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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Decanting a Murder (A Sommelier Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Katie Stillwell lives for wine, so when her best friend, Tessa, gets her an invitation to Frontier Winery’s 100th anniversary party, Katie gladly accepts. The night ends with tragedy when Katie finds the owner murdered. With Tessa missing, Katie must figure out what is really going on. Can she do it?
I’m not a wine drinker, but I completely enjoyed this debut. Tessa could be a bit much at times, but I liked her at others. I was bothered by how much the detective included Katie in the investigation, but overall I completely enjoyed this book. The story moved forward quickly, and Katie is a great main character. I can’t wait to revisit her.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-decanting-murder-by-nadine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I’m not a wine drinker, but I completely enjoyed this debut. Tessa could be a bit much at times, but I liked her at others. I was bothered by how much the detective included Katie in the investigation, but overall I completely enjoyed this book. The story moved forward quickly, and Katie is a great main character. I can’t wait to revisit her.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-decanting-murder-by-nadine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
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.
Cumberland (1142 KP) rated Searching (2018) in Movies
Sep 3, 2018
A must see
The style of this film is really unique. The viewer is watching as if they are behind a computer screen. Margot is a 16 year old girl that has gone missing, and the viewer gets follow her dads online investigation as if they were the one looking for her. This movie has you on the edge of your seat with all its twists and turns. It can also be emotional at times, as Morgot's dad starts to unravel. Her dad feels like a very realistic character, and he's reactions make you hurt for any parent who has ever been in this situation. I think the style of this movie makes a lot of people afraid to watch it, but sitting through this movie is not something you will regret.
Cumberland (1142 KP) rated Pale in Books
Oct 28, 2018
It's an okay read
The premise behind this book was really interesting. That combined with the fact that it is such a short read made me decide to give it a chance. Over all it wasn't bad, however it does itself a disservice by being so short. This could have easily been a 200 page book, so at only 67 pages it feels as if parts are missing. I was never able to connect with the main character, and his relationship with others seemed forced. He was a jerk at the beginning of the book, and he didn't change enough to redeem himself. The main theme of this book is discrimination, but just like everything else the book failed to truly convey it in a meaningful way within its short chapters.
CKD (37 KP) rated Kiss Carlo in Books
Dec 7, 2018
South Philly, 1949. Main character is Nicky Castone, who is orphaned and lives with aunt (Jo), uncle (Dom) and cousins. He drives Cab No. 4 for the Palazzini Cab Company (owned by his uncle Dom). Dom is in a feud with his brother, Mike. Nicky is engaged to Peachy but he is missing something so at the age of 30, he decides to follow his dream of acting and gets a job at Borelli's Theater. Within the cab company is a Western Union telegraph office where Hortense Mooney works. Nicky and Hortense find themselves impersonating a Italian officer and an attache to Eleanor Roosevelt.
As is typical of any Adriana Trigiani book, the characters are richly developed and you feel like you know them. I highly recommend this, and all of her books.
As is typical of any Adriana Trigiani book, the characters are richly developed and you feel like you know them. I highly recommend this, and all of her books.
Merissa (12971 KP) rated Birthrights (The Awakening Trilogy #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
This is the story of Caislyn and Jax, two very different women with attitude!
Jax has run away from an abusive relationship and started a new life. She considers herself wholly human in a world where the 'paranormal' exists.
Caislyn is a witch whose parents are missing and the world, including her lawyer, presume dead although she refuses to believe this.
Throw them together and what have you got? A fast-paced, punchy book that made me laugh with their humour and search along with them for answers. Vampires are "alive and kicking" in this book but are not, for once, in the hot seat but more a back seat driver which makes a nice change.
Will definitely be getting the second and third books in this series.
Jax has run away from an abusive relationship and started a new life. She considers herself wholly human in a world where the 'paranormal' exists.
Caislyn is a witch whose parents are missing and the world, including her lawyer, presume dead although she refuses to believe this.
Throw them together and what have you got? A fast-paced, punchy book that made me laugh with their humour and search along with them for answers. Vampires are "alive and kicking" in this book but are not, for once, in the hot seat but more a back seat driver which makes a nice change.
Will definitely be getting the second and third books in this series.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Ikarie XB-1 (1963) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019 (Updated Jun 23, 2019)
One of those movies which has clearly been influential but remains relatively little-seen, certainly in the original version. XB-1 and its crew (mostly good-looking young people, a few rugged old character actors, and a fairly dreadful robot prop) blast off for Alpha Centauri but must come to terms with the strains of long-haul spaceflight and various dangers (radiation, dangerous derelicts, and so on).
Arguably the missing link between Forbidden Planet and 2001: A Space Odyssey (yes, that's a bold claim), with a strange mixture of pulp SF tropes but also downbeat psychological realism. Notably good and interesting sets, photography, and a memorable avant-garde musical score too. The story is a bit episodic and not exactly pacey, but the rest of the film makes up for this.
Arguably the missing link between Forbidden Planet and 2001: A Space Odyssey (yes, that's a bold claim), with a strange mixture of pulp SF tropes but also downbeat psychological realism. Notably good and interesting sets, photography, and a memorable avant-garde musical score too. The story is a bit episodic and not exactly pacey, but the rest of the film makes up for this.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Feb 1, 2020
A film that had a very interesting sounding concept that could have been potentially explored really well in something exciting and challenging was unfortunately a massively wasted opportunity . Sadly I just found the film boring and uninspired and I got really fed up with looking at endless scenes of train carriage and snowy landscapes. The film had a great cast but managed to squander them and nobody puts in a particularly memorable performance. They must have blown the budget on the cast as the special effects also looked cheap and unrealistic . I don’t know if I’m missing something here as it has a reasonable imdb score but when I keep finding myself reaching for my phone to play with instead of looking at the screen you know something ain’t right.
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