Germany. Book 7.5 of the Rivers of London series.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch is the "#7.5" book in his Rivers of London series. I read the first book, Rivers of London for book club last year and has marked the 2nd book, Moon over Soho, to be read on Goodreads. When the opportunity arose to read this novella, I jumped at the chance. To give a fair review, I read books 2 - 7, not including the novellas, before reading this.

Peter Grant is mentioned in the novella but his German equivalent, Tobias Winter, leads this investigation set in Trier, Germany's oldest city.

While Aaronovitch's writing style and humor show through, I missed the characters I have been fortunate enough to meet in the books set in London. The backdrop of London has become as important as any of the characters.

Setting the novella in Germany was interesting because it allowed us to see the difference between how the German's investigate and the Folly. It brought the magical world into a different point of view as when FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds was around. I would have enjoyed this more if Peter Grant had helped with Tobias Winter's investigation.

I already marked book 8, False Value, to be read.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/15/19.
  
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama
This is such a good film, a must watch. (2 more)
Set on the streets of London and does a good job in portraying life on the street.
Endearing characters and story line.
When your luck is down.....you need a street cat named Bob!
  
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Bird (1700 KP) rated Legend (2015) in Movies

Jun 6, 2017  
Legend (2015)
Legend (2015)
2015 | Drama, Thriller
Tom Hardy at his absolute best (4 more)
Well written, brilliant dialogue
The 'shotguns' scene in the pub
Captures the fear people has of the Kray's
Does a brilliant job at re-creating the feel of 1960's underworld London
The Tom Hardy Show...
  
Oblivion with Bells by Underworld
Oblivion with Bells by Underworld
2007 | Electronic
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Another of Underworld's great albums where they manage to get the balance between lively and chilled just right. Also has one of their unique 'stream of consciousness' style vocals in Ring Road, which always makes me think of hot summers in London.
  
Dark Tomorrow (Bo Blackman #6)
Dark Tomorrow (Bo Blackman #6)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hmm...I think I'd have liked a happier ending for Bo and Michael--one that would see them together for eternity but i guess anything is possible. But I'm glad that Bo managed to sort London out in the end. Good on her.
  
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Merissa (11765 KP) created a post

Jun 21, 2023  
"It's all cracking off in 1970's London!" - Charlotte

A Mirror Murder (Jan Christopher Mysteries #1) by Helen Hollick - #CozyMystery, 4 out of 5 (very good)

Available in #KindleUnlimited

https://archaeolibrarian.wixsite.com/website/post/a-mirror-murder-jan-christopher-mysteries-1-by-helen-hollick
     
Lavender Road
Lavender Road
Helen Carey | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WW2 London brought to life (0 more)
Unputdownable
This is the first book in a six part series, following the lives of several key characters in a South London community, from the outset of WW2 to VE Day. The novels just get stronger and stronger and the action moves into the European conflict too. The characters are really well drawn, the women are strong, there ls humour, romance, action, pathos and Just purely compelling storylines. Recommended for any reader who likes a brilliant ongoing series. I’ve loved all the books thus far. Last one comes out in April 2018. Hope others will enjoy too.
  
The Foreigner (2017)
The Foreigner (2017)
2017 | Action, Thriller
Pretty standard, but reasonably enjoyable
Standard issue murder and revenge story, which sees Jackie Chan play a dad who sees his daughter blown up in a terrorist attack in London before going after government officials and shady henchmen to try and find the truth.

I was puzzled how a Chinese, London businessman would have been able to pull off all the things that happen in the movie, but that is explained to some extent.

It was nothing ground breaking but worth watching to pass a couple of hours if you just want a bit of action and nothing much else...
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Judy (2019) in Movies

Dec 15, 2019  
Judy (2019)
Judy (2019)
2019 | Biography, Drama, Musical
Verdict: Zellweger Shines

Story: Judy starts in the late 1960’s where screen legend Judy Garland (Zellweger) has been running low on money, struggling to keep a roof over her children’s heads, she must let her ex-husband Sidney Luft (Sewell) look after them, while she travels to London, where she has a fan base dying to see her in sell-out concerts.
In London Judy is managed by Rosalyn Wilder (Buckley) who must make sure she makes the shows, Judy is trying to make the money, while experiencing the flashbacks of her time working on the Wizard of Oz, being order into certain diets, being controlled. She does make new friends and learns about her own personal problems.

Thoughts on Judy

Characters – Judy Garland is the screen legend, she has been struggling in the mid-40s with a reputation that claims she is difficult, needing to find a way to have an income, she moves to London for a string of shows, which soon sell out, giving her a chance at recovering her career, only her demons will continue to haunt her. Sidney Luft is the ex-husband that wants to have custody of their children back in America. Rosalyn Wilder is trying to manage Judy on the London, she does what she can, getting the most out of her. Bernard Delfont is financing the concerts, he is left disappointed with Judy, echoing what it was like for her as a child star. Most of the supporting characters don’t get much to do, while we focus a lot more on Judy’s life.
Performances – Renee Zellweger is fantastic in this leading role, completely controlling the scenes, making us feel every emotion that Judy would go through. Rufus Sewell, Jessie Buckley and Michael Gambon are all strong, though they don’t get much to work with.
Story – The story here follows Judy Garland’s arrival in London for a set of concerts, hoping to revive her career, only her past demons and reputation come back to haunt her once again. The story might show more of her time on the big stage in London which is all fine, but the tragic side of her story only comes in small flashbacks, these scenes are filled with pain and would have been a lot more interesting to see, just how badly she was treated at a young age by the blossoming Hollywood system. We don’t see much between The Wizard of Oz and 1968 either, which is where her bad reputation comes from, this would have also been nice to see, what caused this reputation, was it fair etc. we just seem to skip a lot, despite how interesting the loneliness Judy is experiencing in London would be.
Biopic – We only get to see a couple of moments from Judy’s life, part of the making of Wizard of Oz and then her 1968 concert tour in London, different stages of her career, different problems in her life.
Settings – The film has a couple of main settings, the set of Wizard of Oz, the stage in London and the hotel where she was staying in her time in London, they show her strength, her weakness and the place that broke her early in her life.

Scene of the Movie – Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not learning enough about why Judy became difficult to work with.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting biopic, where we get to see a difficult stage of her career, Zellweger is fantastic and elevates this film to new levels.

Overall: Nice Biopic, With Something Missing.